Did you try raising them a little ?

LTG : )

I'm not sure what raising the yellow targets would do. Are you talking about raising the drop targets? Is there an adjustment for that?

Yes.

Yes. Bottom of the assembly below the playfield.

LTG : )

With a 6in steel ruler check the height of each drop Target compared to the level of the Playfield and make them as level as possible.

Possibly increase your flipper strength to get fewer low-inertia balls.

My game liked them a hair higher than level to prevent ball traps.

LTG : )

Yup, mine too, but just a hair like a quarter mm maybe less.
Higher than that the ball scuffs the top edges of the targets a bit.
Thanks Lloyd !

Agree, simply adjust the bottom white/clear plastic screw under each drop target to raise or lower.

How can you tell the difference between the rad decals and the regular ones?

By the price/cost.

Sorry. The Radicals are thicker, glossier and more durable.

I just bought an open box Hobbit. It was delivered this morning. The distributers stayed it was unboxed for a photo shoot. Then sent back to JJ, updated and reboxed. I assumed it was a standard black arrow. When I opened it there was a paper about peeling the protective coating off the rad decals, which I had to do. They feel as smooth as glass and very very shiny. I've never knowingly seen rad decals in person and I'm wondering if I have them.

Based on your comments, the instruction sheet and the protective cover, you have them. Enjoy the machine!

Yes, sounds like you have them. They look fantastic!

Thanks, that's awesome, I did not pay for them and wasn't expecting them. I guess they where added for the photo shoot and nor mentioned to me!

Thanks a bunch LTG - Adjusting the nylon screws did the trick.

Can someone tell me what the cost of the Smaug Edition was new?

I paid $9100 plus shipping for Hobbit Smaug with Rad-Cals!

If you bought the game a couple years early and waited for it sight unseen you got a pretty good discount on it of $7500+shipping.

Cool cool. Pickin up a HUO on Sunday. Was just kind of curious what they sold for new. Can't wait to join the club!

Ok so not the greatest of starts. Just got my new smaug home. I'm the 2nd owner. Played the game before I left original owners house. Game played prefect. However I had no airballs when I played it at his house. However I play my first game. Had a little air ball then in my second ball I have another air ball. Ball bounces over into the pops area then game goes completely dead and won't turn back on. I'm hoping it blew a fuse or something of the sorts so I can get back to playing my new game. But yeah slightly frustrating.
Also game was transported just fine. Very gently transporting the machine. However I didn't lift playfield and check any connections before my first test game.

Any ideas on where I should start?

I'd start there, and be sure the power cord is in tight in the rear of the cabinet.

I'd check the game to see if it's level left to right, same playfield pitch as at the sellers house. And then in settings, turn flippers down, you may have higher voltage that at previous house.

LTG : )

Yes you got it power cord came out the back. !! Ty sir LTG.

I'm contemplating switching out the red smaug with the gold edition. How hard is it to remove & replace? Do you just have to raise the PF, detach leads & remove any anchoring screws, etc.?

Has anyone removed & sent their smaug to Back Alley Creations for their "Smaug Gold Paint Job"? If so, did they do a compulsive, pristine job?

Underneath a couple connectors and a few screws. Lifts out the top.

LTG : )

Speaking of Power Cords and Smaug Heads.

#1 - I just picked up a Smaug and forgot the dang power cord at the sellers house! Will any power cord that fits that plug work just fine?

#2 - I noticed when playing a couple games before loading it up, that the Smaug heads turns and reaches its end stop and shakes for a few seconds like its not at its end stop. It looks like it’s at the end stop and he is facing you. Is this “shake” normal? Or is there a calibration/adjustment?

Yes, computer power cord works fine.

Make sure wires aren't in the way below the playfield.

LTG : )

Here is what it’s doing. I’ll check the underside for wires when the kiddos go to bed.

Thanks Lloyd! And thanks for the pinball and chat the other day.

Well I looked under the playfield and it all looked good. Fired it up and still had the same issue. Went into switch test more and manually moved his head right to left. After that, all good! He is no longer shaking/suttering and he lines up like he should when he talks. Maybe something was binding up in there. Who knows. It's all good now. Thanks Lloyd.

Played a few games and wow! I really liked my WOZ and I think I'm going to like this one just as much. JJP really knocks it out of the park!

Ok so my Smaug head was still giving me issues last night.

