Quoted from Daximus:Hi guys!
So I finally pulled the trigger on my first pin. Purchased on eBay and had it shipped from Denver to Montana. Just got it all set up and I'm noticing a few things. I need your help to figure out if these things are just normal or something that I should be upset about. The description of the pin was:
"Stargate Pinball Machine. Condition is used Really cool gottlieb stargate pinball machine fully serviced plays fast smooth does have some minor ware shown in pics has a very very nice cabinet new rubbers some leds etc. great game upgrade you man cave today buyer must set up shipping i can assist getting machine prepped safely wrapped etc"
Full listing with images here: ebay.com link » Stargate Pinball Machine
Some of it seems minor but some of it definitely seems like a "fully serviced" machine shouldn't have. I opened the glass and started to check everything...this is what I found on a cursory glance.
1) First ball right out of the gate got stuck in cage/ramp on a screw that was the wrong size blocking the ball path. Ok I can fix that easily, but annoying.
2) The flippers are SUPER loose. They all have a ton of play and the right one wasn't even tightened on the screw so it was even worse.
3) One of the drop targets isn't working (intermittent at best)...not a buried one...one of the main ones front and center on the play field
4) Both slingshots rarely work...need to adjust/clean?
5) By "some Led's" I guess it meant only 5 and only the easily accessible ones on top of the play field.
6) Everything was dirty...ramps, play field, etc and it didn't look like the dust had been disturbed on the under/inside of the machine.
7) The glider has a ton of wear as it looks like the pyramid isn't lifting high enough so it's scratching it.
Balls are a bit worn
Other than those issues it plays pretty well overall and I'm super excited. Am I being overly critical or should I be upset about some of this stuff?
Thanks,
Dax
Fortunately, these all sound like mechanical issues that are easily resolved. Give it a good cleaning and adjust the switches in test mode. This is just the chance you take when you have a pin shipped sight unseen. I have always bought my games in person, but next time you could either be patient and wait for something within driving distance, or I have seen cases of Pinsiders that are local to the game going to check out a game on someone else's behalf.
Yeah, it sounds like the seller misrepresented the game a little, but nothing you listed sounds super serious. Good luck and enjoy!