How do I get the extra ball in the "complete all qualifiers"? I keep trying to start the roaming drop target to light extra ball, but it never happens. Do I need to get all the qualifiers on 1 ball? Maybe that's my issue? Is there a setting I have wrong?

Thanks!

I just qualified all the modes on ball 1. No roaming drop. No multiballs. When I launch the ball one of the qualifiers is spotted for me. I think that might be the issue, but I don't know the setting.

I got the roaming drop to appear by changing the preset difficulty to "hard". No qualifiers were spotted when I launched a ball. Is "hard" the default mode from the factory?

Mine was on medium, and the extra ball from 6 mode qualifiers did not seem to work, possibly because the game was handing a free qualifier per ball.

Explains it all. Thanks!!

Hi, I was enjoying my relatively new Hobbit until the Orc target stopped registering hits. I'm seeking advice on how to handle the repair.

1) The orc beast mech is in a *very* tight spot. I ordered a long nut driver because I was having issues removing the mech. Is it recommended to remove the wires around the mech? I do not want to break anything else. The Warg and Spider look much easier to remove.

2) From what I can tell, the wire for the target may have ripped out of the connector plug. If this is true, is there a specific pin or part I need to get the wire back into the plug? Is it just a molex pin?

3) Is there a specific fix to keep the target wires from getting pinched, or ripped apart in the future?

Thanks all!

Thanks, It is definitely a wire. I can see it. I read something about using a washer to help prevent cuts but no details were given.

Already almost lost a screw. Thank goodness for magnets!

Thanks for the picture LTG!

Looks like my wire was not clipped though, but fried. Maybe both happened and caused a short? Is that the most likely scenario here?

It is just the target connection, not a coil.

Thanks!

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Yes, I am just trying to figure out why it burnt up.

Don't forget that if Smaug and Beast are going at the same time, focus on the beasts. When you hear "Super Jackpot" slap the ring button and it will end Beast Multiball.

I am just crossing my fingers the TABA wizard mode is for playing 31 modes and not *beating* 31 modes. That just means I will never see it!

I don't think anything happens. You would start Into the fire again. The wizard mode that we may see in the future is allegedly for progressing through all 31 modes in the game.

You really *are* talking to yourself! The good news is you are smart enough to fix the game on your own. The wires on this game have almost no leeway. They are way too tight. I'm glad you sorted out the issues. Thank You for providing this info for the rest of us. I occasionally have Smaug issues, but nothing consistent.

Sweet! : )

Qualifiers are the shots, B-Bilbo, BD, Bilbo and Dwarf, DEG, Dwarf Elf Gandalf

That is not "basic!" That is advanced! : )

Having said that, take out the outlane posts, the center drain post, and set it up steep and I don't think you will have an "hour long" issue. Still you should find a place to play it and see for yourself if you like it. It is a slightly slower game where you make you need to make your shots. AFM has an obvious easy bash toy to hit.

If you do the 6 qualifiers, a blue lit drop will roam across the playfield. If you shoot it you will qualify extra ball.

If your qualifier is "spotted" for you at the beginning of the ball, then it doesn't count towards the extra ball. You will have to do the mode for that qualifier and then requalify it.

I have my mode settings on hard, so that a qualifier is never spotted, and thus qualifying all modes always starts the roaming drop.

I'm not 100% sure either, but I thought the real issue was that on "normal" settings, the qualifiers are auto spotted, and that means that you haven't done it yourself. Set the mode start to hardest, then do the 6 qualifiers and I think it will work.

Each time you lose a ball on normal settings you get a new qualifier spotted and that just makes getting the "qualifier extra ball" harder.

When I say spotted, I mean that when you start your game, one is already done for you. You need to clear it and reshoot that one.

Recently bought back in with an LE Hobbit, but it didn't have any of the factory fixes done. Does anyone know, or have a link to the best way to do the Beast insert install? I remember a post about doing it without having to remove the entire mech, but I can't find it. If I have to remove them thats fine, but the easier the better!

Does anyone have the washer size they used on the Beasts to make sure the wires don't get cut?

Thanks!!

Ramp flaps were changed from Stainless steel to blue steel (stainless was curling up)

Beasts would trap balls, and so white plastic inserts were created to prevent that. They should be visible directly in front of every beast.

Left wireform had ball trap issues and was changed during production. You can buy a new wireform, but they also issued a post to replace a screw which solved the issue for some people.

Stronger springs were sent out for the drop targets as some of the springs apparently broke in early models.

Oh and some new mylar was sent out to put around the beasts.

No I have that. I was just responding to Truejedi about all the fixes. My Beasts do not have mylar behind them. I have the mylar kit and will put some down soon.

Still looking for a washer size to prevent beasts cutting wires if anyone knows it!

wow!!

Taken from other parts of this thread.

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See post 1930 Also has washer size. #8 3/4 washer.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/hobbit-owners-thread/page/39#post-3341330

The washer stops the beast mech from going up all the way (by just a little bit) because the beast has a habit of cutting the wires as it goes up. The washer stops the beast and so gives the wire a little bit of space.

Anyone ever have their beast mechs squeak or squeal?

My spider "screams" as it goes up. I can't quite figure out what the issue is. I think the metal Spider pop up housing might be rubbing against the metal case attached to the bottom of the PF. Not sure how I can adjust that housing 1 millimeter to the left.

Can't say we had the same problem, but the spider was totally hitting the housing. Black metal left a line on the steel. I took huge pliers and bent the housing away from the spider. Seemed to solve the issue 95% of the time. The downside is that the bracket no longer lines up with the playfield hole for the screw...

I just finished putting the game back together after doing all the upgrades. Unfortunately my spider fix didn't work. I'll have to do it again. All the beasts make noise going up and down, especially with the glass off, but my spider makes an especially annoying shriek. I used to have the hobbit, so I know this is not normal.

My smaug magnet is not catching the ball either. I hope that can be adjusted. It activates in test mode.

Haha, This post makes me feel like I got really lucky putting everything back together. No drops. From the pictures I put it back together mostly right! : ) The hard part for me was getting the optos BACK IN. Look out.

Not really. You can see when you do it that the male portion of the plug is slightly wider than the hole its supposed to go in. If its to wide and you try to force it you are just bending the pieces apart which is no good. I tried to press them together as much as I could.

My only thoughts were that before you put the ramp back on get as much slack as you can in the opto wires. My left ramp entrance opto had no slack and I wasn't about to pull the ramp up again (it was already firmly in place) to see if I had a wire stuck.

Also still waiting for my LSOG order tracking.

LSOG tracking! Woot woot!