Known for
- Target
Numbered target banks
- buttons
Fire buttons
- Hole
Reload holes
- Shot
Horseshoe
- Multiball
Superwave
On the playfield
- black
- red
- yellow
- cream
- 2 flippers
- 2 pop bumpers
- 6 target banks
- 2 slingshots
Shot 1
- Horseshoe
Hole 1
- Reload holes
Target 1
- Numbered target banks
Post or gate 1
- Horseshoe gate gate
Control 1
- Fire buttons buttons
Other 1
- Six-ball trough trough
On the backglass
Setting
- Fiery radial starburst
- Dark blue industrial machinery
- Purple-blue smoke wisps
Text on it
- THUNDERBALL
- BALLS IN PLAY
- BALLS SAVED
- Williams
- pinside.com
How it plays
-
Modes 1
- Regular Wave
-
Multiballs 1
- Superwave
-
Goals 1
Other
- Superwave timer
Made by
- Design
- Mark Ritchie
- Art
- Constantino Mitchell
- Art
- Jeanine Mitchell
- Software & Sound
- John Kotlarik
Reference
Linked terms
- Numbered target banks also called Six numbered target banks
- Fire buttons also called Left and right Fire buttons
- Reload holes also called Reload
- Horseshoe also called Horseshoe shot
- Superwave also called Superwave Multiball also called Timed Multiball
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- black
- red
- yellow
- cream
Fingerprint: Thunderball, gigantic italic chrome-blue word painted upside-down, cream radial sunburst with orange blast cones, oversized male head in profile with helmet and scarf, yellow shield crest with compass-rose target, two cream pop-bumper caps with red-black spirals, red lightning bolts on black
A gigantic airbrushed word logo painted upside-down across the middle of the playfield in chunky chrome-blue block letters, sitting under a cream radial sunburst with two orange blast cones. The centre of the lower half has a yellow shield/crest with a compass-rose target graphic, flanked by a pair of identical cream pop-bumper caps with red-and-black spiral tops. The left side carries an oversized painted male head in profile with helmet and scarf, and the whole playfield is overlaid with bright red lightning bolts on black. Two instruction cards on the apron show a bold black-on-cream card face and a dense rules panel.
Setting
- Black starfield with scattered white stars
- Large cream radial sunburst from lower centre
- Two symmetrical orange-gold blast cones
- Red lightning bolt motifs at both side rails
- Blue industrial gantry and crate shapes on the right
- Metal rails and posts across the upper playfield
Symbols
- Compass rose target at centre
- Red lightning bolts
- Stars
- Yellow arrow/star markers on the rails
- Circular red-and-black spiral discs on the bumper caps
- Dial/gauge markings around the centre crest
Notable shapes
- Two long red-and-yellow striped inlane plastics sweeping down to the flippers
- Large shield-shaped yellow centre crest
- Paired cream bumper caps set symmetrically either side of centre
- Orange blast cones and cream sunburst forming a v opening upward
- Cutout arch at the top of the upper playfield
Art motifs
- Radial explosion burst
- Airbrushed chrome lettering
- Symmetrical blast cones
- Industrial gantry latticework
Themes
- Spy thriller
- Submarine and sea chase
- Explosion
- Lightning and black sky
- Targets and banks
Title on it
- Thunderball
Text on it
- THUNDERBALL
- Williams
- TARGETS SCORE 2000 WHEN LIT
- TARGETS SCORE 7000 WHEN LIT
- MOVING FLASHING TARGET
- SCORE COMPLETE BANK
- SUPERWAVE
- COMPLETES CENTER
- MAKING 1 THRU 6
- ENTER SUPERWAVE
- UNLIMITED BALLS
- WARNING: FUSION
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- 1 OR 2 CAN PLAY
- RELOAD - LAMP EVERY 200,000
- TURN ENDS AFTER SUPERWAVE TIME
- 1 PLAY 25C
- 5 BALLS MINIMUM
- 30 MAXIMUM CREDITS
- BALL FEED
- FLIPPERS
- Objective:
- Lighting all six bank lamps during regular wave for Superwave time
- Reloads:
- Lamp every 200,000
- Time:
- Unlimited Balls
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Large painted male head in left-facing profile, dark hair, helmet or cap, dark scarf at the neck, mouth slightly open, occupying much of the left third |
| Other | Partial painted male face and shoulder at the far left edge, mostly cropped by the side rail |
A photographed electro-mechanical playfield seen from above under the glass, with the cabinet apron and two instruction cards visible at the bottom edge. The artwork is an airbrushed 1980s spy/sea-crash fantasy: a black starfield background crossed by red lightning bolts, a huge pale-cream radial burst spreading up from the lower centre, and two symmetrical orange-and-gold blast cones rising toward the top. A huge italic chrome-and-blue block word, painted upside-down from the player's viewpoint, sweeps across the upper-middle. The left third is dominated by a painted male head in profile wearing a helmet and dark scarf; the right third carries machinery, crates and gantry shapes in blues and browns. Centre-low sits a yellow shield-shaped emblem with a compass-rose design and two round lamps either side of it, framed by red curved plastics. Cream pop-bumper caps with red-and-black spiral discs sit left and right of centre. Two large red-and-yellow striped inlanes sweep down to two flippers at the bottom. Dominant colours: black, red, yellow-orange, cream.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- orange
- blue
- black
- white
Fingerprint: thunderball: red sphere containing jagged orange impact star, six fat orange cannon barrels with blue caps radiating outward, massive THUNDERBALL in bevelled white capitals with lightning-bolt underline, fiery orange-red starburst with glowing halo, blue-black machinery and purple flame wisps at edges, industrial explosive focus
A central red planet-like sphere containing a jagged orange impact star, with six fat orange cannon barrels with blue caps fanning outward toward the viewer like a fired multi-barrel gun. The title THUNDERBALL in massive bevelled chrome-white capitals with a lightning-bolt underline. Small white instruction text mirrored on both sides of the glowing central orb.
Setting
- Fiery radial starburst
- Dark blue industrial machinery
- Purple-blue smoke wisps
Symbols
- Jagged impact star
- Central red sphere
- Six cannon barrels with rounded blue caps
- Four grey rectangular score windows
- Two small centre windows
- Black circle emblem
- Lightning bolt
Lettering
- Huge bevelled chrome-white block capitals with heavy dark blue outline and a lightning-bolt underline; instruction text in small white caps; manufacturer name in orange-brown script
Themes
- Explosive force
- Cannon fire
- Impact crater
- Industrial machinery
Title on it
- Thunderball
Text on it
- THUNDERBALL
- BALLS IN PLAY
- BALLS SAVED
- Williams
- pinside.com
A square backglass dominated by a huge chrome-and-white bevelled title across the top reading THUNDERBALL, drawn in block capitals with a lightning-bolt underline. Behind everything is a fiery orange-and-red starburst radiating from a central red sphere, ringed by a glowing yellow-white halo. Inside the sphere sits a jagged orange star-shaped impact crater with dark radiating cracks and small blue rock fragments. Six huge orange-gold cylindrical cannon barrels with rounded blue-grey caps burst outward and downward from the sphere in a fan, aimed toward the viewer from the lower left and lower right. Two grey rectangular score windows sit high left and high right, with two more grey windows lower down flanking the sphere, and two small windows beneath the centre logo. White two-line instruction text sits above each lower side window. Below the centre, a black circle with a white script wordmark and 'Williams' in orange-brown script rests on a metallic orange nameplate. Blue-black machinery, pipes and cabling fill the lower corners, with purple and blue flame wisps around the edges.