Big shout out to JJP and other newer companies for forcing Stern to produce such a stunning machine! This game looks amazing, and it's great that many more people will be exposed to some Maiden. I agree that Judas Priest would have been way better for music, but Iron Maiden kills all other bands for the skid-metal theme. This is the pin should be pictured with an 80s skid, the onion, smoke, old-booze smelling hair-bag who sold weed out of the local arcade.

As for the layout, this game looks like a player's pin. That left ramp looks like one of the hardest ramps ever produced; most of the other shots look pretty tight.

Does the jump shot lead to a magnet or just a standup?

Now.... is it worth the cash with the stern cheapness and constipated code? Anyone have a link for Keith's comments about code?

I think the icons are AWESOME! Now you can look up at the screen and know your progress on certain parts of the game instantly. I hope this is a continued trend. Also, the font being simple is another plus to me. Readability is everything. I want to look up, get my info and get back to play instantly. Nothing worse than searching on the screen (Star wars) and returning to a preventable drain.

I'm in on and LE, and I'm hoping and guessing the following for their battlefield art package:

Cabinet art:
Legacy of the beast - cabinet

Translite art:
Legacy of the beast - Translite

I have no idea, and my guess is solely based on the rumours on the forum, but I'd be very satisfied with this art. I hope its at least this good!

Look up the distributors on Stern's list and email all of them and ask to get on their cancellation list. That's what I did, and I received about 4 offers within a week. Seeing that the price is so high and the reveal has not happened, I'd say your chances are good.

Jon Kleiman at Pioneer Sales, WI, had one, and his service is great. It's probably gone though. As I said, 15 minutes of emailing will likely get you an LE. It will be worth it, if you ask me.

I own dialed in, and I'm in on an IMDN LE, but I'm pretty sure that while this game is going to be epic in both design and ruleset, DI LE will be the champ due to build quality, full sewer, serviceable boards, 5 magnets, two extra lcds, unbelievable animations, Lowler gameplay, Bluetooth connectivity, and unmatched customer service. This is all at the same price. Comparing gameplay is a bit apples to oranges, but simply put, JJP isn't so damn cheap thay they can't put enough wire in the game for a convenient switch.... All that said, I'm still super excited to get my LE. Damn you, Stern!

A little off topic, but I'll be quick: I ziptied my dongle up near the lockdown bar, on the wires going to the coin door, and I've had no problems since. I think the bluetooth has trouble getting out of the cabinet where they situated it.

I think many pinheads are absolutely, 100% sick of Stern's music pins, myself included. I love Maiden, but I would trade the maiden theme for an original theme any day. It is the design and ruleset that is attracting the world to this pin. Read this thread if you need proof of how many people would prefer a different theme. It sounds like this Maiden pin isn't as music-centric as many of the previous band pins, which is a step in the right direction. One of the primary draws of DI is the originality of the theme, even if people struggle with it.

They are a metal band, pure and simple. On top of that, they are the 70s/80s style sound, like Judas Priest. The majority of people don't like metal, let alone a high-pitched sub-genre. I happen to love Maiden and Priest, but I get some interesting looks from some of my newer friends when I'm listening to either in the garage. With regard to sub-genre, think about a Slayer pin. It would receive a worse response. Maiden at least has their history of killer art to support the theme. I totally see the argument against it, and Stern is lucky that the design is so good.

SWEET! You mean I have less to complain about with regard to Stern? I would have never predicted such a moment. A handle makes the shitty playfield mechanics a little less shitty. Rails instead of shitty posts? It's almost like the competition of an open market is having an effect on the company. Now if we could only get the power button back to where it belongs, my outlook toward Stern might actually enter the positive side. I'm aghast!

He was responding to me saying that most people don't like metal... Responding to a cordial conversation about why some people don't like the pin. Many non-Maiden fans are considering the pin because of the features. I love Iron Maiden, but I get why others do not, so his opinion, to me, is completely valid and invited. Just because you love the music does not mean those who do not cannot express their opinion about the machine. What is the point of a "forum"?

