Wow that's new. And no to everybody saying a new magnet core and protector will fix that!

I think its abit of an optical illusion with the magnet too high and going to a point. If you could pull the magnet below the surface, you could then tell if the playfield is also sunk in.

The art curvature can make it look worse that it is. The magnet core is not hard to get out even with loctite. A little heat and it will break free. Cliffy/mylar and you are in business. Though if you are stressing this much over it then pass and wait for the next one. Stern made a bunch of Metallica machines.

I assure you…. The wood is def not flush with the rest of the playfield. The ball can sit in the lowered area around the magnet.

I’d pass on that game, something isn’t right. It’s like the magnet was tightened and pulled the playfield in. Not sure how that game could be playable as There would be airballs into sparky.

Looks like it to me too, especially the second pic. Magnet cores need replaced for sure.

I'd pass on that game. I don't like the looks of the sunk in playfield around the magnet.

The magnet core and features like that such as the TAF bookcase are supposed to be installed a little above the level of the wood to protect the edge of the wood from wearing.

The magnet core and features like that such as the TAF bookcase are supposed to be installed a little above the level of the wood to protect the edge of the wood from chipping and wearing.

The magnet cores are a little tricky to get out and mushroomed cores want to spin, so there is a risk of damage. There must be a bunch of torque to deform the wood.

nm

Looks pulled in. I think it was mushroomed and the guy tried to remove it but pulling it downwards. Why not remove it upwards out of the pf? But I think the pf is stuffed now in that area but may spring but, I don't know

I would stay clear off that MET. Game will never play right like that. It's a massive issue and not normal at all. No idea what would cause that. Maybe a core mushroomed bad and someone tried to remove it but accidentally tightened instead of loosened. Fix would have to be new pf.

I’m no expert by any means, but Just looked at my Metallica and mine looks flat and nothing like that. I also would stay away from that one.

I was thinking the same thing. Thanks for all the input guys.

Worst case….I can tell the owner it’s f**ked and maybe get it for a SUPER steal lol

What does he have it listed for now? Must have been routed.

The snake eject on my pro all of a sudden feels weak. Ball comes out but it’s much slower than it was. Bad coil or is there an adjustment I should look at ?

I'd check under the playfield and make sure the mechanism hasn't come loose.

Everything was nice and tight. Couldn’t see any visible wear and tear on the coil, sleeve, plunger, or spring. I just ordered a new coil, spring, sleeve, and plunger and I’m going to replace all of it at once and see what happens

I thought I had fixed it, but I'm still having issues with the coffin lock on my premium. It's not ALWAYS happening but it seems fairly common for balls to get stuck trying to eject from there during coffin MB. The plunger is smooth, I can't see any problem there. It seems more like the entire trough just doesn't sit at an aggressive enough angle to make the balls fall forward quickly enough when the coil activates. I'm thinking about trying some washers on the back side of it to see if that will help (I think that's possible? I'm not looking at it right this second). Bad idea? I took the whole thing apart and nothing looked obviously wrong. But the problem persists.

I have read several cases where the balls were magnetized, causing this issue.

Yeah, I thought that might be the case too but I swapped the balls out (multiple times) and the issue persists. I suppose it could be possible that the balls are IMMEDIATELY magnetizing and causing the problem, but the new balls seem better. Everything else seems fine on my game, it's just the continued coffin lock issue I'm having. I'm using pretty standard balls I bought from BC Precision on ebay (ebay.com link: itm). No idea how the overall quality of those is--as far as magnetization goes--to be honest. I use them in all my other games without issue, but only Metallica (I think) in my collection has such strong magnet usage.

Yeah, I doubt they could get magnetized that quickly... I've had my Met for about 5 years and never had an issue with the balls getting magnetized. I'm guessing you tried changing the pitch of the game?

I've not, but I jacked all the way up in the back and slammed all the way down in the front on initial setup. Looks like I have somewhat shorter levelers than the 3" ones I have on some of my games, but nevertheless...slope should be relatively aggressive. The bubble is off-center, touching the 'upper' line.

