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1978 · Bally

Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom

Known for Return lanes, Center standups, Center Extra Ball target and Jumbo Bonus. Flat deep crimson red field, large angular yellow lightning bolts radiating from centre, blue feathered wings and starbursts behind the logo, scattered pale star sparkles on the red, bottom band of orange-yellow flames and tall grass-like foliage and two orange-brown mushroom-shaped lamps left and right.

Year
1978
Maker
Bally
Type
Solid state
Display
Alphanumeric
Players
4

Known for

  • Lane

    Return lanes

  • Target

    Center standups

  • Target

    Center Extra Ball target

  • Award

    Jumbo Bonus

On the playfield

  • red
  • gold
  • blue
  • black
Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom playfield
Spotted in this photo
  • 2 flippers
  • 2 slingshots

Full vision analysis

Bumper 1

  • Center Bumper

Targets 3

  • Center standups
  • A and B targets
  • Center Extra Ball target

Lane 1

  • Return lanes

On the backglass

  • red
  • yellow
  • blue
  • orange
Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom backglass

Full vision analysis

Who and what

  • man Lean, tanned, bare-legged hero in a bright blue sleeveless tunic with gold edging and a yellow starburst emblem on the chest, wearing a gold-and-red plumed corinthian helmet with a tall red crest; right arm raised straight up gripping a flaming torch, left arm braced, standing centre-front with a determined expression.
  • creature A muscular humanoid with a large golden-yellow lion head and thick radiating mane, human face, bare cream-white torso and arms, royal blue gloves, pale yellow/cream trousers and gold sandals; kneeling on one knee at the hero's right side with one hand pressed to his chest and the other around the hero's waist.
  • vehicle A partial grey-blue rocket or spacecraft nose visible at lower right behind the right-hand score windows, angled upward.

Setting

  • Flat deep crimson red field
  • Large angular yellow lightning bolts radiating from centre
  • Blue feathered wings and starbursts behind the logo
  • Scattered pale star sparkles on the red
  • Bottom band of orange-yellow flames and tall grass-like foliage
  • Two orange-brown mushroom-shaped lamps left and right

Text on it

  • VOLTAN
  • Escapes Cosmic Doom...
  • It was once a beautiful place
  • Forsee it Baby, we go in there!
  • Call in Play
  • Match
  • CREDIT
  • 1,704,281
  • Game Over
  • Bally
  • 03
  • 00
  • 0

How it plays

  1. Awards 2

    • Jumbo Bonus
    • Super Bonus

Made by

Design
George Christian
Art
Dave Christensen

Reference

Linked terms
  • Return lanes also called In lanes also called Return-lane planets
  • Center standups also called Planet 2, 5 and 8 targets
  • Center Bumper also called Bottommost bumper
  • Center Extra Ball target also called Center target also called Planet 5
  • Jumbo Bonus also called Super bonus (first set)
Playfield vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom playfield

Playfield

  • red
  • gold
  • blue
  • black

Fingerprint: Two character portraits (blonde woman with beehive on left, sinister grinning figure in hat on right) flanking central white starburst target, dense rainbow-colored plastics and gold pinstriped arch, rows of cream circles numbered 1-9 with red decorative script between

Distinctive

The most memorable feature is the pair of large character portraits in the upper playfield, with a blonde woman in a beehive hairstyle on the left and a sinister grinning figure in a wide-brimmed hat and dark coat on the right, flanking a central starburst target. Second is the dense rainbow-coloured plastics and gold pinstriped rainbow arch at the top of the playfield. Third is the crowded centre of cream circles numbered 1 through 9, interspersed with red decorative script words. Fourth, two yellow arrow-shaped instruction panels near the lower middle and a standing skeleton figure just above the flippers.

Setting

  • Gold pinstriped ornamental backdrop with radiating sunburst rays
  • Rainbow-coloured plastics spanning the top arch
  • Deep blue and red marbled paint at the upper corners
  • Red and cream harlequin-diamond painted slingshots
  • Large red painted plastics curving around the lower playfield

Symbols

  • Playing-card suits
  • Playing-card rank letters a b c d
  • Numerals 1 to 9 in cream circles
  • Skeleton
  • Starburst target
  • Arrows
  • Ribbons and scrollwork
  • Lightning-bolt flashes
  • Harlequin diamonds

Notable shapes

  • The rainbow-banded arch at the top of the playfield, the central white starburst 1000 disc, two large curved red painted plastics wrapping the lower corners, and a pair of yellow arrow-shaped instruction panels angled inward near the lower centre

