Ride the bronco — Gottlieb’s Bronco is an electromechanical four-player wrapped in a classic American West theme, and it comes from the legendary team of designer Ed Krynski and artist Gordon Morison, the partnership behind an incredible run of Gottlieb’s most cherished classics. With reel scoring and a hefty confirmed run of 9,454, it was a genuine blockbuster, one of the more popular EM machines of its day.
The layout is a well-appointed, engaging spread: two flippers, three pop bumpers, three star rollovers, two kicker lanes, two kick-out holes, and a three-bank of drop targets. That three-bank of drops gives a sharp-shooting player a satisfying objective to clear, while the two kicker lanes add kinetic interest and the three star rollovers and two kick-out holes offer plenty of scoring to chase. The three pop bumpers keep the ball lively up top, all in service of the frontier theme and the rodeo romance of the bucking bronco. It’s a clean, well-balanced design in the classic Krynski-Morison mold, rewarding accurate shooting and keeping the ball moving.
Bronco is a fine showcase of the celebrated Krynski-and-Morison team’s craft, pairing an evergreen western theme with a satisfying, feature-rich playfield and Morison’s warm artwork. With over 9,400 built, it was hugely popular, introducing countless players to Gottlieb’s reliable design, and the frontier motif captured the era’s romance with the West. For the collector who loves the golden age of EM pinball and its greatest creative teams, it’s a rewarding find. Clear that drop bank, ride the bumpers and kicker lanes, and stay in the saddle. Some machines were beloved by everyone, and this Gottlieb western classic was one of them. Buck the odds and drop a coin.