Quoted from nipper2u:Hello everyone - I have to second the previous concerns. Does CGC monitor this forum (like AP does their Houdini post)? I have a down payment on an LE and I too am concerned that units are still being made and shipped with the same issues over and over. Why aren't these issues being addressed before shipment at this point? Like change the default flipper strength or adjust the ramp or better align the plunger and flippers as a few examples. Is this an issue with quality control, or an inflexible build routine, or are my expectations too high for an $8k unit? This is an awesome forum and you all are great but shouldn't we expect more from CGC at this point? Any input is appreciated as this is my first NIB pin. Thank you
I've been in the hobby for ~15 years. When I started out, I purchased a couple NIB games (LOTR, TSPP) and was too busy to deal with problems. Purchased from a local distributor who did all tweaks/maintenance. Those 2 Stern pins happened to be rock solid and didn't require much fiddling.
Fast forward to today. From my perspective, all pins require tweaking now. I just "dialed in" my AFMr in a couple hours (shooter & flippers needed adjusting). Haven't played it enough to know if it's perfect, but it's playing well after half dozen games. OTOH, took me 3 days to "dial in" my Dialed In (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/dialing-in-dialed-in-le-96). My SWLE didn't require any tweaking and my AS required adjusting the flippers.
So, my recent experience is Stern was the least effort, with CGC a close second, and JJP third. This doesn't mean that JJP builds a low quality product, it means they are having some challenges "dialing in" all the mechs (which shouldn't be surprising, since it's the most complex pin of the bunch). Stern has the advantage of building pinball machines for decades and their machines typically aren't on the bleeding edge of innovation.
My advice is either consider this a hobby and don't expect perfection out-of-the-gate or purchase from a local distributor that can help adjust and support the pinball. It's totally valid to be disappointed and hope CGC improves it's build process, however I wouldn't make purchasing decisions on it. Plan for getting your hands a little dirty. Even if your machine doesn't arrive with issues, it will develop issues soon enough. Pinball machines are NOT consumer devices...
snaroff