whats the turn around to get it back so you can reassemble?

I’m hoping not terribly long. I’ll probably let it cure a few months before I reinstall it but I’ll post pics when I get it back.

Figure Keith will have it for a year.

I suppose I may his misinterpreted his texts. Gonna need to confirm this. I do have a second playfield but damn, a lot can happen in a year (or a week these days).

These are a little bit different than the big orbit guides on Seawitch and Quicksilver. They are rigid with very little flex. There is enough flex to get them mounted but they are stiff. When you think about it, they have to be stiff as board, otherwise ball impact would be moving them around.

I saw your pics with the mismatch parts. Looks like you will need to take a grinder to the one side if you want them to match.

I got the right side installed a few minutes ago. The right side not line up as good as the left side. I could make the right side match to get rid of the over hang but for performance the guide is lined up perfectly behind the "nail".

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I like that idea. I can get some black plexiglass at the local plastics shop. That might look good. Thanks.

Cottonm4 invited me on this safari. Wants to see the tiger I bagged recently. Here's my story:

I learned of a family with an old pin about 4 miles away. Last Sunday I drove out to their house (10 minutes) to check it out. Lo and behold, in their garage was this tiger staring me in the face. I could see this tiger had power but it didn't move. The lady told me they purchased it about 20 years ago (or maybe it died 20 years ago, I forget). I offered her to bag it and she said ok. Loaded it up and brought it home.

Now for the pin: Wouldn't boot. Replaced 5 chips on the MPU. Repaired one broken wire to the knocker solenoid. Stripped and cleaned the playfield, and installed new rubbers and lamps. Waiting for a fiber link to the flipper and a spinner assembly (which was totally missing)...BUT I HAVE PLAYED IT ALREADY with 3 flippers! Pretty darn cool. Love the sounds and action. If I keep it I need to sell something. I just don't have any more space. This is sitting in the walkway in my garage! What a dilemma

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Hey there, looks like a pretty nice example.
Thanks for sharing the story too.
Enjoy reading the variety of acquisition stories.
Oh, and do yourself a favor, don't let it go.
Even if you have to sleep under it.

That play field will clean up nice.

Thanks for showing it.

EDIT: You have a nice collection. It will be a hard decision.

that sucker is in nice shape. great find. I would find a way to hang on to that one if I was you.

You guys are both new to Big Game. That piece of plastic up behind the 1-2-3 targets likes to break at the small neck. I recommend that you get a piece of plastic and make protector to take any ball impact and keep that one plastic safe.

Thanks for the heads up. Can you shoot me a pic of what you have?

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Something else: Pinsider Thrillhouse makes play field protectors for several Sterns, including Big Game. I have never used Thrillhouse's protectors so I cannot speak to them directly, however, the one he has on this Big Game looks nice.

Before I restored and cleared my play field, I made a protector on my own to smooth out the inset bumps and keep the play field from wearing more.

Big Game has 5 rollover targets. For best performance, you need to remove the rollovers and reset them to match the height of the protector.

I am in the process of hand cutting a protector for a Hot Hand. They take a lot of time to make. This my 5th self made protector. And this one is my 2nd attempt as I made a bad cut on my first one for HH. I had to trash it and start over. I'll have 20 hours of my time invested.

https://www.beehivepinball.com/product/pinball-playshield-protector

The $80.00 being charged for these is a very fair price. IMO.

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I got one of his protectors for Big Game. Going to try to get it done this weekend. It seems to be very well made and did not come rolled up. That was the first thing I asked when I purchased it. When you say remove the rollovers are you saying the entire rollover insert and reseat?

Let us know what you think of it. My BG's PF has seen better days. Thanks.

Your new protector is probably made of material measuring .020" thick. Every time the ball crosses a rollover it is going to be deflected a little bit due to uneven surfaces. Try your protector with no other changes and see how you like the play action. For me, it was never a question that I wanted 100% level play field surfaces.

Yes, you remove the entire assembly. The red plastic plus the star. Lay down your protector and then add the rollover back and tap it down with a piece of wood so it is leve with the protector. I never reglued my rollovers. I just tapped them down and the fit was tight enough that they just stayed put. And then when I had the play field restored, all that was needed was to just tap out the rollovers and reset them flat with the play field using glue for a permanent bond. And with a newly cleared play field I tossed the protector in the corner where it still sits.

