Anything new on the overly fast damaged balls and how to prevent it?
(Topic ID: 300354)
Linked Games
Godzilla (Limited Edition)
Stern, 2021-
Godzilla (Premium)
Stern, 2021
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Godzilla (Pro)
Stern, 2021
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Quoted from eyeamred2u:Change out balls. Buy BallBarons Carbon Balls.
The last New Stern balls where holding up well, so that cant be the problem.
Wasn`t it the unprotected left-ramp entrance?
6 months later
Quoted from Beyndtstng:If it makes you feel better, I lost a 13 billion game similarly. Just do it again!
13 Billion 
3 months later
SHOOTER LANE FIX:
After trying alot of different things i found a solution for my game.
It doesn't look nice yet, but it works very well.
The main problem is, when the ball hugs the right side after the shooter lane exit.
When it drops down it touches the right ballguide on the top and bounces over to the left side and gets cought there.
I made a plastic guide and attached it with a double side 3M tape above the metal guide, so the ball cant bounce off it.
The guide has to be as thick as the metal guide to make the transition seamless.
Its important to start with the plastic guide right at the start of the shooter lane, so the ball won't get caught.
If that fix will get famous like my AIQ fix on the Captain Marvel Ramp I invented,
please give me credit by calling it "ABE FLIPS SHOOTER LANE FIX"
Let me know if it works out for you guys.
Quoted from eyeamred2u:Adjusting your shooter rod did not solve this? I can see your ball drifting to the right. What a bummer you had to add that plastic, but it did solve the issue. Kudos on the creativity.
I adjusted my shooter rod, bent the metal ramp sideways so the ball stay left (didn't work), stabilized the PF in the cabinet with the clips so there is no wiggle... it all helped just a littlebit.
The plasic made all the difference!
Quoted from jackd104:Wow, it works! I used some black adhesive felt (like you get at any craft store). It was too thin but I doubled it up by sticking two strips on top of each other. It was easy to work with and cut to right sizes and is nearly invisible at the player’s position. I’m not sure it would hold up on location but in home use it’s probably fine.
I had prior installed pf stabilizing brackets and made other adjustments which helped but still got a lot
of rattled shots and then this clearly made the real difference. Thank you, this has been driving me nuts! Here’s some pics.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Nice to hear that i works! However, i think thats not a good idea because of all the hair is coming off. I already see it on you image.
Gotta find something else.
Quoted from Hayfarmer:What was length you cut?
The thickness of the ballguide is 1.8mm (0.7 inch) and the length should be at least 32cm (12.6 inch) long.
Let me know if the fix works for others too, to get better validation for it.
I'm sure a modder can 3D Print this in a matching color, add some 3M tape and sell it.
Just give me credit by naming it after ABE FLIPS SHOOTER LANE FIX.
To make it a perfect fit, I suggest to messure the following green dashed line area:
IMG_20221022_095527 (resized).jpg
Quoted from Returner:None, most machines don't have this problem.
Not true. I have seen this on all 5 machines I have played. On some it happenes less than on others.
Even if its just a slight rattle of the ball, that slows down the ball enough, so that you can't make the skillshot reliable.
That means, the "skill" in "skillshot gets replaced by "luck".
Anyway, I dont think Stern will do anything about this, but we have seen changes after the first release in the passt.
They could extend the metal on the right hand side down the shooter lane. This would be the best solution imo.
People didn't go too deep into this because they thought they just have to fine tune their shooter mech and sometimes the skillshot even works.
However, IMO it is a design flaw which really can be fixed with a piece of plastic.
Returner
I challenge you to make a similar video without the fix
Quoted from Pinstym:Pretty impressive video.
Did I miss your video on exactly what you did, or are there only photos showing what you did?
No, there is no video, the images hopefully explain everything 
Returner Sure, never change a running system
Quoted from Returner:ABE_FLIPS Skillshot video https://vimeo.com/762912641
Haha nice one! So i guess your plunger unit makes it so, that the ball never hugs the right ballguide.
Lounge
Thanks for the correction 0.07 inch is right
Quoted from fooflighter:Those adding plastic to their shooter lane, Question:
Do you have switch plates installed in your cabinet to keep your playfield centered (and more importantly the shooter rod on the ball in the lane prior to launch) like most Sterns before it?
