(Topic ID: 50762)

Metallica Club - Ride the Lightning!

By swampfire

10 years ago


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Post #7243 Magnet removal Posted by xTheBlackKnightx (7 years ago)

Post #8935 Buzzing flippers fix Posted by j_m_ (7 years ago)

Post #19696 Fixing random drop targets dropping Posted by swampfire (2 years ago)


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#1275 9 years ago

Just had the game of my life on my METLE. I heard sounds and got jackpots I never knew were there. For instance I hit a 30 million jackpot while playing casket MB.

I collected 3 of the 4 CIU's and failed to cash in on the last one. Question though, how do you get to EOL? I thought once you finished all for CIU it would start or something would be lit to start. I played for another 4 mins or so on my last ball after the 4th CIU and never saw anything. Do you have to light all 4 items again to get it started?

This game will probably never happen again but boy was it ever a rush!

P.S. - I've been trying since I got this game at my house to knock Brents (previous owners) GC off the machine. It was 206 million. Thus they GC name

20141003_145216.jpg20141003_145216.jpg

#1280 9 years ago

Dang, just when I thought I had a killer score. Guess, it's back to the drawing board to knock out another score

I wonder what is harder to hit one billion on. Met or AC/DC. Seems like scores can jump real fast on both games if you get things set up just right.

Quoted from swampfire:

Please tell me you gimped up the game somehow - 5 balls, lanes closed down, something - I'm lucky to break 100M on factory.

For mine it was:
- 3 balls
- fairly tight tilt ( I only have 2 inches between backboxes of machines.)
- replay set at 45 million which awards an extra ball
- factory settings
- lanes in the open spot
- standard flipper rubbers with supper band post rubbers and transparent rubbers everywhere else
- Game is set at almost 7 degrees (last check was 6.8)

Was honestly a lucky game for me. I'm doing good to break 100 million as well. I'll break that about 20% of the time. Other than that its normally 35-50 million.

2 weeks later
#1399 9 years ago
Quoted from btw75:

Late to the game on this one. Do we just need the Newton assembly?
http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=3414

Yup, that's it.

You can try mine first if you want to check it out. I can help install as well but I doubt you need the help

#1418 9 years ago

Jeff - Both of those targets looks to be out of center. For the snake, try to push the stack back to the middle and see if that helps. You'll have to do it by hand vs playing it as once you hit that ramp a couple of times the stacks will go back to that position.

Also, what pitch is your game at? At 6.5 to 7 degrees it doesn't seem that would happen to easily just due to gravity. I almost wonder if you balls are slightly magnitized too.

#1422 9 years ago
Quoted from Jeff_PHX_AZ:

6.5 degrees. Not sure what you mean about the snake stack. I'am changing balls out now, I have noticed about 3 times where they stick to the captive ball sometimes. Put balls in back in july when got the game, PBL's oh shinny ones.

The stack is the targets. They should be centered and yours are both leaning out from the ramp.

#1427 9 years ago

It looks good. The other pic looked like it was at an angle.

1 week later
#1488 9 years ago
Quoted from Concretehardt:

Im Thinking about switching to white rubbers, what size are the sling rubbers on MET? They look small 2"?

I can confirm as well. It's 2 inches.

I switched all mine to the transparent ones. Love it. If you are going to white I would give the transparent a try. The way the light plays with them is really cool. They feel as bouncy as the white rubbers too.

#1499 9 years ago
Quoted from phishrace:

Stay lazy. MET plays like crap with transparent rubbers. Way way too bouncy. Guaranteed your scores and average ball times will decrease if you install them. Might as well buy an EM instead. You'll get less house balls. The bling isn't worth the decrease in playability.

You talking about the super band post rubbers are the transparent ones? There is a big difference. My transparent plays the same as white. Super bands are more bouncy. All my house balls come from the dang metal in lane divider. I hate that thing!

#1518 9 years ago

Looks like how mine works out. Not a very forgiving shot.

1 week later
#1591 9 years ago
Quoted from tamoore:

That's in the standard pinbits protector kit?

I'd like to know as well. Been thinking of getting the kit but the pics don't show that piece. I get major airballs from sparky's feet.

#1639 9 years ago

Anyone know if there is a way to test the magnet board? I've started to get some phantom hammer hits. Never happened before about a week ago. Now I'm getting 1 every two or three games. Any thoughts?

#1642 9 years ago

Worth a shot. I'll give it a good cleaning and see what happens. It catches the ball great so the phantom hits have come as a surprise.

3 weeks later
#1772 9 years ago

NPO - Here are some picks from my LE. Hope they help. Click on them for higher res versions.

post 1.jpgpost 1.jpgpost 2.jpgpost 2.jpgpost 3.jpgpost 3.jpg

#1788 9 years ago
Quoted from Purpledrilmonkey:

The fuel lane has three major uses: 2X scoring, combo collect, and it can be lit for certain modes (coffin, blackened, and CIU modes). Beyond that I would never ever shoot it intentionally.

Don't forget the End of the Line jackpots. Shoot the right ramp and then straight to the fuel lane and it awards one. They aren't to bad at first but as the ball goes on can get pretty big (like Tron's) especially if 2x is going.

#1817 9 years ago
Quoted from Pincrawler:

I would like to make my own Sparky Protector, has anyone posted up a scan of the changes made from the original the game shipped with? IE: How far out you extend the plastic from Saprkys feet?
Thanks in advance

I took the stock plastic and outlined it on some plexi. Then I just connected the end and made a straight line where the factory one curves back towards sparky. Works great for me. For the cost it would be easier to buy the premade one but if you are a DIY person like me I found that to be the easiest way to do it.

#1837 9 years ago

Anyone know if the sparky head is adjustable? Mine and a friend of mine both have sparky looking off to the side quite a bit. I've tried spinning the head but it goes back to the same position. Pick added.20141211_145828.jpg20141211_145828.jpg

2 weeks later
#1908 9 years ago

psygho - go for it (assuming it's less $$$ than a new LED version). Both versions will have the metal at the snake. With the LED version they are all white anyways. Most people change some of them to color match inserts and change the GI anyways so you still wind up spending some money on LED's anyways. The only question you have to ask is if you prefer the old style cabinet or the new one better. That to me would be the only reason to pass on go with a newer one is if you prefer the new style cab.

#1914 9 years ago

Yeah, I'd go for it. Snake fangs are cheap - http://mezelmods.com/collections/metallica/products/fangs. You could LED the whole game for less than $200 to if you wanted to do that. Only reason not to go for it would be if you like the new cab better.

#1918 9 years ago

Just the backbox is different as it has the new style head on it (and a decal on the speaker grill).

1 week later
#2011 9 years ago
Quoted from BOBCADE:

I'll check out the factory ones and may switch my GI to these. http://shop.cointaker.com/product.sc?productId=993&categoryId=150

Save yourself some money and just get these -

http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/2led.htm

Or these if you want ghost busters -
http://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/1smd5050ng.htm

Really no need for ghost busters in the GI though on a pro.

#2012 9 years ago
Quoted from Rickwh:

Still would like blackend mode to be the four horseman mode as it was obviously intended to be. Dont wanna get rid of blackened in the song rotation though. I dont know how tight they are in memory available with the current code. Maybe thats not possible.

I'm with you there. I would like to see something better for blackend. Right now it's a task to get to and when you do it's pretty lame as you are just shooting the picks again which you've already done a bazillion times to get the mode started. Outside of that I think the code is great.

#2022 9 years ago
Quoted from cscmtp:

Do have a question, since I have only played the Prem, wouldn't I miss some of the features if I decided to go Pro? I mean, the drums/side spinners alone are awesome, and of course Hammer was cool too...anyone have the Pro and feel like its just missing something or having regrets NOT getting the Prem/LE?

Shoot, I go back and forth on this a lot. I doubt many would miss the difference between the Prem and the LE (mirrored backglass, different cab decals, powder coating) but the difference between the pro and Prem/LE is where it gets tough. I'm more of a pro person (due to budget reasons mainly) but here is where my head always go's when I think about dropping down to a pro and pocketing the $$$ difference:
- Spinners - Pretty cool but I doubt I'd miss them much
- Raising cross - Wouldn't miss
- Hammer - I wouldn't miss the hammer by itself but I would miss the ball lock feature by the balls going into the playfield thus this is a feature I would miss. If the hammer was smaller it would be even better.
- GI - I would miss this a lot. The way it's integrated into the modes is brilliant. This here alone is what pushed me to the Prem/LE.
- RGB inserts - I don't really notice them all that much so I wouldn't really miss it all that much

At the end of the day I couldn't be happier with my LE and I don't think I would drop to a pro and take the cash but with this title it becomes more of a decision of your budget and how much value you put into the toys vs the gameplay. You'll be happy with either.

#2024 9 years ago
Quoted from Rob_G:

This is probably related to the Premium and LE having a physical lock mechanism for the coffin. Having other balls flying around while it's trying to lock in the coffin would be very, very bad!
Rob

Probably right there. I also think they didn't go that route as you could be in MB all day if you could make progress towards other MB's while in a MB.

#2030 9 years ago
Quoted from Rob_G:

Don't forget the snake jaw!
I completely agree with your points though. The one thing that is most outstanding on the premium and le is the lighting effects.
Rob

Auh crap. I forgot one of the features I liked to. The ability to hold the ball is really cool but I love how it will close to keep balls out when there is no purpose for them in there. Great feature that I completely overlooked.

#2033 9 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Working on it!

Yeah, I saw that. Just probably out of my budget. Fingers crossed for a mass produced version but understand if it doesn't come around. What you came up is awesome though.

#2049 9 years ago

I'm off work today with a sick child. I'll take a video to test it out and post it here.

#2051 9 years ago

Confirmed. You can stack one other MB in with coffin MB. Once you stack another MB in it turns off the progress on the others. I didn't test Coffin and Sparky as we all agreed it's stackable.

I primed the MB's before starting the video to save time.

Coffin and grave yard stacked

Coffin and snake stacked

#2059 9 years ago

All the info you need to know can be found here. It was easier than I thought it would be when I did my ST.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/acdc-display-and-modify-dot-matrix-images

Hardest part is finding songs that match the length of the song you want to replace.

#2067 9 years ago

Thought that was solved already so I never took picks. I'll take picks of my LE today and post them up with measurements.

#2070 9 years ago

Give this a try. The measurements are the best I could do without removing parts to get it perfect. Should get you where you need to go though.

Click on the image to make it larger. Just did a rough drawing and put the measurements on it.

MET.jpgMET.jpg

#2092 9 years ago

Don't worry about it. You'll never see it when playing and after your first game you'll have some scratches on his feet anyway. Plus the sparky mod would cover it if you went that route.

#2101 9 years ago
Quoted from BOBCADE:

You can kind of see it playing. Calling them and swapping it out seems like a lot of work though.
Also, would I be a lesser player if I moved in the outlanes? Lol they're killing me on drains.
Last question for now, the snake is killing me with bouncing out. Is the bottom lip supposed to be higher than the playfield on the pro? Wont it get all chipped up if so.

Your game so set it up to how you will enjoy it.

Sparks head is easy to swap out. The spring screws in so you won't even have to take the body out, which is a pain.

#2120 9 years ago

Is the game at least 6.5 degrees in pitch? If not, go to at least that.

#2127 9 years ago

That's a bummer. I was playing mine a couple days ago and half way through a ball the sound just about turned off. Started a new game by holding the start button and the sound went back to normal. Figured something just got knocked lose for a second now I'm wondering...

#2129 9 years ago

It only happened that one time so never went digging but I'll give it a try to make sure everything is secure. Thanks for the tip.

#2132 9 years ago

LOL. I couldn't think of anything cool so I figured I'd just go with nothing for a while until I thought of something worth while.

#2133 9 years ago

That one work better? Nothing but static in my brain so I made a TV with a broken channel.

1 week later
#2206 9 years ago
Quoted from BOBCADE:

Yes I mark shots and said its not a grind to get ciu. When I said combos are my thing I meant in general. That's my this feels good shots so I'm going to do it over and over even though its not rewarding.

Try the end of line tactic. This is where you shoot the right ramp and then shoot it straight into the fuel lane. The ball will feed back down to the left flipper for another right ramp shot. If you are on target you can hit several in a row and get some good point this way. Not to mention get your 2x playfield going. I find this to be a rewarding combo as it's tough to get down.

#2228 9 years ago
Quoted from cscmtp:

What is the best way to tell what version of the magnet board I have? And I haven't played enough (that will change shortly) to know if I've gotten any graveyard standup rejects. I am pretty sure I haven't seen a ghost hammer hit though.

Check here for pics - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/magnet-board-old-and-new-w-pics-metallica-le

Tilted81 - I like your idea. Due let us know how it holds up. Those are expensive or I'd try one. Think a lime green would look cool too.

1 month later
#2362 9 years ago
Quoted from eggbert52:

I'm facing a dilemma. I got these scores a week ago and I'm contemplating selling the game or trading toward another game. Am I crazy. I know I can always raise the outposts again but I'm afraid since I've already gotten a great score it won't matter. If you can based on the pics, let me know if there is a lot more to conquer. It's not like I scored a billion, but with that good of a first ball some of the air has come out of the tires.
So what should I do?

Based off that score I'm assuming no End of the Line.

That should be your focus now but first, do as above was posted, raise those post back up. Sometimes I like to see how good I can score by just going for end of the line jackpots (right ramp to fuel lane). Getting in a rhythm of doing that feels so good. Another fun thing to do is to not close out a crank it up until you complete it. Watch your scores skyrocket if you can be successful on this for a couple of CIU's. Also, when doing this, make sure you get double scoring going before cashing out. That's how you can get some 100 million plus CIU's.

2 weeks later
#2475 8 years ago

That sucks. I've had it happen several times too. Feel screwed when it happens but then I realize it was my fault for shooting weak balls up there.

P.S. - Put a 3 light LED strip under the plastic on the left of that lane. You'll thank me later as it looks like they missed something by not putting GI there.

IMG_6127.jpgIMG_6127.jpg

#2483 8 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

Can you tell if the light mess's up the opto?

No issues at all. The light is attached to the ball guide and shines out.

#2508 8 years ago
Quoted from Rob_G:

That coffin magnet looks really off center.
Rob

Huh? It's right in the center and the hole even has perfect registration. Maybe the camera angle is playing with things for you.

#2543 8 years ago
Quoted from NPO:

Tell every Johnny Mnemonic basher that.
"The glove slows things way down man........that suxxxxxxxxxxxxx.....!!"
Yet a hammer does the same thing and it's cool .

Yeah, way off there.

JM Glove - Easily happens 5+ times more often than the hammer. It also takes about 10 seconds from catch to drop.

