Quoted from freddy:Too lazy to remove glass!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Looks perfect!
(Topic ID: 155578)
Linked Games
The Hobbit
Jersey Jack, 2016
Topic Gallery
Fredericksburg, VA
Quoted from freddy:Too lazy to remove glass!
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Those look amazing! Can you tell they are gold? Like is it a good strong color? This might make me pull the trigger ...
Also, do you have your spotlights pointed at the mirror blades?! Why? That's kinda genius!
Ok so I just did a thing. Over an hour of game time. Had to leave it and continue bc we had to go to family get together. Came back and continued it to much of the same success.
A few things. Default extra balls is unlimited and as cool as that is, it's also more silly than cool. I mean... C'mon. And there are a few very easy ways to keep lighting eb's. This game had the defaults but I'll be changing them.
I played every wizard mode twice. Didn't beat any of them.
I killed Smaug twice and almost locked the game up the 2nd time bc I hit the target as the other ball drained and it got confused. Took 5 minutes to get it going again and by that time I was at 7 million plus. I manually launched a ball. Then it launched a ball and started back so that was a relief. The kill shot is one of the coolest, well thought out, integrated from the movie, and difficult shots and also one of the absolute best in pinball.
I completed all dwarf, men, and elf modes. Completed radagast and Bilbo and gandolf modes.
And I played all 31 modes (at least once, it was weird) and I only completed 8 of them.
Pictures of some final stats.
20230529_162736 (resized).jpg20230529_162740 (resized).jpg20230529_162801 (resized).jpg20230529_162820 (resized).jpg20230529_162824 (resized).jpg20230529_162826 (resized).jpg20230529_162830 (resized).jpg20230529_162840 (resized).jpg20230529_162855 (resized).jpgQuoted from Ecw0930:... Over an hour of game time. ... I played every wizard mode twice. I killed Smaug twice ... I completed all dwarf, men, and elf modes. Completed radagast and Bilbo and gandolf modes. And I played all 31 modes (at least once, it was weird) and I only completed 8 of them.
...
Well played - I hope to reach this level of skill someday!
Does Smaug MB remember your progress? From the previous time you played it?
And what are the ways to earn EB?
Quoted from Ecw0930:Those look amazing! Can you tell they are gold? Like is it a good strong color? This might make me pull the trigger ...
Also, do you have your spotlights pointed at the mirror blades?! Why? That's kinda genius!
Yes they are gold!
Look at wire form reflection .
Wire forms are chrome, in blade reflection is gold 
Quoted from pcprogrammer:FYI, to this day I still can't make up my mind about art blades or mirror blades. I recently put art blades on my LOTR and I couldn't be more unhappy. They just keep pulling away from the wood, the adhesive is just not strong enough. I keep having to press them back on in spots every time I take the glass off. They are the sillyoldelf ones from pinballife. They are really beautiful, but just don't stick. It made me hesitate on what I should do with my Hobbit.
Quoted from freddy:One day I just may Gold plate the wire forms !
That'd be so dope!
Do you really have the spotlights pointed at the mirrors? That would make things really bright and amazing. But also may cause hot spot or blind spots reflecting from the mirrors.
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:Does Smaug MB remember your progress? From the previous time you played it?
And what are the ways to earn EB?
Yes Smaug remembers your progress throughout the game.
Light extra ball by : (default settings here)
Hitting pop bumpers 10 times. Then 50 times. And every 50 thereafter.
Hitting captive ball 5 times. Then 10 times. And every 10 times there after.
Unlimited number of eb's can be lit.
You have to hit the gobble holes. And it gets progressively harder the more you earn but I think it topped out after 2 or 3.
Quoted from Ecw0930:And I played all 31 modes (at least once, it was weird) and I only completed 8 of them.
Pictures of some final stats.
Did you miss starting "there and back again".
Did you contact KJS .
Quoted from screaminr:Did you miss starting "there and back again".
Did you contact KJS .
I did miss starting that yes!!!! The holes were lit and that's what I was going for and drained. I'm soooo disappointed. I'll probably never have that chance ever again. I was very sad and just disappointed that I didn't get to play that mode!
