Thanks everyone for the kind words and support about the smashed MBRLE. After not hearing from the distributor for a couple days after reporting the damage, I decided to check what day the 180 day clock ends for Paypal Buyer protection, and that day is April 18th (I ordered October 20th). I wrote to my distributor and stated my intention to ask Paypal to step in on the issue before that date, and immediately got a call. On the call the distributor said he would have to wait for the item to return and then begin a claim process. He stated he had no more allotment of the game, so couldn't give me any assurance that a game would be shipped any time in the near future. He offered to refund me completely because he says the Paypal process is not good for him. I asked him if he had contacted CGC about the issue and he said he had not. He then said he might be getting some games next week, and would see what he could do about shipping one of those. So at this point, if I don't hear that a game is on its way by next week, I think i'm getting off this crazy train.
It's just not worth the time, aggravation, headache, etc over the missed ship dates, broken promises, taking time off work for 2 delivery attempts, to offset the fun that the game might bring me. I think I'm sticking to only buying things in-stock and ready to ship from here on out.

Shoot--I wanted to be post #5,000! Just missed it.

I think "I" would call CGC. I don't understand why he wouldn't?

Yikes, who is your distributor?!

My buddies none matching number 717 MBRLE finally arrived. Cool thing about the number is that is our phone number area code.
Didn't have any of the SDTM problems or other issues out of the box except for ball getting stuck on the ramp.
Can someone save me the trouble of rereading 5000+ post and post what the fix was for this again.
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Check the photo gallery, there are pics of the ramp you can look for and see the solution.

Post 4815

Sillyoldelf side art blades look fantastic on this game! I ordered the RGB trough light and I think LED flipper buttons from PBL are a great idea. I’ve actually never installed those. I have them on a couple pins, but they were already on when I bought them. Some pics of my blades are below. Sillyoldelf makes gorgeous blades for LOTR too!

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Thanks for the spring washer/scoop fix, Metal-Mods! Also, regarding the ball save on this pin, I did adjust my settings to add 10 seconds to it. I’m an ok player but I get frustrated when I lose balls before I even establish control of the ball. It seems like most original MB pins I’ve played in the wild had no ball save, or almost none. Seems to fit with the feel of this pin. But I need a chance to get started! It seems like MM and AFM are the same way, usually set to no ball save, or a very short one.

Led flipper buttons are easy. Just have to find a spot to tie them into the game. Same place as your trough light should work. Here are the green ones my wife wanted in the game

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My MBR LE delivery time must be getting close. I'm not kidding about this. Last night I had an elaborate dream that a cruddy 18-wheeler driven by a big burly guy was waiting in the front yard with my machine inside. It wasn't really my own front yard, of course, but someone else's yard several football fields long with heaps of trash and rubble dotting the grass, mud, and ruts throughout the yard. The terrain was so complicated I couldn't navigate my way to the truck, but suddenly the driver saw me and expertly backed his way through the maze of junk in the yard, stopped the truck abruptly, and dropped the game out from a water-damaged box by way of a U-haul style ramp with rollers--which the game slid down off of on its own, slurping itself right out of the box as he pulled the truck forward. I rushed over to take a look and through the plastic wrap the game looked intact but the topper was wrong--it was some sort of blow-up balloon version made up of several colorful but nondescript cartoon characters, and it was all deflated and not even blown up. I started asking about the wrinkled cartoon balloon topper but the driver made it clear that this was all I was getting and roared off in his 18-wheeler. As I forced myself awake, I realized that the driver was definitely the motorcycle rider (Leonard Smalls) from "Raising Arizona."

I think the dream was a combination of seeing that horrible Monster "Bashed" delivery photo from earlier in this thread yesterday and my wife asking me the other day who Toucan Sam was. Then I remembered and looked up the old Fruit Loops commercials (the ones that always made sure to include the disclaimer that cereal was "part of a nutritious breakfast"), with Toucan Sam sniffing out Fruit Loops through various adventure scenarios by way of his colorful beak.

I hope I get a delivery notice soon, for the sake of better sleep, or better dreams . . .

My LE is shipping next week! I ordered in Feb.

I think the quality is better than Stern and better than the original mb. The code is finished and is good in my opinion. I have played several games on IM but do not own one but I do own a MBr. I think the theme is what makes MB great but its not a very deep pin, but always fun. Iron Maiden ultimately has more to do and the music blends in well. I didn't feel like I was playing a rock band pin when playing IM and it may hold your interest longer than MBr. I would consider both in the top 10 or so pinball machines ever made.

