1984 · Playmatic
UFO-X
Abstract retro-futurist cityscape of stacked teal and blue machine blocks, tubes and coils, orange and yellow explosion cloud in the upper right and red and teal control panel strip across the bottom with score windows.
- Year
- 1984
- Maker
- Playmatic
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- red
- yellow
- blue
- black
Fingerprint: Colossal grinning fanged monster head consuming center space, cascading circular letter targets E D C B A surrounding face, thick black-outlined letter forms red yellow cyan white overlapping, two cream bumper caps with red script and small cartoon face
The single most memorable element is a gigantic grinning fanged monster face filling the entire centre of the playfield, its purple mouth and white spike teeth ringed by cascading round letter targets. Around it, huge psychedelic black-outlined letters in red, yellow and cyan crowd every inch of the surface, overlapping one another like a collage. Two cream bumper caps carrying red script and a tiny cartoon face float above the monster's brow. A curved white ball guide arcs across the upper left corner, and the bottom is closed by blue-and-orange apron banding with a yellow starburst.
Setting
- Solid black ground
- Cluttered abstract collage of oversized overlapping letters
- Concentric swirl and target rings behind the central face
Symbols
- Playing-card suit motifs
- Dice
- Stars
- Concentric target rings
- Starbursts
- Arrows
- Coins
Notable shapes
- Curved white ball guide arcing across the upper left corner
- Two round inset target windows at upper centre
- Cascading v of round letter targets down the middle
- Large triangular starburst bumpers flanking the face
Art motifs
- Overlapping giant block letters
- Swirls
- Checkerboard fragments
- Zigzag ribbons
Themes
- Monster
- Cartoon face
- Letter targets
- Score ladders
- Psychedelic lettering
Title on it
- Collect bonus
Text on it
- QUICK MATCH
- NEW BILLIARD LAUNCH
- SCORE MID MARATHON
- COLLECT BONUS
- playmatic
- SHOOT AGAIN
- LOCK 4 POINTS WHEN LIT
- AGAIN 5 POINTS WHEN LIT
- TARGET GATOR
- 25000
- 5000
- 5000 WHEN LIT
- 20000 WHEN RED LETTER FLASHES
- WHEN YELLOW LETTER FLASHES
- 2 STAND UP TARGETS WHEN LIT
- SHOOT AGAIN SCORES
- X10
- E
- D
- C
- B
- A
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Monster | One enormous grotesque cartoon head occupying the whole centre: amber-yellow brow, orange-rimmed half-closed eyes, wide gaping mouth of pointed white fangs around a purple and magenta interior |
| Other | Small cartoon face printed on each of two cream bumper caps in the upper-middle of the field, with red script lettering across it |
| Creature | A green reptile/serpent head and coiled scale pattern along the left edge of the playfield |
A flat, densely painted electro-mechanical playfield whose entire surface is a riot of thick black-outlined lettering in red, yellow, cyan, white and pink, laid over a black ground. The whole centre is dominated by one enormous cartoon monster face: a broad amber-yellow head with heavy orange-rimmed half-closed eyes and swirling brow shapes on top, and below it a gaping mouth of sharp white triangular fangs around a purple-and-magenta interior. Rows of round white letter targets (E, D, C, B, A) cascade down the middle and along both sides of the face, flanked by red, orange and cream starburst bumpers. Two cream-coloured bumper caps with red script and a small cartoon face sit high on the field. The top is crowded with a big curved white ball guide at upper left, a chrome lane at upper right, and small rectangular instruction windows. The lower apron is blue and orange geometric banding with a yellow 'COLLECT BONUS' oval, two white instruction cards, a 'playmatic' logo, and a yellow starburst at lower left. Two pale flippers and a red-tipped centre apron close the bottom.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- magenta-pink
- teal-blue
- orange
- yellow
Fingerprint: Four grinning wide-mouthed alien heads packed lower half in different colors, gold mask with orange spiked crown, small blue hooded head, green head with black stripes and yellow-rimmed eyes, pale skull-like head with round black eye, huge cream UFO title in magenta rectangle top
The single most memorable element is a row of four grinning, wide-mouthed alien heads packed across the lower half of the glass, each a different colour - a gold mask with an orange spiked crown, a small blue hooded head, a green head with black stripes and round yellow-rimmed eyes, and a pale skull-like head with a single round black eye. Set against them is the huge cream-white U-F-O title in a magenta rectangle at the top. The whole glass is a riot of hot pink, teal, orange and yellow retro-futurist gadgetry - coils, dials, a blue-domed saucer, and a grey robot bursting from an orange explosion. A green IN PLAY window glows on the chest of an orange armoured figure in the centre.
