1958 Gottlieb Sunshine Single Player Woodrail Pinball Machine with Backbox Animation. Here is a Gottlieb single player woodrail pinball machine that offers mechanical animation in the backbox in the form of a spinning number wheel that adjusts certain values after each ball drains during the game. This is one of the highlights of this machine as it makes you want to hit the right targets on the playfield, which changes from ball to ball, in order to maximize your score. A great feature for a machine that is over 60 years old! And there are a LOT of other ways to maximize your points, making this a nice player machine for those who like to test their skill in aiming for specific targets. Sunshine had a somewhat low production run (1100 made) SIXTY YEARS AGO! With the animation that everyone is drawn to, this one certainly offers a unique feature for any collection. And it’s tough to beat this era of Gottlieb single player machines for the period graphics that they offer. In addition to that, as the late 50’s rolled around, single player woodrail machines actually became FUN to play, too. They weren’t just to look at anymore. This specific machines comes with a new reproduction backglass that looks outstanding and is true to the original in every way. But I left the best news for last: this machine offers OUTSTANDING overall cosmetics and is VERY close to working perfectly! This machine wont require a huge amount of your time trouble shooting the mechanics or improving the cosmetics. It doesnt get any better than that! When you start a game, score numbers reset and the balls are released to the plunger, but there seems to be a stuck 100,000 point contact SOMEWHERE because the 100,000 point stepper unit in the backbox is continually energized and wont release. And I cant find the guilty contact, but my patience runs out VERY quickly! When you shoot a ball into play, though, all playfield features seem to be working correctly, numbered targets are registering, flippers are working, the animation in the backglass is working correctly, but points arent be scored correctly because the 100,000 point stepper is stuck on. You will need to find this phantom misaligned or dirty contact in order to play a full and correct game, but otherwise, just about everything seems to be working correctly. Being an EM machine that has been sitting in my storage for a couple years, I won’t say that everything else is working perfectly at all times, but after playing a few games now, I’d say that it must be working at least 95+% correctly, other than the energized stepper unit. Plan on giving the machine a quick once-over/tuneup to get everything back in perfect working order, but it doesn’t seem like it should take much more than that. Just lit up and sitting in a corner, this machine is sure to draw attention to itself since it has a REALLY nice look to it, with VERY nice overall cosmetics. The backglass is a new reproduction. This is true to the original with silkscreened paint on plate glass. Besides a couple VERY minor nicks in the paint along the far outside edges (just from being handled,) this glass is in PERFECT shape. The VERY minor imperfections that I mention can’t be seen when the glass is installed in the machine because they are hidden by the backglass frame wooden moldings. So, when in the machine, this glass IS perfect. The colors are nice and bright with no sign of any fading. The period graphics are also fantastic with a LOT of colors, a couple bathing beauties in the upper center portion, and a beach scene. The age of this machine is evidenced by the fact that it used lighted score numbers rather than reels! You add up the millions on the left, the hundred thousands next to it, and the ten thousands on the right side to get your total score! And be sure to notice in the upper right corner that it also RATES you at the end of each game based on your score. You can be a Genius, Super, Excellent, Good, or Fair! The original plastic animated wheel is in place and is also in very nice shape with great colors. There is no chance for any disappointment with this backglass or animation unit/graphics. The playfield paint is also in REAL nice shape! Besides a LITTLE wear immediately above a couple of the round pop bumpers (that you cant see unless you look at them from the top) and a few VERY minor nicks/chips in the paint, this playfield is EXCELLENT! Beyond these minor imperfections, there is NO other wear. Although just short of perfect, this is a NICE looking playfield. The colors are nice and bright everywhere with no sign of any fading. All of the graphics and lettering are also in great shape. All five of the round pop bumper daisy caps are in excellent shape with no cracks/breaks and great graphics in the center. The two original slingshot plastics near the bottom are also in great shape with no cracks/breaks. There are a couple VERY small pinpoint marks in each but they are barely noticeable. The bottom metal playfield apron is in excellent shape