(Topic ID: 212796)

Is it normal to have a new PF have planking?

By Fordiesel69

5 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    34ed96fb656ea5a36243adc9f1a57cc1bf0a6f45-1 (resized).jpg
    IMG_2549 (resized).JPG
    IMG_2548 (resized).JPG
    IMG_2547 (resized).JPG
    hurry-up-and-take-my-money (resized).jpg
    Screen Shot 2018-03-22 at 9.59.33 PM (resized).png
    business (resized).jpg
    0321181916 (resized).jpg
    0321181911b (resized).jpg
    FC038599-349B-413C-8A9D-AB62E4625B78 (resized).jpeg
    20180321_185910 (resized).jpg
    20180321_185918 (resized).jpg
    05474974-7A16-4216-BDF5-53DBBE57D050 (resized).jpeg
    1D861FE4-B8CD-4F29-BECD-0DEC5239D817 (resized).jpeg
    494919F2-C59E-4E04-AE83-1054B5E9C2A2 (resized).jpeg
    A54AF87C-B423-4D84-B5BE-312C74EEEF47 (resized).jpeg

    There are 224 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 5.
    #1 5 years ago

    When helping with the unboxing of a friends new stern, I noticed the plywood texture is very easily seen thru the artwork and clear coat. Almost how an old planked EM looks when it is worn thru but of course it is brand new so no wear has occured.

    Is this OK to leave alone and in a home use only it should be good, or is there a quality issue that may need addressed?

    I will try to get some pics to post when I go over tonight to update the game code, and of course get his permission to post further details.

    #2 5 years ago

    Can you feel the texture of the planking with your finger nail or is it smooth?

    A NIB game absolutely should not have true planking where the wood grain is raising and expanding.

    Got pics?

    #3 5 years ago

    It's not OK in my house and my complaining to Stern fell on deaf ears. Eventually sold the game at a loss because it really bothered me. Same issue is present with a couple of new AFM Remake's that I've seen.

    #4 5 years ago

    I'll have to look at my met pro pf, but I think you can see some wood texture.

    #5 5 years ago

    I have seen this before, but it is not present on my last 2 NIB purchases this past year. I know a pinside member posted about his NIB AC/DC Pro Vault that had this visual on his playfield. I do not believe it is planking, but can certainly understand why people would be upset about it.

    #6 5 years ago

    Yes you can feel the texture with a finger nail. The surface is not bothersome cosmetically, I was wondering if the durability would be an issue.

    #7 5 years ago

    This is an industry standard now. You will see this condition in a lot of NIB games from CGC and Stern. I have seen many. It seems to bother some and not others. I personally feel that if you lay down 8k on a NIB game and open the box and notice this, you should put it back in the box and send it back to the dealer!

    #8 5 years ago
    Quoted from Fordiesel69:

    Yes you can feel the texture with a finger nail. The surface is not bothersome cosmetically, I was wondering if the durability would be an issue.

    It depends on who you talk to... I guess we will see in 10 years...

    #9 5 years ago
    Quoted from Fordiesel69:

    Yes you can feel the texture with a finger nail. The surface is not bothersome cosmetically, I was wondering if the durability would be an issue.

    If you can feel the texture, it likely will wear unevenly and be an issue long-term. There's lots of crappier playfield wood being used nowadays with more pronounced grain. They like to call the effect "ribbing" but it's really more like planking-lite. Planking is usually the result of environmental conditions with the wood expanding and contracting from humidity changes. The new "ribbing" effect on current playfields is there from the start and usually not due to environmental conditions after the fact.

    It seems like more aggressively sanding the PF blanks pre-screen and clearcoat would substantially reduce or eliminate these problems, but that's just a guess. I have no idea how this became acceptable to populate and ship.

    #10 5 years ago
    Quoted from Fordiesel69:

    Yes you can feel the texture with a finger nail. The surface is not bothersome cosmetically, I was wondering if the durability would be an issue.

    I've seen some new pfs where you could see the wood grain slightly, but never one where you could feel it through the clear. Sounds like it'll wear

    #11 5 years ago

    I've seen the planking on several NIB Sterns in the past. I recall seeing ALOT of BBH with planking. Same was true on first run IM. I haven't seen it on recent Sterns, but there was a period where it seemed to be an issue.

    #12 5 years ago

    planking? or wavy clear?

    #13 5 years ago
    Quoted from TKDalumni:

    planking? or wavy clear?

    It's wood grain.

    #14 5 years ago

    I had the same thing on my CPR gold fathom Playfield. I paid to have it sanded and recleared. Ribbing is a good word for it, it looks light a light plank through the whole field, my restorer said it was an issue with the drying of their clear. It clearly wasn't in the screen and only in the clearcoat.

