Quoted from javagrind888:

How hard was it to install? I just got my Avengers yesterday and was looking at it.

Quoted from Maniac227:

This one is pretty useful but the one post i'm thinking of was if the shaft was slanted and out of alignment with the playfield.

Quoted from pixelpete:

Got my AIQ Prem last November.
I already played 2500+ games and wanted to share some simple modes.
I replaced the bumper lights and added colored RGBs at all the ramps and orbits to roughly match the associated Avenger color.
It helped teach the kids which lane was what. Also I felt the back playfield was kinda dark.
Adding lights was super cheap. I did not buy the kit. I got GI bulbs with spliced wires (Mezel Mods) and simply add additional led bulbs.
(No issues with power. This was first mod and was all stressed out. No problem at all.)
Also, the kids kept getting the back stuck on the Captain Marvel loop so I wrapped ingle stranded 12 gauge wire so when the ball falls off the rails
and can't make it around, the ball bounces off the looped wire. I'm thinking of adding a tinted clear 1/2 dome tunnel to replace the wrapped wire.
Also, on the VUK (small upside down 1/2 loop) the ball shoots too hard upward (I think) stressing the rails and mounts. I added a cut piece of plastic tubing to protect the ball from damage (minimal improvement) with the rail and also adjusted the VUK value. I turned it WAY down and works a lot better. See numbers below.
Also, I already replaced a set of balls once I noticed small dots (pitting) on the surface.
Here is a sight that sells balls: https://pgnbearings.com/collections/1-chrome-steel-balls/products/5-1-inch-g25-precision-chrome-steel-bearing-balls
Not sure if okay, but looks good. I know some balls are a fraction larger than 1".
Also, I changed a number of Feature Adjustments (personal preference, I wanted enough force but not to damage or prematurely wear parts)
#199 left flipper 240
#200 right flipper 240
#201 left flipper upper 220
#202 slingshot 20
#203 pop bumper 20
#204 eject power 210
#205 auto plunger 210
#??? Slingshot 20
#214 subway VUK power 125 (so much better now)
Oh, I notice the Spinner Disc sticks up just a bit, anyone know how to lower it a touch?
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from Maniac227:

Hmm, I assumed the balls would get magnetized by the tower.
Sweet, i'll switch to the shinier Ninja balls.

Quoted from javagrind888:

Is the Diddy's mod Captain Marvel Ramp Fix necessary? I get quite a few rejections and air balls from it, but a solid straight hit goes right through it still.
2020 build.

Quoted from NovaCade:

It’s actually not the up post that causes it. There is a one way gate that when the ball shoot’s up the tower, that gate hinges up so the ball can go upwards but when it comes back down the gate isn’t supposed to move so it directs the ball to the left and it rolls along the ball guide.
For some reason my tower release doesn’t just ride down the ball guide, now it drops slightly to the right, hitting the gate and then causing an uncontrolled roll

Quoted from Eskaybee:

Time to tone down the max extra balls

Quoted from Steakfist:

Anyone have any tips for drop targets that stick every now and then? Seems to be the bottom one most of all and is super annoying when going for it in soul gem and the ball just bounces off until I hit it once or twice more. I've taken the whole drop target assembly out and cleaned with alcohol to make sure there's no gunk but is it possible it could be binding on the rubber behind the drops?

Quoted from Sleal16:

It was a pain to put on for how tight they are, but the super bands flipper rubbers are extremely durable. Had been going through several pretty quickly as well, but as soon as I swapped them with those, haven't had to replace them in a while

Quoted from nstern2:

Anyone run into any random reboots with this game running the latest code? Picked up a 2nd hand pro over the weekend and I am now noticing that every once in a while it will lock up and then reboot at the end of a high scoring game right before I enter initials. Already replaced the SD card, but I am going to flash it again just to be sure.

Quoted from vikingerik:

Whoo, finally had the miracle game where everything came together, and topped awesome1 's score.
[quoted image]
All factory settings (including 5 EB max), and still on 1.03 code, so not the increased Gamma Ray and Thor Multiball scoring.
My quest progression: Power Gem (on Panther), Soul Gem (on Capt Marvel), Reality Gem (then intentionally lost to Thanos Attacks), Reality Gem again (on Cap specifically for Black Order Multiball, then Hulk for the Space Gem quest, then later Capt Marvel), Mind Gem (on Widow), Time Gem (on the drops), Space Gem.
[quoted image]
The big thing I blew up was the Space Gem quest. I don't know exactly how the scoring for this works, but the general idea is that most of the scoring happens on the left orbit, and adds to the final blow value, so I set up for this with Reality Gem on level-2 Hulk and also Panther at level-2 from the power gem. I think I hit the upper loop for all three possible 4x attack shots (once by way of a level-2 Mind Gem hit, which I think counts to collect the left orbit plus all of the next attack combo for center ramp - gauntlet ramp - upper loop.) I also cashed in the Soul Gem Jackpot for over 700M, although the Capt Marvel multiplier was only at 4x not 5x.
I also went big on Time Gem, for about 90 million base then 100 million worth of victory laps, and got the Soul Gem Jackpot for 380M there.
And the billion for Thanos of course. Nothing else went really big, but I didn't biff anything else either; Battle Royale, Computer Frenzy, Super Victory Laps, and Trophy Mania each all scored in the low 400M range. This included a level-2 Mind Gem hit during Trophy Mania (after using Space Gem to get Mind Gem over to a level-2 Black Panther), although then I drained out of the multiball with the super lit for 240M.
[quoted image]
And the last big thing was that I got around to Soul Gem a second time, and nailed it bigtime in hard mode, with a level-1 Mind Gem ready to go. The big thing here is Reality Gem on a maxed Captain Marvel, which scores 1,750,000 x 10 x 5 x 2 = 175M for the one shot.
I also got to Black Order MB a second time, scoring decently but not huge on both, about 200M the first time and 100M the second time. Besides that, tacked on some Binary hurryups, combo jackpots, and also bonus of over 100M three times including the collect-bonus grid award.
So now I'll be ready to focus on the Star Wars I have on order for later this month...

