Mods that are irreversible generally add zero amount to a sale or are negative.

I would not pay anything extra for powdercoating and if it's a color I don't like, then price would be lower.

How many of "holy grail" B/W and System 11 games had a center post screwed down through the playfield between the flippers that were not installed at the factory? This is no different, and even less invasive if done with care.

But, if the next person wants to remove the mod, there would be a hole in the side of the cabinet?

Maybe it's just me, but that would be a pass.

Good point.

I would pay way less for a game with a hole between the flippers! Most annoying mod ever

Its not that hard, you dont need a template (although I use one)..use a forschner bit on both sides of the cab...drill 1/2" - 5/8" deep on the outside and 1/8" deep on the inside with the forschner bit, the complete the hole with a butterfly bit...the holes are 2" apart
I will have to go out to my shop to confirm bit sizes but I think its 1 1/8" and 5/8"
Disregard the 3/16"...thats for a wpc siderail hole

20190520_080425 (resized).jpg
20181020_130137 (resized).jpg

I know that no game leaving the factory is ever exactly as the designer intended, especially speaking as someone who has worked in the biz and with many of the folks at Stern. But those compromises are made by the designer. Even in a mandate to “reduce the BOM on this game stat!” the designer is intimately involved. Steve Ritchie is NOT going to find out that someone else moved things around or took things out of his game behind his back. While Steve may be issued an edict to make a change for any of a myriad reasons, Steve will comply - but in the way he sees fit as designer. It’s still Steve’s design.

You must also let us know how you are in a position to judge a designer’s perfection. Sounds like you’d paint a bigger smile on the Mona Lisa if you felt she should look happier.

I'll try and remember to measure mine when I get home from work today if nobody has done it yet.

Out of curiosity, does Stern include some kind of premium or high chromium content ball these days? That extra chromium reduces the effect of magnets on the ball as there is a lower iron content in the alloy.

Magnet games perform better with the generic 'standard' pinball.

Just use this instead.

4673105709_3266e71b80_z.jpg

Let me say this again:

When I pay $5k+ to put the Mona Lisa in my basement, I'll paint her eating a bag of doritos if I feel like it. I buy pinball machines to have fun. If I can think of something to make them more fun, I will do it. Sorry if that's radical heresy on a forum for middle-aged toy collectors.

Nah, I think the official middle aged toy collector sites have officially expunged the pinball hobbyists...

First of all we steal their toys and open them to glue on our games.

And if that wasn't bad enough, we dare open OUR toys and play them. Except for those guys who just collect NIB and keep them that way. Those guys and toy collectors do okay together

spit take.gif

Stop making sense

I knew it was a silly question, but I had to ask.

I would drill mine in a minute and I normally like only reversible mods. My problem is the hell hand and that fucking ugly sand worm. You can bet Steve didn't dream that crap up.

Not at all. As I've said, you're free to modify anything you buy any way you feel like. But some of you guys get waaaaay too hung up on making significant engineering changes to a shipped game that alters physical play because it's not the way you would have done it or liked.

But hey - I truly think your Modda Lisa will perfectly complement your black light velvet Elvis painting and your tapestry of dogs playing poker.

I can't wait for page 5 of this thread, when it's decided this isn't actually Steve's game at all.

For league one time we set up a game with foot pedals wired to the flipper buttons, you had to stand a few feet back from the game and play with just your feet. Was pretty hard, but fun. Didn't take long at all to rig, was just an afternoon gimmick.

I would absolutely try that before drilling the cab. Get that instant reflex access and see if it makes any different or not.

Foot Pedals - Want to get - Actually was thinking of making foot pedals for pins for my friend who has 1 arm so he can play games.

Making game accessible for all seems like something Stern should spend a little more time on.

I feel okay right now about magnasave in the middle. It gives the game a bit of an update and standard user interface for a stern in this era.

I would never modify my game like this. It would probably hurt the eventual resale of game. You are a minority and I imagine anyone who would want buy would try to knock value of game down or not buy based on this mod. You'd be waiting for that non standard guy who shares your vision.

I went to a mountain bike festival in WV that had an EM hooked up to a generator that was powered by a stationary bicycle. Only way the game worked is if you were pedaling while flipping.

