So if someone were to guess, id say its a pretty good guess. 8 bolts hold 250+ lbs in place. If you have weakness under those load points, additional stress is added. If its going to split somewhere, that is where to weakest point will be. The patches (if that's what they are) are held by both pieces (sidewall and front cab). Im more concerned for the scratched decal but still have to shake my head as to why stern used the cab in the first place. They could have told the cabinet maker that this one didn't pass QC.

I have a feeling their qc didn't even notice it. Remember the video of the qc guy who was checking playfields for ghosting on the light table and had to be told to turn the light on?

A vid of this? You're shitting me right?

about 11:17 mark. Mind you the guy might have been looking at something else and didn't turn the light on. Mood point. He could have been looking for insert scratches which are easier to see with the light off. Pure speculation i think and over reaction.

I just bought this for only half of what your Metallica cost...it's main job is to have the snot beat out of it and even it came flawless...kind of the whole point of buying something new.....
You get to put the first scratch on it!

1492699941019 (resized).jpg

Thats the thing, I dont know. My first pin was METLE nib and if it would have come with extra holes and scratched Id be freaking too. So he comes on here for some advice and some people are saying he is justified, while others tell him to get a new hobby.. It wood and its a damaged area, so yea maybe it could over time and well outside of the timeframe to get anything done about it.

that kind of thing could be reinforced with a W/B leg bracket but that's beside the point on this thread.

As someone who just purchased a NIB pin last week this got me to thinking about - What if this happened to me?

Now let me say that I have every intention of keeping my machine forever -

With that being said the scratched graphic would not be an issue for me as long as they sent me a new one. The cabinet "issue" wouldn't be a problem for me as well if it could be determined that it was not a structural issue that would crop up later on and you couldn't see it once the leg was installed. You could also have someone look at it to make sure its structurally sound.

The big problem for me lies in if I was going to use it for a year or so then resell to get another pin. The graphic could be applied and no one would know, but the cabinet would be a huge issue. I see alot of people saying just play its not a big deal, but the same people would also bust your chops on pricing because of the cabinet issue.

I would work with who I bought it from first, but these things would have to be resolved within the return period as well because I wouldnt want to be left swinging in the wind.

This is just me, but if I was keeping it I would say play on. If I had plans to sell I would ask for a new machine.

No way to tell by looking inside, the corner wood wedges would cover anything.

Have to agree with this. The node board inside the cabinet on the left side fried a component, I contacted my distro., they sent me an RMA for the board return. I got a new board in about a week, screwed the new one in, plugged in the connectors and I was back in business, took a whole 6 minutes (I timed it).

What? He just hadn't gotten to turning it on yet because it was a set-up shot done for that specific video scene. It's not like they just happened to walk past the guy while he was inspecting pf's.

Ha, that's nuttin, look what $2700 bought me new in 1970. Today that's the price of a really nice used Getaway.

Mustang when new (resized).jpg

This is what $30 bought me in 1970!

Yup.

Never had the need for one so I wouldn't know.

is that Rosanna Rosanna Dannna !

YUP

I know that cab is split.

Getaway would be more reliable

Dear OP, I gave you great Info when you were at my house looking to buy my TZ / perhaps you should have bought it.. I Told you all about Sterns QC and issues I just had with my KIss Pro And GOT pro.. And I stand behind y recommendation of GEX as he goes the extra Distance for his clients. I had a resolution that I was ok with,, It could have been much less costly and convenient but that is not what STERN is about so I think JJ helped me through his company to make it right.
They have some stupid idiotic policies(stern)they raised prices to perhaps make up for the costly QC problems,,
So you had my warning how it is indeed better 2 buy second hand , even the new,due to this QC problem. You were warned. And I recommended GEX and will continue to do so . I hope you get an acceptable end result. You got a great Title . Have an awesome weekend

Buying NIB Stern games is a gamble. Multiple threads point out the quality issues. Expect something to be wrong and be delighted when nothing is. Quality issues seem rampant. This is a public service announcement....everyone is warned.....

