Do legs matter?

Manufacturers make a specific game & cabinet to go with specific legs - to put different legs would be against what the designers of the game originally intended.

As far as wobbly legs - I cant say i've ever experienced a game to be wobbly due to lighter and/or different legs that Stern or any other manufacturer uses.

Remember that most of these games are built to stand up in a commercial environment and the abuse that people can throw at them.

I have seen games where the legs were not tightened properly, causing the game to wobble and eventually causing the leg plates on the inside of the cabinet to come loose; exacerbating the problem further.

To ZZ Top they do, but you have to be female and know how to use them apparently.

On the subject of leg metal though, I have noticed no real difference between stern's games and anything else as far as robustness is concerned.

BS.

I've shoved the heck out my Tron and Metallica, never felt any give or wobble in the legs.

From a cosmetic standpoint, I don't understand why Stern legs are 2" longer than WMS and attach so high on the cabinet. Looks a little goofy in the front to me. Those two inches add up to a lot of extra metal expense over the years.

Only time I have experienced crazy wobbles on a game was on a CP way back when Scandia in Fairfield, CA had a huge collection (Albiet poorly maintained.)

Upon inspection, all of the bolts had been replaced with industrial bolts, and I am guessing had nuts installed. So my guess was the plates had been stripped, and the cheapest fix was to send some guy out (who bought too long of bolts) and stuck nuts on the end.

How do I know they were too long? You could pull them all out about 1/4-1/2" before they would stop.

As far as different style legs cause the game to not play properly.....Not in my experience. Ever. With the exception of my HS and GnR, I don't think any of my games have the 'proper' style legs.

All the BS nonsense about low stern quality is absurd. It scared me away from buying a stern for years, now I have a TWD and love it.

Troll was insinuating MMR is using Stern parts.

What difference does it make, you can now buy a brand new MMR in perfect condition for less then 10 grand - I could care less what stern parts are on them.

True , but why let all this misinformation stand uncorrected ?

I dont know what you ladies do, but I like to bend a leg every morning after breakfast, but before my Charles Atlas workout.

Actually I just got done bending some legs.

Nothing beats a great pair of legs

Gottlieb 1976-1990 and some up to 1995 used 27" legs

Legs are important
Playing pinball on you knees is not fun, and it is hard to turn the game on

27" I believe. I had to use some to get my FH to fit in my grandma's basement. You might be able to find a short set used for Punchy, but it might be cheaper to have a metal shop customize some for you.

Yeah I know, didn't mean to make it seem otherwise when I was quoting you quoting it.

muffles the cab speaker too.

Unless it's an optical illusion, the Stern legs are thinner than legs from the early 80s era. Could someone hold an 80s chrome leg next to a Stern leg and see if there is a discernible difference?

Maybe measure them with a caliper? [edit] Put them on a scale?

I remember Monopoly being kind of squishy-legged as well.

Maybe they have improved their legs. I don't remember my Spidey being squishy.

I can tell/notice when bolts are loose and levelers are wallowed out.

PS: I was not trying to put Stern down. It is just an observation I had. I like Stern games, mostly.

I have a 1980/81 Flash Gordon right next to a 2013 Metallica. Play them both all the time. There is zero "squishiness" to the Metallica. My Star Trek is right next to The Shadow. Zero difference. It's just silly.

They're metal legs! They don't wobble. I mean FFS, just think about that. You don't think anyone would have noticed by now? I have EMs, early solid state, Sytem 11, WPC, WPC 95, modern Sterns. No leg differences that you can notice or feel.

I call total bullshit on the entire thing, from first hand, every day experience.

Nay legs don't matter its what is between them that you play with anyways.

I find data east games a little harder to nudge. The leg shape creates a bit of a wider base

I'd agree some what, the modern sterns I've played (mainly avengers, acdc, twd) feel much more wobbly compared to earlier sterns (lotr rbion) and other manufacturers. I'm not saying the legs are weaker or made any differently just that the machine seems easier to nudge and move around on it's legs.

That may be due to the metal cab protectors. There's less contact between the leg and cabinet with them

Well, like I said, they may have improved them since Monopoly. I admit it may all be in my head, but I'd like to see a leg from a monopoly weighed/measured against a 70s - 80s chrome leg.

My observation, too, is based on first hand, every day experience, several years ago. Things may have changed since then. Since you don't have an older Stern, it's a moot point you're making. I granted earlier the legs may have changed.

No offense intended.

I am not trying to harp on a perceived defect on Stern's part. It was just an observation. I didn't make it up. If you are implying I am lying, you are wrong.

I have really noticed no difference in the leg quality across all the manufacturers. If the leg bolts are tight then the feel of the pin is stiffer and less accepting of a "nudge". I will say this, I have noticed at a friends place where he installed the drink holders off one of the legs that there was a slight increase in wobbliness.

drink holder.jpg

And not one photo of a chick with nice legs yet... you guys just aren't the same anymore!

I have my friend's TSPP right now too, same thing.

Sorry man, you played games that had stripped bolts or something. These are metal legs, they're not flexible. It defies reason.

Haha -- what legs do you prefer??

legs.JPG

ah, legs like the one on the left are common....

a nice shiny set of pinball legs, otoh...

edit: the whole "flexing legs" thing is silly... they would flex constantly then...

I wouldnt marry a woman's with no legs but id definitely bang an amputee ,at least once to say i tried it

Wow.

got in trouble with the moderators

Wow

Dislike her music, dislike just about everything about her in all honesty, but will admit she's got THE nicest legs I know of.
taylor-swift-legs-3-932x1464.jpg

Pinball legs (ALL of them) ARE flexible...or perhaps I should say "twistable". When you try to remove rusted levelers with the leg in a vise, torqueing down on that bolt will flex the leg. I only have experience with this on older legs as none of my Sterns were rusted up.

The legs absolutely do flex, without question. Whether or not one does more than the other, or if they actually flex during play, or if the older legs are made of higher quality steel...?

Without trying to slam Stern again; just an observation: If they were trying to cut the BOM and could shave some off by making legs slightly thinner or of lower quality steel, is that something Stern could even remotely consider? Just asking, not trying to start a war.

I will let it go since I can't perform any measurements or tests to prove my experience.

took me a few seconds (ok, more than a few) to look up from the legs to see the face and realize that it was the hated taylor...

Gorgeous.