Ill be a pain with another suggestion to try, if one doesnt want to drill.....Stick on Buttons!

They are made with suction cups, held by non damaging suction cups. and can be those little tap lights, others, with command strips

Run the wires through the speaker....

pasted_image (resized).png

pasted_image (resized).png

pasted_image (resized).png

Ugh - Cringe worthy. Like drilling out a Williams Funhouse Coindoor to add a credit button.

Maybe they should add a magnet under center drain and tie it to the lockdown bar magna save button. Now that! would be helpful.

Code could fix this by pressing both flipper buttons at the same time. No drilling of the cab. I think this is the easiest fix.

Lee’s game? I wish to purchase

hell hand is fabulous. It is super creepy and can cause the weak-minded to have scary knight-mares.

That would also teach a lesson to the casual players that like to flip both flippers at once! Not that they'd have tried to use the magnasave to begin with, of course.

Use the extra Munster Prem cabinets for BKSoR. Add Magna Save button on right side and a button rigged to 20v shock to the left side. It would be teaching moment for little Johnny to know the Magna Save button is on the “right” side.

I'm far from a casual, and have both flippers up, even if just for a split second, countless times in a game...

cradling on both flippers during a multiball; staging/flipping a ball while another ball is cradled on another flipper during multiball; flipping the opposite flipper in a rapid matter to deaden the ball movement on another flipper; after a mega two-flipper slap save; etc.

Show me any indication on the previous BK's that characters like these exist in the game and I am in.

It would be interesting to have device made (sort like the one arm device you used on Frontier at mad mad mad) that would activate the lockdown button from the position on the right side where a button would be. Then the theory could be tested.

All else fails replace rails with lolipop side rails. If it is that undesirable it is easily hidden or “reversed”

well of course they didn’t, but this is BK3K dammit! and it is here where we learn of the worms and hell hand that were previously unknown during episodes 1 & 2. Believe me, there’re plenty of holes in the plot besides that.

In Prem/LE you use the catapult mech to start a multiball to destroy the castle gate. Pro buyers don’t get that without the upper pf, which is understandable. But I scratch my head, don’t they need the catapult to destroy the black knight too?

Maybe breadcrumbs are enough for peasants, but I enjoy having the upper playfield for the added flow, in spite of a storyline that is a bit loosey goosey. On the other hand, BKSoR could probably win a TWIPY for best Original Screenplay.

You would think. Maybe the worm eats the pro buyers before they get to the castle. I heard that's the way Steve designed it.

Who will be the first?
Only one of you can be the first to do it...
-mof

Don’t turn your back and always keep an eyeball on the worm.

Funny you would mention a painting. That was my first thought listening to you people whining about someone making their game more enjoyable for them. This is a pinball machine not a painting. It meant to be played and enjoyed. Try not to get them confused.

You guys are all talk! Wheres the sawdust?

btw this is a stupid idea.

Excellent!
I hope you'll document the process well for others to follow.

I'm not a professional wood-worker, but as mentioned by cosmokramer, my understanding is the forstner drill bit is key to not tearing up the wood around the hole, so if you are thinking about doing this, and don't yet have a forstner set, get your set ordered or head out and grab one...!

@fxdwg I presume you'll want to make a nice cut in a circle slightly larger than the hole, and remove the quarter-sized decal, in a way that the bit can't possibly grab them, yeah?

-mof

@cosmokramer: How do you ensure you are hitting the hole in the same exact spot from both sides (without) a template? I would think making a great template would be really helpful to nailing the hole-making from both sides...

-mof

Drill a tiny hole (like 1/16" or something) all the way through the cabinet at the desired button center point, then line up the other bits using this pinhole that now exists on both sides.

Measure and mark location. Pre-drill all the way through with a very small drillbit. Use that small hole to position forscner bit on both sides

Edit: beat me by a few seconds...

Thank you!
-mof

https://de.farnell.com/amp-te-connectivity/555-3100/momentary-foot-pedal-switch/dp/2783536?st=foot%20pedal

Used a similiar one on my ACDC

You keep missing what I'm saying: you can do anything you want to your game - I'm not telling you or trying to convince you not to do something to it. I'm merely stating why I choose not to do it to my games. That's my choice for my games. Try not to get them confused.