I'm really excited that PB is finally putting these games out. As an OG owner twice before in the past, I'll say that I always enjoyed this game (and had regrets selling both times) and I'm stoked for all the folks that are going to get a chance to play this game. I would definitely own this game a third time, it's just that good.

I was just checking out the video above (for just a minute, and I look forward to seeing the whole thing soon), but one thing I noticed that is definitely different compared to the OG is the depth of the scoop. In that video you can see the ball in there. This is a definite change, as the OG scoop is/was much deeper. You would never be able to see a ball from the playfield view. I think this is an improvement for the better as it was not unusual at times (in both OG versions that I had owned in the past) to get balls stuck in that deeper scoop (especially when multiple balls would go in during mb).

I look forward to seeing more posts and reviews of this machine. It's so great to have an open and active business/company working with this machine, and it appears as though they are timely in there customer support responses. Awesome.

Nice. How I mean is that the scoop in the OG, no kidding is probably about 5 in deep, if not more. This depth was beyond being able to see the ball from topside view point. With the OG scoop, there were not uncommon issues with the ball having a difficult time being ejected out reliably due to both the width of the scoop as well as its depth (balls didn't have a clear direction out, and it was not uncommon for balls to rattle out from the scoop and as a result not get ejected (just rattle in the scoop). This was especially problematic when there was multiple balls in the scoop as they had a tendency to stack left to right (not perfectly stacked on top of each other) enhancing this problem. This issue was even further compounded with another problem associated with the OG xeno mech trough that fed into that scoop (at about the midway point). This side opening in that scoop would thus allow for additional erratic behavior of the poorly stacked ball(s) being ejected out (catching on the opening edge(s) of that xeno trough opening) causing even further problems with reliable ball injection. Averell ended up creating a fairly elegant solution to that with a custom PETG insert into the end of the xeno trough to allow that deeper scoop to have a more uniform "side wall" on the xeno trough side.

There were problems with the OG scoop right off the bat. I believe that before Heighway stopped being a company, in the later OG builds they had created a plastic insert into the scoop to try and address some of the above issues, although it was not a durable fix, although it was helpful. So, I think it's good that they (PB) made this scoop less deep, and I hope that some of the problems encountered on the OG are addressed in this newer build. It will be very interesting to hear more reports. I'm certainly enjoying everybody's experiences thus far, and again it's really nice to hear what timely customer service people are getting. I think that's really great. I would be interested to see the underside of the playfield a bit more

That's awesome. I tell you, in both of the games I had and definitely in other reports on the OG thread as well, issues with that scoop were really a pain in the butt. It could really bummer a good time. It's awesome to hear that there's really no significant reported issues with the scoop thus far. I think one gentleman had an issue briefly I read recently, but it sounds like it was a easy fix and no issues moving forward. That's awesome.

Nice. Yes, to me this is a MUCH better scoop design compared to the OG.
On the OG scoop design, imagine the xeno trough spilling into the scoop and having that ball fall down further into the depths of the scoop ( ~3 balls worth of depth from that xeno trough opening ). Believe me, it led to some not infrequent ball rattling in that scoop and problems with reliable ball ejection. Especially during multi-ball when more than one ball would make it into the scoop, heaven forbid there's three balls in the scoop on the OG....
Yes, this is a much shallower scoop with a much more straightforward design. I like it. Thank you for posting that link.

So again, I'm thrilled to see this game getting made and I absolutely wouldn't mind owning this game a third time. But I just got a chance to see that new video by BlackFlag, and thanks again for making that video! Really excellent quality video!

That said, I had to stop watching it.
I'm surprised that no one has brought this up already...
(Then again, maybe the gentleman playing the game did bring it up, but unfortunately, I don't speak French so I couldn't understand any of the language, and that's my bad)

Starting around their second game, at ~48:12 and just about every game forward (and at one point just about at every ball moving forward), multiple balls kept getting inappropriately shot into the trough and ejected out into play. Sometimes two balls, sometimes a third ball, one time all the balls just kept getting ejected out almost as if it was a multi-ball, but it wasn't. Personally, I couldn't even watch this any longer. I remember this happening on my first game. So absolutely frustrating. I ended up changing out the balls thinking that they were magnetized and to be honest, that helped. But this is a brand new game for these guys....so, if thats the case (magnetized balls), how could they be magnetized already during the first week or so of ownership? Maybe it's some type of opto problem? But I wouldn't think so because when you watch this happen, sometimes there's a ball already in play hitting switches, it's not like it inappropriately registered an early drained ball (as you don't see the scream again clip when the next ball gets shot out).
Yeah, that's a problem...
If that was happening to me on my first week of ownership of a brand new game, Id be so disappointed. I hope they get that sorted out, and I'm sure they will.

Another issue I noticed was at ~44:35, at a point where the xeno required more hits, activation of the magnet and the magnet tongue coming out and grabbing the ball, etc... the ambush MB started randomly after he hit the scoop for no real reason at all. Yeah, that's not right either.

I hope they get these key problems fixed/addressed sooner than later. Again, per report, it seems as the customer service at PB is very good, So I'm sure these issues are being noted and worked out.

