Sail off to sunny shores — Chicago Coin’s Catalina is an electromechanical single-player wrapped in a breezy theme of beaches, boats, and seaside happiness, designed by Jerry Koci with art by the legendary Roy Parker. With light-based scoring and a confirmed run of 2,700, it’s a handsome woodrail-era piece radiating the easygoing charm of a day at the shore.
The layout has a distinctive, bumper-heavy character: a generous four flippers, a remarkable eleven passive bumpers, and five kick-out holes. That extraordinary complement of eleven passive bumpers is the machine’s defining feature, promising a wildly bouncy, unpredictable ball that caroms endlessly across the playfield, while the four flippers open up a wealth of shot-making angles and the five kick-out holes offer captured-ball awards to chase. It’s a gloriously kinetic, bounce-driven design that captures the elemental energy of the electromechanical age, rewarding a player who keeps the ball alive through that busy field, all in service of its sun-soaked coastal theme.
Catalina is a fine example of Chicago Coin’s electromechanical craft and Roy Parker’s warm, characterful artwork. Chicago Coin was one of the industry’s foundational manufacturers, and its machines carry a real piece of pinball’s deep history. The beach-and-boating theme was pure seaside fun, all sunshine and surf, and Parker’s illustration brings that carefree warmth to life. For the collector who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its great artists, it’s a rewarding find. Work those four flippers, ride the wild field of eleven bumpers, and soak up a little island sunshine. Some machines just radiate the joy of a day at the beach, and this Chicago Coin classic is one of them. Set sail and drop a coin.