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The Classic Pinball Podcast
The Classic Pinball Podcast
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#49 The Amazing Spider-Man - The Classic Pinball Podcast

PodcastAnalysis updated 2d ago45 min listenBy George
From the creator

Another customer game comes through Dave’s shop and they get to talk about it and then play a few games.

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Highlights

  • The 1980 Amazing Spider-Man uses a Gottlieb wide-body cabinet with two banks of drop targets (5-bank and 3-bank) and features unusually weak spinner performance typical of Gottlieb design of that era
  • The spinner on Gottlieb games of this era is designed to produce minimal spin: typically only 3-5 spins even with lubrication and adjustment, unlike Bally spinners
  • The original Gottlieb System 80 boards had a chronic 5-volt power supply problem that can be repaired with component-level fixes (capacitor, diode, resistor) or completely replaced with a Pascal board
  • All Gottlieb System 80 and newer games feature a back glass that pivots open rather than hinging on the sides, unlike earlier Gottlieb systems
  • The artwork on this machine is a reproduction with a much darker blue tint filter than the original, making displays harder to read despite LED upgrades
  • The game's multiplier advancement mechanic is unclear and poorly documented: neither the hosts, YouTube gameplay videos, nor the instruction card adequately explain how to light it reliably
  • The Pascal PI-80 board for Gottlieb System 80 machines provides superior reliability and smoother bonus countdown compared to original boards, but proper preparation of the machine (unfreezing solenoids, checking connectors) is critical before installation
  • Gordon Morrison created the artwork for most Gottlieb games of this era, and Ed Krinsky designed The Amazing Spider-Man
  • The game has a unique flipper configuration with a larger flipper on the upper left that resembles Paragon's layout structurally but plays quite differently
  • Arduino-based sound board mods exist for older games like Trident and Matahari that allow toggling between original and modern call-outs/music packages via a switch

Notable quotes

“It's a one-ball game. It has two banks of drops, a five bank and a three bank... it has the uh lovely godly plastic spinner that even if you tweak it up you might get three or five spins out of it”
Dave
“I'd rather just put a Pascal in it, especially with all the old Gottlieb boards. I'm not a fan of the Gottlieb boards. I like the new stuff. It just keeps reliable.”
Dave
“I went out, folks, and watched a handful of videos on YouTube. And not one of the videos I watched explained how you got the multiplier.”
George
“All show and very little go... It would be great with chimes, I think.”
George / Dave
“The problem with this reproduction is that the tint is very, very... very dark tint, so you really have to have really bright displays to show through that tint versus the original.”
Dave
“Well, I told you that. I went out, folks, and watched a handful of videos on YouTube. And not one of the videos I watched explained how you got the multiplier. So we're going to have to pay close attention here.”
George
“You have to get A and B down first. Then that's where it's at.”
Dave
“It's warming up to it... it's like anything. You play it enough times, you get a little bit better at it, and you learn the rule set.”
George

Entities

  • Bally· company
  • Gottlieb· company
  • Stern Pinball· company
  • Genie· game
  • Matahari· game
  • Paragon· game
  • Power Play· game
  • The Amazing Spider-Man· game
  • Trident· game
  • The Classic Pinball Podcast· organization
  • Dave· person
  • Ed Krinsky· person
  • George· person
  • Gordon Morrison· person
  • Pascal· person
  • Ron Cruiseman· person
  • Uncle Pinball· person

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