(Topic ID: 283459)

Nine Ball repro Mircoplayfield and plastic set available

By Highclasspinball

3 years ago


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There are 315 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 7.
#1 3 years ago

Hi All,
finally the Nine Ball playfields are ready and available. They are 799 USD shipped to the USA or Canada, Australia is extra 80 USD shipping.
We have also the complete plastic set out of UNBREAKABLE material! The plastic set alone is 19 USD, the combo with the playfield is 899 USD shipped to the USA or Canada, Australia is extra 80 USD shipping.
Please contact me for any questions!
Regards,
Mirco

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#3 3 years ago

Mmmmm looks nice!

#4 3 years ago
Quoted from Highclasspinball:

We have also the complete plastic set out of UNBREAKABLE material! The plastic set alone is 19 USD, the combo with the playfield is 899 USD shipped to the USA or Canada, Australia is extra 80 USD shipping.

Did you mean the plastics alone are $119?

12
#5 3 years ago

Can you post better photos of this section?

Is this a typo on the pf?
Pretty sure is should be “lights” and not “ights”.

DC0E25C4-4284-4D83-A637-9368AA089256 (resized).jpegDC0E25C4-4284-4D83-A637-9368AA089256 (resized).jpeg
#6 3 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

Pretty sure is should be “lights” and not “ights”.

ouch

#7 3 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

Can you post better photos of this section?
Is this a typo on the pf?
Pretty sure is should be “lights” and not “ights”.
[quoted image]

Mirco never disappoints!

#8 3 years ago

This is a very needed repro and I'm glad to see it going into production. As always with repros there are some caveats.

Check out the linework on the shadows on the balls (Mirco left from photo, Original restored and scanned on right). Hard to reproduce I'll grant you, but would be worth the extra hour to get it right. The shadows are all either smudged or missing.

Worse than all of that is the typography on the 2. Awful. That's a three minute vector job to get right.

9ball (resized).jpg9ball (resized).jpg
#9 3 years ago
Quoted from A_Bord:

This is a very needed repro and I'm glad to see it going into production. As always with repros there are some caveats.
Check out the linework on the shadows on the balls (Mirco left from photo, Original restored and scanned on right). Hard to reproduce I'll grant you, but would be worth the extra hour to get it right. The shadows are all either smudged or missing.
Worse than all of that is the typography on the 2. Awful. That's a three minute vector job to get right.
[quoted image]

AND the 9-ball double-bold black-ring: The whole point of the game is the 9-ball, so emphasizing it in the artwork is essential!

#10 3 years ago

Ooof.... yeah auto-tracing does that sometimes. This kind of thing always needs a combo of vector and bitmap to pull off.

#11 3 years ago

Might as well start crowd-sourcing fixes to this like we did for the CPR Meteor kerfuffle.

Here is the 2 ball text vectored so someone can paint over Mirco's and add this one: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nn2LuGt_w8wwtYkv4nSRssp2DO9iytYc

#12 3 years ago

Looks like there will be some discounted playfields available

22
#13 3 years ago

Thanks a lot for showing the issues in the art, this was the best I could get out of the master i had, but it is easy to fix as i have only printed very few so far and they can be reprinted easily.

I would really appreciate if you can get me scans or pics of the error areas and i will fix the art within the next days and print the corrected versions. I do not need vector art so we can safe that work.

Are there any bugs in the plastics?

Thanks a lot for your help!

Regards,
Mirco

#14 3 years ago

Awesome and really glad to hear these can be fixed. Great that the community can put eyes on these before a whole run.

I do t have any scans but I am sure others do.

If you can post some high res links of straight on photos of the reproduction, and others can do the same; then I would be happy to look them over and point out all the needed fixes. I am guessing others would help also

#15 3 years ago

Man, I am going to be busy. I need to swap my Catacomb play field, finish my Star Gazer build, finish my Quicksilver build, and get ready to swap a Nine Ball play field.

#16 3 years ago
Quoted from A_Bord:

Might as well start crowd-sourcing fixes to this like we did for the CPR Meteor kerfuffle.

+1 for "kerfuffle".

#17 3 years ago
Quoted from Highclasspinball:

Thanks a lot for showing the issues in the art, this was the best I could get out of the master i had, but it is easy to fix as i have only printed very few so far and they can be reprinted easily.
I would really appreciate if you can get me scans or pics of the error areas and i will fix the art within the next days and print the corrected versions. I do not need vector art so we can safe that work.
Are there any bugs in the plastics?
Thanks a lot for your help!
Regards,
Mirco

Mirco, I can work on getting you some scans sometime in next 48 hours.