Art motifs

  • Heavy red and gold baroque scrollwork
  • Rainbow colour-banded arch
  • Sunburst rays
  • Ribbons and banners
  • Gilded decorative borders

Themes

  • Occult
  • Supernatural
  • Vintage
  • Card motif
  • Burlesque
  • Carnival

Text on it

  • 100
  • 1000
  • LIGHT 1000 BONUS
  • Super Bonus
  • Playfield Bonus 6000 When Lit
  • Special When Lit
  • Another Direct Hit
  • To Match Delicious Sacrifice
  • SHOOT AGAIN
  • When Lit
  • Lock 3
  • INSTRUCTIONS
  • 3 BALLS PER GAME
  • 1 TO REPLAY THE LOCK SCORE OF 3
  • A B C D
  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
  • 300
  • 600
  • 5000
  • 2
  • 3
  • 1968
  • 2 PLAY
  • 4 PLAY
  • DOLLAR PLAYS
  • TILT
Pop bumpers
Two round white bumper caps printed 100 in the upper field, plus a row of small posts/lane guides across the arch
Slingshots
Two large red triangular slingshots in the lower left and lower right, painted with cream harlequin diamonds
Upper playfield
Raised arch section behind the glass containing a rainbow arch, a row of five lane guides, playing-card rank letters and small round posts
Apron and lower playfield
Lower apron painted deep red with a large red cursive script company logo in gold outline; two white rubber flippers; instruction cards and rule cards mounted on the lower deck behind the apron glass
Who and what
Kind Description
Woman Left side of the upper playfield, head-and-shoulders portrait of a blonde woman with tall 1960s beehive coiffure, side-swept fringe, pale skin, bare shoulders, painted in airbrushed comic style, looking outwards towards the viewer
Other Right side of the upper playfield, a grinning unsettling figure with a pale green face and dark hollow eyes, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and dark clothing, holding a long thin pole or rod, painted in comic illustration style
Skeleton Lower centre-left of the playfield, a painted standing skeleton figure with a skull and ribcage, painted in orange and brown tones against the dark lower field
Full description

A photographed electro-mechanical playfield, shot through glass with strong pink and blue LED reflections, including a bright magenta light bar running horizontally across the middle. The layout is symmetric top to bottom. The upper arch is packed with gold pinstriped ornament, playing-card letters and rainbow-coloured plastics. A row of five tall lane guides sits under the arch, flanked by round white pop-bumper caps printed 100, with a white starburst disc reading 1000 and curved lettering above it. Two character portraits face each other across the upper field: on the left a blonde woman with 1960s beehive hair and bare shoulders, on the right a grim-faced figure in a wide-brimmed hat holding a long pole. The centre is dominated by heavy red-and-gold scrollwork with the large title lettering, and below it rows of numerals 1-9 set in cream circles with fancy red script words between them. Lower down are two yellow arrow-shaped instruction panels, a skeleton figure, and a pair of white flippers flanked by red triangular slingshots decorated with harlequin diamonds. A red cursive script logo fills the lower apron. Dominant colours are red, gold, blue and black.

Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom playfield

Playfield

  • pink red
  • teal turquoise
  • gold yellow
  • black

Fingerprint: Hot-pink and teal dense hand-screened fantasy-carnival composition, three pop bumpers with 100, 100, 1000, red horned figures leaning inward, teal scoreboard-style grid of numbered roundels in gold cartouches, playing-card ranks down side lanes, champagne-bottle motifs on lower panels, maroon-white starburst cabinet side

Distinctive

The playfield is unusually saturated, with three separate hot zones rather than one: pink-magenta at the top arch, a bright turquoise mid-band, and yellow-orange across the lower funnel. Printed playing-card ranks run along both side lanes, giving the lower third a distinctly gambling-table look, and the middle of the field is organised around a teal scoreboard-style grid of numbered roundels set in baroque gold cartouches. A literal champagne and sherry-bottle motif is printed on both lower side panels, flanking the slingshots. Condition is serviceable but well-used: the playfield is glossy with visible scratching, edge wear along the outer lanes, and the glass carries smudges; the cabinet front is dented aluminium with a maroon-and-white starburst side pattern.

Setting

  • A printed indoor fantasy-carnival or fairground scene: an arched proscenium-like upper structure, curtained alcoves, scattered barrels, bottles and carnival props, with playing-card ranks and suits running down both outer lanes. nothing photographic; the entire background is painted artwork on wood.