Hammer - 3-4 seconds between catch and new ball in PF.

Apples to oranges there.

#2554 8 years ago
Quoted from Purpledrilmonkey:

Nor does the hammer.....?
Maybe I don't get the joke.

Me either I guess. Couple people with bad boards that have all been replaced under warantee. Come to think of it I've never seen a JM with a glove that wasn't working or the GI burnt out. Sarcasm.

Not sure why it always has to be a "this game is better than that game" argument around here. I actually enjoy JM but the fact is the glove slows that game down way more than the hammer on MET. Shoot, if the hammer someone off that much, just turn it to virtual lock. No more slow down. I for one think the coolness factor of it far outweighs the couple of seconds it takes to get another ball in play.

#2557 8 years ago
Quoted from NPO:

Just pointing this out, that is an awfully conclusive statement. Not picking a fight, but I'd love to know how you know they've all been taken care of.

Do you know anyone that Stern made them buy a new board? If that occurred I promise you it would be plastered all over the forum. I know several people that had theirs replaced as the second owner of the pin while outside of the waranttee as written. That is where my assumption comes from. Yes, it's an assumption but I think it's a fairly safe one though.

Fair enough that there wasn't a joke behind that.

#2606 8 years ago

Was thinking the same thing. It's $399. SmartDMD is $330. Either way it should wind up being a $69 difference.

#2676 8 years ago

For sure, cut them out. If not, the heat of the magnet will make a mess of them.

I hope Rickwh doesn't mind me saying this but there is a nice protector included in the pinbits plastic protector kit. He's basically making these things for no profit so I hope he doesn't mind. I do recommend the pinbits kit as it will protect all your plastics for the long haul.

#2678 8 years ago
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:

I was wondering this too. Why would you not cover the magnets though. I would to protect those too as the route games I have seen, the magnets look all beat up and almost mushroomed. As long as the magnet is flush with the playfield, I say cover the whole thing.

The mylar wont protect the magnet from dimples and damage. Best thing for that is to just buy a couple spares and change them out periodically. The mylar directly on the magnet will get messed up pretty quickly, especially at sparky where it holds the balls more often.

#2679 8 years ago
Quoted from northvibe:

I can't find the sparky protector online :/ Does he have them available offline?

May want to give them a call to confirm they are still in there but I bought my set 3 months ago and it was in there. It's not pictured on their site and I don't believe they sell it on it's own.

#2690 8 years ago

For those just wanting the sparky one, I'd give Pam a call. They are so helpful I'd be surprised if they wouldn't sell just that part if you explain that you already had sling protectors. May even be a good idea to put them on their website as a package or individually like they do with the Star Trek mods.

#2696 8 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

Has anyone put the OCD board in one of the original Mets when they put leds in it? Did it make a diff.?

Not exactly the same but I think the experience will help as it's kind of the same thing. I put an LED OCD board in an original IM that has LED's in it. I set the game back on incandescent and the light show looks great again and is much better than the IM with the LED code set to on. Looks just like it did before the LED's from a fading perspective as well as the benefit of no ghosting.

#2703 8 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

Yeah that's not quite the same thing, the original Met had inc's in it.

So did the iron man. It's not the led vault version. It's the original version.

#2785 8 years ago

And it's been said before but I'll mirror those comments. Use Sparky MB to get CIU ready. The Jackpots are nice (and will still come) but to really blow out a game you need to get to CIU as much as possible and this is a big help when focusing on CIU during MB. After a good Sparky MB you can easily be a couple shots away from lighting CIU.

#3041 8 years ago

So, I'm starting to consider doing something stupid with my METLE. I recently got a TFLE PF that was cleared by HSA and it's amazing. I'm thinking about ripping my game apart and sending the PF off to HSA to be done. Have I just lost my freaking mind? I'd really like to do this for both MET and my AC/DC Prem.

#3067 8 years ago

Shoot, if I could I'd give it a kick in the nuts every night if it had some. Mainly just because of that damn metal divider on the left outlane

Edit - next mod on the list I guess needs to be these....

#3104 8 years ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

I ordered the pinbits plastic protectors (slings and Sparky) and the don't fit. Too deep, so I can't reattach the screws to posts. Has anyone else experienced this?

They should fit fine. Did you remove the metal washers? Those are not needed if you have plastic protectors as those where sterns version of protectors.

#3315 8 years ago
Quoted from nicoga3000:

Also, I think I've only had Snake and Coffin Multiball once or twice in my 100+ games. I should focus on those a bit more.

For coffin - Try focusing on hitting the captive ball after an inlane is scored. This lights double count towards coffin for a couple of seconds. Doing this you should see coffin much more often.

Snakes another story. I don't find snake MB all that lucrative anyways but coffin is a great MB as you can progress towards other MB and even stack one other in during coffin.

#3320 8 years ago
Quoted from Sparky:

I thought the inlane double count on coffin was only toward CIU. I think you still have to hit it the required amount for MB. Can someone confirm?

Ah crap, I think you are right. Sorry about that

Quoted from Jeff_PHX_AZ:

Is there a special tool to adjust height on the magnet core?

Nope. Just a large socket (1 1/8") and a flat head screwdriver. The socket isn't required as you can do it with a monkey wrench but it's A LOT easier and safer to just get the right size socket.

#3388 8 years ago
Quoted from northvibe:

I am 99.99999% sure you won't find a better price. CT is awesome. Call up Melissa and ask

Are yall sweet talking her? I've bought 4 NIB pins in the last 2 years and CT was always a couple hundred more than most of the other main distributors I called. Not trying to derail things but I'm curious why I have such a large difference in pricing exp.

#3494 8 years ago
Quoted from BillR:

Hey guys, does the shaker motor make much difference on the le? I was thinking about putting it in, but it honestly didn't do much in my acdc so I'm not so sure it's even worth buying...

I say it does but there is an easy way for you to test it out. Pull the shaker out of AC/DC and put it in Met

If you like it and you still want one in AC/DC then buy a new shaker and put it in AC/DC. Not a lot of work (maybe 30 mins) and you will know for sure. Heck shakers have plummeted in price now and can be had for about $120 now at pinball life.

To me though, the 100% biggest difference to MET is an external sub. I played mine last night without the sub hooked up as it was to late at night and it really felt like a different game.

#3500 8 years ago

Another rattling tip. Put some of the 1/32 felt strips on the top and bottom of the backglass. This snugs it up to and stops the backglass rattling if you have that as well. Only was present on a couple of my Sterns but took me forever to figure out that was the noise. I've since added this to all my games and they are nice and quite when shaking. It can be found here - http://pinrestore.com/Supplies.html

#3504 8 years ago

It's pretty cool but that is not like the Prem/LE. It's really not even that close. The prem/LE is a smooth change in brightness all the way down to dark (just the blue lights on low). This one has some going dark with the white still bright and then there are all the relay type flashing going on with the GI.

Something bugs me a bit and it probably shouldn't but it does. I think that mod is really cool and is great for all pro owners but I don't like how it's being commented on as being like the Prem/LE GI. It's really not even all that close to how the GI is done on the Prem/LE's in how it fades and the colors that are presented (not just the fade to black mode). It's probably as close as you can get using the tools available but I'm just concerned someone will get the kit and think it will be just like the Prem/LE when it's not.

Again, I think it's a cool mod and I'm not trying to downgrade it at all but I just think we should be a little more careful on how it's described/compared. If I could offer one suggestion to improve on the kit it would be to smooth out the color change transitions. Right now it's a lot of on and off where the Prem/LE is more smooth integration. The all off is kind of distracting and would make gameplay pretty tough in a darker room.

#3505 8 years ago

Here is a video of how the fade to black works on the Prem/LE. I don't have a tripod so forgive the shakeness of the video and my ball throwing skills as I was more focused on keeping as still as possible. It should help show the differences though.

#3533 8 years ago
Quoted from nicoga3000:

You ever have one of those nights where you just can't win? I think I played 15 games and my highest score was 35m (most averaged around 5-8m). I just couldn't hit a shot to save my life.
I'm fixing to wax my game for the first time. This is a silly question, but when you guys do your routine cleaning/waxing, how in depth do you go with it? Just the main play area?

My routine is a PF cleaning/wax every couple of months depending on play. I also change the balls out with freshly tumbled balls at the same time. This is just hitting places I can without removing things. Once a year I strip the game down far enough to where I can get to every nook and cranny of the upper PF and do a full shop job and rubber change with a real good PF cleaning. Probably overkill but this is what I like to do.

#3541 8 years ago

Congrats on your sale. I've been debating the same decision but I'm afraid I'll miss the extra features (mainly the GI). From what it sounds, I'm one of the few that actually thinks the hammer is one of the best toys in Pinball. I play pro's all the time and I don't feel the hammer is impacting my view of things enough to consider it a problem.

I've also thought about trading down to a monster premium though as I've always preferred it's look over the MOPLE. Money's getting tight with a new baby on the way so I may be forced to make the change though to get some extra cash but right now I keep going back and forth on the thought. Ironically enough, I've started thinking about the same on my AC/DC Prem too.

#3560 8 years ago

A little much for me but I like the thought process.

Bigd - Should be OK. You could use the waterproof strips to be on the safe side. The extra cushion would help out there.

#3592 8 years ago
Quoted from damageinc55:

Very insightful

Capture.PNG

Just one more reason the game ratings scores are pointless.

#3611 8 years ago

I'd be pretty surprised if they didn't do another run of Met Prem or if they don't come out with a "Luci" type premium. The kept running AC/DC Prem until the end due to how well it was selling. Seems as though Met is still pretty popular so it just makes sense. I guess since the pro is so well liked they may not feel there is a big enough market for them though. Seems as though they could sell a couple hundred pretty easily, especially if they are monster premiums.

It's that "Heads I win and Tails you lose" situation I normally run into. Buy a pro and Stern will announce the next day a new run of Prem. Hold out for prem and they wont do another run and you miss out on a NIB pro.

#3616 8 years ago

I'm in agreement with Purpledrilmonkey. I thought it wasn't collecting jackpots to for a while until I got the super jackpot. It's subtle but it's still running in the background. On a pro, it will be even harder to tell as you don't have the colored inserts to help to advise on what is lit for scoring since the color on the pro is always red.

#3641 8 years ago

It was there on those games too unless they had thousands of plays (very likely) already and the dimpling became uniform and caused it to flatten out. It's just the wood compressing.

Good read on the subject here - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/playfield-dimple-reality-check

#3683 8 years ago
Quoted from IBARAKURO:

hi,
sometimes when the hammer pushes the ball and it goes up on the right under the magnet ...
it remains blocked there ...
Research the ball does not move
have you ever had this problem?
you have a solution?

metallica.jpg

That shouldn't be happening at all as there is a round housing under there that keeps the ball in the correct path. Not even sure where I would start to look if mine was doing that.

All - Anyone know where you can get the mantis style protector for the mystery scoop? I have a cliffy right now there and want to replace it with that one. Used to see them on e-bay but I haven't seen them there anymore. Also, anyone that has one. How's it holding up? Any regrets with going with it?

#3686 8 years ago

Wow, that is embarrassing. I looked all over the place and didn't even look at a vendor that I normally buy from too...

#3706 8 years ago

I put the totan metal post in mine which has helped a lot.

#3708 8 years ago

Been a while since I bought it but I believe it was this one. I'll hope that someone can confirm though before you buy one as they aren't super cheap.

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-17986

3 weeks later
#3933 8 years ago

No need to remove the top of the head. Slides in just fine. Be sure to clean the mating surface for as residual wax could be transferred there from the ball which will hinder the decal from staying down long term.

2 weeks later
#4078 8 years ago
Quoted from ronaldvg:

Hold left flipper, shoot ball to left flipper and let it bounce to right flipper. Thats how I do it.

I thought that a properly set-up machine was supposed to bounce into the crank it up scoop when doing this. Glad to see I'm not the only one that doesn't happen with as I've tried everything to get it to do so.

#4139 8 years ago
Quoted from Purpledrilmonkey:

Once CIU is lit you must get in and out of it ASAP and get back into the nearest MB you have. Try to use the CIU ball save time to light the 4 'exit' qualifiers and get the hell out of the mode while the safety net is still there. #1 rule is do NOT start another MB if CIU is lit - you want it available immediately after exiting CIU.

People, take note of these two points if you have a goal of EOL. This right here is why I feel more people have not seen EOL. I've been twice now and both times I was using this strategy. You NEVER want to start a MB when CIU is lit or is really close to lit (3 of the 4 inserts already lit) as you MB's should be used to qualify the next CIU (don't focus on Super Jackpots either). You also want to get in and out of CIU fast. Goal should be, as said above, to get out before the ball save is over. Just think of all the times you've drained in CIU. Met is the same as AC/DC in this aspect. If you want to see the wizard mode you have to make decisions that hinder high scoring. It's unfortunate that it's like that but it's the truth.

1 week later
#4272 8 years ago
Quoted from Medisinyl:

This shot seemed quite hard at first, but now I can get it from a cradle rather consistently (have only had the machine a couple days now). Slightly nudging to the left upon flipping seems to have helped me get it regularly. Not sure if it's the nudge itself, or if planning the nudge is somehow changing my timing for the better, etc. Doesn't hurt to try :p

The biggest help here, for me at least, will be if you have standard or superband rubbers. With standard I can hit it pretty easily. Games with SB's I can't hit it at all.

#4309 8 years ago
Quoted from Baiter:

I have no issues hitting the Fuel lane from cradle or with a moving ball with superbands. I've been trying to think of a technical reason it might impact the shot but can't come up with any, outside of a misaligned flipper.

Are your SB clean and or new? They are much stickier than standard rubber unless dirty. The stickyness effects the point at which the flipper needs to be pressed in order to make a shot that is that low on the flipper. Also, some games just seem to be tougher than others with some shots. I can assure you the flipper alignment is not the difference/issue as the game was played with the same alignments. I had superbands on the game for about 3 months. Took them off as SB messed up all my angles when I went to play in tournaments as the points of release are different.

#4314 8 years ago

All right now. Ya'll quit taking away my LE features

JKing of course. Hopefully that is easy enough to do as it's a pretty cool feature.

#4327 8 years ago
Quoted from SteveF-Detroit:

My 9 year old son did this the other day while I was at work. Said he was playing for like 30 minutes. Wish I could have been there. I told him he is the first billionaire I know of.

I'm going to assume it's true as I'm trying to think the best. Under that assumption that is an, dare I say it on pinside......, EPIC game. My high score is 700K and I left points on the table by only completing 3 CIU modes. If you blow up your CIU's it's definitely possible to achieve that in that timeline.

Either way, it's awesome that you and your son can share the passion together.

