Stern Electronics’ Wild Fyre, released in 1978 and designed by industry pioneer Harry Williams, is a fast, target-rich early solid-state machine from the dawn of the electronic era. With three pop bumpers, four kick-out holes, a four-bank and a three-bank of drop targets, and a spinner, it’s a clean and rewarding table that channels the skill-driven design Harry Williams helped pioneer across his long, foundational career.
The scoring revolves around the bonus and the spinner. You run up your bonus — doubling it whenever possible — and collect at the upper-right saucer, with Double Bonus lit by completing the upper drops twice or collecting three arrows (gathered at the upper-right lane and the center-right standup). The spinner is a key points engine, lit when your bonus reaches 2K, 8K, 14K, and 20K, at which point it’s worth a full 1,000 a spin instead of a meager 100. There’s even a clever last-ball wrinkle: once you light 2X Bonus, it alternates between 2X and 5X based on switch hits, so a sharp player can deliberately drain on a 5X to maximize the payoff.
A handsome and historically interesting machine from one of pinball’s founding figures, Wild Fyre is an enjoyable artifact of the earliest solid-state years. For collectors who appreciate clean, skill-rewarding design and a satisfying bonus-and-spinner loop — plus the pedigree of a true industry pioneer — it’s a likeable and characterful classic. Build that double bonus, light the spinner, and play the angles.