Ah, fair enough, good eye! And that's a good move! That definitely caught my eye, and I missed him hitting that action button, so I'm glad that wasn't an issue. I always hit that weapon button just when about to drain too... sometimes you get lucky!! .

I was mainly concerned to see all the balls getting kicked out into the though on that video, that's definitely an issue for this gentleman. I hope he gets that sorted out, and I'm sure that he will. It does appear as though the PB support is really good, and that's really awesome to see.

Being an OG owner twice in the past, while I had a little bit of cold feet to be honest, I am happy to report that I took the plunge and am now a proud owner of the PB version. I picked up a standard version on trade and after a week or so of dialing it in, I am so happy to have this title back and be back in the Alien club! Such a great game, and I really enjoy some of the newer aspects that PB did to this title.

Of course it's not for everyone, but I really enjoy embellishing my game with mods. I try to have an editing eye and keep it tasteful, but wanted to share some of the progress on that. Most of the mods below are things that I had also done to my prior OG game (except this time I also decided to add Kane, down on his luck there on the left ramp with his helmet eaten off from a facehugger

As far as lighting, I did add a light bar behind the translite as I thought the LEDs from above the monitor really weren't enough to light up the back box well, and also added a couple LED strips in the back (dimmed down to still keep the dark eerie feeling of the game) to help highlight the back parts of the game (all of these lights sourced with external power). I also added an external subwoofer, and man oh man did that make a massive difference!
I put the game in a little nook down in my game room, and that room is surrounded by UV lights, so some of the pictures have a overwhelming blue glow, but in person, that is not the case, but I have found it hard to take good representative pictures on my camera as a result though.

Another thing I am excited about is this amazing apron mod. Hats off and well done to the makers! I mean, WOW! I was fortunate enough to have a new friend be willing to sell me one of his when he's up for shipping (thanks again, Z appreciate you).

PXL_20220903_193249339 (resized).jpgPXL_20220903_203914603~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220906_230411775~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220906_230440377~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220906_230742804~2 (resized).jpg
PXL_20220906_023709063~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220905_154935669 (resized).jpg

Thanks!!!
The Kane character is from a company called Hiya Toys. Really nice detailed stuff. Not a whole lot of character options, but they've got the crew that went down into the derelict ship, as well as some xenomorph characters, maybe more. They are a bit smaller than the NECA characters, as you can see, but it is that smaller size (and really nice detail), which led me believe that they would be a nice addition onto the game.

While there are many purchasing options, this is just a link to demonstrate the character:

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/10997454848566739618?q=hiya+toys+aliens+kane&client=ms-android-verizon-us-rvc3&biw=412&bih=796&tbs=vw:g&sxsrf=ALiCzsbHvRBKkoVzdl93tNFCSoSzrN4LuA:1662567583736&prds=eto:5613281386307997633_0,cdl,prmr,pid:421907455300975260,cs

---

The queen is from NECA. I believe it is the "deluxe Queen xenomorph" figure. I incidentally picked up 2 of these a few years ago back. I had done the same thing with the queen on prior game. I kept on to the other unused queen knowing that I would bring this title back in the future, and I'm glad that I did (as the prices I'm seeing for this model on a quick Google search just now look pretty dang high). But, I bet there are some folks out there that have some that are much more reasonably priced.

The way that I installed it was dismantling her by pulling her main torso off and just using her long neck and head (with head shield). This allowed for both of the big and smaller center arms to stay and still retain a lot of nice movement at the arms/hands/head shield and head. I then drilled 2 holes at the back of the head shield and screwed onto the top of the backboard. The neck is just about flush with the backboard, so its solid as a rock and looks like she's really coming right out at you.

Looking again through a quick Google search, while still a bit expensive (but less than what some of the sellers on eBay are asking), this is at least a link to the Queen that I used:

https://www.activepowersports.com/neca-aliens-figures-alien-queen-ultra-deluxe-boxed-figure-action-figure/?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=cse&gclid=Cj0KCQjwguGYBhDRARIsAHgRm4_7uqvSVP8kkWddYpwJL_1-whPkWETKbXppwsS0kXQ1QudjUkSWqwAaAoKTEALw_wcB

Question for the group.
I know some folks have successfully utilized the USB ports on top of the LCD screen monitor to light the back box area with LED strips... but the question is: are there other USB ports in this game that folks have successfully utilized USB-driven LED strips?
Thanks

Thanks for your response, I'll check that area out!

Thanks Optimiser , you had mentioned this. I was thinking you were speaking of the lower left aspect of the front monitor, which was my misunderstanding. Good to hear of successful connections to that cabinet box.
I recall you mentioned utilizing USB splitter ports to get more from each connection as well, which is a really great idea!
Thanks for your response on this. Your game lighting looks amazing!!!

Thank you everyone for chiming in regarding sources for additional lighting. Definitely appreciate the advice!