I am getting both MB LE and IMDN pro as my first NIBs next week. So excited!

Ok, I got great news on Monday that my MBrLE would ship this week, yet that was Monday, and no BOL, or any other info from my distributor yet, no estmated delivery, nothing... I sent an email but no response yet. And now we have someone who ordered in February reporting theirs is shipping... next week. Ok, so I have been on order for 170+ days, put $1000 dollars down, paid in full (when asked) over three weeks ago, yet someone who orderd in February is getting their machine next week?!?
This is getting way beyond an affront, this is getting into actual incompetance to set up and run a distribution network that is at least balanced and fair and gets their product to those who want it as quickly as possible, and in some kind of orderly fashion, This piecemeal, shotgunned, fucked up distribution system can’t even deliver to a customer that has been waiting over 170 days, and all I keep getting is hollow promises and missed shipping dates. I don’t even know if my machine has even left the freaking dock yet. The next person that puts up a “I’m getting my machine day before yesterday, and I only thought about buying it the day after tomorrow” post is getting no love from me. If my machine takes more another week to get here, then this is just not humane. This is actually customer dis-appreciation and abuse.

I think this is the first and last CGC game I will buy, just from the customer ordering experience alone. This is stupid, it’s beyond reasonable, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I wanted this for so long, and have waited even longer, I would just tell them to shove it.

CGC is shipping to their distribution network in a logical order. They have no idea about the actual customers and what order they bought in. Where you are at in line with your distributor has no impact on how CGC is shipping. Now, on the other hand, if the person who bought in Feb is with your SAME distributor and is getting their LE before you, then you have every right to be frustrated with your distributor. Again, CGC isn’t shipping based on the order which customers bought games.

It’s worth the wait. Hang in there and keep in mind, most of the delays were to bring you a better product. My buddy ordered his way back when they first came out and just got it now. I can say this about the game. He was going to cancel his MBRLE and order a Munsters Le. He now has played Munsters and MBRLE. His statement yesterday was “I’m so glad I didn’t cancel on MBRLE. It plays much better the Munsters LE.

Just wanted to point out. We did have slight damage to the topper. One end of the wooden box was pulled apart and the other was almost pulled apart. The topper looked good when inspecting it but when we removed it. The back panel was wobbly. I was able to tighten the screws up but 3 of them wouldn’t tighten. Bottom board fells like it split where the screws are. One thing I would like to point out is there was no glue holding the sides of the box together and the staples weren’t in very deep. Would suggest they use glue to make the box more secure.

MBRLE just arrived at my port last night... will be delivered to door Monday

Can you explain this “logic” you speak of about their ordering system? Because here are the facts as I know them:
I went with a larger distributor
I ordered within 3 MINUTES of the ordering window opening up
I was 10th on his list
I have waited 172 days
I still have no MBrLE
I was told it was shipping this week
I was even told what serial number I am getting
I have not got a copy of my BOL
I have not got a shipping date
I have not got an estimated delivery date
I do not have a clue if it has even left the dock in Chicago
I have emailed my distributor
I have not heard anything back
People are reporting ordering way later than I did and have gotten or may still get a machine before me

So whats so logical now about how their distribution scheme to distributors works?

It’s real easy to sit back and armchair QB this situation after your machine has already been delivered, so I hope you wont mind if I take your comment with a boulder sized grain of salt. Oh, and in preperation H fashion for the oncoming ‘roid rage- screw the downvotes.

Note this was in Feb. My distributor (PPS) told me my game was going to ship on Monday and I would get the tracking on Tuesday. They also told me the freight company would call me to set up an delivery appointment. Maybe your game shipped on Friday and you'll get a tracking number on Monday? Hope your game gets to you soon. Maybe you'll get the call from the freight company before you get the tracking number.

I'm guessing this should be obvious but to me it's not. Can you show a picture of where this goes, or describe it better? Do I pull out the metal arm and thread it through, so the washer ends up resting above the coil? My mechanic talents are limited and not at all intuitive. A picture is even better.

Here is how this happens:

Distributor A is allowed to order a maximum of 15 LE, and places all 15 LE orders on day 1. They are fulfilled in order from CGC but are mixed in with other distributor orders as well.

Distributor B is allotted a maximum of 6 LE, places an order for 6 LE on day 1. They are fulfilled in order from CGC but are mixed in with other distributor orders as well.

You went with distributor A and your LE is in the "later" LE run since you were number 10 in line with that distributor.

