1976 · Recel
Underwater
Sunset disc over open sea, underwater control room interior with gauges and consoles and sunken warship hull.
- Year
- 1976
- Maker
- Recel
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 4
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- blue
- green
- cream
- red
Fingerprint: Red-yellow sunburst explosion targets clustered on black sunken wreck with white foam fringes, vertical column torpedo-shaped yellow bumpers down center spine, gold dome labeled ON and OFF, green rocky banks with pink sea anemone flowers flanking both sides
The most memorable feature is the lower-centre wall of red-and-yellow sunburst explosion targets, each printed with a different score, set against a black sinking wreck fringed with white foam. Second is the vertical column of bulbous yellow torpedo-shaped bumpers and red-rimmed lamps running straight down the middle of an underwater blue field, topped by a gold dome labelled ON and OFF. Third, the whole playfield is an underwater scene: green banks of pink sea anemones down both sides, a grey submarine at the top, and a yellow AND LITTLE SHARK TARGET arrow on the right. Fourth, a diamond-shaped DOUBLE BONUS plaque with a heavy black downward arrow sits at the very bottom centre of the painted wood, above the metal apron.
Setting
- Underwater blue field with white wavy light streaks
- Green rocky banks down both sides
- Bright pink sea-anemone or coral flowers on the banks
- Black sunken wreck or island with white surf, lower centre
- Cream and tan wooden side rails
- Bare silver-grey metal apron at the bottom
Symbols
- Red and yellow starburst bombs
- Submarine portholes
- Yellow directional arrows
- Numbers 1, 2 and 3 in coloured roundels
- Red circular lamps along a central spine
- Green mines
- Skull and crossbones
- Star/burst score medallions
Notable shapes
- Tall portrait playfield with an arched top
- Curved central spine of torpedo bumpers
- Comb or rake-shaped lane bank on the right
- Diamond double bonus plaque with a large black downward arrow
- Circular 50,000 special medallion
Art motifs
- Wavy white light streaks over blue water
- Scattered pink flowers on green banks
- Long curved central spine of torpedo bumpers
- Speech-bubble style instruction plaques
Themes
- Underwater
- Submarine
- Torpedo
- Naval
- Sea anemone
Text on it
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 100,000
- 2X600
- EXTRA BALL
- WHEN LIT
- HOLD 3 LOCKS
- COMBO
- ON
- OFF
- AND LITTLE SHARK
- TARGET
- 5,000
- SPECIAL
- 50,000
- ADVANCE
- 10,000 BONUS
- TWO LANES
- ADVANCE BONUS
- DOUBLE BONUS
- UNDERWATER
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- JOLLY ROGER
- LOCK 1
- LOCK 2
- LOCK 3
- 1 PLAYER
- 2 PLAYERS
- 3 CREDITS
- GAME ENDS
- 2000
- 70,000
- 60,000
- 45,000
- 40,000
- 30,000
- 20,000
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Grey painted submarine with a conning tower and a row of round portholes, lying horizontally across the top centre of the playfield behind the drop targets. |
| Other | A grid of roughly nine red and yellow starburst bomb shapes in the lower centre, each printed with a different score value (100,000, 70,000, 60,000, 50,000, 45,000, 40,000, 30,000, 20,000). |
| Other | A white triangular pennant flag with a blue border and a black arrow or dart motif, on the right side mid-playfield. |
| Other | A jolly roger-style skull and crossbones emblem printed on the grey apron at bottom centre, above the double bonus area. |
| Other | Green triangular panels with a spiked round mine and small pale shapes near the top corners, flanking the top arch. |
A tall, portrait-format playfield shot straight down, framed by cream/tan wooden side rails and a bare silver-grey metal apron along the bottom. The whole surface is painted as an underwater scene: a mid-blue field with white wavy vertical streaks like shafts of light or currents, flanked left and right by green rocky banks scattered with bright pink sea-anemone or coral flowers. A grey submarine with round portholes is painted at the top centre. Down the middle runs a curving spine carrying a stack of bulbous yellow torpedo-like bumpers and round red-rimmed lamps; a polished gold-coloured dome with ON and OFF lettering sits just below the top arch. At the top left are three yellow drop targets marked 1, 2 and 3, each carrying 100,000. The lower centre is dominated by a black sunken wreck or rock island with white surf and a grid of red-and-yellow starburst bomb explosions, each printed with a score. Art style is hand-painted airbrushed 1960s-70s electro-mechanical work with flat saturated colour and thick black outlines.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- orange
- green
- cream
- red
Fingerprint: Huge red-outlined "UNDERWATER" title across churning green waves beneath large orange sunset disc, silhouetted submarine periscope and hull against sun, orange-yellow-blue smoke columns like mushroom clouds, red-suited female diver mid-leap with one arm up, shouting naval captain in khaki uniform with skull-and-bones badge, four-tier stacked scoring ladder with cream digit windows left half.
