Didn't see a thread discussing the rules and gameplay of this in your face, kick ass pin, so here it is.

I just got a super nice HUO IM in my lineup (thanks for the trade Wheels!). I owned IM before, and have missed it ever since. Very glad to have it back in the lineup!

IM is, to this day, the pin that made the best first impression of any pin I've ever played. I was immediately hooked on this pin from the very first play. The way it fights you back and makes you earn everything, combined with the great sound effects and music makes it very appealing.

Can't stop pushing the start button!

Eskaybee came by to play a few games, and I was lucky enough to put together the best game I've ever had on IM (beating my prior GC score by 100 million points). Completed Jericho and hit the Do or Die shot for a full 50 million points (I'm on 1.4 code).

Holy sh*t! What a game! Heart pumping, adrenaline flowing, hands shaking, and sweating like a pig...God I love it!

The game before this, I think I scored 6 million.

The score on the top left is Eskaybee's.

IM pinball GC Score 2014.JPG

I couldn't believe it myself. Like I said, when I owned IM before, my high score was 151 million. I never completed Jericho before today. That helped my score in a big way (I think it was around 87 million points for Jericho?), then immediately lit DoD, hit the middle shot and collected the full 50 million.

Mine had the mylar around the magnets. Highly recommended.

Congrats on the pin Concrete!

Love it.

Yeah, the 50 million DoD is why I haven't upgraded to the newer code.

But...I'm wondering what other differences there are? Because there is what appears to be a code issue on 1.4 where you can have DoD lit, and if you have Monger ready to go and hit the middle shot to start DoD, Monger will come up and block the DoD shot! Talk about a buzz kill! This has happened to me twice already.

Is there a way around this on 1.4 code?

Heh. I've seen him play too, and he beats me fairly regularly.

This is exactly the reason that I'm taking advantage of this opportunity for some taunting! It just doesn't happen all that often.

Make no mistake, this was a *great* game for me. I beat my prior GC score (when I previously owned IM) by 100 million points.

The best thing about this score was the fact that I had a fellow Pinsider witness it, so he can confirm that the glass was on and that the outlanes were not blocked.

Pin is on all factory settings, but the outlane posts are in the #1 (most closed) positions.

Thanks Khabbi. If you read my post earlier in the thread, you will see that this has already happened to me twice. DoD is ready to go, you hit the middle shot to start it, then Monger rises from the PF to block the shot!

So this is fixed in 1.6? It will be a hard decision. 50 million for DoD with the chance of Monger blocking the shot, or 35 million for DoD with no chance of Monger blocking the shot.

I'm still struggling with the issue of whether to upgrade to 1.6 or not.

Interestingly enough, it is the fact that Iron Monger will come up when DoD or Jericho is lit that makes me think I should upgrade to 1.6. Not because of Jericho, but because he can come up after starting DoD, thus making it impossible to hit the DoD shot. Hate that.

Second from the bottom I believe. Definitely not all the way open (4th hole).

But impossible!

That's what she said.

It means that the ratings system might place a higher weighting on some factors than what you might place on them. They tried to remedy this by allowing the user to change the weightings.

In other words, some people will place a huge emphasis on theme. So even though a game like FT might play better than another pin, the theme might kill it for them.

Tron LE is my favorite because it excels in so many of the aspects that makes a pin great to me, including theme, theme integration, sound effects, music, appearance, flow, speed, and a decent amount of randomness caused by the disc whipping the ball around.

IM also excels in these areas as well. And I think the comments that Tron and IM are compared to each other a lot is valid.

Of course I understand what you are saying. Nobody is saying the system is perfect. It's not.

I was just explaining why someone's favorite game won't necessarily be their highest rated pin using the Pinside ratings. It makes sense to me.

Yeah, I really don't have a problem with it at all and think it actually makes sense.

For example, while Tron LE is my favorite pin, a lot of that is based on the sounds and music/theme. I think AC/DC is the better pin in terms of game play. So which of those two pins should be ranked higher on a rating system?

I think you want to make the ratings overly simplistic. In other words, you just want a single rating to apply to a pin, like an 8.5, and just do away with all the sub categories like sound, art, etc. I much prefer having multiple categories, because this results in a more objective rating of the pin overall.

Nope. I haven't touched my ratings in a long time.

Exactly. This is a great example of understanding how the Pinside ratings work and what can and will happen if you rate the pins objectively in all categories

How do you determine what the next award will be?

I wonder when that strip went bad? Was working when I sold it but you are the third person to own it since I had it.

Yep, it's a nice one. Two people owned it before me, so you are the sixth owner. Original owner (and second owner) was in AZ.

You should have all the powder coating done at the same place and at the same time to ensure a perfect match.

Zdoor (Pinball Refinery) can do all of the powder coating for you at once if you'd like.

Yes, I tried them on my IM.

They don't work. Or more accurately, 2 of 3 of them do work. The cap will *not* fit under the right ramp, as it will not allow the ramp to go back down onto the PF.

That particular red wouldn't look very good on IM in my opinion.

