Beta tester here anytime you want!

I've found what I think is a bug in the software. Turn volume to 0. Turn off machine. Turn on machine, volume still set to zero but actual volume is max. Easily avoidable, but I've got someone in the house that likes volume at zero, so happens more than I'd like here lol

Has anyone installed a cliffy's protector set yet? If so any tips/tricks before I dive in on mine?

I didn't know Cliffy had a set for Hot Wheels.

OK, I love Cliffy's and have them on my Hobbit, DeadPool and also had them on my Star Trek pro. But on Star Trek the 2pc Shooter Lane ejects above, caused me severe auto launcher problems. Drove me nuts until I removed them and solved the problem. So keep this in mind. I never had a problem with these on my other two machines though.

I reproduced that problem... we'll get it fixed for a future code update. Nice find! Thanks for the report.

The last I saw these were on his "to build" list and I think he was gauging interest. I was not able to order a set at that time, this was maybe a month ago.

BTW, until the fix is released, the workaround (if it's acceptable to your household) would be to reduce the volume to 1 instead of 0; that should work as expected.

The only thing I would like to see different is some roar during the battles. Slightly too boring.

Done. That's a big plastic around the VUK loop! Have to remove quite a bit to get at the playfield for the protectors there.

Nothing difficult though.

Just the rail guard left to install.

Probably just over an hour total time.

edit: to note, ended up having to adjust the ball trough switch slightly. mine must have barely been registering but with the lane protectors I guess the ball is raised an another 16th of an inch. Give away was could not do the RPM skill shot. Hitting flippers didn't increase rpm as it figured the ball was already in play vs sitting on the switch.

The switch wire is angled under the playfield and hits the underside of the playfield preventing the switch wire and switch rising up ......so you need to change that bend/angle to allow for more travel up towards the top of the playfield before also bending the switch wire up to make up for the ball being raised slightly........if that makes any sense.

I installed the easy ones. Didn't want to tear apart the upper playfield to install some of them. Will probably be a winter project for them.

I have a question. What are the steps in making a playfield? I'm guessing there's a bit more to it than drilling some holes in a piece of plywood and slapping a bit of paint on it.

This is a bit outdated as there is digital printing on modern pins but this gives you a general idea:

Cheers!

That's a very interesting video of the process. Thanks smitherssp

Now for something completely different. One of our pinballs sounded like Fred Flintstones car rolling down the playfield. A bit of adhesive and target was attached to one ball. As I was cleaning them up I noticed that on another ball, there was a circular surface on it that was highly cratered like the moon. We can tell by its sound which one it is. It seems as if the case hardening had not penetrated the ball entirely. That's one ball I wouldn't want in a bearing!
I've ordered a new set of balls from MrPinball but I'm wondering how often the balls should be replaced?

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1323-life-s-add-ons/05063-hot-wheels-topper

Hello all. Loving the game but I thought it needed a nicer topper. Here is a lighted topper I made.

As often as needed.

Not trying to be glib about it, but I find it really hard to quantify that. Can't really say "number of games", because some games play longer than others (based on both the game design as well as the skill of the players). Also, the design of some machines tends to have balls striking metal often, whereas other designs have the balls more frequently hitting softer materials like rubber and plastic. And if your machine is in a more humid environment, the metal parts (including the balls) may be more likely to pick up some oxidation than if you're in a dry, cool environment. etc etc etc... lots of variables that make it hard to say "every year" or "every 1,000 plays" or whatever as a reference for replacement.

Instead, I'd suggest taking the balls out and examining them closely every couple months, or every few hundred plays. Feel all around them (my 14-year-old self is filling in the jokes fast and furious right now) for any pits, nicks, or other irregularities, and visually examine for the same. If you see or feel any notable irregularity, rust, etc... pitch it and get a fresh one. Balls are just too cheap to risk a bad one scratching up your nice playfield. Whether or not you replace any of them, after examining them, I like to polish them with a lint-free rag sprayed with a few squirts of Novus #1, and drop them back into the machine directly from that rag, to minimize skin oils and corrosive perspiration from lingering on them.

