Pinball machines of the electro-mechanical era often reveal ingenious mechanical solutions to engage players, and Genco Manufacturing Company’s Flying Aces, released in 1958, stands as a prime example. This two-player game, designed by Steve Kordek, is a fascinating intersection of pinball artistry and mechanical innovation, centered around a captivating card game theme.

History and Background

Flying Aces holds a unique position in pinball history, not least because it was the final pinball machine produced by Genco Manufacturing Company. Unveiled to the public on July 7, 1958, the machine’s design clearly drew inspiration from the burgeoning popularity of card games and casino culture, integrating the suspense of poker into its gameplay. Steve Kordek, a designer whose work profoundly influenced the early pinball landscape, helmed its creation, bringing a distinct vision to Genco’s swan song.

Despite its innovative design, Flying Aces was largely unknown within the United States for decades following its release. Genco’s marketing strategy for this machine was primarily focused on international markets, evidenced by promotional materials discovered in multiple languages, including German, Spanish, French, and Italian. This international push suggests Genco saw greater potential for the game overseas as their domestic operations neared their conclusion. The game’s rarity in the U.S. until the mid-1990s, when examples were "found" in Australia and subsequently imported back, adds a layer of intrigue to its narrative. Early speculation placed its release year as 1956 due to a stamp on the reverse side of the backbox mirror, but Kordek's own records firmly established its 1958 debut, confirming it as Genco’s last offering. The exact production numbers remain unconfirmed, but its scarcity today underscores a production run likely limited due to its export-oriented distribution.

Signature Features and Design

The defining element of Flying Aces is undoubtedly its unique backbox mechanism, a true marvel of electro-mechanical engineering that sets it apart from its contemporaries. At the heart of this feature is a pop-up array housing twenty holes, corresponding directly to an array of twenty illuminating playing cards depicted on the backglass. The game initiates each new ball with a surprising and theatrical flourish: ten small rubber balls within the backbox are vigorously kicked into the air, settling randomly into the twenty holes. This action creates a "deal" of a poker hand. Should this initial deal result in a "4 of a Kind" or a "Royal Flush," points are immediately awarded, and the rubber balls are then reshuffled, generating a new hand and a fresh opportunity for a high-value combination.

Beyond this central spectacle, Flying Aces also features subtle, period-specific design elements, such as metal cigarette holders integrated into the side woodrails of the cabinet. This detail provides a glimpse into the social habits of the time, enhancing the machine's historical authenticity and its connection to the era it represents. The backglass artwork complements the theme, with vibrant illustrations of playing cards and the intriguing mechanical array, drawing players into the game's casino-inspired world even before the plunger is pulled.

Playfield and Mechanics

The playfield of Flying Aces is laid out to facilitate strategic shots that directly interact with the backbox poker mechanism. It features a classic two-flipper setup at the bottom, providing the primary means of ball control and shot execution. Above the flippers, two slingshots offer dynamic rebound action, while four pop bumpers provide chaotic scoring opportunities and send the ball careening across the playfield.

Key to Flying Aces' unique gameplay are its five distinct playfield lanes, each containing four rollovers. These twenty rollovers directly correspond to the twenty holes in the backbox's card array. The objective is to complete specific poker sequences that have been "dealt" in the backbox. To achieve this, the ball must pass through a correspondingly marked lane and hit one particular "live" rollover within that lane. This system adds a layer of precision to gameplay, requiring players to target specific lanes to advance their poker hand rather than simply aiming for high-scoring areas.

The playfield's aesthetic is an extension of its card game theme. Artwork depicting card suits and other poker motifs are integrated into the playfield design, enhancing the immersive experience. Lighting plays a crucial role in player feedback and progression. Ten lower playfield inserts illuminate as sequences are completed, allowing players to track their progress. As more sequences are made, further gameplay advantages are granted: completing two sequences lights the lower pop bumpers, increasing their scoring potential; six sequences illuminate the upper pop bumpers; and nine sequences light both the outlanes for a "Special" (awarding one replay) and the gobble hole for a "Special" (awarding three replays). This progressive reward system encourages continued play and strategic targeting.

Gameplay Dynamics

Flying Aces revolves around the pursuit of poker hands, offering two distinct paths to advance. The primary objective is to complete the poker hands dealt in the backbox. The initial, random "deal" at the start of each ball presents an immediate opportunity for a high-value hand, rewarding a "4 of a Kind" or "Royal Flush" with points and a reshuffle. This element introduces an unpredictable thrill at the outset of every ball.

Beyond this initial deal, players actively build their poker hands through skilled play on the main playfield. Each of the five lanes on the playfield corresponds to a specific card position in the backbox array. Within each lane, only one of the four rollovers is "live" at any given time, requiring players to accurately aim for the correct lane and its designated rollover to complete a specific sequence. Unlike the initial deal, completing sequences via the playfield does not trigger a reshuffling of the backbox balls, emphasizing the player's direct control over their hand progression.

Scoring in Flying Aces is straightforward, with a maximum display of 9,999 points per player. The game's two-player design allows for direct competition, with Player 1 completing an entire game before Player 2 takes their turn. Crucially, the sequences earned by a player carry over from ball to ball, enabling a cumulative strategy to build towards the higher-tier rewards of lit pop bumpers, outlane specials, and gobble hole specials. This carry-over feature encourages strategic thinking across an entire game, as players aim to achieve the maximum number of sequences to light all available specials. The game’s inherent poker theme, combined with its competitive two-player format and unique backbox feature, fostered a social dynamic, often inspiring friendly wagers among players.

Reception and Legacy

Upon its discovery in the mid-1990s, particularly in the United States, Flying Aces was met with considerable interest from pinball collectors and enthusiasts. Its most praised attribute was, unequivocally, the backbox mechanism. The launch of the rubber balls and the reveal of the poker hand proved to be a surprisingly engaging and entertaining spectacle, often eliciting audible reactions from first-time players. This unique mechanical feature, rather than the playfield layout itself, became the machine's primary strength, serving as a captivating centerpiece that transcended conventional EM design. While the playfield action might not have been described as revolutionary by some, the interactive relationship between playfield shots and the backbox card array provided a depth not commonly found in many machines of its era. The game's design, inherently tied to the competitive nature of poker, naturally encouraged direct player-versus-player competition and even informal betting, making it a favored machine for social gatherings.

As Genco Manufacturing Company’s final pinball machine, Flying Aces holds a distinct place in the lineage of electro-mechanical games. Its limited domestic availability and significant export focus made it a somewhat obscure piece of pinball history for decades. However, its re-emergence solidified its reputation as an innovative and mechanically complex machine. The intricate backbox mechanism, a testament to the creativity of designers like Steve Kordek, showcases the lengths to which manufacturers went to integrate themes directly into physical gameplay elements. While the "poker hand" concept was not widely replicated in the same mechanical fashion, Flying Aces serves as an enduring example of how EM pinball machines found unique ways to surprise and engage players through clever engineering, leaving behind a legacy of inventive design in an evolving industry.