....idem!!!!!!

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Holy moly

Yikes

It's mylar

Give it a good nudge!

Did u add that or that factory?

First one to notice! I checked the images online after I posted that pic and discovered I had them bassackwards ... wondered if anyone would notice

Dude! That's ridiculous! I'm sorry to see that. Anyone who doesn't think this ghosting issue is an issue is kidding themselves! Stern is digging themselves deep on this one.

The ball likes to stay up there between the pops and the Gozer target on my pro but for about 10 seconds max, nothing like that. Carry on like that and you will be melting coils.

I wonder if they are prepping the plastic with any kind of conditioner, or even scuffing it before the clear is applied? I work in automotive refinishing, and we use a plastic conditioning spray along with sanding the surface before applying paint and or clear to avoid this sort of thing. I hope they figure this out soon, and make things right for customers with games already shipped to them.

I saw this in another guy's video... and to think some complained about TWD "keeping the ball in pops too long"

Sorry about your inserts... it's ALWAYS been a gamble buying a Stern - but usually a pretty safe one. Only slightly worse than buyng a WMS NIB in my experience.

But right now it's become an unacceptable gamble.

Rumor has it that a bunch are suppose to be built this week's at this point I hope that's not true

Me too ... bummer. Just checked and saw same. My PF was born on July 7th. Game on July 14th
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Added over 8 years ago: Updated info on 6 more ghosted inserts in just 14 days since original post ...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbuster-issue-thread/page/22#post-3298458

How long have you had it?

That means they had roughly 10 days or less of production, with no issues! Yikes!

Just gave mine another look over since it's also a July 7th playfield build and looks like I also have a little ghosting on the Tobin's Spirit Guide insert.

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Got it July 21st. Set it up immediately.

Guys, I'm struggling getting my slimers butt off the PF parts. Art was kind enough to help direct me to the set screw on top of the mech. I got that loosened (3/32 allen). Then the entire arm can be raised. I was able to get 4mm of elevation vs old mounting position. It definitely helped but did not cure. His butt still drags, just not as much. First pic is standard, next pic is my adjustment

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It sucks that we as collectors care about something so insignificant as insert ghosting. Just a minor cosmetic flaw and barely noticeable but I understand why people wouldn't be happy. If you ever sell the game the buyer will try to make you knock money off the game to account for it. It really doesnt make the game any less fun to play or anything! It certainly wouldn't preclude me from buying a NIB game if I had the funds for one.

It's the principal. Stern games from 10 years ago had better quality playfields and no ghosting. Now collectors who shell out 8K are experiencing ghosting. Stern is to blame. No if ands or butts.

I actually mentioned Slimer dragging his ass over PF plastics on Stern's facebook page when they showed the first LE video. They stated he was made of soft material so this wouldn't be an issue and was normal behavior. So there ya go... it's considered "normal".

Looks odd to me but that's apparently the way it was designed.

It's more than just cosmetics. With the cc being loose on the insert there is the possibility that it will chip off entirely. Then things get ugly quick.

Stern had better get their act together and address this ghosting issue. Their silence is really sending a negative message to everyone. Now I'm also thinking about cancelling my GB Premium pre-order.

I'm just gonna say it. Stern has no business charging 8K for a pin with their shitty quality. I hate seeing owners spend so much only to be disappointed.

Are these new playfield done by Stern in house or are they still using CGC for playfields? And as for playfield quality I think it's always been pretty spotty. I remember plenty of LOTR playfields that were blurry and many other games with clear so thin you could feel inserts or see small vertical ripples. At least the new games seem to have nice thick glass-like clear on them. But yeah I understand based in principle. When Stern games were $4k it would be easier to overlook vs. now when they are double that!

So am I:

Hi Kaneda!

I just cancelled my GB Premium order.I am done buying new sterns for now.I will re-evaluate next year.Stern needs to get the best people in the business to make and coat the playfields!

This is not a simple fix after the game ships.It is a huge mistake to cut corners and go cheap on playfields.

Playfields should be top priority!.

Hopefully Stern does right and corrects all the playfields with ghosted inserts.

Does anyone have a pic of something like this occuring? I've been plenty of CVs where nearly every insert is ghosted but I haven't ever seen one where these inserts chipped away.

It's not just cosmetic. Scuffs are cosmetic... Poor paint on a toy is cosmetic. Inserts possibly moving and clear adhesion are physical issues with the play field that can and do often progress to more significant issues with the pf that can lead to repairs that are not only expensive, but out of the direct abilities of most owners. Instead owners are left with bandaid fixes when things progress.