That interval is also a great time to clean and wax the playfield. Everyone has their own routine, product choices, etc for this -- it's darned near a religious debate amongst pinball collectors -- but it should be done periodically to keep the game looking great and playing great. And while you're doing that, keep your eyes peeled for any rubbers that are starting to break.

Pinball ownership is much like car ownership: you can treat it like a newborn child and wipe away every speck of dust the moment you see it... or you can be sloppy about it and probably get away with it for the most part... but by and large, good maintenance practices give the best long-term experience.

Enjoy!

This might be overkill for some, but here's what I do for my pinballs. Obviously if they have pits or rust, toss them. But if you want them shined up...
Rock tumbler: https://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-rotary-rock-tumbler-67631.html?_br_psugg_q=rock+tumbler
Walnut medium: https://www.harborfreight.com/25-lbs-coarse-grade-walnut-shell-blast-media-92150.html (you can also get a large cheap bag at a pet store; tip from @bryan_kelly)
Spray a little WD-40 in the medium
Let it tumble for a day or 2

For sure AP cares about customers in the same way as they do with silverballs

My mate is keen to get some Magiglass sold by API. Can anyone offer some objective advice on whether it's worth the extra cost and how 'see through' it is? Not sure if we can get some in Australia.

yes contact www.mrpinball.com.au

I ordered my hotwheels pin with magic glass. Hard to ever go back.

Originally, A year or so ago, I had a medieval madness that was great, but my wife had a hard time seeing the castle due to the dmd glare. First I put on Pinstadium lights and that’s was great, but than I ordered invisiglass and wow, she could see everything and the game looked like no glass was there. Since than, I put this on my Stern JP. Again, all I could see was pinball, not reflection. With hotwheels, the clarity of the playfield is second to none. I’m not tall, only 5’8”, but my wife is only 5”4”. She noticed the glare on all dmd/ LCD games we’ve owned. Definitely recommend this product for sure. Just make sure to clean it with no ammonia based products. That could take off the special coating.

Interesting error and resolution for Hot Wheels machine owners:

Well I had my mild scare and relief and was ready to scream at American Pinball. When I turned on my Hot Wheels pinball machine it said it couldnt read the bootup and select bootup menu. Hmmm. When I power cycled the machine it came back with worse errors with files missing. I just reloaded the last software release I had and it is working perfectly again. Weird.

I did not write down the error messages.
The environment is comfortable for the pinball machine in the garage - not too hot and not too cold.
No idea where the temporary (hoping it's temporary) corruption was at. If it happens again I will post here and open a ticket for Dave. Hoping a key component is not failing.

Dave, this isn't the precursor to storage failure is it? If so, what are next steps?

Just wanted to post in case anyone else this issue and could/couldn't resolve it or there is a defect I am unaware about.

Thanks, gang.

Mhm.... i would say there is something wrong with the latest file or the downloaded data.
Wasn't there an issue with apple devices because of the data ending / type ?

So i would try a different usb stick and try to download it from a different computer.

If it rans with the previous software it shouldn't be a hardware issue.

Hope you can solve it. Greetings Daniel

Thanks Daniel,
The code has been working fine since December when I uploaded it. It just last night did not boot up (after working perfectly for five months).
Concern is that the storage device in the pinball machine is dying.

Dave, your thoughts?

That's very strange, @pinball2020. Not a problem that I've heard of before. Glad to hear that just reinstalling the latest package fixed you up... that "probably" suggests that it was nothing too onerous with the computer or drive, since it was able to start up and load enough of the American Pinball code to run the pinball code installer.

In the off chance that it happens again, please snap a photo of the error screen(s) and send it our way so we can analyze.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

Ferret Thanks for the quick response. Will do. The machine isn't even a year old .

Ditto here on the Magic Glass. I've had people come over and comment "Is there glass on it?" when looking at my AC/DC. Even when I bought my Houdini at a local pin expo w/MG already installed...I literally went to touch the PF and realized there was glass on it.

Keep an eye on it as Joe said. If it comes up again, you know where to find me.

My dudes, I'm set to receive a NIB Hot Wheels in early June! Woot! My first home pin.

Anyone have suggestions about must-have mods or tweaks I should get?