Symbols

  • Playing-card suit pips and court-card ranks printed down both side lanes
  • Red mushroom-capped bumper posts in a row of seven across the top
  • White skull and crossbones
  • Circular clockwise and counter-clockwise arrow badges
  • Gold laurel and scroll cartouches framing every scoring label
  • Red star burst on the cabinet side
  • Three small backlit rectangular inserts on the front cabinet panel

Notable shapes

  • A large gold five-pointed star at the top right of the arch, a teal fan-shaped progress meter with a needle at lower centre, a wide trapezoidal field narrowing toward the flippers, and a bright orange-painted lower funnel that frames the two slingshots and the spinner

Art motifs

  • Baroque gold filigree scrolls
  • Flame and swirl motifs in yellow and orange
  • Bottle and glass silhouettes for the champagne labels
  • Star and sparkle field on the mid-blue panel
  • Curtain drapery painted in the upper arch

Themes

  • Fantasy carnival
  • Gambling
  • Playing cards
  • Devils and demons
  • Champagne and liquor
  • Nightingale songbird
  • Baroque scrollwork

Text on it

  • 100
  • 1000
  • MAIN
  • CENTER
  • SCORES
  • PRECIOUS
  • NIGHTINGALE
  • SPELL
  • SOMETHING SPECIAL
  • SCORE
  • PROGRESS
  • ABC D
  • Shoot Again
  • Play Phil
  • American
  • Champagne
  • Sherry Bubbles
  • Bally
  • Voltan
  • No Extra Balls
  • 3 Balls
  • PINBALL
Pop bumpers
Three pop bumpers in the upper third: two side-by-side at the top left and top right each with a printed 100 disc, and a larger central bumper below and between them with a printed 1000 disc, ringed by a cream sunburst.
Spinners
One spinner, a chrome-faced disc set into the lower centre just above the jester medallion, in a black oval housing.
Slingshots
Two roughly triangular slingshots, one each side of the lower funnel, bordered by yellow rubber and backed by the printed playing-card lane art.
Upper playfield
An arched upper section framed by gold and yellow trim with a row of seven red-capped posts, three pop bumpers beneath them, two small lightbulbs either side, a large red star at top right, and curved yellow lightning-bolt motifs flanking the arch. two metal ball guides arc over the outer top corners.
Apron and lower playfield
Two orange card-stock instruction cards and one orange card in the middle apron: the left card hand-lettered in blue marker reading voltan / no extra balls / 3 balls, the centre card printed with a large cursive bally logotype in dark blue on orange, and a blank orange card at right. above them the apron carries two printed illustrations of a jester figure flanking the slogan play phil american, with pinball lettered on small tiles below. the ball sits in the chrome plunger at bottom centre and the dark rubber outlane is visible at the very bottom.
Who and what
Kind Description
Other A red-skinned horned figure with a pointed tail, painted at the upper right of the mid-field arch, leaning inward with arm raised
Other A second red horned figure mirrored at the upper left of the same arch, also leaning inward; the two face each other across the playfield
Other A white skull over crossed bones printed on a shield at lower-centre-left, just above the abcd letter tiles
Other A small costumed figure in blue and white printed on the lower-centre medallion, flanked by two white scroll banners
Other Two small winged putti painted in flesh tones at the upper centre, one either side of the 1000 bumper, holding banners
Other A painted galloping carousel horse with a rider at the mid-left, above the left slingshot area
Other A green-blue scaled serpent coiling through the teal mid-panel, its head among the numbered roundels
Full description

A full-length overhead view of a wide-body electro-mechanical pinball playfield seen through glass, its wooden side rails and metal lockdown bar framing the shot. The field is a dense, hand-screened fantasy-carnival composition built on a hot pink-red and teal-blue ground, edged with gold, yellow, orange and black. Three round pop bumpers with printed 100, 100 and 1000 discs sit across the upper third beneath a row of red mushroom-capped posts and lit inserts. Below them a teal panel carries the numbered targets 1 MAIN, 2 CENTER, 3 SPECIAL, 4 PRECIOUS, 5, 7 NIGHTINGALE, 8, 9 SPELL, set in ornate gold scroll cartouches. The lower field holds a teal PROGRESS meter, a skull-and-crossbones emblem, a fan of white letter tiles A B C D, a pair of circular arrow badges, two black oval lane guides and a chrome spinner. Orange apron cards carry a large cursive Bally logotype, and the front cabinet panel shows three small illuminated rectangular inserts.

