I agree. I need to play this with lights on to be able to adequately follow the ball. Pinstadium ordered last Sunday.

Ancient astronaut theorists say, “Yes!”

Man, I have to see one of these in person - my original MB is plenty bright with LEDs, it would be interesting to do a 1-1 compare

Doug I have opened a ticket as our protector is getting hammered and starting to deform.

Would you be able to respond for advice?

Shoulde we be tightening the screws so as to try to make the protector fit tighter to the pf and cause less distortion?

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I picked up a Cliffy from Pinball Life and am considering installing that instead.

Last night I turned down the LED lighting on my SE and it feels much warmer now. Agree that the lower playfield may need some more lighting, maybe some spots.

I made some other minor adjustments to my CGC system menu settings as well, turned down the flippers a little(-3), cranked up the jets to max, trough set a little higher.

After about 10 days with this machine I can say I am very pleased. It is a beauty. Prior to the remake I was strongly considering buying an original MB for much more and I am very happy that I held out and waited.

I am in the same boat, all good, it’s only pinball and it’s always fun.

I'm curious as to where its getting all banged up? Is your game on location? If so how many game plays? Pics?

Not sure if this applies to CE's but on on our SE I was able to turn the lights down to alleviate the super bright LED's from creating high contrast shadows, also there is an "LE" adjustment in the CGC menu which will allow you to further reduce lighting on specific lamps like Frankie spot and Wolf moon.

This reduction allowed ambient lighting to more evenly flood the entire pf - I like dim lights when playing - this got the lighting under control so as to fit in w/ the rest of the collection and be playable under our lighting conditions.

Only way I got the Creech lights under control was to use green bulb condoms - the adjustment in the LE adjustment for creech only adjusts the color of the lighting under the pf on the figure.

On location?

LOL no, protector is getting messed up only after a weekend of play at home.

Pics if I have time or CGC requests.

Others should be noticing by now too, these are not like Cliffy's.

Thanks....I live close to Cliff so it sounds like I need to pay him a visit.....My bet is their remedy will be to send u another protector?

No idea what CGC will recommend, if you see Cliffy please ask him to respond to my email (Rod) - I know he is very busy...

Trust me a cliffy isnt enough... i tried just cliffy on my original and it dented and started to deform quickly. Now a mantis and cliffy combo worked excellent and never had a issue..... tight fit but it worked well.

I called CGC yesterday to verify my distributor sent in my matching number LE. I’m #230 and in the first batch. He said most of the matching numbers are higher up. He couldn’t give me an eta but said good chance before Xmas.

Looks like you are saying no problem with the newer factory protector and someone else is saying the newer factory replaced protector is no good. I guess we'll have to wait for more reviews.

why wouldn't CGC not contract with Cliff for his style Cliffy?
sounds to me like they sort of ripped his idea off.

How much are these? Is it ok getting the standard model or is the upgrade worth the extra $$ amount?

Depends on what you want. I think the SE has a lot of upgrades, and once you decide you want the SE over the CE, the price difference for the LE is very reasonable for what you get.

Dont know anything about the factory protector but apparently its not holding up. Just saying that a real cliffy and real mantis protector together work great from my experience.

Thanks, that clears it up. I know the original protector from CGC was not holding up so they came up with another version that is supposed to be better. Not sure when I will be getting my LE but will be monitoring what other owners are experiencing with the latter protector from CGC. I'll be joining you if that one is not up to the task.

Not sure the exact price.

Read up on the three models what is all included. https://www.chicago-gaming.com/coinop/monster-bash Like AFMR, each step up gets you a lot extra.

LTG : )

I think that the SE is a great value...
going from a CE to an SE in an aftermarket situation would likely cost you more (and may not even be possible) than would just buying the SE. The jump from SE to LE is very reasonable. I’m happy with the SE choice... the game play experience is going to be so close to the LE... you get the lights, the sound and the display upgrades. I’m probably going to throw a shaker in at some point.

Is there an install instruction for the shaker in the se?

I think the first thing a new MBr owner should do is take the $6k to $8k they spent and mentally throw it in the dumpster. Ok, now forget you actually spent that money on a toy for the game room, and then, try and forget that when you play with your toy, it's going to get some wear and tear. Ok, are we good now? When you start looking for cracks in the veneer, you are going to drive yourself insane. Just suck up the dents and dings and dimples and mangled hole protectors, which are only there because bare chipped up wood has no place in a pinball machine.