I cancelled my order on Friday - not worth the risk. I ordered a Full Throttle LE instead. Reserved an Alien conversion kit too.

Here's an automotive example of what can happen with poor clear adheation... This is pretty extreme, but when the ball strikes the ghosting insert enough time you could end up with the clear covering the insert flaking off. I would guess it would only chip off the the edge of the insert as it seems like the issue is getting the clear to adhere to the plastic, not the wood playfield.
Still undecided on where I stand with my pre-order, I may need to call my distributor for reassurance.
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Maybe this is sterns way of getting home buyers out of the market. You know, help monopolize the operator biz

Is it possible that shaker motors are contributing to the insert ghosting problem? Ghosting seems to be most prevalent on GBLE and SMVE, machines that both have shaker motors already installed. That may explain why the machines look perfect out of the box and in the factory, but after a few days of play the ghosting starts. Is there a ghosting problem on GB Pro's that don't have the shaker? Of course this is no excuse for Stern, as shaker motors have been around for a long time without this problem. I was just wondering if there was a correlation.

The ghosting is a thematic element and is entirely on purpose.

I "may" have lucked out with my Pro which does not have a shaker. I got one from the first run, pf stamps say April 15, 116 of 510 and the cab tag has a build date of April 27. No insert ghosting AT ALL and you can barely feel the inserts when you run your fingers over them. The old saying of never buy a first run game, let the bugs get worked out is not the case this time. Looks like mine will go for a premium price when I go to sell it. Knock on my head.......I mean wood. Who else has a game from the first run?

This is a good theory. If I were receiving a GBLE or any new stern in the next few weeks I'd disable the shaker motor for the first couple weeks or not play the pin and let this new piss poor method of clear coating more time to cure.

This is what I am thinking at the moment at least disable shaker but may just not playet for a month and let it cure but that is going to be hard.......

Is it the clearcoat or is it the inserts sinking/raising causeing the clearcoat to become detached from the insert? Since its only happening at the inserts id think the inserts are moving bc the glue is bad or the wood is not cured properly before finishing causeing shrinking /expanding under different environments?

Shrinking and expanding would only leave a hairline crack in the clear that follows the edge of the insert. the fact that the clear is not adhering to the insert leads me to believe that the plastic is not being prepared properly to accept the clear. (Like sanded and sprayed with a plastic adhesion promoter...) Good prep work shouldn't lift... perhaps there is a slow reaction between the plastic and the clear causing the delamination. A shaker motor could easily accelerate any underlying problems, but I would guess they need to evaluate the way the plastic inserts are prepared for Paint/Clearcoat...
Just my opinion.

I tend to agree with this. And if this is the issue, I don't think any amount of additional curing will help, will it?

Curing would probably be worse, the drier the clear gets the more likely to separate. Just like in the automotive industry (which i've been in for many years now) it all comes down to preparation...

My Sopranos has ghosting. But I never noticed until reading this thread, now it's really noticeable since I am looking. But i am in no way a collector so I am buying a PE no matter what. But if this was my hobby I would be livid and I hope they fix or replace the ones that went out. SMH

insert ghosting this early in the game could be the inserts have a waxy coating on them from the molding process that wasn't entirely cleaned off before being inserted into the playfield. But all of this should have been removed during the plaining action of the playfield. Basically, all inserts are placed into the playfield, than a large plainer, sands the playfield and inserts together to make a nice smooth surface. At this point any substance on the inserts should be grinded off. Also, this process should also be putting sanding hash marks into the plastic also giving the clear something to grip on. Personally I don't know why they are experiencing problems this early. Just the process that a playfield goes through to even be ready for printing and then clearcoating, should have eliminated any adhesion problems.

btw, people also spend 8K on HEP restorations, and have had ghosting happen weeks after getting them. Sometimes it's just unavoidable, no matter who does it. Ghosting is always something we have to live with, anytime you have a playfield that is clearcoated for any reason or any step in it's life. Remember. Pinball is not a hobby for the super anal retentive.

I'm def going to disable the shaker out of the box.

This is going to end up being an expensive problem for Stern one way or the other.

Pony up now or pay the price later.

I agree that the process should eliminate wax etc, and scuff the plastic. But if they are not using a plastic prep, the clear may not stick to the scuffed plastic at all. I guess the people that need to figure this out is Stern, and I hope for everyone they do find a solution. Without knowing their whole process it's just speculation.
I'm sure they are taking this issue serious and hopefully do whatever they can to limit or eliminate it.

Have we found out where these playfields were made? Do they have the CCC sticker on them?
I asked my distributor to ask Stern.. watched him email them last week.... No reply yet..

None on mine.