Distributor B has a cancellation of one of their 6 LE orders, leaving an "unsold" earlier in line LE in their order. Someone else "places" an order in February with distributor B, thus that person gets that "unsold" machine even though they ordered later. It's because they took someone's spot who cancelled with distributor B.

This kind of thing happens all the time.

I think what bublehead (and myself for that matter) want is simply better communication. I put a deposit down in December and was told right after Christmas my game would be shipped. Then January. Then February. Then March. Now next week...maybe. It doesn’t matter to me about the wait and I don’t blame my distro as they have been awesome in the past....just impatient with CGC....
But I’ll still buy their next game!!! I have the two so far...come on MBLE!!

This has not been my experience. I love sterns and I’m in no way bashing them, but my MBr is night and day a sturdier build than any Stern I’ve bought (new or used)

f3honda4me thank you, I understand the mechanics, it's the customer enflaming properties of their system of not putting that cancelled order behind all others when it is cancelled, but is instead retained in it's original spot in the que. I understand no distributor would want to give up an allotment, but that is not what happens, they should have to give up the waiting spot, not the allotment. Seems that would be fair to all customers, No matter the distributor. And dole the allotments out to distributors however you want to. That doesn't have to change, but retain the order of delivery to active customers, and if there is a nonrefundable deposit, and you enforce it, then all distributors are protected from EACH OTHER, and nobody is shilling to damage another distributors allotments. Seems simple, but I am sure there is a flaw that will be pointed out by Pinside, there always is.

That’s not how it works, you’re misunderstanding.

The distributor never cancelled the order with CGC. CGC has no idea if a machine is sold to a customer or not in many cases, until they have to ship it at which point the distributor provides the drop ship info.

The distributor knows they can likely sell it before it needs to ship and even if not would probably just have it shipped to them for inventory. CGC doesn’t know about any of that. They just know the order was placed day 1 and is filled when it should be, regardless of who it goes to.

Far as CGC is concerned the order name is the distributor from day 1. The customer order is with the distributor not CGC.

Another MBRLE in the family !
Unboxed my dads MB today and at 85 he plays everyday ! After a handful of games he’s back tearing apart Harlem Globetrotters to restore

Love to see CGC do an Addams Family next !

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I’m right there with you. Told it would ship last week; was told the trucks didn’t show up to ship it. Here I sit ... MBrLE-less. Kinda pissed I was never told anything about the delay until I asked. I want this bad dream to be over

Thanks Don. I think I am looking for a simpler game. I have Sopranos and GB. But GB is not being played much due to the difficulty and friends don’t have the patience. My son is 7 and crushes GB, has top 2 scores. So MB being simpler may be better as my friends hang out every few weeks.

@f3honda4me, no I get the distributor owns all spots and can do what they want with them. My problem is, its a free for all. And there is no real good reason to go with one over the other, they all act about the same, they all charge the same price, and as far as I can tell, other than “talking” to me to get my order, which actually I didn't even “talk” to him, but sent an email, put my deposit in via paypal, and have never even met or talked with the guy. I guess after the sale he may do something for me as my rep to CGC, but that is yet to be seen. But right now, after messaging me on Monday, telling me he is waiting on my BOL, said he should get that Tuesday, gave me my serial number, and said it should ship later this week and then...

crickets...

No other communication, no BOL, no update. Not a peep since, no response to an email, or to a text message, so my next choice for a distributor is not going to be with that one, that is for certain. I want a distributor who keeps me informed, keeps me happy, and keeps the pressure on the manufacturer in my behalf. I don’t think any of that has actually happened because the only thing that has got any traction around here is calling them all out on Pinside, and frankly I am tired of having to fight for info on my $8500 durable consumer product that has taken over 170 days to build and deliver. Ymmv, but this is not endearing me to CGC, or their distributor in any way, shape or form.

If you can't be bothered to send me a one line email saying “still waiting on CGC”, or a text saying simply “no word” then I guess this distrubutor is TOO large for my business and can’t be bothered to respond to my communication. It doesn’t help to hear (via podcast) that he’s off rubbing elbows at JJP with Jack and Co. playing JJWW and I guess is too busy to check his email, or his phone. How hard is a little communication, huh? And its not like I have sent him a billion messaages or taken up any of his time with frivolous communication, simply put I have sent less than 10 emails all total in 170 days, thats an average of less than 1 message every 2 weeks, which is not unreasonable is it? After Waiting 170 effing days?!?!

Any distributor reading this and wants my business 100% and can send me a text or an email every two weeks while I wait, PM me. My loyalty comes pretty cheap.

