I’ve ordered a premium and have bought plenty of mods and plastics in preparation but I see a note regarding the stern shaker motor that says it does not work with the premium edition. Does this mean there is no shaker support for the premium at all?

Weird. I found this on Sterns amazon page and on Game Room Guys.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rmEUA30NFZHE5eyrGZzXDzWcoEI3c2Nz/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P3_kXkATnoyyDnMUpZBnOn7-vm9d54mO/view?usp=drivesdk

But in going to places like Pinball Life For the Rev C. I don’t see this note at all.

Edit: What triggers the shaker in the current code?

My HoH Premium should be delivered next week so I have been following this thread closely. I even have some mods, titan rubbers, and pinstadiums ordered in preparation of getting the table. I’m sure some deficiencies will be found with the table but I have faith in this community to help me through any troubles. I know Stern gets a lot of crap for cheaping out on some things but this table is too good to pass on.

I grew up playing tables like Pinbot, BoP, MM, AFM, and SS all the time in the arcade. I got so good at AFM in college that I could get replays on it half the time I played but quickly stopped playing once I had less free time in the real world. I only got into pins again when tables like AC/DC started appearing in bars near me. This led me to put together a virtual pin but I quickly found that you can’t beat the real thing. Once HoH came out and streamers started showcasing the game, I knew I needed to own it. This will be my first real pin so I can’t wait to make my first plunge as an owner.

My wife only agreed on Elvira because she actually loves playing SS on the virtual machine. Hopefully we can both get better at the real thing since I know she will be a little frustrated at how hard a real pin is compared to emulation. Maybe this will be the gateway drug to owning more machines in the future.

Random question for those of you who have upgraded to Flipper Fidelity on your premiums. I see two Spike 2 kits for lcd games with 8” woofers. One says “coax” for around 80 bucks and other says high output woofer for 130. I don’t want to annoy my neighbors too much so I assume I am safe to go with the coax version? It does not list Elvira as a compatible pin but I think that is probably an oversight. I sent them an email and left a voicemail but did not get a reply yet. No idea how Covid has effected their reply speed but figured you folks could answer. Anyone order recently?

https://flipperfidelity.com/stern-lcd-spike-2-speaker-system-with-8-coax/

Got my Elvira on Thursday and already have some issues that are keeping me from playing it. This is my first pin so I get to learn troubleshooting fast. I sent an email to Stern so I will see what they say. I tried calling the 1800kickers number but got a message saying they were still closed due to COVID.

I have the VUK issue where it either trickles out or slams into the targets. In looking straight down the kicker seems perfectly aligned in the center.

My trunk is not closing fully after locking a ball. This means it traps another ball upon ball search and randomly triggers multiball. Sometimes it has kicked out two extra balls from the shooter lane at trunk multiball start. I assume this is because the game thinks something is wrong with the kicker in the trunk.

The ball never goes into the back door. It will hang on the opening for a second or two and will eventually go down the left orbit. I saw something earlier about the hole in the back being an issue but my game was made in June so I should have the new part. I can trigger it manually if I toss a ball in there but it never happens in a real game.

I am also getting constant air balls from the left ramp. Has Stern made a statement about fixing this with a part? I know someone on here sells something but for 8k Stern needs to ship something themselves.

I know I will get these issues fixed with help from Pinside and Stern but it is a real downer when your game has a bunch of issues from the start. I’ll stay positive though because I f’n love pinball.

The gila monster looks great. I think you should paint the lobster black to go with the movie. You should go all out and find a doll hat that matches Torgo’s and hang it off the realty sign.

Get one like this carrying luggage to really match the movie.

https://images.app.goo.gl/koRwLBfgb3jRTcSs9

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/417638565436477777/

Anyone get a hold of Stern service recently? The 1800kickers number just plays a message that says they are still shut down. It tells you to email the parts.service address to get a hold of someone but it has been a week with no reply.

I have a build date of June 10th and my VUK does not work right. How far are you guys moving it and in what direction?

For those of you who have added the bony beast to HoH, how have you attached the head to the ramps? I have done a black wash on my ribs but am waiting to get my VUK/Gonk mod before I add those parts.

VUK issue is well known. Check post 4107 for location of moving your VUK and check out hurryup pinballs YouTube page for how to grind down the VUK plunger for a more consistent shot.

Yes, the game definitely has a limited timer now upon plunge and certain modes where it will give you the back door bonus if you shoot the left orbit.

For me the crypt and the gargoyles are
not the best part of the game. So having the topper centered around those seems a little disappointing. The house and the movie clips are where it’s at. Now if there is a lot of motion and light in that topper that reacts to all modes I could see it still being a plus. I actually feel that we dont get enough of the movie footage so some sort of video topper would be cool too.