Backglass vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Voltan Escapes Cosmic Doom backglass

Backglass

  • red
  • yellow
  • blue
  • orange

Fingerprint: VOLTAN in bulb-studded gold serif letters with blue wings and shield, hero in blue tunic and plumed Corinthian helmet raising flaming torch, yellow-maned muscular lion-man kneeling clinging hip, speech bubbles with dialogue, jagged yellow lightning bolts radiating crimson field, stone-framed score windows, orange flame and foliage border, space-opera heroic style

Distinctive

The central pairing of a plumed-helmet space hero raising a burning torch while a yellow-maned lion-man clings to him, with speech bubbles reading It was once a beautiful place and Forsee it Baby we go in there! Huge yellow lightning bolts radiate outward across a crimson field behind them. The bulb-studded gold VOLTAN logo with blue wings and a small shield sits directly above. Four stone-framed score windows and two mushroom-shaped Match/Call in Play lamps give the lower half a distinctly mechanical early-electro-mechanical look.

Setting

  • Flat deep crimson red field
  • Large angular yellow lightning bolts radiating from centre
  • Blue feathered wings and starbursts behind the logo
  • Scattered pale star sparkles on the red
  • Bottom band of orange-yellow flames and tall grass-like foliage
  • Two orange-brown mushroom-shaped lamps left and right

Symbols

  • Jagged lightning bolts
  • Gold star-tipped columns flanking the logo
  • Shield with downward chevron emblem below the title
  • Yellow starburst on the hero's chest
  • Blue feathered wings
  • Flaming torch
  • Orange mushroom-shaped lamps
  • Stone-framed rectangular score windows
  • Star sparkles
  • Flames and foliage border along the bottom

Lettering

  • Bulb-studded gold serif capitals in a wide arch for the title, with smaller yellow title-case serif italic script reading escapes cosmic doom... beneath it; red cursive signature-style wordmark at upper left; pink/red serif script for call in play; orange block serif for game over; small white sans-serif hand-lettered capitals inside the speech bubbles.

Themes

  • Space opera
  • Lightning bolts
  • Greek/mythological armour and helmet
  • Lion-man companion
  • Flames
  • Electro-mechanical score windows

Title on it

  • Voltan

Text on it

  • VOLTAN
  • Escapes Cosmic Doom...
  • It was once a beautiful place
  • Forsee it Baby, we go in there!
  • Call in Play
  • Match
  • CREDIT
  • 1,704,281
  • Game Over
  • Bally
  • 03
  • 00
  • 0
Who and what
Kind Description
Man Lean, tanned, bare-legged hero in a bright blue sleeveless tunic with gold edging and a yellow starburst emblem on the chest, wearing a gold-and-red plumed corinthian helmet with a tall red crest; right arm raised straight up gripping a flaming torch, left arm braced, standing centre-front with a determined expression.
Creature A muscular humanoid with a large golden-yellow lion head and thick radiating mane, human face, bare cream-white torso and arms, royal blue gloves, pale yellow/cream trousers and gold sandals; kneeling on one knee at the hero's right side with one hand pressed to his chest and the other around the hero's waist.
Vehicle A partial grey-blue rocket or spacecraft nose visible at lower right behind the right-hand score windows, angled upward.
Full description

A painted sci-fi backglass with a deep crimson-red background heavily overlaid by jagged yellow lightning-bolt shapes radiating from the centre and blue winged starbursts behind the lettering. Across the top, a large curved logo reads VOLTAN in chunky gold-yellow serif letters dotted with round light bulbs, backed by blue feathery wings, flanked by two gold star-tipped columns and a shield emblem below. Two figures dominate the centre: a lean tanned man in a blue tunic with gold trim and a tall red-plumed Corinthian-style helmet, his right arm thrust upward holding a smoking torch, and a muscular man-lion with a huge yellow-maned lion head, bare cream torso and blue gloves, kneeling and clinging to the hero's hip. Two white speech bubbles read It was once a beautiful place and Forsee it Baby we go in there! A red cursive signature-style wordmark sits at upper left. Six stone-framed numeric score windows show 03, 00, 00, 00 and 0, with CREDIT printed small on the right window. Pink script Call in Play appears mid-right, a red Match label glows inside an orange mushroom-like burst, and the bottom edge is a bed of orange-yellow flames and foliage carrying a score banner reading 1,704,281 on the left and orange Game Over on the right.