Quoted from jawjaw:90's B/W were not built to last 30 years but here they are. Old timers will tell you stories of issues straight out of the box and hacks done just to keep them running. There are still plenty of games older than that from all decades still going strong. All previous Stern games are still running fine. Most if not all the issues people are complaining about are cosmetic. Maybe in 30 years Stern will be long gone and parts will be tough to find or boards difficult to repair. However, that could be true for any pinball machine made today. If anything I would be more worried about more complex games like JJP.
Great question. I believe that cheaper materials and cost cutting will lead to a shorter lifespan, only time will tell.
This thread started because among other things playfields are made of inferior plywood today when compared to what was used in the past.
A comparison of the wood and hardware used in a modern Stern to a Stern made in 2003 (TSPP/LOTR) would be interesting, n'est-ce pas ?
Looking through the manuals The Simpsons Pinball Party is listed as ~260lbs. Stranger Things (Premium) is listed as ~210.
Why? Number of Coils(21 v 16)? Cabinet materials?
I think I can hear more flipper noise on a modern Stern compared to Stern machines from the past. Anybody else feel the same way?
Why? Thinner/cheaper materials?
I agree that the loudest hue and cry is over cosmetic issues and rightly so, defects need to be identified and corrected.
I predict that once they solve the cosmetic issues, if they solve the cosmetic issues, quality of construction will be the main complaint.
Back to my original point we won't know for the next 10 years or more whether reducing the quality of the materials will impact overall durability and longevity.
Hit me up in 2030 and we can revisit this over a beer when there is some data to support or refute my hypothesis.