As others have said if we get a decent topper with lights and action that integrates well with gameplay, potentially with code for an additional fun mode, I could see spending the money. I still think 600 is high especially when compared to the price of the BK topper which was a great kit.

This is spot on. The ramps in SS are so good. But overall HoH is tops. The code is so good already but I can’t wait to see what Lyman does with 1.0+. My only complaint is that I wish they had recorded more intros to each movie.

Just started having an issue where the ball wont come back out after shooting a cellar shot. I can hear it try to fire it back out multiple times before I get an error message that says “cellar lockup”. Anyone fix this issue already?

For premade black wash I recommend this:

https://www.amazon.com/Vallejo-VJ73201-Black-Wash-17ml/dp/B0027EN5WM

I used this on my bony beast ribs and it worked well. Still waiting on the install until I get my other mods in.

This is the error I am having. This is my first pin so forgive my ignorance. You bent the frame under the playfield where the ball lands before getting kicked out?

My issue is that when I shoot into the cellar during a mode it will fire the Vuk over and over but the ball does not come out. When I lift up the playfield I don’t see the ball in that cradle so I assume it is getting stuck before making it down there. I guess I will have to make it happen again and then take the house off.

I put the speaker lights in my game and don’t have any issue with reflections. It’s such an easy and cheap kit that you can always take it out if it does bother you.

Flipper power on my Elvira just started dropping noticeably. This is my first pin so any help is appreciated. Stops seems solid so should I try to adjust my switches?

Coil stops seem fine but I just changed the one on the right flipper and it is still the same weak flip.

It needs to be an lcd. Flipping up to reveal static art that never changes would be a poor choice.

Yeah, if Jack has a production topper shown on stream they must be about to drop them and the code update for it.

I swear I have heard “shit” in one of the call outs but it seems to happen later in the game when I heard it. Otherwise the announcer just says “crap” all the time for the junk in the trunk collectibles.

Yes, “it came from space” mode does not end until you fight all the enemies and collect their jackpots. The house turret/lights/screen change to show which enemy you are fighting. I believe it adds a ball when you change enemies if you are already down to one ball.

I had been playing 3 ball mode since I got this pin and only hit the final mode twice. I just switched to 5 ball for fun and I’ve already got to the final mode 2 more times in 2 days. Damn, I love this game and can’t wait to see what Lyman adds in the final code.

If you get the skeleton key make sure to play The Giant Gila Monster. It has a great gimmick where you need to get pop hits to collect bottles of nitroglycerin before your shots light up. One of the best modes in the game.

I beat “it came from space” tonight and nothing happened. Once you make the last shot it kills your flippers so all balls drain and then it just resets the haunts without any special animations or callouts. I assume this will be changed in the final code.

Sounds like an opto is misaligned and constantly triggering contributing to your score but something like that should be really obvious by the sounds and callouts. I can tell you upon beating the game earlier on 5 balls I only scored 750,000,000. What’s even crazier is that my GC score is over 1 billion but that was on a 3 ball game where I destroyed on house party.

Looking good! Now we just need someone to make decals for the spider webs and text.

I did mine in a similar fashion although I think I need to turn the bony beast head a little more forward.

55872E4D-7648-4B36-8937-993EE25195A7 (resized).jpegF60C96C7-708E-489F-9DB4-73B1783391B9 (resized).jpeg

Are these toppers actually limited to 200? If so I can see them doubling in price quickly.

I just want to know what modes this adds for 1k. For that much money it better be more than a throw away goat multiball. Since we have not seen any use of Eegah even though he is a main character on the backglass I hope it is something using those assets. Between Richard Kiel’s mumbling and Arch Hall jr’s whining I’m sure Lyman could make a fun mode or two. Where is my “Shave Eegah” mode Stern?

Worst area for dimples I have seen is in the area surrounding the crypt, especially to the left of the gargoyle on the left side of the crypt. I find I get the most air balls when hitting the skull bash toy. I don’t have a protector so I have some dimples but I’ve made my peace with this as it does not change how the game plays.

Docquest, thanks for your hard work. I can’t wait to see this in person.

This is a known issue. The left orbit guide needs to be adjusted slightly. Here is a great video guide:

Please note that there are new and improved fixes for the VUK that came out after this video.

If they do an Elvira powerbladez, I’m in.

Very cool to hear. I’m sure with all of the movie themes in the game this could be an interesting design.

Definitely the right type of pin for you. It is an easy shooter and the humor is great. Only adult stuff I remember from a game I played the other day were a few call outs:

“You’re more fucked up than a left handed football” and “you’re driving me batshit crazy”. And the softer references like “you like it in the back door” etc. The first two are mode specific and don’t even happen every time.

Hey @docquest, would you mind sharing that file? My wife ordered some yoga mats that fit perfectly on my games as covers. She used the art from EATPM to go on my EHOH but your art is perfect.

