Hopefully that different method of securing the posts holds up to the test of time.
I can’t recall...how did Bally/Williams do it?
For some reason I was thinking that was the way it has been done for quite some time.
But changing the artwork to camouflage chipping near posts is not a very good solution.
It's not a solution to the clearcoat deficiency.
What if the chipping extends beyond the newer artwork boundaries?
And what about chipping in other areas such as shooter lanes?
I've seen pictures of that.
I don't quite remember if I've seen pictures of it near lane guides or ramp flaps...anybody?
But my concern it if the chipping occurs at lane guides due to balls being ejected (and from what I've seen extends a good distance away from the impact area) then I would not think it unreasonable that over time there will be various areas that will also eventually chip due to repeated smaller impacts.
Some of the WOZ machines that had this sort of issue chipped around the pop bumpers and infront of the drop target and onto an insert that had artwork extending onto it (pretty much impossible to touch up).
If repeated impacts not near posts can cause chipping (such as shooter lanes), I would suspect that it's possible for air balls that land in the same areas to do the same; chip sooner rather than wear later.
That being said I'm not buying new pins. I don't want to take the gamble and nobody should have to.
I can't think of any complicated products (think of Gary Stern's speeches about how a pinball machine is equivalent to a car in man hours, number of parts, etc..) where a major defect is expected to be fixed by the customer themself (as in playfield swap)...or even a not so major one on simpler consumer devices.
I've had all categories of products where items were to be returned to a local store, or taken to a repair shop, or a tech came out; and all for free. The issues at hand were not the customer's fault.
Was there any disclaimer that you were buying these machines at your own risk? Or that you were expected to do your own playfield swap should they send you a bad one (and mostlikely noticed the item was not up to QA standards, but sent it out anyways?).
The whole thing stinks.
People at the first sign of trouble should return these machines, or file a paypal claim, or reverse their credit card payments.
Filing complaints with the bureau of consumer affairs might not be a bad idea either.
People have had to go through all kinds of hell to get anything out of Stern, and as it sounds JJP too?
Or get stuck in a loop being told to take it up with your distributer who then tells you to take it up with the manufacturer and so on.
I have a friend and his distributor who were told by Stern they were getting a replacement Batman 66 playfield and its probably been a year now (and yes he checks in every so often). I don't think he's ever going to get that playfield.
If you do decide to get a recent title, you might want to do what I did on my last (as in no more NIB or new Sterns), and find a slightly used one that shows no sign of trouble.
I certainly would never buy a pin with signs of trouble, and no...somebody throwing in an extra playfield (which might also prove to be a problem anyways) would not sway me. I not going to go though the hassle of installing a playfield as I can buy a pin that doesn't need it.
Given a choice my best bet is a legacy pin, known good used newer one, or perhaps one of those Planetary / Chicago Gaming remakes or another company that has not had issues.
But if somebody choses differently / makes an informed decision knowing the risks I'm good with that.
Everybody is entitled to do as they wish.
Hopefully things do workout will for those who have been blindsided (I'm still crossing my fingers on my IM Premium. Pooling but no chipping...very low plays however, so if it does happen it will be quite sometime and then I'm just screwed).
It will be interesting to see if the Deeproot pins workout.
I wish good luck for those who are still struggling.
BobC