Surfers

Quickie Version:

Shoot the blue mushroom bumpers to raise the ring-a-ding saucer value; shoot the red bumper to zip the flippers; shoot the ring-a-ding saucer.

Go-to Flipper:

Bias Right to backhand the saucer

Risk Index:

Very High

Skillshot(s):

Drop the ball into the top “hang five” saucer for 100 points. When the ball is ejected, you should be able to quickly flip it with the upper flipper towards either the top blue mushroom bumper (your target if the ring-a-ding value is 200 or less) or either of the white mushroom bumpers if the ring-a-ding value is 300 or 500.

Full Rules:

Not to be confused with Gottleib’s Surfer, Bally’s older surfer-themed game is a fun zipper-flipper machine with an interesting strategy. General strategy: raise the ring-a-ding saucer value by hitting the blue bumpers. If possible, stop at 300. Shoot the red bumper to zip the bottom flippers closed. Nudge as needed to try to get the ball to settle onto the zipped flippers. Once there, shoot for the ring-a-ding saucer via the loop on the right. You may be able to flip both flippers simultaneously to do it. It might require flipping both almost together but the left one a fraction of a second sooner. If neither of those work consistently, try to use micro-flips to get the ball onto just the right flipper and then backhand the saucer. When the ball exits the saucer, try to either flip it directly back in or else get the ball to again settle onto the zipped flippers. Best scoring opportunity is to get the saucer value to 300 and leave it there, repeating the ring-a-ding shot as much as you can. Other things to note: The yellow bumpers open the flippers, so try to avoid them once the flippers are zipped. They’re each worth 100 points, though, so they’re okay to hit if the flippers are already open and you can’t take a controlled shot at the red bumper or the saucer at the moment. When the ball exits the top Hang Five saucer, you can sometimes flip it back into that saucer; very worth doing. There’s a kickback on the left outlane; the lane is worth 50 when unlit, 100 when the kickback is lit. I’m checking to see what lights it (perhaps certain number of mushroom bumper hits?). There’s a gate on the right outlane that returns the ball to the shooter lane when open. Light the white light next to the small “opens gate” white rollover button above the right slingshot; scoring the rollover then opens the gate.