I have this and I believe it looks so much better than the stock, slim plastic. With that said, the paint job I got on mine was nowhere near as nice as the one pictured. So I went back and applied a good bit of black wash to the entire thing to make it really look like a run down sign instead of the bright purple 3D print I got.

If you can wait a bit Pingraffix has confirmed they are making custom powerbladez for Elvira. Similar to these:

https://www.pingraffix.com/product-page/metallica-pinball-powerbladez-stern-pinball

Joe confirmed it almost 3 months ago but I have no idea how long the production process is.

The gap is normal.

For those of you looking to get artblades don’t forget that Pingraffix is currently designing a set of powerbladez for EHoH. I don’t know how soon they will come out but I am saving my money for those.

I had the same issue and for me it was a loose spring that attached to the arm that raises and lowers the ramp along with a ball stuck in the cellar.

Yeah, JP is brutal to me. The shots are tight which leads me to just miss many of them. I hope Godzilla is a little more forgiving.

Elvira is perfect though. I can always have fun no matter how I tackle the game.

Now we need one for the left side of Godzilla that plays the Showa era trailers.

My best guess list is:

Mothra Va Godzilla
Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster
Invasion of Astro Monster
Ebirah Horror of the Deep
Son of Godzilla
Destroy All Monsters
Godzilla vs Gigan
Godzilla vs Megalon
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
Terror of Mechagodzilla

Doc, put me down for the mod if you make it.

Everything produced from here on will have Insider Connected. All games had a recent $300 price increase even after the previous bump. After 1/1/2022 all games will follow Godzilla pricing meaning MSRP for next years run will be $9000.

I doubt this would happen now that Lyman is gone. It seems like the slow burn of Elvira HoH becoming a must have pin made Stern not prioritize it in any way. I don’t think they would pay anyone more to go back and add code at this point. But I would gladly throw money at Lyman to make it happen.

I’m not sure the plan was to ever code all of the movies. The only reason there are so many movies is because they were on the last run of her show and are in the public domain. Maybe someone can ask Cassandra if she even did video intros/outros at Stern for those other movies.

I’d be interested to know how this works too. Although it could be a little weird since she says the lyrics as the song starts.

Nice….I doubt I would get the kit since I have Doc Q’s sweet lcd apron mod on both sides. Plus I could not rationalize paying 300(my price guess) for achievements on a home game.

Wait, where are are the side rails available?

They finally made a good shooter rod and it’s on the one version I will never own. Sigh.

Yep, I got Santa Claus the other day but you still need the key.

News to me as I have a FF kit in my EHOH.

https://flipperfidelity.com/copy-of-stern-8-speaker-system-le-conversion-for-spike-2-pro-and-premium/

Issues I can think of are you still need a plastic ramp with turnarounds to get to the wire form, and then you would need custom mounts for the flashers that sit off the side of the plastic. Not to mention that a lot of owners have the grass/casket mods from Medisinyl that work based on the plastic.

I do worry a little bit about the ramps breaking after many years. Maybe I should reach out to my distributor and ask for the cost of those ramps/plastics. I can report back if there are any other curious folks.

For those interested, my distributor basically told me that Stern won’t let you buy these replacement parts while it is an actively produced title unless you can prove your part is broken.

Seems like previous licenses were good for three years and I believe they started making these in November 2019. If that is the case here, and I have no idea if true, end of this year would be it.

I thought some folks got there pin as early as October. Now it is confirmed. License might run through the end of the year but I’m just guessing.

Sounds like an out of alignment opto. Go into the test menu to see what is triggering.

The turret also switches to show which enemy you are fighting in the “It came from space” wizard mode.

I can’t remember the exact line but the drill sergeant-esque deadhead says something like “you are nuttier than a fucking left handed football”

What was the original price? These are showing as $140 for me with no discount listed.

You can run a thin piece of cabling through the ribs if you like but on my game they never move enough to need it.

I had the same issue when I first got mine in early 2020. I believe it was the bundle of cables coming off the back of the playfield behind the house was bunched in such a way that it kept the playfield from sliding fully back.

To add to the GF vs Elvira conversation:

Very different games as others have said. From the 12 or so games I put on GF, I think it is JJPs best game to date and shoots well. GF is harder than Elvira and is more complicated as far as rules go. The multi-balls are plenty in GF

I’d be interested in seeing something gargoyle or film reel related to go with the theme.

I love my EHoH as does my wife. I also have GZ premium and she is not as big a fan of that, but I think GZ is top tier. I only have room for one or two more machines max, and I was toying with the idea of landing a BM66 premium. My only concern is the layout of BM66 is so similar, at least in feel, to EHoH. The code and theme set them apart, but I wonder if it might be too samey.

Thoughts?

Thanks for the feedback folks. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for a decently priced BM66.