You are a gentleman, and a scholar. Now where was my pitchfork? Hahaha

The Stern cheerleaders are going to be all up on it....

Colsond3 where is the pic in your avatar from?

It's from an artist / photographer I follow from Model Mayhem in Tennessee. Gratziela Gal...she's awesome. I have the full size print hanging in my gameroom near BSD.

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/1161757/viewall#/13211950

Damn it. I thought it was from some vampire movie I hadn't seen. I'm really missing good vampire movies. Vampires do not sparkle or go out in daylight

Yeah, I am a vampire nut. I have practically every A and B rate vamp movie that is out there. And don't even mention the Twilight movies. They are a friggin joke. Unfortunately my niece made me watch them. If you've been torturously subjected to any of the Twilight movies, you have to watch Vampires Suck. You will laugh your ass off.

Sorry to get off track OP, any remedy yet?

You may have read my post wrong , But I didn't mention you were unhappy with your Distro, Just unhappy in general with the new in box.. Yes I did try and cover my many years experience with the hobby in a short amount of time, However I did State NIB purchases were very Risky due to Quality control of the games and what STERN thinks about the amount of inperfection a A GAME must have to be deemed Damaged. So second hand is better. The warranty period you speak of is mostly in place for electronics only and for only one year I think, so not much on Security of blanket protection on your purchase and with no extended insurance policy for the New games it is indeed much wiser to wait to buy second hand . That is all. Sorry you forgot the warnings I gave . perhaps you should have come by for more game playing first /
So hope all is good on your end and it was my pleasure hosting you and getting you into the Met Club .. Play more Pinball

Cool. I like down votes.

Buying a NIB Stern is a mistake at this point in time.

I'm such a donkah! I clicked that link to check out your BSD! hahaha

It really shouldn't have to be like this.

Really? My new Aerosmith sure doesn't feel like a mistake, it's a hell of a lot of fun. As a matter of fact so is my new TWD, GOT, and GB. I couldn't be happier!

That's cool man, I'm sure there are plenty of happy customers like you and that's all there should be when it comes to buying expensive toys like these!

I agree, unfortunately there are some bad experiences like the OP here also and that sucks. I think most people are happy with their games. Mike J just loves to sh*t on Stern in every post that he makes so I just wanted to let him know that buying a NIB isn't always a mistake like he's trying to make everyone think.

Good on the OP. It's interesting to see a person relatively new to the hobby jump on a forum and seek advise. What's even better in my opinion, the fact that he's not willing to simply turn his head as some have suggested but looking to gain the product he purchased, NIB pinball in mint condition. We need more new people joining the hobby like this.

Spot on!

What does an imperfect game from the factory have to do with the shipping company? They did their job. They delivered the article as they received it. These are Quality Control issues, not "damages." I suppose one could refuse a shipment for any reason, but I don't think factory defects are a good one.

This guy even says you should never refuse a shipment at all:
http://thefreightdude.com/blog/2011/05/27/the-freight-dude%E2%80%99s-guide-to-freight-claims-damages/

Boooo....should have gone with the ZTR ya ninny.

I have purchased about every stern since 2001 , either from the original owner , or NIB. And have yet to experience
the playfield issues many have posted about. I feel very fortunate to have had few issues with each pin. Stern and Melissa
have been quick to solve any issues.

Maybe I missed it but...how does that help the Op in any way?

There you go. And this game from 1993 has absolutely no cab separation, shoddy workmanship or mistakenly drilled holes. As I've said above, the OP deserves to get what he paid for...a brand new, mint, never-touched, fully reliable (at least for a little) machine. If it was any product smaller and more readily available, each one of us would be driving it back to the store at least for an exchange. OP, have you gotten any answers yet? It's been a while since you started the thread.

Drac 2 (resized).JPG

Did stern reply back yet?