Appears that Mezel Mods has started making some mods for Alien, including a power adapter that they have created using a 10-pin connector underneath the back box monitor allowing for both 5 volt and 12 volt connections.
Really great to see this effort in making new additions for this machine from some of the bigger mod-making companies.
I ordered the power adapter and will keep folks posted on how it goes. Has anyone else attempted to utilize this power adapter that the Mezels have created?
Anyway, with all of the talk about powering mods, lights, etc, I thought folks might be interested in this.

Link to the power adapter:
https://mezelmods.com/collections/alien-pinball-mods/products/alien-pb-pinball-power-adapter

Screenshot_20220911-084625~2 (resized).png

Screenshot_20220911-084604~2 (resized).png

Just a little something I'm messing around with, not sure if I'm going to keep it, but wanted to share.
Decided to make a custom plastic and put Ash's torn off head sitting in a puddle of synthetic juice with lab needle behind him.
Snuck him in on the right, just past the launch wireform, separated from the lower plastic by small 1 cm spacer.

PXL_20220911_190630891~2 (resized).jpg
PXL_20220911_193550359~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220911_193628306~2 (resized).jpg

Thanks guys, lol.
Such cool movies, such a great title...I can't help but get excited about this game and add these embellishments.
I was excited to make it but I don't know if it will stay as I don't want to over do it with mods/additions, but given my excitement for the title, I'm not so sure of my chances, Lol.

So I had to open a ticket for something I really have never encountered before.

So I went to realign my lower flippers and as I was tightening them up I noticed that they really wouldn't tighten, the nut just kept turning.... Next thing I knew, the machine screw that's used to cinch the plunger mechanism to the flipper bat shaft had come apart/ disassembled itself...ugh...what the heck!

It appears as though they fixate a thick washer with a pie cut out of it on one end of the cinching screw with a hex nut on the other side. Never seen a set up like that before, and I didn't really care until now. Now I care a lot. Lol.

There is no way to recreate this cinching screw as the washer (with the pie cut) is machined onto the cinching screw shaft and my attempts at using other screws to act in a similar fashion to "make do" in the meantime have failed...

So, I put up a ticket on the PB site as likely am going to need new lower flipper plunger mech and whatever this cinching screw mechanism is that's associated with it. Damn...such a simple thing to put the game out of commission. I'm really disappointed.

In the meantime, I'm wondering if there are other plunger mechs that can work in this machine (stern, B/W, etc). Has anyone else used any other more traditional plunger mechanisms with more traditional looking cinching nuts (used to squeeze that plunger mech to the flipper bat shaft)?

I included a picture of the destroyed cinching mechanism associated with the plunger mechanism, a picture of the machined washer with the pie cut that looks smooth as intended (on one of the upper flippers), and another picture of the other lower flipper where you can see the center of that pie cut washer recessed/not smooth (mind you, this also fell apart moments later, great, right?)

Thanks
PXL_20220913_203447530 (resized).jpgPXL_20220913_205614571 (resized).jpgPXL_20220913_205720519 (resized).jpgPXL_20220913_205707732 (resized).jpg

Since I'm the second owner my guess is maybe the prior owner had tried to over-tighten the flippers one too many times.
But as it is now, I have nothing to tighten the flipper bat shafts onto the plunger mech....total bummer man

Yeah. Put in a ticket.
I've seen a lot of issues with plunger mechanisms, but I can't say I've ever seen this one before.

Wow, the PB support desk really is fast!

Regarding the plunger mechanism fiasco above and putting in a ticket yesterday afternoon, I've already received a response from Andrea.
I was given all of the e-links to purchase the flipper mechanisms that they use.

For future reference, I will include that response below.

Screenshot_20220914-054949~2 (resized).png

I discovered this after receiving response from submitting a PB ticket, but I thank you for that link, and appreciate it all the same! I went ahead a picked up some parts from PBL and just can't wait to get these flippers back in action.

EDIT: thx to the quickest order ever from PBL, both lower flipper pawls received and replaced and I'm back in action!

3 astronauts go into a derelict ship...

Got my other two astronauts today and added them in:
Dallas on the left checking on Kane (with Kane's helmet eaten through by a facehugger), and Lambert on the right exploring around with an open egg nearby...but spoiler...she makes it, this time.
PXL_20220915_190936209~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220915_191018488 (resized).jpgPXL_20220915_191054101~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220915_191032391~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220915_190900267~4 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220915_191005965~2 (resized).jpg

Thanks!!
Those are regular mirror blades. I've had black mirror blades from pinballdecals.com on machines in the past and those definitely are cool, but I went with regular blades on this one just because the game is already so dark.

Thx for making that video, looks freakin amazing!!!
One thing I noticed, and certainly I'm not bothered by change, but when you started Queen's Nest mode I saw you look up to the beacons, but alas, no beacon flashing (I think you even took a double take, lol).

One thing about the OG alien was that there was fairly limited use of the beacons, so its really great to see this apron mod group using it in more ways throughout gameplay!!
Queen's nest was one of the few times it was used historically, (I believe that mode and self-destruct, maybe others? I can't fully recall).

Anyway, this mod looks so awesome, and it's great to see it in action.
Thanks again for making that vid and post!

