Thanks for the info. I decided to skip replacing all 6 and just do the one broken one and one hooded on my machine, then replace as necessary

So much work to do but just watched PAPAs demo of the game and can't wait to get it up and running, shooting for xmas but hoping for Tgiving to have it done.

I can’t speak for most Stars owners but, I went ahead and shaved off all the extra bits and pieces from the new repro targets and made them look and behave like the old targets did. (Switching green to blue of course...)

No bricks; easy glancing occasional side sweeps can be done too without a hangup.
No accidental drops or vibration related problems either.
Just takes a bit of time to match all the dimensions from the old targets.

Only downside from my PBR batch order was, the red stars were printed slightly lower than the blue ones. Other than that, they’ve been holding strong many MANY games later since I installed them, back in 2013.

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When you say matched dimensions, did you do some shave/sand type work to get them working better?

Also there are decals in the pinside shops if you want to get the stars to line up.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1169-doc-s-pinball-shop/02155-vinyl-star-decals-for-drop-targets-blue-and-red-stars

When I modeled the Classic Stern 13A-11 Drops I learnt there are some differences:

This is a comparison between a Stern and Bally Drop Target from the 80's.
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Stern on the left and Bally on the right - there are alot of simularities - like the spring attachment hole the ledge that the target sits on or the rib if you assembly is flipped for no rib.
The major difference is the target height as well as the extension on the bottom for switch activation

On Shapeways I have the 2 types - rib and no rib

From here it comes down to what you want to install

hope it helps

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I wonder if that rib on the Sterns is what makes it not brick, at least with originals. My guess would be that it’s stiffer because of that and doesn’t spring back into place before the drop moves down far enough so that it can’t catch the lip again. Some high speed video of that would be cool.

based on what I learned and trialed: is that what the drops are raised the rib or no rib of the drop target rest on the plate and depends on your assembly. I experimented and flipped the top plate over and then the non-rib design worked fine as well.

Here is a stern assembly with the ribbed drops

I also did a upgrade of each drop and filled in the back of the ball hitting target section to beef it up. The downside is Shapeways stuff is not cheap but a option at the very least. But shapeways have introduced a discount on multiple items at checkout.

I was talking to another pinhead about backfilling that opening and maybe that would help. Haven’t done anything about it yet, but maybe someday.

on this link is the standard with and without rib, then same again with the back infilled and then a bally for comparison and some other bally stuff

https://www.shapeways.com/marketplace?q=swinksdrops&sort=newest

Xacto to flush chop the big stuff and fine scalpel to trim any other imperfections.

No way José.
Not that anal to want to correct such a silly thing like that.
Less friction/force to drop sans decal too.

Coming along. Playfield touch up complete.

Putting out another call for anyone who knows a clear coater in Portland

Next is electrical after a couple cabinet leg mods

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BTW. Anybody ever figure out the font for the center points column? I need to make a 1000 decal

Scan the 10,000 section then cut out 0, from it

Hi folks,
I just joined the club! What should I do about the battery on the mpu. First, how to remove it. Secondly, what is the proper solution? Can NV Ram be installed or do I need to have the battery moved off of the mpu?
Thanks gang

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Snip it off. Looks like Q4 on the board below might be infected so while you are cleaning the MPU, make sure to get that area of the light board as well.

Clip the battery off, then most people recommend 50/50 vinegar water solution to rinse off the areas of leakage that are still likely causing corrosion. Rinse that with alcohol to dry. Lots of videos on saving boards out there so there is quite a bit of variability of techniques.

Mine had significantly more battery damage than yours but it still looks like you have a couple areas that may need replaced. I used GerberDesigns corrosion kit because he had some really nice videos on Youtube (under bally corrosion). Great Plains also has a kit but they were out of stock.

Because of my level of corrosion I went ahead and bought a Alltek board during PBLs sale. I still tried to salvage the old board though because once mine is up and running I really want to try to build the Stars 2020 code mod and its still unclear to me if that can be done with a Alltek.

Have my project stars playing now. Thanks to a few of you who clued me into needing U2 inserted to start the boot. After replacing the corrosion zone it came to life easier than any other of this generation including the masked ROMs and all big chips actually working.

Hardest board I’ve ever had to melt solder though but done. Took 13 connectors til I had 100% lights switches and displays.

Have mismatched sling levers so need to sort that out. Also is the oven state of the art for flattening the plastics at this time of year?

Here is the pile of parts it took. All leftovers from a centaur project. First stern in the lineup. Woohoo

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I flattened some plastics with a heat gun and two pieces of glass. Keep the heat moving so as not to do any damage to a certain area.

Has anyone installed one of the new CPR or Beehive playfields for their Stars yet?

Was wondering this myself.

Has anyone considered trying to populate that alternative Beehive playfield piece by piece, essentially keeping your standard playfield and populating the other to trade out? Other than the hassle of wiring does that sound insane?

Hi all!

I just re-acquired my infamous $400 Stars!

Since I sold it 5 years ago, it’s been rethemed by Vodafone and used as an in store display, and just recently as a movie prop in the upcoming Bebop Deluxe, shot here in Auckland.

It’s getting a full ground up restore, same as the others I’ve posted up on Pinside before. Proper sprayed cabinet etc etc.