Right ...Metal against metal and metal against wood... shits gonna happen.

Has anyone with their new machines posted any videos? we've seen some awesome photos here, but it would be grand to see a couple unboxings/plays on the ce's and se's. The only stuff on youtube are the same 5 videos since October. Give us something to work with :-p

LOL, yes u can indeed drive urself crazy, especially when u get a chipping pf or such....

Me I like to find a balance in preservation to protect the investment, those who have bought from me seem to appreciate it and when u invest in HEP machines it’s important to me to preserve the artistry in the resto on top of the game itself.

Here we go, too lazy to remove the glass.

This is a cliffy prototype tron and mantis sandwich since I first got the game NIB - minor denting left side after how many years and one of the most played games here.
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Here is a cliffy mantis sandwich on a hep afm. This one has been here for a minimum of 10 years now and still perfect.

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Here is a cliffy / mantis sandwich on a hep fh, again over 10 years.

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Here is the mbrse after a weekend - approx 5-6 hrs.

Dimpling middle front and pushed towards playfield and possibly cuttin pf already - will know more when removed, both sides lightly lifting.

Hard to get good pics, very noticeable w bare eye.

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Side is dented near back at scoop - really hard for good pic.

Black around scoop in at front and near back on side is not blackline artwork but shadow where the protector is lifting / deforming.

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Best way to show damage will be to remove protector and shoot it in same position of factory pic above in thread.

Safe to say that the mantis / cliffy style cgc piece on ours is not faring that great compared to true cliffy / mantis protection.

Again, I wonder if tightening the screws on the rubber feet can add more compression and keep the protector more flat...

If that is the case, will probably have to remove to flatten the edges before tring to get it to sit flat again.

Thanks for sharing the pics...be interesting to see how CGC responds. In order to tighten down the protector (2 screws) do you need to remove the large board below the play field?

The most important part of the protection is the inner sleeve. I can see where a Mantis would be a better solution. When the ball ejects and hits the outer rim.. it hits it hard.

Got confirmation from my distributor that I am in the number matching program to coordinate with my MMrLE (figured it was unlikely someone with AFMrLE had the same high number (985) AND asked to be matched, but you never know).

I was also just told shipping out this week or next week. Won't be long now!

Second this. I actually just have a Mantis protector and it works awesome. If you install at the right height the hole won’t get beat up, as the ball will hit the protector consistently

I wonder if the angle of the scoop is aggravating it... that protector clearly has reinforcement around the rim... it appears as if the ball is coming off the scoop beyond the edge and onto the flat trim piece. Even a Mantis protector may not work with this... especially if the ball is coming off the scoop further out than typical.

Thats great to hear....I'm in the mid 500's and I haven't been told anything ....yet

Are you guys going to have a Monster Bash bash when you get your games and have all your friends over, or are you friendless like me?

Just me and my friend who is helping me pick it up... maybe my wife and my daughter... no bash.

I always take shipping time frame quotes with a grain of salt. If I get the game by the end of the month, great, but I am really expecting early January

you and me both...I was thinking end of January due to the holidays...

How reflective is the glass from the factory? I want to be able to see the faces of the monsters underneath the glass and not the monster I see in the mirror every day.

Hope your just being funny Seenev......if not post in your area about a unboxing...you will find "tons" of new friends to come over..

Talked to our Dist yesterday Mentioned Mid JAN 19 for our LE delivery...Ordered Day 1 Expo,,NT

I am mildly contemplating letting go of my MBR LE spot. I have $3,300 with Coin Takers and I would essentially shave off the shipping charges with $300 off. It is a non matching number expected sometime in January. I am sure that you could go down to a CE or Se with the deposit. Just putting it out there.

Congrats from a fellow PA MBR owner-to-be anxiously awaiting. Enjoy!

Doug is on it, right now we surmise I may be localised w the issue due to the lack of others responding noting similarities and that cgc has tested this well - protector may have shipped a little high and therefore being hit hard and deforming without support of pf directly underneath.

So check yours when you receive and adjust prior to play - expect cgc is filtering any reported issues into current qc on the line.

Will update as we proceed but I do believe Doug’s info that testing was completed properly. That and lack of response from other owners claiming same issue most likely makes this an irregularity.

My protector has a small dent on the side but seems to be snug to the playfield and working good so far. 174 games on it.

I have a couple hundred games on my SE and the protector is beat to hell.

If you haven't yet, open a ticket with CGC.