Also known as 4MBC
1971 · Bally
Four Million B.C.
Known for Back ramp, Bird switch, Volcano and Tar Pit. Prehistoric jungle, palm and fern foliage, river and distant green mountain, pale blue sky with bare tree trunks and pterodactyl in flight.
- Year
- 1971
- Maker
- Bally
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Ramp
Back ramp
- switch
Bird switch
- saucer
Volcano
- Lock
Tar Pit
- Flipper
Zipper flippers
On the playfield
- green
- grey
- blue
- yellow
- 2 flippers
- 3 pop bumpers
- 1 target bank
Ramp 1
- Back ramp
Hole 1
- Volcano saucer
Lock 1
- Tar Pit
Bumper 1
- Mushroom bumpers
Target 1
- Red standup targets
Kickback 1
- Left out lane kickback
Lane 1
- Bird switch switch
Flipper 1
- Zipper flippers
Post or gate 1
- Tar Pit gate gate
Lights 1
- Scanning inserts inserts
On the backglass
Who and what
- animal Enormous lime-green tyrannosaurus rearing upright centre frame, jaws wide open showing red gums and white teeth, small forearms, long tail sweeping right, standing on two legs
- animal Orange-brown striped tiger/cat with black stripes and a red wound on its back, crouching low at lower left over a fallen green reptile-like creature, mouth open
- creature Fallen pale green reptile or dinosaur lying on its side beneath the tiger at lower left
- creature Brown pterodactyl with spread wings flying at upper right of the sky panel
- man Male explorer in a khaki/tan shirt crouching at the right by the water, dark hair
- man Second male explorer in tan clothing beside him, partly obscured, at the river bank
Setting
- Prehistoric jungle
- Palm and fern foliage
- River and distant green mountain
- Pale blue sky with bare tree trunks
- Pterodactyl in flight
Text on it
- FOUR MILLION B.C.
- Bally
- 1 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 4 UP
- 2 8 9 3 0
- GAME OVER
- 3 4 5 CAN PLAY
Made by
- Design
- Ted Zale
- Art
- Dick White
Reference
Linked terms
- Back ramp also called Ramp skill shot
- Bird switch also called Upper ramp bird switch also called fourth switch
- Volcano also called Volcano lock also called Left Volcano saucer
- Tar Pit also called Tar pit lock also called Upper Tar Pit lock
- Mushroom bumpers also called Center bumper also called Center open-flippers bumper
- Zipper flippers also called Close zipper flippers
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- green
- grey
- blue
- yellow
Fingerprint: Prehistoric island scene: giant green sauropod spanning center, smoking volcano upper left with diagonal smoke trail, three starburst pop bumpers marked 100. Blue water, jungle foliage, palm trees surround the dinosaur. Muted airbrushed greens, greys, blues. Red arrow and hexagon value markers, orange SHOOT AGAIN insert, green ADVANCE BALL sign scattered across field. Heavily worn paint with visible wood patches.
A giant green long-necked dinosaur painted flat across the centre of the playfield, its tail curling down past the flippers, with a smoking volcano at upper left whose grey smoke plume runs diagonally all the way down the field as a painted 'trail'. Three pop bumper caps in a triangle carry red, green and blue starburst surrounds each printed '100'. A white 'TILT / ENDS BALL' card in rainbow block letters is mounted at the lower right of the apron. The whole scene is a volcano-and-dinosaur prehistoric island painted in washed-out airbrushed greens, greys and blues.
Setting
- Prehistoric volcanic island landscape seen from above
- Grey smoking volcano cone at upper left
- Blue lagoon water running down the centre
- Green jungle foliage and palm trees
- Yellow-and-black star-patterned side aprons and slingshots
- Pale yellow lower apron with abstract logo artwork
Symbols
- Three circular starburst pop bumper caps in red, green and blue
- Red arrow and hexagon value markers
- Orange circular mushroom/standup targets
- Red three-window drop-target style bank
- Yellow-and-black starburst pattern on slingshots and side aprons
- Abstract red-dots-and-speed-lines logo on lower apron
- Playing-card-style red pips on white inserts at upper left
Notable shapes
- The painted diagonal smoke plume running the full height of the playfield
- A large irregular cutout hole at the top centre of the playfield with a chrome ball-guide rail curving around it
- A rectangular metal ball-guide/return wireform framing the upper playfield
- A black angled cutout lane at upper right leading to a metal ramp mouth
- A shield-shaped red insert at mid-right and a hexagonal '1000 when lit' insert at mid-left
- A black rectangular opening in the lower right apron area for the ball return
Art motifs
- Hand-painted airbrushed realism with heavy black keylines
- Smoke plume as a painted diagonal divider
- Vintage score-value arrows and hexagonal markers
- White instruction and pricing cards riveted to the apron
Themes
- Prehistoric
- Dinosaur
- Volcano
- Island
- Jungle
- Archaeology expedition
Text on it
- 100
- 1000 WHEN LIT
- ADVANCE BALL WHEN COMPLETE
- SHOOT AGAIN
- GATE OPEN
- 10
- FLIPPER
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- TILT
- ENDS BALL
- 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY
- 3 Replays for each score of 43,000 Points
- 1 Replay for each score of 32,000 Points
- 1 Replay for each score of 81,000 Points
- 1 Replay for each score of 187,000 Points
- TILT disqualifies player free ball when tilting
- Bally
- MANUFACTURING CORP.
- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60618
- PATENT NOTICE IS OMITTED
- 5 BALLS PER PLAYER
- 1 PLAY 5c
- 5 PLAYS 25c
- BUMPERS WILL LIGHT FOR QUICK SCORE IN TUNNEL
- SHOOT BALL FOR POP BUMPER LAMP VALUE
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Animal | One large green sauropod/brontosaurus-type dinosaur painted flat across the centre of the playfield; long s-curved neck rising from a bulky rounded body, small head facing left, thick tapering tail curling down and to the right toward the flippers, dark green outline shading and ribbed back |
| Other | A painted grey volcano cone at upper left with a crater, orange lava glow and a large billowing grey smoke plume that snakes diagonally down the middle of the field past the dinosaur to the lower right |
| Creature | A small painted pterosaur or bird-like flyer silhouette visible over the water in the upper middle of the field |
A photographed pinball playfield under glass, photographed straight down with the black cabinet and coin door visible below. The art is a prehistoric island scene painted in muted 60s-70s airbrush: a grey smoking volcano at upper left erupts a thick grey smoke plume that snakes diagonally down the centre of the field to the lower right. A large green sauropod dinosaur with a long curving neck and tail stands in the middle of the playfield, surrounded by blue water, green jungle foliage and palm trees. Three round pop bumper caps sit in a triangle near the top: one blue-and-white starburst, one green-and-white starburst and one red-and-white starburst, each printed '100'. Red arrow and hexagon value markers ('100', '1000 WHEN LIT', '10') scatter across the field, along with a green 'ADVANCE BALL WHEN COMPLETE' sign, an orange 'SHOOT AGAIN' insert, a 'GATE OPEN' label and a three-window red target bank. Two white 'FLIPPER' bats sit at the bottom, with yellow-and-black star-patterned slingshots either side. The apron is yellow-green with a red script company logo, an abstract 'M'-shaped logo of red dots and speed lines, a white instruction card reading '1 TO 4 CAN PLAY', and a white card reading '5 BALLS PER PLAYER'.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- gold
- blue
- red
Fingerprint: FOUR MILLION B.C. plank title in red capitals, lime-green rearing tyrannosaurus with jaws open filling centre directly below title, orange-brown striped tiger attacking fallen green creature at lower left, two male explorers by river, bamboo-framed score panels stacked right, pterodactyl gliding, palm fronds, dot-matrix printed style
The rearing lime-green Tyranosaurus with its jaws wide open straddling the centre of the glass, directly under the FOUR MILLION B.C. plank title. Four green bamboo-framed score panels stacked diagonally down the right half, each with its own numbered UP arrow (1 UP, 2 UP, 3 UP, 4 UP). The contrast of a prehistoric battle scene with a tiger-like cat attacking a fallen green creature at lower left. A red cursive factory logo sitting in the gap between the two top score windows, framed by palm fronds either side and 'GAME OVER' in glowing yellow at the bottom right.
Setting
- Prehistoric jungle
- Palm and fern foliage
- River and distant green mountain
- Pale blue sky with bare tree trunks
- Pterodactyl in flight
Symbols
- Score reels
- Player up arrows
- 3 4 5 player circles
- Red square wall plaque on a post
- Palm fronds
Lettering
- Large red slab capitals with white highlight on the wooden plank title; red cursive factory script logo; small white/yellow sans-serif labels
Themes
- Prehistoric
- Dinosaurs
- Jungle
- Adventure
- Explorers
- Tyrannosaurus
Title on it
- Four million b.c.
Text on it
- FOUR MILLION B.C.
- Bally
- 1 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 4 UP
- 2 8 9 3 0
- GAME OVER
- 3 4 5 CAN PLAY
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Animal | Enormous lime-green tyrannosaurus rearing upright centre frame, jaws wide open showing red gums and white teeth, small forearms, long tail sweeping right, standing on two legs |
| Animal | Orange-brown striped tiger/cat with black stripes and a red wound on its back, crouching low at lower left over a fallen green reptile-like creature, mouth open |
| Creature | Fallen pale green reptile or dinosaur lying on its side beneath the tiger at lower left |
| Creature | Brown pterodactyl with spread wings flying at upper right of the sky panel |
| Man | Male explorer in a khaki/tan shirt crouching at the right by the water, dark hair |
| Man | Second male explorer in tan clothing beside him, partly obscured, at the river bank |
| Other | Small brown dinosaur or animal silhouette on the far shore near the explorers |
A dot-matrix-printed backglass in a prehistoric jungle scene. The top band shows pale blue sky, two bare tree trunks and a pterodactyl gliding at upper right. Two green bamboo-framed score windows hold white reels reading 2 8 9 3 0 (red arrow and 1 UP at its right) and five blank 0 reels (red 2 UP at its left); a red cursive factory script logo sits between them. The centre is a brown wood-plank sign reading FOUR MILLION B.C. in large red capitals with white highlights. Below it a huge lime-green Tyrannosaurus rears centre-frame, jaws open showing red gums and white teeth, tail sweeping right. At lower left an orange-brown striped tiger with a red wound on its back crouches over a fallen green creature among ferns. At right two male explorers in khaki shirts crouch by a dark river with a green mountain behind. Green score windows for 3 UP and 4 UP sit to the right, a gold border with 3 4 5 CAN PLAY circles runs along the bottom, and GAME OVER glows yellow at lower right.