1972 アーチェリー (archery) by タイトー (Taito)

 

Name: アーチェリー (archery)

Year: 1972
Company: タイトー (Taito)

This is from a tweet by onemoretimec:

1972 listed as the year

this publication says 1973

archery range posted by Taito on their 70th Anniversary webpage.  (archive)
"日本初の自動アーチェリーセンター オープン"
(September 1972: Japan's first automatic archery center opens)

The archery range was installed in bowling alleys.  During the 1960s there were also archery ranges in bowling alleys in the USA.

One of the bows had been sold at auction.  This tells us that the bows were made by a company called American Archery from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, USA.  60" is the size of the bow.

found via a cached auction page (archive)

Another bow, from this tweet by aw11tribology (archive): 

The American Archery logo appears to be printed in the same manner as the Taito logo.  I assume they were a custom order, and that the Taito logo was added by American Archery.

There is a lovely site that has the American Archery catalogues scanned and available online. (archive)

In the 1965 catalog, the company had a different logo, and were located in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.

In the 1966-1967 catalogue they are now listed as being in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin.  They still have the old logo.

This catalogue introduces the Flash model bow.

from the 1966-1967 American Archery catalogue

In the 1968 catalogue, we finally see the logo that matches the Taito bow, and we can clearly see the similarly-styled writing on it.

Flash is one of the few 60" bows ever sold.  In all of the catalogues it is the only 60" bow that looks similar to the Taito bow.  It is also advertised as being perfect for beginners, so it is an ideal bow for a bowling alley archery range.

Here is the Flash bow from the 1972 catlogue.  The only thing different on the Taito bow is that it does not appear to have the inset wood on the grip.  This inset piece appears on every other American Archery bow.

Flash bow by American Archery, from the 1972 catalogue

zooming in

1972 Safari Rifle Range - サファリーライフルマン by タイトー (Taito)

Name: Safari Rifle Range - サファリーライフルマン

Year: 1972
Company: タイトー (Taito)

In the Taito 40th anniversary book we have these 2 photos:

Both photos are listed as from 1973.  The top photo says Safari Rifle Range.  The bottom photo is labeled as アーチェリー (archery).  These photos also appear in this article on bowling.  This is from a tweet by onemoretimec:

The archery ranges were being installed in bowling alleys, as the bowling boom waned.

But this publication says the photos are from 1972.

1972 listed as the year

In a 1972 issue of Amusement we also see this photo, entitled シューテイングシステム (Shooting system).  This is probably most of the same technology, but a huge difference is that this shows a single pedestal, versus the extended (bowling alley sized) lineup of Safari Rifle Range.  This pedestal also has coin doors.  I am unable to discern if the unit on top of the pedestal is the exact same kind as used in Safari Rifle Range.

1972 シューテイングシステム (Shooting system) by タイトー (Taito)

[admin] games that do not have photographs yet -- まだ写真がないゲーム

I have created a new page for games I have listed as "Mention Only".  These are only meant as placeholders.  I hope to find proper images for these games some day.

Since I do not have photos of the game, I am moving them to a separate page.  THIS IS A HIGH PRIORITY REQUEST: If you have any photos of these games, please let me know!

写真のないマシン  --  machines with no picture

There are a few companies that have published histories of their arcade machines.  I will work to ensure that any games missing will be included in that section.  I will also compile those missing machines in the post "research materials wanted! 研究資料が欲しかった！".

1971 Big Strike Bowling - ビッグ・ストライク・ボウリング [import, 1967] by 太東貿易 (Taito Trading) & NSM-Löwen

Name: Big Strike Bowling - ビッグ・ストライク・ボウリング

Year: 1967, 1971

Company: 太東貿易 (Taito Trading)

Big Strike Bowling is a German machine from 1967, made by NSM.  Before arriving in Japan, it was popular in Germany and the UK.  Big Strike Bowling shows up in the 1969 machine directory.  This would be a direct import:

Machine directory 1969 entry.  This is a direct import..

This Taito machine demonstrates their plaques on top of a standard Big Strike Bowling

Bowling Alle Neune (bowling all nine)
original German version, via (archive)

In 1971 Taito began selling these machines, with custom stands.  While the official Taito year for this machine is 1971, you might see the imported model in earlier Japanese arcades.

This is one of many European machines that would be popular in Japan, though one of the few that isn't a medal game.

The only visible difference on the Taito machines, as far as I can see,  is the painted wooden stand.  The picture at the top of this post only has the bowling ball and pins.  Most versions seem to also have the Taito logo on the stand:

I assume the Taito machines would also have a different coin mechanism.

The machine is rather simple, with the electricity only being used to power the lights and release the ball.  The goal is to get the ball in to slot, and mechanically knocking down the pins.  Knocking down all pins would award a free game.

1970 Apollo Ball - アポロボール by タイトー (Taito)

Name: Apollo Ball - アポロボール
Year: 1970, 1972
Company: 太東貿易 (Taito Trading) / タイトー (Taito)

A holy grail machine for bingo collectors!  I wonder if any of these still exist?

The official year for this machine is 1972.  It is given by Taito in their 40th anniversary book:

Apollo Ball actually first appeared in 1970.  In 1970 the company was called 太東貿易 (Taito Trading).  Only in 1972 did they change their name to タイトー (Taito).

All Japan Amusement Park 1970-11

There are many possible reasons why the game was delayed for 2 years.

Since the game existed back in 1970 I am labeling this game as 1970.  If we ever discover a photo that has Apollo Ball, I want people to understand that the photo might be from earlier than 1972.

from 1972 Taito flyer