What I need to know - can someone help with the Pantone colours for the original cabinet? As you can see, mine isn’t blue anymore.

rd

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Has anyone used a reproduction playfield in stars? I am on the fence in either trying to restore the existing or to buy a repro but currently I do no see a reproduction playfield in stock at cpr or beehive. Hope they produce more soon.

...

I have the CPR Stars playfield on order and it is supposed to be delivered today. I think I got the last 3 that CPR had. I have two Stars to restore and my dad has one. I am excited to see the playfields, I hope they look great. Stars is one of my favorite games and I can't wait to get them restored. I will post some pics when I get home.

The playfields and backglass came today. I they all look great. The colors are better in person than on the CPR website.

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Ok, I'll say it. I'm a bit jealous. I love my Stars, and it is in pretty good shape. But a new playfield must be amazing. Gorgeous.

Thanks for posting. Good to hear you're happy, I've got a playfield, backglass and plastics on order. Very much looking forward to restoring my Stars.

Hey club members, hoping to join the fold. If anyone is looking to move a good condition Stars, or has a lead on one, please shoot me a message. Thanks!

Don’t forget to put a WTB (Wanted To Buy) ad in the market place. That’s how I found mine 5 years ago. The guy searched with Google and joined Pinside just to PM me about his Stars, which I promptly bought.

Progress pics from when i rescued this neglected Stars

painstakley removed the operator fitted mylar, the stuff they used is horrible & way harder to remove than any factory fitted mylar.
The flour trick to remove the glue didn't work with any solvent i throw @ it, you name it i used it.
Had no choice to use Magic eraser & alcohol in the end come up a treat with minimal artwork loss & pretty happy in the end.

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Playfield looks great bud. Well done!

Thinking about selling my Stars, so starting to post and ask around. Just time to move onto something else. I already contact a few people who had some wtb ads, but figured I'd do a quick post here in case anyone is looking for one.

I restored mine (first "full" restore on a game) including:
- Stenciled and auto clear cabinet
- All repro boards (except for lamp board)
- Interior metal zinc plated
- Exterior metal (legs in black, white everything else) was 2 stage powder coated with sparkle affect
- Playfield fixed and cleared by Neo
- Original backglass in 8/10 condition
- Original plastics all in good shape
- LEDs - color matched inserts and white for gi

Only negatives I can think of is a few lamp sockets need to be replaced and some minor adjustments on the drops/pop. I've just lost steam on the game after so long and enjoyed where it's at.

Those are probably the "big" highlights on the game. I was looking to get $2500. If interested, feel free to ping me for more questions or anything. I have a ton of pics on the game

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I do have a deal pending on the machine. Thanks to all who I chatted with!

Hey all, I’m getting together parts to restore my Stars and wondering what you guys are doing on the drops. If using decals, where are you getting them? Pinball Rescue offer a bunch of stuff (including Quicksilver drops decals which I’ve used) but don’t have the Stars.

I used these on my Stars. 400+ games and seem to be holding up well. They cover the entire drop target face.

Red and blue stars:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/13A-11DBLUE

Red and green stars:
https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/13A-11D

Also pinsider TractorDoc sells stars decals that I used on my Ali drops. Good quality and holding up well, less plays though. They are star cutouts and don't cover the entire drop face. Maybe PM him if interested. Looks like his shop isn't fully operational?

Playfield is nearly ready to be dropped in,
new plastics, drops, spinner decals & pop cap, powder coat apron & new decal.

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Could any of you tell me the part number for the Stars shooter rod, or provide a link on where to buy one? I'm trying to find one for a friend and I'm not having much luck. As far as I can tell, the part number isn't listed in the manual. Thanks!

I recently got a new one from PBR, when I get home I’ll check the part#

GTB-A5920+ Looks & Fits perfect,

Now showing-Out of Stock.

Ah, dang. But thanks for the part number, I appreciate it!

Has anyone here installed a CPR repro playfield for their Stars? I'm about ready to pull the trigger on one, just thought I'd get a little feedback if I could first.

Thanks!

Haven't installed mine yet, but it looks great!!

Let me try to find the thread. I imagine you're gonna need to drill a kirk post hole fo sho

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/shooting-for-the-stars-classic-stern-restoration

Just finished mine today.

rd

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Unfortunately I don’t yet have a finished cabinet to put it into ….

rd

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Nice work!! Any issues with the dimpling or hole placement on your repro? Another pinsider had several issues, though they still did a great job with it.

Yours looks great!

All seemed pretty good.

Not every pinball was made the same back in the day (on the underside anyway) - you have different playfield manufacturers for starters. So if there are some dimples slightly off, no stress, drill a hole in a different place.

rd

Awesome, thanks for sharing! I'm probably gonna pull the trigger on one of those pfs before it's too late...

Never trust even the factory dimples, always double check, and if your experience tells you something should be moved.... move it. (For instance... there's a post on the upper right of eight ball deluxe leading to the 8 ball - it's too close to the edge and the wood will often 'break through' the side if you use the factory dimple.... has to be moved in a hair.)

Looking forward to doing mine in a month maybe. But yes, the key is to go slow and fit every piece one at a time.
It' awesome & fun to zip through all the dimples and drill them at once! You only make that mistake once