I powered the game on and it does the calibration and then the head did it's "stutter/shake" thing again when it hits the right stop. I shut down the game and pulled the glass. I manually moved his head from stop to stop and found it binding a bit when going to the right stop. Looking at it more I do see that some wires are getting tight.

I lifted the playfield. There are 2 looms of wires that run up into his head. The one on the right (see picture) actually comes from above the playfield, then through this hole and up into his head. That's the one that is getting tight. I pulled on it with pick to try and give it slack. When it goes back and forth, it gets tight again. No matter what I did, I couldn't get these wires to have more slack.

It's almost as if the hold these two looms pass through is a bit too small. Any ideas here? Anyone else have this issue? Is there a way to remove his head and still have the turntable there so I can get a better look?

Smaug2 (resized).jpg

My Smaug did the same thing, it is likely the metal tab that goes in between the opto switches or the chip on the smaug controller board that is rubbing causing issues, I really hope it is the wires but I doubt it. Check to make sure the metal tab is not bent and if it is try to gently bend it back into place. I ended up having to dremel mine because it was to difficult to bend.

Check post #4197 a couple pages back where I had the same issue.

Thanks for the tip. Maybe this is the issue and not actually the wires. How do I pull the head to look at those opto switches?

Two connectors underneath and a few screws. Lifts off the top.

LTG : )

Ok cool. I was wondering if the whole mech popped out that way. Easy peasey. Thanks!

Thanks so much for your awesome work MIMAS! Only thing I changed was the rings color to better suit my machine

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Thank you for your kind words.
It sure kicks ass on your machine.
/mima

Folks,

I am picking up an HUO Smaug on Sunday.

Can you tell me which playfield protectors are a must?

What pitch are most of you playing at? I would like to avoid "floaty" with this game.

Is Smaug the most common version of the game? It seems it to me as there are at least 3 in my neighborhood.

Thanks for the advice.

Mylar that they sell on the website for the trolls

well definently the most popular!

I have mine at 7 degrees. Perfect for me.

I don't install play field protectors on any of my games other than Mylar on shooter lane.

Someone else can chime in on that question. I own the LE the middle model. congrats enjoy.

Thanks very much.

That is exactly what I was looking for.

i beg to differ!
get those cliffy's on!

I just trimmed a Mylar piece for my shooter lane. I think I have about 1000 games on it so far and it’s still good as new.

I'm having an issue with the Windlance kickback not firing the ball into the right orbit so I can kill Smaug. It keeps hitting the post between the scoop hole and the orbit. I tried messing with the coil settings but that doesn't seem to do anything at all. Anyone got any tips for me?

I had to bend the tip of the metal windlance rail to aim the ball to a spot above the flipper. Most of the time it feeds the flipper and even can hit the spinner. Sometimes the power is lower or higher (or maybe it is just the way the ball is shot) so it doesn't always hit the same spot. I'm guessing that this will be a regular maintenance item as I would bet that impact from the ball can bend the rail after a lot of hits. It bent very easily for me with just a small screw driver prying against the rubber post.

Would you mind snapping a pic of what you're talking about?

Well, I finally got around to doing the ramp flap upgrade which I've been dreading since I got the update kit last year, lol. Thanks to the suggestions on here and the instructions provided by JJP it wasn't too terrible of a fix.

I used a 1/8" Hanson rivet clincher tool for the new rivets. I could have sent the ramp into JJP for free for them to do the fix but the shipping cost would have likely covered the cost of the tool...hey it was a good excuse to buy another tool!

https://www.amazon.com/Hanson-Rivet-HT-174-RIVET-CLINCHER/dp/B00ZDUSRE8/ref=sr_1_2

Couple suggestions in addition to those by JJP. Be extra careful removing the 8 opto sensors on the ramps as the little plastic tabs holding them onto the ramp can be easily broken if you use too much force. Also, when removing the entire ramp I would recommend loosening the nut for the gold pile in front of Smaug and setting the mold to the side as otherwise, at least on my game, the left ramp was stuck underneath it a bit. Overall just take your time, keep track of the parts and it won't seem too bad.

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What is the ramp flap upgrade?

Hobbits made during the first 1-3 months (maybe longer) of production had ramp flaps made of a different steel (top pic in my post) that are prone to curling. The flaps in the kit are spring steel (bottom pic), don't curl and are now included on all of the latest games.