Ya got me curious so I just went and measured.
1/8 it is.

Thank you, rollitover.

I'm looking for someone who has one that is 3/16".

I am having to prove somebody right. Or wrong. I don't think Stern made one in 3/16". There is some real money on the line, here.

I had a Hot Hand pin and that glass was 1/8". My Meteor back glass is 1/8". Since Ali and Galaxy predate Big Game I would like to know what those glasses measure for thickness.

My Seawitch, Nine Ball, Catacomb, and Dragonfist all measure 1/8".

I just can't see why Stern would be using 1/8" and then bump it up to 3/16" for Big Game but I'm being told that, at least, the earlier Big Games were 3/16". I do not believe this but I cannot but I cannot disprove it.

Anybody else?

Thanks in advance.

I will measure later today and let you know.

Mine's still sitting on the floor from installing the new displays - will measure tonight.

it has a seawitch tagged wiring harness, so it may not be the best of examples for the 'earlier Big Game' - but we'll see.

My Big Game backglass is also 1/8" thick.

Cottonm4 ===1/8"

Rollitover === 1/8"

pinballholder ==1/8"

Classic Playfield Reproductions is now offering Big Game Plastic sets.

https://classicplayfields.com/shop/pinball-plastics/biggame/

Awesome!!

Mine is 1/8” too. Are you sure the 3/16 person didn’t just measure the glass edge cover?

Hopefully I can get a playfield and BG under their new process. Wouldn’t mind a spare set of spinners too.

My Big Game is 1/8"

For posterity on Stern pins...

Trident - 1/8"
Flight 2k - 1/8"

Cottonm4 ===1/8"
Rollitover === 1/8"
pinballholder ==1/8"
chuckwurt ====1/8"
statictrance====1/8"

Trident, Hot Hand, Meteor all precede Big Game with 1/8" back glass. F2K, Catacomb, Dragonfist, Nine Ball follow with 1/8".

Any more?

Every early stern?

All of the back glass lift rails on my old Sterns are rusted badly so I have been busy replacing them with polished stainless steel lift rails that Gatecrasher makes.

The other item I am starting to replace is the white trim strip that goes along the sides of the classic Stern back glasses. I don't know about you but on all of my classic Sterns that white trim strip is just one more piece of plastic turned yellow from years aging and of nicotine exposure.

You cannot buy white trim strips. You can only buy trim strips in black. Some people are happy with the black trim strips. I'm not. I like the white ones but as I said, you cannot buy them.

I have found a solution. Here are 3 pics showing a comparison of the old trim vs. the new.

The old:

IMG_8451 (resized).JPG

The new:

IMG_8452 (resized).JPG

Side by side:

IMG_8453 (resized).JPG

Here are the new white trims on the Star Gazer that I am building.

IMG_8449 (resized).JPG
IMG_8450 (resized).JPG

Some people like the black trim and I get that. But for those who like the white as I do, here is how you procure some white trim.

You go to Lowes or Home Depot and get a length of white plastic channel that is used as a border for shower walls.

This stuff. It is designed to cover the edge of shower wall material which happens to be 1/8" thick. Your back glass is 1/8" so the fit is perfect. The only thing you have to do is make the short leg of the channel a little shorter than it is; You can leave it as you bought it which is longer than what Stern used but if you have access to a table saw you can trim the short leg to the correct size.

Eight feet of this shower wall trim costs about $3.00. It will yield enough sticks to do both sides and the top of your back glass. $6.00 worth will allow you to put new white trim on three of your Stern back glasses.

IMG_8456 (resized).JPG

Now, I need to put this on the other Stern threads.

This is fantastic, appreciate this tip. Stargazer, Nine Ball, and Big Game will get this upgrade!

It has been pointed out that a can of Krylon paint will clean up the strips, as well. For anybody who does not have access to a table saw a can of Krylon will work wonders.

just noticed this thread , i like all of the color combinations of all the big game flippers in everybody's pictures , the star gazer is really beautiful , i love seeing all of these early stern collections

bg (1 of 1) (resized).jpg_MG_1853 (resized).jpg

Your flippers do a good job of matching the apron.

Your play field looks like it is in nice shape, too. Your bingo cards look pretty clean and not all flamed out. You might want to consider using some frisket to protect them as you play. It is cheap protection. And it is temporary.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/frisket-a-magical-film

thanks for the frisk tip i didn't know it was sold in sheets

marco sells these red flippers

Flipper & shaft Bally red 3 inch pre-1987
#A-3994-4

One piece molded red 3 inch flipper & shaft assembly used on all Bally, Chicago Coin, classic Stern, Game Plan, Atari and other brand pinball machines produced in the 1970's and 1980's.