#4334 8 years ago
Quoted from Sparky:

I think you meant 700M?

Yes, of course I meant million. 700K would be a pretty crappy game.

Quoted from j_m_:

before you go off on me, at least I was trying to help you out. no where did you say that you had already attempted to order from them, did you? nice social skills

Pot calling the kettle black much? You made an assumption he didn't try to search and attacked him for it. He then attacked you back and yet you are calling out his social skills? Both attacks were completely unnecessary but all that could have been avoided by you posting -

"Here is the info you are looking for. To save yourself some time, next time you can try to search for it via the pinside archives or (in this case) google. I typed in "______" in my search which brought it up." Instead you tried to make him look either lazy or like an idiot. That is when people tend to get protective and lash out.

1 week later
#4391 8 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

You'd think Stern would have Sparkys people could buy for cases like this. Send them this picture and ask them. Ya never know till ya try.

Marco has Sparky's in stock again. I had thought about picking one up as a spare but just can't justify the $$$ for a part I may never need.

http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/515-7810-00

#4425 8 years ago

I encourage everyone to make some adjustments to the code to allow them to progress through the game quicker and to get further into the game. These aren't the scores you post as your high scores but if you haven't gotten to deep into the game yet you are really missing out on when this game really takes off. To me MET is a pretty boring game UNTIL you start stacking modes together and things get going. At that point it's AMAZING. I'm not saying to make it so easy you get to EOL without effort but if you aren't making it to the 2nd or 3rd CIU on a good game for you then adjust it up a bit.

Again, these aren't the high scores to post but I promise you you'll have a lot of fun. Plus getting a taste of what else the game has to offer will motivate you even more to get better so that you can see it more often.

#4436 8 years ago
Quoted from TOK:

Have any longtime owners noticed inlane wear from the balls dropping down out of the ramps? I never gave this any though until reading about it in the Star Trek owners thread. My Metallica wasn't showing wear, but the drop is basically the same so I just added the same Cliffy slot protectors I put on Star Trek.

I have both games. My MET is still perfect while my ST shows a VERY small amount of wear. wouldn't worry about it on MET. ST is more likely to have an issue as that is basically all there is to that game. Shoot the ramps. In Met I'm not going for the ramps all to often.

In one game of MET I may shoot the ramps a couple dozen times. In a good game on ST I'm hitting the ramps a couple hundred times.

4 weeks later
#4588 8 years ago
Quoted from Arcade:

Played perfect right out of the box.
Love this game.

What? Congrats on picking one up. Hopefully the ball doesn't fly through the cross on this "version".

#4620 8 years ago
Quoted from jkashani:

Any suggestions for speaker upgrades, including lighting effect and color DMD. I wanna pimp out my newly acquired Metallica Pro Led!

I've got FF on all my games but Met. I learned rather late that you get even better sound out of just an external sub. I never noticed much change in the mids/high's with my FF. It was always mainly a bass improvement. With the external sub I got that (for less) and am able to use it on two games.

#4634 8 years ago
Quoted from Kcbbq13:

Decided to play one quick game last night, and an hour and ten minutes later this happened...20150930_091734.jpg

I think it's time to open up those outlanes. Nice score indeed!

1 week later
#4689 8 years ago
Quoted from Roostking:

I'm having both this issue, and more ffrustrating is the fact that sometimes the opto sensor( I assume) detects a ball and I lose my flipper s and the ball really does drain. Going to look into this today.

The flippers going dead is the opto connectors needing to be reseated. Do that and it should fix that problem. Sterns are notorious for that. I'm to the point now that every time I lift my PF for any reason I check those as preventative maintenance. No issues since doing that on any of my games.

The two balls being kicked out after one is kicked out and goes back into the through. Reseating connections wont fix that as the second ball is being kicked out as the first ball is falling on top of it (ball has already slid down in the through). It's now clearing what the games thinks is a jamb. If this happens a whole lot for you to where one ball is getting kicked out so hard it hits the wall and goes back into the through you may want to try to weaken the coil that fires the ball into the shooter lane. I did this on one of my games by adding a williams coil plunger spring to the rod that goes into the coil. No issues since. Probably a ghetto type of fix but that was all I could think of.

1 week later
#4743 8 years ago
Quoted from Nickperkins:

Where have any of you seen the best price on a nib met pro led? I'm in Ohio if that makes a difference.

Before you buy any NIB games you need to call all the major distributors to get a price and don't be afraid to tell them what you were quoted and ask if they will beat it. If you aren't wiling to do some leg work then just be prepared to pay a bit more. People can post all the time whom they bought from but truth be told prices do change based off stock, pin popularity, whom the person is that is buying, etc. Just because ____ got a price of ______ from ______ vendor does not mean you will get the same.

Before I buy I always call:
- Tilt
- Cointaker
- GexEchange
- Pinball Refinery
- Marco (if you are going to a show they will be at you can get a really good deal on a show model)

Quoted from cscmtp:

for guys that have Metalllica and ST Prem/LE, how do they compare? Would both be good in a small collection?

I've got MOPLE and STPro. I'll keep this short. ST is not half the game that MET is IMHO. I will play one MAYBE two games of ST and I'm done with it for at least a couple of days. Met I can play for hours and still have fun. Met just has more to shoot for and (also MHO) more strategy options and a much better risk vs reward type of game play.

#4795 8 years ago

Pretty sure this is the one I got. It's the same one that is used in TOTAN. http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-17986

It made a difference. Not huge but it did help out.

#4818 8 years ago

Crazy the difference in pins. When mine had the plastic the ball would never stop at the top on a left loop shot and would also rarely go to the pops on a right loops shot (would bounce off the post and back down the right loop). Since putting the metal one on it's much better but still isn't 100%.

#4865 8 years ago

Put some dead foam tape or felt strips at the top and bottom of the bsckglass. That will stop it from rattling. Don't need a full strip. Just a couple inches in the middle and both sides.

2 weeks later
#4928 8 years ago
Quoted from tilted81:

Dude I'm bummed just got an email.. I bought one about an hour after they went on sale, and now they are saying it was already sold out I'd imagine some of you will be getting one as well.. Grrrr

That really sucks. Sounds like what happened when the LE's went on sale. A lot of people bought them to be later told they wouldn't be getting one. Hopefully the distributor can figure something out. I would definitely call around as just because your distributor is sold out may not mean there isn't another one out there with some left.

#4936 8 years ago
Quoted from Aurich:

I think he's talking about the Dirty Donny print, not the pinball?

ops. Where is that emoticon with the face banging against a wall.

Oh, there it is....

14
#4937 8 years ago

Thought I'd share a couple of pics from our newborn shoot this morning. Thought these were cool. Guess now I can claim sentimental value on my MET in my argument to keep it if I'm ever pushed to sell it

IMG_6503.JPGIMG_6503.JPG
IMG_6494.JPGIMG_6494.JPG

#4954 8 years ago
Quoted from paulohotline:

Hey guys, if anyone has purchased a backup set of plastics from marcos here - http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/803-5000-E3 and has them handy, would you mind scanning them or taking some good quality photos of them? Scanning would be preferred but not everyone has a scanner The Virtual Pinball community thanks you in advance!

I've got them covered. They just need to be patient and wait for it to go out of production at Stern

#4960 8 years ago
Quoted from paulohotline:

Hey 85Vett, so you have all the plastics scanned? Can you dropbox them for us over at vpinball.com Cannot wait for your release as well as we have been waiting almost a year. Thanks dude and congrats on the new addition to your family!

No scans. I made mine via pictures. I also just made a couple that I couldn't find good pics of. I made all of these before I bought my MET but they seem fine to me so I didn't rip my game apart to update things further. Here is an old pic of it.

1420839872.jpg1420839872.jpg

Once released I'll give full approval to mod so they can take any images they want from the table at that time.

#4984 8 years ago
Quoted from yzfguy:

It clears the ball when it gets stuck on top of that plastic as it rises during ball search...cool and functional!

Never once seen this. Is that common on the pro's?

1 week later
#5052 8 years ago
Quoted from Jeff_PHX_AZ:

When I bought my Premium NIB, I also bought a plastic kit for future use. Iam not understanding what's going on here. Was there a mistake on the plastics? .

No mistake. He was asking for scans of the plastics in order to assist with making a virtual version of the table that has the correct plastics in it (my assumptions at least). I just posted stating that I had done the table and that he's free to use them once the table can be released. Your plastics should be fine

#5068 8 years ago
Quoted from swampfire:

I may have the only MET on the planet with no external mods, and (mostly) incandescent GI. But I do have a bitchin' blacklight Metallica poster.
[EDIT: I do have the tongue decal on my snake]

If this is true then you have a tongue decal on a turtle, not a snake

#5092 8 years ago

I swear. This dang elf goes everywhere these days....

20151207_113811_resized.jpg20151207_113811_resized.jpg

#5161 8 years ago

What modes are missing?

If you really think metallica is in need of a code update then I feel as though you may never be happy with the code of any stern. MET is one of the best coded stern games out there.

I think some may be confusing their desire for more with the code is unfinished. Just because you want more doesn't mean it's not done. Call outs not being used doesn't mean anything. They gather a lot more resources then needed not to mention plans can change and things can be cut out.

#5231 8 years ago
Quoted from kcZ:

Question: Is there an actual lock light for the coffin lock? A voice says lock is lit but I don't see anything lit, of course I may be missing it too.

I'm not aware of one either. Would be nice to have something showing it is lit though.

On that note. On my game when it says lock is lit I always have to hit the captive ball 2 more times to get the lock. Happens 100% of the time.
- "lock is lit"
- shoot captive ball and it doesn't lock it
- next shot to ball always locks it

Seems as though it's triggering the call out early on my game.

#5255 8 years ago

Got mine installed. Looks great! A bit bummed that it blocks the top in lane lights though. Going to need to figure out some way to know which is not lit. Other than that, I love it.

P.s. - the pro version on the LE looks great. Removed that sneeze guard long ago and now I don't have holes in a plastic staring at me.

#5256 8 years ago
Quoted from Nickperkins:

Still haven't found a sparky air ball plastic protector. Pinbits is sold out and hasn't returned my email. Do any of you guys know where I could get one?

I may still have my homemade one at the house. I bought the plastic protector set and it came with one so I switched over to it. Dang near identical. Yours if you want it. Just PM me your addresd. No cost, early Christmas present

#5262 8 years ago
Quoted from R4840:

I agree have mine installed on a pro and think it looks great but it does block the top in lane light area. Torn whether to uninstall because it is a really clever mod.

Keep it installed for now. I've got a couple ideas to try out. To cool of a mod to remove but I gotta see those lights. Upgrading the mystery level can be lucrative.

#5270 8 years ago
Quoted from TOK:

Or just a little mirror there to reflect them!

Hey now, don't steal my first option I wanted to try. Kind of the TOM trick. I don't think that will work though as their isn't much room to place a small mirror back there to where you can see it. It would also be height sensitive (meaning only people of a certain height will see it).

For you pro owners - This is my suggestion.

- Go to comment pinball and buy 2 of these in the 555 style.
http://www.cometpinball.com/MATRIX-1-SMD-5050-FLEX-6-3V-QUICK-CONNECT-p/mtx1smdflex.htm

- then pick up 2 of these
http://www.cometpinball.com/6-3-V-Plug-Play-Strips-Comet-Pinball-p/6.3vsmdstrips.htm

The first light you will point straight up so that it lights the insert. The second part (the strip) you mount to the side of the switch guide (hole where the switch wires goes through). This will effectively light the hole up that corresponds to the insert. Everyone should be able to see the switch hole so that will now be your reference point for which lane is lit. Basically the same trick a lot of us did on our Avengers machines before the see through plastics came out.

For Prem/LE owners - we have light boards there. We will have to solder in another light there to do the same thing. Before doing that I want to brainstorm a bit more as I don't want to do more permanent type mods like that to the game at this point.

2 weeks later
#5446 8 years ago
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

However, if people are connecting alligator clips to the main CPU board in ANY capacity except for testing on ANY GAME, well, that is just beyond electronic belief to me.

Pretty sure nobody is connecting their subs this way. The clips connect to the positive and negative terminals on the factory sub. Not sure why anyone would connect directly to the board...

#5454 8 years ago
Quoted from golfingdad1:

Help me out guys, on the fence deciding Premium or Pro , is there a big difference?
What about the big hammer blocking your view?
Let me know your personal preference and why.

That's going to be a personal preference. pro is great but I prefer the Prem/LE.

- Color changing GI - perfectly implemented into the game, Can be mirrored on the pro with the new GI kit.
- Moving cross - not really a value add. Can also be added with the new kit out
- Color changing inserts - really helps with knowing what those shots are for.
- Hammer - some love it while others hate it. I love it as it's cool to have the physical ball lock with the disappearing ball. Hammer doesn't block the view for me of anything but the pops area a bit. I'm on the shorter side though.
- Snake Jaw - often over looked in how it affects game play.
- Spinners - implemented well in the game with the sounds and helps during "fade to black". Can't believe spinners are an add on feature though...

Is the above worth $1500ish to you? If so, go prem. If not go pro.

#5456 8 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

the Pro's coffin arguably plays better than the premium/LE.

The prem/LE can be set to play exactly like the pro as it relates to the hammer. Just a FYI. Me personally, I will take an unrecognized lock shot every now and then vs the ball going in and out of the snakes mouth 100% of the time. It's a trade off but you can adjust the code to cover for the lock issues if your game has it.

I'm still not 100% convinced their is an actual issue with the mech. Seems more like the call outs being wrong that makes people think it isn't working. For instance, when I hear "lock is lit" I always have to hit the captive ball one more time before the hammer is active. It then catches the ball nearly 90% of the time I hit the captive ball again. It's almost like the call out for "lock is lit" should be "light lock light is lit". Very odd.

#5457 8 years ago
Quoted from golfingdad1:

I have only played the pro, and never even seen a premium or LE.
Sounds likes a big difference, I know I could look at the spec sheet to compare but that's nowhere as good as hearing from the players/ owners.

Invite yourself to Jeffreez house. He's got a Prem/LE just south of you Looks like several in Phoenix as well that maybe someone would let you try out. May be worth it if you are on the fence and are OK with a short road trip.

#5509 8 years ago

Don't have ST prem but I have the pro version. Plays nothing like my Met LE. Completely different feel and game play.

#5514 8 years ago
Quoted from golfingdad1:

I'm not saying that they do, I'm trying to find out ..I have never played Metallica Premium and thought maybe the ramps and sparky shots might feel similar to ramps and vengeance shots.

Almost opposite.

