(Topic ID: 161795)

Hey Stern! Are you serious?

By mayuh

7 years ago


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  • 600 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by newpinbin
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There are 6,561 posts in this topic. You are on page 8 of 132.
#351 7 years ago
Quoted from fosaisu:

Tom Waits said it best: "the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away."

......And the unhappy customers watch as the company goes out of business.

#352 7 years ago

This is Absolute BS !!!

Come on Stern say SOMETHING, your silence will speak volumes .

#353 7 years ago

Vid, any interest in running for president?

#354 7 years ago
Quoted from Rum-Z:

I service a metric shit ton of games at the VFW Pinball Museum, and I can tell you that none of them exhibit the same type of almost instant delamination as some of these new Sterns show. Something is up.

I see the stripped B/W playfields all the time, and see LOTS of insert ghosting. Ask any playfield restorer.

If the Diamondplate was sprayed on thicker, we would of course see more ghosting.

If the Diamondplate was actually clear instead of cloudy, we would of course notice much more ghosting.

-

If something **is** actually up at CCC, then in a few months we can all start complaining about the Fun playfields, as they enter the food chain.

#355 7 years ago
Quoted from 27dnast:

Vid, any interest in running for president?

I think you have to be born on USA soil.

Otherwise I'd help you guys out.

#356 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

I see the stripped B/W playfields all the time, and see LOTS of insert ghosting. Ask any playfield restorer.

Yeah, and these are 25 years old give or take, so you don't know when the ghosting started do you? These Stern playfields are brand effing new, so we know when the ghosting started, which was IMMEDIATELY after they made them. You are comparing old worn out beat to shit playfields with brand effing new playfields. Totally apples to oranges.

#357 7 years ago

Who is making these playfields? CCC?

#358 7 years ago
Quoted from Rum-Z:

Yeah, and these are 25 years old give or take, so you don't know when the ghosting started do you?

Normally, you would see some ghosting a few weeks after unboxing back in the day.

But, it was all new back then, so ops did not even have a term for it.

Before Diamondplate, the clear was so soft and thin, that it just started wearing off the inserts in a few months and nobody ever thought twice about it. Especially Bally's Tough-cote.

#359 7 years ago
Quoted from golfingdad1:

This is Absolute BS !!!
Come on Stern say SOMETHING, your silence will speak volumes .

The sad thing is, a lot of this "just is not" BS.

I, personally, am happy with my only NIB in years, Kiss PRO, so I will not join in the Stern bashing.
Yet I have seen, first hand, a lot of these playfield issues with Thrones.
And...the rumored GB backorder log was 1,200, so Stern is clearly "fixing" something before the next run.

For $5,300+ a game...I'm just glad it's not me on the bad end of this.

#360 7 years ago
Quoted from Kiwipinhead:

Who is making these playfields? CCC?

CCC makes the ones with the normal looking shooter lane.

The ones with the odd looking shooter lanes are softer Birch wood and are made in Germany:

bdc0fbf5d3bf29cf994e422166ad9a7200c9f337_(resized).jpgbdc0fbf5d3bf29cf994e422166ad9a7200c9f337_(resized).jpg

#361 7 years ago

Normal and odd?

#362 7 years ago
Quoted from Mr68:

He does make them. At least for Metallica and Walking Dead. You'll need to ask about other titles.
And be sure to buy directly from the man himself. http://www.passionforpinball.com/
Check out the install guide for "Stern 3 Piece Multi-Fit Eject Protectors" at this link: http://passionforpinball.com/twd/TWDProtectorGuide.html

I've used these on all my games and they are great, I simply ment that the best shooter lane I've ever had was on my Avatar LE probably due to the way the shooter lane is designed with the metal tracks that capture the ball before it really hits any part of the shooter lane.

#363 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

CCC makes the ones with the normal looking shooter lane.
The ones with the odd looking shooter lanes are softer Birch wood and are made in Germany:

Thanks Vid. Don't they stamp the playfield edge with who made it. Screen print date, CC date? Like B/W did.

#364 7 years ago

Birch? That wood is way too soft and also the cheapest wood you can buy. Coincidence?

#365 7 years ago
Quoted from 27dnast:

Normal and odd?

