I checked mine and it’s also beginning

Not more then 50 games played..

So let’s See how cgc will handle that

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Did anyone buy the Classic just because they want their DMD to match their MMr?

Well, this sucks. Should I stop playing the game? Do you normally go through your distributor first or straight to CGC ticket?

Cabs have been cracking like that from every manufacturer for a long time. Very easily avoided. A drop of wood glue in the top where the two sheets of plywood meet stop it straight away.

You can save yourself and CGC plenty of heartache by dropping some wood glue down the hole now. A wet rag will remove any excess. Our AFMrLE did exactly the same thing.

means you have to collect from the factory...

You might be on to something. Right one is completely straight but look how crooked this left side is. Not sure if that's why I'm having some trouble or is it common for those to be mounted off some.

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thats why i'm hoping they do the widescreen on MMR

Where else should I apply wood glue?

Pinball has taught me that hope doesn't mean it will happen & if it does the price will likely be terrible.

Aren't I just a ray of sunshine

Anyway I keep thinking about getting a classic. I like the stainless trim & stock appearance. Plus my OCD would not like MMr next to AFMr with 2 different displays lol

I had this exact issue as well. As mine is on Route, I simply cut a small square of Mylar and put it over the corner. No issues since so far.

We only put a drop (outdoor wood glue) in each front corner and push it in with your finger. If it is cracked all the way down, keep pushing in the glue until you can see it all the way down the crack. You can wipe all the excess of with a moist rag. Saves a lot of heartache. Replacing a cabinet does not take a few minutes. Usually the cabinet splits there because the leg bolts are done up too tight and/or the glue was missed in the corner and or the ply s are coming apart.

Good luck!

ok thanks!

Pleasure! That is what a forum is all about. Helping each other and sharing info. Pinside is awesome for that.

Yes, thanks everyone for the advice.

My splitting cabinet. The legs weren’t that tight so I wonder what caused that. Are all pinball cabinets put together with glue?

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Crap construction /lack of glue. It sld not get much worse bc of the heavy duty leg brackets

Thanks very much for posting the photos. I just checked ours and it is the same. I ran some wood glue down there as well. From what I can work out, it is the glue that holds the cabinet all together. The staples hold the cabinet in place until the glue is set. Pinball news did an article on Churchill cabinets and playfields in 2015. Check it out! https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2016/11/04/churchill-cabinet-company-tour/

Have no idea, but I've owned 40+ machines over the years and I've *never* had to glue a cabinet seam. Newly constructed cabinets shouldn't separate and adding glue to "fix" the separation doesn't sound right. Crazy.

snaroff

I’m not sure what’s going on with these cabinets, It’s woodworking 101. Not sure what kind of a joint they use, should be tongue and groove, which if done correctly, nailed and glued, is very strong and stable. Sounds like they may have starved the joint of glue. Both sides of the joining surfaces need to have glue on them. If done right, the glue becomes stronger than the wood.

Not to worry, it’s a simple and cheap fix. For those with an issue, I’d suggest using yellow gorilla glue or titebond 2 glue (available at local hardware store) and use a bar clamp to bring the wood back together. Protect the decals from the clamp with a towel or something else. Not too tight on the clamp, just enough to bring it back in, you don’t want to squeeze all the glue out. You could also use a band clamp around the entire cabinet to bring it back together. Let the clamp stay on for 24 hours, should be fine after that.

I"m not doing that to my new $10,000 machine This should have been done, and is the responsibility of the manufacturer if not done correctly. I'll check mine in the next couple of days when I have time ( doing this for funzies ) but man, this could be a problem if they are splitting and my decals are already damaged. This is 101 woodworking for sure. If the joints were starved of glue, it will never be possible to get the same glue surface area coverage as would be possible if done before assembling the pieces.

Agreed.... something has changed. Every b/w pin ive owned has been solid. Also this new stuff dont get near the abuse that the 90s pins had.

I’m not saying it’s good or that you should have to do it given what you paid, but these are pinball machines, not cars you just bring back to the dealer. I do sympathize with you. I merely presented a simple fix. If your decals are damaged, that’s a different issue, but if it’s just the joint opening, it’s pretty minor and what I stated will fix it forever. You’ll be able to get enough glue in the joint to fix it, use a small artist brush to force the glue in the joint. You can spend 5 mins and $10 fixing it this way or go through the aggravation of getting Cgc to do something. Life is short, I like simplicity. That said, it is good to document it with cgc so others don’t experience it.

Folks should contact CGC for support and options.

Well said!

Titebond III for the win.

Unless they're the second owner in the warranty period, in which case CGC will do nothing under warranty.

I don't want to do a quick fix without calling them first though, so I'll open a ticket soon.

That's unclear. Both JJP and Stern have a history of supporting me on recent model, 2nd owner pins. Considering CGC takes support seriously and AFMr has had some common, non-trivial speed bumps, I imagine CGC will take care of folks.

snaroff

I filled out a ticket with CGC but I don't know what they could possibly do but since others are having the same problem I think they should know. I plan on going to the store and buy that Titan brand wood glue recommended by others on here. I'll get a syringe to help get it in the split better. I might know someone who has ratchet straps to try and pull and hold the cabinet together while it dries but if I can't get that I'm not sure how'll I do this part. I don't really own any vice type tools or such. The decal itself is rough but if I fold it over and put some mylar over it that won't be that bad. My machine doesn't have to look 100%, it just can't be falling to pieces. Like I've said before, I love this game. It isn't going anywhere.

