Ocala, FL
It was just made and has the large metal brace that you posted in the second photo.
(Topic ID: 249870)
Linked Games
AC/DC (Pro Vault Edition)
Stern, 2017-
Batman 66 (LE)
Stern, 2016
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Batman 66 (Premium)
Stern, 2016
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Batman 66 (Super LE)
Stern, 2016
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Black Knight Sword of Rage (LE)
Stern, 2019
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Guardians of the Galaxy (LE)
Stern, 2017
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Guardians of the Galaxy (Premium)
Stern, 2017
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Guardians of the Galaxy (Pro)
Stern, 2017
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Quoted from PanzerFreak:I noticed the quality part in Stern's latest motto has been dropped...
Old motto
"Stern Pinball, Inc., the world’s oldest and largest producer of arcade-quality pinball machines"New motto
"A global lifestyle brand based on the iconic and outrageously fun modern American game of pinball"
Atleast they are being honest then!
Quoted from mbwalker:The cabinet splitting was probably due to not using the metal corner braces,
The cabinets just weren’t properly made, glued. Tons of games didn’t have those WPC brackets and it’s never been an issue.
Quoted from newpinbin:Just got this NIB. Will this be a problem in the future??
[quoted image]
Yes and it's a problem now too.
Quoted from newpinbin:Just got this NIB. Will this be a problem in the future??
[quoted image]
It could be a problem in the future and result in the cabinet separating and or a tear in one of the decals. How long have you had the game? Have you called Stern yet to see what they will do? I heard of some people getting replacement cabinets due to cabinet separation but that was a few years back.
If Stern refuses to do anything you could likely inject wood glue into the area using something like below (may need an actual needle to get in the area) and then use a clutch bar clamp like below to hold it in place while it dries. If multiple front cabinet corners are affected I would attempt the repair all at once versus doing one corner at a time. Also, put something between the clamp and cabinet to held spread out the pressure from the clamp to prevent it from digging into your cabinet / decals. Overall I think that would help mitigate any issues in the future.
https://www.amazon.com/Bessey-GSCC2-536-2-5-Inch-36-Inch-Economy/dp/B000FA0BMW/ref=sr_1_2
Sydney
Quoted from newpinbin:I have had the game for two days. I emailed Stern and have not heard back.
What game? Is it old stock from a distributor or current?
Actually, on that note, are new TMNT Le's still coming with cabinet brackets installed and ply cabinet bottoms?
Quoted from newpinbin:I have had the game for two days. I emailed Stern and have not heard back.
Get ready for a lesson in frustration. You will likely get nowhere, customer service is horrible.
Quoted from newpinbin:Just got this NIB. Will this be a problem in the future??
[quoted image]
If that was my game I would fill the crack with wood glue now.
That will only get bigger, the plys are coming apart.
Just my opinion
Quoted from Colehvac1:Get ready for a lesson in frustration. You will likely get nowhere, customer service is horrible.
download (1) (resized).jpegQuoted from o-din:[quoted image]
I set up in my shop with great lighting, and i got hosed.
Looks like i got sent a playfield that started to get populated on the bottom and was removed do to quality issues and then sent to me to replace the playfield with quality issues. At this point im not giving anymore time or energy to stern. I will also not be giving any more of my money or support for their products, they make very fun games, but you just cant treat your customers so poorly. Someone at Stern needs to change this poor treatment policy.
609CBB8D-60BD-40EA-B1C2-5EC0CC81184C (resized).jpegDC9BC119-5B98-4C65-AB11-2E3CCA3FC853 (resized).jpeg8E33A5BC-6420-4BA6-895F-9A495C50EE62 (resized).jpeg7476B0C6-EC43-4482-9593-DBE45A97FF5A (resized).jpegB24ED1F9-1A98-4CA0-B5EB-4C84DDFA87D5 (resized).jpegDE79941D-EACC-4CEC-85D3-AD67F5B22242 (resized).jpegD9936E69-1B14-4144-913D-263E7BAC3890 (resized).jpeg
Added over 4 years ago: Positive vibrations
Quoted from Colehvac1:I set up in my shop with great lighting, and i got hosed.
Looks like i got sent a playfield that started to get populated on the bottom and was removed do to quality issues and then sent to me to replace the playfield with quality issues. At this point im not giving anymore time or energy to stern. I will also not be giving any more of my money or support for their products, they make very fun games, but you just cant treat your customers so poorly. Someone at Stern needs to change this poor treatment policy.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
You lost the lottery twice. Unbelievable.
Quoted from Colehvac1:I set up in my shop with great lighting, and i got hosed.
