Scramble the fighters — Black Sheep Squadron is a solid-state four-player from Astro Games, a lesser-known manufacturer, wrapped in an adventure-and-combat theme that evokes the daring exploits of a legendary fighter squadron. With an alphanumeric display, it’s a scarce and intriguing curiosity from the deeper corners of the solid-state era.
The layout is a solid, engaging spread in the classic early-solid-state mold: two flippers, three pop bumpers, a pair of slingshots, four standup targets, two star rollovers, a kick-out hole, and a spinning target. That spinning target offers satisfying, high-value shots for a scoring-minded player, while the four standups and the star rollovers give clear objectives to work through and the three pop bumpers keep the ball lively up top. It’s a clean, no-nonsense design that rewards accurate shooting and keeping the ball alive, all in service of its wartime-aviation theme and the derring-do it evokes.
Black Sheep Squadron is exactly the kind of off-the-beaten-path machine that makes pinball collecting so endlessly fascinating — a title from a smaller, lesser-known manufacturer, carrying its own character and a genuinely evocative combat theme. Astro Games never had the marketing muscle of the big houses, which makes its machines a rewarding pursuit for the collector who prizes the industry’s underdogs and rarities. For anyone who loves the deeper cuts of the solid-state era, it’s a worthy find. Rip that spinner, work the standups and rollovers, and lead your squadron into the fight. Sometimes the most interesting machines come from the least expected names, and this aviation-combat title is a spirited dogfight worth joining. Scramble and drop a coin.