Depends on the game..... What game?

There is one common problem with modern Sterns (I have yet to see early Sterns like Strikers Xtreme, High Roller Casino, or Sharkey's Shootout with this). The material Stern uses to make the cabinet decals are heavily effected by player hand wear. Very common issue on routed machines.

Whenever you got people with oily hands on those flipper buttons, it starts to wear away around the decal surrounding the buttons. For Simpsons for example, the beautufil multi-colored graphics of the Simpsons around the flipper button area, will turn white/yellow around the buttons.

You can protect your machine from flipper button fade (or hide the fade) by placing side protectors along the side. Doesn't cost a lot to get the protectors, and protects your investment in the long run.

Included is a pic of flipper button wear on a Stern "Lord of the Rings".

LOTR_fade_closeup.JPG

The only real issue I've had with mine are cheap switches. Primarily on the couch, also the itchy scratchy saucer/ upper playfield VUK switch can crap out. Better stock up on some spares.

Here is a great video review of The Simpsons Pinball Party.

Aside from the basheable garage door (and associated VUK that takes the ball up to the upper playfield), I don't remember being too many things that are problematic in the game when you get one. We shopped out a TSPP last summer, and I don't remember there being any big issues. Never had an issue with Itchy & Scratchy drop targets, but maybe I was just lucky.

The great thing about TSPP, is it is extremely popular in the HUO scene, so sellers usually take care of their machines. Haven't seen a TSPP on location in my area, in a very long time.

Good luck on adding TSPP to your collection, jay. TSPP is a great game!

TSPP you don't truly appreciate it, until you bring it into your home. I think its the same for games like LOTR or TZ.

TSPP's rules are truly bonkers, and you will just want to keep playing it for a long long time, discovering new stuff. TSPP's design is fairly devious. The playfield is very open (invites newbies), but the meaningful shots within the ruleset are very specific (for more advanced players).

Have not really seen TSPP climb in value as of late. No idea why, because its better than a large majority of the modern Sterns out there (for example, it blows away POTC, yet Pirates fetches higher prices). Better for you, if your looking for a Simpsons.

TSPP is a amazing pin, and well suited as a home machine as it takes a long long time to learn all the rules and the different ways to play. This game is soooo deep!

As a owner of a TSPP, there a couple of things to watch out for. Make sure that the orange plastic couch is not cracked or damaged, it can rub and catch on the side of the cabinet when the playfield is lifted up and lowered. The Garage Door decal does get worn by constant ball hits. I have had not had any problems yet, but get a couple of the forked micro switches for the various VUKs as they do tend to break.

The clear orange ramps, especially the Treehouse Ramp tend to break up from ball hits and are expensive to replace. Check that this ramp isn't cracked where the Comic Book Guy stands. The plastics are fairly fragile, examine the long plastic down the right hand side of the machine for cracks. The Quik-E-Mart island plastic gets broken also.

Make sure that all the character models are in place, and that Itchy and Scratchy have their appropriate weapons in their paws!

Also check to see if the Garage Door "droops", that is it doesn't stay fully open after being hit by the ball. A stronger coil can fix this problem if it does droop. Test that the ball doesn't get stuck before it is kicked up to the upper playfield, and that it is kicked up cleanly on the first attempt. I have previously had trouble with weak upper playfield flippers, make sure that the long flipper spindles do not bind on the edges of the upper playfield.

Otherwise this is a good reliable Stern machine. Purchase and enjoy!

Well, the problem with the door isn't the coil. If the upper playfield doesn't sit back far enough, the nylon shaft that pushes open the door will rub and get caught against the bar that serves as the door's hinge.

I bought a routed TSPP that was in really nice shape. The only thing I've had go wrong with it is the switch for the VUK to the upper playfield. As others have said, this is probably a pretty common part to fail but it is cheap and easy to replace.

It did have cabinet art wear around the flipper buttons. They do wear quickly in this area so don't be surprised if it looks terrible.

Another thing to keep in mind is the early machines had much more vivid background character art on the cabinet. On later machines the background characters are more subdued than the foreground characters (Marge, Lisa, Homer, Bart). You might think you have cabinet fade but that may not be the case, it is simply a different version of the artwork.

NoVArcade, I did try adjusting the upper playfield to make the garage door open correctly as you suggest, but this didn't solve the problem. I did some research on RGP about the garage door and someone said to try fitting a stronger coil (090-5036-0B). I fitted the stronger coil and this cured the door drooping.

I bought an ex-routed machine with the usual cabinet wear around the flipper buttons. Being a UK skill model with an extra pair of flipper buttons I can't fit the usual cabinet protectors to hide it. I suppose that I could remove the extra buttons and then fit protectors. In hindsight I wish I had paid a bit more for a HUO machine, as I had to sort out quite a few minor problems (most detailed in my earlier post) before it worked correctly.

To the OP, make sure that you get the service manual with the pin, as a printed copy is hard to get hold of, normally only available as a CD ROM from Stern.

"Being a UK skill model with an extra pair of flipper buttons I can't fit the usual cabinet protectors to hide it ..."

I've never heard of this before. What does the extra set of buttons do?

For a short period of time (2000 to 2005?) pinball machines imported into to the UK had extra solenoid operated posts fitted to the outlanes and also a large centre post between the flippers (like Death on Family Guy). These were controlled by pressing an extra flipper button fitted underneath the normal button. Pressing one button raised the post in the nearest outlane preventing the ball draining if you were quick. Pressing both buttons together raised the centre post.

This system was something to do with UK gambling laws that classed a pinball machine as a game of chance unless there was some means of the player preventing the loss of the ball.

I have included some pictures of some machines fitted with these posts and extra flipper buttons.

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I couldn't agree with you more. Simpsons Pinball Party is top notch #1 in my book.

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Double Tap.

How's that HUO TSPP going?

The Zombie thread is back!

I have a lot of Stern machines and a fair few of them have wear round the flipper buttons. Get yourself a set of 'Half Moon Protectors' from your supplier and you are golden.

Eric