Looks great and great idea!
I haven't had to do it yet, and out of curiosity, how does one remove the top of the Xenomorph head? Taking a look, is it just one screw on either side of the head, or are there any hidden screws that one would need to remove as well?

---checked it out...yep, just those 2 screws on the side of the head (which attach/seat into recessed areas of the metal bracket sidewalls underneath the head mold).

Awesome ideas. Thanks for posting these pics!

Well, I'll be damned, the back of my trough is sealed up, lol.
I like the idea of having a plastic layer in there as magnetized balls in the trough can definitely cause an issue in this game (as it can in other games as well with magnets).
But, I suppose in this case it looks like I'm going to have to apply it from a top down approach (as opposed to from the back, as usual and above).

PXL_20220920_104620893 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220920_104638018 (resized).jpg

I've definitely used that shim before in other games, but my guess is that it'll probably be too thick for the height of this particular trough. I might be wrong and others may want to chime in, but as that's probably the case, I really like mitchzizzle 's ultra thin shim idea here.

Sorry, double post

I included pictures of the left and right ramp from the angle that you took for your review.
The ramp picture that you posted looks okay, just the nut needs to be cinched down. That screw is rather proud above the hex nut when it is tightened down at that location on both sides.

By the looks of your game, my guess is that whoever changed the sling rubber for the clear band forgot to tighten down that nut afterwards.

As far as that gate at the right outlane, I included some pictures of my machine for comparison.

That is a one-way gate, so once a ball passes through that gate, that gate shouldn't be able to swing the other way to allow a ball to escape out backwards, so it's interesting that you're having that problem, as I assume that the gate wire is appropriately placed within that bracket.

On closer inspection of your picture, one thing I do notice is that your gate seems to sit a few millimeters underneath the bend of your right ramp lower plastic, and I bet that relates to the way the ball is coming through.

...and as I look even further at you picture and comparing it to mine, I believe the problem is that your ball gate bracket (the arching piece of metal holding the gate wire) is on backwards.

The open slit of that gate bracket should be further away from you (not facing you).

If you look on your picture, where the first upwards bend of that bracket is compared to the nut, you can see the length a few millimeters more than mine (thus pushing that gate opening a few millimeters away from you), and this is likely the difference of having the ball path through the inlane be smooth vs. hitting the rubber, like your experiencing.

So, I believe the remedy is removal of that bracket, turning it 180°, removing the gate wire and also rotating that 180° (so that the gate opens one way towards the inlane) and that should hopefully line things up more appropriately.
Hope this helps!

PXL_20220921_084244420~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220921_084321989~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220921_085626800~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220921_090230082~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220921_090230082~3 (resized).jpg

Congrats!
Yes. It's a somewhat noisy bugger.
Tongue comes out and goes back in upon gate boot up and has a somewhat grinding sound. It's a bit uncomfortable to hear, especially with the glass off. Very same sound on OG alien as well. This is normal.
I think somewhere deep in this thread, someone discovered a way to make it sound a bit less noisy, but I cannot recall what their technique was or if it was durable.
Speaking of which, if anyone has discovered a durable means to make that sound a little less noisy, I'd love to hear folks solutions.

It's so interesting...
I think the more that I get into the pace of this game, the less power I want out of the lower flippers. When I first got the game I found myself wanting to constantly increase the power of the lower flippers (to as high as +20%), but it seems that the more I play the game, and I suppose the more I dial in the shots, I find myself lowering the flipper power (now playing at -5% for the lower flippers) and making all my shots and it seems to be with a little bit more control as well.
This game is definitely unique and has its own pace and flow, that's for sure. When it's working, there's none like it

Bad to the bone.
Nicely done!
Like that airlock sticker you fashioned as well!!

I have used those small little wedges from this seller on my Godzilla as well as on my Star Wars. They are rather effective and take just moments to install.
Very well could be another effective solution to prevent air balls and direct the ball further down to the playfield after hitting the selected target.

First thing I would probably check is the coil /plunger mechanism at the trough.
You will see that it is connected to a metal plate by four screws. Loosening those four screws and bringing that coil mechanism downward and then retightening the screws will prevent that plunger from sitting too proud within the trough and preventing that first ball from sitting appropriately.
Secondly, after confirming that the trough coil works in test, would be to see what its coil power is on in the adjustments menu. Would make sure it's at least on factory settings to start. May want to go up or down in the adjustments menu from there.
Thirdly, if the above does not solve your issue and as another individual mentioned, is to check all of the connections under the playfield to make sure they are seated appropriately.
If these maneuvers do not seem to work to fire a ball into the shooter lane, I suppose I'd recommend opening a ticket on the pinball brothers support page.

As far as the balls go, balls magnetized quickly in various games with magnets. Seems to very game to game. Additionally, there have been many reports of the balls that are issued with these particular PB games having small (sometimes not so small) imperfections. It appears that the majority of folks have switched these stock balls out soon after acquiring their games.
Most people prefer carbon core pinballs in games that have magnets, which have a decrease chance to become magnetized over time.
Below is a link to a common carbon core pinball that many of us get.

https://ballbaron.com/product/pinball-carbon/

Please keep us posted.

