Not all "20 year old games" are created equal.

If you put the effort into finding what you want you can find examples of IJ: TBA that rival any modern SS Stern Machine.
NO 20 year old Stern machine can make that claim.
Stern pinball machines use poor quality construction, softer metal, poorly spot welded ramps that are not even solid construction, improper quality light boards, and the list goes on and on.
These were all cost saving measures.
Quality control is suspect now.
The last time Stern's QC was tighter was in the early 1980s.
If you wonder why nobody wants a Striker Xtreme, its not because of its theme.
Most want a WMS IJ, because the game has depth, plays well, and is not a nightmare to maintain.
Its built like a tank, and I have owned mine since 1998.
There are many worse technical maintenance games in the WMS/BLY repertoire.

The last NIB box game I bought from Stern was LOTR in 2004, and it was my last.
I was actually HELPING Stern fix their game based on all sorts of engineering oversights and programming code.
It was a not a code mess like WoO from Jersey Jack, but there is a reason the "second run" and "limited run" were better for LOTR.

In 10 years, MET will be falling apart.
In 10 years, IJ: TBA will still be running, even though it is 3X the age of MET.

How do I know this?
Look at Guns and Rose from Data East for example.
Good ruleset, good game play, good music, and most are completely trashed now, due to manufacturer and people "moving on".
The construction has not aged well and parts are hard to come by even with repos.
Stern's QC is worse than DE.

This is called the aspect to "Agree to disagree"
25+ years as an operator, technician, and collector, differs my perspective of Stern game quality.
Stern's quality was good in the early 1980s, same as the Early Bally era (80-84).
MUCH BETTER than Gottlieb with its System 80 board and connector issues, lack of grounding on certain games, and even proper solid state design based on game flaws that were recognized IMMEDIATELY after the games hit the ground to operators.

I have watched too many people come and go in this hobby to get into arguments.

WE NEED PEOPLE TO PROVIDE MORE REPRODUCTION AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT.

Stern continues to struggle to maintain a new market with different management strategies.
Operators consist of less than 30% of their original numbers from the early 2000s alone.
Properly trained pinball techicians are covering multiple state county's just to maintain machines.
Tech knowledge is being lost for some types of manufacturers.

I keep noticing patterns on Pinside since my return and most "old timers" agree, if they even post any more.
Most do not post for very specific reasons.
This whole forum keeps getting filled with whining.
There is an opportunity here for people to learn, or just epeen all day.

Did I refer to the machine being "tank" because of weight?
I never said that.
Not all WMS/BLY widebody machines were problematic.
People need to know the "Achilles heels" and be cognisant.

STTNG? Yes, because it requires much more maintenance than others, and operators were lazy with techs, the design is fine.

TZ? Yes, some things were initially over complicated, and technicians were unskilled in some cases.
I personally did not really see any major issues, because I did my tech runs weekly.
You did not start to see the ball sensor issues until a few years, the gumball machine assembly got fixed with the added plastic tab, and the Power MPF was corrected in design from samples.

Road Show? No, turn off the $%#%ing shaker motor, to prevent issues. #1 reason for problems. Its not the "eddy boards".

Judge Dredd? Sort off, the Dead World ball locking mechanics were flawed in game design, but fixed on the final part of the run.
That was the ONLY problem with this game.

Demo Man? No, there is nothing really that goes wrong, as it its just standard opto/switch maintenance, which requires LIFTING THE PLAYFIELD, again operator laziness with sending their techs. The claw mech is not a source of problems. Nor is the lift mech for the claw. EVERYTHING is accessible.

Indiana Jones? Yes, if not checked for a LONG time. The PoA opto board and corrections are not maintenance friendly.
The locking idol is simple, the rotor lock sometimes breaks. There were parts issues with this game about 10+ years after introduction now corrected.

Corvette? Depends on opinion. Personally, I thought parts of the game were not the most well designed with the engine locks and racetrack. Engineering could have been better.

Popeye? Yes, the dual level playfield was not the best in terms of accessibility even though it was a latecomer, just not a well understood game. Parts still seem hard to come by. Just not that popular. Some people had problems with the right side spinning wheel.

Cabinet issues?
Eight Ball Champ, 1985.
(Bally-Midway)
The cabinet was COMPLETE crap made out of particle board NOT plywood, but was the right thickness.

The message I am sending here, is that there are many "old timers", and I would prefer to help, hence, I will stick the tech posts in the future.

My error, thinking of another machine.
Happens with "old age" I guess.

I have always been the "same person".
The same name for those that were highly active in RGP. Google will find me. The collector with the "dinner plate sized BK2K tattoo on his back".

Most people in the industry back from the 90s-00s know of me, and I dealt with most of the distributors in the PNW, parts suppliers, manufacturers, or resellers at some point. I also tested sample games. I lived all over the world. Retired from military service a couple years ago. Activity in pinball was impossible due to repetitive combat tours. Done now.

The "Early Ballys".
There is nothing like having a full line-up.

EBD, Xenon, Centaur, Medusa, Fathom, Embryon, Vector, Elektra, Skateball, Spectrum. Maybe a little Hot Doggin' as well.

Partial to Paragon myself, but slightly different "era" per say.

True collectors items of the golden days of pinball art.