I think you meant to say 251 million.

Keep at it.

Since I put up that score, my next best score has been about half of that one. Makes me wonder if I will ever be able to beat it.

$16.00 at Pinbits. Great bang for the buck.

I agree completely.

I have NoFlix Plus LEDs in my IM for this very reason. Very little strobing, and not at all blinding under the inserts. I do have my GI cranked up pretty bright though.

If I had it to do over again, I'd probably just use cheaper LEDs and use the OCD board.

To answer Concrete's question: I think IM looks a ton better with LEDs.

Well, my IM is out of commission for awhile, since I am taking parts in for powder coating, including the coin door.

It's going to suck not being able to play for awhile, but I know it will be worth it..

In my opinion they actually detract from the artwork on the cabinet. I've got to the point where I really dislike them.

I recommend using the metal stern brackets. The legs will not touch the cabinet, and you dont see anything around the legs at all.

There is nothing better.

http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=2711

lol

Dan beat me by a couple minutes.

Congrats.

I do believe that you got the last one available too!

No.

To Lollipop, or not to lollipop, that is the question!

Just got my powder coating back. Not sure which I prefer: the lollipops that cover the flipper buttons but also cover artwork on the cabinet, or the stock side rails?

Opinions? (crappy cellphone pics)

photo 1.JPG

photo 4.JPG
photo 3.JPG
photo 2.JPG

I think one consideration is that the lollipops tie in better with the powder coated hinges?

photo 1.JPG

photo 2.JPG

And for good measure

IMG_7071-2.jpeg

I literally put the powder coated parts on today. More parts to be done, including powder coated apron.

Higher quality pics will be posted when I'm done. And congrats on joining the IM club!

Thanks Dan. I decided to go with the lollipops, and they look great!

I'm super happy with how the powder coating came out. Fits the pin perfectly.

I expect this thread to really start taking off once people start receiving their new IM pros from Stern. Will be interesting to see what kind of software updates we get because of the rerelease. There are definitely a few areas that could use tweaking, including the fact that Iron Monger rises too often.

Go to the shop and ask to see their samples. Hopefully they will have a red that you are looking for.

Sounds like it was disabled in the settings. A lot of IM owners do this. Go into setting and change it back if you'd prefer.

Not off hand. It should be pretty obvious when you scroll through the selections though. "Disable post diverter" or something similar.

Was playing my IM yesterday, and it was kicking my butt hard for probably 8 games or so. I decided I would play one more game before firing up the home theater to watch a movie, and BAM, this happened.

I didn't think I'd ever beat my prior GC score of 251 million seen in the first post of this thread. I completed Jericho, and must have had double scoring going because 100 million flashed on the DMD when I completed it. What a rush!

IMG_2931.jpeg

This was my score after the first ball:

IMG_9341.jpeg

Ah, but of course! That's exactly what happened. Hit DOD for 48 million (I'm on version 1.4), then went straight to Jericho after that, completed it, and therefore got 100 million (instead of 50 million).

Pin is bad ass.

No!

The pin still kicks my ass 90% of the time, just like it was the 8-9 games I played before getting this big score. If I were scoring the big points regularly, I would open the outlanes up, but that's just not the case for me. I need to feel like I at least have a shot once in awhile to have a great game! IM is too brutal with the outlanes in the stock position for me.

My score is obviously only relevant in terms of comparison to others who also have their outlanes moved in.

I have played IM with the outlanes at factory and it is simply too brutal. Challenging pins are fine, but IM at factory outlanes is over the top brutal to me and results in too much frustration, not enough fun.

I will probably move the posts up one notch (which means that they will be one notch away from factory), but it is very unlikely that I will ever put them back to factory.

Yep, AC/DC is a perfect comparison. Way too brutal at factory, and arguably still too brutal when closed!

And yes, I doubt I would have ever made it to Valinor with the lanes open.

See, that's going overboard to me. DoD jackpot once every 500 games isn't fun, and would be super frustrating.

Move those posts in at least one notch.

I just don't understand why everyone (and I mean everyone) doesn't just use the Glare Guards from Wrong Crowd productions. I have them on all of my pins, and always will.

Strange, I don't know if Kim doesn't sell them anymore? Went to his site but it's music?

Mr68 is his username here on Pinside.

Here is an alternative (which is a copy of Kim's product):

http://bentplastic.com/index.html

Congrats!

Well this is an IM owners club that was started before the rerun. I think there are other threads discussing the Iron Man Vault Edition that may be more appropriate for that type of report.

That's not to say that we won't discuss when they ship here of course. We will. Especially since it means we will have more members!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/im-ve-owners-post-here/page/4#post-1762680

I would love it if you did! Having another challenge is always a good thing.

If you went with ACDC you would have two pretty brutal pins in your lineup. MET is a bit more forgiving, and LOTR has much longer game/ball times than the rest.

I love all the pins mentioned though, and currently own IM, ACDC and MET.

AFM.

But it's a pretty special AFM.

