My take on pinball machines is that 99% of the time they should be left stock. Over the years i've pulled my fair share of hallmark ornaments, dollar store junk, and other random junk of of games.
If you feel the same, post mods you've found in games and removed.
First mod I removed: USS Enterprise ornament.
Custom shooter knobs - yuck!
I get it, they might look cool, but here's the thing:
Many of these knobs can't be easily cleaned or sanitized. All those gross nooks and crannies for viruses, bacteria and fungi to reside.
I cringe whenever I find these in the wild...My next thought is always: "Where's the hand sanitizer?"
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I hate the feel also. There is a Hulk fist on and Incredible Hulk at The Sanctum. Every time I have to play that game for league I get depressed. And then I grab the shooter and feel worse.
I feel like it's a really unpopular opinion but I'm with you. LED lights are as far as I'll take it, but only in support of the original design (red led under red plastic, etc). Gluing Comic Book Guy to a DE Simpsons because, "you know haha that guy is on the show," just makes my head hurt.
My local arcade got a TZ for a steal and the owner sent it off to get modded with "tons of toys." Well... good for him, his money, he can do what he wants, but these things were designed a certain way, and I feel the table needs to stay true to that design.
Again, people can do what they want to their own machines. Their time, their money. I'll just unglue them if I ever get one of their machines.
Quoted from alexmogil:. Their time, their money
No way man. That shitty piece of plastic you glued to the game increases the value about $200. Just like stickers on a car improve the HP.
Quoted from Syco54645:There are very few mods that I feel are tasteful. I cannot think of any right now even. I guess the target stickers are ok but in general yuck.
Tron Arcade Mod, possibly the best and most tasteful/factory looking mod ever.
Quoted from Taxman:I hate the feel also. There is a Hulk fist on and Incredible Hulk at The Sanctum. Every time I have to play that game for league I get depressed. And then I grab the shooter and feel worse.
Huh?? I owned that pin at one time and loved that hulk shooter fist!!! Awesome!!!!!! At one point it fell off and had to super glue it back in....never fell out again 
If you don't appreciate it forfeit each time you have to play at league night 
Add me to the club.
I don't like most of the mods out there. I feel as if I have to pay top dollar for a pin because someone has added a whole lot of shitty mods lol I'll pay $1000 less you keep your mods.
The only mods I like are leds and only when tastefully done which is quite hard to do. not too bright and/or badly matched.
I do like the lit playfield back panel I think they were made for afm and mm.
The gumballs to TZ is another good mod.
Trinkets and toys can go in the bin.
Quoted from Gryszzz:#1 mod : Pingulp.
#2 mod : refer to #1.
Beer (or other adult beverage) is required when playing pinball.
A pingulp is the only mod I will approve of, & on second thought maybe a color DMD, & a sheet of invisiglass.
Quoted from klr650:Custom shooter knobs - yuck!
I get it, they might look cool, but here's the thing:
Many of these knobs can't be easily cleaned or sanitized. All those gross nooks and crannies for viruses, bacteria and fungi to reside.
I cringe whenever I find these in the wild...My next thought is always: "Where's the hand sanitizer?"
These things are horrible. Not only are they disgusting it's horrible having to start each ball by grabbing those things. That's not what the start of game is supposed to feel like. Plungers aren't supposed to have hard plastic noses on them.
I really don't understand who people are trying to impress with stuff like this.
Future buyers? Nobody ever gets their money out of their mods on a game.
Guests/Wives/Kids? They are at best feigning interest in your hobby to be polite and they certainly couldn't care less with whatever tacky crap you've festooned onto your machine.
Other collectors? I guess, but only collectors who are really into mods so nobody really cares about their opinion anyway, and all they want to do is show off THEIR fabulous mods, not bask in the awesomeness of yours.
And do you think it makes your game "unique" or special in any way? I guess, unless you count the hundreds of other people who have bought the exact same garbage for THEIR games.
Long story short: Mod addiction is a problem and it's ruining your life. But it's not too late! We can help.
(I'll admit I like Color DMDs but I don't consider those mods. They are upgrades, and there's a real art to them that I can appreciate more than sticking LEDs in a cheap hallmark plastic.)
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Mod addiction is a problem and it's ruining your life. But it's not too late! We can help.
Give your games to us, we'll don the protective gear for you and quarantine all those mods in the fire pit. After a 3-6 month settle time, the radioactivity levels should be low enough that we can return your game to you.
Competitive pricing, call now
This is funny. Don't put all mods into same bucket. Mods can work together for an altogether new experience. You play one of my games and then play a stock version and tell me it's the same.
If you really think this stock TWDLE looks better than mine (pending sold for life reasons) then color me confused. I get it, sometimes ornaments and figures look cheap, and yeah they cost extra money, but don't bucket *all "mods" into something negative, that's close minded and silly.
Several "mods" add a ton: cdmd, extra flashers, speakers, PDI glass. Even the decorative stuff can add up to a cohesive experience when done correctly.
Quoted from ATLpb:This is funny. Don't put all mods into same bucket. Mods can work together for an altogether new experience. You play one of my games and then play a stock version and tell me it's the same.
