
Playmec Flippers
Updated July 2026
About
Playmec Flippers was a small pinball manufacturer based in San Lazzaro di Savena, in the province of Bologna, Italy, run by Pino Dal Bagno. Before building its own machines, the company reconditioned existing electromechanical pinball games; its earliest documented work, in 1973-74, was a rebuilt cabinet of Big Sakem, a game originally produced by Nordamatic, a fellow Italian pinball manufacturer based in Verona.
In 1975 Playmec released its first machine under its own name, Speed Rush, a single-player electromechanical pinball with a rollercoaster theme. The company is also credited with several other machines from around 1976, including El Tigre and 15° Pool, though the attributions are less firmly documented than Speed Rush's; 15° Pool appears to be an Italian rework of Gottlieb's contemporary Spot Pool rather than a new design, consistent with Playmec's earlier practice of rebuilding existing machines. No later products or a closure date have been confirmed.
