Don't know... I have a Star Trek pro and the head decals are fine.
When I say easy, I was able to peal it off with a little force. Not enough that I was worried it would rip.
Easy fix and I'm happy.

Do you think you could spray the super 77 on something like a Qtip and just apply to the edge? Only the very edge of my decal is peeling, and I am reluctant to peel it off further.

I thought about doing that but decided to just do the whole thing. No way it's going to fall off now.

Ive been running a propane heater and fog machine in my basement for weeks now to see if my decals peel. Ill keep you all posted.

I have a TWD premium that has the head decals coming off. Sucks but I have new decals and all I could think was that I am grateful that the back box doesn't have the bolt heads like the older backboxes do, that would make it much more difficult to replace them. As for now, I'm just leaving them the way they are until I get around to fixing them.

Holy crap no kidding. Lol.

Oh, I wasn't meaning to criticize your decal....just offering a solution for other with Stern decal issues. Super 77 works wonders!

Oh I know, was just messing around. Seriously though, some people did have issues with mine, and others didn't, and I have no clue what the important variable was. They were all printed on the same paper, so you have to think it was something about application method, humidity, contamination on the machine, something.

I wonder if you just do the edges, will the center then show bubbles when it starts to peel? my guess is to do what dug did and peel the whole thing and spray glue it. That's what I will do with mine. I checked mine after reading this thread the last couple days, and sure enough they are starting to peel around the edges. Build date 4/17/15 - new style backbox.

Maybe, but peeling it all the way back when it is not peeling in those places already makes me very, very nervous.

dorky-nerd-wig.jpg

Just spray what's already peeling and stick it on

This is the key post in the thread. While it's ok to vent once in a while, the fact remains that that Stern stands behind their products and will remedy it. Try to work with Stern first before going to the interwebs, and then post about the problem + solution afterwards for everyone's education. Anything short of that is bitching just to bitch.

there's nothing wrong with informing people about a problem.
...ever...

not on pinside...no...way. Never.

Sounds good. Id like to inform you all about this problem where people are excessively bitching about super small problems all the time here.

What's your solution?

Fix it yourself and absolve the manufacturer of all responsibility.

hehehehe....

That honestly is a bit of good advice. While people are busy waiting for the manufacture to do something about it, those that fix it themselves are instead enjoying their games.

I'd expect this poor quality 10 years ago when pinball was on a major decline. With so much competition, it won't be long before buyers decide to start spending their money with companies that DO care about quality.

I agree. I also think this is not a SMALL problem. This is bullshit. Should not happen.

Neither should an unacceptable manufacturing delay on the hobbit which you seem to have one of in your current collection, but hey, shit happens.

Then people would call support and their distributor...

Let's not get high on ourselves... The only change we can actually confirm is the addition of the useless throne to the pro

Yea. It's inconceivable that problems got solved before Pinside.

this is what i heard when reading that hehehehe....

inconceivable-1.png

Yes. Lots of examples posted on pinside. I've experienced this first hand.

ps. hope no one looks at my MMRLE repair kit thread
if they did, i'd be in deeper doo doo than usual...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mmr-nib-repair-kit

The issue does need to be resolved by Stern, just pointing out that Pinsiders need to make an effort to do it in a constructive way. This is not the first decal peeling thread, and the OP didn't ask for help, so what was the point if not to be negative?

CF - This proves it is impossible for you to post in any thread without bashing Hobbit, even in completely unrelated topics.

Stating facts isn't bashing

Edit----Please tell me where I "bash hobbit" in these threads......waiting......

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-demo-man-on-steroids#post-2722068
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/kevin-gaskins-made-it-right-lottery-for-free-shaker-motor
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/buying-an-expensive-watch-need-help#post-2719471
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-for-sale-huo-twd-pro-4700#post-2720924
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-williams-aztec-free
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-huo-metallica-monsters-premium/page/2#post-2710530
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/4-bands-1-machine#post-2705777
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinfidelity-speakers-glass-rattles-how-to-lower-bass#post-2705028
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-there-a-new-woz-code-update-coming#post-2704173
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/thanks-to-trilogybeer-for-some-awesome-pingulps#post-2697855

When paying close to 8k for this stuff, this kind of stuff is unacceptable. it's not a minor problem either. Should be resolved by the company. If you want to charge ridiculous prices, you have to own up to problems that show up.