Ok, I feel ya @dallas_pin, this and $12 bucks gets you lunch at Taco Bell as far as an excuse goes. Trucks didn’t show up? What kind of fly by night carrier are they sending these through? The distributor says watch for damage, he’s had a rash of claims from the current carrier... ok, when do you cut your losses, ask me for an extra hundred and ship it via a reputable carrier? If this shipping company is more a Wile E. Coyote than a Roadrunner, I think we can do better going with Acme Delivery Service, at least all the equiptment that Mr. Coyote ordered got to him in one piece. It didn’t stay that way for long, but I’m just saying...

I couldn't disagree more. I also have both. Mbr feels like a solid tank compared to my Munsters LE..(and I like the Munsters more) .
I believe the Mbr is actually 20lbs heavier according to printed info.
But I do agree that MBR LE is Beeeeautiful! and I still love to play it, just ever so slightly less...maybe, cause I have played this game in the past so much.

Hey everyone, just got my MBR SE last week. Love the game and build quality from CGC. Just a quick question....Did CGC decide not to include a key chain with MBR models? I have an AFMR SE and it came with a keychain. Not a biggie, just wondering.

I have an SE and no chain or keychain plastic. It took me a few weeks to find the extra coin door key- it was taped in one of the coin returns. 2 backbox keys on the coin mechanism key holder.

Unboxed my dads MB today and at 85 he plays everyday !

With that WPT translite hanging on the wall, I’d be playing every day too

Just got asked for my remaining payment!!! Must be coming soon!! Come on MBLE!

I have the L E and didn't get a chain or fob. Anyone know who makes fobs for pinball games?

I can confirm that the washer helps the SDTM scoop issue. I had the same question about installation but I figured it out. You will notice that the coil mechanism has a lot of back and forth play within the bracket that holds it. This causes it to occasionally misfire. To fix this, lift up the playfield, there are 2 screws on the bottom side of the scoop mechanism. You need to remove these completely and the coil/piston will be free and removable. You can now place the washer, over the piston and between the coil and the metal bracket that holds it in place. Then reinstall and screws and tighten the bracket so that there is no more play. I hope this helps.

This is how distribution networks work. It's the same thing you may encounter trying to buy a Tickle Me Elmo.

The only thing CGC is doing to you here is not producing enough LE's to make supply ready. But that's the whole point of an LE. If CGC said "screw it" and pumped out another thousand LE's so you could pick them up anywhere, there would be much (and justified) wailing.

Perhaps LE's shouldn't have anything cool over the top of SE's? Then only people who wanted a limited edition would get an LE.

I got my key fob from Rob, $10 shipped. Rob/Kim are super awesome taking care of their customers!

PM Lermods for payment details.

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I'm not home at the moment, but my CE came with/something very similar to this on the key ring:

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That is a poor analogy because Tickle Me Elmo’s don’t sell for $8300, are not manufactured 100% by hand, do not take 170+ days to be delivered, and cost probably $2.53 in parts and labor to manufacture. Their distribution chain is somewhat different than a high end collectible coin op amusement device. When I want a TME doll, I go to Walmart, not call a Sesamee Street distributor and ask him if he can get me a doll, or if I can get a spot on his waiting list.

The distributor model that Pinball uses is an outdated and btoken model that just perpetuates a shifting and unloyal customer base. Why stay with a distributor if they can not get you the machine you want when you want it? And who is more at fault for how enflamed I am for my order situation, the distributor or the supplier? Currently, for me, it is both. One for CGC promising and missing more than 4 “estimated” shipping dates- working on what has become a 13 week delay, and from CGC and the distributor both for not communicating to me the reasons and situation for the delays without me having to claw it from their throats, or peer pressuring them on Pinside to get any info.

All I was asking for was a safe place in the que, a little communication, and that I get my machine delivered in accordance to the moment I ordered it. When Joe Blow off the street can get a machine on a whim, and a current, fully paid customer, who has been waiting 160 plus days on delivery of something ordered on day 1 can not, your distributor network is broken and you are loosing customers with every situation like this that occurs. I am not sticking with a distributor that has not kept me in the loop, and I certainly am not preordering another CGC pin, and the next machine I buy will more than likely be on the secondary market, cash on glass. This was my first NIB pinball purchase of a LE level machine and most likely my last from CGC until they get their act together, including the customer enflaming aspects of the free for all we have witnessed with MBrLE deliveries.

My SE came with the same fob. Mine was a December 2018 build and it seems like CGC had a small supply of key fobs and randomly put them in. Guessing that stock dried up.

Thank you very much!

Mine was also a December 2018 build.

My CE did too.