Play Meter

~ ~.MANUFACTURING
Operator, manufacturer
review Super Bowler game
Bob Nallick, president of Sunbird
Corporation , met recently with Don
Stowe, president of Wis-Coin Com-
pany of Oshkosh, Wisconsin to
review changes in the Super Bowler
game since its original inception.
Stowe, an operator with 30 years
experience in the game industry was
the operator selected by Sunbird
Corporation to field test prototype
models of the current Super Bowler.
Stowe field tested 150 prototypes
for two years. He indicated that all
of the prototype units are still in use
and are still good income producers,
even though they do not have the
improvements incorporated in the
final production version of the
Super Bowler.
These include
modern graphics, an audio system
that reproduces authentic crowd
noises associated with the game of
bowling and a one piece game
board front .
" I firmly believe that the Super
Bowler is the type of game that can
be put up on a wall and continue to
make money for at least 5 years,"
Stowe said . "The field testing of
this product showed me beyond the
slightest doubt that the Super
Bowler appeals to a wide group of
people and ages."
Sunbird Corporation, based ¥l
Minneapolis, is currently in the initial
phases of production and marketing
of the Super Bowler electronic wall
game . The Super Bowler game has
a ball that travels across the screen,
causing the pins to disappear as it
strikes them .
A built-in audio
system highlights the action on the
screen with the sound of the ball
being released and traveling down
the alley, a gutter ball, pins being
hit, pins falling, and the cheers and
whistles of the crowd whenever a
strike is thrown.
The wall game also has adjustable
volume control, a selectable beer
frame display, and Pro / Amateur
switch which allows the players to
select their own level of skill . And
the unit comes complete with
operating and maintenance manual,
coin box, remote control , and a
one-year warranty.
The Mint:
A German innovation
NSM has brought out a new
game, Mint, which it believes is a
completely new concept for the
German market .
The game is fully electronic and
was introduced at a recent trade
show in Germany where it met with
great success.
"The concept from the play
appeal side as well as from the
engineering side is completely new
to this market," says Peer V.
Oertzen of Lowen-Automaten. " A
micro-computer controls the whole
machine and insures maximum
reliability . "
Service is made easier because
the whole machine can be taken
apart without any tools whatsoever.
The game does come equipped with
a service tester, however, which the
operator can use in case of a
malfunction to see which compo-
nent is not functioning.
Oertzen also said the game is
much easier to play than other
German games which he claimed
had puzzled many of the players.
52
Protecting
your pockets
Britain's largest manufacturers of
pool tables are using components
made from Propathene, a polypro-
pylene that has proved itself capable
of withstanding the tough treatment
handed out by players who hire the
tables in pubs and clubs .
Propathene is also being credited
with helping manufacturers in Brit-
ain meet the increasing demand for
their products.
Two years ago the Hazel Grove
Music Company Ltd. of Cheadle,
Cheshire, widened its interests from
the jukebox business to the manu-
facturing of pool tables . They have
now sold more than 10,000 pool
tables and have established export
trade to Eire, Canada , Germany,
Austria , and Scandinavia .
Each of the tables have been
fitted with six pockets molded from
a glass-reinforced grade of Propa-
thene by Rolinx of Manchester.
Hazel G rove added an extra element
of skill to pool by reducing the size
of the ball pocket to one nearer the
size of that used for snooker.
Each ball pocket, known as a
gully boot, directs the balls on to
internal runways, made from plas-
tic-coated steel rods . The gully
boots stand up to the repeated
impact of the balls, give a fast quick
ball return and withstand drinks
spilled on them .
Rolinx recommended Propathene
grade HW 60 GR20 to meet Hazel
Grove's specifications .
Previous
ball pockets had been made from
netting and glass fibers.
Rolinx also molded a Propathene
ball triangle for the pool table, which
incorporates features designed to
reduce wear.
The triangle also
stands up better to wear than wood.
It is undamaged when accidentally
dropped .
September. 19n . PLA Y METER