I worked in a body shop when I was younger. I mixed/sprayed my share of paints and clearcoats. At the time, adding the right amount of hardener was critical. When I first saw this soft clearcoat phenomenon on a Stern playfield (IMDN, spring, 2018), my first thought was: Gee, lots of material was laid down - perhaps *too* much - but this is so soft that it's pooling at pressure points and whoever is shooting these PF's at Stern needs to add the right amount of hardener!

What irritates me about Stern's and JJP's responses so far is how dismissive they have been. They say a small group of fastidious ("obsessive"?) Pinsiders has been vocal about the issue but none of their distributors is reporting any complaints from any customers. Really? They also imply that the bad playfields are outliers and represent a tiny fraction of the production so far. Again, really? I would wager *all* of the JP2 PRO playfields were bathed in that inferior clearcoat. Heck, it would surprise me if the great majority of *all* playfields made by Stern or for Stern, beginning with IMDN, aren't likewise defective. The real "outliers" in this case are the few playfields that were sprayed sparingly, thus avoiding pooling - although not making them any harder, certainly.

It irks me that Stern dismisses buyers who complain about soft clearcoat as unreasonably demanding. They need to get in front of this - like, *now*! No more arrogant dodging. Own up and spell out your response plan, Stern and JJP!

Report on JP2LE Playfield on Location:

Just thought I would post what I see re: the clearcoat on the one JP2LE on location in my region. I'm lucky enough that it's just a mile away at the wonderful Tilt Pinball Bar.

So, I see...

1. A much thinner layer of clear, but I *don't* see any rough areas from insufficient coverage - the shooter lane, for instance.

2. A ring in the graphics surrounding the bases of various posts.

3. Plenty of typical dimpling, in particular around the truck toy - and this game was *just* installed. I saw it after three days of action, so it may have had 150 plays on it, tops.

If I had to deduce Stern's fix based on what I see, I would say they have *not* changed their playfield vendor, but instead have simply asked them to apply less clear. I can only guess if the clear being applied is truly a new formulation, but it seems plausible that it's same OSHA-compliant water-based clear that first appeared on IMDN playfields eighteen months ago. My sincere hope was that Stern would be pressured into making real/permanent changes to their playfields with respect to hardness/durability, but I see no evidence of that in this example at least. I do see a beautiful JP2LE though. Wow!

Awesome/helpful post! Thanks.