I did read some posts saying these BC Precision balls can be known for magnetization (even referencing Metallica as the game with issues..and specifically the coffin lock..) so I guess maybe I should do my due diligence and try some other ones to see if that fixes it, before I start making any physical modifications. If it's as simple as just using a certain ball for this one game...I'm not against doing that.

You can quickly and easily check if the balls are magnetized. Put them on a flat surface, touch one against another, and then gently pull away. Do that with each of them.

Sure enough, there's definitely at least a LITTLE bit of magnetization to them. Ugh.

I think I'd be happy about that at least the game isn't fubar.

The polaris pinballs from Ball Baron are the ones recommended and marketed for games with magnets.

https://mezelmods.com/products/carbon-steel-pinball?_pos=1&_sid=633eff6a7&_ss=r

Technically the game compensates, at least somewhat, in order to play some kind of coffin MB..but it's not 'right' and it definitely makes the game less fun when it happens. There still could be something else going on (who knows) but until I get some new balls installed I think I'll just leave it be.

Thanks for the link -- I'll get some ordered and give them a try.

I did try four different balls I had tumbled prior, making sure they weren't magnetized before I started, and manually tested coffin MB (just hitting the captive ball over and over again until all three were locked) and the game ejected them perfectly. No idea if that will hold up long term (or if these balls will magnetize) but we'll see. At least it makes sense given the symptoms and it's something to try until the new balls arrive. Thanks again for the suggestion.

Just seen this from LTG about tumbling balls.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/avoid-jjp-they-do-not-stand-behind-their-products/page/16#post-6413859

Interesting. Guess I'll see what happens and if they magnetize, no worries. They're a short term fix anyway. I've never heard that but I have no reason to doubt its truthfulness!

Just got back from the Allentown show and upgraded from Pingraffix Pinblades to their Power blades. I was thinking that my hemi mod with the blacklight strips might not be as visible with these, but holy hell! They look fantastic. The blacklight effect pops even more, and the powerblade effect looks so good when the rest of the gi dims. Get you some powerblades I wish I could post a video here.

I'll be installing these from Pingraffix today on my Metallica

1627744747677150295565947219887 (resized).jpg

I've got those too. Looks amazing!!

You can . Put it on utube, then share it from there. Would love to see powerblades

I hope the Powerbladez work alright for you . Mine as well as others have posted they interfere with the optos in front of Sparky.so they randomly set off Sparky and other lights during play. Could never figure out on how to fix the problem so abandoned the Powerbladez and got the Creeping Death Lightning Rails ,,, from Pinball Refinery they look amazing and pretty much the same effect as the Powerbladez

I have the lightning rails also, combined with powerblades, it looks sick. I just played a bunch of games, and everything works fine.
Thanks for the tip about YouTube, let's see if these post :

My bladez sometimes set off sparky too but I've got them set up now to where they don't. They're definitely a cool addition to the game.

photos ?

must have sent at the same time

I posted two YouTube links above. Are they working?

yes very nice

Man those PowerBladez look kick ass! How are they wired into the game? I have a pro and don’t have any upgraded GI lighting, just stock LED’s, will I get the same effects?

Hey guys....new owner.... I have a later build premium model. Once in a while the hammer magnet isn't holding the ball long enough for the hammer to fall and lock it under the Playfield. It was just roll off. Any ideas?

Simple to hook up inline atthe front of the cabinet. I believe they would look the same on a pro, but I do have the lightning strips hooked up too, so the brighter purple flashing is an effect caused by those strips causing the art on the blades to glow.

These look better than mine. Mine aren't nearly as bright it seems. They still look great, but... yeah.

May seem like a silly question but has anything changed in the machine since the magnet issue like you've added a shaker motor etc. I had the same issue but only after installing a stern shaker. For some reason I had to go a rev b shaker pcb as the rev a just screwed up the lock mech