Adhesive star fill ins would work. There is another way to make a fill-in but too complicated to talk about here.

The way I got around the rollover issue on the protector I made for my Big Game was to route out the holes for the rollovers with a palm router and then install new rollovers height-matched to the .030" thickness of the protector material. I had five rollovers to work and I'm very happy with the results. There was enough meat on the rollovers that raising them up .030" causes no problem. All I had to do was adjust the switches.

I also cut slots for the lane guides so I can remove the protector when I need to. All I have to do is remove the plastics and 4 or 5 posts and it will lift right off.

For anchoring, I have two tight fitting holes on the two posts for the upper inlanes. The rest of the protector is free and allows for any expansion for heat from the feature lights. It took several final fit and trims to get it trimmed so there was no interference in any way.

And, I also noticed, when I first started playing the pin with the protector in place that it was quiet. But that has changed. I probably have 25 playing hours on the game now and at some point in time I could hear the ball rolling like it was on wood.

The stuff is damn near unbreakable but it will scratch so if you use beat up balls you will eventually be sorry.

I am very happy, so far. It smooths out rough inserts. It takes the beating and saves your play field. And it plays fast!

If I were to order one I would specify for the holes for the rollovers to be cut to diameter and then remove my rollovers with a heat gun and install new rollovers tapped in to match-height. I would also require slots to be cut for the inlane guides for easy install.

Here is the post to the one I made if anybody is interested.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/making-a-play-field-protector-for-my-stern-big-game

Mr. Wizzo, that would be great. You look like you know how to get around on a play field. Tell him to cut just a diameter for the roll overs without those flaky cut outs. And then get yourself some new roll overs and install to match-height. Tell him to cut slots for the inlane guide wires, too.

One item the sort of scares about the elongated cut out in the pic from the OP is that you now have 4 new impact points. Every time that ball crosses a roll over it is going to drop down and hit the play field. And then you might left with 4 new wear spots to deal with.

You could do it with a slit. But you would have to cut the slit by hand with a razor knife. Slotting with a Dremal is much easier. And yes, the poly would flex enough that you could do it with a slit, but you will have to work harder to install and remove it. That is unnecessary labor, IMO.

You are not going to make the protector disappear. Anybody who takes a medium look at your machine will see the protector. Consider it a feature.

What I can tell you is that when you are playing a game, you won't even notice because your table will play so nicely. Cupped inserts are no longer a problem that diverts the ball. If the ball at the top of the table is heading for your flipper, it will reach your flipper. No more last second change in ball trajectory that sends the ball SDTM.

Will it get dirt under it? Yes. Just lift it off and vacuum the play field. No biggie.

Will it grind dirt into the play field? I don't know. I have not been using it long enough, but I don't think it will be a problem. Especially, if you clean and vacuum your play field once in a while.

Does it get dimples? No. I have not done a legitimate hardness test, but my SWAG method tells me it is harder than play field wood with clear coat.

And, in my opinion, anybody who tells you that it does not play fast does not know what they are talking about.

I understand. It is a generous offer. However, if the supplier wants to make an impact, he needs to know what is needed to make his protector a success in the marketplace. And I am going to guess that most people will not want to remove parts what were intended to be permanent. OTOH, as you have shown, they can be cut manually if one is so inclined.

BTW: You can cut .030 Macrolon/Lexan/poly with a pair of scissors along any straight line.

Yes. That is the way I made mine. I ran the protector all the way to the edge of the wood. There is no reason not to. Pulling it back away from the drops is the wrong way to go.

Is there any way you can make some .030" thick shims to raise your pop bumpers? I did that with mine to compensate for the thickness on the protector.

I don't blame you for not liking it. The way the manufacturer is cutting out around the rollovers is substandard. Having said that, the only way to make it correctly would be for the MFR to require you to remove and reset the rollovers to match the height of the protector. Some people could do that and others would blow it and then blame the MFR. No easy solution here.

The lower part of the play field where the MFR has cut out for the chrome rods below the flippers concerns me less. Yeah, they could be a little tighter but if they were too tight then variations in play fields might cause clearance problems.

I can understand the manufacturer makes the teardrop cutout along the bottom of the insert to keep the ball from getting stuck. But why does the MFE need to make the cutout along the top of the insert? The ball will not get stuck along the top side.

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I am in process of making my 2nd poly protector for another pin I just bought. I am learning that there are vagaries with different play fields for the same pin. E.G. My Joker Poker's posts maybe be located just a little bit different than yours; So the MFR makes the cuts around the posts a little wide so his design can fit both your pin and my pin. Since I am cutting my own I can make tight cuts around all play field objects.

Vid suggested the adhesive backed star insert fillers. I have thought about that a lot. It is as you say. That small difference in height is .030". The white rollover star's blades measure 1.0" diameter. Install a .030" adhesive backed filler and the star blade diameter is reduced by 25% and now measures only .75" diameter. That's a lot.

I'm finishing up my 2nd protector for a play field that has two inserts. I have raised them both. But now I can understand why a play field protector maker would be hesitant to offer up a part that requires play mods because some people are not set up to make PF mods.

You have an interference point somewhere between the protector and a play field part. The protector could be riding on the edge of a post, for example.

Check all points where the protector and the parts meet. You will need to take a file and remove some of the protector to clear the interference.