| Meteor / IPD No. 1580 / September, 1979 / 4 Players | [ Submit Changes ] |
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USA (1977-1984) [Trade Name: Stern]
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Actual measured weight: 225 lbs (includes legs).
The artwork on the backglass and flyer was derived from one of the advertising posters made for the 1979 movie 'Meteor'. The original painting for this poster was by noted space artist Robert McCall (1919-2010).
Stern programmer Alan McNeil told us that the mini-post screw between the flippers was known as a Kirk Post (for designer Steve Kirk).
Some games pictured in this listing have a sticker on the lower apron identifying this game as "selected for tournament play". Designer Steve Kirk was founder and president of the Pinball Association of America, organizing major tournaments since the 1970s. Reportedly, these stickers, his idea, were installed on each apron starting at some point during the long production run.
According to an article in Amusement Review (Jan/Feb 1980, page 14), Meteor was the first game for which Stern printed the rubber ring size on the playfield where each ring goes.
Duncan Brown told us that Steve Kirk explained to him that he placed his personal design number on the backglass of every one of his games (in the order in which they were designed). Here are the ones we know:
Stars has SK-1 on the jet wing.
Nine Ball has SK-3 on the wizard’s cap.
Meteor has SK-5 on one of the rockets.
Pinstar's Gamatron has SK-9 on a launching rocket.
The prototype game, Ramp Warrior, has SK-13 on the truck's license plate while the production game, Truck Stop, shows this license plate laying crumpled in the street.
We don't know what games belonged to SK-2, -4, -6, -7, -8, -10, -11, and SK-12.
This game was also manufactured in Australia under license as LAI's 1979 'Meteor'.
Manufacturer data for Meteor:
Production Start Date: 9/14/79
Production End Date: 1/28/80
Quantity produced - full games: 7939
Quantity produced - knock-down games
Total Quantity Produced: 8362
Schematic errors & omissions:
1) Switch Matrix page - Memory Clear Switch; R-Y common to Test Switch, W to A4J3-5 (MPU)
2) Lamp Driver board page - 2X lamp goes to J2-15, not J3-15
In the Files section are the factory-issued ROMs with a bug in it, the factory-corrected ROMs, and an unexcitedly long video of the problem that was corrected. A discussion of this bug has been located online.
Also in the Files section is a letter from Gary Stern to the coin machine industry. Although it is undated, it refers to Meteor as their current game. We saw this letter in AUTOMATENMARKT magazine, March 1980, page 67. Certainly, it appeared in many periodicals.
, page 155Mike Pacak's Pinball Flyer Reference Book G-R
Pinball (Ciuffo)
, page 135(click to zoom)
 Backglass 474x433 [Russ Jensen] |
 Cabinet - Front View 332x900 [Russ Jensen] |
 Cabinet - Front View 380x534 [Russ Jensen] |
 Playfield 432x528 [Russ Jensen] |
 Flyer, Front 606x778 |
 Flyer, Page 2 606x779 |
 Flyer, Page 3 599x777 |
 Flyer, Back 604x779 |
 Cabinet - Full View* 876x883 |
 Playfield* 800x600 |
 Upper Playfield* 800x600 |
 Red-Tinted Backglass* 1024x768 |
 Red-Tinted Backglass - Reverse* 600x450 |
 Backglass 1024x853 [Eric Avedesian] |
 Backglass - Reverse 1024x847 [Eric Avedesian] |
 Blank Playfield 264x546 [Doug Fox] |
 Kicker Plastic 873x258 [Ian F. McKinnon] |
 Various Playfield Plastics 1024x601 [Ian F. McKinnon] |
 Various Playfield Plastics 1024x1314 [Ian F. McKinnon] |
 Upper Playfield 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Middle Playfield 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Lower Playfield 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Middle Playfield 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Middle Right Playfield 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Playfield - Detail 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Cabinet - Right 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Backbox - Left 724x1364 [Jim Palson] |
 Backbox - Right 932x1364 [Jim Palson] |
 Cabinet - Front 850x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Inside Front Door 958x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Under Playfield 920x1364 [Jim Palson] |
 Inside Cabinet 1024x1365 [Jim Palson] |
 Backbox Insert - Reverse 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Inside Backbox 1024x768 [Jim Palson] |
 Cabinet - Front View 768x1356 [Jim Palson] |
 Illuminated Backglass 546x477 [John Gray] |
 Cabinet - Right 640x480 [John Gray] |
 Instruction Card 640x480 [John Gray] |
 Inside Backbox 640x480 [John Gray] |
 Under Lower Playfield 640x480 [John Gray] |
 Under Upper Playfield 640x480 [John Gray] |
 Inside Cabinet 480x640 [John Gray] |
 Illuminated Front View* 1200x1607 [Eric Ridley] |
 PAA Sticker 960x539 [Federico Croci] |
 Spinning Target 674x1200 [Federico Croci] |