with only a couple VERY minor scratches/nicks in the paint. There is an original instruction/score card in place. Playfield features include three rollover lanes at the top, five round pop bumpers, a single rollover lane on each upper side, three gobble holes in the center, a set of two rollover lanes on each lower side, two rollover buttons in the lower center portion that turn pop bumpers on and off, a single rollover lane outside each flipper, three rollover lanes between the flippers, and various other rubber contact points that award scoring. There are a L-O-T of different scoring features on this machine! Hitting all of the red or white numbers to complete a red or white circle on the backglass awards a replay. Lighting both circles lights the red or white numbered rollovers for a special, which awards a replay. Hitting the spotting hole or rollover when the star lights on the playfield and the star appears under a corresponding arrow awards a replay. As previously mentioned, the rotating number wheel in the backglass spins after each ball drains, assigning new A-B-C values for the next ball. Triple rollovers and triple holes spot numbers indicated by arrows around the spinning numbers on the backglass. The double star feature scores specials throughout the entire game. Matching the last number in your score to a lighted star that appears on the backglass when the game is over awards a replay as does achieving certain scoring levels during your game. As I said, there are a LOT of different scoring possibilities and features that you have to pay attention to in order to maximize your points! And at the end of the game, make sure you see how you are rated on the backglass! There is pretty good action on the playfield with strong flippers considering this machine has been sitting idle for a while. With a quick tune-up, this will play even better! The cabinet paint appears to be original and is in pretty nice shape, especially for a sixty year old machine! There are some noticeable scratches, nicks, chips, and wear along all sides, but nothing too terrible. Because this cabinet still has its original design and colors in place, you could certainly repaint it back to the factory specs and it will look like new. In the meantime, it is 60 years old and is only original once! The original metal coin door is in place with a few small dents and bends, along with some obvious scratches, but could certainly be restored, if you wanted. It would be very easy to sand it down and spray paint it to look like new. Although the machine is currently set on free play with the addition of a button above the coin door, it is complete on the backside of the door, including a nickel coin mechanism, so you could easily convert this back to coin play, if you wanted. The original metal backbox door is in place and both it and the coin door have working locks/keys. The original painted steel legs are on the machine with some noticeable scratches and chipped paint along with some surface rust throughout. Again, sanded down and spraypainted, they too can look like new. The original wooden lockdown bar is in nice shape. My preference is to work with a company that provides door to door service which handles all of the wrapping, loading, and hauling. If you’re looking for a Gottlieb single player woodrail pinball machine that is already mostly working, you’ve come to the right place! Add in the new reproduction backglass and you’re on your way to having a VERY nice machine to add to your gameroom or collection. You shouldn’t have to do much to the mechanics of this machine other than finding the stuck 100,000 point contact relay. But if you like to tinker and want to fine tune everything for optimum performance, this machine will allow you to do that on your schedule, without having to shut it down in the meantime. Keep playing and enjoying it while you tinker! Cosmetically, this machine is as good as you could hope for a sixty year old machine. With the reproduction backglass and excellent playfield , if you were to repaint this cabinet back to the original factory specs, this machine will almost look like new, all around! With the COOL backbox animation that it offers and a LOT of different playfield/scoring strategies, this will make a great machine for any gameroom. In my opinion, Gottlieb single-player woodrail machines can’t be beat for the “look” they offer. But the late 50’s machines were ALSO fun to play compared to older ones. This machine will be great for either a collector or a player. The item “1958 Gottlieb Sunshine Woodrail Pinball Machine withBackbox Animation & NEW BKGLS” is in sale since Thursday, January 17, 2019. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Arcade, Jukeboxes & Pinball\Pinball\Machines”. The seller is “59redvette” and is located in Woodstock, Illinois. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Brand: Gottlieb
- Year: 1958
- Original/Reproduction: Original
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
