(Topic ID: 272125)

Mirco Playfields - WARNING for potential buyers

By Kobaja

3 years ago


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  • 2,687 posts
  • 368 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 7 days ago by vec-tor
  • Topic is favorited by 91 Pinsiders

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Topic index (key posts)

31 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items.

Display key post list sorted by: Post date | Keypost summary | User name

Post #583 Mirco failure photos. Posted by ForceFlow (2 years ago)

Post #703 Alternate Playfield Restoration service Posted by petebest (1 year ago)

Post #795 List of Mirco playfield issues by HEP Posted by High_End_Pins (1 year ago)

Post #896 Response form PPS concerning playfield issues Posted by PPS (1 year ago)

Post #940 Response from Mirco Posted by Highclasspinball (1 year ago)

Post #1045 Peeling clearcoat Posted by Warzard (1 year ago)

Post #1096 quicksliver clearcoat failure under posts Posted by gdonovan (1 year ago)

Post #1097 Black Knight clearcoat failure under posts Posted by wolffcub (1 year ago)

Post #1119 Example of another playfield company standing behind their products Posted by ForceFlow (1 year ago)

Post #1123 Response from Mirco Posted by Highclasspinball (1 year ago)


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#31 3 years ago
Quoted from Kobaja:

If anyone has messed up playfields from this guy, feel free to post photos and share

Indiana Jones is wrong, too. The art is clearly different on willie, and I don't care how much he denies it, the black keylines show signs of autotrace in Illustrator (fatter and longer than original art). Willie looks like a vampire because most of her teeth in the middle are missing on his.

On the non-glitter playfields, the "Y" in shorty is wrong, the yellow just disappears and you can see the art underneath.

Lots of stupid stuff like this that could have been caught by the community if he had let more eyeballs on the art before he ran them.

Shorty-comparison (resized).jpgShorty-comparison (resized).jpgWillie-Comparison (resized).jpgWillie-Comparison (resized).jpg
#36 3 years ago
Quoted from xfassa:

Not sure that is true in all cases as the "y" is correct on mine. [quoted image]

But yours is a glitter playfield, right? This is only on non-glitter as far as I know.

#38 3 years ago
Quoted from xfassa:

No glitter on mine. To flashy for me.

That makes even less sense, unless he fixed it on later runs. Since these are digital prints you can't have screening errors because it's all laid down at once.

Well, at least you got Vampire Willie.

6 months later
#143 3 years ago
Quoted from pindel:

I’ve gone through 60+ New playfields in 10 years. I store them leaning against the wall. I’ve never had an issue with warp once installed. I would say your totally fine. Both sides sit on the lock bar. I can’t see how it could possibly hold that slight dip. I’ve had many show up with some twist but nothing detectable once installed. I would be curious if anyone has ever seen one in a game. Nice Black knight. Is that Cpr or Mirco?

Someone had a really bad Iron Maiden (? I think it was maiden...) a couple years ago that they posted pics of. VERY warped.

8 months later
#293 2 years ago
Quoted from transprtr4u:

Did the gap issue on the insert get fixed ... where the girl looks like she's is missing a tooth?

Willie looks like a vampire on Mirco's. There's also some priority issues on the colors for some of the lettering on one or more of the other characters (I don't remember which).

Willie-Comparison (resized).jpgWillie-Comparison (resized).jpg
2 months later
#330 2 years ago
Quoted from Bundy:

Not CV but I did two playfield swaps last year and they were both perfect. (AFM)
Doing two MM now using Mirco playfields.
It is a hit or miss I guess. MY experience is however good. The issue seems to be when/if you need to claim a playfield.

Hope it's not the batch of Mirco AFM playfields where the clear just separates after a while. HEP had a video where he was just pulling clear off a pf sent to him for repair easier than a bandaid. This video is another person pulling huge chunks of Mirco clear off with an air compressor...

#332 2 years ago
Quoted from Bundy:

I hope not, so far so good.
That is really bad

The HEP one was even worse, but he didn't have the video posted very long, and I didn't grab it, unfortunately.

2 months later
#375 2 years ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

Find out soon enough, I purchased one the end of last year and just finished making the wiring harness.

Pretty clear you'll likely have the same problems. I'd have Ron fix it for you first, so the install is one and done.

Does it suck that you have to have a brand new playfield repaired with proper clearcoat? Yes. But it's part of the well-documented Mirco experience if you want to go that way.

#379 2 years ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

If I have an issue I can re-clearcoat it myself thanks and I'll cross that bridge when I get there. If it happens you will hear about it in this thread undoubtedly.

Looking forward to it.

#384 2 years ago
Quoted from gdonovan:

Somewhat negative view you have there pal, wishing misfortune on someone not a net positive.

I'm absolutely NOT hoping you have a bad experience, just being realistic. Mirco has a terrible track record, especially with Quicksilver. The odds are not in your favor. That's just the way it is.

I actually *hope* you're one of the lucky few (are there any lucky few for Mirco Quicksilver PFs?). So wishing fortune in your endeavor, but realistic enough to know you'll probably waste a ton of time having to take it all apart and have it fixed at your expense later because, like shingles, Mirco doesn't care.

