Reach for the sky — Bally’s 1971 Skyrocket is an electromechanical two-player bursting with circus-and-carnival cheer, and it comes from a genuine legend: designer Harry Williams, the founding father of the industry whose innovations helped invent the modern flipper game. With reel scoring and a scarce confirmed run of just 545, it’s a rare and delightful woodrail-era piece from one of pinball’s true pioneers.
The layout is a clean, characterful spread with some welcoming touches: two flippers, three pop bumpers, two kick-out holes, an up-post between the flippers, a right-outlane return gate, and an upper-left gate that guards a standup target. That center up-post and the outlane return gate give a player real tools to fend off the drain and keep the ball alive, a genuinely player-friendly design, while the guarded standup target adds a satisfying bit of challenge — you have to get past that gate to claim it. The three pop bumpers keep the ball lively up top, all in service of the machine’s festive carnival theme.
Skyrocket is a lovely piece of history for the collector who treasures the deepest roots of the hobby and the legendary figures who planted them. Harry Williams was a genuine visionary, and playing one of his designs is a small brush with the origins of everything that followed in pinball. With only 545 built, it’s a scarce find, and the carnival theme gives it that wholesome, midway-day charm. For anyone who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its founding masters, it’s a treasure. Pop that up-post, work the guarded standup, and ride the bumpers. Some machines are a piece of the foundation, and this rare Harry Williams gem is one of them. Aim for the sky.