Keep in mind that clearing inserts has no bearing on the hardtop sticking. The hardtop has no adhesive -- just clear windows -- over inserts. Clearing playfields and whether or not it's necessary is debatable. I didn't clear my high speed.

Coming along nicely. Just need to see if I can get the inserts looking a little better before clearing them. These have been sanded with 400 grit. About to go finer (800, 1200) just to see.

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Once you spray a few light coats of clear on them after sanding, it will make a world of difference. It's probably my favorite part of the process.

If you plan on clear coating the inserts dont sand past 600 grit!
Stop at 600 and clear or sand polished and dont clear them, if you go any smoother than 600 you'll risk ghosting.
The clear coat will make the 400 - 600 grit inserts glossy.

Also the crazing (crackles) in the translucent inserts will still be visible after clearing. I saw this on a EBD that I did. Best to replace those inserts before hand if you want really perfect results.

I really like that blue PinDoc playfield Rotisserie.

Just my two cents, but I would sand the inserts to 1000grit then use a dremel and a foam polisher with Novus to bring the inserts to a crystal clear shine. This is what I do and there is not even a spec of frost or scratches in the inserts. BTW, I don't clear the inserts on my HT jobs. I cut stick-on disks on my Crikut to cover the inserts then clear everything but. I just don't trust clear on the inserts.

Thanks for making such a great tool for the hobby! It's been very useful for sure.

Jungle lord getting its hardtop . My third . I love these . No more wax and play is like it is on glass . Thanks for making a product to save unsaveable pins .

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Supersonic?

I’m on board for this one!

It has been suggested many times. We could only hope because 10K were made and just about all of them are blown out. I get it though, not the most popular title.

Space Station!

Sweet. Would be an easy one if it weren't for the 11 star roll overs.

That's true. I only bought it bc it was cheap.

I am doing my first hardtop on a Taxi. I have a question for someone that has more experience with the hardtops.

I have the playfield sanded and about ready. So I laid the hardtop down to test fit the alignment. I noticed that the black print on inserts seems more transparent than I anticipated. Is this normal on all hardtops, or does mine have in issue with the print? I’ve noticed where the black looks good there is white behind the black. Anything that is just black seems grainy and too transparent to me. But I have nothing to compare it to so I don’t know if this is normal for a hardtop.

I emailed the company Friday but haven’t heard back. I know it’s a holiday weekend so I thought I would just get someone’s experienced opinion. If it’s not normal I’m sure they will exchange it for me.

Thanks.

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Are you asking about alignment issues where you are getting crescent moons around inserts? I'm not understanding your plight. I have only done one HT. Anywhere there was bare wood showing I painted black on the pf to help hide it. Not all PFs are the same, always some variations.

The ink looks a little more transparent than I’ve seen. Might wanna ask Bruce at Outside Edge about it. The text is usually solid.

At first I wondered if you had LEDs that are too bright but that last pic of the Adv Meter 5K / Bonus WL insert, you can see the black ink is somewhat dithered, faded and translucent even without lighting.

I've only used a Hardtop once myself and don't recall having this issue. I've played other HT'd games (including a Taxi) and can't recall it either, and have to say that millions insert being barely legible would have stood out.

I'd surmise OE may have had a bas pass on the black layer in this batch, and wait to hear back. They usually do right for their customers.

Oh I see it now. I wouldn't fret, OE has great customer service.

Ok. Thanks for the input. I’ll probably ask to exchange mine for a new one from Outside Edge. I just wasn’t sure if it was just me thinking the black letters were too transparent. I don’t know the process they use to print these, but maybe something was off or running low. After doing the prep work on the playfield I definitely don’t want to lay down the hardtop if something isn’t right. Doesn’t seem like fun to try to remove. I assume they’ll be ok with an exchange since I haven’t taken off any of the protective film.

I would not be happy with that transparent wording. Hopefully it was a print issue with yours and not how they all look.

I have done 2 taxis and all looked great - I think you have a defect

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That's a no-go for me as well.

The amount of these with defects is worrisome. Imagine if that got installed, that would have been 8 ball level BS to have to remove and replace.

I'm really starting to question these...

Head over to the CPR or Mirco threads and see how those are going. At least you get customer service with Outside Edge.

Mine is the same, maybe a little bit better. It has not bothered me too much as I assumed that was the best they could do, and overall I was pleased with the outcome overall of the hardtop.

Last pic is with the brightness turned to minimum on my camera, and is more representative of the way it looks in reality. LEDs are the warm classic kind so they are not overly bright.