Vengence shot = a bit challenging. Not hard but not an easy shot.
Sparky = Wide open and pretty easy to hit

ST ramps = Hard to miss unless you are just off with your aim that game.
MET Ramps = Pretty tight and frustrating as hell to try and repeat.

#5532 8 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

Hey Delta you were wondering how hard the Pinnovators sub connection would effect your sub well I just hooked one up to my ST Pro that had your set up, I left the sub at the same volume level as when I had the clips on the cab speaker and I thought my game was going to explode, there was a HUGE difference. So buy a kit for your MET for sure. I'm putting another kit on my MET next and expect the same results or even more cuz the sub on MET is a 12 inch. I'm a believer in the kit now.

Are you getting clearer sound or just more sound? Having a hard time understanding if the sound is cleaner or if it is just louder with it.

I.E. - Does it have the same sound quality to where you have the alligator clips on with the sub at 3/4 volume as it does with the board and the sub at 1/4 volume.

#5576 8 years ago
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

PM me if you want to understand more than what is posted (and there is a LOT anyway).
I still recommend getting rid of those clips, including any others in people's machines for other mods.

Maybe you could create a new thread just for that conversation? This impacts more than just Met and it seems as though there are a lot of people on the fence, myself included. Could be a useful thread and one that later one we could just link to when the question(s) come up again.

I'd love to know more about it as well. My mind is just struggling with how you get a cleaner signal and not just a stronger one. My mind is telling me that you are still splitting off the main signal. You are just doing it at the board vs the speaker. I know it's more technical than that but that is where my mind is stuck. I really don't care about the sub being more powerful as it is already stronger than needed but am interested if there is a cleaner signal that you can tell the difference on. I.E. - Is the sound more crisp on a game with a board and the sub at 1/4 power vs a game with alligator clips and a sub at 3/4 power.

#5595 8 years ago
Quoted from Jeff_PHX_AZ:

Also getting the annoying ball stuck in the corner of the snakes jaw on the right side, resting against the pick target. It don't happen alot, but does happen. Any ideas on this as well? Thanks

Is your target leaning over and the ball resting on it? If so, one of these will fix that leaning problem. http://mezelmods.com/collections/under20/products/stern-target-splints?variant=923513721

Looking at my machine there is a post there with a rubber on it (between the ramp and target) but I'm not sure if the Pro's have it too.

#5596 8 years ago
Quoted from ita47:

Recently found that the area around the Sparky magnet on my MET Pro LED has started chipping/peeling Seem like I read that others had this problem as well. I haven't contacted Stern yet. I just purchased this in May 2015.

IMG_0119_(resized).JPG

Kind of a bummer but an easy touch up and fix. I'd replace that magnet core as it's looking like it's starting to mushroom on you. Then touch up that spot with some black paint and then put a mylar circle down. Will be good as new.

As a couple have said. Stern did have a bad batch of PF's for a little bit but those were losing paint in that area in chunks. MUCH worse than what you have.

#5598 8 years ago
Quoted from Kiwipinhead:

Has anyone seen this happen on the LE?
Or was it a bad batch of pro plafields?

Just Pro's.

I'm sure there are some LE/Prem that would have wear there to depending on play and care. That area can get beat pretty hard by the ball.

2 weeks later
#5839 8 years ago
Quoted from jawjaw:

Question for MET owners - how family friendly is family friendly mode? I've played a few on location and don't remember anything that bad. It's always loud with other games running so might of not heard everything. I heard some words are just bleeped out but not sure.

Basically like watching local channels on your TV. Curse words are removed.

To make it fully family friendly turn the insult meter down and put on family mode and you'll be fine.

#5840 8 years ago

I'll ask again, could we move the "alligator clip" conversations to a separate thread? It impacts more than one game so I think non-met owners may want to engage. Plus it's starting to muddy up the MET specific conversations happening in this thread.

#5852 8 years ago

If it's those handful of call outs that are still of a concern, you could use pinball browser to remove them or change them to something else.

2 weeks later
#6028 8 years ago
Quoted from Redknight87:

Does anyone know where I can find a metal playfield apron? I have a pro and I really like the backlit look of the LE.
Thank you.

Not sure if you can buy those but you can do it to a plastic one pretty easily too. Check out my thread about my star trek to see what I'm talking about. On my phone or I'd link it. Basically just use a drill to cut the hole and mount the lights. I screwed them in under the apron decals. By counter sinking the holes you couldn't even tell. Cost less than $15.

#6045 8 years ago

How often were you changing your balls in that game? That was my biggest concern with the block was it nicking up the balls quickly and causing PF wear. I switched to the ball for that main reason.

1 week later
#6145 8 years ago
Quoted from gweempose:

Which plastic protectors do you guys think look best, and who sells them? I like the neon green ones, but I'm not a fan of the Pinbits ones that span the inlane. Also, who makes the best backbox light kit?

I got the pinbits ones but not the ones that cover the full lanes or are colored. I just got the standard kit that is just a tad bit bigger than the plastics it protects. I really like them.

One mod you don't have listed that is pretty cool for the pro is the kit that gives you the GI effects that are similar to the LE/Prem.

As far as fade to black. I thought I saw somewhere that the pro spotted more than one switch hit for the loop shots to help match the prem/le. Is that not true?

#6147 8 years ago

Maybe try a 2 1/2?

#6183 8 years ago
Quoted from RTS:

An interesting idea.
But then you'd have to factor in the cost of removing that butt ugly stupid hammer.

That's easy. Adding the cost to remove this feature = $0. Handful of screws to remove the hammer assembly and then a couple of adjustments to turn it off in the code to function like a pro.

Still think some of you put to much dislike on the hammer. It's a cool feature that can be removed/turned off very easily if you don't like it. If someone makes a smaller hammer head at a more reasonable cost then it will be even better. Still suprised someone like mezelmods hasn't worked up something in the 3D printer. I know Aurich has talked about having his version molded but there is room in the market for one to be made that doesn't have to look like his. I'd be perfectly happy with just one that looked like a wood hammer. Even as simple as something like the below. If I had a 3d printer there would already be one on the market as well as a sleeve to go around the handle to make it all match.

a_(resized).jpga_(resized).jpg

#6193 8 years ago
Quoted from RTS:

You're forgetting the extra $1000 just for the opportunity to remove it.

Come on now. I'm not going to list all the differences between a pro and Prem/LE again as it's in this thread a million times.

I get that some will like a pro over a Prem/LE and visa versa but Let's be intelligent here in the argument at least.

#6210 8 years ago
Quoted from centerflank:

I expected more from a varsity letterman.

I'm not really sure what you are talking about but hitting the lit rollover switch for the lanes feeding into the pop bump area is the highest scoring super skill shot

Pretty sure the highest scoring skill shot is holding the left flipper and plunging around the loop and then shooting the piston lane.

2 weeks later
#6399 8 years ago

Lol... the pro is faster argument.

So the 3 times a ball gets locked from the hammer slows the game down more than the dozens of times the ball goes into the snake when there is no accomplishment for a snake shot?

That's the only "speed" difference shots in the games and the pro snake slows the game more than the hammer.

I get it and am cool with it that some prefer the pro over the LE/PRE. That's great for the hobby but please stop rationalizing things by the speed of the game.

#6408 8 years ago
Quoted from RTS:

Bonking into a closed snake jaw slows the ball more than the speed it ejects from the snake.

Really? A ball bouncing back off an object slows the game more than a ball getting held in an object and then shot out?

#6409 8 years ago
Quoted from Roostking:

Anyway, can we not turn this thread into whos game is better? They all have their pluses and minuses.

It's not about what is better or not. I can respect that some prefer one version over the other. This thread should be kept with factual info for those researching the game so that they can make the best judgement on the version they would prefer and to me stating the pro is a faster game is not factual and deserved a rebutal thus my post.

2 weeks later
#6543 7 years ago

Saw this thread blow up again and thought something new happened with MET only to find, yet again, another off topic discussion. Can we please just keep this thread to MET and move off topic discussions to new threads? With over 6K post in this thread now having all the OT stuff makes it hard to scan through for solutions when someone has a question.

#6587 7 years ago
Quoted from billsfanmd:

Can you tell me where on board column 1 Trans would be. I wish the manual was on line..

Still haven't learned to read these things but the manual is here - http://sternpinball.com/upload/games/metallica/pro/421/MTLAB1.PDF

Looks like about mid way through it has the boards drawn out.

#6607 7 years ago
Quoted from tdiddy:

Where can I get different color led boards? I want to change a couple of the inserts. I have the fuel ones from pinbits, but was looking to change out more of the whites in the crosses and multi ball inserts

http://cointaker.com/products/stern-spike-led

Give them a call as I don't see SAM ones on their website right now. I know they used to offer them. Not even sure if their is a difference between the boards of SAM and Spike.

Quoted from Rob_G:

- There's an opto at the base of Sparky's feet which detects hits. Does the standup between the feet score different than the opto switch or is it basically the same?

It increases the number of shots made for Sparky. Hitting just the opto counts for 1 shot. Hitting the target counts for a total of 3 shots.

Quoted from Rob_G:

- I had multiball going and shot the snake while the other ball drained. I got the display for 2x playfield scoring, but the snake spit the ball back out, there was no add a ball and no 2x playfield scoring. Looks be a minor bug I guess.

Was this the first or second time you shot the snake to lock a ball during that MB? You only get the add a ball once per MB but you can lock a ball more than once (and get the 2x PF going on). Since day one of ownership I don't recall ever not getting my add a ball when the ball was locked in the snake during MB. So if this was the first time, then it's an issue with your game. Maybe a flaky switch?

Quoted from Rob_G:

- The snake mouth can be open at the start of a multiball, but doesn't count for 2x and add a ball. It has to be closed and then opened again by the guitar picks. Maybe this is a minor bug too?

Shouldn't be happening. This along with the above issue makes me think you have something out of adjustment.

Quoted from Rob_G:

- What's the highest score multiplier you can get in the game? It doesn't usually get very big because of the way the targets work.

4x playfield

#6614 7 years ago
Quoted from Roostking:

Pardon my ignorance, but is this just a board that is changed to achieve the different colors?

For the Prem/LE - yes. On the pro it has a standard socket so you can just replace the bulb.

For some spots (fuel targets and center fuel gauge) there are light gels that people are using to get different colors.

The boards are not hard to change if you are comfortable with soldering.

#6680 7 years ago

Happened to me for the first time in ownership (2+ years now). Thank goodness I heard the "click" and turned the game off immediately because of that thread.

#6721 7 years ago

I guess we can always find something to complain about in the pinball world. Manuals to me are not one of them. I'm by no means a "tree huger" but printing out those manual to me is even irresponsible. That is a lot of waste for the very few people that actually need to use them. Everybody (at least that would own a newer pinball machine) has a smart phone and/or a computer/tablet so they can easily get what they need. If someone absolutely has to have a printed manual they can print it themselves.

#6731 7 years ago

Not trying to be argumentative but most of this is easily rectified without a paper manual that's a hundred plus pages.

Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

Some here even stated they did not know where to go to download them...

So we should print manuals because people can't go to sterns home page? Instead of a manual, just put another sticker on the lockbar that states - "full user manual is available at ________". Just like the sticker to call for support.

Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

If collectors think manuals are dinosaurs or a waste of paper, I challenge anyone to repair a PCB without a schematic from an actual manual.

So that piece of paper is some how more detailed than the piece of paper that is uploaded to the website? If I need that one piece of paper then I can print it. My table is the same size as a standard piece of paper. When I load the manual it is the same size as the paper. I don't comprehend the complication.

Remember, we are talking about Stern here. Not Bally, Williams, Gotlieb, Data East, etc. Some of those manuals had fold outs which I would agree are very helpful. I can't think of any new sterns that have those fold outs.

Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

In fact, taking apart assemblies is 10X easier WITH a manual, than doing a "Where's Waldo".

Agreed. Those same images are in the online manual. Again, my tablet is the same size as the paper. My computer monitor is even bigger...

Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

Operators and owners need paper manuals in order to directly reference them while repairing and maintenance.

No they don't. Do you really need a manual to change rubbers, replace coils, clean a PF, etc? A manual really only helps when you are taking apart those one off parts (like the snake assembly) or doing electrical diagnostics. And again, that info is at a finger tip.

Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

A game manual is not "optional", unless someone has no intention of maintaining a machine, which is becoming a standard.

Nobody has once said it was optional to have one. They are there and easily obtainable.

At this point we will have to agree to disagree but not one of your arguments justifies the need to have a paper manual shipped with every game. They all just state the importance of having a manual available of which manuals are available. If not having a paper one bugs you so much, just print it off. This is one change stern made that I will fully and vocally support them on.

#6745 7 years ago
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

8 foot "Paper manual" (batteries not included).
I can give new Stern versions as well, if I dig through my archives.
Some do have fold outs...

I'd like to see an example of a new stern that has a fold out in the paper manual. New, as in, a Stern that did not come with a manual in the game. No sense in posting a game that came with a manual. I looked through my GOT, MET, AC/DC, TF and AV and none of them had fold outs.

I specifically said the following for a reason in my previous post as I know people like to try and find examples of things that prove their points that aren't relevant to the discussion at hand. Posting a Bally manual in a Stern argument is invalid IMO as we are talking about the impacts of "Stern" manuals. If we want to start throwing oranges into this apples discussing I can do that too.

"Remember, we are talking about Stern here. Not Bally, Williams, Gotlieb, Data East, etc. Some of those manuals had fold outs which I would agree are very helpful. I can't think of any new sterns that have those fold outs."

Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

but what is needed is acquiring the secondary WhiteStar/SAM manuals beyond the basic operator manuals that do not include them. Most people are not really aware of these for their games in general, but many are "generic" now.

And yet, that is not included in the manual that is sent with the game. That would be a much better argument to have with Stern than the one we are having.

Quoted from MustangPaul:

I agree, there's nothing like having a hard copy manual at your disposal. I've tried using a smart phone with their tiny screen to search an on line manual and it's a royal pain especially when you have to make calls WHILE your looking at a manual. We are waaay to dependent on this tech crap that they tell us we NEED. I'm not going to buy a lap top computer with a wireless set-up so I can bring it down stairs into my gameroom to look at diagrams and such while I work on a game. A $5-$10 hard copy manual makes waaaay more sense to have then spending hundreds of dollars on something to duplicate what I have upstairs. What happens when my hard copy manual slides off the pin next to the one I'm working on.....nothing. Now what happens when my new $300 computer slides off and hits the floor?

Then, by all means, print one out. It's their for that purpose. Their is no need in printing out thousands of these books just so that a very small % of people will have them at their finger tips in the event they want to use one. Also, if you don't have a tablet or a laptop already, then you are very much in the minority of NIB stern Pinball owners. Most people that spend $4.5K plus on a toy generally have the other basic electronic toys.