Look everyone... When 2 people from Wisconsin (wherever that is ) agree about a pinball topic, ya know it's got to be a real thang. At least that's the only lesson I've ever learned from pinside.

Yea thats a great argument. You should have your game in storage while you fight this or with stern and the distributor for a few weeks. In the meantime, anyone else can grab some spray glue, fix the game in 5 or so minutes and be enjoying it while you're battling it out.

And this logic applies to all other simple problems and tweaks needed for new games.

Also, what you paid is irrelevant. It doesn't matter if it's $200 or $20,000 it should be right. It's not like a $4000 game is ok to have peeling decals but because you paid $8000 you're entitled to better. I'm so tired of hearing what someone paid as if it matters. If you don't like the prices you have to pay, don't buy the product. Definitely stop using it as some sort of entitlement crutch.

If someone buys something from me and has problems then I will bend over backwards to help fix it. But if they start with some crap about "I paid a lot" then I'm already done with this person. They can just return it for a refund or I'll wait an extra week to respond.

To me, if I spend a lot of money, do I want peeling decals? No. I also don't want loose connections and other issues. But, hey, it's pinball, so if the game comes with a loose connection, I'll plug it back in and not expect Stern to send me a new machine. What I do expect is great customer service. So, if I have a loose connection, Stern should be on the phone with me if I need the help, help me identify which connection it is, and let me know what to do. From what I've heard, Stern does this.

With the decals, do I expect a new back box? No. But, given how this is not an isolated issue, I want Stern to issue a bulletin telling people what adhesive to use to fix it and the best way to prep the surface and apply the decal. They haven't done that, and when I called, they didn't know what to tell me in terms of adhesive. I haven't tried calling back since there have been more complaints, so I cut them a bit of slack. But, I think what Stern should do is make a repair kit that they can send to people with adhesive, an applicator and instructions. At a minimum, know what to tell people. And, in the future, they need to figure out the issue so it doesn't keep happening.

The peeling decals seem less like a "quality control issue" and more of a "defect", which simply happens. Fortunately, this isn't a major issue and won't require sanding/filling/peeling etc etc. get to it soon, and get some spray glue on there and you'll have no issues ever again.

When it happens over and over again it is no longer a defect, it is a QC issue on Stern's part for continuing to use a defective product.

So far for me no decal faults but as of now.... these were Nib bought by me this year. ..Tron had the upper flipper totally not moving at all, had to disassemble and adjust a few times to get working, the Clu light socket was not cutting through to the wires.
Met pro top post was catching the balls and when cycling for missing it would throw it on the plastic next to sparky almost every time ..adjust the post a lot and bend metal rail abit to correct. .further inspection shows me a flaw in the hole for post. Just NOT trimmed out properly.
Ironman middle monger spinner rail was so over bent it wouldn't allow the ball to pass when it paused it for multi ball.
Tdw premium walker head was and still is far from proper adjustment. .disabled barn doors fir now. .maybe that's nicpicking idk
ST pro some light problems. .nothing crazy but hell might as well while we're taking about it. .lol
That's some stuff that shouldn't have passed QC IMO..
The plus i guess is I've learned about how they work lol! Oh wait that's right. ..I'm mad

You keep on buying them though!

It may be less about cheaper glue and more about EPA guidelines and the new glues that are "safe" Just don't adhere like the older "cancerous" ones.

I have not purchased a Stern, yet... This thread does make me wonder if I ever will. A couple years ago I bought a routed RoadShow and cleaned it all up and it runs great. Probably put $25 in parts in it to get it back to perfect operating order. Main thing damaged was the Ted's bulldozer. It is a 20 year old machine that after many many years of life and play, it still works great. 100 plays on a Stern and it is already breaking

I know right! It's the old. ..don't buy and things will change. .

