Internet Pinball Machine Database: Europlay 'Tic & Toc'

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Tic & Toc

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Tic & Toc / IPD No. 4079 / 1974 / 1 Player

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Average Fun Rating:

Needs More Ratings! 7.8 / 10 (1 ratings) [ Add Your Rating! ]

Manufacturer:

Europlay, of Italy

Date Of Manufacture:

1974

Type:

Electro-mechanical (EM)

Serial Number Database:

View at The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database (IPSND.net) (External site)

Theme:

Billiards

Specialty:

Add-A-Ball

Notable Features:

Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (1), Slingshots (4), Standup targets (20), 7-bank drop targets (1). The operator can select one of two modes of operation: Add-a-ball play or 5-ball novelty play. Wedge head.

Sound: 3 chimes, knocker.

Maximum displayed point score depends on the mode of operation:
• Add-a-ball play - displays a maximum of 999,990 points. The knocker sounds when a ball is added.
• 5-ball novelty play - displays a maximum of 19,999,990 points. The millions values are silkscreened on the backglass. The knocker sounds every 10,000 points.

Some games may have a shorter vertical wireform on their flipper inlanes than other games in this production run, allowing more open area at the top of the inlane as well as creating an open elbow to allow a ball to pass from the inlane to the outlane. This difference appears to be a choice provided by the manufacturer for the operator, as close visual inspection of several playfields reveal small holes exactly where each size of wireform would be installed.

Art by:

Michele "Mike" Martinelli

Notes:

The playfield design resembles Gottlieb's 1969 'Mini Pool' except it has drop targets instead of stationary ones. The billiard players on lower playfield appeared earlier on Williams' 1966 '8 Ball' and the two games have similar backglass artwork.

Reportedly, this game is one of a few pinball machines to feature Italian language on the backglass as well as on the playfield. For example, "Palle in gioco" (Balls to play) and "Punti" (Score, written under the score drums).

Dario Morlacchi of Italy sent us this information about his father's participation in the conception of this game:

Coming off of the success of RMG's 1973 'Strike', in 1974 Europlay made a large run of 10,000 units of Sky Star, a copy of Gottlieb's 1974 'Sky Dive'. Only about 2,000 sold, and Mr. Montanari, the company owner, approached operator Luciano Morlacchi for help to sell the remaining 8,000 units. Mr. Morlacchi advised to change the artwork of Gottlieb's 1969 'Bumper Pool' and make a new game, using parts from the 8,000 units of Sky Star. The new game, Tic & Toc, was so successful that an additional 10,000 units were made using brand new parts.

One of the games pictured here illustrates that the backglass is not silkscreened in the area of the pool table to allow light to pass through the glass yet there are five light bulb sockets wired from the manufacturer in that area of the backbox insert. However, this area was used to light up the face and helmet of the skydiver in Sky Star, so this is an insert originally designed for that game.

Owners List URL:

http://www.tilt.it/flipper_pinball/owners-list/manufacturers/europlay-rmg/tic-toc/ (External site)

Images:
(click to zoom)

Backglass 226x300	Playfield 300x400	Backglass 224x300	Playfield* 225x300	Cabinet - Front View* 224x300
Cabinet - Full View* 196x299	Illuminated Backglass 1024x1212 [Dario Morlacchi]	Illuminated Playfield 1024x1365 [Dario Morlacchi]	Illuminated Upper Playfield 1024x768 [Dario Morlacchi]	Illuminated Lower Playfield 1024x768 [Dario Morlacchi]
Illuminated Front View 677x1345 [Dario Morlacchi]	Cabinet - Left 1024x857 [Dario Morlacchi]	Illuminated Backglass 669x769 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Illuminated Playfield 1024x1185 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Playfield - Downfield View 1200x1600 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]
Lower Playfield - Downfield View 1200x900 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Backbox - Left 656x1276 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Backbox - Right 675x1263 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Cabinet - Left 800x1046 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Cabinet - Right 800x912 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]
Backglass - Reverse 943x909 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Backbox Insert - Front* 940x1034 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Inside Backbox 995x900 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Under Playfield* 1035x1600 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]	Inside Cabinet 1200x1600 [Maurizio Iannuzzelli]
Magazine Ad* 1200x1805 [Mike Minchew]

Source:

Flyer

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