Keep us informed: I am curious on what Outside Edge will say.

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Thanks for the pictures to compare. I emailed Bruce with Outside Edge and he said this is the way they are. I am going to exchange mine for another just hoping by chance it is a little better. I’m not trying to say this product isn’t good and does what it is supposed to do. But if there is room for improvement I think this is one place. I spent the time to replace inserts, so when I saw the pixelated print on the inserts when I test fitted, I was a little disappointed. But others who aren’t looking closely probably won’t even notice. And in Taxi most of the inserts are somewhat obstructed by ramps and returns.

I am replacing a worn out and badly touched up playfield with raised/lowered inserts. So the Hardtop will do the job and make it look and play much better than the current playfield. I’ll post some pictures once it get it all the way completed. It’s getting new ramps, post, plastics, and I will clean and buff metal parts. So I anticipate it looking really good. If I was doing a full on restoration I would probably have returned the hardtop for a reproduction playfield.

Thanks everyone who gave input.

Kevin

Officially, that's a tam-tam. But that's just my percussionist upbringing.

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Nice. Pair of Gong. Very crafty.

I am very excited for this!

Which machine is it?

Pair of Gongs = Paragon

That'll be a hardtop and a half

Only cleared the inserts on my Gorgar. Turned out beautiful!
People are making this way more difficult than it needs to be in some cases. Just follow the factory directions.

Thank you Outside Edge for being committed to making the best product you can and standing by your product. I sent my Hardtop back to them. They adjusted and improved what they needed to on their end and printed a new one for me. It looks great!

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Great to hear! New one looks much better.

Exactly!!!!!
If it wasn’t for there products. I would still have some worn out playfields .

I have found that the support that Bruce offers at OE is outstanding. He is a standup guy committed to making the product the best it can be. He has never let me down, and I am damn demanding when it comes to my restorations.

I may be making the wrong decision but I decided I'm selling my Whirlwind Hardtop & ordered a Mirco playfield. I have it on local Facebook so hopefully it sells locally.

I know the Hardtop is a great product & the owners are very nice & helpful but this game is a keeper & I'd like it closer to how it was from the factory.

I recently did a Mirco Whirlwind PF swap. The quality of the art was fine, but I hope you dont mind dimples. FTR, you will NEVER see a dimple on a Hardtop.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/mirco-playfields-warning-for-potential-buyers/page/26#post-7579020

Read through this before you take a $1200 gamble. If you do go Mirco, add another 800+ to your budget to get it re-clearcoated.

That looks 1000% better. Good job reaching out and getting that resolved.

Completed my Taxi Hardtop. It looks great. It took longer than I anticipated, but I am happy with the results. All new ramps and cleaned everything. I think it’s a great option for machines that you know are going to be sub $5k.

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That came out very nice - well done!

Looks great! You’re missing you’re the stop light plastic. How long did it take?

I need to find or make a metal bracket for the stop light plastic. It was missing from the machine when I bought it.

I probably put about 30 hours into it. I am sure it could be done in less time by someone with more experience and knowledge. Or if you don’t clean all of the playfield parts. But I just take my time. I replaced most inserts because the old had some cracks and were brittle from years of heat from bulbs. That was more time consuming than I anticipated. Getting them to fit and then sanding level with the playfield.

I’m happy with the overall results. This was my second playfield swap. First was a Skateball with a cpr playfield. I would say that swap and the Hardtop took about the same amount of time overall. Next up is my Addams Family with a cpr playfield that is from when they were still screened. I’m learning as I go.

Looks great!! I’m sure you’ll get a lot of enjoyment out of it and all the hard work will payoff. I finished my Taxi hardtop a couple years ago too with new ramps, plastics, etc… and it still plays and looks great. Would do it all again. No ragrets… not one letter.

2 years 3 months later, 20-50 plays a week, a few light scuffs you need a flashlight to see, still zero regrets

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My Flash Hardtop

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I said this 3 years ago, no need to clear the inserts just polish them with a 2 (medium and fine) step rubbing compound. I would’ve completed the hardtop in a few hours after work if it wasn’t for being a parent.

Some of the things people bitch about is insane. “black isn’t black enough on my inserts”. People wonder why there’s limited affordable reproduction vendors in this hobby? Shit happens and mistakes are made in every faucet of life. Pick your battles people, like a good healthy marriage. An affordable replacement for a playfield that can be knocked out in a few hours? But hey let’s bitch about minuscule, knit picking items to just get the validation to complain because you stared at a hard top for 6 hours trying to find something wrong.