I have a Maiden Pro built in early April 2018 which has some pooling around posts, so it was happening before Summer.

my game had a small piece of clear chip up, but luckily the artwork didn't come up with it. The issue hasn't gotten any worse in the past year and Stern sent me an unpopulated playfield that I could swap in at a later date if it does get worse. I'm happy with the resolution and the service provided by Stern. It hasn't altered the enjoyment of my game one bit and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Stern in the future.

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I hope not. It's essentially a laminate layer and could bring on issues of its own later down the line. I like the look and feel of real wood and I feel that long term it is probably easier to repair and maintain. If a hardtop chips or cracks is there a good way to repair it?

A hardtop is different than a playfield protector. A hardtop is actually glued to the wood whereas a protector floats. I don't like either option over wood but at least the protector isn't permanent.

After seeing a R&M playfield up close in person I honestly don't think you need any of that stuff. Nicest quality playfield I've ever seen from a factory. It's jaw dropping. You don't need to go with a Haggis/Deeproot type playfield if you are putting out that kind of quality. It's amazing! Just wait for the reports once people start getting their games.

TSPP and LOTR were plagued with playfield registration issues, pixelated artwork and buzzy flippers. I think the peak for Stern was during the SAM years until they made the move to the new factory and then switched to the newer clear coat. My 2012 ACDC Premium is about as flawless as it gets all around.

That sucks man! I just checked mine since it was from the same batch as yours and mine is flat. My playfield has a 5/14 date on it.

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Very slight on some of them because the clear is thin. I've had WPC and SAM Stern games that were this way as well and it never became an issue.

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.

Simpsons Pinball Party had an ink blotch in the middle of most of the playfields. Having high resolution super clear printing is a fairly recent development at Stern. Even my ACDC is pixelated as hell.

I'd be curious to see how many people in this thread that were swearing off Stern games because of playfield issues are now "all in" on Avengers IQ? Buy, Buy, Buy!!!

I wonder if that game has a playfield from Summer 2019? I'd be interested to see the manufacture date of both the game and the playfield on this one. Seems reminiscent of the problems that occurred last year that have since been mostly remedied.