Quoted from koops:

I've looked at the key posts and didn't find an answer to this one but is there any additional marvel ramp fixes apart from the one here ( https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/new-aiq-captain-marvel-ramp-fix ).
I keep getting balls that fly off the ramp after its gone past where that other fix goes and then lands between marvel ramp wire and the gauntlet wire which means I always have to take the glass off.

Quoted from pinopinballmods:

Hello, I have a little problem with my pinball machine. In the middle of the game, the balls are ejected one after the other into the ball launch corridor. So I find myself with all the balls in this corridor and the launch of the balls does not take place!!! Any idea ?
Thanks for your help !
Lionel.

Quoted from Maniac227:

Damn, was hoping to get a score up on the stern leaderboard but looks like Awesome1 already has a good one up (~4B)

Quoted from HEAD_boss_HOG:

alright, be honest. do you think GZ is better than AIQ? I like both, but GZ seems markedly better, and I don't care for either theme. am i the only one?
Elwin is king of stern, forever regardless. we are all at the mercy of theme selections now. Thank god for great PF designs and unique shots

Quoted from mannymasy:

I've also had problems with the ramp of captain marvel... it didn't register the ball passing through the ramp... the culprit is the switch that is closest to ant-man... I have bent the switch wire a bit to that registers the ball pass but it seems that over time it stops registering the ball pass again.... has anyone had this problem too? how do I solve it? change the switch for another design?

Quoted from mannymasy:

Does anyone know how to solve the flying balls of the target of the eye of agamoto?

Quoted from mannymasy:

with the objective outside the machine?

Quoted from mannymasy:

Are you talking about Diana de Agamoto or Captain Marvel's Switch?

Quoted from CoachBacca:

So I missed a couple of spots when trying to clean this bad boy. Right underneath the two wireforms for the black panther ramp and the black widow ramp there are still small parts of what looks like dirt where the ball drops onto the plastic protectors. Two of the areas that needed the most cleaning I completely spaced on. I will pop the glass off again this weekend and have another go on just those spots. I did notice with all the wireforms running around it is pretty hard to get my hand in some places where I feel like I need to give it a better clean, like the Hulk orbit. Also I am looking into waxing it but it seems people have differing opinions about waxing the machine. I read over VID's cleaning and waxing guide but with the argument over using wax vs just novus 2, I got a little confused on whether or not I should after reading about the damage wax can do to the post. Kinda worried I will put too much wax on the machine but I am more of a visual learner so I looked at some of the Buffalo Pinball videos on cleaning and waxing but I still don't feel any more comfortable with waxing. Do you guys wax this machine and if so do you remove anything/do you remove and clean the subway (I also didn't do that)? I want to be able to take care of my own machine but I am starting to consider trying to find someone to clean it for me. I feel like I am putting in a pretty good bit of research in the best ways to take care of this thing as suggested by many pinsiders but as for waxing I am just not comfortable yet. I have done some other things like installing a shaker motor, lifting the playfield to install the Stern art blades, fixed some wiring issues a couple of times, and I keep waiting for something to go wrong mechanically so I can take my first shot at fixing it. Am I overthinking this whole waxing thing?
My family, my friends, and I have put just under 500 plays on this machine in two months and I plan on using it for a long time so I want to be able to take care of it but at the same time I don't want to damage it not knowing really what I am doing. I know this might not be the perfect place to post these questions but any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Quoted from C0untDeM0net:

That is a great video. If you get all the gems then battle thanos is an immediate win when you get there worth 1bil I believe. There were a lot of points left on the table in that game though.
This game I flubbed and drained right after defeating the black order. Just needed to collect all the avengers one last time to defeat thanos with all the stones and increase that score to nearly 4 bil. I love this game but wow is it a long player.
[quoted image]

Quoted from CoachBacca:

Is there anywhere I can find a tutorial on how to best remove some of the posts and plastics on this machine? I am having some issues cleaning my machine where there are a lot of plastics right on top of each other and how best to remove them. On the black Panther Orbit ramp I have a blackish-brownish streak starting where the plastic covers it up. It is also putting a good bit of dirt on my right inlane that can even be seen after only about 10 plays after cleaned. You can hardly see anything on the left inlane but the right one gets dirty pretty quickly. Does anyone have any ideas where this is from? I thought I did a decent job of cleaning the shooter rod and definitely the other areas of the playfield. I used Novus 1 to clean it if that matters to anyone.

Quoted from farmball150:

Sorry for the late follow-up, but I was searching for some advice on cleaning the Black Panther / Launch chute on the upper left without taking the whole thing apart. Does this technique work well there, even with the curve in the metal path?

Quoted from EaglePin:

Playing tonight ran into an issue I’d never noticed before. Curious if anyone else thinks it qualifies as a bug.
Disc was up to start a battle. I cradled on the right to go after the one drop target that was up. Knocking it down would complete a row and award portal lock, so I wanted to hit that first before starting a battle.
I hit the drop, it dropped, and the ball bounced off a post and into the portal to start a battle. But it didn’t award the portal lock. It had me select the battle, and then after I did that I saw the lcd screen animation come up for awarding a portal lock from the grid. But the battle started without it and the portal lock was instead available after that battle.
Seems like the portal lock should have been awarded for the first battle since the drops were hit before going into the hole to start the battle. Does that seem right?

