Sega Athletic Scale

[treefrog]

A bit delayed, but I thought was worthy adding this strength tester from Sega on the site, which finished on eBay for about £360. Never knew Sega made these or anything like it. Not the most attractive of machines, almost like it was made for a gents toilet.......

Google did identify another I think on the pier in Teignmouth. Also some info on the Segaretro.org site which showed the machine to be similar to the Mercury tester.

The machine "measures" the strength of the player by having them perform a series of tasks, depending on the specific model of the scale: the "lift test," using a grab bar at the base of the scale, the "wrist test," using two knobs below the scale's measurements, the "Indian wrestling muscle test," using a metal handle at the top of the machine, and the "grip or knuckle test," using the grip handle connected to a circular disc.
The only known Sega Athletic Scale model appears to be either Mercury's "Twist and Grip" or "Deluxe" model. It is unknown at what date this machine was picked up for distribution, or to what countries or military bases.

Certainly different

[grains]

A Sega Athletic Scale was one the items featured on yesterday's episode of Find It Fix It Flog It on Channel 4. I think the owner said it was from Blackpool Pleasure Beach. They seemed to do a nice job tidying it up and re-painiting it. I won't reveal the final value in case anyone wants to watch it.

[badpenny]

I thought it went very cheap.
When I worked in Spain in the mid to late 70s prior to Franco shuffling off and the country relaxing its draconian opinions on gambling and freedom of thought, the only coin ops in bars etc. were Pinballs, Jukeboxes and Strength Testers.
I once commented to a barman that I had never once seen anyone trying one out.
He surprised me when he told me they took a lot of money. Yet only because men had a go when the bar was empty. I supposed it was a macho thing.
Apparently not. Every third or so shop in Spain was a bar, and formed the highest employment and domestic tax revenue for the government. However as a nod to the health of the public the only health warning they issued to appease their conscience was a warning that the main symptom for alcohol dependency was weakness in a man's hand grip.

BP