I went crazy and powder coated / gold plated everything. If anyone is interested, it costs about $150 to powder coat an entire machine locally. There are several powder coat shops in almost all local areas. The gold plating is more money. I use Mike Chestnut. It's probably about $500 a machine but his work is fantastic.

Here are some pictures:

The LOTR is actually powder coated in this one. Still looks shiny gold:
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Shadow green, AFM red, Gold plating done by Mike Chestnut in MM:
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TZ in chrome via Mike Chestnut with chrome mirror blades from PDI. CV in Purple that matches the purple frames (which I dont have room to install), ToM in gold from Mike Chestnut
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Star trek powder coated in super shiny black. Black mirror blades
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More:
Getaway in Red with chrome mirror blades
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Spiderman & Tron with chrome mirror blades and chrome coin door to match stock chrome package
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Finally Demoman in blue with Mike Chestnut chromed handles

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The local outfit I use is called "Park's Metal". But you can usually find several in the local area. Williams parts powder coat very easily. Stern parts are pre-coated so have to be sand blasted / stripped first. Honestly, legs and coindoors can be painted if you want to save a few bucks. My local shop usually turns around a single set in a day.

You can do both. They had several colors on hand and a few they didnt have I had to order boxes of powder.

Scared stiff in green was an interesting choice. Looks better than I thought that way
And I like White Water in white. Would look even better with the snowy mountains to match

Tatman, the blue you used on your star trek would be good for your batman.

johnwart: it's brass as you say.

Robert: I tried paint but it gets easily scratched from things like wedding rings. The powder is not that expensive ($150 a machine for everythjng). If you can afford a pinball that you consider worth the effort then may as well go all out on it

Matches the big green "the shadow" letters on the cabinet art

So far, everyone that has seen shadow in person love green on it. It has been singled out in the collection as one of the sharpest looking ones. One liked it enough that he is doing the exact same green on his own. It's fine to dislike powder coating or color in general as this is not a stock look. But green is not a mismatch on shadow. I'm considering doing the wire ramps in green also to match. The green is a really good match for the green shadow letters on the apron, translite, and cabinet. Originally laid it out in blue. Wasn't that good of a fit.

I don't think the avatar LE is a good value even for the $5000 you have in your Craigslist let alone adding shipping. The price on that one will just keep dropping. I think it will stabilize closer to $4500 in the next years. So you won't have to worry about me buying it and turning it pink. Further, if someone buys something it's no longer the original seller's business what is done to it. Buyer could decide to blow it up and film the explosion.

Isn't Avatar LE all chrome? If it is, it would get a chrome coin door and chrome mirror blades. If not, it would get powder coated blue. Likely also get mirror blades. I'd add pro sub as well as LEDs. Incandescents look like crap, period. I'm not the only one that thinks this or cointaker wouldn't be able to sustain a business primarily selling LEDs.

Don't like my pins? I'm ok with that. If I were selling (and I'm not), you wouldn't be the buyer. But after all the powder coating, they are somewhat unique and there are plenty that will buy them and pay a bit more in the process. If someone doesn't like powder coating, there are several others in the production runs that are still stock. Buy one of those.

Have your opinion, even state it, but it is rude to compare gold to "poo" and suggest that I'm going to powder coat a machine pink - and you know it and did it intentionally.

So I've only been in pinball for two years. There was no "all those years" for me. And when I look at old games, especially anything pre-Dmd, I can't understand why anyone would want to play them. I think stock pinball games are pretty ugly and sound pretty bad. The only exceptions are some of the newest stern LEs that come color powder coated and LEDs stock.