Quoted from EaglePin:

Yep, I didn't already have 2 portal locks. It was a timing bug. The portal lock was earned before the ball went into the disc to select a quest. But the quest started and then the portal lock wasn't recognized until after that quest ended. Should have been the other way around. Since the portal lock was earned before the ball went in the disc, both the portal lock and quest should have been active at the same time when the ball went into the disc so I could get it in that battle.

Quoted from vikingerik:

Oh my goodness. You guys aren't going to believe this one. I'm not sure I do either.
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Blew away my previous high by more than 5 billion. The differences were in the Space Gem quest plus its Soul Gem Jackpot (about 1.5 billion difference total), Trophy Mania (another 1.5), bonus (1 billion total - had 390M on one incredibly long ball, plus got Collect Bonus from the grid when it was at 350M, plus had the multiplier held for another 200M next ball), and the rest from assorted Binary hurryups and combos and such.
The Space Gem quest went so huge like this - it comes from the Reality Gem on level-2 Hulk, since all the quest's scoring is concentrated on this one shot. The third attack shot scores 3M base x3 for portal locks x4 for a parry combo on the upper loop x4 for Reality Gem, which comes to 144M. The first two attack shots scored a few tens of millions as well, to a total of around 240M. Then the final blow on Panther collects 60% of the quest value so far x2 for level 2 = 288M, for a quest total of 538M. And I got the Soul Gem Jackpot for 250% of that, on Captain Marvel at 5x, of course.
And I got in the biggest groove I've ever seen on Trophy Mania. Three different times I railed off 8 to 10 consecutive gauntlet ramp shots to get the add-a-ball each time (this is what to do in Trophy Mania, catch everything you can on the right flipper and loop the Gauntlet ramp with one ball.) I got a lot of disc spins early on to raise the value as well. I got the super jackpot three times, going up to about 250m for the last. Also had Reality Gem on level-2 Black Widow which added quite a bit for that shot along the way as well.
This was all still on 1.03 code, so not the higher Thor and Gamma scoring. (Too bad - with those in place I probably would have made 12 billion.)

Quoted from C0untDeM0net:

I always go mind gem first. Get those free button completions which help greatly on soul gem with a level 1 or 2 avenger it's on (usually black widow early on). Lately soul gem is the second thing I have to do after getting it. I try to take at least 1 portal lock and a multiball and if I have a good one I collect all avengers before the quest/victory laps is over. Then going into soul gem I choose hard and use the button presses on black panther, thor, and the computer. Usually finish that with 200-250 mil.

Quoted from adrock:

Why do portal locks award multiball on Soul Gem? Seems like a huge detriment.

Quoted from CoachBacca:

So I finally took the floaties off this weekend and cannonballed into the deep end and did a partial tear down of the my premium to put in some blue titans I ordered. I removed all the ramps with the exception of the marvel ramp and removed most of the plastics. I even removed the city scape and Thanos plastic in the back so I could remove the black Panther orbit ramp plastic to get at a bad spot on the ramp. After getting everything off I hit as much of the playfield as I could with some Novus one and Novus 2 using the latter really sparingly. I also waxed it for the first time which wasn’t bad at all.
I did run into a problem when replacing the rubbers though and now I need some advice or help. I was unable to put rubbers on the two post that are in front of the scoop because I couldn’t get the wakanda/ant man plastic off. It feels like the plastic is glued or something to the metal it is sitting on at the point my finger is at in the bottom picture below. Is this done on purpose for some reason I am unaware of and is there a way to remove it and replace those two rubbers?
[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from Yoko2una:

Since a relevelling, I've been playing AIQ just so much better the past week. Question on how to beat the game as I don't remember where I had the long rules sheet saved.
Twice lately I've been able to collect all 6 gems (and defend them along the way). But then I didn't know what to do. If you try to start a mode it just says none are available. I collected all Avengers and once I had to do something with the Black Order. I got through that and then didn't know what to do. There's not enough narration IMO to know how to progress deep in the game. Perhaps they spent so much time writing such gems as "I am Iron Man" and "I'm Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow" they forgot to include narration for the rest of the game.
Once you have all the gems, what are the other milestones that have to be reached to beat the game, and how do you qualify for them?

Quoted from blizz81:

My Ace Hardware had pretty crappy sliders. It's been on my backburner list to find sliders that fit exactly to the feet circle diameters on all my pins as I'd seen them before on pinside, so maybe I'll try ordering the magic sliders.
Still making my way through the thread, just cracked into the 100 page mark out of 218 re: my number of posts per page. Got to the timeframe where evidently Stern was releasing some machines with washers under the suspect ball guides - mine is an Apr 2022 build and did not have any washers. Added one under antman rail last night while doing rubbers, probably look into Thor as well.
One question I did have - does the audio hardware vary much between recent Stern spike 2 games? My Dec 2021 build STh Pro sounds quite a bit better than this Avengers Pro. The main woofer is crackle city on this even at like volume 14. I'd assume the pros would pretty much have the same amplification and speakers.
edit: today I messed around while someone else was playing and seemed to be able to minimize what I thought was speaker crackling by pushing up against the outside edges of the speaker grate, so I'll play around more with securing the woofer and some foam/quiet tape.

Quoted from vikingerik:

What do you mean by ending your game here? It's a multiball, and when it ends you just transition back to normal play, it doesn't do anything to end your game. BOMB isn't something you win or lose like a gem quest or the Thanos modes, it just scores points.
The thresholds to qualify the jackpot from each Avenger are displayed directly on the screen. You can do any of them in any order. Each completed Avenger increases the jackpot multiplier, and lights the Captain Marvel ramp/lane to increase it again. Once you light at least one jackpot, you collect it at the Hawkeye loop. After that, spin the disc to spell Strange to light the super jackpot. Collect that at the Captain America lane to add a ball and recover the Soul Gem if you didn't have it.

