Cyclone
Williams (System 11B), February 1988 • 4 Players • Amusement Park / Coney Island vibes
Fast, simple, and super “readable” in competition: three ramps, a Ferris Wheel ball lift, and a backglass Mystery Wheel that can reward you… or hand you a big ol’ ZILCH.
Quick Facts
Design Team
Cyclone is the middle entry in Oursler’s amusement-park “trilogy”: Comet (1985) → Cyclone (1988) → Hurricane (1991).
Notable Features
- Ferris Wheel that physically carries the ball
- Backglass Mystery Wheel with awards (including “Zilch”)
- Three ramps (Comet / Cyclone + feeds/returns)
- Spook House target that opens a “gobble” / award hole
- Progressive jackpot shown on the backglass ladder
Production is usually listed as ~9,400, with some records showing 9,408 in circulation databases.
How to Play (Quick Start)
- Start with control. Cyclone plays “classic fast” for System 11—get a quick trap or settle the ball before you start flailing at ramps.
- Live on the ramps. Your bread-and-butter scoring comes from building/collecting ramp awards and the progressive Cyclone Jackpot.
- Use Spook House on purpose. Knocking it down can open the award hole and spin the Mystery Wheel in the backglass.
- Don’t forget “Ferris.” When it’s lit, the Ferris Wheel is a friendly, repeatable shot that can build value and set up your next ramp attempt.
No multiball means every point is earned the old-fashioned way: shots + control + not draining.
Rules & Scoring Highlights
Mystery Wheel (Backglass)
- Spins for awards ranging from points to Extra Ball / Special… and Zilch.
- The wheel spin is a huge momentum swing—good in tournaments, but never “free.”
- After the award, the ball is kicked back into play (often toward the left side).
Comet Ramp (Builds toward the “Million”)
- Repeated Comet shots step up the value shown by the indicator lights near the back panel.
- Work it up to the famous Million shot (and it can be doubled under the right conditions).
- It’s one of the cleanest “plan A” objectives on the game.
Cyclone Ramp (Progressive Jackpot)
- The Cyclone ramp is a timed, repeatable objective that builds a progressive jackpot.
- On many setups, collecting requires a sequence of successful ramp hits—know what your local machine expects.
- It’s one of the best “pressure shots” in match play because it tempts greedy flips.
Ferris Wheel (Ball Lift + Bonus Value)
- When lit, Ferris can be a safer repeatable shot than raw ramp hunting.
- It’s also a rhythm reset: it gives you time to breathe and plan your next shot.
- Watch the feed and decide ahead of time: trap, dead-bounce, or quick transfer.
Want a full rulesheet? See the Resources section below (we’ll link to your hosted PDF and a classic community rules page).
Tournament Strategy (What usually wins)
- Pick a scoring lane and commit. Cyclone rewards players who decide early: build Comet toward Million, or push hard on the Cyclone jackpot, with Mystery Wheel as a bonus.
- Control beats chaos. The game is tempting because ramps feel “safe,” but bad returns and slings can punish lazy flips—trap whenever you can.
- Know your kickouts. The Boomerang / award hole and other ejections can be very consistent on one copy and terrifying on another. Decide your response (hold-up, nudge, live catch) before you shoot it.
- Don’t over-chase Zilch. Mystery Wheel is great, but it’s still pinball roulette—take the spin when it fits your ball state, not because it’s “there.”
A lot of players love Cyclone because it sits in that sweet spot: modern-enough shots, old-school clarity.
History & Trivia
How many were made?
Most public listings round it to 9,400 produced, but serial-number databases and some restoration documentation cite 9,408. Either way: it’s a fairly common “location classic,” which is one reason it shows up in tournament banks so often.
Awards / reputation
Cyclone won an AMOA award for “most played” pinball game of 1989 (a pretty strong signal that it earned well on location). Modern writers still point to Cyclone and System 11 games as a “perfect balance” era before rules got overly complicated.
The Reagan backglass (yes, really)
Cyclone is famously the pin with Ronald and Nancy Reagan riding the coaster on the backglass. Trivia notes from the community credit Python Anghelo’s enthusiasm for Reagan at the time as the reason they appear. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s one of the most instantly recognizable backglasses in the hobby.
Film / TV / Music Sightings
Film
Cyclone is commonly listed as appearing in the 1991 holiday film All I Want for Christmas (you can spot it in a couple scenes).
TV
Fans have also reported a Cyclone showing up in Lost—including a continuity “oops” when it appears in a time-period where it shouldn’t exist yet.
Music
Sound bites from Cyclone have been noted as being used in “Carousel” by Mr. Bungle, which is a fun deep-cut for anyone who recognizes the callouts.
(If you want, we can make this section expandable later with an accordion so it stays clean on mobile.)
Videos (Tutorials & Gameplay)
If you send me tournament stream links where Cyclone is in the bank, I’ll add a “Match Footage” block here too.
Resources
Docs on NTX Pinball (recommended)
- Manual (PDF): /manuals/cyclone.pdf
- Operations Manual: /manuals/cyclone-ops.pdf
- Schematics: /manuals/cyclone-schematics.pdf
Update these paths to match wherever you store PDFs in your project.