Everybody else, the only flaws I see are what you all put up. Point any of them out and I will scan them.

1) Also, Stern used clear orange for the orange inserts. Just like you used for Quicksilver. Transparent. Not opaque.

2) The four red inserts on the right hand side for the spinner scores are also clear red. Transparent. Not opaque.

3) The two green inserts at the outlanes are also clear. ................................................... Transparent. Not opaque.

#18 3 years ago
Quoted from Highclasspinball:

Are there any bugs in the plastics?

Good question. I'll have to look at mine.

Anybody see any issues with the plastics?

#19 3 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

Mirco, I can work on getting you some scans sometime in next 48 hours.
Everybody else, the only flaws I see are what you all put up. Point any of them out and I will scan them.
1) Also, Stern used clear orange for the orange inserts. Just like you used for Quicksilver. Transparent. Not opaque.
2) The four red inserts on the right hand side for the spinner scores are also clear red. Transparent. Not opaque.
3) The two green inserts at the outlanes are also clear. ................................................... Transparent. Not opaque.

I personally like the opaque inserts that match the others. I never understood why Stern originally used some transparent and some opaque. Maybe that was all that was available at the time or they were using up leftovers, either way it didn't look good in my opinion.

#20 3 years ago
Quoted from ita47:

I personally like the opaque inserts that match the others. I never understood why Stern originally some transparent and some opaque. Maybe that was all that was available at the time or they were using up leftovers, either way it didn't look good in my opinion.

I agree with you. I prefer opaque. Clear was original, but I would take either.

#21 3 years ago

Thanks for making this PF for us.

I only looked at your pics for 5 seconds -- I haven't given them a complete QC review -- since I'm not on the payroll.

"shoot again" is using mis-matched fonts -- this stood out right away as a glaring mistake.

As you know, this area of the playfield is by far, the most critical area that must look good, since of course that's where the player's focus is the most)

I mean these are things "anyone" with artistic talent, can see in seconds. It's a "feel" thing. I didn't need to see the original to know this was quite wrong.

-mof
mirco-shoot-again-nine-ball (resized).pngmirco-shoot-again-nine-ball (resized).png

#22 3 years ago

Like some letter bold some not...or half bold.

#23 3 years ago

In ten minutes, I can see three more glaring errors on just the lower playfield.
Again, I'm not on the QC team.
I'm sure he'll find and correct them all, they are obvious.

Hard Pass on this version of the playfield.

I look forward to seeing the next revision...
-mof

#24 3 years ago

The inserts mentioned are all same as original in transparent not opaque. Might look a little different on the pics as our tip coat is slightly milky, same as on old wms games.

I dont neccesarily need scans, pics from approx. 90 degree angle above the area would be ok as well.

Thanks for your help!

Regards,
Mirco

#25 3 years ago

Talk about synchronicity, The idea that someone should reproduce Nineball playfields just popped in my head last night: "Wonder why no one has produced these yet like the other Stern playfields out there now?" And now here we are hours later with it being offered for sale! =)
Version 1 is a good start. Version 2 with all the corrections from all who chimed in pointing out the improvements that need to be done should turn out great.
Looking forward to buying one (or two). =)

#26 3 years ago

And what a nice 40 year old Birthday Present for all NBs that need one

#27 3 years ago

Here is a 600dpi scan from a restoration. Not perfect but all detail is there and could easily be isolated to bring the detail back to the areas where autotrace failed. Hopefully someone can use this to help look things over.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1GkWn6Y_NRUZId6FB72Jk7R9lNxqKeRCC

Mirco, it looks like the major stuff has been pointed out. The balls between the slings have a lot of issues, from bad lettering to missing or smudged shadows to missing or misshaped reflections. I would redo that area. Also the "A"s in SHOOT AGAIN are incorrect.

I took a quick glance at the plastics and didn't see any glaring problems. In fact, it looks like a lot of the fine line detail is intact, which is something CPR never gets right, so kudos to you for that.

Crowd sourcing a proofread of playfield art is something I'm sure enthusiasts would be happy to help you with on any project if it means getting a more accurate repro for their favorite game. I know I feel very vested in making sure there is a top quality Nine Ball pf available and am very happy to know that your offering will get even better.

#28 3 years ago

This is the link from the donor and the play field that was sent to Mirco. A close look shows there was a lot of touch up going on with the rack of balls.

It is nice to be advised before full scale production got started. Corrections can be made and it looks like we are going to have a nice repro NB play field when all is said and done.