If you really think this stock TWDLE looks better than mine (pending sold for life reasons) then color me confused. I get it, sometimes ornaments and figures look cheap, and yeah they cost extra money, but don't bucket *all "mods" into something negative, that's close minded and silly.
Several "mods" add a ton: cdmd, extra flashers, speakers, PDI glass. Even the decorative stuff can add up to a cohesive experience when done correctly.
The stock looks way better. That cheap and cheesy sticker on the apron is ridiculous, but not as much as those flippers and sling plastics. That's as far as I got I can only imagine what horrors and atrocities lurk on the top 2/3rds of that thing.
Certain mods I like. I like: Total rock concert mod, pinbits lightning bolts, and the cannon mod on acdc premium. I like the sparky helmet wire on MET. I like the red troll eye leds for for MMr. Thats just my personal opinion.
oh yeah...and hooked bumper caps are pretty cool
Quoted from ATLpb:This is funny. Don't put all mods into same bucket. Mods can work together for an altogether new experience. You play one of my games and then play a stock version and tell me it's the same.
If you really think this stock TWDLE looks better than mine (pending sold for life reasons) then color me confused. I get it, sometimes ornaments and figures look cheap, and yeah they cost extra money, but don't bucket *all "mods" into something negative, that's close minded and silly.
Several "mods" add a ton: cdmd, extra flashers, speakers, PDI glass. Even the decorative stuff can add up to a cohesive experience when done correctly.
Actually, I think it WAS your pin he was thinking of when he started this thread.
Quoted from dasvis:Actually, I think it WAS your pin he was thinking of when he started this thread.
Yeah you're right. Games shouldn't have decals or themes either. Let's just play soundless whitewoods! We'll label them with a number system. Oh hey what pins do you have!? Well I have pin 013, pin 016. Oh pin 016, yeah I love that shape...
Gimme a break.
Draining this thread, I had a weak moment where I tried to chime in and inform you of the rest of reality outside of your closed world, I should have known better.
You can't throw all mods into a basket. Here are a couple that enhance a game, rather than call out "look a mod":
1. Original CFTBL tail light speaker mod with the mirrored speaker panel. It's low-key and makes the drive-in effect.
2. Swink's CFTBL snack bar. Again, looks like it was part of the game. Tasteful and incorporates the theme well.
3. Color DMD. If you bitch about this, then you're just cranky.
4. PDI glass. Anything to make visibility better is good in my book.
5. Glare guard or 3M film. Again, anything to reduce glare and increase visibility is good in my book.
On the other hand, in the vast majority of peoples hands LEDs are a visual club to the head. Here's what most of us are thinking...."Your fucking game looks like a Christmas Tree or the bastard love child if My Little Pony humped a Light Brite." Seriously, the games are so overwashed with color half of them are unplayable.
Same with powdercoating. Done well, it's a nice touch. But most people are either completely color blind or simply don't have taste. Looks. Like. Shit. Most of the time.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:And do you think it makes your game "unique" or special in any way? I guess, unless you count the hundreds of other people who have bought the exact same garbage for THEIR games.
Jesus Nancy Negative, do you ever have anything positive to add? Have to wonder what aspect of a person's life has gone so off the rails that spewing vitriol on a pinball forum is their idea of a good time.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, pinball mods are a prime example of this. Unless it's one that is irreversible once installed (plastics have to be cut/modifies the PF) I don't see a point in complaining about them.
Quoted from Taygeta:Jesus Nancy Negative, do you ever have anything positive to add? Have to wonder what aspect of a person's life has gone so off the rails that spewing vitriol on a pinball forum is their idea of a good time.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, pinball mods are a prime example of this. Unless it's one that is irreversible once installed (plastics have to be cut/modifies the PF) I don't see a point in complaining about them.
I think you missed the point of this thread.
And don't take it so personally. Your cheap plastic garbage doesn't have feelings. They are made out of plastic.
I guess I am really weird.
Some games, I will add Mods, others, I wont.
Sometimes, I put stuff on, and its gone shortly after, as it doesnt "fit", and the novelty or my idea didnt work.
Yet, to make me happy, Ill often get games, and pull many of the mods, to my taste......
Even LEDs...currently, I think 25% dont have LEDs, and some wont get any.
Ive done stupid shit, and brilliant shit, IMNHO.
I guess I am as fickle on this as possible, and can conclude for myself, that if it makes me happy,
thats all that matters.
There are a lot of mods I dislike but there are a few exceptions. For example I think the red smoke mod on WOZ is a vast improvement over the original witch... although I'm not sure it is in the same category as its a replacement of an existing element and not an addition of a new element.
My TZ came from an operator and was completely stock other than LED's. Stock looks great and I think that game looks amazballs as is. I may add a couple functional mods such as the GLM mini playfield switch kit, but I don't think thats heresy.
I do not like the light strips above or below the playfield. My opinion is that if an area of the playfield is dark its that way because the designer intended it to be. Further its even worse if a game has a lights out mode and those light strips stay on... totally defies the whole point.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:Future buyers? Nobody ever gets their money out of their mods on a game.
This isn't true. Of the two machines I sold, both got me all of my money back on the mods. There are many (including me) who will pay for them.
