That is a BIG defect that should have never been put in a game.

It was dr sure there before they even built the game.

I would for sure demand a replacement. Don’t relent until you get it. That is really bad!

Who is your distributor?

If you just opened this game then call them, tell them the game has a majof pf defect and should have never been past qc of the pf before being populated. This is actually indicative of the entire current culture at Stern (sadly).

Demand a new game! Not merely a new pf. As others mentions this would be like getting your brand new car and it arrives with the back quarter panel dented but someone saying it is understandable because you can't see it when driving.

It blows my mind that anyone, including HEP, would say this is acceptable. The PF is the most important part of a pinball and plainly put, if you line up 10 games with various minot issues, EVERYONE will by pass yours and will also offer you less on resale if they do offer to buy.

WHY would anyone ever accept this? Return it to you distributor, demand a replacement game! If they won't do it,then out them here and file a charge back for defective goods.

I will add, that the defect actually tells me to look over the rest of th pf with a closer eye. That top layer split is hinting towards moreto come. Over the years as temp and humidity fluctuates, the wood will move. The top layer with weak fibers is prone to more splitting and likely planking.

Lets be honest here. This was a $20 fuck up at one point (the cost of that blank pf before anything started with it), but it went through cutting, printing, clear coating, prepopulation, population, being put in a game, and play testing... all with likely multiple QC steps alomg the way. stern at multiple steps decided to let this thing continue on down the line as it became a more and more expensive fuck up. They opted to then pass that on to a paying customer at the tune of at least a $500 resale cost to the end user. this is BAD and they need to have people push back.

This does NOT drive up NIB costs. This is something that should cost Stern as they need to rep,ace the game and now reimburse the distributor for shipping a defective product.

Now is the time to act! I assume you paid recently which means you can easily file a charge back. Once that time passes then things get harder. Call your distributor. If they don't fix this immediately then out them here and do not relent. This should be a nearly zero effort replacement and if it is not, then be sure you do the work to impact their future sales.

I let a lot os shit fly on NIB games but this is well above and beyond IMHO and I have likey unboxed more NIB games in the past five years than most people since I put them on route. That is by far the worst defect I have seen out of box. Other things come up after a few hundred plays but that is a bit different.

Good luck and keep us posted.

wait a minute... this is the bare minimum of QC needs. I cant tell if you are trolling or you really think this is acceptable. This defect is so far beyond any acceptable level in pretty much any manufacturing I have ever seen or been part of.

It is in the surface of the finished product and the most important part of the entire game. A ding in the back of the cabinet is minor. A full crack through the top layer of the playfield... is the other side of the spectrum.

I think it is actually indicative of how BAD things are getting at Stern when this made it through every QC level and was deemed ok to them.

And there are plenty out there for people to pick from. Given the issues, your particular game would be on the bottom of this list unless it had a pretty decent discount

Um... the people that spend 5k+ and actually care about the end product.

Sorry but why would you ever trust the company willing to put shit like this out the door and call it good.

You looking to buy? I am guessing the OP would likely be very happy to sell it to you for what he has in it? Then he could get a brand new example without this defect.

I guess be happy it is not this (yet)

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This is NOT normal Stern! This is a major issue!

Sadly it seems to be happening since maiden. See it on maiden, Beatles, and now bk3000. Started around 300 plays I would guess.

Did they replace it?

great to hear!

my question also

i have NEVER heard of that. In the past, they ship you a populated pf and you use the box it came in to ship your defective one back to them.

I wonder if they had issues with people not returning a pf?

if they don't take care of their current customers then they will lose future sales.

With so many options on the table, then need to be consistent good communicators when these severe quality issues arise and take care of people immediately.

Small things are going to happen in pinball, but bubbling and cracking playfields is not acceptable.