I would suggest looking for any HW merchandise you like and incorporate it in to your setup. Hero cars, posters etc. Ebay is a good resource. Magiglass is a big winner. Make sure your machine is leveled properly at installation. Eventually get a new set of rubbers, balls and target decals. Your journey is just beginning! Have fun and lots of it.

Congrats! Get it loaded if you can as it is totally worth it. The shaker and real knocker adds to the machine quite a bit.

As others have stated, definitely get the magic glass/invisiglass. A must now for me once I switched out my first game for this glass. The game comes with extra velcro, or you can just use a small sheet metal screw to secure the cars on the brackets, but its a nice feature to add cars you like personally instead of the standard stock cars. And for only $.99 for most cars, why not change it up? The ModCouple has a few nice looking mods, but I usually like to make my own. https://themodcouplepinball.com/collections/new-amazing-custom-game-mods-to-come

Or you could change out the shooter rod for a custom one! https://superskillshot.com/products/the-mag-wheel-shooter

These are super skill shot variants I put on my hotwheels and a nitro ground shaker I’m restoring. Look and feel great.

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Regardless of glass type I HIGHLY suggest adding AR-1 anti rattle tape. It will allow you to run your subwoofer at 100% vs the 30% from the factory. It will also reduce or eliminate glass rattle from the shaker motor.
https://pinballpro.net/shop/anti-rattle-tape-ar-1/

You had me at the gold BBS RS wheel. I might have bias... lol
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Stance Nation Yo!

I blame Hot Wheels!

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Thanks for the suggestions. I basically want all those mods. Though the plunger really should be a manual gear shift ball!

Can I plug headphones into HW out of the box or is there something I need to buy?

The tire goes to the edge of the rim. That is not Stance Nation, YO!

Best mod is a pingulp - you can drink and drive Hot Wheels pinball.

( only place drink and drive acceptable - ok with the pin )

Woo hoo! Took delivery of my NIB Hot Wheels yesterday, my first home pin! And just in time for the long weekend here in Canada (Thanks Queen Victoria!)

I'm having a bit of trouble finding the left orbit, and the Build Track shot can be tight (lots of rattling balls not quite making it) but that'll come with time. Loving the flow when its going

The insane RGB lightshow on this thing is glorious to behold. The rain of snakes, red line mania, T-Rex battle, it's hilarious.

Kids are loving it too. My 9 yr old went to bed last night studying a map of the play field and the scoring rules

Congrats!

It is wonderful to hear that your whole famaily is enjoying Hot Wheels. I like to backhand the Track Builder shot with my left flipper. I seem to be more accurate that way. Enjoy!

Surprisingly my kids are not attracted to Hot Wheels. My 7 year old still likes WOZ, it is his favorite. Odd though, I though they would be all over Hot Wheel. Just goes to show with kids, sometimes its the $7 toy they love and the $50 one they toss aside, you just never know what they will take to. I am pretty good with the Track builder shot but once in a while if I really need that left orbit and I just cant hit it I back flip it. Same for the forward kickback. I love to hit that shot straight on but I will back flip that one also if necessary.

Hey if anyone is struggling to get the custom message splash screen working, I found it wasn't loading the PNG I outputted from Photoshop until I set the image to RGB 8-bit, 72 DPI at 1366x768. After that the instructions in the manual worked no problem.

Now I am able to welcome everyone to Papa Piquante's Hot Wheels

papapiquante (resized).jpg

I have a JJ Hobbit LE with Invisglass, and it is great! But for HotWheels and my Deadpool, I just turn down the back glass brightness to minimum and do not use lighted toppers. This brings the reflections to nearly zero. And it's good enough for me and everyone who plays it. This is the complete opposite of what I see in the wild where brightness is always cranked up and there are light sources in the room reflecting off the playfield glass. Also keep your glass clean. Sorry, but this anti reflective glass is just too expensive to put on all your machines, unless you have hundred dollar bills falling out your ass! It has been mentioned before that American should allow for an attract mode back box light setting, as well as a game play light setting, like Stern Spike system offers. This is a really nice feature that allows the best of both worlds.

Hi my plastic above "boost" broke today.
I was looking for another in american pinball's store but didn't find.
Is someone knows where i could find one ?
Thanks

Contact them off the website.

LTG : )

OK thanks i will do