Bally · 1995 · Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999)

Attack from Mars

Name: Attack from Mars
Brand: Bally

Design: Brian Eddy · Art: Doug Watson

Brian Eddy's Attack from Mars is a love letter to 50s flying-saucer movies, made with a grin. Midway released it under the Bally name in December 1995, and people still assume it riffs on Mars Attacks!, but George Gomez says Eddy had the idea long before the film. It's a fan layout, so every shot comes from the two lower flippers, which makes it easy to learn and hard to beat. The big saucer was meant to fly around the playfield, but it was fixed in place to save cost, and now it shakes and flashes when you hit it. Doug Watson drew the Martians and voiced them too. Only 3,450 were made. Chicago Gaming Company brought it back as a remake in 2017.

1995 Bally originalChicago Gaming Company remake (2017) in Classic, Special Edition and Limited Edition, with a large color display

Spec at a glance

Maker: Bally
Era: Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999)
Theme: Original themes
Year: 1995
Players: 4
Made: Midway, sold as Bally, December 1995
Design: Brian Eddy
Art: Doug Watson
System: Williams WPC-95 with DCS sound
Display: Dot matrix (DMD)
Production: 3,450
Remake: Chicago Gaming Company, 2017 (Classic, Special and Limited)
Also listed as: AFM pinball, Attack from Mars Bally

Bench check

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries: WPC-95 put the batteries back on the CPU board in a plastic shell, which protects less against leakage than the remote holder before it. Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. The audio-video board's chip can fail so the sound cuts out, so ask for a video with sound.
Display: Originals have a plasma dot-matrix display, which wears out and outgasses over time. A large color screen in the photos means you're looking at the Chicago Gaming remake, not a 1995 game.
Playfield: It's a fan layout, with every shot made from the two lower flippers. Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint and cracked or chipped ramps.
Toys and mechs: The big saucer at the top center is fixed in place. It shakes and flashes as you beat the Martians, with a xenon strobe underneath. Four Martian figures move for Martian Attack, and a strobe light runs Strobe Multiball. Ask for a video of the saucer shaking and the Martians moving.
Cabinet and art: Doug Watson drew the art and also voiced the Martians. Check the cabinet sides in the photos for fading and wear. The Chicago Gaming remake has different trim options and an animated topper on some editions.
Moving it: Fold the backbox forward onto padding before the legs come off. Williams' set-up instructions say a WPC game should never travel with the hinged backbox up.
Parts and code: The ROMs on record are revision 1.0. Chicago Gaming Company took a license in 2010 to remake the game and recreate Williams parts.

Should come with it

Coin door keys
Manual

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.

What to check

Battery leakage on the WPC-95 CPU board and a worn plasma display are the age jobs. Check the listing is the 1995 original if that's what you want, since the remake looks close.

01Original or remake: Check the display and the listing details. A large color screen means the 2017 Chicago Gaming remake.
02Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. It should be clean, with no crust.
03Sound: Ask for a video with the sound on. Music and callouts should play without dropping out.
04Saucer: Ask for a video of the saucer being hit. It should shake and flash.
05Martians: Ask for a video of Martian Attack. All four figures should move.
06Ramps: Look at the ramps in the photos. They should be whole, with no cracks at the entrances.
07Playfield: Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint in front of the flippers.

Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.

Find one on eBay

We haven’t been through this game’s listings yet. Search eBay and run every listing through the checklist above. Ask for a video of a full game, a photo of the CPU board and photos of the playfield in good light, and ask what’s been replaced. Pass on any seller who won’t answer.

Search “Attack from Mars pinball” on eBay ↗eBay search

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Maker

Era

Theme

Read

Attack from Mars

Design: Brian Eddy · Art: Doug Watson

1995 Bally originalChicago Gaming Company remake (2017) in Classic, Special Edition and Limited Edition, with a large color display

Spec at a glance

Maker

Bally

Era

Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999)

Theme

Original themes

Year

1995

Players

Made

Midway, sold as Bally, December 1995

Design

Brian Eddy

Art

Doug Watson

System

Williams WPC-95 with DCS sound

Display

Dot matrix (DMD)

Production

3,450

Remake

Chicago Gaming Company, 2017 (Classic, Special and Limited)

Also listed as

AFM pinball, Attack from Mars Bally

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries

WPC-95 put the batteries back on the CPU board in a plastic shell, which protects less against leakage than the remote holder before it. Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. The audio-video board's chip can fail so the sound cuts out, so ask for a video with sound.

Display

Originals have a plasma dot-matrix display, which wears out and outgasses over time. A large color screen in the photos means you're looking at the Chicago Gaming remake, not a 1995 game.

Playfield

It's a fan layout, with every shot made from the two lower flippers. Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint and cracked or chipped ramps.

Toys and mechs

The big saucer at the top center is fixed in place. It shakes and flashes as you beat the Martians, with a xenon strobe underneath. Four Martian figures move for Martian Attack, and a strobe light runs Strobe Multiball. Ask for a video of the saucer shaking and the Martians moving.

Cabinet and art

Doug Watson drew the art and also voiced the Martians. Check the cabinet sides in the photos for fading and wear. The Chicago Gaming remake has different trim options and an animated topper on some editions.

Moving it

Fold the backbox forward onto padding before the legs come off. Williams' set-up instructions say a WPC game should never travel with the hinged backbox up.

Parts and code

The ROMs on record are revision 1.0. Chicago Gaming Company took a license in 2010 to remake the game and recreate Williams parts.

Should come with it

Coin door keys

Manual

Check the listing photos against these lists, and ask the seller about anything you can’t see. A missing toy, glass or key should come off the price.

What to check

Battery leakage on the WPC-95 CPU board and a worn plasma display are the age jobs. Check the listing is the 1995 original if that's what you want, since the remake looks close.

01Original or remake: Check the display and the listing details. A large color screen means the 2017 Chicago Gaming remake.

02Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the battery holder. It should be clean, with no crust.

03Sound: Ask for a video with the sound on. Music and callouts should play without dropping out.

04Saucer: Ask for a video of the saucer being hit. It should shake and flash.

05Martians: Ask for a video of Martian Attack. All four figures should move.

06Ramps: Look at the ramps in the photos. They should be whole, with no cracks at the entrances.

07Playfield: Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint in front of the flippers.

Buying your first one? Red flags in a pinball listing covers the photos and videos to ask for, and the battery corrosion guide shows what leaking batteries do to an old CPU board.

Find one on eBay

Attack from Mars

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

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Twilight Zone

Theatre of Magic

Keep exploring

Attack from Mars

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

Medieval Madness

Monster Bash

Twilight Zone

Theatre of Magic

Keep exploring