Pleased to report that I was able to successfully install double spotlights at the slings today. I utilized the power tap from Mezel mods which allows for both 5 volt and 12 volt connections. To keep in the darker theme, I utilized incandescent lights.
On each side, the lower incandescent is aimed across the playfield directed at the Xenomorph, while both the upper spots are directed laterally to highlight the astronauts within the derelict ship (which otherwise were rather dark and difficult to fully see).

PXL_20220923_170207649~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_170214915~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_170218918~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_170238401~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_170244240~2 (resized).jpg

That. Is. DOPE!!!
That effect to roving red on the LED strips during Ambush Mb is fully Badass.
Did you fashion those LED strips yourself, or is it tied into the apron mod?? Either way, very cool!!

So I was inspired by mitchzizzle 's paint job to customize my own airlock facade that I had picked up from Mageek .
After painting, I added some cut distressed caution tape flipper toppers that I had and used a small W-Y sticker and I'm really digging the look.

PXL_20220923_173432026~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_195117110~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_195215087 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_195228437 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220923_195232305 (resized).jpg

...and your rendition is spot on!

While I enjoyed the lighter version that you had made, with the way my playfield was developing I just felt compelled to go a bit darker.
Thanks so very much again for continuing to make and sell these sweet mods Mageek !!
I've been enjoying them both!!!

He is a super nice guy to communicate and work with. Just send him a PM of your interest and I'm sure he will write you back and show you his hypersleep chamber and airlock bezel that he created. It very cool stuff with straightforward installation.

Firstly, did you look under the playfield at the metal bracket that is holding the coil plunger and make sure that it's at its lowest position (The holes where the screws go through are slightly slotted to allow for some up and down play)?

Secondly, did you look underneath the pf and make sure that all molex connectors are connected and put your hand on each of the molex connectors that attach to boards (or other molex connections) along with all other cables and make sure that everything is seated well and appropriately?

I suppose thirdly, in switch test with the balls out, if you put each ball back into the trough one at a time, does it register each ball/all six balls?
And I suppose lastly, make sure your shooter lane switch isn't inadvertently depressed (which may fool the machine into thinking that there is a ball in the shooter lane already).

Others may want to chime in, but if no other ideas, then yes, creating a ticket on the pinball Brothers support page would be the next move.

So certainly it's not every time, but its those "sometimes moments" that can get annoying...
I'm speaking of when you hit the right reverso ramp, and the ball flies off the wireform.

My most durable maneuver thus far has been a combo of raising the prongs of the wireform within that ramp upwards a little bit (but it's a dicey move as one fraction of a millimeter too high or too lateral and a ball will most definitely get stuck in there) and a very small ridge of foam at the top of the lip of the ramp. I'd say that 75% of the time this works perfectly fine, so I am left annoyed 25% of the time, lol.

So, the more I thought about it, ideally I felt it needed a ramp flap cover, so that's what I fashioned today.
This is a first iteration, but I don't think it looks bad. With a new slightly longer 8-32 screw and hex nut, along with a 5/16" +1/8" spacer(s) on each side to elevate the plastic to the appropriate height, it's applied solidly and there's plenty of room for the ball to pass, but close enough to do its intended job.
Wanted to share this result. I have not had any balls at all fly off the ramp after this installation.

PXL_20220925_175659923~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220925_175905683~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220925_175913859~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220925_175926622~2 (resized).jpg
PXL_20220925_194458548~2 (resized).jpgPXL_20220925_194534453~2 (resized).jpg

Wanted to share a very simple but great idea that I picked up from a fellow Pinsider.

It is basically adding a thicker tapered post rubber there at the right outlane.

I can't tell you how much this is noticeable during gameplay and it truly gets the bounce you are looking for when nudging and trying to save a ball before it falls down that outlane.
It causes no obstruction of the inner side loop, yet projects out a bit into that inner outlane corner more than the standard cylindrical post rubber giving you the chance bounce you're looking for.

Picked them up from Marco.

PXL_20220925_202903976~4 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220925_202913922~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220925_203007869~2 (resized).jpg

I have, but I appreciate your inquiry.
I'm the second owner of this game and the first owner noticed this problem as well. Ive noticed several other owners along the way who deal with this issue as well about 15- 20% of the time, unfortunately.

There has been several on-forum and off-forum discussions about it with a couple of different solutions that have been presented, all of which certainly help a bit, but not fully (in the majority of cases). However, this ball guard/deflector definitely does the trick and it's been great to not have to worry about that issue arising anymore during gameplay.

Certainly if this is not an issue for you, that's awesome, as there's enough quirks surrounding this game already . That said, I cant get enough of it.

If you're thinking about removing the Xenomorph for painting, you should check out some of the badass paint jobs that have been done in the past. This link will get you started (scroll through to see some pics). But, there's more pictures/ideas in that thread than just those linked pics, so you'll need to explore some more.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/alien-pinball-official-game-thread?tq=Airbrush&tu=

That looks awesome.
Love the alien design in the background.

