# Episode 69 - Vari-Targets

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-05-19  
**Duration:** 7m 44s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-69-vari-targets

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## Analysis

Nick Baldridge explores the Vari-Target mechanism, a kinetic target system invented by Gottlieb in 1969 that scores different points based on ball strike force. He explains the mechanical operation (ratcheting arm, leaf switches, coil activation), common adjustment and maintenance issues, and its adoption across Gottlieb EM games and later by Williams and Stern in solid-state machines through the 1990s.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Vari-Target was invented by Gottlieb in 1969 and first released on either Airport or College Queens — _Nick Baldridge, host of For Amusement Only podcast_
- [HIGH] Vari-Targets use a ratcheting mechanism with leaf switches that contact evenly-spaced rivets on a wiper disc, similar to search disk operation — _Nick Baldridge describing mechanical operation_
- [HIGH] Williams copied the Vari-Target design in the 1980s solid-state game Bad Cats — _Nick Baldridge_
- [HIGH] Gottlieb used Vari-Targets through 1992's Operation Thunder; Stern adopted them in Ripley's Believe It or Not — _Nick Baldridge_
- [HIGH] Vari-Targets were typically used in pairs on left and right sides of the playfield, with exceptions like Gottlieb's Minicycle using only one — _Nick Baldridge_
- [HIGH] Coil plate adjustment via two screws is the standard Gottlieb approach for mechanisms relying on coils — _Nick Baldridge describing Gottlieb design philosophy_

### Notable Quotes

> "Very Target was invented by Gottlieb in 1969 and was first released on either Airport or College Queens. I'm not sure which was actually released first but airport shows a date one month before College Queen so we'll just call it airport"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~0:50
> _Establishes the Vari-Target's origin and dating uncertainty_

> "the very targets principle is pretty simple there is a target on the playfield that you strike with the ball and depending on how hard you strike it it will score a different amount of points and then return the ball to you"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~1:15
> _Core mechanical principle of force-sensitive scoring_

> "It works in a similar way to a search disk, if you've heard my 9,000 podcasts on search disks where you have a contact plate that is full of rivets and then switches that run across them"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~2:00
> _Draws parallel to another common EM mechanism, self-referential humor about podcast catalog_

> "in typical Gottlieb fashion, for most of their mechanisms that relied on coils, be it interlock coils for something like A-head or GG, or the very targets here, you have an adjustment"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~3:45
> _Highlights Gottlieb's design philosophy on adjustability_

> "The very targets were typically used in pairs on the left and right side of the play field, but there were some exceptions to that, and machines like Gottlieb's Minicycle only used a single very target"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~5:30
> _Documents common configuration and exceptions_

> "Williams copied the very target in its own special way in the 1980s game Bad Cats but that's a solid state"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, ~7:00
> _Notes cross-manufacturer adoption and adaptation of the mechanism_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; speaks with authority on EM pinball restoration and mechanics |
| Gottlieb | company | Pinball manufacturer that invented the Vari-Target in 1969 and used it extensively from EM through early 1990s solid-state machines |
| Williams | company | Pinball manufacturer that copied Vari-Target design in the 1980s solid-state game Bad Cats |
| Stern | company | Pinball manufacturer that adopted Vari-Target in solid-state game Ripley's Believe It or Not |
| Airport | game | Gottlieb pinball machine from 1969; likely the first game to use Vari-Target (one month before College Queens) |
| College Queens | game | Gottlieb pinball machine from 1969; either first or second game to use Vari-Target |
| Baseball | game | Gottlieb pinball game; described as one of the most popular games using paired Vari-Targets, featured 'wedge head' design |
| Minicycle | game | Gottlieb pinball machine; exception to typical paired Vari-Target setup, using only a single target |
| Bad Cats | game | Williams 1980s solid-state pinball machine that copied Vari-Target design |
| Operation Thunder | game | Gottlieb pinball game from 1992; marks the end of Gottlieb's use of Vari-Target mechanism |
| Ripley's Believe It or Not | game | Stern solid-state pinball machine that adopted Vari-Target design |
| For Amusement Only | organization | EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge; focused on electromechanical pinball mechanics and restoration |
| Ticker Tape | game | Pinball machine Nick Baldridge is currently working on restoring; mentioned as a project he's taking a break from |
| Search Disk | product | EM pinball mechanism similar to Vari-Target; subject of multiple podcast episodes by Nick Baldridge |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Vari-Target mechanism design and operation, EM pinball restoration and maintenance, Gottlieb design philosophy and mechanical systems
- **Secondary:** Cross-manufacturer adoption of EM mechanisms, Leaf switch and contact adjustment, Coil mechanism troubleshooting
- **Mentioned:** Gottlieb vs. Williams vs. Stern design approaches