If you want to use your computer vs printing it out. Put the computer on a table or the floor or anything else. We can all think of ludicrous reasons to void the others argument. Like a computer falling off the game next to it. That's negligence.

#6823 7 years ago
Quoted from golfingdad1:

Where can I find the colored gel inserts?

As yzfguy mentioned you can google and find them in sheets or you can just order them from here - http://mezelmods.com/collections/metallica/products/gels

The glare is hard to tell in your pics but it looks like you still have a turtle in your game vs a snake. Fix that with these -
http://mezelmods.com/collections/metallica/products/fangs
and
http://mezelmods.com/collections/metallica/products/met-snake-decal

Another option is to replace the lights using these - http://cointaker.com/products/stern-spike-led

#6839 7 years ago
Quoted from golfingdad1:

So I'm guessing that the spike leds look much better than the gel inserts ?
The inserts look weak and dull , maybe I'm wrong anyone have pics of either?

I have the gels and will be replacing them with the spike LED's. I'm not real happy with the gels look as they do look fairly dull.

#6841 7 years ago
Quoted from HankScorpio:

Can you use the Spike LED's in the pro?

No need as the pro doesn't use light boards. It uses the standard bulb sockets so it's much easier for you to make changes.

2 weeks later
#6998 7 years ago
Quoted from Spelunk71:

Does anyone know if this is a problem in both the pros and the premiums and/or if it has been corrected in the units being shipped now? I am considering a NIB MET (also considering GB, ST, and SM VE once I can play them all and would appreciate any thoughts) and just want to know what I may be in for. Thanks.

METLE owner for a couple years now. No issues at all with fuses. Previous owner did get the magnet board replaced under warranty before I bought it. Granted, I probably don't play my MET as much as some of the others on this thread. Mine probably gets 20 plays a month on it during a good month now. Just not a lot of time for pinball at night now that we have a newborn.

****knocking on some wood right now****

#7015 7 years ago
Quoted from mrgregb123:

That's what I was thinking and reason I didn't bother calling a disty. Main reason for wanting the Premium apron is to have the spotlights in there to better illuminate the flipper area. Has anyone retrofitted the two spotlights into a Pro apron and have any tips?

Not on a Met but I added flashers to my AV and old ST pro. It's pretty easy to do. Here's a thread that showed my customer apron for ST. Just drilled the holes, mounted the spotlights and tapped into the power source. For me it was another flasher but for you it would just be a GI light.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/st-pro-mods-completed

I installed the spots with a small bolt through the apron. I drilled a hole under where the decal goes. Then I recessed it so that it would sit flush and then put the decal back on. Never would be able to tell it was there.

#7023 7 years ago
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:

What color did you use, RGB color changing? What did you plug it into? Thanks!

First - +10 on what mustangPaul posted. That is where I have mine as well and it works great. I went with the frosted version though which helped dim it down a bit.

Second - Dang you for the RGB suggestion... Now I'm thinking it may be cool to get 3 separate ones for their (3 strip instead of the 7's though) and tie them into the correct GI that would match the strip. That way when the game is all blue my apron light is blue, all red and the apron is red and so on.

3 months later
#8270 7 years ago
Quoted from KornFreak28:

This TimeBandit light show mod, is that pretty much replacing bulbs to get the light show? Or what is it exactly?

Don't spend this amount of money based on others feedback. That's the worst pinball buying decisions I ever made was buying what everyone else thought was cool and not what I thought was cool. Lived and learned and will never do that again (not this game) Everything is personal preference and opinions are skewed towards ones liking. Just because ____ like something doesn't mean you will. Wait till you can play the games and then go from there. There are tons of MET's out there that I'm sure people would let you try out. Worst case, if you come to Austin you can play mine.

I'm not going to argue the differences of pro vs prem as it's been done 100s of times in this very thread.

#8276 7 years ago
Quoted from Roostking:

You guys must play to the right of center lol. The hammer does not block any normal viewing lol. I think those are justifications y'all made up! To each his own.

No joke. I'm 5ft 9inch tall, so on the short side and I can clearly see the opening of the Sparky lane while playing (picture of eye level). If you are taller that area is even more visible. The only thing it really blocks for me is the captive ball. I'm forced to play a pro (league) all the time and when I play it I miss the snake the absolute most so I'm also surprised to see so many think it's not much of an added feature. yeah, the moving jaw isn't that big of a deal but the game play changes it creates is quite significant. Locking out the lane until it's available for something and (my favorite) it holding a ball during MB as part of the add a ball rules. If you are a control player this added feature makes blowing up scores a lot easier as you can play in MB with one less ball in the way while having the safety net of the added ball. Keep in mind it may only add a ball once but you can lock a ball in there more than once.

I'm curious though on how many "the hammer blocks ___" people there are that have the snake mod (also in my picture). Now that does block something (the inlane lights).

20160824_104119 (resized).jpg20160824_104119 (resized).jpg

#8314 7 years ago
Quoted from KornFreak28:

Where did you guys buy your machines? Looking on ebay, but I just wanted to know if there is a particular place you all recommend

Can't stress enough. Do not buy off E-bay. Call any of the main distributors. They will give you a much better price as well as much better service. If you were looking at e-bay for pricing then you have a lot more budget than you originally thought. You could get a prem for not much more than a couple hundred over the e-bay pro prices

1 month later
#8570 7 years ago
Quoted from Tuna_Delight:

Shooting Sparky is a popular strategy for tournament play as it's comparatively safe and you can score some big points with Sparky multiball.
As Indusguys mentioned though, there are lots of other strategy options and fun modes within Met's rules for those who take the time to learn them.

In competitive play, I rarely go for Sparky Jackpots. They come naturally but I'm more focused on lighting Crank it up. The real points are in those modes. If you are feeling the risk vs reward try to make sure you have 2x PF going before you go to collect the jackpot.

1 week later
#8592 7 years ago
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:

The same reason they removed interlock switches, lock bar slide locks, playfield rails, playfield locking tabs, extra fuse protection, changes in cabinet and backbox construction, backbox trim, real backglasses with mirroring, silk screened cabinet artwork, power supply control modules, transformers, and all the rest of the things new collectors do not know are missing, but are still paying more for less.
Recognize how to notice change.
New is not always better, it just depends on what a person is willing to accept.

Agreed with all but one point. I actually prefer the change in the lock down bar. It holds things so much tighter and really isn't any harder to remove or install the lock bar. I think they got this change right. Now the rest of them.... That's another story...

#8595 7 years ago

yes, I know they are adjustable. I'm not a newbee. Not an old timer but been around machines for almost 20 years now (collecting for 7 years now).

Sometimes innovation or change is good and sometimes it's bad. 5 of my games are slide systems and 2 are latch. I just prefer the latch system. It feels more secure. Even when my slide system bars are adjusted they still wiggle a bit. Only way to get them as tight as the latch system lock bars is to adjust them to where it's real tough to get the slide to lock. All in all I much prefer the latch.

I also have no issues with Stern making changes as long as the change is an attempt for the better of the experience and not just to cut corners. The backbox to me is a good example of that. Aesthetically, I prefer the wood back box but functionally I like the newer style with the tilted DMD. It also feels lighter to me (never weighed them so that could be mental) but being metal it should be stronger and hold up better in the long haul.

Don't want to derail things to much. In the end you have to use your wallet to let a mfg know what changes you will accept and the ones you wont.

1 month later
#8707 7 years ago

GI could have easily worked at Stern before it was boxed up and shipped out. That gear motor is another story. Congrats and hope you enjoy your game.

#8720 7 years ago

- Make sure the magnet areas are good (no major mushrooming for example)
- Make sure the PF looks good (their was a batch of PF that had some chipping issues. I don't recall the time date of that but maybe someone else can advise).
- Check Sparky's feet as I've seen several with broken or cracked feet. Not a cheap replacement.

Outside of that you should be fine. MET's seem to be pretty well built overall. If you change your mind to a Prem/LE do the above but make sure it has the updated magnet board.

#8741 7 years ago
Quoted from gweempose:

This reminds me. Didn't you used to sell some kind of plastic gizmo that prevents spotlights mounted on hex posts from rotating? I recently searched for the product on your site, but I couldn't find it.

I believe they are here - https://mezelmods.com/collections/under20/products/hex-nuts?variant=942826501

Quoted from bigd1979:

So on the newest stern live feed it was mentioned thst the met license was renewed.... looks like they will be making them for a long time and id guess its probably the top selling stern pin of all time.

Would be interesting to know. My bet is that Met Pro is the highest Pro but AC/DC Prem would still hold that placement for the prem/LE market. Combining them It's gotta be close.

1 week later
#8790 7 years ago
Quoted from northvibe:

If you use stock hardware the locking nut won't thread to the nylon. This can work. If you want locking nut to work you'll need updated ones. Kind of a preference

Not my experience after removing the big metal washer. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a game by game issue.

Pinbits - I needed nothing.

#8797 7 years ago
Quoted from northvibe:

No my nut threaded but the nylon locking section wouldn't catch.

Very odd then. As you can see mine go nearly flush.

Sparky ones could use to come down more but they hold just fine.

20161124_213045 (resized).jpg20161124_213045 (resized).jpg
14800447478001185760963 (resized).jpg14800447478001185760963 (resized).jpg
1480044791262144833905 (resized).jpg1480044791262144833905 (resized).jpg

#8832 7 years ago
Quoted from 85vett:

Give this a try. The measurements are the best I could do without removing parts to get it perfect. Should get you where you need to go though.
Click on the image to make it larger. Just did a rough drawing and put the measurements on it.

Figure it's easier to just quote myself. Hope this helps: )

Edit... let's try this again since the picture didn't show in the quote.

301792c4bf96738377d74001cc798f4fb4e2a4ae (resized).jpg301792c4bf96738377d74001cc798f4fb4e2a4ae (resized).jpg

1 week later
#8879 7 years ago
Quoted from FlipperMagician:

Thanks man, and all the other thumb uppers as well, I believe I said you were my lost machine support group and wasn't kidding. Some of the excitement was lost in the process, but it was well worth the wait. Game plays flawlessly out of the box, which actually surprised me after reading about others experiences.
I will definitely be changing out some if not all of the GI though, too fu*kin bright for my taste. I believe I have enough of the same leds in frosted on hand to make that happen. Also not crazy about the red/blue mixture in some spots, particularly the slings and inlanes so I'll be fiddling with that as well. I know these are there so the lighting can go all blue or red for certain modes, but it just looks wonky to me at all other times.
I'm open to ideas as to what others have done here, I can't be the only one.

First thing to do before changing bulbs out is to just play with the GI intensity setting. Dimming it a little bit may get you where you want.

#8883 7 years ago
Quoted from FlipperMagician:

I looked for that setting the other night but I do believe I was drunk Where might I find this? (I'll check the manual if I don't see it here first)

It's easy to miss as you would think it would be in the standard adjustments. It's actually in the feature adjustments and is the last one (number 136).

1 week later
#8951 7 years ago

In relation to MET code. I would be on the side that it was done but at 8 mins on this video it's said otherwise. Curious to know what else they would add.

1 month later
#9467 7 years ago
Quoted from pcprogrammer:

Awesome. I thought I remembered seeing a picture on pinside of the EXACT spots the holes are supposed to be drilled. I looked around and couldn't find the thread it was in. It showed the measurements of where to drill. If anyone remembers where that pic is, please post it. I think it was the spots Stern drills them, or used to drill them, from the factory.

This thread is getting so long it keeps getting lost. Posting the pic here for you.

d07b4d2169754ca22331c1a810f8631e3fc56719 (resized).jpgd07b4d2169754ca22331c1a810f8631e3fc56719 (resized).jpg

3 weeks later
#10146 7 years ago
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:

Did you use the matrix system connectors and strips from Comet? So you ran the wires underneath the playfield at the back there underneath that plastic? Nice addition.

Pretty sure I documented this nearly 2 years ago. Problem with these threads that get so freaking long is you lose all the usable content in a couple of days With the matrix system it's super easy now. Just put a 3 LED strip there.

Post 2475

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/metallica-owners-thread/page/50

Also seen in that picture is the Cemetery being reversed. If you don't care about the lights in it then just break the outsides off and glue them on the opposite side. Drill a small hole in the now left hand pillar. Now when you mount it both the nuts on that plastic will be hidden. You use the nut on the right side to mount the mod and the mod covers the left nut (thus the hole). I talked to Mezel about making them this way but they were concerned with the longevity of them being mounted in this fashion (something about air balls). Had mine done this way for 2+ years and no issues. If it ever breaks I'll just reglue it since that is how they are put together in the first place.

1ff8bc5aec1f3f811f85314bd94a9c10692c4626 (resized).jpg1ff8bc5aec1f3f811f85314bd94a9c10692c4626 (resized).jpg

#10153 7 years ago
Quoted from Thanos75:

I have been noticing that after the Sparky magnet catches a ball and holds it that sometimes the ball sticks after the magnet is released. It doesn't happen everytime and when it does it just takes a shake or another ball hitting it to knock it loose. Could one of the balls have become magnetized? Also I tried... Alone....to install those Blade graphics. One went on pretty good the other I made a total disaster with. I just have a pro so I don't have those fancy table legs and I couldn't find a good position for the playfield to get a good alignment on those. I will remove and try again and this time with help.

First thing to check is to see if the magnet is just slightly lower than the PF. If their is a minor lip there it can hold the ball. If that is not the case then it is possible the balls are magnetized. Easy way to tell is to take them out and see if they stick to each other on a table.

Quoted from PoMC:

I thought I was going to have an original coffin mod when I order these:
amazon.com link »
I planned on using the plain wood one on the right and wiring it to the coffin lock insert so it glowed.
Then while looking to see what side art blades are available, I found Modfather sells the same coffin, just not lit up.
https://modfatherpinball.com/collections/metallica/products/metallica-coffin

Nice find and shame on the mark-up on that piece. If you put time and money into developing something then I'm OK with it but if you are just reselling someone else's product a 600% mark-up is a bit much.

1 week later
#10223 7 years ago
Quoted from plowpusher:

just had the lower half of the GRAVE MARKER snap in half. Doesn't look to bad to replace 3 screws but man Marco has them for $44 , seems kinda high for piece of plastic .

That sucks. I've always thought about how long that would last and had thought about putting a piece of plexit at the back of that lane to prevent balls from hitting it but still allowing the ball to pass the opto.

#10332 6 years ago

I find that the quickest way to EOTL for me is to lock in my orbits. Then while in MB I trap up and focus on orbit shots until CIU is lit.