Lol, when I ziptie my dongle near the lockdown bar, I'm forced to play pinball until either the ziptie breaks or my dongle falls off...

I tumble all balls twice per year for three days with walnut and some polish. 95% of the balls go back into the machines glossy. 5% have gouges or start to show signs of the disco ball effect. I give the damaged ones to kids that play the games. A pinball is the ultimate gift, assuming they don't eat it.

I put my balls in this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001MYGLJC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1

Feels great, and the results are astounding.

I also have to disagree with you. There are a few threads on pinside where pinheads show close up photos and even zooms to show what tumbling does. In my experience, it brings the balls back to new, which means that there are still scratches, but they are small enough that the human eyes sees very few of them. It definitely works and is cheaper and probably works out better for the environment.

I know I'm mostly on my own with this one, but I think ball wear on PFs is exaggerated anyway. I've seen machines 100% neglected by operators for years, and the PFs are perfectly fine when cleaned up and buffed.

Don't forget the handle at the back!

Now we can hope for w/b style spring pivots and lockdown bar handles and better cabinet wood and a convenient power button and serviceable boards and lightshow backglasses and... oh, never mind. IRON MAIDEN!!!!!

vomit.gif.gif

I'm thinking/hoping they were only able to get the modelling done before they shipped the pro, and texturing will likely be added with future updates. Stern is the worst offender, by far, for shipping an incomplete product, so we must work with assumptions until they officially abandon the pin. Luckily, we have Keith's rules and design.

I agree that this skews the top 100. MB will be #1 when the remake comes out. ToM will be in the top 5 when it happens for that title. Look at the aerosmith reviews. Each person that "currently owns this game" rates it above 9. That game is a fan layout, a kiss remake, and it's top 20. To be fair, I've done similar with DILE...

Dialed in displays all the useful information you need, but the animations look like Pixar made them. Stern should up their game if a recent startup can produce such magnificent visuals. Yes, information should be readily accessible, but it doesn't have to look like a c-grade college student made the animations.

Source? Not insinuating an untruth, but confirmation would make a lot of pinsiders happy!

Clearly lasability is an easy one to nail down on a pin that's been out for a couple weeks. I often hate Stern as much as the next guy, but judging by your other reviews, you have a serious issue with subjectivity. "I don't like it" = unsupported rating.

If you disagree, why not spend some time writing up a quick review?

I literally have the setup below for Iron Man. I ran out of subs, but my scorpion bass amp works surprisingly well. sub (resized).jpg

I had to use the eq and bass/treb pots to fake a crossover, so your sub will do better for separation, but the amp still produces close to the same! The nice part is that you can turn it up way more than a sub, like, all the way to eleven!

After the hi-rez pics, the LE looks crazy awesome! Would I prefer a killers themed machine? YES! But this machine is based on the Legacy of the Beast franchise, and it should be judged accordingly. It matches that theme wonderfully. I cannot wait to see it in person! Up the irons!

It’s around that, but I know of a few that are being imported. My guess is about 20 will end up in Canada from the initial sale. I was lucky and jumped on a cancellation at starburst.

I doubt the green and red will look bad in person. I'm pretty sure the premium will be similar, being that all models are based on the game, not old IM art. That being said, Pharaoh Eddie will look awesome, and the machine might get yellow/blue, which would be cool.

Pharoah Eddie

pharaoh eddie2 (resized).jpg

I agree that pins are rarely made to spec. Take a look at older W/B machines. Different copies of the games can play vastly different. I'm still working with JJP to get my DILE fixed up to spec, but I ordered an early one and expected to go through the process of replacing parts and upgrading parts. Now, all this said, Stern is known to run the tightest ship with regard to cost and profits, and this is only slightly changing due to competition. In my opinion, they still deserve the criticism of using cheap components and running less diligent quality control. Pinball is hard, but Stern is also cheap.

I also hate the haters of the dumbasses who this behavior also again!

