The first pin I ever owned was back in 1975. It's called Bow & Arrow by Bally. It was a great machine and I can't find anyone that has played it or even heard of that game before.
It's not surprising that Bow and Arrow is hard to find
; IPDB estimates that only seventeen were produced
. However, have you checked out Visual Pinball? (At this point, I should say that I'm not unmindful of the fact that you have a lot of activities/hobbies, and may not get your pinball 'fix' sitting at a computer---or even want to
. But I need the typing practice
.....)
There are three versions of B&A (four, if you count the fullscreen ((cabinet version)) of JPSalas' VP9 table as a separate version) available
:
1)
Ash's January 2002 VP table with 5-digit score reels---values for the top saucer and center target change randomly at one-second intervals (sometimes resting for an additional second) and Bonus counts down at 600ms intervals
. If a player reaches 100,000 points, a 'High Score' window on the backglass includes the sixth digit
.
This table is avilable for download at
irpinball.org.
2) The same table with VPinMAME and 6-digit LED score displays added by
Gaston plus a dip-switch menu (for adjusting replay scores, for instance) added by
Inkochnito. Saucer / target values move left-to-right, then repeat, at 260ms intervals, and Bonus counts down at 200ms intervals
. This table is available at
VPForums.org, and was uploaded there in March 2009
.
3) And, the above mentioned VP9 table by
JPSalas. Available at both VPF-dot-oh and here at PN, released January 2010
.
Lots of people have found virtual pinball a welcome substitute for the real thing---especially if those real things are practically nonexistent
.
It's (4 Aces) sitting in my dining room that has become my game room. Anyway I am thinking about selling it.
Ah, yes
.....a dining room is nothing if it can't be repurposed
; I have a cylinder head from my 401 Buick on the floor of
my d.r. (with the other head, carb, air cleaner, and one exh manifold in the kitchen! (Long story, but I've turned the corner!
)
Too bad you might be parting with a unique toy, but as I have barely made enough room in my house for just my computer, I have to exclude myself from your list of potential buyers
. Darn!
I do a lot of hunting , fishing and a lot of card / turkey shoots . I also build Ford engines when I get a side job and repair old Fords.
So, what's your pleasure
; flathead? Y-block? FE? or whatever they're calling the new Modular stuff
.
Now as for "A" & "B" targets.....
OK I just pulled the Instructions booklet out and I found out what the A & B round targets do. It's sort of long to post here but when they are lit, hit them to get a SPECIAL. They also do other things. When I bought the machine the last owner gave me the instruction booklet with the schematics. He bought them from Marco.
Are these vendors selling reprints? or just original documents
; it'd be nice to look at a schematic for some long-distance diagnosis
.
Hey, faralos!
What's your take on R.J.'s Launch button / Next Player problem? Any chance that a common source (relay or switch) is failing to pass power, with the first-player reels working only because that source passes power in its de-energized / default position?
(I realize that the above may be clumsily worded, but the only schematic to which I have access is for Bally's 'Hi-Lo-Ace', which is a one-player game with a conventional plunger and therefore of no help
.)
Retro Jim; Almost forgot to mention
:
The target you referred to at the top left of Bow and Arrow is actually a saucer or kicker hole that holds the ball until the Bonus is counted off (don't worry---as you know, the value is retained / held for the next shot to the saucer...and the next...etc
....until the ball is lost, at which time the value resets to zero)
. Bonus is built three ways (sounds like a Wonder Bread commercial
.....)
:
1) The round red target about 3/4-way up the right side
;
2) Cycling either spinner ten spins, which isn't necessarily a 'gimme', as the spinner can come to rest in a non-vertical position and allow the ball to pass under it next time without making contact
; and my favorite
.....
3) Either inlane
. Let a falling ball bounce off a raised flipper and up the inlane, and the ball will stop, reverse direction and fall through for a second hit
; a few of those, and it's time to hit the saucer!
Maximum bonus is only ten (again---as you know), but can you imagine the scores if it went to thirty-nine or more, as some other tables do? Or multiplied 5X or more, instead of only 2X?
DANG! This thing got long! I guess that's enough typing practice
. Good night
;
Gregg