And yes I contacted KJS but he won't (can't) ship to the States. I would for sure do it if the price was right but there's no way to know.
You will get there again!
Quoted from Ecw0930:I did miss starting that yes!!!! The holes were lit and that's what I was going for and drained. I'm soooo disappointed. I'll probably never have that chance ever again. I was very sad and just disappointed that I didn't get to play that mode!
And yes I contacted KJS but he won't (can't) ship to the States. I would for sure do it if the price was right but there's no way to know.
My playfield display went extremely pink in color. I've reseated cable at both ends, no luck.
At start up I get solid colors as it boots. But once fully booted still getting bad color.
Any ideas what to check next?
20230523_180044 (resized).jpg20230523_180053 (resized).jpg20230523_180059 (resized).jpg
Quoted from Ericpinballfan:Any ideas what to check next?
New LCD/board for inside the frame.
LTG : )
Quoted from LTG:New LCD/board for inside the frame.
LTG : )
Way cheaper here:
Make sure the connector and resolution matches up, this might work:
https://www.buydisplay.com/4-3-lcd-hdmi-vga-video-av-driver-controller-board-tft-module-display
Others have bought these before, its somewhere in this thread.
I bought one as a spare, theyre cheap.
I have a rare but annoying issue. Curious if anyone has run into this and knows a fix for it.
Everyone once in a while, a ball stays at the bottom of the right hole. It's out of view when looking down, but it rolls into the VUK mechanism when I left the machine from the left. Looking at the ramp underneath, I can see how a ball could rest in the gap between the ramp and the VUK.
Last time this happened was during a multi-ball. I assume a ball was rolling down the ramp while another was in the VUK, but not yet ejected. The rolling ball collided and rolled back and before coming to a rest in the gap. Pure speculation that's what happened, but somehow a ball is resting out of view in that hidden ramp.
Thoughts?
Ramp (resized).pngRight hole (resized).pngQuoted from bjorg:I have a rare but annoying issue. Curious if anyone has run into this and knows a fix for it.
Everyone once in a while, a ball stays at the bottom of the right hole. It's out of view when looking down, but it rolls into the VUK mechanism when I left the machine from the left. Looking at the ramp underneath, I can see how a ball could rest in the gap between the ramp and the VUK.
Last time this happened was during a multi-ball. I assume a ball was rolling down the ramp while another was in the VUK, but not yet ejected. The rolling ball collided and rolled back and before coming to a rest in the gap. Pure speculation that's what happened, but somehow a ball is resting out of view in that hidden ramp.
Thoughts?
[quoted image][quoted image]
What is your playfield pitch at?
Mine is set at 7.2 degrees.
Quoted from pinballinreno:What is your playfield pitch at?
Mine is set at 7.2 degrees.
Assuming I can trust the app on my phone, it shows 14.7°.
Quoted from bjorg:Assuming I can trust the app on my phone, it shows 14.7°.
Never mind, noob mistake. I measured the glass inclination. The playfield is at 6.6°.
Okotoks, AB
Quoted from bjorg:Never mind, noob mistake. I measured the glass inclination. The playfield is at 6.6°.
LOL!! good catch! that must be crazy slow and floaty, i didnt even realize there is a subway under there and i have a smaug version from preorder, i i havn't lifted the PF once, i guess i should have a look under the hood.
Quoted from Ecw0930:Ok so I just did a thing. Over an hour of game time. Had to leave it and continue bc we had to go to family get together. Came back and continued it to much of the same success.
A few things. Default extra balls is unlimited and as cool as that is, it's also more silly than cool. I mean... C'mon. And there are a few very easy ways to keep lighting eb's. This game had the defaults but I'll be changing them.
I played every wizard mode twice. Didn't beat any of them.
I killed Smaug twice and almost locked the game up the 2nd time bc I hit the target as the other ball drained and it got confused. Took 5 minutes to get it going again and by that time I was at 7 million plus. I manually launched a ball. Then it launched a ball and started back so that was a relief. The kill shot is one of the coolest, well thought out, integrated from the movie, and difficult shots and also one of the absolute best in pinball.
