Bally · 1992 · Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999)

Doctor Who

Name: Doctor Who
Brand: Bally

Design: Barry Oursler, Bill Pfutzenreuter · Art: Linda Deal (Doane)

Doctor Who almost didn't come together. Bill Pfutzenreuter's first layout wasn't fun to play, so he brought in Barry Oursler, and Midway released it under the Bally name in September 1992, mainly for Europe. Seven Doctors, from William Hartnell to Sylvester McCoy, each change the rules for one part of the playfield. The star is the Time Expander, a patented mini-playfield that rises and lowers through three levels during play. The Dalek in the backbox turned its head on about a hundred early games, then the motor was cut to save money. The software stayed, so moving-Dalek kits are a common upgrade. Linda Deal did the art, and 7,752 were built.

Sample and prototype games with a moving Dalek head (about 100)Regular production with a fixed Dalek headProduction games retrofitted with a moving-head kit

Spec at a glance

Maker: Bally
Era: Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999)
Theme: TV licenses
Year: 1992
Players: 4
Made: Midway, sold as Bally, September 1992
Design: Barry Oursler and Bill Pfutzenreuter
Art: Linda Deal (also known as Linda Doane)
System: Williams WPC with Fliptronics II
Display: Dot matrix (DMD)
Production: 7,752
Playfield: Three flippers and the Time Expander, a mini-playfield that rises and lowers
Also listed as: Dr Who pinball, Dr. Who pinball, DW

Bench check

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries: This is a WPC game with the AA batteries mounted on the CPU board, and old alkalines leak onto the switch matrix and corrode it. Ask for a photo of the CPU board with the battery holder in view. Clean board means good, and a remote battery holder means someone has dealt with it.
Display: The plasma dot-matrix display has a limited life and will outgas in the end. A display being overdriven by too much voltage looks much the same, so it's a meter job before you buy a panel. Ask for a photo of the lit display and look for patchy or glowing dots.
Playfield: Ask for straight-down photos of the lower playfield and the Time Expander. Look for worn paint at the inlanes and in front of the flippers, and wear on the mini-playfield. The two lower flippers are shorter than standard Williams flippers and have a lightning bolt on top, so short flippers are correct here.
Toys and mechs: The Time Expander rises and lowers through three levels to show kickouts, standup targets and flyaway targets. It has no bind detection, so a jam can strain the motor. Ask for a video of it moving through all three levels, and leave the glass-present safety switch in the cabinet working.
Cabinet and art: The Dalek topper in the backbox lights up. Only about a dozen samples and roughly 100 prototypes had a Dalek head that turned side to side. Production games have a fixed, glued head, but the wiring and software stayed, so many owners have added a kit to make it move. A cut or glue remnants around the neck point to a retrofit.
Moving it: The WPC set-up instructions rule out moving it with the hinged backbox up. Lower it forward onto padding, strap it, then take the legs off.
Parts and code: The game ROM is L-2, and a P5 prototype ROM exists too. Check the Dalek topper is in the listing, because it's a big part of the look.

Should come with it

Dalek topper
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 damage on the CPU board and a worn plasma display are the usual age jobs. The Time Expander mini-playfield is the mechanism to see running, since it has no jam protection.

01Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the batteries. You want clean copper with no crust.
02Time Expander: Ask for a video of the mini-playfield moving through all three levels. It should move smoothly without stalling.
03Dalek topper: Check the photos for the Dalek topper. It should light, and ask whether the head moves.
04Moving head: If the head moves, ask whether it's a kit. Cut marks or glue at the neck mean a retrofit.
05Display: Look at the lit display in the photos. The dots should glow evenly.
06Playfield: Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint at the inlanes and flippers.
07Flippers: Ask for a video of all three flippers working. They should snap up and hold.

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.

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Maker

Era

Theme

Read

Doctor Who

Design: Barry Oursler, Bill Pfutzenreuter · Art: Linda Deal (Doane)

Sample and prototype games with a moving Dalek head (about 100)Regular production with a fixed Dalek headProduction games retrofitted with a moving-head kit

Spec at a glance

Maker

Bally

Era

Dot-matrix era (1991 to 1999)

Theme

TV licenses

Year

1992

Players

Made

Midway, sold as Bally, September 1992

Design

Barry Oursler and Bill Pfutzenreuter

Art

Linda Deal (also known as Linda Doane)

System

Williams WPC with Fliptronics II

Display

Dot matrix (DMD)

Production

7,752

Playfield

Three flippers and the Time Expander, a mini-playfield that rises and lowers

Also listed as

Dr Who pinball, Dr. Who pinball, DW

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

Boards and batteries

This is a WPC game with the AA batteries mounted on the CPU board, and old alkalines leak onto the switch matrix and corrode it. Ask for a photo of the CPU board with the battery holder in view. Clean board means good, and a remote battery holder means someone has dealt with it.

Display

The plasma dot-matrix display has a limited life and will outgas in the end. A display being overdriven by too much voltage looks much the same, so it's a meter job before you buy a panel. Ask for a photo of the lit display and look for patchy or glowing dots.

Playfield

Ask for straight-down photos of the lower playfield and the Time Expander. Look for worn paint at the inlanes and in front of the flippers, and wear on the mini-playfield. The two lower flippers are shorter than standard Williams flippers and have a lightning bolt on top, so short flippers are correct here.

Toys and mechs

The Time Expander rises and lowers through three levels to show kickouts, standup targets and flyaway targets. It has no bind detection, so a jam can strain the motor. Ask for a video of it moving through all three levels, and leave the glass-present safety switch in the cabinet working.

Cabinet and art

The Dalek topper in the backbox lights up. Only about a dozen samples and roughly 100 prototypes had a Dalek head that turned side to side. Production games have a fixed, glued head, but the wiring and software stayed, so many owners have added a kit to make it move. A cut or glue remnants around the neck point to a retrofit.

Moving it

The WPC set-up instructions rule out moving it with the hinged backbox up. Lower it forward onto padding, strap it, then take the legs off.

Parts and code

The game ROM is L-2, and a P5 prototype ROM exists too. Check the Dalek topper is in the listing, because it's a big part of the look.

Should come with it

Dalek topper

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 damage on the CPU board and a worn plasma display are the usual age jobs. The Time Expander mini-playfield is the mechanism to see running, since it has no jam protection.

01Batteries: Ask for a photo of the CPU board around the batteries. You want clean copper with no crust.

02Time Expander: Ask for a video of the mini-playfield moving through all three levels. It should move smoothly without stalling.

03Dalek topper: Check the photos for the Dalek topper. It should light, and ask whether the head moves.

04Moving head: If the head moves, ask whether it's a kit. Cut marks or glue at the neck mean a retrofit.

05Display: Look at the lit display in the photos. The dots should glow evenly.

06Playfield: Ask for straight-down photos in good light. Look for worn paint at the inlanes and flippers.

07Flippers: Ask for a video of all three flippers working. They should snap up and hold.

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

Doctor Who

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

The Addams Family

Twilight Zone

Star Trek: Next Generation

Keep exploring

Doctor Who

Spec at a glance

Boards, playfield, toys and the trip home

What to check

Find one on eBay

Compare with

The Addams Family

Twilight Zone

Star Trek: Next Generation

Keep exploring