I found them on Etsy.
There's probably several people making them, but here is a link to one person that says they've got one left.

Actually, the more I do a cursory look, this may be the only person that's making and selling them these days and I see they have one Nostromo and one Sulaco badge left. I'd assume if this vendor were asked, they might be able to make more, but right now it looks like there might only be just one of each left out there at the current time.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/513061270/custom-alien-nostromo-cm-88b?click_key=52420e38790ab740e311923c7ff910a753f85cc3%3A513061270&click_sum=b8c786c8&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=nostromo+alien+badge&ref=sr_gallery-1-11&organic_search_click=1&frs=1&cns=1

A gentleman brought that up a week or so ago who had recently received his game and was experiencing a similar phenomena. Turns out it was assembled with his gate bracket installed backwards there. While the one-way gate was correct, with the gate bracket backwards it pushes the ball pathway further away from the inlane by a few millimeters making it difficult to get smooth transition to the inlane platform.

If this is the case, flipping that gate bracket 180°, and removing and reinstalling the one-way gate so that it opens correctly towards the inlane fixed that problem.

Keep us posted.

Question for the group.
In the settings menu when addressing the magnet... has anyone messed with the settings for the: magnet fling pulses, magnet fling delay, magnet fling min/max, magnet toss delay or the magnet capture time?
I get ball flinging and tossing around the magnet, I think all in all the behavior around the magnet is normal in my game, just wondering if anyone has played with this and gotten interesting/cool results?
Thanks

Some nice but non-carbon core balls tend to magnetize quite quickly in this game I've noticed. I'm sure you've done this, but exchanging for new balls would be the first thing to check/try. Secondly, make sure that your trough plunger is at its lowest position, adjusted by four screws at that mech under the playfield. As has been seen in many cases, the tip of that trough plunger can poke into the trough and disorganize the normal stacking of the balls within that trough.

These are some good balls to use in this game. Just a suggestion:

https://ballbaron.com/product/pinball-carbon/

I am using that power adapter now to supply 5 volt to some mods and have some of their backboard LED strips that utilize the 12 volt coming at me soon that I plan to use for the translite area.

Yup, definitely happened one time to me as well when the balls had magnetized.
However, the last time that happened to me I ultimately realized the coil plunger in the ball trough was sitting a touch too high into the trough and therefore the balls were not sitting appropriately in the trough and therefore the opto board was miscounting them. Fixed by dropping the coil mech down to it's lowest position by loosening those 4 screws it's held by and readjusting downward. So far, have been good since.

That's super awesome to hear!

You know I experienced this too (ball will get picked up from the magnet, going to the mouth, but doesn't look like it retracts all the way, and the ball sits on the magnet In the xenomorphs mouth until there is a ball search and the tongue will come all the way out and then all the way in and the ball will release).

It's not all the time, but when it happens, it'll happen at each of the following multiballs, as if it falls out of calibration. I have to recalibrate the xenomorph tongue, and then everything's fine for a good little while until it happens again.

Does anyone know a durable fix? I noticed on the pinball Brothers site there is someone talking about the rod coming from the stepper motor and that it has a flat side and to ensure that the bolt is on that side (and they show a single picture showing that rod and bolt), but outside of that, does anyone have any suggestions on this issue such that this doesn't happen in the future? Thanks!

Thanks. I think that's probably it.
When I take the xeno head off and take a good look, the switch arm seems to drop in only but just a little bit before it triggers the switch (even before it fully seats into that metal ditch on the arm). I think that switch arm needs to be bent up a little bit so that it truly falls into that ditch on the tongue arm before registering.
I was sort of thinking the same thing.
I think making that switch arm adjustment is gonna be the move. Thanks for chiming in!

No, there's not enough wiggle room once the playfield is seated in position to allow the back of the xenojaw to touch the back of the cabinet. Now, if you have wires, etc or anything else running back there that might be causing interference, that could a source of obstruction, but otherwise, there's plenty of room. I really do think this is just a switch arm adjustment issue, or at least that's what I'm guessing/hoping.

The newest/ 3rd generation targets have the necessary wires attached. This can be found on the free play website, which is what pinball Brothers uses to sell replacement parts for this game. Link is below. This should help.

https://www.free-play.se/en/game-specific-parts/pinball-brothers/alien/stand-up-target-rectangle-weapons-alien-pinball-brothers.html

So I think I may have sorted out the issue I was having with the ball on the magnet tongue not fully retracting into the mouth at times.
I would calibrate the xeno, but it still would slip out of calibration after a bit and I would have to recalibrate the xenomorph in test mode.

Checked my switch at the xeno mech, and the switch clicked/registered at the appropriate points (end of the arm when fully extended, within that metal ditch when fully retracted).

On the pinball brothers support page, there is a post about this very issue and a picture of the xenomorph mech, removed off the playfield, and looking at the back of it where there is rod coming out from the stepper motor (with a rounded edge on one side and a flat edge on the other side). There is a little black securing bolt (that they call an "umbraco" bolt) that secures a round gear to the stepper motor bolt arm. Turns out that little black umbraco bolt needs to be on the flat side (or else if it is on the round side of that rod, the tongue will slip out of calibration).

