Pics of the aforementioned. These are not decals but 1.6mm laminate with the main apron decal multi layered.

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Unboxed, setting up.
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Well, I think I've narrowed my problem down to a bad optical switch on the Air Drop scoop. Basically what's happening is I can get in a few games, maybe 15 minutes, before the Air Lock scoop stops ejecting balls.

Doing some troubleshooting, it seems that the optical switch for the air drop scoop is failing. I'm not sure if it's a component overheating or some sort of other issue, but it seems I can test the switch using the Service --> Test --> Ball Devices --> Air Lock successively maybe 5 to 10 times and then the optical switch stops registering balls (showing a lower-case "o" on the test screen). If I wait maybe 10 to 15 minutes, I'll be able to test and repeat the same process; I'll get a few tests in before the switch stops registering again. My uneducated guess is the emitter portion of the optical switch is failing.

Can anyone please advise? Any further troubleshooting steps I might take? Is it time to option a support case with Pinball Brothers?

Work on it...

I’d open a ticket. I assume PB support had seen a lot more repeat issues than everyone here. You have some good initial troubleshooting info to provide them, hopefully they get it squared away quickly for you.

Alien fellas, I have a somewhat difficult question… (maybe not),

But among my dream games/themes have been Alien and Jaws, but I’m considering getting an Alien LV instead of Jaws.
I’ve been watching streams for some time but sometimes the comments aren’t completely honest(those are made just for sales sometimes) and I know both Alien and Jaws Pinballs are totally different, but as a title or films in my personal taste I enjoy more Alien & Aliens than Jaws, but that’s just me, my 20yy son likes more Jaws…. But anyway, I’m kind of concerned about some issues that I have read a few months back with Alien, and if I buy this game it will be from the US so I have no idea how the support from PB can be knowing that I’m in Canada. I never lean towards a single brand (I have been lucky 100% with Stern, JJP, CGC) but someone here could simply tell me if this is one of those games that you Do you feel support from PB?...

Also, it turns out that I only have space at home for "1" game since at the moment I don't want to change or leave any of the 5 that I own.
I understand that in the end the decision is personal and opinions are always different, and obviously I understand that the Jaws code is very new, but in your opinion as Alien owners, is the Alien code pleasant or monotonous? As owners you feel satisfaction with the ramps, shots, sound, lights and if you own both which one you feel that you enjoy most?

Thanks in advance and I hope that someday I can answer a question like mine to someone who needs it

Thanks Alien fellas

I absolutely adore my Alien. It’s my favorite game in my little collection. The theme immersion, the sound, the lighting. It’s all there and ties the theme together, it’s one of those world under glass games. Jaws may have better flow, but it doesn’t get my blood pumping like Alien does.

What he said ^^^

I have both games. Alien is terrific and everything about it is satisfying. It is, perhaps, a little more shallow in the code than Jaws will be, but having a straightforward path to the wizard mode isn't necessarily a bad thing. The support from PB is second to none. I think both games are great, but if you're an Alien fan, then get the machine and don't let any possible issues that may arise stop you from deciding on it. The only downside is that the value of Alien MAY tank a bit more than Jaws on the secondary market, but that's just because some stubborn people on Pinside listen to naysayers and don't give new companies a chance. PB and their games are wonderful.

PS - The shots in Alien are quite a bit more difficult than Jaws, FYI...

Alien LV is my favorite game in my collection. I love Jaws, but have yet to play one. I will say If Alien(s) is your jam it has full movie assets of both movies. I wouldn’t change a damn thing on this game. I have not had one issue with my LV, but my last two sterns nib EHOH and Stranger Things Prem had a bunch of issues out of the box so don’t hold that against PB. I feel like it’s a crap shoot with games, but you should always have it in your head that you’ll have to make adjustments to your game out of box. I have a simple solution for you sell one of your JJP like GnR and Woz and buy both. Problem solved because alien is hands down better than both those games and I bet Jaws will prob fall under that category as well.

Cheers

I was torn so I decided not to torture myself anymore and grab both.

In all honesty alien has been a bit of maintenance for me out of the box I had a July 2023 build if that matters but I finally have it working and dialed in perfectly thanks to the support from PB. I had rusty ramp flaps on all 3 reverse scoop included. Rusty service rails which don’t affect anything really. Issues with the Xeno head, ended up getting a new one.

PB support is amazing and responsive, and when you need something, they ship it extremely quickly assuming it’s in stock.

Two totally different games nothing similar about them other than the alien eats the ball…ha! I’m a theme whore but loving them
both equally right now in terms of gameplay.
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I have an Alien and got to play 4 or 5 hours of Jaws Pro recently, and I do have to say I was fully prepared to hate that game because of what looked like a sparse layout at first. But boy did they pack quite a bit in. The games play DRAMATICALLY different. Alien's shots are tight and tough, and there are a LOT of rejections. Jaws is the complete opposite, and (I think) the rules are deeper. I was surprised how fun it was to shoot. I don't feel that way about Alien, unfortunately. But obviously there are a lot of people who are head over heels with the game, so decide for yourself.