I completed all dwarf, men, and elf modes. Completed radagast and Bilbo and gandolf modes.
And I played all 31 modes (at least once, it was weird) and I only completed 8 of them.
Pictures of some final stats.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
If you're finding games take too long stretch the outlane holes and maybe remove the center post. I removed all my posts for quicker games. When you have a good game it feels good.
Quoted from bjorg:Never mind, noob mistake. I measured the glass inclination. The playfield is at 6.6°.
Raise it to 7.2 and adjust the flipper power if you need to.
Quoted from wolv3:If you're finding games take too long stretch the outlane holes and maybe remove the center post. I removed all my posts for quicker games. When you have a good game it feels good.
I do need to move the right outlane post up. It's in the bottom position.
Quoted from ls1chris:LOL!! good catch! that must be crazy slow and floaty, i didnt even realize there is a subway under there and i have a smaug version from preorder, i i havn't lifted the PF once, i guess i should have a look under the hood.
I'm a total beginner at pinball. Slow and floaty is just fine in my book! But I'll try to pitch a degree more and report back. Since nobody else seems to have run into this issue, maybe that will be enough. Otherwise, I'll reach out to JJP. BTW, I'm also the first owner of this Smaug edition. Such a fun package, but I haven't played it as much as my other machines.
Quoted from bjorg:I'm a total beginner at pinball. Slow and floaty is just fine in my book! But I'll try to pitch a degree more and report back. Since nobody else seems to have run into this issue, maybe that will be enough. Otherwise, I'll reach out to JJP. BTW, I'm also the first owner of this Smaug edition. Such a fun package, but I haven't played it as much as my other machines.
I have tried all pitch angles from 5.5 degrees to 8.5 degrees.
7.2 degrees is the "sweet" spot that the game plays properly, neither too fast nor too slow.
Balls dont fly off the wireforms if the flipper power is dialed in.
Subways dont "hang" the balls.
Quoted from pinballinreno:I have tried all pitch angles from 5.5 degrees to 8.5 degrees.
7.2 degrees is the "sweet" spot that the game plays properly, neither too fast nor too slow.
Balls dont fly off the wireforms if the flipper power is dialed in.
Subways dont "hang" the balls.
i will try this, mine is at 8 right now to have a bit more speed, but indeed , too much flying balls
Quoted from bjorg:I'm a total beginner at pinball. Slow and floaty is just fine in my book! But I'll try to pitch a degree more and report back. Since nobody else seems to have run into this issue, maybe that will be enough. Otherwise, I'll reach out to JJP. BTW, I'm also the first owner of this Smaug edition. Such a fun package, but I haven't played it as much as my other machines.
i havn't put much time on mine either, and maybe mine is too steep to enjoy it and get through the modes.
I ordered a digital level so I can dial in the inclination to 7.2°. I'm not trusting the app on my phone for that.
In the meantime, are there any decals to make the yellow plates behind the drop targets less boring? (Sorry for the blurry photo!)
DWARF Drop Targets (resized).pngMAN Drop Targets (resized).pngQuoted from bjorg:I ordered a digital level so I can dial in the inclination to 7.2°. I'm not trusting the app on my phone for that.
In the meantime, are there any decals to make the yellow plates behind the drop targets less boring? (Sorry for the blurry photo!)[quoted image][quoted image]
pinsider flashinstinct made some really nice ones:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-hobbit-target-decal-set
Quoted from pinballinreno:pinsider flashinstinct made some really nice ones:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-hobbit-target-decal-set
Those look great! Thanks for sharing!
Quoted from bjorg:Okay, so I'd like to adjust the inclination of my playfield to 7.2°, but where should I measure that? It looks like I get different values at different spots on the playfield. Very confused...
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Playfields sag a lot.
I measure between the flippers, then the middle of the open area, then near the ramps.
I try to calculate a very rough average of 7.2 between the 3 measurements or somewhere close to that without being too steep near the ramp.
the last time i measured, I had around 7.6 near the ramps.
Your measurements look similar to mine, maybe a little less steep, but pretty good.
I think I was 6 at the flippers, 6.9 in the center, then 7.6 at the ramp. the combined should equal around 21.5
Also make sure that the playfield is super level horizontally.
