I have a day one bubbling playfield and am done buying JJP games NIB. If I buy JJP in the future it will be second hand after confirming machine condition.

I would be fine w/ a free playfield, but I shouldn't have to pay to fix a factory defect. Really that's the least they should do.

Sorry, whoevers post I got it from was blue. Whoever said it, in my opinion, is crazy if they think it should just be let go.

I'm kicking around the idea of getting a replacement playfield to have on hand and asking Chris Hutchins to clear it, but that would be over $1000 total, not counting shipping.

The problem is, I think the jjPotC Mirco playfields have ink adhesion issues in addition to the soft clear because when there's a chip, it comes up in one piece and the wood under is clean with no hint of ink, which a more/better clear job after the fact won't solve. If I were JJP, I would be all over Mirco to fix the ongoing problem. Clear is one thing - debatable where the liability is. But ink adhesion is 100% in Mirco's court and their problem to fix.

In the meantime, I just slapped custom-cut mylar over the affected area over the fork slots to arrest the damage, put mylar rings under the slings and it's holding up great on route since. The long-term remedy by JJP of a 50% discounted unpopulated playfield we have now isn't great, but better than nothing. I hope they reconsider and come up with a better remedy (25% playfield cost or free for NIB customers with the issues), but I'm not losing any sleep over it.

I’m suspecting soft wood could be the issue as well since it didn’t just peel art and clear, small chunks of wood came up with it at the I lane hole.

Has anyone made contact with Mirco on ink adherence?

Ah, well thanks for posting yet again. Maybe I'll give him a call. I'll probably not get him either...

I still currently own a WoZ. JJP, Jack, and Frank were fantastic support for that machine since day 1, even though I was a 2nd owner.

I'd own another JJP that was good (no, not Hobbit or whatever Wonka is at the moment) without reservation. My viewpoint is not tied to the fact that jjPotC happens to be on a route.

Thanks Harry for the recap.

Yes I said all those things. Yes I apologized and attempted to de escalate. A couple people approached me privately to say my words made them feel like their issues were unimportant.

Let me be clear - chipping sucks and none of us are happy about it. In my personal case it was easy to hide under posts so I was able to put it behind me.

I am empathetic to the folks who have it worse. I am also empathetic to the position this puts JJP in.

I agree with all of what you've said here.

But in addition, all of us need to be concerned about a product that isn't matching quality standards with pricing, as well as decades prior productions standards.

I know for me, I won't buy new games unless this issue is addressed where need be.

Caution here is no different than any other consumer interest group. Except for me, a $4 Whopper and a rotten gut is far less painful than a marred playfield that will only worsen over time.

Ultimately, all companies involved need to vocalize the issue after determining it, and course correct for reassurance of present and future customers. There should be no war here, between slightly irked and very irked customers. This isn't either of our faults for being enthusiastic fans. It will be though, if we continue to tolerate and buy flawed products, even if we love them dearly.

No, I haven’t gone hunting for more problems. If I don’t see them during gameplay, I would rather not know about them!

I did examine things when I replaced the rubber for chapter select. It was fine. So far only the sling posts have the issue. I am seeing a bit of wear on the tortuga hole edge which I consider expected at this play count (around 3200 I think.)

I bought cliffys to cover it but haven’t installed yet. Not crazy about the look.

That's what she said, nyuk nyuk.

Hahaha!

Sterns volumes are much higher than JJP.

Also, in subsequent releases they explicitly called out ghosting inserts as normal and not warranty fixes.

The old GoT "as designed" fix.

To be fair, they are the ones doing all those heavy metal rock band pins.

And Ford still screwed me over on three separate transmissions they wouldn't fix literally a couple months out of warranty. Big car companies can be dicks...

Did you figure out why JJP cancelled your replacement PF yet? I know it's been mentioned that maybe it was due to the letters you sent but I can't imagine they would stoop that low.

Bentley's are 10x the price of a typical Ford. Let's change the analogy to a Lincoln and a Ford, if Ford was stamping LE on the bumper and charging essentially the same price as the Lincoln. Who would even buy the Ford? Oh, because it's "limited"...

JJP LE costs about 10% more than a Stern LE these days. That's hardly the spread of a Ford to a Bentley.

Crazy.

There was no defect. Those transmissions performed exactly as designed; to make it past the warranty time and mileage. Perhaps a Ford Protect Extended Service Plan should have been purchased. During dealer prep of the new vehicle, could they program the engine & Transmission ECU's to not fail right after the standard warranty mileage is exceeded?

Better ideas and better cars; Have you driven a Ford, Lately?

Thank god the fucking carguments have started.

New Wonka (at the bar where our league plays). All the wide posts had the clear-coat ripple around the edge, but he rest of the smaller posts seemed ok.

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If a Ford is a duck, will it float like a pinball machine? And if it does float, should I trade in my Toyota?

Or how do we really know it's a ducK and not a pinball machine?

Does it weigh as much as a witch?

Which witch?

This witch?

Capture (resized).PNG

"That's not my real nose, it's a false one."

Surprised this thread made it to 41 pages before going completely off the rails.

It was our first and last experience with a Ford.

As Stern/JJP/Spooky/Mirco clear bunching goes, that's pretty minor, I've seen Wonkas with much worse.

This ONE issue aside (and it is a big issue), in my substantial experience with dozens of Sterns and all every JJP game made so far except Wonka I'd say JJP and Stern support is about equal overall. And JJP LEs are only 10% more than Stern LEs - TEN percent. That's a pretty small price difference.

The closest apples to apples is A JJP LE to a Stern LE, and even then, the JJP has the upper hand in many areas of that comparison (MUCH larger screen, better sound system, massively better cabinet, etc). Ten percent difference. Ten percent from a Stern LE to a JJP.

And JJP has on occasion done WAY MORE than Stern ever would. Like on the WoZ light boards. My WoZ was 2nd owner and I still got free replacements for at least a year and half-price replacements for way longer than I expected. No way Stern would have handed out free parts and then half price parts for like 4 years total on a machine. But then Stern sometimes exceeds what JJP does, like with SOME (not all) Beatles playfield replacements free that are having similar bunching issues to JJPs PotC. Like I said, on balance, they're roughly equal for support.

Are we really comparing a Stern's LE value to JJP POTC LE? REALLY really? C'mon, now you're just being silly.

And this guy sounds like he is comparing Sony to Samsung.

i

I’ve dealt with him in the past, VERY defensive individual. he’s no dummy and I’m my opinion he knows what he is doing... and that there are lots of issues... I just didn’t get the feeling he truly Believes it’s up to him to fix them / or take any ownership whatsoever. Seriously one of the most unpleasant interactions I had ever experienced.

I met him at TPF 2018, seemed nice. He drives an American SUV in Germany, an Escalade or something, which I thought was hilarious, since you never see them there. Was taking his family to Disney World. Overall, dry sense of humor, very proud of his work, which is understandable. The samples he had were very impressive. My main concern right now is this: if you get a replacement playfield for $550, what evidence is there that the ink has been applied any differently than the first batch of playfields? Why not wait for him to figure out the problem and do another run? I spoke with Chris Hutchins today about clearing the playfield again, but there is no guarantee that would protect from the structural problem that is coming up at the foundation, which may be ink adherence. I'm leaning towards just enjoying this epic game with the cliffy protectors and post protectors, and not worrying about it.

Just spoke with Mirco. He said that he can't comment on the JJP playfields legally, that all questions go through them. Sounded like a contractual thing to me, since he can talk about the other playfields he has rights to reproduce. This is why he hasn't been able to comment here on the forums. So, no new information.