Make sure you are good with widebodies before you commit to an Alien, but then I'd say go with whichever theme speaks to you more.

They are such different games.

In Jaws I feel like there's always many things going on, meaning, you have a higher chance of hitting a shot that does something for you. I think that's because it's constantly throwing different modes at you. Alien feels much more focused, you start a mode by hitting 3 shots, and then you have to hit the shots for that mode to be successful. Yes, there's other aspects, like adding an MB or using weapons, but it feels more linear to me. The rules kind of play more like a WMS game, while Jaws plays like other modern Sterns.

When it comes to the theme integration, and the use of movie assets, I think Alien wins out no question. Jaws just feels like chaos to me with the constant switching between video clips that are completely unrelated (this goes back to my comments about the rules). I think Alien is the best total package, but gameplay is going to be completely subjective to your preferences. If you can play both, definitely do that first.

I had Alien on order before Jaws was revealed, because I knew I'd appreciate the theme better. I'm happy I have it over Jaws, personally. I'm also not a huge fan of modern Sterns (own 0, but do play them on location to chase local IC scores).

Also, compare the differences in the LV and RV models. You might find you like the RV more and can save some $$$. I've detailed those here for someone else in a previous post.

Where did you get that Pingulp on your Jaws? I'm looking for a good one for Alien. The Modfather one seems lazy to me. That one on Jaws looks very detailed and well done.

I have a great idea for one that I might try to make, but need to fix or replace my 3D printer first.

Agreed...that drink holder looks terrific!

Id

Id guess Modfather..

https://modfatherpinball.com/collections/jaws

If you are too gutless to say, then i guess i don't need a response.

I must say that I’m extremely grateful with all of you Alien fellas for your honest answers…

Thanks LeMansFan , beelzeboob , Meadows22 , Bmanpin , Rdoyle1978 and cookpins , I appreciate it a lot!

Actually the one on Jaws is from ModFather. I have the Alien one from Modfather and agree not a lot of work went into that one. Some of them are just stickers though as well with a bit of painting.

You are correct. Looks like he's going wild with the Jaws pin cups.

hahha, I said the same thing when I saw all of them.

I have some cups from Modfather on my other games. Very nice.

Well damn, ya Jaws is getting some love. Lots of options and they all look good.

At first I really didn’t like alien. The game I played shot super clunky the spinners impeded the ball movement and it was just super punishing to play. So it really did turn me off the game. Then one came up not too far away at a really good price so I was like man it’s a good price but damn I really did NOT like the game at all. I flipped and flopped on getting it but at the end of the day I saw a good priced game that if I really hated I could sell without a loss so I took the crap shot and bought it.

And I’m really glad I did buy it. The game is my kind of game. It’s not super punishing but it can be. The modes are fun and the mini wizard modes are awesome too. Total war is fun too but the mini wizards are awesome. Take the plunge grab yourself an alien, sell GnR and get jaws…

Nm

I didn't make the comment. I read the thread, though, and just replied to your question since it seemed you are a bit slow on the uptake.

Has anyone installed the mini-beacon and flasher kit? I’m considering this and wondering if my imagination is greater than what they actually are. Thanks.

Still waiting on it. Was hoping they’d come this week.

I don't think anyone has actually received these yet. I ordered everything day one and still waiting on these, topper and extra translite.

You know what would be awesome? If they sent me the topper that I paid in full for last month. I don't mind putting deposits down for stuff and waiting a while, but when you request final payment, I just think that the product should be ready to go. Maybe I'm wrong...

Appears to be an issue not just with pinball. I put a deposit down for a guitar in JULY last year and just received it on Thursday. New manufacturer, I think they had some supply issues

Deposits are fine and I'm a patient guy. Waited a year for Queen. But when I submitted the final payment, I had the game within 1 or 2 weeks. There's been no word about the toppers. I know...first world problems.

Word from PB is they were on a boat 2-3 weeks ago.

It’s becoming more common to pay up front while delivery time and support declines. Another example is home contractors now expect 75% upfront then often delay work/service - overbooking seats on a plane is another. Hard to do, but I try and avoid it which ends up saving me money in the long run. My best guess for the trend is because they can. Pinball is a case we’re FOMO leads us to pay in full knowing we’re likely going to be disappointed. Maybe that will change if the market slows and/or enough of us purchase from distributors with reasonable deposits and reliable delivery times. Something does have to change in that unexpectedly waiting a year for something paid in full is ridiculous. At a minimum, a vendor should have to compensate the buyer for the accrued interest on the deposit over a certain period of time. Fair to me would be ~5% which is the average rate on a 12-month CD. Poor supply chain management is not the buyer’s fault. For vendors, get gud or pay up.

