Bomb Dropper
By John Peterson
I am often struck by the dissimilarities between the gaming machines produced in the
United States and those of Great Britain during the heyday of gambling, starting at the
turn of the 20 th century and continuing into the 1950's.
American gambling machines were like the Kardashian girls today. Good looking
and rich, they didn't have to work for your attention. Gorgeous by birth, they
intuitively recognized that developing a personality was just a waste of time. People
flocked to them to bask in their beauty and behold their capricious reward of gold and
glitter to the chosen few who garnered their individual attention with no more effort
than the flick of a wrist and the spin of a few reels. No need for brains here; beauty
rules! British machines were the girl next door. Common in appearance and
impecunious in reward, they had to work harder to attract the attention of their target
audience. Unable to rely upon the promise of unstated but implied treats, they
appealed to the male population with a combination of charm, challenge and whimsy.
Today's game, Bomb Dropper by Handan-Ni, is an excellent example.
Produced starting at the end of World War I in 1918, the makers capitalized on
the war theme hardly before the soldiers had hung up their rucksacks and rifles. The
game is simple. Upon deposit of the ld large British penny, three steel balls are
released to the holding position seen in Photo B on the following page. One at a time,
the balls are released to shooting position and propelled onto the movable ledge at the
top of the playfield, Photo C, by means of the large knob at the bottom of the door,
right side. This ledge is a tilt surface, controlled by the small knob on the left side of
the door. The ball rolls back and forth on the ledge until it is manually retracted by the
player using the small knob on the right side of the door.
The object of the game is to drop the (cannon) ball onto the top of each of the
three cannons, one at a time. If the drop is successful, the cannon barrel collapses
down in a visible sign of defeat. If all three cannons are defeated during one round of
play, the player is rewarded with the return of his penny. To receive your penny, you
turn the "twister'' looking knob on the upper right side of the door. This same knob
also resets the cannons for the start of a new game. The play card, Photo D spells out
the rules of engagement.
The game is visually attractive. This particular model sports the Showman's paint
scheme common to machines that have ridden the fun fair circuit a few times too
many. I would never consider altering one of these painted cabinets; the design only
adds to the charm of the machine.
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