    #15 5 years ago
    Quoted from nikpinball:

    I had the same thing on my CPR gold fathom Playfield. I paid to have it sanded and recleared. Ribbing is a good word for it, it looks light a light plank through the whole field, my restorer said it was an issue with the drying of their clear. It clearly wasn't in the screen and only in the clearcoat.

    This is what I'm thinking it is...would help to see a pic.

    15
    #16 5 years ago

    If it's a stern it's normal. 2 kiss LEs set up in my distributors showroom were like this.
    My iron man vault was slightly woodgrain.

    My friends metallica pro led was like this as well.

    Just crap, send it back or get a replacement if you can. But more than likely it's on par with what Stern deems acceptable.

    I stopped buying after GB for all the QC issues for this and other quality reasons.

    It's sad when a 20+ year old routed pin cleaned up has a nicer playfield than a freshly opened NIB.

    #17 5 years ago

    If it was not for the sales tax to pay i think everyone should buy New out of Box and give these games a good inspection before you pay .Manufacturers will then up the QC when they get a bunch of sub par games sitting around nobody wants to pay for ,just my 2 cents

    #18 5 years ago
    Quoted from plowpusher:

    If it was not for the sales tax to pay i think everyone should buy New out of Box and give these games a good inspection before you pay .Manufacturers will then up the QC when they get a bunch of sub par games sitting around nobody wants to pay for ,just my 2 cents

    Amen! Well said.

    #19 5 years ago
    Quoted from erak:

    It's sad when a 20+ year old routed pin cleaned up has a nicer playfield than a freshly opened NIB

    Its not sad, Its an abomination!

    #20 5 years ago

    Pictures!

    #21 5 years ago

    Cpr playfield. You can see the grain through the clear. In fact, you can see the veneer seams prominently as well. This one was sanded and recleared. BE414F2C-143B-4295-A401-C44E2D44786F (resized).jpegBE414F2C-143B-4295-A401-C44E2D44786F (resized).jpeg494919F2-C59E-4E04-AE83-1054B5E9C2A2 (resized).jpeg494919F2-C59E-4E04-AE83-1054B5E9C2A2 (resized).jpegA54AF87C-B423-4D84-B5BE-312C74EEEF47 (resized).jpegA54AF87C-B423-4D84-B5BE-312C74EEEF47 (resized).jpeg1D861FE4-B8CD-4F29-BECD-0DEC5239D817 (resized).jpeg1D861FE4-B8CD-4F29-BECD-0DEC5239D817 (resized).jpeg05474974-7A16-4216-BDF5-53DBBE57D050 (resized).jpeg05474974-7A16-4216-BDF5-53DBBE57D050 (resized).jpeg

    40
    #22 5 years ago

    Here is a quote from someone who knows his stuff!

    'There are 2 effects on pf's.
    The first I call ribbed. It is on most sterns and IPB. IT is caused
    from the wood not being fully cured when it was printed and cleared.
    The ribbed look takes a couple of months to show up. It is simply
    cheap wood, that is not dry. ( I was a cabinet maker for 15 years)
    The other effect is planking. This is the actual cracking of the paint
    and clear. Your finger nails will get stuck in planking, not ribbing.
    All of my IPB pf's are ribbed for the most part, and my CPR BK is
    ribbed really bad. I have examined hundreds, maybe thousands of pf's
    and not one bally williams pf has the ribbed effect.
    There ya go kids. You would be suprised how many people confuse the 2.
    Both suck!
    ron kruzman'

    #23 5 years ago

    Thanks Ron really appreciate what you do for the hobby. Is this “ribbing” acceptable for a NIB game today in your opinion?

    #24 5 years ago
    Quoted from Shapeshifter:

    cheap wood, that is not dry

    This is the important part. Basically the crappier PF wood that's caused the epidemic of ribbed playfields is more semi-hidden cost reductions.

    #25 5 years ago

    I think we need a new word to describe this situation. RIB-GATE

    #26 5 years ago

    So people are complaining that wood looks like...wood? I hope vid1900 will share his opinion here.

    #27 5 years ago

    Not exactly. When your clear coat wood you make it look like plastic. The problem is the plastic looks like wood.

    -1
    #28 5 years ago

    Man I just don’t know what you guys are going on about. I’ve owned several newer sterns and played hundreds and I’ve never noticed any of what you are discussing.

    I think it’s a combo of better eyesight and looking too hard for problems. Everybody wants to be the one to discover the next “ghosting.”

    #29 5 years ago

    I tend to agree. Minor ribbing wouldn’t bother me too much since it is usually only noticeable if you are actively searching for it, and I doubt it will cause long term problems. Probably a variant since wood is an organic product. Ghosting, on the other hand, would bother me since it is unsightly and can definitely cause premature playfield wear.