Quoted from hiker2099:

I guess I could’ve put this anywhere but figured I’ve been a member in this thread the longest. Does anybody take the glass off their pin to practice specific shots?

Quoted from Savageroots:

Looking at possible adding a shaker motor to my cabinet. What are peoples opinions? I was looking at pinballlife at this
Shaker Motor Kit (Rev C) For Stern SPIKE & SPIKE 2 System Games
Worth it or not with this table?

Quoted from Phantasize:

Hi everyone. I own a AIQ Premium, and struggle a lot with ball rattle when shooting from the shooter lane. This results in balls not making it all the way around and being fed to the flipper. Instead it rattles around and usually end up falling down though the pops.
I tried several adjustments based on (really old) suggestions in this thread. But unfortunately have not been able to solve it, resulting in me actually not bothering to play the machine as it really annoys me (along with the vertical ramp constantly rejecting balls even though i have that 3D printet fix that should help with that problem).
The reason for this new post, is that i recently got a Godzilla Premium, that had severe issues with skill shots due to ball rattle. But yesterday i learned about the ABE FLIPS fix for that specific problem. Its essentially just a small 3D printed "shim" that is tapet to the right side of the shooter lane. And it works brililantly!
So it made me wonder: It there any kind of 3D printed fix for ball rattle on the AIQ machines?

Quoted from blizz81:

Do those stay pretty snug inside the rubber? Might have a 3d printer friend make me one to try out, the stock shooter rod seems like it sits awfully far back.

Quoted from killerrobots:

I have been having trouble with my plunger auto-launcher reliably getting all the way around. I have upgraded my coil and plunger spring per this thread. However it is still not working every time in game. For note, I have the coil strength at 255, it doesn't seem better at lower values. However, the weird part is that it does work 100% of the time if I do coil test just not in game always.
Does this game vary the launch strength based on game conditions? Like maybe sometime it wants it in the pops. It just seems like sometimes it just doesn't launch it as hard as other times.

Quoted from PocketHoleshot:

I'm having the same issue. Auto plunger worked about 90% and has been slowly dropping to almost 0 now.
I ordered the stronger coil and spring hoping for an improvement, but your report has me discouraged...
I Took slo-mo videos, shimmed the shooter lane ramp, couldn't get any improvement. Game and shooter lane are clean. Forks are lined up. I've tried every power setting. I'm pulling my hair out with this damn auto-launch!

Quoted from killerrobots:

My problem is that it is super intermittent. Sometime it is too strong, some times too weak, sometimes it rattles. Ironically every time I try to film it, it seems to work perfectly. Today it has been working great so I don't know.
I would still recommend the stronger coil, as this has definitely been an improvement but mine just seem fickle.

Quoted from blizz81:

What’s everyone’s top Strange disc RPM? I feel like this is a more fun value to universally compare vs. scores which can be more dependent on settings, etc.
I set a new one at 1471 tonight. All that talk of even playing field aside, I did recently install John’s precision pinball disc.

Quoted from flynnibus:

Anyone else having problems with ball’s getting stuck under the top jet bumper?
There is a huge unguarded gap between the jet bumper and the ball guide that is the inside edge of the orbit. The ball can wedge itself basically behind the jet bumper. The gap screams to be blocked by a post like the right side bumper has.
Anyone else seeing this pattern?[quoted image]

Quoted from flynnibus:

I'm thinking jet bumper sensitivity is part of it too... because we've had a pro and premium since the launch and this problem is only starting recently. I figure if the jet bumper is lazy, balls have a better shot at getting in there.
Considered adding something mounted to the plastic.. but I think that will take too much abuse. Sticky to the ball guide I worry about staying in place. The guide looked a bit thick for bending... but I can see the point. Did you bend the top or bottom half? The big V in the guide I assume makes the gap even bigger for the ball to get in there.

Quoted from 1956PINHEAD:Deleted post

Quoted from badbilly27:

Your link doesn't work. FYI

Quoted from PNBLWZD:

I recently got an LE and joined the club. My game is running Rev 1.0 software, is this worth updating? The read me file looks like mostly insider connected updates but there’s other things also. Thanks

Quoted from gaubster:

I'm here to ask basically the same question. I'm running 1.01 and haven't bothered upgrading since I don't have Insider Connect. However, I seem to recall that there are rule upgrades that will make it worth updating to? Are there any downsides to upgrading from 1.01 to 1.06? Is it okay to skip ahead past previous updates?

Quoted from Crile1:

New premium owner here and have read most of this forum. I was interested in trying the mirror mod for the stepper subway. Looked underneath and boy does it look like a pain to pull out. Is there a trick to removing it or is it as involved as it seems. Looks like a bunch of connectors need to be disconnected and lots of screws removed to pull the mech, solenoid and trough out.

Quoted from vikingerik:

Same here. I lean into losing a gem. I just trap up and let him have the Reality Gem. I'd rather play that high scoring quest over again (including a portal-lock multiball and soul gem jackpot) than attempt Thanos Attacks. It's true Super Victory Laps might score more on its best day, but on average the risk-reward is clearly worse for attempting it.
That said, I did once go for Thanos Attacks just out of bloodymindedness when defending 5 gems (happened because I failed Soul Gem the first time and only got it late from Battle Royale), and got through all 24 shots to win it for a total of 340M.
If you just want to reach Battle Thanos, let him have the Soul Gem instead, since you can win that back in BOMB or Battle Royale without playing an extra quest.