I'm not one of those kind of haters though, should they leave the factory like that. .no, not at all, but they are fun of course and dang. ..once you start collecting it's addictive!

If i only had endless money, but alas. .I'll save and sell off my musical equipment i guess. .just not all of it!

Could be epa guidelines. ..I can say from experience in hvac that the rules change often. People think the old freon cools better than the newer puron..

Buying a new one depends on how much you like the theme i suppose. .no one wants major problems from the get go though but i guess it depends on how people define (big or small) issues.

when you have unjustified price increases. You expect to get something for your ass rape. When you go from NIB shipped prices in 2007 at $3400 to my door, for a full complete game and now charge close to 8k just 8 years later. You are looking at close to a 300% price increase in 8 years. Which the price you paid for games in the 70's all the way through to 2007 wasn't even 300% increase through the history of pinball. You really expect something more, to justify that hard core increase. Quality should be the easiest thing.

On the same token, how far will you say it's acceptable to fix it yourself? If you get a NIB game and one of the inserts is missing. Is that acceptable to bitch? After all, it's a 1.40 fix. Just buy an insert and glue it in. Why say anything at all. Or maybe they forgot to put return springs on all the coils. Cheap fix. Why not. Stern can send me a baggie with 15 return springs in, and I can spend the weekend putting them in. Or maybe they forgot to put rubber in the game. or bulbs. Or there isn't any springsteel flaps on a ramp that's suppose to have it. When do you finally say....this is bullshit. Or you just want to piss away your free time fixing and repairing shit, that you shouldn't have, after shelling out for something that you could spend that same money and buy 4 dependable cars with?

This is super irrelevant. If you feel the prices are too high then don't buy. It's clear that you are not getting anything extra for the price. What you do get is clearly advertised. The right to be a cry baby in a forum isn't included in the price

If the inserts are missing, I cannot do a good job replacing those and clear coating the playfield again. Further, that would take more time than hassling it out with stern.

But all the other things you listed I would fix myself in a few minutes. Light bulbs, rubbers, coil springs. I have them all here. It's way quicker to just replace them and enjoy my game than start a forum rant, play phone tag with stern support and my distributor, and then wait for decisions to be made and parts to be shipped.

And btw, I hardly think you can get a "dependable car" for 1/4 the cost of a stern pin. Cars under $2k are all trash and used up. But, if you even have thoughts like this then it's probably best for you not to buy the stern game.

1978 - $1800 for a KISS pin, equals $6,579 in today's dollars.

2015 - I can buy a KISS Pro for $4800 shipped.

Everyone should decide for themselves which is the better value.....

Super 77 is not acid free.I personally called the company.After 20 mins on hold.They came back with a "It is not acid free".

"Centerflank" recommends this
"That Helmar V2 vellum is acid free (wife's scrapbooking supplies) so it doesn't deteriorate any of the surfaces it is bonding to".

The acid could eat up the vinyl decal.Centerflank recommended the V2 spray for my Clear Tron disc that I got from him.Acid spray on pinball machines is not recommended.

Have you repaired decal peeling on a Stern? Maybe just share your method instead of berating those that find it a bigger deal than you do.

One might argue that it was a different market back then. In 1978 pinball was hot, arcade games were barely taking off, and routing pinball was profitable (and people rarely bought games NIB). Heck, I think pac-man machines were like $3k back in the day, it surely didn't cost anywhere near that to produce, but they knew they could sell them because you could make your money back in like 3 weeks.

Stern is selling half their production to home buyers, there is no profit to be made, it's strictly a high end toy to buyers on this forum. I think people have higher expectations, especially in a world where manufacturing flaws are highly visible. In 1978, it was also common for 1 out of 10 automobiles to have an issue straight off the factory floor. Today with six sigma, other than recalls, cars are nearly issue free from production.