So I'm new to this pinball thing and recently found out about the whole Lightning flipper thing and was wondering if people here could clarify a few things.

I understand that this was a decision by Williams to increase the difficulty but is there any record of which tables were designed using Lightning flippers and which were designed using standard flippers which were then changed to Lightning flippers? I have a feeling I'd rather play using the intended flipper size.

Does anyone here have a table that they changed flipper sizes on or is it generally the concensus to keep them as they were sold, that way everyone is playing on a level playfield (pinball pun)?

The thing is, I was planning on buying my first table and it would be good if I had flippers that were similar to other games so that when I play league games I'd be familiar but I quite fancy a FT or WCS as a cheap beginner table but maybe if I changed the flippers to standard it'd be better for my 'training'?

The tables that have Lightning flippers that I know of are: FT, BSD, DW, WCS. Are there others?

#2 12 years ago

XXX

Craigmack

Pinside member

12y 42,800 305

WCS never had lightning flippers. Black Rose was designed and shipped with them.

#3 12 years ago

JDR

Jdawg4422

Inactive member

Scottsdale, AZ

12y 42,900 787 6

popeye has them as well.

#4 12 years ago

JIM

McCune

Inactive member

12y 0 4,949

So does Fish tales and BSD

Jim

#5 12 years ago

JRE

jespo_19

Pinside member

13y 57,800 832

i don't think wcs has lightning flippers, at least the one i had didn't, but i don't think those were on there.

#6 12 years ago

JEF

jeffc

Pinside member

12y 91,550 2,168

#used part number part name used on games
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 20-9734-5 flipper euro w/shaft white Popeye, WH2O
6 20-9734-6 flipper euro w/shaft yellow BSD, DW, FT
3 20-9734-7 flipper euro w/shaft black BR

From a parts search at:
http://www.moll.no/pinball/parts/index.php

http://www.moll.no//pinball/parts/index.php?part=flipper%20euro&mach[ALL]=1

#7 12 years ago

909

chocky909

Pinside member

London

12y 45,150 1,286 1 6

I mentioned WCS becuse I recently watched a PAPA video by Keith Johnson and he said he was playing with lightning flippers. Do they sometimes change the flippers in competition to make it harder?

http://vimeo.com/36947208

#8 12 years ago

TOM

tomdotcom

Pinside member

Kamloops, BC

15y 112K 6,198 2

Yes alot of the tourney games have all kinds of things done to them. ie Wide open outlanes, lightning flips, no extra balls, hardest rules, bouncy new rubber, tight tilts, etcetc

#9 12 years ago

909

chocky909

Pinside member

London

12y 45,150 1,286 1 6

That's cool. So does anyone here change the flippers to make their home tables easier or harder?

#10 12 years ago

BRO

pinball_customs

Pinball Customs

12y 69,550 3,450

Quoted from tomdotcom:
Yes alot of the tourney games have all kinds of things done to them. ie Wide open outlanes, lightning flips, no extra balls, hardest rules, bouncy new rubber, tight tilts, etcetc

I can agree with turning off extra balls and opening up the outlanes, but isn't swapping the flippers kinda changing how the game plays? That should be against the rules, IMO (I'm not a big tourney player though so what do I know).

#11 12 years ago

MVM

markmon

Inactive member

Hillsboro, OR

13y 98,300 13,010 21 81

I swapped my lightening flippers in bsd with regular blood red ones.

#12 12 years ago

JON

jonnyo

Pinside member

Oakland, CA

14y 57,150 2,873

OP
Quoted from chocky909:
That's cool. So does anyone here change the flippers to make their home tables easier or harder?

Definitely some do. Lighting flippers does make the game significantly tougher, especially combined with a tight tilt and other things that make the game hard.

For perspective, my best game of BSD with lighting flippers is about 1.8B. With regular flippers it's 3.4 Billion, and that was only the 3rd time I had played that particular BSD, whereas the 1.8B was after literally about 200 games.

You referenced the PAPA video - I believe they also put lightning flippers on an Attack from Mars for competition play.

#13 12 years ago

KED

iepinball

Pinside+ Frequent

13y 84,550 656 9 1

My LOTR has lightning flippers on it right now, among other modifications. You could almost call it LOTR: PAPA Style. The Orange County Pinball League members are going to get their asses kicked on it this Sunday

#14 12 years ago

HLT

herg

LED OCD

13y 110K 5,551

I'd rather see them put lightning flippers on a game than remove the outlane posts as I've seen them do. I guess if ball times are too long for the A-division players in tournaments, they have to do something.

Anyway, my Fish Tales had one lightning flipper and one regular on it when I bought it. I wanted lightning on it, so I bought new ones. Both of the replacements broke in less than 100 games. I'd still like lightning on it, but I'm NOT spending more money on crappy reproduction parts until I can confirm they have worked out the quality problem.

#15 12 years ago

AAW

Firebaall

Inactive member

Regina, SK

12y 61,150 1,741 4 9

Fish Tales wasn't designed for, or meant to have lightning flippers installed. They were put on as a result of a whiny frenchman that had too much influence with Williams. He demanded they be installed for his overseas market, to reduce gametime.

Williams only installed them on the American machines, because they were overstocked on them. If you want your FT original, install regular flippers!

5 years later

#16 6 years ago

BDP

bdPinball

Silverballs

8y 42,900 616

#17 6 years ago

CPC

CraigC

Pinside member

Elmhurst, IL

11y 63,600 1,443 31

FT plays better with lightning flippers; the game is just too easy without them.

BSD, on the other hand would be brutal with 2 king kong flippers, so I switched lightnings back to standard. I find that I suck less and enjoy the game more instead of sobbing in a pool of my own tears. I have no shame.

the Barry Ourslanes on BSD and DH are just mean. the ball hits that exposed wood and instantly drops with no chance for nudging.

sigh.

-c

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