Looks like i got sent a playfield that started to get populated on the bottom and was removed do to quality issues and then sent to me to replace the playfield with quality issues. At this point im not giving anymore time or energy to stern. I will also not be giving any more of my money or support for their products, they make very fun games, but you just cant treat your customers so poorly. Someone at Stern needs to change this poor treatment policy.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Wow that is unbelievable!
Quoted from Colehvac1:I set up in my shop with great lighting, and i got hosed.
Looks like i got sent a playfield that started to get populated on the bottom and was removed do to quality issues and then sent to me to replace the playfield with quality issues. At this point im not giving anymore time or energy to stern. I will also not be giving any more of my money or support for their products, they make very fun games, but you just cant treat your customers so poorly. Someone at Stern needs to change this poor treatment policy.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Wow.
Quoted from chuckwurt:Lots of the newer sterns show more wear than that in as little as 100 plays. Hence the increase in popularity of these protectors.
Turning the trough eject power down will help prevent wear as well.
Quoted from Colehvac1:I set up in my shop with great lighting, and i got hosed.
Looks like i got sent a playfield that started to get populated on the bottom and was removed do to quality issues and then sent to me to replace the playfield with quality issues. At this point im not giving anymore time or energy to stern. I will also not be giving any more of my money or support for their products, they make very fun games, but you just cant treat your customers so poorly. Someone at Stern needs to change this poor treatment policy.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
I see the scratches on the bottom, but other than that what's wrong with the pf? I'm too much of a newb to see what's wrong with the topside, it looks fine to me.
Quoted from Antron77:Wow that is unbelievable!
Not really. After reading this entire thread, I find it very believable.
Just glad Stern no longer makes any games I want to play, let alone look at or buy.
Regina, SK
Quoted from DakotaMike:I see the scratches on the bottom, but other than that what's wrong with the pf? I'm too much of a newb to see what's wrong with the topside, it looks fine to me.
There's nothing wrong with the top of the playfield from what I see. The ribbing effect is minor and only really visible under direct light. Many playfields are like that.
Rob
Quoted from Rob_G:There's nothing wrong with the top of the playfield from what I see. The ribbing effect is minor and only really visible under direct light. Many playfields are like that.
Rob
Theres something under the playfield art sticking up. Really doesnt matter at this point, i have no recourse, but to accept this is just the way it is at Stern Pinball Inc..
Im just sharing because this is a playfield issue thread.
That really sucks, but why not at least give Stern a chance to make it right? Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise you and send a proper playfield.
Quoted from Spelunk71:That really sucks, but why not at least give Stern a chance to make it right? Who knows, maybe they’ll surprise you and send a proper playfield.
They replied, they’re not really acknowledging the defects in the pics. Its very hard to email with them, its usually 24-48 hrs between responses, and its always a response about forwarding to one of the depts. and waiting for a response, completely on purpose, we live in an age of instant communication no reason to treat customers so crappy. In the past 10 years ive spent about 100k on stern games, ask me in another 10 what i spent. (O) will be the answer.
Quoted from Colehvac1:[quoted image][quoted image]
does this correspond perfectly to a hole under (and than screws were pushed to far/hard) !?
or not, and its in the wood/paint/clear ?
I don't think any playfield Stern sends you is going to be 100% perfect. If it were me and I was going to spend the time to do a playfield swap id send the playfield out to Neo or Kruzman to re clear before putting in the effort. The result will be much nicer than anything Stern is putting out.
Quoted from MikeS:I don't think any playfield Stern sends you is going to be 100% perfect. If it were me and I was going to spend the time to do a playfield swap id send the playfield out to Neo or Kruzman to re clear before putting in the effort. The result will be much nicer than anything Stern is putting out.
I have a local clearcoater, problem is its something under the art, between the art and wood, if it was above the art it would be easy to have him re-clear.
Quoted from Colehvac1:problem is its something under the art, between the art and wood
It almost looks like someone installed too long of screws from the backside and the screw tips almost popped through the top layer. Do any of these spots line up with screw holes on the backside? Just curious.
Quoted from Rum-Z:It almost looks like someone installed too long of screws from the backside and the screw tips almost popped through the top layer. Do any of these spots line up with screw holes on the backside? Just curious.
Good point - may explain why they started installing the lower Playfield then stopped.
Why the f would they send him this pf? Who is making these decisions?
Quoted from Colehvac1:[quoted image][quoted image]
Oh lord! So that’s the tip of a screw being sent too deep pushing up art layer?
If it was installed then the ball will rip through the rest of the art around it and then start scratching up balls.
Does a magnet stick to it?
Can you push it down flat?
If there is no metal then you’d probably be able to get it recleared as you already said (not that you should have to!).
