... in combination with the shaker motor, the hammar is a showstopper!

I had METLE for over two years and loved it. Value went up to the point where I couldn't justify the differences between the LE and the pro, so I sold the LE and bought the pro. I used the extra $2K for spending $ on an upcoming vacation. I love the pro just as much (I don't miss the hammer, up/down cross, snake jaw). The only differences I really liked on the LE was the color-changing inserts and spinners.

@Damien, I think you're over-thinking this. There's a reason MET pro has been in production for so long: Great art, great sounds, great toys, amazing rules. Once you fully understand the process for reaching the Crank It Up modes and the way to collect the items without actually hitting those items over and over, you will have a better appreciation of the genius of these rules and the strategies to get to the CIU's, EOTL, and the ways to cash in big with multipliers in those modes.

I've owned SM and LOTR, as well. MET has much better rules than SM, and EOTL in MET is much more achievable than Valinor. Although I haven't reached EOTL, I've come very close. I never came close to Valinor.

If you're worried you'll be disappointed, you can always find a buyer for MET.

If you didn't miss the snake jaw I'd argue you weren't using it to it's maximum. Being able to lock the ball in their is huge. Plus not having the ball going in and out of the snake all the time when it's not lit for anything annoys the heck out of me.

Maybe I'm weird. I play a pro (in league) nearly as often as I do my LE and I VERY much prefer the Prem/LE. The color changing inserts are very helpful as well.

This one just comes down to your pocket book. If you can comfortably afford a Prem/LE then it's the route to go but if that extra $$$ is going to make things uncomfortable then you'll be almost as happy with a Pro. Can't really go wrong with either.

I like the ball going in and out of the jaw rather than bashing the closed jaw. The Pro still locks a ball during add-a-ball 2x scoring, but only for the 20 secs of 2x.

I can comfortably afford a Prem/LE. After experiencing the LE features for two years, the extra $2k was more valuable to me for the vacation, and I still get to experience a MET.

As you said, can't go wrong with either.

And an external sub!!! BOOOOMMM!!!!!

Hey guys.
I've been busy adding various mods to my new premium. I just love this pin so much!. It is so much fun. And I love the art package. The cabinet, playfield, the DMD animations, it just looks fantastic!. And now that I've added the power bladez I am absolutely stoked. I can't recommend this pin enough.
Here are a few pics, including the power bladez, the blue hammer LED, and the 2D/3D snake mod.
Metal!!!

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Are the power blades lit up with the blacklight system? I can't see the light rails.

Thanks man!

They are activated by audio. There is a sensitivity knob on the power supply

Yeah a 12 or 15 inch.

Where are the lights mounted? I have these same pinblades, but no ligthing. That looks incredible!

I have no idea, I wouldn't, myself, buy a pro. Personal opinion but I like " all the other stuff". Even if it doesn't flow as well.

They're the power bladez. No mounted lights

I’ve a MET pro and SMVE. Both are fun.

I’ve never made the wizard mode in SMVE (completed the mini wizard multiple times). Made it to EOL on MET a few times, but never completed. I’d call SMVE more difficult in that respect.

Kids are attracted to the comic book art of SMVE and are familiar with the characters from the animated shows. Sparky riding the lightning is a big hit with kids - which tends to be a spectator sport rather than when playing.

Of the games I have, SMVE, WH2O & WW are played more than MET by the teen & under crowd. A MM or MMr draws the biggest kid crowds at a friend’s house (beating out TSPP).

Multi ball modes have a higher frequency in SMVE ( black suit & doc ock) which is always exciting for casual & younger players.

SMVE is both a casual & approachable game. I consider MET more of a players’ game if that makes any sense. I’m not a huge fan of their music but the game is a great player.

Finally, MET would be the first machine I’d rotate out (I’m at the 4 pin limit now), simply from the fact there have been so many METs produced (both MET & SMVE were NIB).

It’d be much easier to get a hold of in the future compared to the other three (WH2O, WW & SMVE).

https://www.pingraffix.com/copy-of-pinaprons-tm

I have been watching alot of video on the premium and i really like the light show and the spinners....the hammer not so much. I wanna talk about the hammer for a minute though. I have heard that the hammer is almost always tore up and not working on Metallica. Is that true and if it is why isnt it reliable?

I have never had a single issue with my hammer and it's a very cool feature. I think a lot of that talk is from pro lovers.

How many plays is on your game so far?

I'd have to check, it we play it a lot and have had it about two years.

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Well that sounds encouraging. I cant wait to hear from other Premium /LE owners. Hopefully they have the same story.

I had no issues until recently -- not sure how many plays, but probably close to 1k total, and the magnet board is apparently having issues. I ordered another one and it should be here in a week or two. However I've read you can disable the hammer and have it act like a pro if you want/need to (I haven't looked into it yet tho). That said, I *LOVE* the hammer - it's a great feeling when the hammer smashes the ball under the playfield with a thunderous BOOM. I wouldn't trade it.

I love the hammer, I hate the way it blocks my view and slows the game down a little.
Pro with Total Lightshow was enough, and cash to spare on another game.

That's where I'm at currently. Can't go wrong with the premium though

I've had a premium for over a year now and zero issues with the hammer. One of the best ball locks in pinball.