#10419 6 years ago

I've gotta say, after playing in the TPF tournament this year I think I may adjust my CIU settings like they did. They lowered the number of shots to get to CIU which I felt really opened up some new strategies and took away some of the chopping in the game. Don't get me wrong about the statement of "chopping" but I've always felt the game got a little to repetitive as you progressed in the game. Making this change opens things up a bit more. All with the added benefit of family and friends actually being able to see some of these modes (current state only my pinhead friends can get to one).

Obviously it will make EOL easier to achieve and scores will be higher but in a home environment it's about fun anyways. Anyone make the change or considered it for their home game?

#10424 6 years ago
Quoted from pinballdork:

Do you know what the new settings are?

For the tournament they started the first CIU at 7 and the each additional was 2 more. So, 7, 9, 11 and 13. That's a little to easy for a home environment so I think I'm going to go 10, 12, 14, 16 and see how it plays.

#10428 6 years ago
Quoted from Lermods:

I had eotl ready last night, based on what the dmd said, but i didnt know how to start it. Seemed I may have needed to hit a pic or two??

After your 4th CIU you have to re-light CIU by hitting all the objects again a set number of times. I believe it's 2 more than what was needed for the 4th CIU but I'm not positive on that number. Once that is accomplished the CIU scoop will be lit. It's basically the 5th CIU.

#10478 6 years ago
Quoted from BudManPinFan:

For those of you who have played Aerosmith I'm curious as to how you think it compares to Metallica. I haven't had a chance to play one yet but I'm hearing lots of good things about it and some are saying it's better than MET.

Outside of both being pins based off bands I really don't see the comparison at all. The rules are completely different and the shots are also completely different. I could see a comparison with KISS (layout) but MET and AS feel completely different to me.

I will say that I enjoy AS but for completely different reasons that I like MET.

1 week later
#10550 6 years ago
Quoted from RoyF:

How does that protector work to prevent the airballs? Its difficult to say looking at the Pinbits site since I can't see a picture of the protector. Perhaps a picture of the protector installed on a game would help me see it, if someone could post such a picture.

Same way that the TFLE airball plastic works. The ball bounces up and hits the plastic and puts it back on the ground before it can get to far in the air. It's extremely beneficial and something I would diffidently consider, especially at the price it cost.

#10551 6 years ago
Quoted from RoyF:

As a new Metallica owner I have to say the size of this thread is daunting, 211 pages and still growing. Before I wade thru all of those pages, is there something that summarizes the common adjustments that people have been making to their Metallica pins? Adjustments for proper gameplay or to prevent breakage. And perhaps something else that summarizes the mods available?

Agreed. Been scanning though pages today trying to find the post with the hammer settings and still can't find it (if someone has it please post a link). I updated my software recently and forgot what the settings were. I'm getting phantom hits and times it wont catch the ball again and I'd like to fix that.

1 week later
#10607 6 years ago
Quoted from Lethal_Inc:

This thread is sooo long and I don't want to go through all the posts but I was asking if there is a way to adjust the flipper button tension. My other games flip so easy, nice and loose, but when I play my MET it feels like I have to push the buttons so hard. Do I just adjust the leaf spring switches? I hate to mess with the switches much but if that's the solution I guess that's what I have to do.

Really are two options here.

1 - replace the buttons
2 - disassemble the buttons and fix them

For some reason some buttons have a little extra slag on them from the mfg process. This slag creates a tighter fit and can even make some buttons stick. I've had a couple of them of which I've just taken them apart and sanded the inner areas that slide on each other and that's fixed them all. Once you get it apart you'll see it but for the most part it's the cup that normally has some extra plastic that rubs against the button itself.

#10659 6 years ago
Quoted from BOBCADE:

Are there any smaller hammer mods out there besides Aurich's? I would like to find something.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-metallica-hammer-mod/page/3#post-3732635

Not sure if he's doing more so you should check it out soon.

2 months later
13
#11200 6 years ago

To address the flipper buzz a bit more and as a PSA for the new pin owners.

The coil stops on the newer sterns don't last nearly as long as you may expect. It's a good idea to have a couple spares on hand as they are pretty cheap and easy to change. You will notice they are held in by a copper looking rivet. Over time that starts to work itself loose and will cause flipper buzz and can actually cause a difference in flipper strength/feel. If you take the stop off and you can spin the piece that goes in the coil the stop is bad. I'd talk about mushroomed stops but I doubt any of the newer Stern stops will last long enough for that. Not complaining, just stating the obvious.

Things I do when a flipper buzzes or starts to feel funny.
- take the coil stop off and check for damage.
- if it spins or is lose replace it
- while in there replace the sleeve and washer spring. For less than $1.50 in extra parts why not put a fresh new ones on now anyways?
- If the plunger is mushroomed, replace it (not real common on home use games). If it's good just give it a good wipe down to clean it.
- Make sure the Spring is on the correct side. It should be on the coil plunger side but often they are on the opposite side. (in red box in picture is where it should go)
- Make sure their is not any binding in the flipper bat itself. Their is a bushing (#10 in picture) that can cause sticking if it gets real dirty. Not common either on HUO games. Also check the gap correctly. You can use a CC or a flipper gap tool. Next time you place an order throw a couple in your cart since they are CHEAP.
- Make sure all mounting brackets are tight when re-assembling

Doing the above will resolve most flipper buzzing or sticking issues.

Stern coil stops (#2 in picture): DO NOT BUY Williams/Bally. They may last longer but the way they mount increases overall flipper travel. They will work but it will change how your game plays. I buy mine in set's of 10 as with the 25% they are only $3 a piece. http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=274

Flipper Coil Sleeve (#9 in picture): http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=90

Flipper Coil Spring Washer (#5 in picture): http://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=279

Flipper gap tool (second picture): http://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/03-8194

flipper (resized).jpgflipper (resized).jpg
flipper2 (resized).jpgflipper2 (resized).jpg

#11202 6 years ago
Quoted from Enaud:

I guess we just need to check the manual for which assembly is being used for the placement of #5 above. I've seen it so many times the other way that I was surprised. I assumed that's the way it's supposed to be. But, from the image above, that isn't so. So, I've looked up my Tron manual (assembly 500-6543-15-ND) and Metallica manual (assembly 500-6543-33-ND) and they both have the spring ring on the other side of the coil. Strange. So, I guess it pays to check your manual for the machine you're fixing. I guess it can differ, depending on the assembly.

Oh, shoot. You are right. That's what I get for looking at the wrong manual to get the part numbers. The spring on MET goes on the other side of the coil. Updating that right now in the post.

11
#11213 6 years ago

Again, it's been hashed out 100 times already so I'm not going to list them all but their are WAY more differences than just the hammer between the pro and prem of this title. One thing that is easily overlooked is the difference in how the snake operates between the two. It makes a pretty big change in game play.

I play both versions all the time (pro in League and LE at home). I really enjoy the pro that I get to play but I couldn't be happier with having the extra's on this title. Different strokes for different folks. I only post this as I just get frustrated when the hammer is the only thing brought up. Not to mention that when the hammer is working correctly it's one of the coolest lock features in pinball.

3 weeks later
#11415 6 years ago
Quoted from Bigbossfan:

Hoping for some help/guidance folks.
Snake stopped working. During gameplay the jaw won't lift, resulting in no hits registering, and when the ball goes in the snakes mouth, goes into ball search until eventually spit out. When I go into the snake test, everything works as it should. I've tried "Closing" the mouth in the test, then launching into a game. As soon as I do, the jaw drops. No clue what is going on.
Having said this, while inspecting the snake, I noticed that (what I assume to be) a pin is missing from the snakes tongue on the right hand side which would secure it to the jaw, although I don't really see this causing the issue thought I would disclose that here as well. (Pic attached).
Thanks for any assistance!

Have you tried the switch test? It really sounds like the switch that registers that the ball is in the mouth is not working. Coils sound to be working correctly though. I haven't noticed my tongue being like that but it shouldn't impact the registration of the ball going in the mouth. If the coil is shooting it out with the ball search then the problem is with the game not knowing the ball is in there (switch problem).

Also, the snake jaw dropping at the start of a game after manually locking it up in test is normal. The game is resetting state for the first ball which includes the snake shot being open.

#11416 6 years ago
Quoted from bent98:

I am not sure if this is normal but when I lock all three balls for the coffin multi-ball, only the first ball comes out right away. The other two slowly get feed downward and eventually gets released. I'd say it takes about 8-10 secs to get all of them out . I can hear a mechanism clicking as the balls slowly make their way out. Is this by design?

Quoted from Bigbossfan:

Nope, they should come out in close succession of each other. I'm having the same issue with mine, except sometimes they get hung up all together and I have to manually get 'em out. Following to see what others have to say about the fix. Been an intermittent issue with mine for quite a while now.

***Edit - Looks like dmieczko already advised on this. Leaving it here anyway as additional reference.

When is the last time both of you changed your balls? Reason I ask is this is a very common issue for when the balls become slightly magnetized. it causes the balls to slightly stick to either each other or the guide which prevents them from dropping fast enough to get past the post that is dropping down. I.E. at the same time you should be hearing that post engaging multiple times. First thing I would do is try some new balls and if it's still an issue then their is something else preventing the smooth movement of the balls.

1 month later
#11605 6 years ago
Quoted from Rob_G:

The only way I could adjust mine was to remount the snake assembly with spacer washers between it and the playfield.. Mine was a lot higher than yours with the mouth open.

There is an adjustment screw on the jaw latch coil assembly. Some say adjusting it helps, but for me it made no difference. Looking at the design, I don't think it was intended as a height adjustment.
Rob

Same for me as well. That screw didn't adjust the height so I used washers. Still sits a bit higher than the PF but much better than before.

#11618 6 years ago
Quoted from parsonsaj:

For those who have done it... how hard is it to replace the magnet core in front of Sparky? After a few hundred plays, my Met Pro machine is starting to show some dimpling and mushrooming of the metal surface. It's a cheap enough part to replace, but that is a BIG nut on the bottom of the assembly under the playfield and I am guessing it is not going to be very easy to get it loosened up.

Super easy but I also went and bought a socket to fit the nut (if memory servers me correctly I think it was 3/4 inch but I could be wrong).

You can do it with a wrench but I felt no reason to risk damaging anything especially since their are more than one magnet on the game (plus I had other games with them).

3 months later
#12307 6 years ago
Quoted from delt31:

Anyone else feel like the shots off the targets are coming off crazy fast on pro? I used to own a prem before and feel like pro is playing faster than expected....

Targets are the same. Your mind is playing games with you.

1 week later
#12339 6 years ago
Quoted from PoMC:

I'm kinda getting bored by Metallica now which is why I have it up for sale. I actually enjoy Mustang more than Metallica and hope to get an Aerosmith Pro if the Metallica sells.

No harm in getting tired of a game and desiring something new. Mustang is actually a pretty fun game with the new code.

I'm going to take heat from this but have you considered a GOT? It would go great with your collection and would be even cheaper than the AS. The rules seem basic but the multitude of strategies you can play that game with really creates some good lastibility. It's by far my favorite pin in my collection.

#12340 6 years ago
Quoted from amkoepfer:

Most satisfying shot ive found so far. Backhand 5 times straight for the multiball. Only hit 5 in a row twice though

This can become the most satisfying thing or the most frustrating all in the blink of the eye. Get to MB and it's an awesome feeling but draining after making it through all 3 drops and 1 shot to the lane is so frustrating since you have to start over with the drops. I love that risk vs reward.

1 week later
#12378 6 years ago
Quoted from EEE:

Would any of you premium/le owners be willing to snap a picture of the backlighting beneath the apron? Perhaps from a shop out?
I would like to see how the translucent triangles in the upper left and right corners are lit. I am recreating the effect on our Pro version.
I suspect that it is wired into the GI.

Don't have a pic of my LE but I can tell you it's just a GI socket with a 47 bulb.

#12411 6 years ago
Quoted from Bond_Gadget_007:

Obviously your machine has to be one of the 70% that does this trick. If so, just a reminder how easy it can be to collect scoop awards using the Coffin Lock approach (prem/LE only). Just dawned on me since it kicks out a new ball to shooter lane each time
The ramp to piston all day for 5 Mill+Extra Ball+Lady Justice strategy still not showing up in tournaments much. Surprised since I know most of you guys here know about it by now. Can also be doubled for 10 Mill. Hit a few of those and might win the tournament Note: Sparky MB average is usually 4 Mill total, just for comparison.

Your numbers are swayed pretty heavy IMHO in the wrong direction.

Games that can do the dead bounce to scoop is way less than 70%. I think I've found one total that would do this. I'd be surprised if that number was really higher than 15-20%.

Decent SPARKY - 10-15 million A 4 million sparky is a really bad sparky. If that is average their is no way that player has the skill to complete the EOL strategy. I still find the better advantage to Sparky is progress towards CIU vs the actually points from it.

Really good end of the line - I don't think I've ever seen it get to 5 million a shot. Colin MacAlpine played my Met and did this strategy for fun and he never even made it that high. It takes a really good player to exploit those points as both shots are pretty tight.

#12437 6 years ago

May be using my LE in a tournament in the near future. Anyone have any tips/tricks to improve the performance of the hammer? I've been getting some phantom hits and it's not catching on the magnet as well as it should. I have the updated board for the game.

1 week later
#12498 6 years ago

So, it looks like my LE will be used in an upcoming tournament. Anyone know of a full-proof way to prevent the Sparky lock on issue where it sometimes locks on the coil when you open the coin door? I've had this happen several times as you hear the "click" of the coil when I open the door. I'll turn the game off at that point and all is good. In a tournament turning the game off isn't really an option and I don't want to just disconnect that feature for the show/tournament.

I bought the board and coil from pinball life but I'm not sure if that is a fix or just a replacement as the board looks the same as what is in my game now. I'm thinking of just locking the interlock switch to stay closed when the door is opened but am open to other suggestions.

#12501 6 years ago
Quoted from gweempose:

That's exactly what I was going to suggest. Just stick some tape over it for the duration of the tournament.

Quoted from snakesnsparklers:

The new step up driver board is a definite fix for the issue. You should see that the new board has a 20V input pin while the old board does not. Swapping this out fixes the issue (not sure if 20V is already present in the harness for old games, otherwise you'll need to route a flasher wire to it).

Appreciate it. I'll do both of these to be safe. Don't want to take any chances.

#12503 6 years ago
Quoted from Neal_W:

Disabling the door interlock makes sense for tournaments. That will allow stuck balls to be set on the flipper, and play can resume.
I wasn't aware of issues with sparky. Apparently it is coil that makes him jump in his chair, not the magnet.

Correct. Their is a small coil that makes him move. Their is an issue that can happen to where if you open the coin door with power on it locks the coil on. If you don't hear it and recognize it the coil will get hot and potentially smoke and damage the jumper board.