I have a similar spot on my JPLE. Nothing to see pushing through. I put a playfield protector on so no issue, but do think playfield quality is low, as other parts with Stern. But hey they only cost 10k so what can you expect for such a bargain
There is no screws in the playfield , but the dimples were definitely screwed into and then removed, also its all blotchy on the underside of the playfield, not that its a big deal, none of my other stern games have scratches and gouges on the underside, so even though Their email says this is nothing out of the ordinary it sure looks bad vs all my other stern games.
Quoted from Colehvac1:I set up in my shop with great lighting, and i got hosed.
Looks like i got sent a playfield that started to get populated on the bottom and was removed do to quality issues and then sent to me to replace the playfield with quality issues. At this point im not giving anymore time or energy to stern. I will also not be giving any more of my money or support for their products, they make very fun games, but you just cant treat your customers so poorly. Someone at Stern needs to change this poor treatment policy.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Just when you thought you had seen it all. Great move Stern, you just lost a customer that has spent 100K in games from you! 
Oh yeah and me too because you wont replace my two bad playfields. Ive only spent a measly 50K though so Not a big deal there.
Quoted from Who-Dey:Just when you thought you had seen it all. Great move Stern, you just lost a customer that has spent 100K in games from you!
Oh yeah and me too because you wont replace my two bad playfields. Ive only spent a measly 50K though so Not a big deal there.
And yet with almost 6k posts in this thread, people will still buy them and then complain about them after knowing all of Sterns shitty business practices and low grade quality of their machines.
All of the these playfield problems and customer frustrations from them could be solved if Stern spent another $25 per playfield as CPR already does. All time record high prices with yearly price increases and quality is going down. There's no excuse other then greed at this point.
It might benefit the pinball community if all manufacturers would seek out the best quality parts they could find.
Quoted from o-din:It might benefit the pinball community if all manufacturers would seek out the best quality parts they could find.
I love that idea, but how is that possible at only 6K-12K per machine?
Corners must be cut at these bargain basement prices.
Quoted from gjm:And yet with almost 6k posts in this thread, people will still buy them and then complain about them after knowing all of Sterns shitty business practices and low grade quality of their machines.
Do you vote with your fingers and not play any of these Sterns and JJPs? If people do not buy the games people do not play the games and this does not help anyone.
Tmnt LE owners are already having their machines fail. Rear diverter at turtle van. Some are reporting only a handful of plays and it fails. Did they test the game and put a few hundred games on it first? Just to think people spent 9k plus on these. Gotta have it’s.
So now that jjp fixed their issues, why doesn't the thread title get changed to "continued playfield issues with stern?'
Quoted from Multiballmaniac1:Tmnt LE owners are already having their machines fail. Rear diverter at turtle van. Some are reporting only a handful of plays and it fails. Did they test the game and put a few hundred games on it first? Just to think people spent 9k plus on these. Gotta have it’s.
Yeah, but that can be fixed. Playfields being junk is a much much bigger headache.
Quoted from Doctor6:So now that jjp fixed their issues, why doesn't the thread title get changed to "continued playfield issues with stern?'
Honest question - how have they fixed their playfields any more than Stern? The latest Wonka playfields are not pooling and chipping but isn’t the same true for current Sterns? Neither has given even basic cause & corrective action for past issues so how do we know if the “fixes” are robust and how playfields will hold up over time.
Quoted from luckymoey:Honest question - how have they fixed their playfields any more than Stern? The latest Wonka playfields are not pooling and chipping but isn’t the same true for current Sterns? Neither has given even basic cause & corrective action for past issues so how do we know if the “fixes” are robust and how playfields will hold up over time.
They are not longer putting a thick, glossy layer of clear on. The clear is noticeably thinner now.
Quoted from pinballaddicted:Do you vote with your fingers and not play any of these Sterns and JJPs? If people do not buy the games people do not play the games and this does not help anyone.
It’s been well documented that JJP has corrected playfield issues!
Quoted from JodyG:They are not longer putting a thick, glossy layer of clear on. The clear is noticeably thinner now.
I realize that, but JJP and Stern are basically doing the same thing so why only remove JJP from the thread title like Doctor6 is suggesting.
All I can say is that my ACNC playfield is glass smooth and has no dimples after 2000 plays. The wood looks thicker and looks of better quality than the used Deadpool Pro I just bought which came with a NIB playfield included because of pooling and chipping. The surface of the NIB playfield is rough (can feel the screening everywhere under the clear even more than the existing chipped playfield. So thinner CC is a fact. But like I said, the playfield is glass smooth on my Spooky ACNC. Nowhere do I feel any raised screening. And no pooling and chipping either! It's the same with my 2016 Star Trek Pro. Also, no problems with my Hobbit.
I will NOT buy another Spike game used or new unless this changes.
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