Ok guys done deal and my Monsters Premium will be on its way tomorrow! Do i have to wait until i get the game set up before i can add it to my pinside collection page or can i just do it now? To say that i am PUMPED would be a huge understatement right now! I kinda feel like i just got a new girlfriend or something.

You’re gonna love it! Great choice. I got mine on the 12th and have been playing it a ton. I’ve had zero hammer issues. And I think the hammer/coffin is the best ball lock in pinball! Get a shaker and a sub!

My only issues so far have been; snake switch not registering sometimes (bent switch a little), plunger wasn’t centered on the ball (moved plunger assembly), ball trough eject was ejecting 2 balls into shooter lane after the 1st ball would bounce off of the cliffy in the shooter lane and fall back into the trough (I bent the metal deflector slightly down towards the plunger)

Junky

Thanks for all of the tips I appreciate it. Im really excited big time. I went to a friends house today and played his pro model and loved it, its really a great shooting game. Im sure that i would have probably been just as happy with the pro model but this might be my last NIB game and i decided to go all out on it. The light show and the spinners is the two extra that really made me go Premium. Hopefully i will like the hammer alot and that will be a nice added bonus for me. I can tell that this game is going to be a keeper already. I ordered my sparky protector and now i got to order my cliffy set. Im hoping the sparky protector gets here by Thursday because I could tell from my friends pro that sparky causes major air balls. His has the protector and i still got some air balls off of him.

I had a burned-up magnet board about 3 months after I got my machine. Got a free replacement board from Stern. Board was exactly the same revision. I installed it, but also installed an in-line 2-1/2 amp slow blow fuse under the playfield to protect the board. The fuse lasted a few months, then it blew one day. Replaced it with another 2-1/2 amp and it blew several months later, too. So I replaced that one with a 3 amp fuse which I've been using for about a year now with no problems. Bottom line is it makes sense to install a 50-cent fuse to protect that $70 board because the 4-amp fuse in the backbox will not.

You're welcome.
I removed the stock and installed the clear pinbits sparky protector before I even powered the game on. I've had no airballs off of sparky. Not one!

Oh ok, so it comes with a protector from the factory then? Maybe he had the factory protector and thats why i was seeing air balls.

I have the stock protector, and I’ve never seen an airball off Sparky....

The game i played today the ball jumped up in the air pretty good a few times. It even jumped on the right return ramp a couple of times. I dont even understand how it was doing that with the protector on there honestly. The game was a complete blast to play though i will say that. I cant wait to sink my teeth into it and learn more about it!

Would you sell the "old" premium to get the "new" backbox?

Talking monsters here...

congrats on chosing the prem Who-Dey, you're gonna love your choice. I too play my buddies Pro & it's great, however, when I come home & play my premium ... I feel something is missing in the Pro.

Are you talking about the Sparky board or hammer board?

OK so I put the metal up post in on the upper orbit and it seems to have made zero difference in bounce backs to the left orbit. If anything it seems to bounce back more! What am I missing here? I did notice the metal post is thinner at the top than the plastic one, but the pictures on pinside seem to show the same.

Oh well I might just have to disable it, because the bounce back is aggravating.

There is no Sparky board. Sparky magnet is driven directly from a transistor on the main driver board in the backbox. The hammer magnet processing board under the playfield right side is what I'm talking about. Put the fuse on the J1 input side (not the J3 output side).

Check to make sure the PF is perfectly level left to right and at 6.5 degrees on the playfield.

I replaced the plastic post with the metal post. I did not find it improved anything. Also it being smaller than the hole it goes in made it so the ball got stuck up top in the space. I had to try to get it perfectly level with the playfield, and after I did it still got caught up top and launched after the ball search went off. Shortly after I put the old plastic post back in.

That's what the adjustment screw is for. Turn it the right way until the post is flush with the playfield. Easy fix.

I see thanks.

I have an original Premium....bought it because all LE’s sold out. I prefer this one over the new backbox. If you have an original premium I don’t see a reason to replace it with the new one....

The new metal head is preferred for a number of reasons, but not worth selling and getting a new one. On the other hand, swapping out a game with thousands of plays for an NIB with the metal head might be worth the upgrade.

Can you explain in more detail (pictures?) how to put the fuse on? Use basic terms since I'm new.

I'm hoping it's my magnet board -- Stern support said they thought so based on an email I sent. Sometimes the magnet stops even trying to detect the ball (no buzzing sound), and sometimes it buzzes but is VERY weak. Here's a thread I started a little bit ago: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/metallica-hammer-magnet-troubleshooting-question-multimeter

I have not heard that. I love my 2013 pro with wood head, looking good next to my B/W pins, and having the power switch in the front since they are in a row.

New box still has the power at the front fyi. Switch relocation is a Spike thing.

Lol. Not true. I have 1000s of plays. There is nothing better than the music cranked up, lights off, and the hammer pounding the ball through the Playfield.

Well i hope you are right RoostKing because my new Premium will be on its way tomorrow!

You have no idea how bad the wait is killing me.

Get a sub, a shaker, turn the room lights off and have your fave cocktail ready!!