### Sentiment

**Neutral** (0)

### Signals

- **[historical_signal]** Vari-Target mechanism invented by Gottlieb in 1969; adopted by Williams and Stern in solid-state machines; marked the bridge between EM and solid-state scoring innovation (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge documents the invention in 1969 (Airport/College Queens), use through 1992 (Operation Thunder), and adoption by other manufacturers
- **[restoration_signal]** Vari-Target requires regular cleaning of target arm and spring, leaf switch adjustment to contact wiper disc rivets, and coil plate positioning via two-screw adjustment (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge provides detailed troubleshooting steps and identifies common failure modes
- **[design_innovation]** Vari-Target represents early kinetic/force-sensitive scoring where ball strike force determines points awarded; precursor to later electronic scoring variations (confidence: high) — Core mechanism principle: 'depending on how hard you strike it it will score a different amount of points'
- **[design_philosophy]** Gottlieb incorporated adjustable coil plate attachment (via two screws) across multiple mechanisms (interlock coils, A-head, GG, Vari-Target); reflects design-for-maintenance philosophy (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge: 'in typical Gottlieb fashion... you have an adjustment. And the adjustment is in two screws'
- **[content_signal]** For Amusement Only establishing itself as authoritative source on EM pinball mechanics; episode series on specific mechanisms (Vari-Target, Search Disk) with technical depth (confidence: high) — Nick Baldridge announces new episode availability on multiple platforms (iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, RSS, Facebook, Twitter); self-references '9,000 podcasts on search disks'

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## Transcript

 what's that sound it's for amusement only the em and bingo pinball podcast welcome back to for amusement only this is Nicholas Baldridge tonight i got my glasses in so i'm excited i can actually see stuff again I'm interested to tear back into ticker tape but I'm taking a couple days break and then I will get back into my search disk problems but I promise no more search disk podcasts I will share whatever the fix is going to be for that I have a couple ideas we'll see But for now, I wanted to talk about Very Targets. Very Target was invented by Gottlieb in 1969 and was first released on either Airport or College Queens. I'm not sure which was actually released first but airport shows a date one month before College Queen so we'll just call it airport the very targets principle is pretty simple there is a target on the playfield that you strike with the ball and depending on how hard you strike it it will score a different amount of points and then return the ball to you So the way that this works the ball will hit the target and it will ratchet a small mechanism under the playfield attached to a long target arm and then a coil will pull in and release the target arm, pushing back against the ball. After it has ratcheted to the appropriate position, the score motor will engage and score the appropriate amount of points. Now there are two leaf switches, and instead of making physical contact with each other, they make contact with two evenly spaced contacts across this bar. It works in a similar way to a search disk, if you've heard my 9,000 podcasts on search disks where you have a contact plate that is full of rivets and then switches that run across them. So the only other thing that's really on one of these mechanisms is a spring that's attached to the bottom of the target arm that ratchets. If your vary target isn't scoring correctly, you have a few different possibilities of things that might be going wrong. The easiest thing to check, though, is if your leaf switches are adjusted appropriately to touch the rivets on the little wiper disc. The other thing is the coil plate could be in the wrong position, which will prevent the switches from ever making contact appropriately This will also cause uneven wear on the contacts themselves and eventually cause arcing and all kinds of other problems So, in typical Gottlieb fashion, for most of their mechanisms that relied on coils, be it interlock coils for something like A-head or GG, or the very targets here, you have an adjustment. And the adjustment is in two screws which attach the coil to the mechanism. And you loosen those and then you can manipulate where the coil plate engages that ratchet. So, other than that, there's not a whole lot that can go wrong on the mechanism itself. As long as it's clean. the score motor can have issues but that's a whole other subject and if the target arm is not clean and the spring is not clean then it may not snap back appropriately when the coil plate is pulled in so you do want to clean each part of this mechanism just like any other mechanism and once you do so, it should play just as it always did. The very targets were typically used in pairs on the left and right side of the play field, but there were some exceptions to that, and machines like Gottlieb's Minicycle only used a single very target. One of the most popular games that used the very target was Gottlieb's Baseball, wedge head Baseball used the typical paired very target setup Now the amount of points that were scored on a very target were indicated on a plastic which normally sat above the very target arm itself The very target arm was typically just metal, bare metal, and didn't have any markings of any kind on it. I'm sure there are exceptions to this I've never seen them but it's likely that they're out there Williams copied the very target in its own special way in the 1980s game Bad Cats but that's a solid state Gottlieb continued using them up through the 80s and up until 1992's Operation Thunder. Now Stern even got in on the Very Target action in Ripley's Believe It or Not. These are all solid state machines though. There are many, many, many Gottlieb Very Target games that were made in earlier years. With the beautiful chime sounds that at least I know and love. I'm not sure again. Everybody has their own opinion and I'm no exception. Alright, well, thank you again for listening. My name again is Nicholas Baldridge. You can reach me at 4amusementonlypodcast at gmail.com and you can listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, via RSS, on Facebook, and now on Twitter. I've hooked it up so that it posts the show to Twitter as well. And on our website, which is foramusementonly.libsyn.com Thank you again for listening, and I'll talk to you next time.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c50792cc-cc73-4e38-be93-46957dbd60af*