Honestly, I had to look at your collection to see why stern honored your request. I'd bet the LE has to do with it. If you were to own a pro or prem, the outcome may have been different.

This ribbing is a deal breaker for me personally. Dry clear coat, uneven clear coat, etc is not really a problem, this ribbing is, and more so on LE's. Why someone is not in charge of selecting the very best playfields for the LE's is beyond me.

Ok so I have been involved in 3 recent unboxings and soon a 4th but the 3 were as follows:

Deadpool Prem: Stunning playfield. Very glossy and no defects. Could easily pass for an LE quality.

Godzilla Prem: Just a touch on the dry side or as some would call it orange peel in terms of the clear coat, but it looks great and there is no ribbing whatsoever.

Rush Prem: In between super glossy and orange peel. Overall very nice and there was no signs of ribbing whatsoever.

Really curious to hear about how the recent unboxings are going....

Check back in a few weeks. My aiq premium arrived last September with a nice glossy finish. It looked perfect. I couldn't find a flaw anywhere. After 3 months ribbing started to apear. I keep the house at 35-40% humidity year round.

Happened to my Mando too after a few months. Still plays just fine and don't notice while playing. Like I said before...so long as the art doesn't fall off.

Edit...for what it's worth my Mando arrived September of 2021 as well. July twenty something build date.

Some that can be completely normal. When I do minor repaints on car bumper covers, fenders, and misc car parts, my paint jobs look very close to a body shop quality. However after about 6 months or 8 months I can start to see my sanding prep marks under the clear coat due to it shrinking. When stern clears these playfields I would bet the clear is shrinking as well.

However a proper audit and plywood selection process should be performed to not accept a ribbed / planked wood surface. The wood should be completely dry, cured, and machined to smooth finish before they are printed and cleared.

Ok the rush and deadpool are holding solid. Godzilla is ever so slightly getting ribbed, but *very* minor.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjS68majBOB/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

How about a video of AP's Hot Wheels with lots of ribbing (and dimples). I always hear how their playfields are the best like AP has the secret recipe...

The season is what makes the ribbing. Playfields or machines made in the winter time will have ribbing. Cold and moisture is the cause of it.