More info here - https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/metallica-sparky-short-warning

#12506 6 years ago
Quoted from WJxxxx:

I'm pretty certain this was fixed in the previous code update. Are you running the latest code?
I've had zero issues since then, having previously had the coil lock on and burn out

100% positive I'm on the latest code. Ironically enough I never had it happen (that I was aware of) until the newest version.

#12510 6 years ago
Quoted from MrDucks:

During tournament play at times you may need to remove the glass during a game, for thing such as freeing a stuck ball as no competitor wants to tilt trying to free it.

+1 That is going to be the main reason. Doesn't happen to often but in the 300 to 400 or so games it will most likely get I'm assuming their will be a dozen or so times the glass may need to come off.

1 week later
#12572 6 years ago
Quoted from delt31:

Could be a dumb question but does the premium version of this game feel heavier/built better than the pro? Like the pro is lighter? Might just be in my head....

Built better - not really

Heavier - yes. There are 3 extra mechs in the prem/le. Moving Grave, Hammer with dissapearing magnet and associated subway, snake jaw. Probably adds another 10 pounds or so.

#12581 6 years ago
Quoted from butterz:

Hey, i need to get to the end of the line. I can do two crank it ups a game, if im lucky. Been focusing on getting everything lit on the cross, and getting that multiball first. Also working on better ball control. Can anyone give any more tips?

In MB focus on collecting the task for crank it up vs jackpots. Lock in a couple shots so you can collect your progress on them and DO NOT start seek an destroy. Doing so resets those shots.

Last, you can adjust the shots needed to start crank it up if that's your goal and need a little help.

#12582 6 years ago

Finally got off my lazy butt and relocated my spot lights. Moved from slings to the plastics right in front of the outline post in existing holes. I like it a lot better and now I don't have the spot lights getting loose all the time.

20180215_123154 (resized).jpg20180215_123154 (resized).jpg

#12587 6 years ago
Quoted from MustangPaul:

Damn that's a nice camera you have, that picture is beautiful. What is it?

Galaxy S6 phone. I'm kind of surprised myself it came out that good.

Quoted from Fezmid:

Why does that poor MOP not have a ColorDMD...?

$400 is the main reason. I like them but I just don't see $400 in value for that mod in any of my games.

#12594 6 years ago
Quoted from jawjaw:

Game looks amazing, 85vett. Did you polish your ramps? They look so shiny. Like the purple flipper bats, too.

Good eye. I did not mirror polish them but when cleaning them I hit them with some metal polish. It brightened things up a little bit. The picture makes them look a bit shinier than in person though.

#12600 6 years ago
Quoted from mattosborn:

I think this is a great idea. I'm going to follow your example. Thanks!

Just a tip. Remove the middle GI bulb under the plastic and then fish the wires for the spotlight through. Then you can reinstall the bulb. Doing this the wires are long enough to reach.

#12601 6 years ago
Quoted from Draegermeister:

My Mystery just started ejecting SDTM. I tightened it up and realigned it to no avail. What settings do you have on right eject?
Or are there any other ideas?
Getting an extra ball isn’t helpful if you get a SDTM when you earn it!

Their is a power setting for that scoop. I don't recall it's number but go through the adjustments and you will see it. You an increase or lower the setting to get it to go where it needs to go.

#12640 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

So EOTL is as tough to get to as Vallinour?

I feel valinor is harder than EOTL. If that is all you go for it's achievable (not trying to max CIU or go for anything but objectives in MB) on a good game. Been there half a dizen times. I know people much better than me that haven't seen valuable.

#12649 6 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Are ball times longish? I have a MM and AFM which are pretty short lived balls for average players.
Also, can anyone with Spiderman experience compare ball times and wizard mode difficulty.

If ball times on MM and AFM are short lived for you then they will be very short on MET. MET and AFM are much more controllable IMHO. The only dangerous shot in AFM is the drop bank and for MM is the Trolls and castle gate. This is very much like MET. The dangerous shots on MET are Sparky and the Grave markers (mainly the first 1 or 2) but with MET that dang double inlane on the left with the metal center rail is what kills me most of the time.

To me, Spiderman plays MUCH longer if you have reg flippers and the center post in it. It's just so easy to keep MB's going on that game. With that said, I'd have a hard time saying one is better than the other. Spiderman and MET are two very different types of games. The fight between those games is going to depend more on personal skill and how you prefer the rules of a game.

#12653 6 years ago
Quoted from Sparky:

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.

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.

1 week later
#12865 6 years ago
Quoted from BillySastard:

Completely false. MOPLE has a mirrored backglass. NOT a translite, and it was never used in any premiums. I don't know where you guys come up with this shit.

It's pinside. We make sh#t up and run with it

For the record. This is the LE backglass for those that may be confused.

20180308_202417 (resized).jpg20180308_202417 (resized).jpg

#12904 6 years ago
Quoted from j_m_:

finally had a good game last night
176M on the first ball (before the extra ball). managed to get 2 graveyard MB's, sparky and coffin MBs afterwards all on the first ball.
totally tanked the last ball with 298MB going into it, had a house ball on the initial plunge and then again on the ball save afterwards
only one CIU (which I also failed to cash in

WOW! I think you have the record high score with playing only one CIU and not cashing it out. Those must have been some crazy MB's you had going on.

-1
#12908 6 years ago
Quoted from imagamejunky:

No. I prefer using credits on my machines. Not a fan of leaving them on freeplay.
If the battery was dead would that cause the game to lose the credits? The audits, high scores, and settings are all saved though. This is the only pin I’ve ever seen this happen on.

Pretty sure that is by design. heck the local arcade will power cycle games that have free games on them that someone leaves. Maybe their is a setting that will hold credits after a power cycle but by default I believe that is normal.

1 week later
#12951 5 years ago

FYI for those that may be interested. My METLE got a lot of streaming love over the weekend at TPF. Played nearly every round in the finals as well.

Here is a link to the finals - https://www.twitch.tv/videos/239897849

Skip to the end to see Karl D blow it up. If you watch this please ignore my game (I'm Brad). After Karl's blow up and needing a first place to have a chance I tried a couple new ideas which obviously blew up in my face so I had a really bad game

To answer some questions I saw in the chat window.
- CIU was set to 8+2 and Sparky was starting at 13.
- Yes, we kept ball save on but reduced to 4 seconds. This was because it was a limited entry tournament and not a herb event. With limited we wanted people to have a chance to feel the game at least.
- Slings were stupid tight and outlanes were wide open. Had mini post installed in place of the standard post (3/8 OD rubber)
- No, I didn't LED barf on the game. The GI is stock with one exception. I replaced the blue lights with Ice blue. I did this because I just don't like the dark blue and wanted a more lighter blue light in the game.
- The flipper bats aren't black. They are actually Candy purple. Didn't show in the stream well.

#12955 5 years ago

I prefer black on Modern Stern games.

1 week later
#13064 5 years ago
Quoted from LOTR_breath:

Mistake. There is NOTHING WRONG with the stock Stern balls. They solved that issue years ago. Take them out of the pouch, clean the protective oil off of them with alcohol, and drop them in. The last game I bought NIB(GOT Premium) they were even the shiny variety.

Must be a crap shoot then as my GOTLE balls were very poor in quality (pitting and even surface rust). The NIB GOTG I helped to unbox in the tournament area for TPF this year had pretty sub-par balls as well. No surface rust at least but a lot of pitting and scratching.

#13073 5 years ago
Quoted from Koos:

I have a question regarding Mezelmods gels for colorizing the fuel gauge.
I know that a green sheet is included for the fuel targets well. But can I also use the reg/orange/yellow pieces for the separate letters under the target? Or are they too small?
I might consider adding an extra set to colorize the target letters as well.
I have a Metallica PRO so maybe I don’t need the gel sheets anyway since I can replace the LED’s with colored ones? (Unlike Prem/LE)

With a pro their is no reason to buy the gels. Just get the LED's of your color choice.

#13080 5 years ago
Quoted from swampfire:

Warm white is a color. I never felt the need to change the fuel gauge. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Which is completely irrelevant. I'm glad you felt it necessary to provide yet another "don't color LED your games" based commentary to people that didn't ask that question. My response was in reference to the question on if the person needed to buy Gels in order to change the colors on their pro. That is a simple answer of "nope, you don't".

I'm sorry if this is rude but I'm quite honestly getting real tired of this community constantly badgering people for their personal taste in their games. It's not productive at all. If someone ask, "what color LED should I put ___" then those doors are open but that's not the case with this question.

For instance - I saw a lot of people talking crap about my MET that I brought to TPF. Comments were mainly along the lines of using blue in the GI. News flash - Prem and LE's come with RWB GI. That's factory!!! So I'm assuming all those, "don't color LED your games people" are changing all newer stern games GI to white, right?

We ALL get it. Some don't like LED's (I'm not and am a fan of Sun Light from Comet in my games) while others don't. Some like putting all kinds of crap on their games while others don't. If everyone liked the same things life would be pretty boring.

Sorry, rant off.

#13083 5 years ago
Quoted from swampfire:

Plenty of room for differing opinions here, including mine. I realize I’m in the minority, hence the shrug emoticon. I’m probably the only guy on the planet who replaced the factory GI for GOTLE with warm white. I do try not to be a dick about my preferences, but it’s an open thread.

I put Sun Light in my GI on my GOTLE so not the only person on the planet that replaced the cool white.

Quoted from Damien:

Might be picking up a pro soon... Wanted to know the recommended parts/mods?
Are Cliffys suggested?
Also saw a video of a lighting upgrade that would make it look like a premium/LE. Does this work with the Pro LED model?

Yes, that kit is designed for the Pro and will work on the LED model.

I personally went with the mantis protector for the CIU scoop vs the cliffy. I've been very happy with it and after a couple thousand plays it shows no wear there. Some put the cliffy around the magnets. I went with mylar. Again no wear their on the PF either.

Mods are a personal preference but if I had to advise on one it would be the snake teeth. Turn that turtle into a snake!

#13087 5 years ago
Quoted from Koos:

Maybe a newbie question from my part by I thought it’s not done to put Mylar on the playfield since it will damage it upon removal? (I’m seeing all those restoration videos about Mylar removal)
And what about putting Mylar (or some other sticky plastic material) on the cabinet around the flipper buttons?

That's really only an issue with the older games due to how the PF's were cleared but if you wax the game before applying it the mylar will come up without much of a fight if you want to remove it. It will still stick down good as well. Their are also low tac mylars out now.

With newer games I personally feel you will see more potential long term damage with a cliffy than mylar removal at magnets (and scoops). I've removed several cliffy's from PF's where it's cause a slight indention in the clear where they were located. I've also removed a lot of them to where their is zero clear damage. I think that may depend on how soon they are applied after clear or maybe just PF tolerance differences. Either way, that is why I personally prefer the mantis protectors for scoops and mylar for magnets. Cliffy's are a great product though so I'm not trying to convince either way. Just providing my experience and preference.

#13166 5 years ago

To early to say. The rules of maiden do look pretty interesting already. Two very different types of games.

1 thing is for sure to me. Met with Iron Maiden next to each other would be pretty killer.

#13190 5 years ago
Quoted from MikeTangoIndia:

What the heck Metallica machine is that??!!! Some sort of prototype? Home brew?

That looks like the home made Met that was a re theme of an earth shaker.

#13192 5 years ago

Yeah, it was pretty well done as well. Finally found a link to it:

#13223 5 years ago
Quoted from BillySastard:

Anyone able to hit the Fuel lane regularly? That seems to be harder for me to get than the scoop.

It seems to be easier for me from a roll. From a trap I always miss it.

1 week later
#13319 5 years ago
Quoted from Jason_Jehosaphat:

Price Check Request: Routed MOPLE
Can I trouble you (collectively) for some market advice?
What is a fair sum to pay for the following pin, in your estimation, given today's market:
MOPLE, presently in someone's home collection but routed (5000 paid credits) prior to that.
PF is nice, with just the slightest wear on the perimeter of the Cliffy-less Mystery scoop and around the Sparky magnet. Sparky and Gravemarker magnets show ample dimpling, while the hammer magnet looks much better. PF overall shows average dimpling and no wear areas, including in/outlanes. Colors seem bright/vivid. Cabinet is nice, with perhaps a little fade, but few if any scratches. Coin door has minimal scratches. Backglass is nice, along with the head decals and the silver edging. The only mods are speaker lights and under-cab lights. DMD is the monochrome original. Boards are fine/original and gameplay is fine (as far as I'm told).
I think it looks sharp, but "routed" is such a dirty word to so many collectors. I worry that I will struggle to sell it later without taking a bath when I disclose its history on location, etc. Indeed at least a few Pinsiders I've run this past have counseled me to "stay away!"
Any/all advice would be most appreciated!

Condition is the most important thing. I've seen HUO games with much worse issues than the game you are describing. Dimpling on magnets is not wear. It will happen after a couple games if you put in new magnets. Only the wood and art around the magnets should be of concern (same as the CIU scoop). Dimpling is a non-issue and normal unless it's excessive (deep craters). MOPLE was built before sterns's PF challenges so it should be fine.

Based off the MOD I'm going to "guess" around $7500-$8K. I have no clue if that is market these days anymore though. I just know that my MOPLE is in great shape with more desirable mods and I would price it at $8.5K if I went to sell it. I've been considering it a lot lately as I actually prefer the monster premium (artwork) and would rather have that version but I basically fell into a MOPLE thus why I have it vs the Monster premium.

3 weeks later
#13417 5 years ago

Apron stays on. Lift the playfield, loosen the 3 screws that hold the shooter rod on place. Slide the shooter rod assembly to the left and re-tighten. Lower PF and check alignment. Repeat till you get it to hit the center of the ball.

#13473 5 years ago
Quoted from gliebig:

Snake ate my bulb. Don't know how it got all the way down there. I don't know how to get it out without yaki g the whole mech off, which I really don't want to do. Snake is working fine.

This may sound stupid but that looks very much like the snake eject mod that someone put on the game.

#13475 5 years ago

Is the post level with the PF when down? Sounds like it's slightly below the PF so the ball hangs in the whole. I find it best to have the post just a mm or two above the PF.

#13479 5 years ago
Quoted from jrawlinson_2000:

Hi folks,
Any suggestions as to why on occasions I get ball hang ups going into the coffin hole?
This happens maybe once every 10 games, the game takes the ball down but it does not roll into the position it should, rather it gets stuck so I have to remove the glass and press down the magnet and then try to hook the ball and persuade it to go into the position it should be in.
Gets stuck sort of upper-left.
Its quite annoying.

