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Grand Slam


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Grand Slam / IPD No. 4804 / January 12, 1983 / 2 Players
 
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Average Fun Rating: Needs More Ratings!         7.6 / 10  (8 ratings)   [ Add Your Rating! ]
Manufacturer: Bally Midway Manufacturing Company (1983-1988) [Trade Name: Bally]
Project Date: January 12, 1983
Model Number: 1311
MPU: Bally MPU AS-2518-133
Type: Solid State Electronic (SS) [?]
Serial Number Database:View at The Internet Pinball Serial Number Database (IPSND.net)  (External site)
Theme: Sports - Baseball
Notable Features: Flippers (3), Pop bumpers (2), Standup targets (8), Star rollovers (4), 5-bank of flyaway targets (1), Spinning target (1), Right crossover return lane. No slingshots.
Design by: Greg Kmiec
Art by: Doug Watson
Software by: Rehman Merchant
Notes: The 4-player version of this game is Bally Midway's 1983 'Grand Slam'.

This 2-player Grand Slam was the first pinball machine produced under the new Bally/Midway name. The backglass had windows for only two score displays while the backbox insert had the cutouts for third and fourth player displays, minus those displays.

Greg Kmiec told us that Grand Slam was made as an "economy" game, meaning that there wasn't a lot of extra money put into the game, neither in design nor promotion.

In the Files section is the April 1983 issue of Bally Midway Monitor, a newsletter sent to operators and distributors. It reports that Grand Slam debuted at the Amusement Operator's Expo the previous month which was March 25-27, 1983 at the O’Hare Exposition Center in Chicago. The text reads "Grand Slam can take on 2 or 4 players, When the 4-Player option is used, the readout shows the 1st and 2nd players' runs while they play and flashes the runs for the 3rd and 4th players when it's their turn at bat." The accompanying photo shows the 4-player game.

Tim Arnold told us that this game was originally a 2-player but they were not selling well so Bally made the last part of the production run as 4-player (backglass has four score windows for the four score displays). We have only a single production run quantity of 1000 units which likely includes both 2-player and 4-player quantities. We note that a single Model Number 1311 represents both versions. Tim said this game was made in the Midway plant using the Midway serial numbering system which starts at the number 1. For instance, serial number 124 is the 124th game produced. If Tim’s information is correct, then eventually having enough serial numbers in evidence should be useful to determine when during the production run the games converted from having only 2 score displays to having 4 displays.

The only Installation Manual that we have contains a backbox wiring diagram showing pinouts for "optional" Player 3 and Player 4 connectors. (We present it in the 4-player listing.) If we assume that Bally/Midway did not know sales of this 2-player version would be so poor, to have pre-printed for each 2-player game a manual that would contain these optional pinouts, then perhaps two versions of this manual exist.

If anyone has an original Grand Slam manual or backbox wiring diagram that does not evidence a third or fourth player, please contact us. Any additional original 2-player documentation is welcome.

**

We had previously indicated here that this game uses an AS-2888-51 sound board, unlike other 4th Generation Bally games which use a "Squawk and Talk". However, the Instruction Manual lists the sound board as AS-2518-51. A game owner reports that his 2-player game uses an AS-2518-51 sound board, an AS-2518-147 solenoid/lamp driver combo board, and the MPU is AS-2518-133.

Photos in: The Pinball Compendium 1982 to PresentExternal Link, page 33 (2-player version)
Files: 411 KB PDF Bally Midway Monitor, Vol 1 No. 2, April 1983 [Bally Midway Mfg. Co.]
Images:
(click to zoom)
Image # 12368: Grand Slam Backglass 
(The game pictured is serial number 'GRSL-PB 360-00124'. Its cabinet is stamped with '124'.)
Backglass*

640x480
[Bob Schuyler]
Image # 12369: Grand Slam Upper Playfield 
(The game pictured is serial number 'GRSL-PB 360-00124'. Its cabinet is stamped with '124'.)
Upper Playfield*

640x480
[Bob Schuyler]
Image # 12370: Grand Slam Middle Playfield 
(The game pictured is serial number 'GRSL-PB 360-00124'. Its cabinet is stamped with '124'.)
Middle Playfield*

640x480
[Bob Schuyler]
Image # 12371: Grand Slam Lower Playfield 
(The game pictured is serial number 'GRSL-PB 360-00124'. Its cabinet is stamped with '124'.)
Lower Playfield*

640x480
[Bob Schuyler]
Image # 12372: Grand Slam Cabinet - Left 
(The game pictured is serial number 'GRSL-PB 360-00124'. Its cabinet is stamped with '124'.)
Cabinet - Left*

450x600
[Bob Schuyler]
Image # 12373: Grand Slam Backbox - Right 
(The game pictured is serial number 'GRSL-PB 360-00124'. Its cabinet is stamped with '124'.)
Backbox - Right*

450x600
[Bob Schuyler]
Image # 24653: Grand Slam Backglass 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Backglass*

465x521
 
Image # 24654: Grand Slam Playfield 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Playfield*

462x615
 
Image # 24655: Grand Slam Upper Playfield 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Upper Playfield*

577x471
 
Image # 24656: Grand Slam Lower Playfield - Downfield View 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Lower Playfield - Downfield View*

607x452
 
Image # 24657: Grand Slam Playfield - Ball View 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Playfield - Ball View*

637x450
 
Image # 24658: Grand Slam Cabinet - Left 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Cabinet - Left*

511x574
 
Image # 24659: Grand Slam Cabinet - Right 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Cabinet - Right*

550x587
 
Image # 24660: Grand Slam Illuminated Backglass 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Illuminated Backglass*

495x430
 
Image # 24661: Grand Slam Illuminated Playfield 
(The game pictured has serial number 124 on both the backbox and the cabinet body.)
Illuminated Playfield*

475x455
 
Image # 77691: Grand Slam Backglass
Backglass

1188x1027
[Matthew Ledbetter]
Image # 77692: Grand Slam Playfield
Playfield

1200x900
[Matthew Ledbetter]
Image # 77693: Grand Slam Upper Playfield
Upper Playfield

1200x900
[Matthew Ledbetter]
Image # 77694: Grand Slam Middle Playfield
Middle Playfield

1200x900
[Matthew Ledbetter]
Image # 77695: Grand Slam Cabinet - Right
Cabinet - Right

1200x466
[Matthew Ledbetter]
Image # 77696: Grand Slam Cabinet - Front
Cabinet - Front

1200x646
[Matthew Ledbetter]
Image # 77697: Grand Slam Cabinet - Front View
Cabinet - Front View

796x1320
[Matthew Ledbetter]
 
Source: ebay Jul 2003 [?]

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