And btw...all the mods on my Tron pro make it look and behave almost exactly like an LE. So sometimes mods (when done tastefully) are good.
Nothing wrong with a stock game, but I enjoy making some enhancements. ColorDMD or new X-Pin displays come to mind as a favorite. I've added lighting to many a game as well.
I guess the classic examples of over modding were 90s pins, like the toy filled TZ or STTNG. Times have changed and now it's modern Sterns with 3D printed items, mirror blades and powder coating. Like OLDPINGUy, I'm somewhere in the middle.
Finally guys, I've found my home. This thread.
Every dollar I don't spend on mods is more money I can use to buy pinball machines.
There are some great mods out there, that are creative and simply enhance/upgrade the factory look of the game - TRON Arcade Cabinet, gouveia WOZ Red Smoke Witch Mod - this mod is truly stunning and worth checking out if you haven't already seen it.
I also like Hallmark and models to a point, take my STLE the Enterprise model that comes from the factory is fairly bland and has a major lack of detail, the Hallmark model, is extremely detailed in comparison plus looks more factory than the original - the Stern original literally has LEDs sticking out of the model, the Hallmark has more lighting with the LEDs hidden within the model, there for a worthy visual upgrade imo?.
But its all the 3D printed crap that's ruining mods, don't get me wrong if something is creative and truly enhances the original factory look but is 3D printed it can be great, but there used to be a lot more detailed mods sculpted and painted to a fine detail, now its just 3D printed trinkets, most of which are loosely tied to the theme/game in question and cookie cutter from one game to the next.
The whole appeal of mods is enhancing and adding more creativity to your games, unfortunately that creativity is seriously lacking instead its a race these days who can make the most mods as quickly as possible for a games release 
I am not one to stick doodads all over the place but feel that certain items enhance the enjoyment. Eli's lighted ramp kit and the arcade on Tron are great examples. I no longer consider PDI nor color dmd as actually mods - they should just be there when the box is first opened but unfortunately they're not.
I enjoy thinking up ideas for modding our pins, but it's just for MY own amusement, not for resale value. It's just fun to ME to have a creative outlet for ideas, whether it's modding a vehicle or a pin. Friends and family wouldn't know the difference from a stock pin versus a modded pin and certainly wouldn't care either. Some ideas work better than others and what seemed like a good idea in my head sometimes ends up crap when executed. But it's all fun to me.
The argument against mods, "that's how the game was designed and that's how I'm playing it", doesn't make sense to me. If a pin needs some more lighting in the middle of the playfield, then add some spotlights. Same as if my car needs brighter headlights, then I'm upgrading them.
My parents visited this weekend and brought their new motorhome. I enjoyed coming up with some mods that they loved and improved their use of the motorhome. I added LED lighting running behind the crown molding to provide nice accent lighting since the ceiling lights aren't dimmable and were bright as heck. Also added a USB light that's plugged into the USB panel above the door that improves visibility for the steps and for the using the control panel in the doorway. I also added a FireTV stick modded with Kodi/Titanium for their TVs.
But they should've accepted all that because that's how the motorhome came from the factory?
Yeah but lighting a motorhome is a different story. There its a matter of practicality and your not trying to set a mood given the mode the motorhome is currently in. I can see adding a small touch of lighting here or there but washing out a play-field with bright light strips is more equivilant to lighing a stage for a play with all the lights full on.
Wanted: Aurich hammer for Metallica, looking for a sweet deal from someone who dislikes grotesque mods on their playfields. 
I don't think there's anything wrong with adding a few mods, modding your pins is part of the hobby now. IMO, shaker motors and Color DMDs are the top two things you can do to enhance the playing experience. If you don't like customizing then go buy a stock Toyota Prius or Honda Accord and be happy that you're just like everybody else.
For you guys who don't like the custom molded shooter rods, what do you prefer for an upgrade over the stock knob? The stock plastic knob feels cheap, and I can feel the mold seam too on almost every one. I know I could smooth out the mold seam, but I am thinking more of a stainless ball. Something smooth and not tacky looking. What other options are there for those who don't quite like the feel of the stock knob, but don't want something crazy?
I swore up and down that I wouldn't mod RFM, except for the video amp mod. I almost consider this more of a repair, a correction to bring proper operation and clarity to the picture - straddles the line, so to speak. Then I also added rotating LEDs to the saucers. It's almost like they were meant to be there, IMO
I've been keeping the last few games I got stock though, not even LEDs.
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:For you guys who don't like the custom molded shooter rods, what do you prefer for an upgrade over the stock knob? The stock plastic knob feels cheap, and I can feel the mold seam too on almost every one. I know I could smooth out the mold seam, but I am thinking more of a stainless ball. Something smooth and not tacky. What other options are there for those who don't quite like the feel of the stock knob, but don't want something crazy?
I like Modfathers custom shooter rods.
Quoted from CrazyLevi:And do you think it makes your game "unique" or special in any way? I guess, unless you count the hundreds of other people who have bought the exact same garbage for THEIR games.
With "hundreds" being the watchword, it sort of sounds like the modder community is fairly good sized.
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