Normal, Maple shooter lane:

CCC_shooter_lane_(resized).jpgCCC_shooter_lane_(resized).jpg

-

-

Odd, Birch shooter lane:

mirco_(resized).jpgmirco_(resized).jpg

#366 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Odd, Birch shooter lane:

My METLE came with this style. But also had a perfect clearcoat with no ghosting inserts after several months.

#367 7 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

My METLE came with this style. But also had a perfect clearcoat with no ghosting inserts after several months.

This has to be one of the reasons why they are taking the playfield operation in house. By this time next year I'd like to see if anything has improved.

#368 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

I always suggest you put Mylar down in the shooter lane.
It's the first thing to show wear on any pin.

You have to admit, that wear is extremely excessive for such a new game. My Stern Spiderman which was on route for years before I bought it doesn't have clear coat wear like that.

-1
#369 7 years ago
Quoted from chuckwurt:

This has to be one of the reasons why they are taking the playfield operation in house.

Because the ones from Germany were good?

#370 7 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

Because the ones from Germany were good?

No because the ones that are going out now aren't.

-1
#371 7 years ago
Quoted from chuckwurt:

No because the ones that are going out now aren't.

Sure those aren't the ones being done in house?

#372 7 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

Sure those aren't the ones being done in house?

Yep.

#373 7 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

Sure those aren't the ones being done in house?

This is the question that I'd like to see a definitive answer to. I have never heard it confirmed that Stern is already doing the PFs in house (or that they even will be doing them in house in the future for that matter).

#374 7 years ago

I take it back. Although the inserts and clear never had a problem, there was a large divot forming in the shooter lane after a few hundred plays. Probably a result of the softer birch wood.

#375 7 years ago
Quoted from o-din:

Sure those aren't the ones being done in house?

None in house.

Fun Industries, soon.

In house, maybe latter.

#376 7 years ago

Remember, Stern wants your playfield to wear out.

Pinball historically was designed to be dumped after 3 years of use.

Many people blame the demise of WMS on the Diamondplate coatings making the playfields last too long

Diamondplate was maybe too good. It is said that one of the reasons why demand for pinball decreased in the late 1990ies was that operators did not need to buy new pinball machines as fast as they did before. In the past an operator was almost forced to buy a new pinball machine when it had too much playfield wear (players want games that look like new, not worn out). Diamondplate added several years to the commercial lifespan of pinball machines, taking away a bit of the need for operators to buy new games.

In 1981 Bally even tried playfields with a thin layer of plexi installed over them, but then the games would never wear out. Can't have that.

#377 7 years ago

I think the solution is obvious. Wood is so 20th century.

Capture_(resized).PNGCapture_(resized).PNG

#378 7 years ago

So will it be a crapshoot for current stern titles?
The clear on my walking dead LE was one of the best clearcoats I've ever seen. my metallica monsters is damn good, too. my STLE was chipping off large chunks in the shooter lane after 50 plays.

In factory tours I see them buffing the playfields before they are put on the line. Possible problem there? Bad buffing wheel? Inserts getting warm and separating? Did WMS buff every playfield before hitting the line?

Maybe they need to license spooky's new hardcoat.

#379 7 years ago
Quoted from No_Skill:

I think the solution is obvious. Wood is so 20th century.

Nice pricing

#380 7 years ago

You get what you pay for.

#381 7 years ago
Quoted from dgoett:

So will it be a crapshoot for current stern titles?

It will be a crapshoot for all future titles too.

Wood is so freaking organic.

#382 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

It will be a crapshoot for all future titles too.
Wood is so freaking organic.

Maybe pin makers can offer another level above LE or VE and call it PE. Polycarbonate Edition.

You can get a 1/2" x 24" x 48" sheet for around $100. There would be no need to machine out the inserts. Just print them on. Guarantee no ghosting or insert wear because there are no physical edges. Charge an additional $2000 and call it good.

#383 7 years ago

Great we get to play the play-field lottery with all new stern titles cant wait to see what i get for my 8k GBLE

#384 7 years ago

They made the transition with bowling.. I wonder if pinball will follow.. Back in the day most if not all alleys used wood for lane surfaces. Now it's more common to find a bowling center with synthetic lanes. No more resurfacing, lacquers, etc to help preserve the wood. I'm surprised pinball hasn't done the same.

