I really like this idea. I'm going to try it out. I wonder what R&D results Stern got when trying it out, and why they went with the block.

I got my newton ball in the mail this afternoon and installed it tonight and played five or six straight games. This is, hands down, one of THE best things you can do to your Prem/LE. I did not grind a side flat. Differences I noticed;

Sparky shot opened wide up from both flippers,
NO difference whatsoever in magnet behaviour/capture rate,
Shot registers from side angles,
Looks FANTASTIC,

If you're looking for downside you might consider;
Block used to save the odd SDTM from sparky. Ball lets it slide by. Play better!
A couple of air balls up on to the Grave cover plastic. Two or three times in six games.

I will not let this rest here. The side registers are soooo sweet. As is the register when your ball just fades across the face of the captive ball. I am getting way more shots registered; the extra ball from coffin hits is consistently coming up way earlier. I reckon I'm getting 20% more hits registering at least. Markmon for President!

Five minutes of Newton ball awesomeness (or just "awe" I suppose, lol). I am totally geeking out to this mod. Thanks again markmon. For the total pinball nerd - video of nothing but the Newton ball during gameplay in a Met LE. The sad thing is, I watch it to the end every time. haha.

That bracket can't be hit directly by a shot from the flipper. It will have to come off a bounce so might not be prone to too much violence, and any hit should have a bunch of speed washed off by the time it gets there.

It does play fine with it, granted. But man, that shiny round ball looks so damn sweet. "Of all the captive balls in all the two bit pinball machines in the world.. Why'd a funny lookin grey cube land in mine? "

Fkn awesome

Mine's a naked Newton ball and I do sometimes get some crazy airballs up onto the grave plastic. Does that bracket assembly around the ball have a dampening effect on those airballs?.. By sorta getting in the way of its flight off the top?

Yeah cool, I see that.. So maybe a washer under the ball to lift it a bit. Testing time..

Yeah I think it must be that mine is not an assembly, just a ball on a stick. If it was lifted just a fraction, the centre of it would be just above the centre of any ball colliding with it, putting actual downforce on the free ball.

In the risk /reward universe I think you're good to go.

Me too. I'm pretty certain its my magnet cliffy making the ball skip slightly then catch the captive ball above centre.