Made by
- Design
- Ron Halliburton
- Art
- Rich Scafidi
- Mechanics
- Tony Miller
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- cream
- teal
- red
- black
Fingerprint: Rotation: Huge curving yellow script word Rotation slanted across teal field with black-white chevrons reading like motion blur, oversized red BALL SHOT arrow, triangular fan of fifteen numbered cream targets 1 to 15, pair of red numeric reel windows bottom corners
The most memorable feature is the huge curving yellow script word 'Rotation' slanted across a teal field striped with black-and-white chevrons, reading like motion blur. Immediately under it is an oversized red arrow labelled 'BALL SHOT' pointing up into the striped area, and below that a neat triangular fan of fifteen numbered cream targets 1 to 15 laid out like a bowling triangle. A second striking element is the pair of red numeric reel windows at bottom left and bottom right, each captioned 'FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY' and each split into a player name and a score. Finally, a pale grey round plastic deflector dome sits dead centre of the lower playfield, partly covering the yellow 'COLLECT 3 UNITS' arrow beneath it.
Setting
- Painted teal and cream playfield surface
- Black cabinet interior with chrome side rails
- Grey concrete floor visible around the cabinet
- Wooden stool leg at the right edge
Symbols
- Round cream targets numbered 1 to 15
- Large red arrow
- Black and white chevron speed stripes
- Yellow and green round bumper rings
- Red numeric reel windows
- Pale grey plastic deflector dome
- Red and white ball return trough
- Yellow numbered spinner discs at the upper right
Lettering
- Large mid-century airbrushed italic script with black outline and white drop shadow for the main title, small white cursive for the manufacturer line, condensed white block capitals on black panels for the reel captions
Themes
- Motor racing
- Spinning
- Numbered targets
- Ten cents a play
Title on it
- Rotation
Text on it
- Rotation
- by Midway
- 10
- in
- a Bally Co.
- BALL SHOT
- 900
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- TILT
- MIDWAY MFG.
- COLLECT 3 UNITS
- SHOOT AGAIN
- GAME OVER
- BALL IN PLAY
- CREDIT
- 72
- BALL
- PLAYFIELD SCORE
- WEST
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | A painted red and white open-top motor car in side profile across the upper part of the playfield near the top arc |
| Woman | A small flat screen-printed female figure in a light blue and white outfit standing at the upper left of the playfield beside a lane |
| Other | Further small flat painted figures in racing attire around the top arc of the playfield |
Photograph of a complete electro-mechanical pinball machine seen from directly above, so the whole cream and teal wedge-shaped playfield, the black cabinet, chrome side rails and the metal apron with the red-and-white ball-return trough are all in frame. Large curving script reading 'Rotation' in pale yellow letters with heavy black outline and a white drop shadow spans the upper-left centre over a teal ground crossed by black, white and yellow chevron speed stripes. Under it, smaller white cursive reads 'by Midway' with '10' and 'in' around a small mark, and cursive 'a Bally Co.'. Just below sits a large red arrow labelled 'BALL SHOT' pointing upward, beside a black round target marked 900. The centre of the lower half is dominated by a triangular fan of fifteen round cream targets, each ringed in orange or red and printed with black numerals 1 to 15, flanked by coloured round bumper rings. Low left and low right are red numeric reel windows in black panels, each captioned 'FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY' and split into a player name and a score, with small white 'TILT' lamps below. A pale grey opaque plastic deflector dome covers the lower centre, sitting over a yellow 'COLLECT 3 UNITS' arrow. Dominant colours are cream, teal green, red and black. Art style is flat mid-century airbrushed and screen-printed illustration.
Playfield
- brown
- cream
- gold
- green
Fingerprint: Whole machine has dark brown octagonal frame instead of rectangular cabinet, and playfield is rotating disc rather than flat slope; cream and gold V-shaped wedge divides field into symmetric left and right fans of coloured panels; white cursive ROTATION script painted across green left-centre field; catalogue/marketing shot with blue promotional captions above and below frame
The whole machine has a dark brown octagonal frame instead of a rectangular cabinet opening, and the playfield is a rotating disc rather than a flat slope - this is the single most memorable feature. Inside it, a cream and gold V-shaped wedge divides the field into symmetric left and right fans of coloured panels. White cursive 'Rotation' script is painted across the green left-of-centre field. Two dark brown rectangular instruction panels with 'BONUS' headings sit symmetrically on the left and right lower quadrants, with a red 'MATCH' panel between black 'CREDIT' and 'BALL' boxes at the bottom centre. The image is a catalogue/marketing shot with blue promotional captions above and below, not a straight cabinet photograph.
Setting
- Plain white studio background surrounding a machine part
Symbols
- Circular yellow and white gear/sunburst rosettes
- Concentric rings and bullseye targets
- Arrows
- Round coloured buttons or posts
- Chevron and wedge shapes
- Striped rails
Lettering
- Blue sans-serif promotional captions above and below; white cursive script 'rotation' on the playfield; white block capitals in dark instruction panels
Themes
- Rotating playfield
- Octagonal cabinet
- Geometric machinery
- Airbrushed mechanisms
- Catalogue advertisement
Text on it
- A REVOLUTIONARY NEW CONCEPT IN PINBALL DESIGN
- WITH A ROTATING PLAYFIELD
- Rotation
- COLLECT
- BONUS
- QUICK OVER
- TILT
- MATCH
- CREDIT
- BALL
- pinball.com
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Light-shirted or bare-armed man in dark trousers, depicted lying or leaning across the green left-of-centre field |
| Man | Small painted male figure near the upper centre, adjacent to the pale blue and cream mechanical shapes |
| Woman | Figure in a red dress at centre-right on the red panel |
| Other | Several additional small painted figures scattered among the coloured panels on the left and right lower quadrants, details not resolvable |
A printed sales-lot graphic on a white background showing a complete octagonal playfield mounted in a dark brown angular metal frame, photographed straight down. The playfield artwork is a glossy, brightly coloured mechanical/geometric design: a large cream and gold V-shaped (arrow/wedge) spine runs down the centre, with green, red, teal, orange and blue panels fanned out on either side. Small painted human figures are scattered across the surface - a bare-chested or light-shirted man in dark trousers lying or leaning on the green field left of centre, another figure near the top, and a woman in a red dress at centre-right. Readable printed elements include the word 'Rotation' in white cursive script across the left-centre green area, a yellow triangular badge on the lower central wedge reading 'COLLECT', two dark instruction panels left and right with 'BONUS' and 'QUICK OVER' in white block capitals, a small 'TILT' window, and a red 'MATCH' panel flanked by black 'CREDIT' and 'BALL' boxes. Blue sans-serif captions frame the picture: across the top 'A REVOLUTIONARY NEW CONCEPT IN PINBALL DESIGN', and across the bottom the cropped line 'WITH A ROTATING PLAYFIELD'. A small 'pinball.com' watermark sits in the lower right.