Well, it was more of a pain in the butt that I thought it was going to be, but I got the Xenomorph mech off and took a look and sure enough that was my problem as well.

However, here's the problem now. I have no earthly clue how to get that little black umbraco bolt off so I can turn that gear such that the black bolt can get on the flat side, the way it's supposed to be. It looks like it should accept an appropriate sized allen wrench, to then be turned counterclockwise to loosen, however, any Allen wrench that I could get in there that initially seated, as I would try and turn it and it would just strip (or so it felt) as it was in there so tightly. Essentially, I could not get it to budge at all.

Does anybody know how I can get this little black umbraco bolt loosened so that I can appropriately adjust this round gear on the stepper motor arm??

I attached the picture from the PB support page that discusses this issue and shows the picture of the back of the xeno mech, the round gear, the small black umbraco bolt, and the stepper motor arm with round and flat sides in question.
Thanks!
Screenshot_20221012-040049 (resized).png

Yeah, it looks like an allen wrench would do the trick, but while I have a myriad of different Allen wrenches, any wrench that I could fit in there (that felt like a nice, correct snug fit), when I gave it a turn (and I could sense this thing is in there tight), the Allen wrench would turn within that bolt (without moving the bolt at all). Ugh...
I tried that 2-3 times until I convinced myself that it wasn't working and if anything I was stripping it. So I stopped before I got too crazy on it.

But it makes good logical sense now why my xeno tongue would eventually slip out of calibration, as the gear was definitely not correctly situated on the appropriate *flat side* of that stepper motor arm. It's such a crazy feeling to see the problem I need to fix right in front of me and not be able to fix it... man oh man would I love to fix this problem, lol. I sent a text out this morning to one of friends that does machining and I look forward to hearing back from him. I will certainly report back any information that I learn from him.

Here's a picture of Target 5 plugged into board 3. This is at the bottom of board 3.

However, like a previous picture above, it does not appear as though I have the connecting interface wiring from board 4 to board 3 either.
PXL_20221012_094106903 (resized).jpgPXL_20221012_094133774 (resized).jpg

I had a sense that might be the deal as well... I'm sure I can pick up some metric Allen wrenches online and give that a try.
I also would think an Allen wrench would be the key to this, but it's so small and dark, it's hard to fully appreciate what the inner shape is and would sit in their best, if that makes sense... But certainly it's got to be an Allen wrench of some sort.
Yeah, might have a little loctite on it as well. That's certainly a possibility... It's for sure in there good.

Edit: So I took a look at my myriad of Allen wrenches and I have both SAE and metric. I've tried both and while the metric did seem to fit a bit better, so to speak, there was still no precise fit for either type, and the metric wrench that fit the best, ultimately spun within that bolt. So I think the shape is not necessarily designed for Allen wrenches I suppose. Ugh.... I put in a ticket to PB.

So I talked with my buddy who does machining. He looked at the pictures I sent him and says this is a typical rack and pinion gear set.
While that may be obvious to many, not being a machinist I'm not terribly familiar with some of this terminology, but live and learn by the day.
He says he should be able to loosen up that bolt for me at his machine shop later today. Thank goodness.
That said, I also wonder if if that little black bolt was stripped at the factory and that's the reason why the metric Allen wrenches weren't getting a good bite to move it.
High hopes my buddy will be able to get this thing loose so that I can adjust it.
I'm excited for this, because I think if I can fix this issue, I'll have my game functioning just about as ideally as it can be (as this is sort of the last issue on the current issue list).

So as follow up.
I took the xenomech to my buddy's factory and he took it to the machining area. Took him about 15 minutes to get that screw out and adjust the gear so that it was appropriately lined up (such that the screw can fasten onto the flat side of that rod coming out from the stepper motor).

He said that the set screw was both partially stripped and had loctite. He said it was a true PIA to get it out, but he was finally able to get the screw out but the screw was destroyed in the interim.

He gave me the dimensions of this small black set screw. So in the event that anyone else needs that info in the future, it is a 4 mm set screw (with a 0.7 pitch), just FYI.

A local machine parts store in town and was able to get me a replacement screw, so I will put it all back together when I get home. Can't wait.

Definitely a great idea. I suppose the only limiting factor is the clearance above the gear. Looks like maybe 6-8mm, but certainly something to look into. I'll use this new bolt in the interim. I will take a look to see if I can find one with a bolt head, as you mentioned, because more options the better sometimes.

Update:
Great success!!!
Got the new set screw installed on the correct/flat side of the stepper motor arm, got the xeno mech replaced, all connectors hooked, and played some pinball!

Everything on that xeno/tongue mech functioned without error. Checked with the glass off across multiple ambush multiballs, save newt, etc, etc, etc....anything I could do to get the tongue magnet to extend, grab a ball and retract during gameplay. Pleased to report that the ball went down the hatch every time without a hitch!!! Gulp!!!

Sorry for posting so many notes about my Xenomorph tongue action yesterday, it was just such a pain in the butt so frequently have the ball not fully retracting into the mouth and then playing the remaining balls and having to then wait for ball search to give the ball back.

