Pinball Leg Guide

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1 Overview

1.1 Legs

Pinball legs generally come in a few different sizes, styles, and finishes/colors.

Common sizes include 27", 28-1/2", 30-1/2", and 31". In some rare cases, certain specific games have a pair of longer legs at the rear of the game, and a pair of shorter legs at the front of the game.

Common leg styles include ribbed and non-ribbed. A rib is an extruded section on each side of the leg, which can either go down part way or down the full length of the leg.

Common colors include chrome, black, gray, hammer-tone gray, and gold. Legs can also be powder coated by the manufacturer or third-parties, which can result in any number of different colors.

1.2 Leg Levelers

Leg levelers typically come with either a 2" threaded stem or 3" threaded stem. On electromechanical games, the levelers with the shorter stem are typically installed on all four legs, as the pitch is not as drastic as modern solid state games. On solid state games, the levelers with the shorter stem are typically installed on the legs at the front of the cabinet, and the levelers with the longer stems are typically installed on the legs at the rear of the cabinet. Sometimes, the levelers with the longer stems are simply used on all four legs.

Levelers at the front of the cabinet screwed in most of the way, while the back leg levelers are screwed in about 3/4 of the way in. After that, they can then be adjusted for the proper playfield angle.

1.3 Leg Bolts & Protectors

Leg bolts are typically 3/8" x 16 x 2-1/2". Extended leg bolts can be 2-3/4". Extended leg bolts are often used when leg protectors or other accessories (such as beverage caddies) are added.

Leg bolts can typically come in chrome, black, or gold, but zinc plated bolts are the most common.

For painted or powder coated legs, there are nylon rings available in a variety of colors to prevent a bolt from scraping against the outside of the leg's bolt hole; usually referred to as leg & bolt protectors.

1.4 Leg Bolt Plates

During a transition period in Stern games around 2016-2018 starting with Ghostbusters, cabinets had issues with corner separation. These cabinets used a thin leg bolt plate (similar to what was used in the pre-1980s), while other manufactures were using the larger Williams-style bracket plate that screwed into both sides of the cabinet. This larger bracket plate appeared to help hold the cabinet seam together. It was therefore recommended to replace the thin leg bolt plate with Williams corner leg bolt bracket plates (Part # 01-11400-1) in order to hold the cabinet seam together more securely (installation guide available on Pinside). Stern switched to using their own version of a smaller bracket plate starting with some Iron Maiden games and later all Deadpool games. This newer bracket is screwed into both sides of the cabinet like the Williams-style bracket plate. Later Stern games starting around 2019 no longer appeared to have the reported cabinet separation issue.

1.5 Cabinet Protectors

Cabinet protectors can be used to protect the cabinet from damage caused by legs that press into it. There are generally three styles of leg cabinet protectors--felt, hard plastic, and metal.

Felt cabinet protector are generally used on stenciled cabinets, from the 1980s and earlier. They offer padding between the leg and the cabinet.

Metal protectors are generally used on cabinets with screen printing or decals. They are thick enough to add a gap between the cabinet and the edges of the leg. Metal protectors are mechanically screwed to the cabinet.

Plastic protectors are an in-between solution. They can be used on just about any cabinet, but because they are hard plastic, they may dig into the cabinet somewhat. However, if there is a cabinet that already has leg damage or crinkled decals, these protectors are actually larger than the leg itself, and can hide some of the damage. Plastic protectors can come in various colors.

2 Game Systems

2.1 Allied Leisure

2.1.1 Generation 1

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
1975-1976 29 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Painted Gray 5-1/4" Rib These legs have unique bolt spacings, so standard pinball legs will not fit on these games (without alterations). Painted gray with a 5-1/4" rib, and the leg is pinched slightly around the length of the rib. More details here

2.1.2 Generation 2

2.2 Alvin G

2.3 Atari

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
1976-1979 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Painted Black Non-ribbed

2.4 Bally

NOTE: Bally was bought out by Williams around 1986. Games produced after this time should reference the Williams leg guide for 1987-1999.

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
1962-1968 31" Placeholder.jpg Painted These are typical for Single player games; Typically painted
1968-1983 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Painted Dark Dray or Black Non-ribbed Most are dark gray painted, but have also seen black painted on certain games
1984-1986 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Chrome Ribbed


2.4.1 Exceptions

Game Titles Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
Blackwater 100, Dungeons & Dragons, Escape From The Lost Word 28-1/2" front; 34-3/4" back Placeholder.jpg Dark Gray Non-ribbed Differently sized front legs and back legs were used

2.5 Capcom

2.6 Chicago Coin

2.7 Chicago Gaming

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
2003 ? Placeholder.jpg Black Ribbed Vacation America only
2017 - Present 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Chrome or Powder Coated Ribbed LE titles had powder coated legs to match the game trim. AFM LE was powder coated green, MB LE was powder coated blue

2.8 Data East

2.9 Game Plan

2.10 Gottlieb

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
1950s-1955 31" Placeholder.jpg Wooden
1956-1975 31" Placeholder.jpg Chrome or Painted Non-ribbed Some games were chrome, some were painted. On games that had painted legs, the legs will be the same color as the coin door.
1976-1990 27" Placeholder.jpg Chrome Non-ribbed
1990-1995 27" OR 31" Placeholder.jpg Chrome 9" Rib There was no real consistency in this era for size, but all had a 9" rib for either size.

2.10.1 Exceptions

Game Titles Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
Caveman, Haunted House, Mars God of War, Spirit 27" Front, 31" Back Placeholder.jpg Chrome Non-ribbed Differently sized front legs and back legs were used
Mars God of War 28.5" Front, 31" Back Placeholder.jpg Chrome Non-ribbed 28.5" front legs were not the official leg size, however, this size came recommended from Gottlieb game enthusiasts as the best leg size for this particular game.

2.11 Heighway Pinball

2.12 Jersey Jack Pinball

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
2013 - Present 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Chrome or Powder Coated Ribbed Some limited edition and collectors editions have powder coated colors to match the game trim, instead of chrome

2.13 Sega

2.14 Spooky Pinball

2.15 Stern

2.15.1 MPU-100/MPU-200

2.15.2 Whitestar

2.15.3 SAM

2.15.4 SPIKE

2.16 Williams

Era Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
1956-1966 31" Placeholder.jpg Painted These are typical for Single player games; Typically painted
1966-1985 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Chrome Non-Ribbed These are originally chrome; typically no ribbing in leg
1985-1989 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Chrome 9" Rib These are originally chrome; 9" ribbed leg
1989-1999 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Chrome Ribbed These are originally chrome; full ribbed leg
1999-1999 28 1/2" Placeholder.jpg Painted Black Ribbed Used on Pinball 2000 machines

2.16.1 Exceptions

Game Titles Size Picture Leg Color Leg Style Notes
Black Jack, Bo Bo, Caravelle, Darts, Highways, Hollywood, Jungle, Magic Clock, Music Man, Viking 24-7/8" Placeholder.jpg Chrome Tubular A few 1960-1961 EM games had round, tubular legs that attached to the bottom of the cabinet, rather than the traditional style legs that were bolted to the corners of the cabinet.

2.17 Zaccaria

2.17.1 8060 MPU

2.17.2 Generation 1

2.17.3 Generation 2