I found that mine were missing, and once added, they aligned my playfield perfectly with the shooter lane and I don't have any issue with the skill shot.
See the pics here, you can see my Deadpool clearly has the switchplates where Zilla doesn't - I circled what I'm referring to:[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
I have them in my GZ and i bent them a littlebit for a tighter fit. I guess stern forgot them on your game, since all my Sterns have had them. If your skillshot works, i wouldn't change anything.
But I recommend you put carpet gliders on your rubber feet so you can easily move your games around by your own 
Unbenannt (resized).png
Quoted from fooflighter:Thank you sir, and just to note, you produce the finest technical pinball videos out there. Love the simplicity and production value. Plus your skills are phenom level which helps
Thanks for the kind words 
Just for info, i got also got positve feedback here from europe on the shooter lane fix.
Fitting to the thread I also recorded some Godzilla live gameplay if you are interested. But not nearly as good as the pro's.
This is without the Shooterlane fix.
So from what we are seeing, alot people have the issue with this and it looks like the problem hardly depends on the shooter mech.
However, I was not able to get it right and I tried really hard to adjust the shooter rod trying different positions.
I also adjusted the playfield in the cabinet itself for a tight fit to rule out other factors.
It boils down to if the ball hugs the right hand side on the shooter lane exit, because that causes the ball to bounce off to the other side.
I also think that it should be normal for the ball to touch any sinde of the guide without getting stuck at the scoop.
abe flips.gifQuoted from fooflighter:Oh I get your fix now, so it's keeping the ball from dropping on the extreme right curve of the ledge of the shooter ramp which takes it to a left trajectory on the drop causing the hangup, thus your fix is pushing the ball slightly to the left of the right rail for a smoother drop angle off the ramp. I guess the curve was necessary for the flow of the game but it does provide a tricky balance for a skill shot. Nice observation and solution
I hope that picture explains whats happening here.
The plastic prevents the ball from dropping on the ballguides edge, thus its not bouncing off to the other side anymore.
Quoted from fooflighter:Hmmm, I guess mine is different from what your are showing... I don't have that little projection of the shooter ramp going over the curved ball guide must be dependent upon installation of where they screwed it down and attach the ramp itself. Must be why I never really have a problem with mine...
[quoted image][quoted image]
Quoted from Returner:The ramp should not go over the ballguide at all. It should be in front of the ball guide, at the same height as the ballguide. No wonder some people have problems when it is not assembled correctly.
[quoted image]
I don't know what you guys are talking about. I think you both still don't understand what causes the issue.
My ramp looks exactly like yours. My image you compared yours with, was shot from a different angle.
Here is my ramp. The ball bounces off the blue maked ballguide, EVERYONE has that. The only difference is, that on some games the ball leaves the ramp on the left hand side of the ramp, thus not bouncing off the ball guide...
Quoted from fooflighter:Okay I see what you're talking about now. I should have paid more attention to the big letters REAR VIEW in your first drawing I was looking for a little notch cutout that ended on a corner as if it was a TOP DOWN viewpoint...duh .. but now I can see what you're saying... if that ball is hugging that guide rail it can clip that ball guide edge at any point down the road so your plastic puts it away from that ledge so it doesn't take a weird hop on the drop-off ... Thanks for clarifying. I've been looking at these pictures away from my game ...I've been on the road for the past couple days so I haven't been able to get a Hands-On view of this
Yes, thats it!
Quoted from Sorokyl:I just printed my ABE FLIPS SHOOTER LANE FIX.
It's great! I did a bunch of plunges immediately before with glass off, and immediately after. I had a fair number of rattley plunges before, and none after.
It's a super easy thing to make with a 3d printer. Just download any cuboid, and modify the dimensions in your slicer.
My final version is 360mm x 10mm x 1mm. 250mm or maybe even less is fine too, if you have a smaller printer. No issues with it not coming all the way down the lane (I tested the 250). The 1mm allows for VHB tape to secure it. If your using a very thin adhesive, 1.5mm is a good thickness, at least for my machine. If you want to be fancy. cut the far end at 45 degrees with a knife to match the ball guide. If someone wants to make one that also widens at the shooter end to follow ball guide there, even better. But a simple rectangle works.