#386 2 years ago
Quoted from meSz:

JJP has changed their warranty to exclude playfields all together. Not sure what “liability” you’re referring too?
There are only a few companies that make playfields n JJP screwed things up with the other thus are (basically) stuck with Mirco.

I think CPR is willing, but I have no idea why JJP isn't at least TRYING CPR for their CE machines. Smaller run, supposedly more premium machine at a higher price. Make it the test for switching to CPR, or if they can't handle the volume and a CE test works out, just do CPR for all JJP CEs from here out.

#388 2 years ago
Quoted from bluespin:

Or find the source for American and Spooky pins as they don’t have these playfield issues.

That's what the other poster was talking about. Spooky (and I think American's) supplier is Bader, who JJP royally pissed off when Bader playfields were having problems with ink adhesion on early WoZ. So, that bridge is burned.

1 week later
#438 2 years ago
Quoted from galore2112:

I don’t understand that either. Maybe it’s not compatible with their inks? I had my IJ coated with automotive clear more than 20 years ago (!) and just took pictures. It’s much thinner than the Mirco clear coat but holds up extremely well. There is zero pooling (it’s too thin) and no lifted artwork. It’s not rocket science so I’m kinda puzzled why they can’t accomplish what was easily possible 20 years ago and holds up very well. Weird.[quoted image][quoted image]

It's not just the clear, it's the additives for curing speed, etc. They're going too fast now with too few prep steps for the newer materials to work well from what I gather.

4 months later
#663 1 year ago
Quoted from Talon2000:

FYI
Working on a Spirit Mirco PF swap. Found out that the playfield is 3/16 to wide and tall, as compared to the original. The PF will not fit in the cabinet. Looks like a disassemble and rip the pf down on a table saw to get it fit.
Didn't think I would have to check the measurements of something that should be a standard measurement.

I agree that screwing the new playfield to the old one (using the holes in the old playfield on top mated to the new one's on the bottom) to see WHERE the excess width needs to come off is important. It may not all be on one side or the other.

5 months later
#672 1 year ago
Quoted from Kobaja:

Any more experiences?

Quite a few pooling/chipping experiences with Mirco playfields are showing up in The Big Lebowski's owner's thread now.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-official-club-thread/page/97#post-7329449

#675 1 year ago
Quoted from Blackjacker:

With his new factory (and, I assume, capacity) it would be fantastic if Peter could take some of this business away, perhaps even the future JJP work.

ANY new playfield manufacturer with capacity and morals would be great. I'm not sure JJP would jump, though. Aren't they invested financially in Mirco? I thought they bought in years ago to guarantee product flow (with no guarantee of quality, unfortunately).

2 weeks later
#687 1 year ago
Quoted from NC_Pin:

Ugh.. and I was just about to order a Medieval Madness PF from Micro. This sucks

Picking up a used one and having Kruzman fix and re-clear it is a way better path. Might take longer to find a used one, but the end result will last a long time, unlike a Mirco.

#690 1 year ago
Quoted from CoolCatPinball:

Kruzman told me via Email a few months back, that he no longer does used playfields. New only.

Didn't know that. Boo. I wonder who still does used PF touchup and re-clearing, then?

I wouldn't gamble on any Mirco playfield. Seems to go south more often than not, and customer service is non-existent. I guess having Ron strip and re-clear it would be better than stock Mirco, but that's a very pricey total admission fee to the new playfield club.

#706 1 year ago
Quoted from F-2NIRO:

it is to be hoped that the manufacturers follow the method of haggis pinball which seems to me the most reliable to have solid, to see the cost of manufacture which can not be farther than the manufacture of a PF 80/90 's

Nope. No thanks. Not interested in a poly playfield. At all.

Screened art on wood is the gold standard. Digital printing on wood playfields seems to be unavoidable since most manufacturers have gone there, but hopefully they figure out how to make it reliable long-term.

#709 1 year ago
Quoted from F-2NIRO:

it's already found, just take time and buy high quality wood

....but once again "the dough"

Yes, I was implying that, but should have added "at the price point they want to hit for their profit margin."

1 month later
#1023 1 year ago
Quoted from Coyote:

Add:
Vectorized Art issues, bad fonts, and missing text.

He says he doesn't use Illustrator's autotrace (maybe his contractors are and claim they're not) when reproducing art, but the ones I've seen have the HALLMARKS of autotrace with too-thick, inaccurate lines compared to originals.

#1025 1 year ago
Quoted from Pinzzz:

A two day old Godfather LE on location yesterday with a Mirco playfield that has raised inserts around the mosaic window that effect the ball path (gameplay).
[quoted image][quoted image]

Wow, that's nasty.

Shakedown, indeed.

9 months later
#2208 73 days ago
Quoted from Jr99svt:

Props to Bathumburg, their clear is top notch out of the box.
My Catacomb: I have other PFs i can put in the game to play it, but there is no replacing the backbox PF. Mirco could have been 1st to market with a PF for that game, but had other more important things to do.....

Yeah, anecdotally, it seems like Bathumburg is the best at the moment for repro playfield quality, but they just don't have very many offerings yet.

Besides Mirco and CPR are there any others currently that sell repro playfields (Kruzman does, but his are just sanded and recleared from others, right?)? It will be a great day when Mirco has some actual competition, because head to head against pretty much anyone, they lose.

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