Quoted from vikingerik:

POINTS
[quoted image]
[quoted image]
Here's how. The setup for this is Reality Gem on the left orbit with Hulk leveled up, Black Panther at level 2 (easy way is to have the Power Gem on him), and the Soul Gem on the Captain Marvel ramp with the Binary multiplier at 5x. In the Space Gem quest, for each of the three parry shots, do a combo of Widow-Gauntlet-Hawkeye (can use level-1 Mind Gem for the Hawkeye hit) to light the attack at 4x on the left orbit. Multipliers for portal locks (x3) and the Reality Gem (up to x4 though I had it at x3 here) apply also. This all multiplies the base values for the attack shots of 1M/2M/3M to as high as 48M/96M/144M.
Then the final blow is lit which scores 40% of the quest value so far at Widow or 60% at Panther. Now drain out of the multiball intentionally, and hit Change Gems to move the Reality Gem to Black Panther for x4 scoring, while still in the middle of the quest. Now that final blow scores 240% of the quest value (I got 611M for this shot here.) Then collect the Soul Gem Jackpot on the Captain Marvel ramp for 250% of *that*.
There you go awesome1 if you need a challenge

Quoted from GranpaDave:

Some observations after 10 months of AIQ premium ownership.
I did not play this game for almost 3 months and did a temporary swap with a pinball buddy.
I had chronic opto issues on the black panther orbit shot and the Dr. Strange disc had problems completely lowering. My buddy and I worked on these quite a bit. Like a lot.
Capt. Marvel ramp was like high school- too many rejections- I tried all kinds of flipper angles and settings including the Capt Marvel mod.
So I got my game back and put some precision flippers on it (not the upper one though). Now i can backhand Capt. Marvel.
Black panther opto and Dr. Strange all working. Now I can confidently know that if I line up and shoot correctly the shot will work-what a concept!
So now…I am exploring the great code and it feels like a new game. Yeah the animations aren’t awesome, but they definitely grow on you. This game is fun and there is so much more for me to discover.

Quoted from TenaciousT:

I didn't know it was possible by anyone to backhand the Capitan Marvel ramp !

Quoted from PocketHoleshot:

Yeah, even with a ton of power, I would think the angle is all wrong to pull this off.
Let's see a video of it! GranpaDave

Quoted from Richter1019:

I don’t have precision flippers, but I do backhand the Thor shot during Soul Gem. You just cradle, release for a second, and then jam it. So, it is possible, but would def need fresh wax

Quoted from PocketHoleshot:

Thor is an obvious backhand. We're talking about backhanding the Capt. Marvel ramp with the precision flipper kit installed.

Quoted from cam24175:

I ordered the precision flipper shaft bushings and did not order the metal flippers so my only modification was the shaft bushing. Before installing I tried wiggling the stock shaft in the stock plastic bushing. Lot of room to wiggle back and forth (slop). Then i slid the stock flipper shaft into the new metal bushing, big difference in slop, almost non existent. Put it all back together and immediately noticed it to be more precise and predictable than stock during play. Just seemed more solid, precise, and more powerful without the slop. I was even able to back down the flipper power a bit, maybe they will stay a little cooler that way.
I made a mistake on the initial order and didn't realize it until they came. I emailed Precision Pinball with the problem. Later that day I received a response from a fellow named John Simone. I explained my mistake to him, and unlike some distributors, he bent over backwards to make sure I was taken care of and rushed the part to me. I was ecstatic at the response and caring service I received from them. If you decide to purchase any of their products you will not be disappointed at the quality and the service from this top notch company and their staff. Kudos to them for caring !!
PS I don't know these people personally and they don't owe me anything. I just wanted to express my experience with them. Thanks

Quoted from John1210:

the shot was never designed to be backhandable Clean the ramp, clean the pf and have relatively fresh balls and there shouldn't be a problem with a clean hit from the left as per design of the shot geometry. My point being if you can do it on the right flipper from this bogus precision flipper install then that's clearly cheating the game. You may as well block the outlanes and drill in a centre post. There's manipulating the game to make it more user friendly and enjoyable eg pdi, flipper rubbers, pitch etc then there's flat out glass off cheating. These crappy precision flipper kits are the latter.

Quoted from GranpaDave:

The Capt Marvel was not designed to be backhanded-most likely true. How about the Thor shot? Most of us would say yes- I had to play multiple other AIQ games to discover this and adjust my right flipper to make this happen- guess what? The game is more fun. Backhanding from the right is really a very low percentage circus trick, but the fact it can happen is very cool. I could never make the right backhand shot, but I noticed that I could on other AIQ games (only from a bounce pass from the left). Don’t see how this is cheating.
Only making the Capt Marvel shot on the fly from the left while holding my breath, clenching my teeth, swearing appropriately, and not farting- NOT fun. I tried all fixes and was about to kick the game to the market. I played several other AIQs and this shot was definitely achievable and very cool- not my game. So, with reluctance I decided to “cheat” with precision flippers. Now I can make the shot and the game is…fun!
I like to think I am a purist, never changing factory settings, using the original (crappy) balls, and rubbers. Well that is ignorance on my part. I add Pinstadiums to almost all of my games, have prescription (ok, 2.0 readers) pinball glasses, and usually set my games to “factory”. I replace the rubbers and balls. Yes, I do play in leagues and an occasional tournament. Recently I have tightened my tilt bobs and are setting my machines to competition. Still keeping EBs. I will see how that goes…
I recently played a GZ pro at the Pincinnati tournament which had precision flippers on it. This made the game much harder-difficult to trap and control the ball. This setup was intentional and very effective.
In my experience, precision flippers are another modification that can make pinball more fun. Like any other mod they are not for everyone, but most folks that have actually tried them give them a positive review.
To me the key in pinball is to set up your game to be fun- not too hard and not too easy. We would all like to play like Karl D and RayDay, but (sadly?) we do not. I also suffer from too many birthdays and I will never have the reaction time and skill set like many of you. I have played games set up way to easy (without precision flippers) as well as games set up too hard and neither were fun.
So go try out these flippers- you may feel that these are crappy and cheating or you might feel differently. For now, I am enjoying my second honeymoon with AIQ premium.