I still pinch myself when I think about how the donor posted in the "what machine did you bring home today" thread. I saw that NB being dragged home and I saw the donor's address was Germany. I could not pass this chance up. I just had to send out a PM and was overjoyed when the donor stepped up and said he would contact Mirco and when Mirco took delivery of the donor play field I was doing back flips.

Now I have to contact Pinball Pimp and order some cabinet stencils.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-nine-ball-project-#post-5985008

436a9e13f483e2130c6826d7e1db819fd9bb2adf (resized).jpg436a9e13f483e2130c6826d7e1db819fd9bb2adf (resized).jpg

#29 3 years ago

It may not be "perfect" as no repro is, I'm just glad it's being made.

#30 3 years ago

Ah, much easier to see now why there are some art problems! Hopefully the link to the scan posted above can help alleviate these issues.

#31 3 years ago
Quoted from A_Bord:

Ah, much easier to see now why there are some art problems!

I agreed at first, but actually it's even worse because it's obviously painted/touched up that to take that as a final product is mind blowing.

#32 3 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

I agreed at first, but actually it's even worse because it's obviously painted/touched up that to take that as a final product is mind blowing.

It is not much different than when Catacomb was released with incorrect color of inserts. You work with what you have. While the "Shoot Again" was weak, any deviations from original with the rack of balls would take a pro to spot. This rack, with some minor imperfections, looks pretty good to me.

If this was this only repro to ever be available I would not kick it to the curb.

And it is not like we are going to be getting stuck with a "take it or leave it" attitude. Mirco stepped up and said the needed corrections will be made. Can anyone ask for better than that?

Where is the harm? Why the vitriol?

Quoted from Highclasspinball:

Thanks a lot for showing the issues in the art, this was the best I could get out of the master i had, but it is easy to fix as i have only printed very few so far and they can be reprinted easily.

Screen Shot 2020-12-11 at 11.53.17 AM (resized).pngScreen Shot 2020-12-11 at 11.53.17 AM (resized).png

#33 3 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

It is not much different than when Catacomb was released with incorrect color of inserts. You work with what you have...

You are correct, it's just as bad.

Quoted from cottonm4:

...You work with what you have.... Why the vitriol?

That's the 'take it or leave it attitude,' if it were me I would look at more than 1 PF which seems to be a common issue in recreation.
As for me I have 'vitriol' *puke in my mouth a bit*. I'm happy he is making them and looking forward to peeps getting brand new PFs and we can all be happy. I'm not one of these folks that pisses and moans that the colors are slightly off or anything, but you have to get the main parts correct, Text, missing text, wrong insert colors etc.
I might wait till wave 2 with the 'new clear mix."

#34 3 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

I might wait till wave 2 with the 'new clear mix."

I guess I missed this discussion, what is the "new clear mix"?

#35 3 years ago
Quoted from ita47:

I guess I missed this discussion, what is the "new clear mix"?

I guess it was on the latest Kenada.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-mirco-quality-control-procedures

#36 3 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

I might wait till wave 2 with the 'new clear mix."

I am going to wait as well.

-1
#37 3 years ago
Quoted from GorillaBiscuits:

Ooof.... yeah auto-tracing does that sometimes. This kind of thing always needs a combo of vector and bitmap to pull off.

Mirco swears he doesn't use auto-trace, but these examples are CLEAR hallmarks of autotrace-fail.

#38 3 years ago

Hopefully the issues can be fixed quickly. I'd like to find one in my stocking on Christmas.

mantle (resized).jpgmantle (resized).jpg
#39 3 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Mirco swears he doesn't use auto-trace, but these examples are CLEAR hallmarks of autotrace-fail.

I believe he hires this work out to a sub contractor.

The “quality” is typical of what you find from Indian companies that do this sort of thing. Lots of auto trace and no clean up along with not even looking at an accurate reference file.

#40 3 years ago
Quoted from Whysnow:

I believe he hires this work out to a sub contractor.
The “quality” is typical of what you find from Indian companies that do this sort of thing. Lots of auto trace and no clean up along with not even looking at an accurate reference file.

I don't really care who does the work (he could get a competent subcontractor if he tried and paid a decent fee - even in India or southeast Asia), but the fact that he continuously denies using auto-trace when the obvious hallmarks of auto-trace are right there in the thick/blobby lines when compared to the original art is the part that drives me crazy. Who does he think he's kidding?

#41 3 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

if it were me I would look at more than 1 PF which seems to be a common issue in recreation.

I would to, if I had another play field.

How many have 2 or 3 Nine Ball play fields, or any play field laying around to get multiple views? Where are you supposed to get a 2nd or 3rd play field to verify what is correct? Are you going to do a Google search to see what you can see in posted pinball machines? Good luck with that.