These are exact replacements for games such as:

Bally PLAYBOY
Bally KISS
Bally EIGHT BALL
Bally EIGHT BALL DELUXE
Bally STAR TREK (1979)
and many others

Equivalent to:
Atari 004785-01
Atari A020468-01
Bally C-611-5
Bally AS-2814-24
Bally AS-2214-24
Bally ASE-2214-24
Midway A967-00031-0000
Stern A-192
Stern / Chicago Coin Machine 4B-122W
Stern CCM 468-2512

You can buy it in rolls, also. Keep some hot batteries in your calculator. Prices are all over the place.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_7

This has not happened to me before. You guys know how this pin works. When you get the last light in the last card lit then all of the 27 bingo card lights go out so you can start over and light them again. I'm starting to get pretty good at getting all 27 lights lit up fairly frequently in my 5-ball games.
+++++++++++++++++

I'm playing ball 4 and the only two lights in the bingo cards I need to still light up are the #7 in the "Y" card and the #7 in the "Z" card. You all know how fast this game is so you have an idea when I tell you I did not see how what happened actually happened. I know I hit the #7 drop target and the last two #7 lights lit up but then all 27 lights stayed lit. AKAIK, Big Game is not supposed to have all 27 lights lit up at once on round one.

This pic shows ball 5 being cradled so I can take this pic and then I finish playing ball 5 will all 27 lights lit.

Anybody else ever have this happen with their Big Game?

IMG_8995 (resized).JPG

I had to read over your inquiry a couple of times to understand your point. I was under the impression that once you complete the cards the
"reserve bonus" lights and you can start again. However in the pic you provided the "reserve" is not lit and yet the cards are full? Curious. I don't think I have ever seen that before.
Not sure this indicates a problem or if we are missing something. We need input from others such as chuckwurt.

I have a theory but am out of time as I am at work and I gotta' get going.
Will check back say about 9pm.

You say you had the 7 remaining on both the y and the z cards and then hit the #7 drop. Yet the y and z are not designated. Instead, the x card IS designated and all 27 lights remain lit.
You said everything happened so fast...how does the x card light?
Did the ball cross the center rollover?
Did it engage a sling?
Did the ball beat the circuit?
You said it was fast
What we have here is an honest to goodness old fashioned...GLITCH!

This pic was taken after the fact. At the time it was fast play and I don't know which yellow lights were lit. I assume both y and z were lit, but officer, it all happened so fast

You will also notice that the pink insert in front of the 7-8-9 drop targets is not lit as it should be.

Last thing I remember, Doc, is that I had 25 bingo card lights lit and blinding me and then BOOM, all the lights were lit and did not turn off.

Do you think I found a new glitch in a 38 year old pin? !!

Glitch. No Glitch. Doesn't matter. Big Game is great player !!

The game must be mad at you for using the wrong flippers. Haha. Jk.

Yeah had to be a glitch. How did the bonus countdown? Did it give you full value for all 27 lights?

I got the bonus countdown. Was it for all 27 lights? I did not pay attention to that. That is a fast countdown, as you know.

Yeah I would’ve looked for all the 5k lines. But yeah tough to tell. Weird weird stuff.

I was thinking the exact same thing, hahaha.

Any chance the reserve light is burned out and this was the second time through? (doubtful, but spitballing here...)
Those look like LEDs, There may be some bleed over into a light that isn't actually lit, but has enough power to trigger the LED... not sure how you have them installed (factory PF light boards or upgraded , factory lamp board or upgraded/connector solution/resistored)... If it's original PF boards - Honestly my guess would be there could be one wire connected to the two lights. I've found similar hacks in some of my machines (ie - G O light together in Paragon cause the transistor burned out, so the previous owner just wired them together. Stupid, inaccurate, and caused me three times the fix time, but it happens.

The reserve light is good. The farthest I have ever gotten is 12 lights or so on the 2nd time thru (I'm getting better).

They are LEDs. I have the upgraded 555 light boards installed. But it is all still the factory wiring with nothing new added. MY LDA is an Alltek.

The only issue I have with the lighting is my #8 light in the "X" board will not flash and blink during a bonus countdown. It stays burning solid, however, it flashes properly during attract mode. I don't feel like removing the play field right now to figure it out. Not so soon after I put it back together when restoring it.

I like my Williams flippers. On all my other pins, I installed those custom aluminum bats Pinball Life sold and cancelled. The aluminum bats are now available again and I really like them but at $15.00 each they have turned into a luxury I can't cost justify. Big Game would be $60.00 for 4 flippers.

Officer.... Doc...
Hilarious!
Really appreciate the humor cotton, had me rollin' !

In the middle of a shop job on my big game. I've looked in the big game Gallery but I don't see good pictures of the Flipper wiring. Anyone care to snap a few for me? This game is a basket case and has Flipper switches that aren't even wired to do anything. Much thanks.

