Williams Black Night

What year would have been. 1983, 1984? Hard to say, time travels fast. It was at least in the mid-eighties that the village where I lived, was introduced to a new phenomenon. It opened an amusement arcade. The conservative political hated and litigated into the 90s at the then owners and commitment to the conclusion of the whole. I, as a curious boy of about 16, loved it and spent many hours (well into the 90s) from behind the buttons.

Initially, my interest in playing to the recently discovered world of the arcade. It was the time of Space Invaders and Boulder Dash (C 64). New worlds from an unfamiliar perspective. Until recently only at the local farmer fries, from that moment without mayonnaise neatly next to each other in the amusement arcade. No less than four devices, what a luxury. And that for just one guilder.

Against these games was a setup with some flippers. One of these flippers, you guessed it, the Black Knight was. Not the BK 2000, as amended in 1989 but the first in 1980. It was this pinball which forever has brought the love of the steel ball.

Why was this case so special? In former times it was a pinball with great flow. Steve Ritchie as a designer is of course no different. Any player who for the first ball fired it immediately became aware: right in through the plungerlane to the second playing field level between the top two flipper via the ramp to the bottom and then back between the bottom two flippers in the trough. And without ball save. No sweetie So, watch out!

Black Knight was one of the first pinball with speech. A limited vocabulary, but dark lyrics as: "I will slay you" spoke to the imagination. The playing field had written as two levels, one of the first on the market. The court combined with the backglass had a special look because of the bright colors and mystical theme.

Just as was the introduction of particular Magna-save, an ability to prevent a drain via the outlanes left or right. With the help of two additional flipper buttons have been operated two powerful magnets which then the necessary amazement triggered on the other side of the glass.

The seasoned Black Knight player played rather not alone. The winner of a two or three players got a nice gift. it's got a multiball offered for tens of seconds and this one just had to take the trouble to shoot them manually .....
Very long I searched for a copy in summary statement. Against his better judgment, actually. Playing fields which are made at this time, have two disadvantages compared to subsequent fields: first, the paintwork is horrendous; second is much, very much played. The backglass is always bad. It seems that one at the time in the production of such glazing is followed whereby the paint is to peel quickly a wrong process. The electronics are for the purpose of a number of components at the end of its service life. Add to it that these flippers, in the course of time, be moved many times. The tracks can be found in many kabinetten.Kortom, a hopeless case so it seemed.

Great was my delight when I learned that Classic Playfield Reproductions the Black Knight playfields took reproduction. Of course I immediately subscribed and came nine months later a limited edition (no. 34 of 35) in my possession. could start work ...

Meanwhile I had gained considerable experience with playfield swaps and the like, but this project has given me plenty of challenges. Hyper balls flippers are not only look good there, my goal is to make it as a new play. A dot matrix or system 11 to get this condition is fairly simple compared to the energy it takes to be a Black Knight to address in this way.

The playing field features include four new pinball units. The original, so the coil stopper attached to the baseplate. New plastics (repro, also CPR), rubbers, posts, coilsleeves, diodes, coils, where necessary, et cetera. Obviously everything getumbled (new word?), Polished and cared for by other means.

The government is fully addressed. The broken links have been re-glued (yes, there's that great need for clamps). The side rails is removed. Sanded, polished and reinstalled. In between, the Cabinet made free from scratches, dents, holes and the original print. Using stencils is the print reapplied. This seemed to me to do at first simple, but fell against the practice. After the application was still necessary to correct.

While I was very involved in this project, the backglass began increasingly imitate. According to Black Knight concepts was an excellent copy, according to my standards but this was worse. In 1996, Williams again, the Black Knight backglass into production. Some of these windows (new in package) came into the possession of an American dealer / collector a backglasses. This is to say goodbye under soft (financial) constraints of one of his children.

To cut a long story short, eventually lucky to get a Black Knight in a beautiful state in my game room. Some young love is true that after a long time reunion can be a disappointing experience. The witness and the play of the specimen proves that the opposite is also possible.