1950 Int'l Mutoscope Flying Saucers Animated Arcade Machine RARE & SPACE THEME

1950 International Mutoscope Flying Saucers Animated Arcade Machine. I'm sure you get as tired as I do of hearing sellers talk about their "rare" machine that they are offering for sale, and you've just seen three of the same title within the last month. I'm sure there are others out there, although I haven't seen them but this may bring them out of the woodwork!

I have no way of knowing actual production numbers of International Mutoscope machines, and I'm not sure anyone really knows at this point! I do know that there couldn't have been a whole lot of Flying Saucer machines made because they just don't turn up when compared to most other machines from the same era. As further evidence, the backside of the coin door is stamped/etched 19 and the same 19 stamp/etching can be seen on the lower shelf of the inside of the backbox. In addition, the wood behind the backglass is stamped KJS-39 and that same stamp can be seen on the left side on the wood inside the backbox which tells me the mechanicals are numbers matching and original to the machine.

That may not mean anything to you, but to a nerd like me, it is pretty cool to verify that similar to cars being numbers matching. To further confuse you, there is a small metal plate attached to the top backside of the cabinet that has the etched number 320! Based on the 19 etchings, Im guessing this is the nineteenth machine made, but that is only a guess.

Sometimes they just stamped whatever number was near them at the time, they werent quite as anal back then about serial and production numbers! Suffice to say, there werent many of these machines produced, let alone survive all these years! I can almost assure you that with the addition of this machine to your collection, you will be the ONLY one on your block with an International Mutoscope Flying Saucers. Insert your nickel to play and actually steer a flying saucer (and, yes, it is an actual plastic representation of a flying saucer) by means of a steering wheel on the front of the cabinet!

While youre steering, a barrel with the layout of space rotates and the object is to keep your flying saucer in check with the moving line on the barrel. You make progress by steering where you should but that isnt as easy as it may seem! The barrel not only spins, but it also moves left and right while the line to drive on also moves left and right independently of that! It takes some skill to try and keep your flying saucer on the scoring line!

The barrel mechanics are similar to International Mutoscopes Drive Mobile, a more readily seen arcade driving machine from 1941. As you drive, your progress is tracked on the backglass. The object is to drive all the way across the USA from New York to Los Angeles while going through cities across America. But that is pretty hard to do! Interestingly, although you travel from NY to LA, the flying saucer graphic is actually pointed backwards!

A definite slip-up by the designers! This is an amazing machine and will REALLY draw everyone to it, including yourself! It's just a lot of fun to DRIVE and challenging. Needless to say, if you are drawn to the seldom-seen early EM machines for your gameroom, you know how hard they can be to find.

But I kept the best news for last, this machine is working pretty well and should only need a quick cleaning and tune-up to be 100%. This machine is mechanically unshopped,, other than having all of the bad bulbs replaced, and has been sitting idle for some time but it is working pretty well, not perfectly. Insert a coin and you hear the timer start clicking and the barrel starts to turn.

It looks like the contact on the bottom of the flying saucer needs to be adjusted to come in better contact with the barrel and Im also guessing the metal strip on the barrel that comes in contact with the saucer needs to be cleaned to make a better electrical connection. The saucer isnt always scoring when it should but the score numbers are going up at times. Most times the timer counts down correctly and ends the game but a couple times it was a little sticky and didnt go to game over. The basics of the game are working fine, just not perfectly.

You will need to clean and adjust some contacts to have everything working perfectly, but the GREAT news is that there isnt much to this machine mechanically, as the photos show! This shouldnt take much effort to be working perfectly based on its current working condition.

And with the overall ORIGINAL cosmetics, this machine will make a nice addition to any gameroom or collection. The original backglass is in pretty nice shape. There is some chipping throughout but with minimal actual missing paint. In the upper left corner, there is a small spot of missing paint below and to the left of the F and a missing square of paint in Oregon where the backing board can be seen behind the glass. Otherwise, when the glass is removed from the machine, there is quite a bit of cracking/crazing in the paint but that is difficult to see when the glass is installed in the machine.

The back of the glass has been sealed to prevent any further issues with the paint. With a couple small touchups, it could be made to look even better, but I dont think youll be disappointed with this glass. As rare of a machine as this is, to have the original backglass in this nice of a condition is even more rare. The graphics in the center are in real nice shape including the US states and cities along with the flying saucer graphics. The colors are actually pretty nice, as well, with not a lot of fading.

Overall, although not perfect, this glass is in pretty nice shape. If you want perfection, though, this would be a perfect candidate to have a one-off made by scanning the glass, digitally fixing the imperfections, and then printing it out. In the meantime, though, this glass with definitely suffice and wont disappoint! The rotating barrel/playfield graphics are also in pretty nice shape.