Quoted from vikingerik:

For anyone having problems with Captain Marvel ramp rejects, check this:
[quoted image]
Look at those prongs at the bottom end of the wireform on the right side of the entrance. Make sure these are pressing against the metal wall to their left (the right wall of the entrance), and not floating out in space as in this example pic here. If they are not flush and pressing against the metal wall, the wireform will flex outwards and absorb momentum from an incoming ball instead of guiding it up over the top.
When I first got my AIQ, I had a terrible make rate from a catch on the left flipper, about 25%. I unmounted the entire wireform and bent those ends inward with pliers, and that made a tremendous improvement up to about 80%, a far bigger swing than anything minor like waxing or a barrier on the left side.

Quoted from vikingerik:

My AIQ noticeably gets dirtier way faster than my Star Wars. I think the worst of it comes from harsh impacts to the upper flipper rubber from below, where there's no post protecting it like on the other games. There's noticeably worn spots on that rubber after only about 5-10 hours of gameplay.

Quoted from nstern2:

That is really great looking. Can these custom toppers enable the extra mode that comes with the official topper?

Quoted from vikingerik:

You actually can make progression anyway, if the portal can still physically open. Get two portal locks by shooting combos and lock them. If you then light another portal lock, it shortcuts past spelling Strange and will open the portal to start the quest.
Granted, the rest of the game won't be much fun without the disc (you can't win the Mind or Reality gem quests, and progressing towards Iron Man MB is a pain if the disc can't cycle the outlane lights), but playing most of it is still possible.

Quoted from shaub:

So I've found myself playing AIQ very little the last few months and, upon further reflection, I think the main issue is that a "good" game on it seems to take very long and I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. If going for progression through the game and trying to get to Battle Thanos, extra balls seems to present themselves at exactly the right time to keep the good times going, which, to perfectly honest, is a job well done on the programming side. Anyways, I thought about the issue and decided to turn off extra balls and see if I can get to Battle Thanos on a legit 3-ball game with no extra balls. It's been a challenge so far but it feels within reach and my games are, obviously, shorter without extra balls so I've been playing it a lot more often.
Damn is it a fun game, though it (like any game) could use some extra polish, hopefully Elwin and team have a chance and the interest to maybe take a look at a few things, especially because Elwin mentioned that he had a longer than expected break between cornerstones.

Quoted from blizz81:

I would think you would tire of STh, as you are a better player than I & at just over 200 plays, I wouldn’t mind seeing it get traded out for something with more going on. But at least it should be pretty easy to sell if you give it a try.
STh I’d say my average games are longer than AIQ. AIQ also takes more mental concentration.

Quoted from BrokenChair:

I’m thinking about joining the club with a pro or premium is the premium worth the upgrade what’s the difference ?
Also is this game beginner friendly or hard at all ?
Also not sure if we are allowed to talk prices but what would be a ballpark good price for a premium with taxes/delivery/setup included
Thanks guys

Quoted from solid_snake:

I'd just go with the Pro on this one. I have a Premium and the Captain Marvel ramp is awesome but that's really the only thing missing on the Pro, and you at least get an additional spinner on the Pro as well. The rising disc and viewable portal sound cool on paper but it really isn't that satisfying when you're playing. Just save yourself a few thousand and get a nice Pro.

Quoted from BrokenChair:

I’m getting ready to pull the trigger on a new premium just wanted to be worried it won’t be too hard and frustrating; I don’t mind a hard game or challenging but when starts to get annoying …..
I think Godzilla is hard but I’m never upset how does this compare

Quoted from NoSkills:

Here's a challenge for you. Soul Gem in 2 flips!

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Question about to get a new premium from my distributor and noticed the captive balls were really dirty and pitted I can replace with new balls easily correct?
They aren’t special balls or anything
I think it’s called a Thor captive ball?

Quoted from Ryancaseystudio:

Who here has Insider Connected on their home AIQ? Would you recommend it? I mostly play on my home machines and don't play a lot on location. I love the idea of getting access to the Gem Mania mode without the Topper, but not sure what else it really adds. Any insight would be appreciated. For context, I'm between getting PinStadiums on it or IC.

Quoted from javagrind888:

My search skills are failing me. I'm having an issue with the subway. One ball goes all the way through without issue, but if two balls are in the subway it has to ball search twice to clear them out. I thought I'd read someone having this issue a long time ago but can't find it.

Quoted from broada:

I had the same issue with the subway and had great success with this fix:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/official-avengers-infinity-quest-owners-thread-pinsiders-assemble/page/149#post-6356227

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Does anyone recommend a better tool for loosening that 5/32 Allen for the flipper adjustment that with just a regular Allen key ?
It’s so tight and there are wires everywhere I don’t know how they expect you to safely re-tighten with being careful
I did it as recommended with the playfield down ;
Ok good to know the black widow is hard from left flipper that’s good feedback;
Couple more newbie questions :
1) When I loosened that Allen key
the flipper lost all spring and I was able to move it all over the place not sure what I did to get it back In place with the tension it was tricky ;
can anyone explain in better detail what exactly happens when you loosen that Allen nut?
Did I loosen it too much is that why the flipper lost all spring tension and could be moved all around ?
Maybe next time barely crack it loose then make the minor adjustments then retighten
Thank you again I don’t know how you guys learned all this I’m 90 days into the hobby and the learning curve is steeeeep

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Thank you so much that does help !! My distributor thinks I’m nuts when I mentioned coil stops he says stern games for thousands of plays with theirs lol
This looks easier then adjusting the flippers I might be able to do it!
Still ordering them

Quoted from vikingerik:

(Fun conspiracy theory: Elwin knew the game had problems with flippers overheating, so that's why the Soul Gem mode is limited flips, to make you give them some time to cool down!)