I used a black PLA that has some speckles in it to blend better with the rail. a textured build surface would be good too.
edit: here's a thingiverse link if it helps anyone. if anyone makes something more sophisticated than a cuboid I'll happily point this page to your design
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5589060
Little homage to ABE_FLIPS that you can only see in the right light.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
From your images I was wondering if the ball can gets stuck a littlebit right at the beginning, since the plastic doesn't touch the kickout metal protector.
But you said it works, so thats great! Also thanks for sharing the file. LOL at the ABE FLIPS letters there hehehe
fooflighter cool to see all the different fixes, the skillshot works!
Quoted from bloodonthepins:What fooflighter did is his I thought this fix was supposed to be, just covering the top of the right ball guide so that the ball can't fall on top of it. The Lermods fix is something else, right? Basically making the plunge go more towards the left to avoid the ball guide altogether?
My idea, was to keep the ball 0.7 inches away from the right ballguide until it drops down onto the playfield. So that the ball can't fall onto the ballguide on the right hand side al it leaves the shooterlane. As long as it works its fine, right?
Lermods took the very short lengh approach, and event that seems to work.
Great to see all those successful skilshots, I have seen too many rattling balls there... I guess I'm already traumatized
Quoted from Tomass:My shooter lane ramp definitely overlaps the ball guide but not sure if it matters.
[quoted image]
If it bothers you, you can readjust the ramp. Losen up the top screw, and the one below the playfield. Now push the ramp in place and tighten the screws again.
Quoted from Dantesmark:What is this on either side of the inner cabinet?
Just spacers to keep the pf straight and tight?
Im thinking of removing them to put in a set of mirror blades that i got for a bally/williams game, but these are in the way.
[quoted image]
You are right, those hold the PF in place. You also can bend them a littlebit for a tigher fit. But make sure the end of the metal is not sticking outwards.
It should be bend in the middle, like it comes from factory.
There might be not enough space for the mirrors and the spacers at the same time.
Quoted from Lounge:*0.07 inch
damn the calculator always screws me 
Quoted from Sorokyl:Haha this is so close, but the angled part at the far tip needs to be the other way, to match the guide!!
This was my first intension, but I find it smarter this way. The piece is shorter to make the production easier and cheaper.
The full length is also not required.
Quoted from izzy:Is that stainless? Looks great, are you selling those?
thx
No, it was a messured piece of paper, later edited in photoshop, just for imagination.
Quoted from Pugster:I was wondering if it was wood!
ABE_FLIPS any thoughts on your fix being made out of wood? Specifically thinking a hardwood veneer stained black could be pretty nice…
I may give it a go when I’ve got some time!
Didn't thought about it, sure give it ago. I'm curious how it will work.
Quoted from greenmonk:That’s awesome! Do you have a dxf of it that you used to laser cut it? Also…what thickness is the metal? I have the ability to make that at my makerspace and would love to make one for my machine.
No sorry, I only know the thickness, its exactly 1.5mm on this one.
Quoted from Arcade:Just installed mine tonight.
Got it from LERMods.
Game plunges perfect now.
Such a simple fix and a must have.
Agree, made me a better player instantly with a new GC at ball 1
GC1 (resized).jpg
Hayfarmer
Can you post some pictures, maybe your plunger is off waaay too much?
Quoted from ExSquid:Got my Abe flips fix in as of last night, courtesy of Lermods. What power on the auto plung are you guys using? I might have to up mine a bit.
I turned it down a littlebit, since the plastic prevents the rattling and causes the ball to be faster then usual.
Quoted from awesome1:Damn nice score, especially if on actual Ball 1!
You can get some pretty big Skill Shot scores going especially if you can hit multiple behind the upper flipper into the scoop shots off the plunge!
You are right, with my new abe flips shooter lane fix it's so easy!
Abe Flips (resized).jpgQuoted from dino69:Hello, in September I made the design of this piece to cut in 1.5m or 2mm maximum, glued with double-sided film, to make a perfect shot without tripping on the saucer.
you can laser cut it in a polycarbonate or print it and cut it by hand in any other material of that thickness, I made mine with a mirror finish.