The colors are nice and bright and really stand out, almost like florescent paint. There are some minor imperfections in the painted graphics but nothing too horrible. It looks like at one point the flying saucer may have been sitting too close to the barrel and the underside scratched a path in the graphics and it also looks like a past owner tried to touch up that scratch. It isnt perfect at this point and can be seen if you look for it, but it tends to fade into the other graphics, of which there are a LOT! Overall, again, although short of perfect, it is in pretty nice shape!

The plastic flying saucer that you steer appears to be original and is in fantastic shape. The small plate glass piece is in place in front of the barrel/flying saucer. The original top metal marquee is also in place! It is starting to show its age with some fading and dimming of the colors, but being in place with its original graphics means that you could certainly repaint the graphics to have it look like new! Again, IT IS IN PLACE! If missing, you would be up the creek. Game play is centered around steering your animated flying saucer along the moving space scenery, trying to keep it on the metal scoring path. You control its left and right movement with the ORIGINAL steering wheel on the front of the cabinet. After you insert your coin in the original nickel coin slide, the game begins and the length of the game is based on an internal timer. And you can hear the timer running as you play.

The object is to steer your flying saucer to keep it on the metal scoring path on the barrel scenery to try and complete the cross country flight from New York to Los Angeles on the backglass while also scoring points. But that is MUCH easier said than done!

The scoring path, barrel, and flying saucer are all moving in different directions so it takes some skill to steer it correctly to make advancements! There is a green light just above the barrel window that lights when you are steering correctly on the scoring path. As you proceed, your progress is tracked on the backglass with your flying saucer continuing to move along the path, being lit in cities as you advance.

Once your time is up, your game is over and the barrel stops moving. See how far you got by looking at the scoreboard backglass!

This game definitely tests your reflexes, timing, and hand-eye coordination! Even just lit and sitting in a corner, the "look" of this machine is FANTASTIC and is sure to draw a lot of attention since it has a GREAT space theme to it! The cabinet paint appears to be original.

Similar to the top marquee, the cabinet paint is starting to show its age, but again, the ORIGINAL graphics are still in place! There are some noticeable nicks/chips and missing paint in the graphics and also in the solid colors, but nothing horrible. The flying saucer graphics are on each of the sides and front to give the space theme a definite nod! They still look fairly nice but are far from perfect.

Since the original design and graphics are in place, you could certainly repaint them and they can be made to look like new. The original coin door is in place with a working lock/key and as previously mentioned, the original steering wheel and nickel coin slide are also in place. The rear backbox door is missing but would be easy to replace with plain plywood, if you wanted. Nothing is affected by it not being there.

The machine stands 6'-1 tall to the top of the marquee, is 19.5 wide, and about 20 deep to the front of the coin slide, the cabinet is only 15.5 deep. For transport, the top metal marquee could be removed with the resultant height of the cabinet being 5-3.75.

This machine takes up VERY LITTLE space, making it another great addition to any gameroom that is already struggling due to lack of space! My preference is to work with a company that provides door to door service which handles all of the wrapping, loading, and hauling. Calling all collectors of the early 1950's machines! You may not have another opportunity for a Flying Saucers. I know of only one other one, but knowing that there MUST be others has to make me wonder when the next one may surface. Either way, this is a great opportunity to add a RARE machine to your EM arcade collection. Remember, it is working pretty well and should only need a quick once-over tune-up to have it working perfectly! Get it home and start to enjoy playing it rather than working on it forever.

I keep saying it, but if I had unlimited time, unlimited display space, and unlimited funds, I would probably never sell another machine. But since none of those ifs are true, my loss can be your gain. Honestly, as with a lot of the machines that I sell, I hope it can go to a true lover of arcade machines who can enjoy playing it. For cool and classic animated EM arcade machines, you can't do much better than Flying Saucers.

Actually steer a flying saucer on the space graphics (rotating barrel) controlling its left/right movement! Very, very cool concept and even MORE cool in actuality.

Remember, this machine came out in 1950 , well before the real space race of the 1960s! If you have a space themed gameroom or collection, this may be an ideal addition. It also offers a GREAT smaller size that will occupy limited floor space, another nice advantage for most gamerooms that are splitting at the seams!

The only other thing to say is that this is your opportunity to add a seldom-seen, if ever, FUN animated arcade machine to your gameroom and collection that is 68 years old! OWN A PIECE OF HISTORY! The item "1950 Int'l Mutoscope Flying Saucers Animated Arcade Machine RARE & SPACE THEME" is in sale since Sunday, September 9, 2018.

This item is in the category "Collectibles\Arcade, Jukeboxes & Pinball\Arcade Gaming\Non-Video Arcade Machines". The seller is "59redvette" and is located in Woodstock, Illinois. This item can't be shipped, the buyer must pick up the item.

Game Title: Flying Saucers
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Brand: International Mutoscope
Original/Reproduction: Original