link?

can you just tell us ? is it the decal and new hulk plastic ?

Well falling out 555 slingshot bulbs should be one. Waiting for a new password to be sent to me as I forgot mine and can't log on.

Stern will send you those if you ask them. I got mine yesterday.

I have not had any fall out, but can definitely see how that might be a problem. Have you tried a little bit of electrical tape around the bulb under the electrical contacts?

No I don't own it, I just know the issues the game from the review was having.
There is no shaker motor in this game correct? If you can add one as people like to do better get the glue out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E4gN-P6g8IA

It's got a shaker in the review.

That could explain it right there.

I have the LE and it is stock with the shaker motor. The only problem I have with bulbs falling out is with the LED flashers I added/modded to the Hulk spotlight. The stock incandescent do not have any problems holding in the spotlight. The spotlight is right over the pop bumper which shakes the LED out. I used some tape and have not had any problems since then.

The review summed up in one sentence..."$7,500 for this machine is insane" -

Funny how the guy said he does not like the cheapness but yet he is wearing a crusty sweat/salt stained hat ....... Get a new hat, cheap bastard.

I am so sick and tired of pinheads complaining about price. I am sorry that the hobby has passed some of the old farts by. These are same people that will complain about WOZ not being worth $7500 and/or will say the theme is not good. Excuses excuses...whatever.

Meanwhile the rest of us enjoy playing our games.

Also, these are the same guys that said that ACDC was no good unless you LOVE the band.

This is the same guy that bashed ACDC when it came out. He has 0 credibility in my book. He complains that there's too many flashing lights! What?

Wait until they see the new normal in 3 years, $8500 Hobbits

A good chunk of his issues seem to include if this were on route, I dont think too many Hulk's will be out in the wild, regardless, how many of you guys have to slide the glass off once in a while to yank out a broken plastic/bulb/stuck ball. That is odd they didn't put bayonet bulbs in.

The guy obviously does not like LEDs in general. He complained about the brightness of ACDC Prem. and is talking about LEDs that have been in the last three Sterns. These 555 style LEDs have not been falling out of XMEN LE, ACDC PREM/LE or Avengers LE with any regularity.

Also, he talks about the flashing in the heroes inserts at the bottom of the playfield. He obviously does not understand the rules. They flash because he has assembled the hero but has still not collected the hero. The flashing does not strobe at all so it is not seizure inducing like old games when you mod in LEDs. The insert lights are also not too bright. The only lights on Avengers LE's that may be too bright are the four 555 style that are next to the shooter lane and the three Loki Lock lights. They can all be replaced with frosted bulbs if one desires.
I also replaced the backboard 555 style LED's with frosted as was my preference.

the hero leds are not bright at all. flashing or not.

Oh wow, I never even noticed my Xmen has the wedges, Ive never had one fall out either in the past 7-8 months Ive had it and its been played quite a bit.

Yeah most of the older school guys thought it was too bright...didn't bother me much though.
I chaulked it up to general generation reasons.

Yeah i got mine too .

Yeah. I remember when you used to get value for your money.

Glad I don't have to worry about that anymore.

LTG : )

Imo he brings up some good points. Sterns needs to step up there game if they want to sell games at the $7500 price point. It will be interesting to see what chuck from spooky pinball comes up with and for how much.

I know this price was repeated over and over again in the review. Isn't that MSRP? Are people actually paying this for Avengers?

Edit - I do agree however that Stern needs to step up their game QC wise. I've been lucky on my NIB purchases but some of the stuff I read on here is inexcusable.

I don't think, after shipping / tax whatever it may be they are selling for less than $7K NIB. He's within 10%.

Clay Harrell(Pinball Ninja)= 0 Credibility? Huh? Ok, whatever you say

That's a YouTube link. It isn't right to disseminate the link to the free video that he put up, on a free access website?

Watching the video, a couple thoughts.

The #555 LED GI issue can be remedied. A few ways - hot glue, make the things that grip the LED tighter, bend the wire leads on the LED out.

Hulk's hands - anyway to mount them a little higher to end ball hang ups ? Might be more than loosen and turn, but it would be worth the effort.

Any new pin out of the box may need some tweaking. I'd put both of these issues under that.

LTG : )

That price is high as compared to what early buyers paid. The blue LE can probably still be had for less than $7000 shipped.

People act as if these new games will not be working or holding up in ten years. They said the same thing about the B/W games and they still seem be plentiful.

Regarding maintenance, the LEDs will certainly hold up longer than incandescent by a good amount on average. That is a big savings on maintenance by itself.

Clay has credibility running out the ears on almost everything and anything pinball. But I do see a pattern in his opinions and evaluations of Stern machines. I don't think it is any secret, really. He spelled it out pretty succinctly in the Jack seminar video, where he was grilling Jack on how he could stay in business on his current model.

It's a private page given out to the paying members of a website with the assumption they will not give the link out. I'm not crying in my beer or anything but it's kind of not cool.

$7500.

Does anyone else find this absolutely and utterly ridiculous? Time for a boycott.

Prices like that run people like me away from the hobby. I'm not wealthy, but I'm also not poor - looks like there's a trending upward spiral to this "new pinball era".

Yes. Cuz that's not what anyone is paying

Don't be silly. $7500 is the MSRP. You easily be able to find one a couple hundred dollars cheaper.

Ahhh, there, is that better?

