Internet Pinball Machine Database: Data East 'Checkpoint'

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Checkpoint

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Checkpoint / IPD No. 498 / February, 1991 / 4 Players

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Average Fun Rating:

6.9/10 (39 ratings/28 comments) [ Add Your Rating! ]

Manufacturer:

Data East Pinball, Incorporated (1986-1994)

Date Of Manufacture:

February, 1991

Model Number:

500-5510-01

Common Abbreviations:

MPU:

DataEast/Sega Version 3

Type:

Solid State Electronic (SS)

Production:

3,500 units (confirmed)

Serial Number Database:

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

Theme:

Sports - Auto Racing

Notable Features:

Flippers (2), Pop bumpers (3), Slingshots (2), 4-bank drop targets (1), 3-bank drop targets (1), Single drop target (1), Standup target (1), Vertical up-kicker (1), Kick-out hole (1), Spinning target (1), Auto Shooter, Shaker Motor, Ignition Key used as start button.

First game to have a dot matrix display (DMD). It used a "half-height" DMD size as later games made by this and other manufacturers went to a larger size which became the standard.

First game to have a combination automatic ball shooter and spring plunger, patented by Data East.

Toys:

Porsche Carrera above the Nitro target.

Design by:

Joe Kaminkow, Ed Cebula

Art by:

Paul Faris

Dots/Animation by:

Todd Farris, Kristina Donofrio

Music by:

Brian Schmidt

Sound by:

Brian Schmidt

Software by:

Rehman Merchant

Notes:

Fred Young did voice characterizations on this game.

Joe Kaminkow told us that the previous game, Data East's 1990 'The Simpsons', was to be their first game to have DMD. However, President and CEO Joe Keenan worried that development of the DMD might not be ready in time for that game and problems occurring had they rushed it into production could put the company out of business.

The playfield layout for Checkpoint was based on the layout of Data East's 1989 'Robocop' which Joe said did not sell very well but they liked the basic design, modifying it for this game.

Pictured in this listing is a test game playfield and two test game white cabinets, images captured from a video taken during the November 1990 factory tour of Data East. The playfield has a few differences from the production version. Joe told us their backboxes had DMD (not the alpha-numeric as seen on the prototype backglass pictured here) and that they decided that these white cabinets showed dirt and location grime too easily, including around the flipper buttons, such that the cabinet art was changed for production games.

This game was produced from February 1991 to May 1991.

Photos in:

Mike Pacak's Pinball Flyer Reference Book A-F
Pinball Snapshots External Link

, pages 11, 51-52, 54-55

Rule Sheets:

Checkpoint Rulesheet Version 1.00 (Dec/19/1997), by John Gantert

Owners List URL:

http://www.pinballowners.com/owners/498 (External site)

ROMs:

298 KB

ZIP

PinMAME Romset

298 KB

ZIP

ROMs

Documentation:

11 MB

PDF

English Manual

[Data East USA, Inc.]

796 KB

PDF

Operator Guide (Incomplete)

[Data East USA, Inc.]

Files:

75 KB

PDF

instruction card

[Data East (Stern)]

Images:
(click to zoom)

Backglass 549x573 [Paul Parashak]	Playfield 503x682 [Paul Parashak]	Upper Playfield 800x560 [Paul Parashak]	Lower Playfield 800x600 [Paul Parashak]	Left Cabinet 800x346 [Paul Parashak]
Flyer, Front 887x1153	Flyer, Back 887x1153	Upper Playfield 592x463	Lower Playfield 558x460	Cabinet - Left 483x569
Cabinet - Right 539x549	Illuminated Backglass 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Ball View 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Ball View 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]
Illuminated Ball View 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Upper Left Playfield 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Lower Playfield 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]
Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]
Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Pop Bumpers 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]	Illuminated Playfield - Detail 640x480 [Jaroslaw Nietrzebka]
Prototype Backglass with Alphanumeric Displays 600x543 [Dino! Danieli]	Behind Backglass 565x480 [John Gray]	Inside Backbox 640x480 [John Gray]	Under Upper Playfield 480x640 [John Gray]	Under Lower Playfield 480x640 [John Gray]
Playfield 1200x1466 [Mark Steinman]	Upper Playfield 1200x800 [Mark Steinman]	Upper Playfield 1200x800 [Mark Steinman]	Middle Playfield 1200x800 [Mark Steinman]	Lower Playfield 1200x665 [Mark Steinman]
Instruction Card 1200x628 [Mark Steinman]	Test Game - Illuminated Upper Playfield* 979x681 [Todd Tuckey]	Test Game - Illuminated Lower Playfield* 979x681 [Todd Tuckey]	Test Game - Cabinets* 932x670 [Todd Tuckey]

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