Only silkscreened PF's got grades. Fire is one of the last left. Take what you can get. They show bronze only now.

Yeah, I don't really understand PPS's approach for charging extra just to figure out the actual product that you would be getting. For that reason, I've typically bought repro playfields elsewhere.

If it's in great shape, then I would see no reason to get a repro playfield. Only if it was worn and blown out would I consider it, since they're such an expensive game component.

Bronze playfields typically have moderate to significant defects of some sort. Sometimes the artwork is messed up in some way. Poor alignment, wrong colors, incorrect layering order of the screens, wrong inserts, or any number of other issues. Usually CPR indicates what the problem is. Then you have to decide if you can live with it, fix it, or if it's just plain better than nothing.

Also Larry @Starship has them, bronze. but he'll give you an honest appraisal to what he has.

https://www.starship-fantasy.com/playfields/Fire-bronze

Playfield in great shape, mylar is intact, no wear spots. So what's the justification for replacing with a CPR?

Polish the mylar to a glossy shine with a buffing kit, play the game, and save yourself $800.

From my past experience it didn't matter which grade I bought because they always had defects to some extent. I learned to buy the cheapest one I could since paying for a "better" grade didn't seem to make a difference and I'd just end up sending it to Kruzman to get fixed and cleared anyways.

John

If you do decide to go with Planetary, absolutely pay the extra or who knows what they will send you and not having to hassle for an exchange or return is worth the $$.

How much is "playfield assurance"? I'd play it. I have severly lifting mylar on my BK2K but it seems to have no effect on game play. Of course ymmv.

Full stop. No need to do anything. Just keep it clean and it will look this good decades from now.

Your only two options are replacing with a CPR or removing the mylar and clearing? Why so adamantly against leaving the mylar where it is? It has protected the original playfield for 35 years, which you yourself said is in great shape. SMH.

$50

This.

It's not usually necessary to remove the mylar unless it's horribly damaged/melted/torn/separating in some way. Clean up the playfield, wipe it down and wax it periodically, and have fun with it.

You don't have to restore an older game to a minty fresh out of the box state. I haven't gone that far on any of my games.

A hardtop is an alternative to a playfield swap.
http://www.outsideedgeproducts.com/store/p75/Pinball_Playfield_Hardtop.html

Maybe a stupid question but is there an easy way to tell if I have a silk screened playfield or not? I remember buying a HS gold but it arrived unmarked. It’s possible they forgot to mark it? I’ve had it for years so I’m pretty sure it’s a screened version but would like to verify. Regardless it’s flawless as far as I can tell.

The likelihood that you will need a replacement playfield in standby is pretty low. It's not really a part that will suddenly break, like a plastic or toy.

I don't buy spare playfields for my games as a backups just in case something happens. That's basically like buying insurance that you won't ever use.

Replacement playfields are really only used in restoration projects (or bought in anticipation of a restoration project).

I really don't think this is something that you need to buy for your game.

Maybe try looking at some of the ink with a magnifying glass. If you can see cmyk dots, it's digital. If not, it's probably screened.

I just picked up a Fire! Too!. While the playfield on mine looks super nice (only slight wear in horseshoe area) one of my building ramps cracked off so I’m currently working with other Pinsiders to create a new ramp attachment. If your ramps are currently unprotected, toyotaboy sells brackets for these unreplaceable parts. Here’s mine. She’s dirty and needed board work but I’ve got that behind me. I’m going through all the coils and wiring now to make sure nothing is incorrect to have caused to damage to the solenoid circuits. After that I’ll tear down the top, give it a nice clean, replace the bulbs to led, replace rubber, slap it back together and hopefully have a nice player!

5685EE67-72E0-4AE6-8AF6-136F13DC2EA1 (resized).jpeg

2 silkscreen ones left in stock with a color variation.

https://classicplayfields.com/shop/pinball-playfields/fire/

Digital started in mid 2019.

I have a CPR gold, if you're interested.