But seriously I don't get too much into it. See you've only got 1 game, you've never bought a Stern, you don't matter. I've never bought a NIB so I don;t matter. The people defending the price, and calling other people babies and old for bitching aboot the price, they are the ones that spend that much cash on a NIB. Do they seem upset? Nope. That's why i stay out of it...not my world.

Well, thankfully there are literally hundreds of other pinball options. At all manner of price points.

That's the problem. No one will boycott them. I would love to have a NIB game, but I can't justify the cost and can't justify the "OMG Hurry buy them now before they are all sold out!!" mentality that has started to pervade this hobby/business. It just reeks of a cash-grab of a company that just a few years ago was on its' last legs. Don't get me wrong, anybody that has the coin, loves pinball and wants to do this is fine with me, I just can't see this business model lasting forever and I am sure Stern doesn't either..

I like and appreciate the review. Great info.

The layout on this game is very different. Good job Gomez.

Those 555's in the GI are crazy.

Not sure why he was complaining about dimples on the playfield. Umm..every new game gets those and they even out over time.

I agree, one should support the Ninja site. Opinions seem to be split here. Someone quoted part of his text. Since the link is already up, here's the rest of what he wrote. I haven't played the game, but seems like he's being pretty honest about the build quality.......

"When new Stern pinball machines show up, we try and review them here at PinballNinja.com. But to be frank, this is getting tiresome. I can’t hide my feelings… i WANT to like this game, but just can’t. I really feel “screwed” by Stern. They have taken what would be their “normal Pro” model of 4 years ago at $4200, nearly doubled the price to $7500, and decreased the quality, and then market it as a “Limited Edition” (aka LE.) What a bunch of crap. Long story short, I could not operate this game. After 200 plays, it was already starting to fall apart. The Pinball Hall of Fame (Las Vegas) now refuses to buy new Stern pinballs for this exact reason. What does this tell you? Well that Stern has sacrificed quality to the point where the game isn’t functional as a professional device. The software is incomplete. The price is $7500. REALLY? But you know what the worse part is… people buy this game! If this keeps happening, Stern will continue to put out inferior games. Why wouldn’t they?? Pinheads have bought into the plan, drink the bad Stern Koolaide, and are willing to pay insane money for frankly junk. So why wouldn’t Stern continue down this road?? *sigh* Anyway, check out the video, it explains my concerns. I hardly have the energy to write down all the problems, it’s just so embarrassing. Note I don’t mention the software in this video review. Why? Because it’s no where near done! (We have all become Stern’s software beta testers.)"

Wow, have PHOF really stopped buying new Stern pins?

Clay and Tim are friends, so yes I'd believe that.

LTG : )

I can see both sides of it. Yes, these games are insanely expensive. They were still expensive when they were "cheap" lol. It's unlikely that Stern will ever be able to make a game in the quantity they used to - so, less demand, higher price to cover costs of new designs, parts, etc. Although - AC/DC has proven that Hot Theme + Great Design + Excellent code = $$$$$. No one NEEEEDS a new pin. I have just as much fun with my ~$1000 games as I do with my new Sterns. If I couldn't afford the new games, I'd still be a happy pinball camper. That doesn't mean I *LIKE* the high prices of new games....but sometimes I want a new game with a current theme, and ya only live once. What's the worst that can happen? I play it, enjoy it, sell it. Maybe lose a few bucks, maybe make a few bucks...nothing life changing either way.

For someone who is ready to drop some serious cash on a second one (I just got into the hobby) and is thinking about a NIB or HUO Stern...it does matter.

How long will the materials last?
In 5 years is a NIB stern going to look/hold-up better than a recently shopped Williams?
If they put plastic on *this* piece - where else did they put plastic?!

All questions to ask.

I do NOT subscribe to the fact that Stern machines are not as FUN as Williams or the rest - because they most certainly are...but when longevity and ability to resale come into play, I'm likely to go somewhere else.

Personally, I look at these machines, all Pinball machines really as PIECES OF ART. I like to think about the thought process, the creative decisions, the software details, the layout, the chosen theme or sounds, and most importantly the overall quality of the machine. It's the combination of these things that make a Pinball machine great and give it's owner a sense of pride in their purchase.

So when comparing brands as far as the above aspects are concerned, and not just about how FUN a machine is - that's where I feel Stern falls short.

To those who say, "Oh but Indiana, you're so new! You don't know anything!" Yes, that may be true, but I have played over a hundred machines now and I've been bitten by the bug. There ain't no stopping now.

I agree with your points. Like I said, it's not my world. It's a ton of cash. Are theose games worth 7-7.5K? Not to me, if they are to other people that's fine. I don't have any children to soak up all my monies, but people seem to think it's worth it.
Of course I'm not forced to listen to people bitch aboot their kids all the time

I have just as much fun if not more with my $60 xbox games, yet I still buy pinball machines...

That review is hilarious.

and FYI,

If I get really wealthy or win the lotto - I'm going to start a pinball manufacturing company. No question.

I think a lot of his complaints are valid. I've played the game and found it interesting, but there were some oversights that should have been more carefully considered.

As for the price of new Sterns, I think they've gone into the "too expensive" realm, for sure. The LE/Pro/Premium model has allowed them to get away with charging more for the most feature packed version, but very few of the additional features would have been things that wouldn't have been standard in a normal pinball machine in recent history, such as drop targets.

The price increase over the past few releases is just too much. I can understand standard inflation, but they're going up like 15% a year or so, which is just a grab for better profit margins to appease the newer investors.

I love some of these newer Sterns. I think they're making good games and they're trying, but the prices are definitely out of whack.