Bally’s Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy is one of the most important electromechanical machines ever made — the game that, on the strength of Elton John’s superstardom, vaulted Bally from third place in the industry to first. Released in the mid-1970s and named for Elton’s 1975 autobiographical album (he was Captain Fantastic; lyricist Bernie Taupin the Brown Dirt Cowboy), its backglass immortalizes Elton’s flamboyant Pinball Wizard from the 1975 film Tommy. That irresistible combination of pop-culture wattage and approachable gameplay made it one of the best-selling electromechanical pinballs of all time.
The layout sports four flippers, and learning to use the uppers safely is the key to survival — veterans hold the upper flipper up to guide the ball home rather than risk a drain firing at the side drops. The scoring is classic build-the-bonus: complete the A and B lanes up top to double your bonus, then hit the lit rollovers to keep it climbing. Knock down the drop targets to light an extra ball, and watch for the center lane light that opens the saving gate at the right outlane.
Historic, iconic, and genuinely fun, Captain Fantastic is a cornerstone of any collection and a glittering monument to the moment pinball and rock royalty collided.