Looking forward to seeing pics of IMVE from new members to the Club!

Nope.

It often works out that way though.

For example, you need to start Bogey scoring to get to Jericho, but not to start DoD. You need to get to Mark 6.

Ah, I didn't realize that multiple Marks could be earned with each IM Target completion.

I'm pretty sure that I've never start Jericho without getting Bogey scoring going first.

It was fun playing! Wish we had more time. Glad you are digging your IMVE.

I really don't think you need that for a HUO game.

Why would you put that on a PF that isn't getting any use?

I wouldn't do that.

+1

That's the only "gentleman's agreement" that I would agree on.

I get extra balls. It seems random, but I definitely get them.

I was tempted to do this as well.

Ironically, even though this obviously makes raising Iron Monger more difficult, an argument can also be made that it makes the game easier overall. Sometimes you want to try and avoid raising Iron Monger, and that in itself can be a challenge. That challenge is gone with the above settings.

You are correct about the closed outlanes.

But you are dead wrong about the old rules.

I am.

And so are some "A" list players. That's the part where you were wrong.

It really is that simple.

^ Congrats!!

Keep the ball alive!

Other than that I try to stack War Machine with either Iron Monger or Whiplash.

Correct.

And you can only stack War Machine with Monger if you start War Machine first.

Agreed!

It sure is!

Completed Jericho last night. This is my 3rd time completing it.

IMG_0450-2.JPG

My score could have been a decent bit higher, but I completely failed at DoD. Drained the ball then started Jericho on the next.

My best score was when I nailed DoD for the full 50 million (version 1.4), then went straight to Jericho, and completed that during 2x and scored a nice 100 million points.

We've been through this before.

Neither one of these things is going to happen.

Awesome!

Since you say you got DoD, and you also described Jericho, it means that DoD gave you 2x scoring for the rest of the ball. Completing Jericho gives 50 million x2 = 100 million! That is exactly how you get the big scores on IM!

Your last sentence sums up why I love this pin so damn much!

Edit: If this was your first time collecting the DoD jackpot, you picked a great time to do it since you completed Jericho right after that...which is a lot harder to do than collect DoD.

I think it looks absolutely horrible!

Sorry, that's my honest opinion. Wouldn't even consider putting that on my IM.

Thank God you *never* have to do that on IM!

You are now precluded from "bragging" about having your posts set to factory, as this is completely outweighed by you having special = extra ball, extra ball at 20 something million, and Monger set to hard (which, as discussed previously, actually makes the game easier).

Defeating Jericho is extremely satisfying! Congrats!

I don't think that there is a pin that integrates a shaker better than IM.

And an external powered sub is a game changer on IM!

I still don't like the fact that they reduced the DoD shot from 50 million to 35 million points on the latest software version.

That's what's wrong with it!

50 million FTW!

Completed Jericho again today.

It really is impressive how many call outs there are in the game, many of which are rarely repeated during the game.

You've had it quite awhile. I still have my second. Still not tired of it!

So true!

I've had mine for more than 2 years (and this is the second time I've owned IM). Just yesterday I was playing it and yelled "NO!" very loudly when I qualified DoD and drained the ball. My wife just looked at me shaking her head saying "oh my." lol

Frankly I think that your IM should be immediately disqualified from contention because you do have them!

IM is paying out in cash awards of 3 million dollars now?! Sweet!

No, Marks have nothing to do with Do or Die. You have to start all 5 modes on the same ball to light Do or Die. The Marks are for Jericho.

I never understood these kind of comparisons that say that if something cost "1375% more" that means that it should look or perform "1375% better."

Even people who love PDI and Invisiglass won't tell you that it looks "1375% better" than regular glass. But they will tell you that the price is worth the improvement to them, and that's all that matters.

Funny, I actually meant to mention both of those things in my post. I am more familiar with the cost of those incremental improvements in both subjects than I care to admit!

I have one with excellent registration if anyone is interested.

Finally got around to ordering a set. Not cheap, but I do think they are the best, and with as much as I've spent on my IM it sure didn't make sense to skimp on these.

I have an original IM that I bought from the original owner. He left everything in the stock position. The factory settings for the outlane posts on the original IM were one hole short of wide open. There are 4 holes available.

There is no middle. Like I said above, there are 4 holes available. I'm assuming that holds true for the VE.

When I first got mine, looking at the posts from the player position (at least the one on the left side), it looked like it was in the top hole (wide open), but upon closer inspection, there was another open hole.

That's awesome. I have now owned IM longer than any other pin I've ever owned as well (I've owned two, since I made the terrible mistake of selling my first one...owned my first IM in summer 2011). I've owned some great pins that I still really love, such as MM, AFM, MB, Tron LE, TWD, LOTR LE, AC/DC etc. but IM has been the one to maintain it's staying power with me more than any other. If I could own only one pin, it would be IM.

I have a TNA on order. I think it will have a similar adrenaline rush to IM, which is what attracted me to it.

Exactly what I wanted to hear! Can't wait.

Way more difficult than Valinor.