Quoted from Spiderpin:

It all makes sense now!

Quoted from CoachBacca:

This is my first machine so I am still learning the ropes of what things are supposed to look like and feel like. I think I am doing pretty good as far as cleaning and maintaining my machine is concerned but from day one I thought that my plunger felt a little weak. It is from the last June run I believe of the machine and if I use the plunger the ball will not make it up the ramp but will auto plunge that far about 33% of the time and make it to the right flipper. Is this normal for this machine or do I need to get a newer/stronger plunger for it to make the orbit?

Quoted from butterz:

I recently traded my Jersey Jack Guns and Roses for an Avengers premium. The guy delivered and helped me set up. This game is really something special. The combo shots all flow great. It's like Jurassic Park on steroids. The strategy with the gems is really interesting. It's just hard enough I keep playing it, I'm averaging getting five gems a game now. Can someone explain why this is not rated higher? Perhaps some people find it too hard?

Quoted from vikingerik:

Yeah, people think it's too hard. It's not, but people think it is. Mostly the complaints come around what happens when you lose a gem, since the ways to get one back aren't obvious and you can't resume a mission or easily try it again.
Also the sound and callouts package is kinda flat. The Avengers have all the enthusiasm of a retail worker reporting for their seven am shift. This carries over into perceptions of the game as well. There are no big yelly exuberant moments, and it makes you feel terrible when you lose a gem. It feels like a grind, even though the structure is the same as any other modern game.

Quoted from Maniac227:

I think the main issue with it not being higher rated is that a lot of people find the rules too confusing for them and the callouts and assets aren't the best.
I think the flow is second to none but do wish the code was deeper. I feel like this game didn't get the same treatment on code that Jurassic Park or Godzilla received.

Quoted from BrokenChair:

I cannot seem to hit the Hawkeye loops with the upper flipper for the life of me; forgetting about getting all the way up the ramp I can’t even get it close ;
What angle of the upper flipper do I hit to get that Hawkeye shot? Gotta be muscle memory ?
Every attempt I make goes up to gauntlet ramp….
Also the auto plunge doesn’t go to the right flipper ;
power is set to max and balls centered.
It’s maybe makes it around 7/10 times is this normal ?
Thanks guys

Quoted from localVariable:

Hey everyone, I just picked up a AIQ premium on Tuesday and am really enjoying the flow and shots, while the kids love the theme.
The only real issue I've experienced is occasionally (twice in ~20 games) is that balls that don't quite have enough power to make it up the turn in the Captain Marvel ramp fall off and get wedged between the other wireform below. Has anyone thought through a good fix to prevent this, or is this just bad luck on my part?
[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from BrokenChair:

What and where is sanctum target?

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Look where my ball got stuck it wasn’t technically stuck it still rolled but happened to sit in that pocket how is that even possible
[quoted image]

Quoted from vikeking27:

Happens on mine infrequently, but ideally you want to very gently plunge so that the ball falls down backwards around the mini-loop for a secret skill shot so you can get a portal lock right out of the gate for your first mode.

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Is it normal for my ball to not make it all the way around the loop to right flipper when it auto plunges or I do a full plunge? ;
About 5-10% of the time it doesn’t make it up the black panther ramp and ends up being a flank attack instead of reaching right flipper;
Eject strength is already maxed ball seems centered enough;
It rarely happens so maybe just normal??

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Appreciate it if you don’t mind linking the post;
I tried searching and couldn’t find … it’s really been bugging me .
Thank you very much .

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Balls consistently getting stuck under the gauntlet ; sure this has to have happened with someone else couldn’t find anything ..
Any ideas for a fix ?
[quoted image]

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Wow that’s impressive did you make that yourself ?
I went ahead and ordered those clear bumpers from Amazon that someone linked to wedge underneath there

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Yep I got and installed the new coil stops and sleeves and it helped a lot with my black widow issue; thank you for the input this helps me greatly ;
Pretty sure ive narrowed it down to a pitch issue…
;
It’s taken me forever to dial this game in and it’s my favorite pin I own ;
It’s way better than my Godzilla ;
But yeah isn’t that funny AIQ it’s a few inches higher than GZ lol
Thank you for the patience and explaining

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Here is where I put the pitch attached are pictures with the levels at different places, but I think this would work best for me when I play tested… the flipper say 6.2-6.3 I lowered it from 6.5 because it felt the backside was steep like 7.3ish
So I settled with my main measurement in the center of the play field right by hulk and set that to 6.6.
Also, attached is a picture of the auto plunge plunger the metal brackets do they look aligned with the ball? Stern had my bend the brackets in didn’t really effect performance so I’ll report back when I get the newer auto launch coil installed…
Happy Sunday everyone
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from C0untDeM0net:

it's the bottom pop bumper plastic that covers the sanctum target. The protrusion is attached with only 3 tiny connection points making it prone to fail
[quoted image]

Quoted from BrokenChair:

First of all; I’m disable; thanks for your patience.
You guys rock saved me lots of time here.
———————————————-
Gotcha il take them to ace.
————————————————
one of the screws on top of the dr strange-spinning wheel disk just spins forever ;
might have to use my powerful magnet to get it out? ; loosening doesn’t seem to make difference ;
Tightening or loosening it just makes it spin forever… very odd
Super loose but won’t actually come out
I imagine those screws are tiny and super shallow and just hold the top part of the wheel.