Try buying a Jackson Custom Shop guitar. Pay in full upfront, wait 3 years.

Pinsiders whine way too fucking much.

I'm also annoyed by giving them $1437 to have no word on ETA through email etc. PBUSA should have at least given us topper buyers an ETA when we payed the final invoice. It's the silence that bugs.

A good example of the buyer assuming all the risk. Try this next time, request an ETA and ask about a penalty/compensation if the ETA is late over a certain period before making the deposit. If seller refuses, move on. Otherwise, you are assuming all the risk and the seller is earning on your money while you’re waiting.

They did, it was estimated two weeks. That was a month ago tomorrow since my full topper payment was made.

Ah, that is frustrating. Tag em with a “what happens when it’s late?” next time. More specifically, “later than 30 days?” I have been successful in getting sellers to provide a discount if terms of sale are violated. A documented ETA is a term of sale within a reasonable range; a month is pushing “reasonable”. Best to get the ETA range documented. Good luck, hope you get the topper soon.

You lost me at “Custom Shop”.

...but I don't. That's the point. And I'm on my second year of waiting for a custom Martin because they screwed up my first one. And they have enough money for me to buy a small car. But they deliver when they say they will after final payment is made. Don't say two weeks then not deliver without any public updates on the delay. That's where I get frustrated.

I really don't care how long it takes; just be up front about it.

Aah! Fair point

You lost me at “Jackson”. Jackson ceased to exist in 2002 when they were bought by Fender.

The guitar I was referring to is this one, and WOW am I happy with it.

Gonna go play me some Alien now ..

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production starts of the Ripley Version of the Alien Deflector kit:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/alien-deflector-kit-the-ripley-version#post-8070329

FOMO died a year or so ago. Things are starting to revert back and a lot of the nonsense some manufacturers have been able to get away with during the pandemic are starting to revert to a more normal market.

my ju ju bee wont eat the ballie. ideas?

Ever? Sometimes? Wrong machine?

Mine doesn’t at times but when it happens it seems like it’s physically impossible because the ball is going so fast. I turned my magnet up a bit though. 10-15% I believe.

Ok, R&L shipping says my Ripley Alien pin should arrive today between 1-3pm! Fingers crossed no issues or damages!

My wife surprised me and said even she was excited to get the game today. Yay!

Hello everyone,

here's a little video of my Alien LE after installing all the latest mods (including the painted Xeno head....). I'm still waiting for the animated lunch button, but it's slowly becoming a really brilliant device....

https://vimeo.com/921694730?share=copy

greetz from germany,
Marco

Alien is one of my favorite games in my large collection. My go to game! The best sound package and video play ever! Also PB provides the best service in the business! For the money the game is a better buy than Jaws LE. Better quality all around! You can go wrong with Alien LV. Nordstrom’s Vs KMart!

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All of the issues I had with the targets were fixed by adding 3D printed spacers. Those problems were mostly related to lateral movement of the target. For example, the targets under the xeno would move a bit and get in the way of the jaw and the weapon target 5 would move and get in the way of the orbit.
I had a suspicion that off-center hits would not always register.
I pulled a 3D printed spacer for the weapons targets off of thingiverse, so thanks to the person who came up with this idea and posted it. I then made my own for the xeno targets.

But never wanting to leave well enough alone, and given the attempts on here to use leaf switches, I thought I would give it a try.
I made two franken-targets.
The first was removing the tact switch from the pcb and basically putting in a leaf switch. The trick with that one is to get the foam on the pcb to the correct thickness so it doesn't push the leaf switch closed when it is at rest. Then the top edge of the plastic target was hitting the top of the metal plate because the foam on the pcb is not thick enough to stop it. So I added some additional padding to the metal post.
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This is in my machine and works well.

The second prototype was to take one of these:
https://www.pinballlife.com/anti-sway-1-x-58-frosted-3ddeep-rectangular-stand-up-target-assembly.html
and make it fit.
This required grinding off some of the rear bent rigidity bend in the metal post so it could fit in the playfield hole. Then I just wired the leaf switch to the pcb and left it hanging off the side. This means there is no LED in this one, but it works great with all the original motion and pads and anti-sway intact.
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While this is subjective, in the first game I played with these in place I seemed to immediately get those two weapons with more glancing blows.

So my next steps on these will be on the first one, to grind down about 1mm off the top of the metal back post so that the plastic of the target doesn't hit it and it does not need that second pad.
And on the second one, I am considering printing my own PCB that will fit in it and bring back the LED. I would add thru-hole pads to solder wires for the leaf switch and add the connector. For the second type, the existing PCB is too wide on one side to fit in the stack.