#385 7 years ago
Quoted from No_Skill:

Maybe pin makers can offer another level above LE or VE and call it PE. Polycarbonate Edition.

I see where you are going with this......

0530db374654b4ce610bf36d13da757790ebc1ad_(resized).jpg0530db374654b4ce610bf36d13da757790ebc1ad_(resized).jpg

-1
#386 7 years ago

Doesn't sound like the playfield or much else is under warranty???????

stern%20warranty_(resized).jpgstern%20warranty_(resized).jpg

#387 7 years ago

Are there not certain laws that protect consumers above and beyond what some companys claim as there warranty?

#388 7 years ago
Quoted from rooky79:

Doesn't sound like the playfield or much else is under warranty???????

Wow...great warranty on these Sterns! To make a cargument, if this was a new car, you'd be SOL after 2500 miles and even then, if you made a claim, you'd have to arrange getting it back to Detroit. Classy!!

#389 7 years ago
Quoted from rooky79:

Doesn't sound like the playfield or much else is under warranty???????

Nope.

Stern knows they can't guarantee how a piece of wood is going to behave over time.

#390 7 years ago
Quoted from Flato:

Are there not certain laws that protect consumers above and beyond what some companys claim as there warranty?

It's a commercial, coin operated, vending product.

#391 7 years ago

Would relief cuts formed around the inserts make any difference? Or would it just open up a new can of issues?

#392 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

None in house.
Fun Industries, soon.
In house, maybe latter.

I asked someone else about this in a different thread. Proof of this? Curious..

#393 7 years ago

This is where we really find out who the Best Distributors are , and who and if we use them again.

#394 7 years ago
Quoted from Manimal:

Would relief cuts formed around the inserts make any difference? Or would it just open up a new can of issues?

I would not do that.

Even if the entire insert ghosts, the clearcoat is so clear that it will not interfere with you playing and enjoying the game at all.

But if you make relief cuts, the whole thing could chip off......

#395 7 years ago
Quoted from Coyote:

I asked someone else about this in a different thread. Proof of this? Curious..

Ask Gary next time you see him at a show.

Stern is privately held, so they generally don't reveal their contractors .

An official announcement would only put Pinsiders on EXTRA-critical-crazywife-alert.

#396 7 years ago
Quoted from vid1900:

Normal, Maple shooter lane:

-
-
Odd, Birch shooter lane:

The "odd" pic is my game. It has zero wear or insert issues after being played quite a lot since I bought it new. So...I dunno, I'm fine with odd.

#397 7 years ago

GB, MET, and SMVE may have their problems. It's all a crap shoot. But I'm pretty sure the Geto Boys LPE will be made with the patented "HARD AZZ F$#k!!!", bulletproof topcoat.

#398 7 years ago
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

Should new owners let the coating cure longer? Take the glass off, and let it air cure a week before playing?
Just curious, or has the playfield been cured and hardened long enough, and these are different issues in application and QC?

Ya know Art that's what I did with my Mustang and GB and I haven't had any of these problems. I've had the glass off GB since I got it 3 weeks ago. Do the same with yours when you get it.

-4
#399 7 years ago

Stern couldn't even spell check their inserts for Ghostbuster's , properly test a bad design Slimer mechanism , see that the captive ball wire bends after a few plays , the Scoleri target springs were incorrect because they cause massive bricks and airballs , the inlane wire guides are too short and the ball hops over them , etc and you guys expect them to care about ghosting ? Stern is about making the most profits which means the lowest cost material , lowest cost labor , lowest cost everything and then charging the most amount possible . Stern will never address this topic because people will keep buying what ever turds roll out of the factory , I swear , it's all about big name themes . JT is a terrible designer and could make a flipper gap wide open and have 5 second ball times and be a frustrating mess like GB and because it's Ghostbuster's theme people will suck it right up , then complain about ghosting inserts and still buy it and they will laugh all the way to the bank

#400 7 years ago

Where is the exit door on this hobby?
LOL

I get the anger... and the pitchforks. Stern is the new king of cost cutting... at least until these machines start shipping from China.

If the rumors are true... and SW is coming this year... I think I'll be glad I'm not going to participate in the NIB market from stern.

Right now ... the only vendor I'm looking for a NIB from is Multimorphic. At least his "wood" can be bought at Lowes and replaced when it scratches.

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