Quoted from vicjw66:

Newer wood is softer and will simple more easily than older wood. Probably freshly cut.

Quoted from DCFAN:

I don't know. You can see the similar dimples in the magnet core as well.

Quoted from Frax:

Well...
Location in Dallas, TX has a Premium on location. Played 5 games. ~900 million was my best score.
Oh yeah...and 20 cents a play. LAWLZ.

Quoted from rotordave:

How does a layer of paint dent wood?

Quoted from volcanodiver:

jesus christ how thick do you think clear is that it can dimple and not make the wood under it also dimple??

Quoted from Who-Dey:

I understand believe me lol, I just pictured that in my head and thought it was funny. I wish the dimples wasn't in my games believe me, but as long as I don't see them when I'm standing there looking at it or playing I can live with it. I guess the reason it was so funny to me is because I'm sorta like that. I obsess on almost everything, you don't even want to go grocery shopping with me believe me lol.

Quoted from Frax:

You think there's a INCH of clear....?!?
You can't possibly be serious. I hope you were trying to be sarcastic and just failed in an epic manner. The glass on your car windshield isn't even an inch thick.

Quoted from DaveH:

This is nothing like Atari. Sure, both companies make something. However Stern doesn't buy things like older companies did. In your Atari ET example, they made 4 million cartridges of crap. That was a really big investment. But Stern doesn't overstock like older companies, they almost do a build on demand system. Inventory on hand is only what is needed to meet that demand. Their biggest cost is assembly. So an extra 1000 flipper bases will just get used up on a different game. They won't ever have to do "closeout" sales like they did back with Ripley's, because they just won't build them now.
And here is the MASSIVE difference... Stern can fix it really quickly. If they actually started to get close to going over the cliff, all they would have to do is turn out 500 copies of LOTR using the same manufacturers for parts that they used when the game first came out. The one company that could do that is Stern. They would sell like hotcakes, and instantly cure any ills. They probably have 5 games they could do that with and get themselves right back in the game.
Oh, and on topic, I finally played a Batman 66 SLE (yup, the Super). And I enjoyed it.

Quoted from jwilson:

As one of those guests, I echo Frolic's take on the game. There were a few physical issues that concerned me on his LE, namely that shots would make it half way up the left lane and then brick somehow, like there's something blocking the lane. Maybe a zip-tie. So, some tweaking there is needed. But that's an individual build issue I think, not a design flaw.
However, in the design flaw arena, the left and right sides of the turntable have some annoying dead spots and allow for ball hangups. At one point we had to remove the glass to get a ball off the top of the batmobile. I think if the game had spent some time out on test, like JJP is doing with Dialed In, they might have found some of these issues and fixed them.
That said, it's fairly minor and like Frolic said, the art is amazing and the sound package is great. The graphics are a bit better than I expected, still a little rough but I assume the polish will come.
Is it worth the price? I'd say no, but this is the new pricing reality so it's not really a choice. I think for the money I'd rather have a GB Premium. I'm happy to re-evaluate when the software is done, though.

Quoted from j_m_:

I hope that this is the wake-up call that they need to fix the QA/QC problems once and for. when we took the tour this past year a member of our party asked if the games were spot checked or each and every game was inspected. we were told that every game was checked at various points through the assembly process. I can't honestly believe that this case, especially given all of the issues that people continue to have "out of the box"
if you're not the only one to have issues like these, it's going to be an expensive re-call process for stern (it's not like an automobile, where you can simply drive it to a local dealer and have them check it out
I've said it before and I'll say it again. if they don't get someone in there to monitor and correct this level of jackassery, "we collectors", who now dominate the percentage of end-users of who the machines are being sold to are going [at some point] say enough is enough (which means not blindly pre-ordering games) and stern's sales are going to suffer, possibly to the point from which there is no recovery

Quoted from kpg:

Iceman, we know dude - you are totally fine with everything- Gary has already put your Size small Stern Army shirt in the mail

Quoted from DaveH:

I was leaving the cost of the game out of the equation. Everybody here already knows I think the price is insane. I've spent 8k on a brand new game, and I remember the overall feeling that it was too much for me to have tied up in one game. And this one was 15k... I was only saying what I thought of the game when I was standing at the flippers actually playing it. And when I do that, I base it on how I feel playing. It doesn't go deep on rules, it ignores cost, it's just how I feel. I'm sure part of it was the fact that I knew I was playing a rare game, but I've played very rare games and didn't enjoy them. For this one though, I enjoyed it. If there was a Pro, and it was priced like a Pro, and if Stern wasn't having big QC issues, I probably would have bought one. It hits my nostalgia buttons. Great theme for someone like me. But unfortunately I can't always play pinball in a vacuum.

Quoted from pipes:

Anybody own the game and not like it?

Quoted from cooked71:

Not looking for sympathy. Of course I know this hobby, at whatever level, is a complete luxury and anyone who can afford to buy their own pinball machine is by definition wealthy (on a global scale). The fact I can afford to buy NIB Sterns probably means I shouldn't complain at all.
Just disappointed in Stern. B66 is a dream theme . The art is perfect. The whole LE collectible thing is great. The whole package on paper is perfect. But to a certain extent they tripped at the line.
You're 100% right - they are controlled by investors, but I guess I'm seeing first hand how this is overriding their passion for pinball (or at least the people who work for them that have a passion for pinball). They're targeting collectors, and their market research has told them what collectors want, but in reality it is not getting past the idea stage. It's not translating into a real collectable product. They give lip service to the product being high end and collectible with X & Y features, but by the time it gets to the production line, they cut back.
I said when this game was being hyped originally that Stern set a really high bar with B66, and it remains to be seen whether they could jump that high. They got close, but not quite.
And in most cases it's for ridiculous things that are inexpensive, yet make all the difference to a collector. Like the Bat Symbol sticker instead of laser cut alloy (what, $1 part?) or the crap Hotwheels car instead of a high quality one ($5 upgrade?), Perspex instead of wireform over the left ramp ($10 upgrade?), lack of another support on the left wireform ($10 upgrade?). It's these authentic details that make the difference. AUTHENTICITY! Cut back costs by all means by making the production line more efficient, moving the power supply to a location that overall makes more sense, improving the electronics to be smaller and more powerful. But why skimp on the small authentic details that mean something to a collector?
You say I have lots of options? My original post said I want a great theme, that plays fast and NIB? So my options are....?
I can still express my disappointment in Stern and continue to buy their product. I want to continue buying Stern but I also want them to lift their game.
At the moment they know there is no option. To a certain extent they are cashing in their huge goodwill. Obviously you can only do that for so long until the goodwill dries up or there are other viable options.
I think Im going to sit down and write a Dear Gary letter. Might enlist KPG's help.

Quoted from ultimategameroom:

Wow! That's pretty shocking. If I lived nearby It would probably be in my basement several days ago.
I understand the code needs lots of work ...And there are quite a few new machines coming in the next few years but that seems like an insanely low price!