    #30 5 years ago

    You heard Kruz Ribbed Play fields SUCK!
    Good enough for me...

    #31 5 years ago

    Buying a pf these days is like condom shopping; do you want ribbed, dimpled, or extra thin?

    #32 5 years ago

    Here's our replacement sw playfield

    Pretty much all the inserts are raised also

    20180321_185918 (resized).jpg20180321_185918 (resized).jpg

    20180321_185910 (resized).jpg20180321_185910 (resized).jpg

    10
    #33 5 years ago
    Quoted from Monster_Bash:

    Here's our replacement sw playfield
    Pretty much all the inserts are raised also

    Yikes! Now that would bother me. Forget what I said above since I obviously am wrong about this.

    #34 5 years ago

    Daaaaamnnnn......

    #35 5 years ago

    That's a Stern for you. Don't get me started again about the wonderful wood Stern uses for their cabinets and playfields.

    #36 5 years ago

    Whether this is acceptable or not to people is a personal thing, but one thing it is not is isolated. This is a common playfield finish that is not considered an error or a reason to send back a new machine. Many thousands of machines have PFs like this. Sure, avoid it if you want when buying used, but expect it in one out of every four at least new machines, and it has been like that for years.

    #37 5 years ago

    Hey Spooky owners... having playfield issues???

    #38 5 years ago
    Quoted from Skins:

    Cpr playfield. You can see the grain through the clear. In fact, you can see the veneer seams prominently as well. This one was sanded and recleared.

    That looks like ribbing on your new stern playfield.

    It shouldnt affect game play, clearcoat is pretty hard stuff, but it might collect dirt like ball tracking.
    I would try to buff down the worst parts and lay down some wax on it if you cant get a resolution.
    It might be ok after that.

    Not all commercial playfields are perfect but mostly they wear ok and settle down after a couple thousand plays.

    Framed wall art is another story.

    #39 5 years ago
    Quoted from notime2play:

    That's a Stern for you. Don't get me started again about the wonderful wood Stern uses for their cabinets and playfields.

    Yeah my worse luck was CGC AFMr it was planking not ribbing.

    #40 5 years ago

    JJP owners any issues? Mine were both great!

    #41 5 years ago
    Quoted from Onwallst:

    Yeah my worse luck was CGC AFMr it was planking not ribbing.

    Did you send in a ticket or contact the distributor?

    13
    #42 5 years ago

    Here we go again. Can we just wait a few days and let stern update their manuals to say planking is normal on pfs next to the ghosting is normal text.

    #43 5 years ago
    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    Here we go again. Can we just wait a few days and let stern update their manuals to say planking is normal on pfs next to the ghosting is normal text.

    I think ghosting is a problem as the clear hasnt bonded to the inserts. It will ultimately shatter and crater off.
    I would replace the playfield for ghosting.

    For ribbing, you never know it could shrink down after awhile with the ball rolling on it. My car clear took a year to finally cure to rock hard.

    17
    #44 5 years ago
    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    Here we go again. Can we just wait a few days and let stern update their manuals to say planking is normal on pfs next to the ghosting is normal text.

    Page 2, Paragraph 4

    “Your playfield may have the appearance of 2003 Bea Arthur’s skin. This is normal.”

    #45 5 years ago
    Quoted from Onwallst:

    JJP owners any issues? Mine were both great!

    Chipping on Dialed In, but I haven't seen ribbing on any of their playfields.

    12
    #46 5 years ago
    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    Here we go again. Can we just wait a few days and let stern update their manuals to say planking is normal on pfs next to the ghosting is normal text.

    Here we go again?

    This has been going for years and “thousands of machines” and nobody has noticed or cared.

    My guess is that playfield looks and plays fine when your eyeball isn’t 3 inches away from the wood with bright light shining directly on it.

    #47 5 years ago

    Ribbed for your pleasure

    #48 5 years ago
    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    Here we go again. Can we just wait a few days and let stern update their manuals to say planking is normal on pfs next to the ghosting is normal text.

    I was told that the ghosting and chipping is mostly due to the clearcoat being too hot (of a reaction for the curing), and that using slower cure gives better results. They're using fast clear curing and it's causing the chipping and ghosting problems seen in the last 4 or 5 years.

    #49 5 years ago

    FC038599-349B-413C-8A9D-AB62E4625B78 (resized).jpegFC038599-349B-413C-8A9D-AB62E4625B78 (resized).jpeg

    -4
    #50 5 years ago
    Quoted from PinMonk:

    Chipping on Dialed In, but I haven't seen ribbing on any of their playfields.

    Its’s impossible to see any playfield defects in normal play, because the game is so dark. I really can’t believe they’re still using the same lighting system as they did in WoZ.

    There are 224 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 5.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-it-normal-to-have-a-new-pf-have-planking and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.