Here are the main things you need to watch for when installing your protector. It has to be free-floating. It cannot touch any play field part. The heat from the play field lights bring on thermal expansion and the protector "swells" in size. If there is any contact between a play field post up in the back and another post down low in the front, your protector will hump up in the middle. Maybe it affects game play; Maybe it doesn't.

Since no two play fields are exactly alike, you will need to put your Hawkeye on places of interference. For instance, if you raise those rollovers, you run the risk they will come in contact with the protector and cause humping issues. So, you will need to keep your Dremel tool with some sanding drums handy so you can remove material.
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Best way to install: Protectors are scratch resistant, no scratch proof. When you pull your protector from the package, LEAVE the protective peel layer on. Do not remove the protective film unit you have verified your fit and made any necessary mods.

1) Remove your plastics

2) Remove the rubbers

3) Remove the play field posts from around your sling shots. With these posts out of the way it will make it easier for you to lift your protector for any minor fitment work. and it will be easier to lay back down. Once you are satisfied that you have a good fit everywhere else, then put your sling posts back on and make you have clearance around those posts.

3A) Then turn the pin on for several minutes and check to make sure you haver no interference with any play field parts. It could be a little itty bitty corner of protector material meeting a wire ball guide causing you interference issues. Get a magnifying glass if you need to.

4) Do you wax or not wax your play field before installing? Some say use Naptha and Novis to clean your play field and use no wax. I used wax for extra play field protection but what happens is that wax residue will start making an ugly looking showing under your protector. Let your conscience be your guide.

5) One you are happy with the fit, remove the lower side protective film and put the protector down.

5) And then remove the topside protective film.

6) I don't care how many times you clean your play field, once you lay the protector down and start playing you will see dirt that you thought you got but did not.

7) Once installed, leave your plastics off for several games and keep your eye out for hidden dirt that appears to plague you. You may need to remove the protector for one last cleaning.

DIRT: A human hair will distort the optics of the protector but not affect game play. A small sliver of wood or a hangnail will affect ball action.

Something else to spend your money on, Jethro.

The 27 lights for all 3 bingo cards are a PIA. Pinballreplacementparts.com gets you into the 21 Century.

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https://pinballreplacementparts.com/products/stern-big-game-under-playfield-lamp-boards-set-of-3

You don't need to remove the rubbers to install the protector. It only covers where the ball travels. The ball traveling over the protector will sound much different. Any lint, dust, or stray un-wiped wax residue will stand out very noticeably with the protector. I just wipe the protector with a soft cloth periodically. It's worth the price.

Done! That was one of my first projects today. Also received the spinner assembly I was missing and installed it. Fixed a few more minor issues I discovered.

As far as playfield protectors, I am not a fan of them. Every pin (I think 3) I bought that had one I removed. They were unsightly. Lost their luster and found them difficult to shine back up. Besides, they inevitably got bubbles under them, especially around inserts. Also, the dirt lines at the edges were unsightly. I have found that a good cleaning with alcohol and Magic Eraser, then Novus 2 brings out a beautiful shine, then protect with a couple applications of carnauba wax.

This is a good idea. Makes changing bulbs easier. But in my case, I'll probably just hard wire in LED lights (the ones I make myself for about 5 cents each). Once wired in they should last many, many years without the need for replacement.

You're not confusing floating playfield protectors with adhesive based mylar are you? They are different products.

My bad. Indeed I am talking about adhesive backed mylar. I have no experience with floating playfield protectors!

I'm not a fan of the acrylic overlays. gets dirt trapped between it and playfield and eventually it starts to just look horrible. we had one on a hobbit le and after a year or so on location it looked super hazy, had like coil dust trapped everywhere. the ball also is more floaty feeling on it as it tends to slide then roll but in the long run it does save the art etc so it's a toss up imo

What do we think? perfect play green flipper rubber (bottom) or Superband green flipper rubber (top) or plain black?