I had made comment that the switch was fine and the xenomorph test could be calibrated, but the calibration wouldn't really last.
I had made note about that small little set screw on the round aspect of the rod that comes out of the stepper motor and how it should be more appropriately *flat side* of that rod.
I made comment on how hard it was to get that little black set screw off and ended up having to use one of my machinist buddies to get it out and finally get the screw set on the correct *flat* side of that stepper motor rod ....and then once that was completed and the mech reinstalled, I played some games and all was well.

Sometimes, when we make a move on our machines it works great for a little while and we're super stoked, and then issues pop up again....ah, the lovely world of Pinball, lol... but I'm posting today to just say that I played about 10 games back to back immediately after the fix, and then another 10 games today and every single time the ball did exactly what it should have done (i.e. the pf magnet caught the ball, the tongue extended, grabbed the ball, retracted the ball into the mouth and the ball went down the hatch without hitch every time with a big gulp!

So, I bring this up to just comment to others who have dealt with this. While sure, it may be a switch issue, alternatively the most likely scenario very well may be that the little black set screw there at the stepper motor rod may be on the round side and not the appropriate *flat* side.

Sure, it is a little bit of a PIA to get the mech off as you really have to remove the scoop underneath to allow to get access to the front left bolt, but certainly doable and really only takes an extra a minute or two. Taking a look at that back of that xeno mech and confirming that the little black set bolt is on the appropriate *flat* side of that stepper motor arm really does seem to be a very durable fix.

When I talked to my machining buddy and I told him about this issue, it was no surprise to him, and he is not a pinball guy. I asked him "does it make sense to you that it would not function correctly/durably when this is set on the round side as opposed to the flat side?" He responded quite plainly and quickly "no, it needs to be on the flat side....that's the way this type of mechanism is designed."

So, for anybody experiencing issues with the tongue not fully retracting/holding balls in the mouth and not dropping the ball until ball search/biting the ball, etc etc etc... this issue above is probably the deal.

Anyway, just a follow up to say that this has thus far proven durable now for over 20 games without issue.

Sorry for the long post, but I know this is an annoying issue for others and I wanted to take this time to mention this fix, my interactions with a local machinist friend and comment that this move does very much appear durable (and appropriate).

Thanks

I had to change around some lighting styles, adding an RGB controlled strip around the circumference of the back box behind the main translite (which I did via USB on top of the monitor in blue/purple) and increased the distance from the back of the backbox for the back picture, and added a 12 volt white strip with a diffuser behind the back picture hooked to a power adapter....and now, man o man, am I in love with this new translite from Kurt.

I thought initially it wasn't really going to go with what I was working with, I had the lighting all wrong and I was really frustrated, but with the above moves, this thing is just setting it off.

Excellent work, Kurt!! This thing is just gorgeous.
And is mentioned previously, the shipping packaging was absolutely top notch.
Thank you man!

PXL_20221014_051930882~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20221014_051845514~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20221014_051913875~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20221014_051929146~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20221014_045404350~2 (resized).jpg

Loving those insert decals! Did you make those yourself?? They look great!

Sorry to clutter the thread with al these pics, but chatted with a few fellow Pinsiders for some lighting recs and was just excited to show off the new lighting scheme (extending the lights across the top and down the full sides to show off more side art).
Really liked how it turned out, I'm stoked about it

PXL_20221014_215129181~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20221014_215139809~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20221014_215150206~2 (resized).jpg

Thanks for posting that picture of your back box lighting! I like how your LED strip also goes across the bottom to show off those eggs...great idea! I will probably follow suit!
If you don't mind me asking, did you run a separate strip behind your queen picture, or with that lighting alone, did you feel as though things were lit up enough?
Great idea on printing those black sheets to cover over that raw wood on top of the speakers!

Since that picture, I added an additional white LED strip at the very bottom of the back box to highlight the eggs at the bottom. I will probably not be able to help myself but clutter the thread with one more picture to show that off, but it really sets those eggs off.
I bothered a fair amount of Pinsiders via PM yesterday to get thoughts, advice and opinions on lighting and would also just like to take a moment to thank all those who communicated with me....I really appreciate it!

Interesting idea. I remember this small PETG plastic disc totally helping the function in my Alice Cooper.... Have you actually given it a try in the alien yet to see if it objectively helps? If so, man, that'll be $0.95 well spent.

At the back of the cabinet but right above the playfield facing forward I utilize that top neon strip. I run the wire out the back and have it externally power sourced, but it is very nice and very good quality lighting. I'm sure that if you have already tapped into the games power and have a power strip in the cabinet (as some have done), it can also be powered that way. But yes, I give a thumbs up to that product, and it can be cut to fit at different lengths.

Sure, this isn't the greatest picture, but you can see the neon in the back in green and in front of that you can see a more traditional LED strip. These are both lit via external source, so this is the light emitted with game off.

PXL_20220925_175913859~2 (resized).jpg

PXL_20220925_175926622~2 (resized).jpg

0.57 firmware is the most recent to date, best I know.