I'm interested in more info about this too.

I'm so sick of the different models and the upselling on options, just make one version of the game. Was hoping Jersey Jack would avoid this nonsense.

I'm switching to the Smaug gold edition

Was just about to start a thread on this The duplicate thread feature is awesome! Anyway, I'm still deciding what I want to do too. Maybe its overkill, I just can't get over what it would take to install it after its built....if I decide I want one later. What did you decide VolunteerPin?

While I like the idea of protecting the playfield from damage, two things make me choose not to install this option:

1) I am afraid of noticeable dust or other particles stuck under the protection, either stemming from the installation back at the factory or along the edges of the protective cover over time. This sort of dirt is probably impossible to remove without removing the entire protection.

2) I don't want to risk sharply different degrees of clearcoat yellowing between the protected and the not-protected areas over time. (I expect to keep this pin for long enough in light home use that yellowing is more likely than playfield wear, honestly.)

For all I know, modern clearcoats won't actually yellow in my lifetime, so I may be overly paranoid. I know for a fact that my LOTR playfield is still looking factory fresh after 10 years, with no added protection, so that makes it a safer bet in my mind, considering the risk factors I noted above. But every person's situation is different, of course.

WOZ has had an issue with chipping of the clear and in some cases the art and clear have failed and separated from the playfield. The old screening process left a lot more ink on the playfield than the new printing techniques so once you are through any art you are into wood.

As a WOZ owner I am still on the fence about the protector. I got my game before the option was there so moot at this point. I would like to see if dirt gets trapped under it or if it starts to bubble over time.

Not much help but just a couple things I would think about in regards to the protector.

I have the protector and a full set of Cliffy's (both factory installed) on my RRWOZ. As to the dust, sadly the answer is yes I now have noticeable dust beneath the playfield protector. As to gameplay, I think the combo of the protectors and the Cliffy's do make a difference for the rollovers (scarecrow,tinman, lion.) At low speeds the balls tend to deflect at strange vectors when they hit the rollover Cliffy's. Last night a friend got a ball stuck sitting on top of the Lion rollover and it took a tilt to shake it loose. However, this is the first time this has happened after two solid weeks of play. If this happens again I will remove the glass to fix it because of the amount of force necessary to unseat it. I want to think that I am preserving the game. Unfortunately I won't know what I am sacrificing in terms of gameplay

if you played the 75th Anniversary WoZ at expo then you played a game with this installed. I watched a couple of people play WoZ and didn't notice any difference in game play. (i generally don't play games that i own, especially when i am a distributor since i would like to have more people have the chance to play (and potentially) buy them.) If you looked closely around the cutouts for the switches (roller over and lane) you can see the edge of the protector.

I have had about 15% of my Hobbit customers upgrade to the playfield protector so far. I will tell you this much, if you are on the fence about it I would order it now as it will be far easier to have it installed now then when you get your machine and have to take everything off in order to place the protector down.

Christopher
King Pin Games

I am not liking the playfield protector on my hobbit. Will removing it cause any damage? Am I going to have to strip playfield to remove?

If you really want to play pinball play without a protector. In home use it’s complete nonsense to have it, since in home use you play probably less then 1% of a route game. Ball phisics are different, your game/playfield looks plain ugly and it just doensn’t make sense. Unless you prefer to look at your games instead of playing them.
I removed my protector from a Hobbit and the game played much better after removal. No more rejected shots at the left ramp. Beautiful playfield finally visible in full glory.

So how did you remove the protector? Did you have to strip the playfield?

I’ve used compressed air cans to freeze and remove Mylar pieces before. Not sure if that will work for a playfield protector

I used some good, strong, sharp scissors and carefully cut it off in pieces. Not hard - just take your time and be careful. When you remove it your machine will be new and shiny. I would recommend waxing it first - and then play. But be ready - the game will be super fast after that compared to what you had with the PF protector on.

Yea it came off super easy by just carefully cutting around. No adhesive underneath or nothing. WOW! You guys weren’t kidding it plays so much better. It just feels faster and smoother plus the playfield now is vibrant with color as the protector dulls it out. The protector is a joke it practically ruins the game. The pinball physicslly doesn’t move like it should on that plastic.