The blue/white power wire attaches to the banded side of the diodes.

Right flipper assemblies with the orange trigger wire :

IMG_9107 (resized).JPG

IMG_9110 (resized).JPG
IMG_9111 (resized).JPG

Left flipper assemblies (with green trigger wire wire)

IMG_9112 (resized).JPG

IMG_7386 (resized).JPG
IMG_7389 (resized).JPG

IMG_7395 (resized).JPG

Very nice thank you. Tomorrow when I'm home from work, the tumbler should be done with the flipper plates and I'll get back to the rebuild.

You should really try and find a different game to part out not many of these were made. If you are set on doing it however I would like the spinners and switches.

I already PM'd him for the spinners and transformer But I am like you about parting a Big Game. I hate to see it happen, especially if Mirco would ever decide to remake the play fields. I think people are starting to discover that Big Game is a great playing pin.

You suck then!

These light boards really make a ton of difference. If you have a big game, I can't recommend them enough

20181207_143834 (resized).jpg

I’ll take the playfield. Haha.

If you have the two ball guides by the flippers, I'll buy them from ya?

I think i got the new Big Game world record today... 3 449 740. 3 ball factory setting! Complete the bingo card two time, after first ball , and compete big game two time for 2 extraball

6659CF9A-1D7F-4ABE-9FAC-739E0E6AAABD (resized).jpeg

Whoa!

Without having gone through all 14 pages of text can owners tell me what makes this game so loved? Good layout or greats rules Or? I always hear great things about this game and after playing it at Zapcon a few times it seems really cool. I don't totally understand the rules though because I have only played a few games on it.

Ok! You need to sit down!!#

Unbelievable Red!
Great game!

Great rules , art, sounds, everything. Drops everywhere, ripping spinners. It’s great. Get one if you can.

* It is extremely fast ! You can play it fast or slow.

* It gives you lots of flipper friendly shots. The ball is yours to lose.

* The out lanes are a challenge but they are not greedy. The pops will kill you because they like to shoot the ball straight for the out lanes.

* Rules: Easy to understand. Difficult to achieve.

X, and Y, and Z Bingo cards: The three inlane rollovers, the red rollover in mid-play field, and the sling shots cause the X, Y, Z card lights to rotate.

If the X light is lit and you knock down drop target number 1, X-1 will light up. If X stays lit and you knock down drop 9, then X-9 will light up. Do this for Y, and Z. Do this for all 27 lights for big points. Once you light up light #27, all bingo lights go dark and you start over.

If you are real good you might be able to "help" select which lights ( X, Y, Z ) you want but it is 99% luck.

All of the above is the secondary objective. The prime objective is to keep the ball on this table of short ball times.

I love the speed and liken it to a sword fight.

Don't know about the rest of you but I have always found my Big Game to be a little bit dark on the play field. I noticed on my Sterns with dark play fields that I get lots of back box reflection and glare on the play field glass. I have tried several avenues to obtain an invisible play field glass for this pin that is basically a bastard size play field. I have not had any luck. By dark play fields, I mean Big Game, Nine Ball, and Dragonfist. All 3 of these pins have lots of back glass glare, whereas, Seawitch and Catacomb have lighter colored play fields I do not have problems with glass glare and reflections.

Awhile back I stumbled onto this youtube video. A guy with a Williams Laser Cue, got tired of playing to a dark play field, so he lit it up.

I payed attention to this YT vid and I'm 80% complete with lighting up my Big Game. The picture does not do justice to what I see but I have my play field lit up like day.

I am using the Comet LED matrix lighting system. I have several of these 6-lamp paddles installed. And I also have taken the post lights and have them sitting upside down on top of the posts and under the plastics. This stuff was not my idea. I got it from the video I linked.

IMG_9105 (resized).JPG

The nice thing about being lit up this way is the added lighting overpowers the back box glare on the play field glass. No invisible glass is needed. Since these are all GI lights, you can add these LEDs with only original Stern lamp board.

I have the 6-point paddle at each sling shot, behind the 4-5-6 drop target and the 7-8-9 drop target. I still need to light up the apron and 3-4 other posts. For the post light, I just turned them upside down and placed them under the plastics.

IMG_9123 (resized).JPG

EDIT: The LEDS are warm white.

Big Game owners....feast your eyes. now there is solution for your 6-7-8-9 blues.

As we go from this

IMG_9488 (resized).JPG

to this

IMG_9489 (resized).JPG

to this

IMG_9490 (resized).JPG

to this

IMG_9494 (resized).JPG

and to this

IMG_9508 (resized).JPG

Nice! Did you our Mylar over them after applying the numbers?

I was lucky enough to find used ones and I just colored them in with a paint pen and covered with Mylar. Been great for thousands of plays now.

Had an extra set from a parts game, but sold them a while back.