Setting
- Abstract retro-futurist cityscape of stacked teal and blue machine blocks, tubes and coils
- Orange and yellow explosion cloud in the upper right
- Red and teal control panel strip across the bottom with score windows
Symbols
- Flying saucer with portholes
- Green crescent shape
- Spiked armoured helmet
- Coils and vacuum tubes
- Gears, dials and gauge faces
- Round black-and-yellow medallions
- Red guitar-shaped emblem on the bottom panel
- Stepped city-tower blocks
Lettering
- Very large cream-white sans-serif block capitals with dark interior shading on a flat magenta rectangle for the title; small red capitalised stencil lettering on the bottom instruction panels
Themes
- Science fiction
- Aliens
- Flying saucer
- Space
- Retro-futurism
- Comic book
Title on it
- Ufo
Text on it
- UFO
- IN PLAY
- GREAT SCORE WHEN LIT
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- MATCH FEATURE
- EXTRA BALL
- SHOOT AGAIN
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 0 0
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Alien | Gold and orange mask-like head with a crown crest of long orange spikes, two black star-shaped eyes and a wide grinning mouth full of white teeth, left of centre |
| Alien | Small blue-grey head with a pointed chin and dark hooded collar, centred between the other heads |
| Alien | Green head with black vertical stripes, thick dark brows, two round yellow-rimmed black eyes and a toothy grin, centre-right, largest of the four |
| Alien | Cream skull-like head with a blue band and rows of white porthole dots, a large round black eye and a grinning mouth, far right |
| Robot | Grey metal humanoid robot with a rounded head, drawn in black outline, floating diagonally with arms out in front of an orange-yellow explosion cloud in the upper right |
| Alien | Large orange and gold armoured humanoid torso in the centre, ribbed collar, shoulder plates and a ray-gun style helmet, with a small bright green window on the chest reading in play |
| Vehicle | Blue domed flying saucer with a ring of white portholes, a black spiked lower rim and a red-brown column beneath, right of centre |
| Other | Small tan-skinned human figure in dark clothing lying horizontally along the bottom panel with one arm outstretched to the right, near a red guitar-shaped emblem |
A square backglass in a metal frame, filled edge-to-edge with dense, brightly coloured, comic-book style science-fiction art in hot pink, magenta, teal-blue, orange and yellow. Top left of centre sits a solid magenta-red rectangle containing the title in huge cream-white block capital letters U-F-O, each letter shaded darker inside with a thin dark outline. The rest of the glass is a jumble of retro-futurist machinery: stepped teal and blue tower blocks, striped tubes, coils, dials, a green crescent, an orange-bronze armoured figure with a ray-gun helmet and a small red IN PLAY window on its chest. Lower right is a blue-domed flying saucer with a row of white portholes and a black spiked underside. Four separate grinning alien heads fill the lower half: a gold masked head with a crown-like crest of orange spikes, a small blue head with a hooded collar, a green head with black vertical stripes and yellow-rimmed slitted eyes, and a cream skull-like head with a round black eye. Upper right is a grey robot outlined in black floating in an orange-yellow explosion cloud. Along the bottom is a red-and-teal control-panel strip with score windows, instructions, and a small figure lying with an outstretched arm.