Quoted from awesome1:

Thank you and nice job on the AIQ code PoMC ! Very well done!
First, before making the change, I wrote down notes of any default settings I had changed previously like reducing trough eject power, sound settings for aftermarket speakers, never reset high scores, etc... I kept the notes with the factory SD card and put in the coin box in a Ziploc bag.
I used Win32DiskImager to write to the SD card and startup was like turning on a NIB game for the first time including Wi-Fi setup. After setup I did have to turn the game off and back on for Insider Connected to recognize my QR code or Home Team, but then it worked fine which I think may be normal first time experience.
I haven't been playing AIQ as much lately and have over 3800 games played on my Premium and have "finished the game" many times. The things this custom code addresses were the weaknesses of AIQ and it was true to the comic theme, so I was looking forward to trying it out to "freshen up" the gameplay experience.
I only put one game on it, but it was one of my better games at 5.6 Billion! I beat Thanos Attacks with 1B Super Victory Laps and got to Battle Thanos with all 6 gems. The only things I missed out on were that I had both Computer Frenzy Multiball and Trophy Mania ready when I drained my final ball. Getting that deep into the game and no problems with the code at all and I probably didn't notice every change, but it was all very well done and the music was much more upbeat, which I enjoyed and welcomed.
I am looking forward to playing more AIQ again to keep noticing the changes and how they improve gameplay.
After playing, I can confirm that Insider Connected was working as expected. IC still showed all of my previous game stats for AIQ, but under my actual machine, the scores had been reset, which I expected since they are saved on the removed SD card. (pic included).[quoted image]

Quoted from Yodamtu44:

Twice this week, after completing the Battle Royale, normal flipper pause, drain, then animation: the game went into “ball find” and ended the turn. Super annoying. Not sure if bug or unfortunate situation. Completed BR on Hulk too…(early Wasp and good use of space/mind gem to get multiple level 2 booms)

Quoted from vikingerik:

Bug. Ending Battle Royale should never end your ball. I've seen this several times too and haven't figured out what causes it. I think it's a timing bug based on exactly when the ball hits the trough. If I'm paying attention to react quick enough, what I do is open the coin door quickly (I keep the keys in the lock) and manually push the trough eject to put a ball in the shooter lane.

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Long post SUMMARY: Black widow rejects..
I was watching Karl play avengers and I was astonished how easy he is hitting the black widow ramp from either flipper;
Unless I have the ball cradled I have zero chance in making it ; If the ball is rolling down the inlane and I go for black widow it goes half way up the ramp and rejects;
Even when I cradle it and shoot the ball barely has enough power to get up there;
I’ve cleaned game thoroughly
Replaced coil stops
Checked flippers and angles
I’ve done almost everything as I had this issue before ;
Keep in mind I’m new ;
I think the issue is my game pitch is too high, because by the captain Marvel ramp, and in the middle, it said 7.0 but at the flippers 6.3;(I’ve since lowered the back two pegs)
I’m thinking of it’s readjusting and lowering the back two levels so around the middle and top of the playfield I’ll get 6.5 but at the bottom it will read 6.0ish;
Does this make sense or can anyone chime in; the black widow shot is giving me hell when it should be a gimme every time….
Any ideas welcome I feel like after watching others play the game something is definitely wrong with my game or setup!
Many thanks for the suggestion friends
The Bubble in the game is little help it’s always in the middle …
Attached are pics of different readings
6.2 at flipper 6.8 middle 6.5 near black widow ramp
Why is it so variable ? Maybe the level I have is super sensitive or something; I thought the pitch should be constant on a slope ?
Kinda out of ideas it’s a super bummer because that shot set up all my combos and can barley hit it 15% of the time same percentage in marvel ramp; I’m getting to the point where I’m going to Have to call a tech for $150 an hour but what would he do that I haven’t..
Any ideas or thoughts welcome
Many thanks I’m hoping I can get this fixed
With your help !
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
[quoted image]

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Wow, thank you so much for the response in video. Your game is totally playing different than mine. I can’t believe how fast it shoots up your Ramps.. I’m genuinely upset .
Let me ask your expertise on some thing I upgraded to the stronger coil(700 one) from my auto launcher and have the setting on Max and still 70% of the balls are only making it to the left flipper still getting rejects there so maybe it is related to my flipper power I don’t know…
Flipper power is maxed all the way around auto Eject power is max all the way around. I check for stupid things. Everything else seems to be in order.
Play field has just been cleaned and wipe down and is spotless and fast…
Thank you for input

Quoted from BrokenChair:

Thank you !
Yeah, I actually have been following your post religiously and set the power originally to 230 but we’re still getting rejects that’s why I upped it to the max;
I will give that wax a try, but I am a bit leery of waxing on a machine; I currently use the Marco specialties, complete appliance cleaner and polish and it does a great job and makes the playfield , silky smooth and cleans ;
My distributor and Tech both said do not use wax ; I honestly don’t know enough about it but I don’t think that will completely solve this issue I’m having, although it may help.
Plan Z once I’m done with all the options and opinions of the great people here is to switch out node board 8 with Godzilla, and see if it still shoots the same…

Quoted from vikingerik:

Hot damn. Was that with Reality Gem on Captain Marvel at 10x? I've gotten some wild laps that way, upwards of 360m for one shot, though never a ton of times in one play.