I have an SE and love it. I was happy to just get one!!!

I feel the same way. It’s a great game with a deep rule set.

The double-stick tape on my siderails wasn't adhering from day one. You can push on the sides and feel the rails flex slightly. I'd never seen that on any other pin, from any year. When I mentioned it to JJP they asked for pics and then sent me a new set of rails which seemed like overkill since all mine needed was new/more tape, but whatever, now I have a second set of LE siderails. On a side note, I've since checked other POTC and found they also have the issue with siderails not sticking.

Gotta agree with the consensus ... the SE is amazing.

On another note, is anyone finding that the wizard mode for the red (Maelstrom) movie is a bit easy? I have started that wizard mode three times and have finished it the last two times without a problem ... and I am not nearly as good a player as most here.

How do you all rank the wizard modes in POTC from least to most difficult to complete?

Do you all find that some are much more valuable that others?

You're a better player than I am. I've never been able to start that one. I've come one shot away a couple of times, so I couldn't tell you if it's easy to beat. I've only been able to start 2 wizard modes - On Stanger Tides and Dead Mans Chest. I haven't been able to beat either one.

I'd say OST and DMC are both easier to start because the qualify shots are the easiest. COTBP is the hardest because it forces you to make that cannon shot, which is a challenge for me. I find that the shots to Maelstorm and the BT are tough because the ball likes to drain when I miss those. So my ranks for starting difficulty are:
OST
DMC
AWE
DMTNT
COTBP

Thought I'd show a new mod I've been working on..it's a lighted interactive skull. The skull lights when the center arrow at the bottom of the malestrom light comes on. It can easily be adapted to light off any insert in the game. It is utilizing the Rock Custom Pinball Game on technology. Took me just a few mins to install, plug and play. It will be up on our site shortly.

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The Terminator!

My kraken would eat it.

Ehh, not quite, Terminator is silver.

That might look cool actually. it can be mounted anywhere over a pf screw.

Wish this had been announced just a bit sooner. Would have put it over the maelstrom switch to hide the black plastic. That’s where you should market it. Also if it was piratey looking with a white bleached skull and a pirate hat or bandana with beads with a missing tooth that would be awesome. Everyone loves a critic! Sorry! Awesome mod though.

I can do white too (and terminator silver for Harry), thought blacked blended in better. I’ll consider other mounting spots, it’s easily movable. Nice that it gives an interactive indicator for the ramp.

It is nice. Good that you modders are still doing stuff for this pin. I thought you had all moved on to Wonka and Star Wars the Pin.

Appreciate your work in doing cool stuff for this amazing machine.

Thanks! I’ve started on mods for wonka, have an interactive spinning wonkavator coming soon.

Alright darn it, long day at work, hit the gym and drank a beer. Cliffys came the other day and were having a party Saturday so I gotta get motivated and get em installed. What are we talking here - 2hrs and 2 more beers?

I do all that kind of work sans beer, sadly...

Don't wanna mess this shit up!

Depends on how comfortable you are working with all of this, if you have all your tools already, and if you've removed the Black Pearl before.

3 beers.

If you can put washers under sling posts under BP ramp, put washers under starmap posts and under posts near bumpers. If you have Mylar put that in the star map area.

Hmm... black pearl wirings so clean underneath it seems like a shame to start cutting zip ties on that - she’s never been off - plus I have a slight t-nut edge to grind.... couple more sips and I’ll decide what to do.

cut the zip ties. Eat more Beer! (sorry wrong game)

Shouldn't you be drinking rum! Arrrrrr!

I only have the starpost neoprene washers from the kit left.... think I’ll bag the map protector tonight and just do Tortuga and rollovers. The pop skirt covers the deflector screws pretty much, and I feel a head change. Dang - looks like spinning jacks gotta come off.

The ones in the kit are hard nylon. Not neoprene.

Done and done... no problemo. Actually the Tortuga hole and rollovers looked great but having the cliffys just feels better. No need to remove Tom, just wedge a Phillips under the pop skirt and the screws come out easy. Thanks guys

I need some advice: Can you make the Bayou shot on your machine? I can only backhand it from the left flipper and just if I let go of the upper flipper at the right timing. It's very hard. Never made a shot from the right flipper on purpose. Never! During multiball it's very hard to get the superjackpot.