Lol!!!!

On-call live catches?

Well, I don't mind the premium at all, but which version has the best balance of art and features?

For art, first there are the backglasses:

Iron Maiden Backglasses

I would say they are all great.
- The pro offers the greatest variety, but cyborg isn't my fav.. Still great.
- The LE has a trooper focus, which is great, and the nuke is cool. The tank and game-based characters are not so good. The big plus is that it's mirrored. This could push it over the other two.
- The Premium is super cool. I like the color scheme and balance of figures. There is less going on in this one, which is a good thing. It's more thematic than the other two, but the Eddie is far more cartoonish, as if he came out of a Saturday morning special.

Second, the side art:

Iron Maiden Side Art
- The pro is straight up Trooper, which is awesome. This looks the closest to classic maiden. The backbox has killers, which is KILLER!
- The LE has the plane (Bruce's choice, obviously), which is far better in high-rez than I thought it would be. Foil likely makes it even better. The Aces High backbox Eddie looks really cool too.
- The Premium is mummy Eddie blasting through the title. It looks like it says "Ironden Beast." It's cool, but I find it plain compared to the other two. The back box looks similarly plain from the full pin photo below, but I'd have to see a better picture.

Third, the full pins:
Iron Maiden all models
- The pro looks great with its less busy cab. The translite looks busy though. Colour scheme is great.
- The LE does look like an xmas tree in this photo, but the owner photos prove this wrong. It is darker and better blended than it appears.
- the Prem looks like Indy, which isn't necessarily bad. With black T-molding, it will look great. This model has essentially a two-color theme, which is good!

With regard to overall art, they all look great. In person, it may be far different. I'd say the LE would have a chance edging the other two out with the foil and mirrored backglass. That being said, the color scheme and simplicity of the pro or premium might do the same.

To conclude about art, I'd say they are pretty close to equal. Each has both good and bad attributes.

Finally, features:
- To me, this is where the pro is out. The lock and ramp features of the other two are awesome, although I've only played the pro. Maybe the other features will negatively affect gameplay.
- If cost is an issue, the pro is a FANTASTIC value.
- I'm hoping to see the LE and Premium side-by-side to see if the foil and mirrored bg push the LE over the top.

I WANT ALL THREE!

True. It was a high rez that I found quick. It's not that much of a difference, and the angled lettering is below that pic in the pic of the full pin if you're concerned.

Don't bother. Most of us are extremely happy with the LE. To me, it's the better of the three, and I'm willing to pay for the better of the three.

Totally my bad. I did read the entire post, but totally misunderstood you. Apologies.

As an LE buyer who has not received his game yet, I can already fill in a few negatives for you. After all, this is Pinside!

1. Stern quality. There are bound to be issues out of box with all pins, but Stern goes the extra mile here. You might hit the jackpot with a splitting cab or parts that aren't even attached etc. Who knows how the game will hold up over time.

2. Physics of the machine, which is closely related to quality. The ball launch not making it smoothly up the loop is likely going to be an issue with all copies of this machine over time. Stern has cheaped out on their launchers for quite some time. They are always weak in my opinion, and this will not change, even if you pay 20k for a super-duper pooper-scooper LLLLLE.

3. Theme. Some will nearly have a stroke listening to Maiden while they play. Luckily, my older brother was a skid growing up, and I received a good dose of Maiden, Priest, Manowar etc. I can easily see many not liking Maiden at all.

4. As you mentioned, the tight ramps. Most of Stern's ramps of late are this design. It's okay, but it takes a lot of flow away. If you look at a game like Iron Man, the ramps are bit easier, but it does not make the game itself easy. I don't mind this, but some others likely will.

5. Lack of a major interactive toy. The sarcophagus on the Prem and LE is great, but it's not a major toy. On a JJP machine, this would be considered a minor toy. How about a ball lock that goes into a plane that moves down the PF like the car in police force, a system 11 game.. Or maybe a full sewer system? Batman 66 has way more going on than maiden.