Check to make sure your balls aren't magnetized. That's exactly what mine does when they do.

Quoted from zpinman370:

Thx for the feedback- I will check that out and see if I need to make a slight adjustment. It has only been an issue the past couple weeks (have had my MET for 1-1/2 years this is first issue) so maybe something has come loose on the underside of the post bracket. Awesome game love it!!

If memory serves me correctly. That post sits on a rubber in the mechanism. Over time it could lose some of it's bounce or height causing the post to sink ever so slightly. It's an easy adjustment though so hopefully that's all it is.

#13490 5 years ago

Lost a switch column last night. If anyone has any ideas on how to fix please let me know. Link to thread below.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-sam-whole-switch-column-went-out

#13494 5 years ago

Agree on Mantis. May get some very minor wear at the very edge but it's not going to blow out or dent up. I'll honestly take some minor scuffing over the look of the cliffy their. The cliffy the previous owner put on my game actually put a small edge in the clear their. So, it's a trade off. I love the cliffy's for scoop with some wear already though.

#13505 5 years ago
Quoted from Londonpinball:

Thanks for your help , I got the wireing working .
Does the under side of the snake have a option with a cut in it for the LED.
This is the 2 pics I see online. The LED looks like it fit inside the jaw
Thanks for ur help

No, the LED doesn't go inside the jaw. If it did then it would interfere with the ball. it just goes under it and the light shines through the openings.

#13517 5 years ago
Quoted from trilamb:

(and missing the scoop over and over again always with seconds left on 2x!). Getting to Blackened while looping those ramps.

Truly is amazing how Lyman was able to code in the game to shrink that scoop down when that shot is critical. Still not sure how he does it. Shrinks 30% when lit for CIU or to collect but outside of those modes it's a huge wide open shot. He's a magician

Glad I'm not the only one. I literally tell myself that shot means nothing when I need it which inevitably makes things worse.

#13526 5 years ago
Quoted from Monk:

I'm not sure how the points are awarded either, but I believe you increase the "level" of mystery awards by lighting the inlane lights. So every time you light all 5 lights at the inlanes and pop bumpers you move up another "level". Each level is suppose to increase awards given in mystery.

This is correct.

While in crank it up I've only ever gotten a free CIU shot when collecting a mystery shot. I've never tried completing pics though while in CIU as I'm trying to avoid them since they aren't of any value in the mode and cause instant death a lot. May be a good, glass of journey if I can ever get my game working again

My daughter is so pissed she hasn't been able to play it for a week now. "Daddy, when are you going to fix my favorite game." Spend an hour or so a night on it with zero progress....

#13528 5 years ago
Quoted from jawjaw:

@85Vette - what's wrong with your game? Switch column? Cool your daughter likes to play. I have a daughter who thinks pinball is stupid. My two boys used to play a little but can't be bothered now.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-sam-whole-switch-column-went-out

Yes, a whole switch column went out. I thought it was the board but when I moved the connector one pin all switches that moved to that pin worked fine and the switches on this column still didn't work. I thought I had it fixed when I re-installed a switch but it failed again after 2 games (odd it worked for those two games).

I'm super stumped and frustrated at this point so am open to suggestions.

Guess this is my punishment for taking an LE to TPF (tournament bank) as it's never been right since I've gotten it back home

I actually have a video when it stopped working again as I happened to be taking a video, just for fun, of my kids playing. Stopped working and my daughter went full POed 8 year old about it. I'll load it up as it's entertaining... My son doesn't play it (he's always camped out at TF) but she pulls a stool up to MET and just camps their.

***edit*** Video uploaded.

#13533 5 years ago
Quoted from Rickwh:

I think you are right. Its more likely the inlane rollover sets. Not pic sets.
Rick

In-lanes diffidently lite mystery and increase the mystery levels.

Quoted from dnapac:

85vett I love how your son decides to react like his sister....cracks me up.

Quoted from roar:

This!
That really cracked me up. My soon to be 11 and 13 year old girls could care less about pinball, I envy you .

He mirrors everything she does. We are lucky (so far at least) as they get along great and are best friends. He's 2 and she is 8 so I'm sure it will change at some point. My son always enjoyed pinball but just recently has been able to reach both flippers. My daughter couldn't have cared less until I came home with the 4th place TPF trophy. Now she wants to beat Robert and Colin (both local and come to my house sometimes) to play. I told her if she can figure out that trick then to please fill me in on the secret as they get my number 9 times out of 10.

2 weeks later
#13623 5 years ago
Quoted from XQ11:

Good ideas guys, thanks a bunch. I’ll try out test mode and see what I come up with. Welcome to pin ownership I suppose!

Agreed with the above comments but I actually think it's the switch in the shooter lane that activates the post to drop. Not positive either but do a general switch test and I'd be surprised if you didn't fine one that wasn't working correctly.

And a tip since you may be new to ownership from your comment. Test the switches with a ball, not your finger. This is because your finger will actually push the switch down further than the ball sometimes and that slight difference could mean the differences between activating and not. I learned the hard way as I had on like that and it worked with my finger 100% of the time. Used a ball and nothing. Adjusted the switch and all was good again.

#13633 5 years ago

Have PF prices really gotten that out of control too? Seems like this time last year you could easily find replacement PF's for games in production for around $600.

Me personally I would go with the $3.5K game and wait till I found a pro PF. Get it professional cleared and then do the swap. Still be ahead of a NIB game, with a better PF (think Kruzman clear) and have a cool piece of wall art. Swap on MET pro wouldn't be to hard. Maybe a weekend or twos worth of work for someone that doesn't have experience with them but I also enjoy working on games almost as much as playing them so take that into account.

i would call some of the main distributors about replacement PF's before you completely pass.

#13652 5 years ago

Agree with above. Check the switch first then the opto. If you need to adjust the opto take the ramp off. It's much easier that way and it's simple to remove the ramps anyways. Would be a good time to install the airball protector from pinbits as well.

For the music. It's in the settings but is counter-intuitive. The higher the number the softer the music/call outs. The lower the number the louder they will be. If you want just the music to be louder turn that setting down while raising the call out setting a tad. Then you can turn the master volume up to get the desired call out volume (and in turn the music will be much louder). I forget the location of the settings but I believe they are at the end of the first group.

#13663 5 years ago
Quoted from Nemesis:

That was quick. Good thing I don't see it value wise lol... Is there a way to get the prem/le hammer in there just for asthetics? I heard the ball hammer gimmick is a negative on those.

Should be easy to add one if you are ok with cutting some plastics. It's just basically a plastic tube with the hammer attached all on a lever.

#13666 5 years ago
Quoted from Nemesis:

Ok, is there a purchase source? Do I have to change my Pro code? Is there a DIY for this? Thx!

Code - Wont work. If you want it to move you will have to customer do something. Easiest thing would be to tie into the captive ball target and use an audrino board to fire a relay which fires a coil to make it move. Not easy but not over the top. If you just go with static that is what I was referencing as being easy.

The main parts:
Parts to make the hammer:
- https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/545-7826-01
- https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/530-7828-00
- https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/530-5332-09
- a 6-32 x 5/8 screw

If you want it to move you will also need:
- 535-0689-09 and 535-0689-08. I don't see these for sale so a call to a dist may be needed. This is the bracket that creates the pivot points.
- https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/535-0690-00
- https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/511-7488-00

You'll also need a coil and the associated hardware that goes with them. You can see the assembly in the manual here starting at page 8. http://sternpinball.com/upload/games/metallica/pro/421/MTLAB1.PDF

#13690 5 years ago
Quoted from Monk:

Check the coil behind sparky to see if there is a restriction of some sort. Could be a weak coil or dirty sleeve.

Don't think their is a sleeve on that coil, if so it would be tiny, but it could also be that the spring (that attaches to his back) could use to be adjusted to make it tighter.

#13697 5 years ago
Quoted from gliebig:

Does this look correct? Was working fine in coil test with playfield up then I put it back down and it stopped working

That almost looks like to big of a gap. That coil isn't strong so it's a fine line of far enough for good movement and to far to work. Try putting a popsicle stick between the chair and metal bracket and give it a try. If it moves now you know the gap was to big.

#13726 5 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

Anyone know roughly when Stern will stop producing MET?
I'm planning to get one NIB, but have to sell one of my current games first. Can't yet decide what I'm willing to part with. Most likely TWD since it's such a drain fest!

I'd keep TWD as it has a different layout than most of the others (Fan). That can help keep interest in your games and if it's to drainy for you to have fun close down the outlanes and adjust it to make it fun.

For me it would be an easy and hard decision.

Easy - Would be MM or AFM since they are fairly similar in play
Hard - Which of the two it would be. I would probably put them both up for sale for the high side of market value. Which ever one sold first would go and I'd keep the other.

#13731 5 years ago
Quoted from Damien:

I find it interesting that so many people suggest keeping TWD over almost every other game, yet it's rated lower than most games it is pitted against.
Maybe the ratings are weighed down from when the code was sort of shitty, or maybe people just like how punishing it is.
I'd say 70% of the time, I want to flip the game on it's side and just smash it to bits like that printer scene in Office Space. But the rest of the time, where I'm in Horde and trying to get as close to LMS as I can, the game is pretty intense and awesome!

I think TWD got hurt by the original code releases and improperly set up games.

Under current code and versions that don't go SDTM most of the time out of the pops it's a really good game. It's like Metallica in that way as the original code was pretty bad but at least with MET it also wasn't an (we will call it unfair) drain monster from just a simple plunge. Like MET Lyman really worked the code to be brilliant once you truly understand the rules (feels more complex than MET), it just had that nasty feed out of the pops. Get that corrected and it can be a great game.

1 week later
#13804 5 years ago
Quoted from lpeters82:

The snake in that eBay listing comes with teath.

Doubtful. The original run's all came with Teeth. They were breaking so Stern stopped putting them on. The photos there are just Stern's website photos which were never updated to show the snake comes as a turtle NIB.

#13807 5 years ago
Quoted from lpeters82:

Oh, I didn't even realize that Stern originally shipped games with teeth. That's kind of a lazy fix. That would be kind of like "fixing" the issues with the magnet board by eliminating the magnets.

Against pinside rules to modify an actual quote so I'm going to re-quote you below with a slightly better example

"Oh, I didn't even realize that Stern originally shipped games with teeth. That's kind of a lazy fix. That would be kind of like "fixing" the left orbit on GOT Prem/LE by just disabling the control gate in the code forcing all balls to go in the pops."

#13822 5 years ago
Quoted from ChipScott:

Added red LED under the pf at the snake. Lookin cool!! Lights up when he spits it back at you, awesome. Thanks again Mezels!!

Hmmm. I have a green one for that. May have to try red as that's a nice contrast.

1 week later
#13861 5 years ago
Quoted from Doctor6:

When I said I took the sleeve off, I meant I put a metal one in there. It did jack shit for me. Surely there's more to it than that, as metal didn't make a bit of difference.
As for bending the coil bracket, do you mean so that it comes out at an angle?

I cut the coil sleeve down a little bit which added a little play in the post. That is when mine got to about 95% into the pops. Before that it was still rejecting 50%+ of the time. I think my original coil sleeve was tall enough that it actually went into the wood opening or right to it before (memory isn't serving me well today). When I made it flush with the coil bracket my problems went away.

May be another option.

#13869 5 years ago
Quoted from JB-7X:

Any pro tips for the install as far as stuff I should watch out for??

Not for the install but a pro tip to be sure you are listening to her ramblings now if you weren't before. Pay her back buy an equally thoughtful gift for her next birthday. Happy wife = happy life I'm also lucky that mine loves the pinball collection aspect too (not so much playing though).

Congrats on the color dmd!

#13873 5 years ago
Quoted from shelby1000:

Does anyone have any info on where Stern is at with the new Premiums being shipped out to distributors? In the beginning of June I paid in full for a Premium and Still have no idea on when I'll get it. I'm patient and I know Stern is busy but I was just wondering if they have sent any out yet at all or if someone knows when they expect to.

That's a question best for your distributor. I say this because if they were building some right now (which I don't think they are) it would also depend on your distributors agreement with Stern. They could be last in line for instance.

1 week later
#13921 5 years ago
Quoted from Dee-Bow:

That being said.. my MET is now on its third set of 2" slingshot rubbers.. has anyone used 2-1/2's on their slings? Big difference? For a few bucks I dont mind replacing them more often!

I got tired of changing the 2" all the time so went to 2 1/2. I adjusted the switches to be a bit more sensitive which made the difference between 2 and 2 1/2 basically nothing. Without adjusting the switches your slings will be slightly less sensitive.

Quoted from LOTR_breath:

Use a forward nudge in that area, even when it looks safe. Same goes for Avatar, Guardians, Aerosmith, just to name a few. Specifically on Met, use a little left to right tap when the ball is coming out of the fuel lane. Some Mets are really bad about draining out of the fuel lane. Mine seems to rarely do it.

+1 on this but I actually like to use a slight up and to the left nudge. The bounce to the outlane comes when the ball hits the center of that metal guide. If you can get the ball to hit a slight bit off center it generally wont do that.

#13926 5 years ago

Yes, it's a softer metal. You want it to dent vs the ball. Dented magnet core is cosmetic. Chipped or dented ball equals torn up playfield.

#13931 5 years ago
Quoted from Koos:

Yesterday I managed to shoot the ball up the fuel lane right before I collected my Crank it Up jackpot. But the jackpot wasn't doubled!
I'm not sure how the "blown pistons" work but does it only work when all three are lit?
I know for sure that one of those two times at least two piston inserts were lit and I heard the engine noise once I shot the ball up there.
Hopefully somebody can clarify this. Thanks!

You have to spell FUEL. It then lights that shot for 2X. Those 3 inserts below the lane actually correspond to the pop bumper progress.

#13935 5 years ago
Quoted from roar:

I love shooting the Piston Target on any balls returned to the flipper from the right ramp, I find it a very gratifying shot. I also find it very safe to shoot for. Occasionally I will fire it into the left sling when I miss and that will end up in the Snake for a nice accidental shot. I have my game set to default settings so there are not a lot extra balls available and I can use all the ones I can get, though that one I seldom receive... I should really stop shooting for it

If you can get dialed in on that shot it can be VERY lucrative. Those end of the line points grow throughout the ball and can be multiplied by the PF multipliers.

#13956 5 years ago

They are blown pistons when lit. Basically pop bumper progress.

#13982 5 years ago

Finally got my MET mojo back after that embarrassment in the finals at TPF. I cheated though and put the standard outlane post back in as the mini ones were kicking my butt...
20180806_220744 (resized).jpg20180806_220744 (resized).jpg20180806_220752 (resized).jpg20180806_220752 (resized).jpg

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