I'm sorry to hear that. As a long time customer of that many new Stern purchases one would think they would be more then happy to take care of you with a fully populated playfield replacement. Very surprising and disappointing to hear that this is how Stern chooses to treat loyal customers.

As much as I would like to buy a Stranger Things LE pin a new GoldenTee for less then half the price with no headaches sounds more tempting.

Here we go ....this happened on game #15
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Wow Thanks for sharing. It seems like Stern hasn't resolved the issue by having the playfield manufacturer correct the artwork / clear process but rather try to hide it by putting no artwork around posts in hope that no chipping occurs.

Do you really think the weight of a game has any bearing on playfield issues

Anyone who thinks dimpling is an issue need to get out of pinball

Shocking that it happened so soon. If the post is secured properly (i.e. no "play"), I wouldn't expect a chip like that. Have you taken the glass off to see if the post has any slack or movement?

I'm over 100 games and I've been checking the posts. So far, they haven't loosened at all.

A girly poster in your game room you in highschool

Ug... unreal.

Or just stop buying games where the playfield is made with crappy wood and cleacoat.

So basically all new games. Or Rick and Morty if you snagged one. Welp, plenty to choose from regardless!

I stopped buying NIB but looked at some routed Stern games today there is no need to buy NIB

I guess there is a difference between dimpling and cratering. I was refering to the latter.

If there's one take-way from this whole chipping pooling artwork thing, it's that dimpling and cratering are seriously no big deal. Still undecided on ghosting inserts

No big deal. I had just never noticed the Riddler or any of the other vilians had serious acne scars and pockmarks until I bought a BM66 and saw them up close.

That’s what happens when Stern uses Kinkos to print out their Playfields.

90s pins never do this

Guys, you need to CALL Stern, not email them. They always answer the phone during business hours. Emails are mostly blown off. The threshold for getting a new populated playfield is very high, needing the approval of all 5 people in the chain to agree it is bad enough before the new populated playfield will be agreed upon. One "no" vote and you're SOL. The process is slow, because these people only get together once a week. Call them, and keep calling them until you have answers.

He never said that...He choose to buy a Hobbit partially because theres no risk of playfield issues.

Check this guys recent post - is that playfield clear acceptable or are my eyes seeing this incorrectly?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jurassic-park-stern-2019-owners-club-welcome-to-jurassic-park/page/65#post-5364534

Yikes. That clear doesn't look good, not to mention the cabinet decal issues. Maybe it's just me but it seems like Stern is much more attentive to quality on their LE games then premium and especially pro games. A $6k - $8k game should warrant the same quality control as a $9k+ LE, SE, etc.

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That's not just any girl, that's Aki from the 2001 Final Fantasy movie. Since she's computer generated, she is perfect, and will always be perfect. Unlike Stern's production line...

Good news though, I was averaging 2 NIB sterns a year, now I'll be averaging 0. Pro's are about 8k (can) to my door, so thats about 16k a year that I'll save!

Get a Super Chexx if you have someone to play with. That's what I did and it is soooooo much fun!! No playfield chipping either guaranteed!

My last 2 purchases was 2 multicades. First was a cocktail table with 60 games, and we liked it so much I picked up a stand up with 12k games.

No issues! And price was awesome also.

The only thing that does suck is my girlfriend is addicted to Frogger now and I have to hear that music a tad much.

I think a call from a lawyer talking class action with them is more likely to get action than any distributor.

Reading through this thread, I am completely floored and disgusted that a manufacturer of any product costing 6-9k thinks it is acceptable to send out product in this condition and just ignore customers. Stern should be ashamed.

Frankly, if what people are saying is true, they deserve to get hit with many lawsuits... and no, a unpopulated playfield is not an acceptable solution. It is basically cop out and avoidance of any real responsibility as far as I’m concerned.

But when Stern releases a new game so many people just buy it anyway and hope for the best.

I like the Stern games I have, but I am taking a long break from any NIB purchases from them.

You need only see the hype about q potential Stranger Things pin coming to see why they persist with this business strategy. If all these complaints don’t actually translate to lost sales they have no incentive to change course.

I sincerely hope that people put their money where their mouth is and restrain themselves whenever these new pins are announced. It’s the only thing that stands to change their attitude, particularly as there is no real competition cranking out pins with the same frequency as them.

The NeverEnding thread.. such a shame, this is the real PROBLEM with the new pins
Playfield issue is the 2019 scourge.. for the crazy prices

I agree. I have played JP2 on location and think it is a great game. I want to buy it myself but there is no way I'm going to roll the dice and throw down 7k + on a Premium knowing how many out there are receiving faulty product and playfields and are being ignored by Stern.

I cant believe anyone would pay that kind of money if they are aware this is an ongoing risk and issue. I learned my lesson buying an early run WOZ thinking because the initial owner replaced the unbuffered boards, the problem would be fixed. I was wrong and it was a year long miserable experience having multiple failures and no solution save being charged almost 1k to buy a 2.0 kit (to be swapped out with my own labor) because of a manufacturer defect that was never addressed to begin with.

I feel bad for those that paid big $$ for NIB and are having to deal with this type of treatment from Stern. It really is unacceptable for a manufacturer in any industry to continue to crank out so many lemons with ongoing known issues and ignore customers or offer subpar solutions.

I’m curious from a technical standpoint, why would the issues seem to be machine specific?
How is the manufacturing of JP different from SW?
You see and read about issues with one but not the other.

I was thinking of buying a Stern Aerosmith because like the Hobbit they were built before the clusterfuck

Just check the cab for separation to make sure it wasn't part of those issues

Post is solid...no movement at all. I thought it was a piece of plastic at first, then realized where it came from

No other issues since that one, and the game has 175 plays now. There's a BK:SoR to the left with 1400 plays on it and zero playfield issues, then a Tron LE to the right with almost 5000 plays and zero playfield issues. This is the first time ever that I've had an issue with a Stern playfield and I have most of the newer games (not Munsters )

Its about the process and materials used at a point in time by a comapny... not so much about the title itself. The titles were just our way of referencing what was made during the time period because playfields are made in batches... and games are made in batches (during which the company may have a common qa standard across).

Makes sense though... their "solution" to the CC problem was to change *nothing* but then only do ONE spray pass on the PF.
And then take the short cut of simply moving the art away from the posts.

They figure there will not be remotely enough clear then to bunch up anywhere...

Probably not a great long term solution.

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Vote with your $.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/continued-playfield-issues-with-jjp-and-stern/page/63#post-5309429

Has anybody explored who is making the Punny Factory playfields?

Yeah. Really awesome of them to include the experience of a full-top-and-bottom-PF rebuild to be completed BY their customer at no extra charge. Who says they don't really give you more with ever-increasing prices???

It still bunches up, just not under the posts. This is my JPLE, and I imagine most are the same way. They didn't actually fix anything in the process, just masked it by moving the art and thinning the clear.

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Hey, you and I both know all home users know how to strip down and rebuild a playfield from scratch, and have all the tools necessary to do it. Oh, and the time.

People are still buying these things... and still complaining.

Many are not...

I really want a Stranger Things and have the money. Yes I haven’t even seen the darn thing yet, but man these QC issues are holding me back from a nib purchase. Damn shame.

Homepin plastic lock down bars will be next.

I felt the same way until I played Keith's awesome JP2. Decided to move forward and fortunately received a solid build (11/22).

After 120 games, only needed to replace 1 coil stop. No PF issues. Raptor pit and right flipper need "dialing in", but the game is really solid otherwise. All things considered, I'm pleased with what I received.

That’s good to hear.