The dominant feature is the giant word UNDERWATER in red with a white and black drop-shadow outline, set across churning green waves beneath a huge orange sunset disc. Directly above the title a silhouetted submarine periscope and hull sit against the sun while orange, yellow and blue smoke columns billow upward like mushroom clouds. A comic-strip red-suited female diver, mid-leap with one arm up, occupies the lower centre-right beside a shouting naval captain in a khaki uniform whose peaked cap bears a small skull-and-bones badge. The entire left half is a four-tier stacked scoring ladder with cream digit windows, coloured round insert lamps and big numbered tiles 1 through 4. Period British text inserts EURO, RECEL and FLIP appear at the top right, with a red TILT box and pale-blue GAME OVER and TIT lettering.
Setting
- Sunset disc over open sea
- Underwater control room interior with gauges and consoles
- Sunken warship hull
Symbols
- Skull-and-bones on captain's cap
- Periscope
- Sun disc
- Mushroom-shaped smoke plumes
- Waves
- Sink ship
- Round insert lamps in red, green, blue, amber and purple
- Five round yellow lamps under ball in play
- Players number strip 1 2 3 4
Lettering
- Bold hand-lettered comic capitals; title in red with white and black outline and black shadow; insert legends in black sans-serif capitals on cream cards; status words game over and tit in pale blue block capitals; tilt in white on a red rectangle
Themes
- Underwater
- Submarine
- Naval warfare
- Diving
- Ocean exploration
- Military comic
- Score ladder
Title on it
- Underwater
Text on it
- 1
- 143700
- 2
- 3
- 4
- BALL IN PLAY
- UNDERWATER
- EURO
- RECEL
- FLIP
- GAME OVER
- TILT
- TIT
- PLAYERS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Female diver in a tight red one-piece suit with black belt and black boots, small white-trimmed red cap, dark goggles, leaping with left arm raised open-handed, drawn in comic style with heavy black outlines |
| Man | Naval captain in khaki/olive uniform with shoulder boards, peaked cap bearing a skull-and-bones badge, mouth open shouting, right hand raised holding a small black object, drawn in comic style |
| Man | Operator in tan overalls wearing large black headphones, brown hair, leaning forward over a grey control console, one hand down near the panel |
| Other | Partially visible fourth figure at far right behind the captain, tan clothing and a raised arm |
| Vehicle | Black silhouetted submarine with periscope and hull against the orange sun |
Illuminated pinball backglass printed as a comic-strip naval-action scene. Left half is a four-step stacked scoring ladder: each step is a cream window with six or seven rectangular digit cut-outs, flanked by small coloured round lamps and a large numbered tile reading 1, 2, 3 and 4. Player 1 reads 143700, the other three windows are unlit. A red BALL IN PLAY window sits near the bottom left with five round yellow lamps beneath it. Right half: a large orange sunset disc behind a black submarine, with orange and blue mushroom-shaped smoke plumes, green-blue waves, a sinking ship hull, and the red outlined title UNDERWATER. Below are three drawn figures: a woman in a tight red diving suit with white-trimmed cap and black boots leaping with one arm raised; a khaki-uniformed captain in a peaked cap with a skull-and-bones emblem shouting and holding a black object aloft; a headphone-wearing operator in tan overalls bent over a console. Top right carries EURO, RECEL, FLIP inserts above pale-blue GAME OVER and TIT text, with a red TILT box nearby. Condition: aged, crazing and cracking across the surrounding cream panel, chipped edges.