The game can be a bit floaty if its not steep enough.
People have reported 8 or 9 degrees near the ramps, I think that is too steep.
And (FWIW) - be sure to keep your inclinometer parallel to the cabinet sides at all locations. Rotating its angle slightly side to side will reveal the correct direction via the readings.
Quoted from pinballinreno:Playfields sag a lot.
I measure between the flippers, then the middle of the open area, then near the ramps.
I try to calculate a very rough average of 7.2 between the 3 measurements or somewhere close to that without being too steep near the ramp.
the last time i measured, I had around 7.6 near the ramps.
Your measurements look similar to mine, maybe a little less steep, but pretty good.
I think I was 6 at the flippers, 6.9 in the center, then 7.6 at the ramp. the combined should equal around 21.5
Also make sure that the playfield is super level horizontally.
The game can be a bit floaty if its not steep enough.
People have reported 8 or 9 degrees near the ramps, I think that is too steep.
I’ll continue tweaking it, but as it is, my front feet are almost at the lowest and my rear feet are already at the highest position. And the ball eject takes 5 tries before it finally gets the ball out. That’s probably a strength adjustment, but to me, this feels already too steep. Still, I’ll give it a shot and see for myself.
Quoted from bjorg:I’ll continue tweaking it, but as it is, my front feet are almost at the lowest and my rear feet are already at the highest position. And the ball eject takes 5 tries before it finally gets the ball out. That’s probably a strength adjustment, but to me, this feels already too steep. Still, I’ll give it a shot and see for myself.
It will of course feel a little steep, but there are many issues involved. Mosly floatiness in the infield.
Your pitch is pretty close to mine, My rear legs are also very high but there is still a bit of bolt left.
Adjust the both flipper strengths so that when a ball is in the cradled posistion you can slowly but EASILY make either ramp on a clean shot.
The ball should barely make it over the ramp but still make it properly and easily, then let gravity take it down the wireforms.
This insures that when a high speed ball is batted up the ramp, the ball will stay on the wireform.
You know the flipper strength is too high if balls fly off the wireforms continuously during games.
Quoted from bjorg:I’ll continue tweaking it, but as it is, my front feet are almost at the lowest and my rear feet are already at the highest position. And the ball eject takes 5 tries before it finally gets the ball out. That’s probably a strength adjustment, but to me, this feels already too steep. Still, I’ll give it a shot and see for myself.
Try adjusting the eject ball strength lower.
There is a metal tab under the apron at the end of the trough mech.
It can be bent outwards to let the ball pass more easily.
The same issues happen on WOZ:
https://www.pinplay.com/5/adjusting_the_ball_trough_on_woz.html
Other than that, power adjustments will fix it.
There is some helpful advice here, when I got my very early game in week 3 of production:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/hobbit-setup-tweaks-and-adjustments
To fans of the movies:
The theme integration is incredible and almost every character is featured in some way in the game. I’ve noticed though that Sauron’s voice isn’t in the “resurgence of Sauron” mode. Is his voice ever used in the game?
Quoted from Merendino:Apologies if this has already been asked:
Smaug's mouth does not move as it should, new servo was ordered and has arrived. Is this a difficult replacement? I just don't want to potentially damage the sculpt.
Its fairly easy to work on, then adjust the min-max settings in the menu
So, I made the pin steeper (but not 7.2°) and the ball got hung again in the track under the playfield. This time, I used a snake camera to find out more about what's going on.
As far as I can tell, it's getting stuck on the rivets. Any suggestions on what I could try to smooth it out?
Stuck ball (resized).pngTrack (resized).pngQuoted from bjorg:Any suggestions on what I could try to smooth it out?
A piece of mylar a few inches long over that area.
I wonder if there was flat head studs there sticking down and got replaced ?
LTG : )
Quoted from luch:small dremel tool , and grind smooth
If they were changed as I said, the weight and action of the coil will pull them out.
LTG : )
Quoted from darkryder:I ordered the target decals. They look amazing!
Quoted from darkryder:I ordered the target decals. They look amazing!
Yeah how did I miss those being released - they look great!
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