All this said, I love the machine and look forward to getting it next week, but there's always room for criticism.

I hope I'm as lucky!

That's great news about the launchers! Totally agree about shipping and minor adjustments. I'll be quick to jump on here and commend Stern if my game shows up and only needs small adjustments. Fingers crossed!

I find out if my expensive toy is broken or neglected on Wednesday!

Not at all. I was hoping for a close-up of a bicep and a peck, nipple included.

Thanks for posting this as I’m having the same issue. Your post should be linked on the home page of this thread as everyone will have to do this adjustment eventually.

Don’t take apart the ramp. I had the same issue. If yours is the same, the back part of your ramp has a sharp lower edge and is rubbing and catching on the ball guide behind and below it. It’s sharp metal on metal and causes it to stick just long enough that the release coil has finished its attempt to let the ramp down. My fix was to put a tiny bit of 3in1 oil on a qtip and run a little oil on the ball guide. Problem solved. In my opinion, these should not be touching, so I’ll be looking at adjusting the coil and/or coil stop so the ramp does not raise so high, thus not rubbing the ball guide.

Mine has been fine for about 30 games so far. What was different about your new assembly?

Once you get used to the gameplay, you can move your focus around. I find that I can still know where the lower balls are for short bursts of attention up top. There’s nothing cooler than hammering 3+ Big loops during multiball without losing a ball! Nailing the large and small loop at the same time is epic, epic, epic!

I find them to be quite different yet in subtle ways. The LE/premium add a little more stop and go to an insanely fast game. This allows for a better mental balance in my opinion. I also find some of the modes to be better with the underworld, and the left orb is a great addition. Lastly, instant mummy multiball is so much better! I've found my LE to be more enjoyable than the pro. The pro is still a great game though and kills it on bang for buck.

Pix, or it didn’t happen!

Considering quite a few settings are designed specifically for games on location, many operators would make the adjustment if they considered it an issue. In this case, it is there to add entertainment value for newbs as this game would be tough for them. Watch newbs walk up to kiss, for example. They walk up excited by the big gene head but soon walk away after three plays dumbfounded by the raping they just received. Iron maiden has a much better chance of another round of coin drop.

The Bob is complete shit. If you tighten the screw with little pressure the threads become powder in your hand. I had to rethread mine and did so easily in my hand. Absolute junk metal compressed together. They will very likely fall apart in your cab in a year or so.

If I get the time, I’ll thread the wire so I can use a w/b wing on it. Prob swap the bob too.

Stern uses the screw through the side style, so I assumed it’s not threaded. I could use a fastener, but I have a tap and die kit and many wings on hand. Ten minute job.

Lonnie must have coded buck Hunter... Fun game completely ruined by prematurely abandoned code. Code status and Elwin are the only reasons I broke my "NEVER BUY A STERN UNTIL IT'S OUT FOR FIVE YEARS!!!!" rule.

More purple you say? Well worth the upgrade!

They did change the default menu/edit brightness to 2%. You tried adjusting the brightness in backbox brightness settings? There are a few in there. If it's always had issues, I'd find out where those LEDs are connected and check the connection. If it only happened after code, try reinstalling code.

Strange. It should change as you're changing settings if you're changing the service brightness. Does zero turn it off? If it's not responding at all, we're back to either a physical issue or code. Oh, wait, this is Stern. Could be both!

Not true. See Stern's response above.

Wow.... Installation. Code. Process. Yes, it isn't the exact computer code.

I've played both thoroughly and I'm happy I went with the LE. I think the mech issues are blown out of proportion by very loud complainers. Many, like me, have had no issues. The premium is Elwin's full design and is way better to me. As others have said, play both if you can.

Very true. Stern seems to hate sewers. It's a shame as they are one of my favorite features.

The small additions create big, big changes in gameplay. I still play the pro when I can. It's fast and fun, but the momentary breaks from the fury are a great time to strategize and enjoy the booming tunes. Worth the cash? That one appears to be debatable. Not to me though.