I was also wandering if I should change the levelling of my machine. So right now it should be at 6.7. But it's hard to get controll of the balls at the lower flipper. For example: Balls exiting the left scoop fly over the left flipper (if I keep it up) onto the right slingshot. I saw streams where it nicely jumps to the right flipper.

Or I watched the fantastic "28 Million" stream and realized that he can stop the ball when it comes down from the upper playfield. On my machine the ball is returning too fast so that I cannot stop it.

So is my machine too steep already at 6.7? Or do I have to go a bit steeper?

Thanks for your opinion.

Mine is at 6.5. Any steeper and multiball was no fun for me. It’s your machine you make it what you want. Check that you’re left upper flipper is the correct angle. A full plunge should reach the middle of the right bottom flipper. If it drains then undo the nut for the flipper and adjust. Also when you’re doing the loops holding the flipper up should then have the ball hit the gold. With the depths my ball usually ends up hitting the sling or bounces back to the left flipper. You can turn down the VUK a bit.

Hope this helps. My other machines are steeper. I just found this was draining too much on multiballs when above 6.5.

Oh and I always backhand into Bayou. But it’s easy to do.

Good luck!

When we set it up we had the back legs all the way out as we would normally do on any game. However, it was 7.9 degrees.

When we set up a friends, my tech said the game is designed so the back legs are almost all the way down. That's what I had to do is lower my back legs almost to the bottom and it's now 6.5 degrees.. Still might make it just a little steeper to 6.7 ...jury is still out.

I love that the legs are such that it should be 6.5 sitting 'flat'. It would be nice if everyone designed this way.

Great point

Thanks for your feedback. So I might need to check the upper left flipper and adjust it. I will also go back to 6.5 as it's too fast right now.

I just wish if they did they'd move the bolt holes down about 3/4" so a standard pinball dolly could slide under it without lifting the machine front.

I had to raise my front legs a little to get my penguin dolly underneath

I had this issue from day one on my LE too, but didn't think to contact JJP. It bothered me at first (my first and only NIB -- lots of other issues to work through but well worth the effort), but I forgot about it until just now.

I kept pushing on mine and eventually they got solid. I guess the adhesive took a while to cure or something.

Mine is still like this but I haven't tried to secure them in case I decide to paint or PC the hardware (someday

Tried that and it would stick for a day or so, but eventually pull away. For now I'm just ignoring it.

Decided on the tilt graphics kraken blades. They look really good but the cabinet is so tight they get holes or mucked up when you lift the play field.

Anyone able to make the action button more reliable? Mine seems to stick a lot.

Buy the stern one from Marco. Don’t look back.

Mine had problems with the glass contacting it. I put new pads between the lockdown bar and the glass, and JJP sent me a new button as it was loose and would not tighten. When I replaced the button, I found that my button was actually broken in half.

Button works perfectly now.

I added just a very, very small amount of white lithium grease to the mechanism and it solved all of my sicking issues.

Jeff

This game does improve your skills. Before I was doing inlane passes by just keeping the flipper held up, but with the depths shoot out, have the flipper open as it starts to roll over the left flipper, then drop it. That way the ball doesn’t rollover the end of the raised flipper towards the sling, it gets a slight bump towards the other flipper.

Tortuga Ron
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My SE got some new trim, just need a few more mods and shes done. Topper, lighted starfield, spinning pop bumper and artblades. New leg bolts and levelers on it's way as well.
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I got a replacement sent to me by JJP, problem free since.

Looks good Marcdaddy

Looks golden ponyboy! Awesome work.

Or maybe it got tired of you constantly Poking at it! lol

I’ve heard of people leaning against the washing machine on its spin cycle....

This never gets old, by far the best mod to a pirates, literally makes the game better, as you clearly know when to shoot the trunk.

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Played WOZ earlier and then played JJPOTC tonight. I think WOZ is great game ... but JJPOTC is in another league altogether. IMHO, all of the current top five games pale in comparison and I have owned a number of them. It is just so much fun. Very satisfying shots.

I totally agree @statsdoc , I have both a woz - love it!... and I have an le pirates - best game out there imo