I'm just surprised there was a Nine Ball in Germany, and with a generous owner that was willing to take the risk of sending his play field off to a distant location.

#42 3 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

he could get a competent subcontractor if he tried and paid a decent fee - even in India or southeast Asia

how do you know all of this? You are telling me you know what he paid? Care to share the secret?

#43 3 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

how do you know all of this? You are telling me you know what he paid? Care to share the secret?

Well, if he's hiring subcontractors that rely solely on autotrace, as evidenced by the bad black lines and blobs of black where there's supposed to be fine pixels in the art, then he's not paying enough to attract the actual talent. It's really not that hard to understand. But he still denies autotrace is even used, when it CLEARLY is, so good luck getting him to find the good subs.

#44 3 years ago

My only point about using sub contractors, is that I don’t think he really knows what they are or are not using.

#45 3 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

Well, if he's hiring subcontractors that rely solely on autotrace

"if"? Don't feed me with "if". Is he or isn't he? And why should it matter? Sounds to me like you are...ah...sort of guessing.

Some issues have been identified and we are told they will be fixed.

What is your problem with the play field? Do you have some other problem with the play field that needs fixing and that has not been discussed?

We have a Nine Ball play field coming. And after a long time of people crying for a Nine Ball play field.

And now some who are dying of thirst are not happy unless they can get a shot whiskey to go with their water.

#46 3 years ago

I am very happy to see this being made and even more happy to see the willingness and desire to correct the errors

#47 3 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

I would to, if I had another play field.
How many have 2 or 3 Nine Ball play fields, ....

Well there's a larger issue of having a PF to scan and being able to look at other PFs. Let's go back to Catacomb; have you ever seen one with 2 purple inserts? Has anyone other than CPR? Nope...oh well "that's all we had to work with!" That really doesn;t make a lot of sense, it means they could have done more research but didn't.

IF I got a PF with the entire "Shoot Again" that was touched up, and I thought that's what happened here please correct me if I'm wrong, I would probably be looking around for help with what it's supposed to look like; seems logical right? I mean it seems like that's possible since that's what's going on right now.

I'm only commenting on the big things not auto tracing or whatever that talk is aboot...Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to play my 2 purple insert Catacomb now

#48 3 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

"if"? Don't feed me with "if". Is he or isn't he? And why should it matter? Sounds to me like you are...ah...sort of guessing.

I didn't bring up subcontractors. You'll have to talk to whyisnow for that. But whether he is or is not using cheap subs, the POINT is shortcuts are being taken that make the end product worse. Autotrace is okay for large clean areas, but should not be used for fine detail, and yet it IS being used. Anyone that uses illustrator can recognize it. He can deny it all he wants, but the proof is in the art.

Quoted from cottonm4:

We have a Nine Ball play field coming. And after a long time of people crying for a Nine Ball play field.
And now some who are dying of thirst are not happy unless they can get a shot whiskey to go with their water.

Again, the POINT is, if you're going to do something, why half-ass it? If all the autotrace issues with the shading, etc on the balls is fixed that would be great, but we'll have to see. Past experience with Mirco indicates only the bare minimum will be done. We'll see...I don't have a dog in this fight, so I don't really care, but the autotrace denials, especially, really drive me crazy.

#49 3 years ago
Quoted from cottonm4:

This is the link from the donor and the play field that was sent to Mirco. A close look shows there was a lot of touch up going on with the rack of balls.
It is nice to be advised before full scale production got started. Corrections can be made and it looks like we are going to have a nice repro NB play field when all is said and done.
I still pinch myself when I think about how the donor posted in the "what machine did you bring home today" thread. I saw that NB being dragged home and I saw the donor's address was Germany. I could not pass this chance up. I just had to send out a PM and was overjoyed when the donor stepped up and said he would contact Mirco and when Mirco took delivery of the donor play field I was doing back flips.
Now I have to contact Pinball Pimp and order some cabinet stencils.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-nine-ball-project-#post-5985008
[quoted image]

I have always felt, to never rely on just one playfield... but at least three deferent playfields to
scan and compare...

#50 3 years ago

Lucky that I did not get burned personally trying to do this playfield. Would be nice if someone would of let me know not to do this title. If the art scan or a decent donor to scan had come my way. I would of been obliged to move forward to compensate those people. Maybe Mirco & CPR could reach out to the small guy to let them know. I try not to compete if there is product already being done, which does not seem to be a concern with the major players of parts. Like I have said this has made me very wary of doing any future playfields.

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