They have made their position on that clear. 2nd owner pins are not warrantable. Now what they say and what they do could be two different things entirely. I also have been served in the past on certain warranty issues with a 2nd owner pin by other manufacturers on their products so it does happen in the industry.

Yes good, they should know. I do not have this issue but IMHO you should wait for their guidance on what to do about it.

Interesting article. Thanks!

This is all you need

https://m.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-QUICK-GRIP-36-in-Clamp/50137694

Or this

https://m.harborfreight.com/1-inch-x-15-ft-ratcheting-band-clamp-66220.html?utm_referrer=direct%2Fnot%20provided

This is decal failure due to it being wrapped or "overstretched" and wrapped around the edges. Nothing more. We saw this on the SE's when this thread first started as people began to unbox. Not a good situation with the decals, as mine has some very small cracking on the right side, but its not cabinet failure. No chance.

That makes more sense. Sounds like a poor decision to wrap the decal...none of my other recent pins with decals are wrapped.

snaroff

Do you think that gap between the sides is normal? I don't remember seeing it on the other side but I'll check when I get home from work. A very knowledgeable pin friend of mine that I sent the pic too wasn't sure it was the cabinet splitting either but the consensus on here is that is exactly what it is. I'll be curious to look closer into it when I get home. I hope it is normal. I'll throw a piece of mylar over the decal and call it good.

It's always something. Since we've moved on from the flipper/topper and shooter lane issues, immediately something else pops up

Welcome to the owner's thread!

Welcome to pinball?

well it wasn't like this with MMR! It is starting to become slightly alarming but I have huge faith in Doug and team at CGC, as he told me, sometimes they don't know the answer right away but they will work to find it.

I'm speaking from firsthand experience. For example, according to them, can't get the updated pic chip that fixes a pretty serious potential electrical problem with the flippers under warranty unless I'm the first owner. Extremely lame of CGC.

Couldn't agree more. That sucks...big time. Very lame. To be honest, I think it's lame that all the companies warranties aren't transferrable. The only reason more collectors don't freak out is Stern/JJP still support most folks. I know they've supported me, despite what the "fine print" on the warranty says.

snaroff

I agree also. If there is a flaw in the software everyone should get the fix, first owner or not. Did you ask them for the PIC chip and they refused? That doesn’t sound like them.

I sold my AFMLE (i was second owner) exactly for this reason. Absolutely zero warranty coverage for second owner on a pin that was only a few months old. I explained this as part of my reason for selling to the now third owner. I can understand that they dont have to help a second owner (both Stern and JJP have done this as a courtesy for me in the past) but for known manufacturing issues like the PIC chip failing and ruining your machine I think that's taking it to the extreme. Is this confirmed that CGC won't help second owners regarding the PIC chip?

It's a SUPER TERRIBLE policy for CGC being a supposed "premium" vendor, and definitely asking a premium price. Both Stern and JJP will support second and third owners in the warranty period in a limited way (things like cabinet sticker nitpicks, no, broken boards and coils, yes, in my experience). Essentially the two year CGC LE warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on when you factor in the reality of the high end collector market where machines move sometimes in MONTHS, not years.

Anyway, I was told this PIC thing is more like a recall and they should cover it if I contact them directly instead of going to the distributor as is the usual policy (the policy I followed when I was denied). I'm a little less steamed, but only a little. This really bad warranty system will restrict their growth once more collectors get a taste of the wrong side of it. Made me a LOT less excited about anything CGC announces next, that's for sure.

I was denied by the distributor (not one I've ever used, the one that sold this to this original owner), citing CGC policy. However, I've now been told to contact CGC directly since this PIC thing is more like a recall and they'll handle it. I'll report back.

That does suck, but they do have to draw the line somewhere. A lot of warranties don't transfer.

As a second owner of a hobbit, jjp did not cover a drop target board that went bad. I think I was toward the end of the warranty or just outside it. Stern covered a bad dmd a year out of warranty. In my experience, stern is the best on covering games.

But they're drawing the line way too harshly. Literally the worst in the industry that I'm aware of. I know firsthand that JJP is the best covering 2nd and 3rd owners in the warranty period, followed by Stern, then others (anyone chime in about Spooky?) then CGC. Dead last. If JJP and Stern can make it work, there's no excuse for CGC. None.

And maybe make that a selling point of the CGC LEs? Maybe LE is the level where the warranty is transferrable for the full warranty period. Turn a SERIOUS current negative into a marketing positive while offering essentially what Stern and JJP already do off the record.

JJP outside warranty, second owner with that part failure, I can see. The bad DMD was probably the batch that was known to have issues and was more like a silent recall, so that may be why you got that. Were you 2nd owner on the Stern, too?

I'm talking about 2nd and 3rd owner IN warranty, WELL within the CGC 2 year "warranty". No excuse compared to their peers.

Being denied by the distributor makes total sense. That's "normal". I bet if you work directly with CGC they will take care of you.

Since all the games have a build date, seems like the warranty should be based on time, not owner. Period.

snaroff