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Green looks good
I have Orange on mine

Tournament players often say Superbands change the gameplay too much or play too different from how they expect a game to play. A lot of people go with Titan, but I think Perfect Play is more similar to those so go with that.

I think the perfect play look a bit better.
They are a brighter shade of green.
You might consider the green and orange
combo that some of us have used.

I use Perfect Play white on top and green on bottoms on mine. Plays great. I don't use Superbands for flippers they are too different from normal rubber for my liking.

I’ve moved to all black over the years. Have done green, black/orange, blue/white (UK wildcat fan), Red/Black (Cincinnati Reds)

Titan every time. I’ll do regular red rubber on certain games for tournament reasons but if not, I like silicone rubbers so Titan or PBL

thanks all for the feedback!

Something else i found strange after rebuilding all 4 flippers on BG. Anyone else thought it was strange that the double stack switch are on the upper flipper assembly instead of the lower ones?

It seems to be reversed from the standard and make the top ones action slightly first, especially if you tap pass

I know it's not a popular option for most people, but I make both flippers on all my double flipper games go at the same time. Most say I'm risking popping the solenoid fuse but it hasn't happened yet and I'm avoiding the lag present otherwise.

The acid test for any type of machine mechanical rebuild is have children 5-9 over after you rebuild stuff so they can flap the flippers as fast as they can while the ball is no where near it. Best test ever. You get lots of 4 player games started that are abandoned on ball 2

so you bypass the second stack SW for the transistor ground path and cable it directly to the other assembly instead?

Depends on what I'm doing with the game (full rebuild/pf swap) - usually I just adjust the moving blade to always be closed. The correct orientation would have been to have them adjusted REALLY closely, which most people don't do. The original intention I believe was to prevent the sagging voltage and stress on the solenoid bridge - and with most people having upgraded those beyond the 8amp original, I think it's ok.

I think it's done the way it is so that game downtime in the field is reduced by erring on the side of less load is better. Too bad they didn't apply that to lamp connections!

I finally got my BG all finished up. I went with a beehive playfield protector for now and if I find it is a long term keeper I will eventually send off to keith holbrook. Rebuilt the flippers while I had the bats off and that took way longer than installing the protector. I also removed the 2 bally bats and installed stern bats and that took away the ball hop. Back to the protector, beehive has a very nice quality product. Fit perfect with NO modifications needed. I removed the bats and pop bumper caps and layed it right in place. The playfield protector probably only took about 30 minutes to install and looks very nice and plays way nicer than I thought it would. With everything dialed in I must say BG is shaping up to be one of my favorites. I will probably order a new backglass and leave it alone after that.

Make sure you let BG Resto that you want your Big Game back glass to be printed on 1/8” glass, unless you do want it printed on 3/16”.

After putting these strange looking inlane guides on I have some new play action happening on my Big Game.

For first time on this pin, I am getting balls that run up the inlanes in reverse and come out on the top. There is no reason that this could not have happened in the last 4 years but it only started happening after I put these guides on.

Coincidence? Possibly.

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I never could get my new brackets mount with rivets so I am having them welded on. As soon as I get them back I am going to install mine.

I want these guides bad. Also finally got the right flipper bats in my game too.

if someone will commit to making them I will send mine off this week. I spend some time on mine last night and still am noticing some ball hope on the right side with the correct flipper bats.

Well these attach to the playfield like the under the flipper guides right with tabs? I figured you could move them to any position you want.

yep

You only have to drill one hole in your play field, which is nice.

had my best game tonight. what a amazing pinball machine this is. I might have the chance at a catacomb soon. how does it compare to BG?

It doesn’t.

But catacomb is solid. Just not worth the stupid prices people pay sometimes.

Catacomb is a must have if you like Sterns. It is harder to play; takes a lot of practice. It also took 2-3 hours of play to really like it. Once you cross over to where you can play it you will want to play more.

Cat and Big Game are my two faves.

it is definitely different and an acquired taste but if you have several other machine it is definitely fun

You do have a nice collection of classic Sterns.

Catacomb is good, u should go to GG and play it first though, it's a weird one just walking up to it. I like that I'm not one of the only ones here in nash on the 80s stern bandwagon. I'm still workin on convincing Jason to let me pf swap that quicksilver....one day