The most important thing is that the ball is expelled to the right so that this adapter guides it to the skill shot
I hope it helps you.
https://mega.nz/file/MwplRIYQ#3hsR1mbn-Woo3bfFZTcbbr5Tw8Y7d2-jHhIyoODDmFw
[quoted image][quoted image]
Looks awesome, and it should work very well!
The only reason not getting a Premium is if you can't affort it.
You won't have a lot of resell loss on pro or premium, so the >>it's not worth it<< argument never was valid.
The pro is an awesome pin, but the premium simply has more to offer.
Quoted from chuckwurt:I’m most likely out on all premiums going forward at least at first. I want the game now, not a year from now. And I’m tired of endlessly tweaking premium games.
They are always the more fun game though. That’s for sure. As it should be.
Sure, thats another reason to go pro.
Quoted from aaron6920:I don't know if I agree with that comment only reason not to purchase is if you can't afford it. Some of us actually do consider the value per $ spent when making the purchase and since this pinball is a disease I don't consider the resell of each at all when purchasing. I do think the resell argument is valid though when we get into 2023 GZ prem will probably be very plentiful available and a loss to sell like the other premiums out there. They are making A LOT of them
But I also have a pro and really like it, to me the building is really slow and drives me nuts. But I may be a bit impatient sometimes I will play Metallica instead of Rush because Met is instantly on and Rush takes two minutes to boot up. :)The premium of $2700 from Pro to Premium is really questioning the value to me.
good point. With that new prices I'm not sure if I will buy new maches at all...
James Bond Premium = 12.300 €
James Bond Pro = 9500 €
(Germany)
looks like important fixes, like the imposter and heat ray grace period!
I never understood whats the safest way to shoot the magnet so won't fall off it.
Now I guess you have a chance to collect the imposter anyway.
Quoted from KneeKickLou:I ordered a full kit when they came out and went back to regular flippers with just the bushings. I didn’t like the extra bounce of the full metal flippers. I think the bushings are the most important part imo. I do want to try the halos at some point since people say they “feel” more like the normal ones for catches, dead bounces, ect.
the bounce is stronger with the the full metal ones and less with the halos from what i have seen.
I played my first game with the new code and collected all imposters without even noticing. That does not feel right.
Maybe changing the setting, so that if the magnet doesn't grab the ball, the magna grab is lit again for a second try.
So you can experience the imposter again and dont collect the 4/4 accidentally.
For the abe flips fix, a little ball collision can happen one the transition from the metal (below the level) to the start of the plastic.
Thats why i prefer the full ballguide.
I have had also still some balls rattling after the cheap fix. Maybe someone replace the metal, and put in a longer piece to test this out. It should be no problem to update the 3d print file.
Also notice that for very slow plunging balls the rattling accours due to the cross/diagonal ball exit ramp. The ball will fall off to the left naturally if its too slow.
Abe Flips Fix (resized).jpg
Quoted from awesome1:Thanks, I prefer the plastic one I made to that one, but that is a good price. The one in Abe's post looks more form fit and appears to replace the lower shooter lane factory piece and extend it the full distance.
Which might be key for some, if you still having issues with the plunge. The transition to the flap should be even- right where the shooter lane fix starts.
If anyone is still interested in the expensive, high quality ABE FLIP FIX, you can now officially order it from a German shop.
The item is called "Skillshot Optimierer"
https://www.shop.freddys-pinball-paradise.de/index.php?f=3&q=3475053479
Abe Flips Fix 01 (resized).jpgQuoted from mcvetyty:Annd whats an Abholpreis vs a Versandpreis?
Pick up vs shipping
+1 for the MRS fix. I used a silver pen to make it look more appealing.
Works perfect. However, are you sure the skillshot still requires the upper gate to be triggered- wasn't there a code update so that only the spinner has to be triggered? Make the spinner a littlebit more sensitve- atleast if your imposter keeps failing.
I'm sure chuckwurt knows about this better than I.
Quoted from Fremen:I guess by hesitation, I mean the ball does not roll down the flipper smooth, it will occasionally get held up for microsecond which will affect the shot. As another person mentioned, i will give it some time and let the new rings get dirty.
I may move the upper flipper back just a tad so ball doesnt touch it when exiting the orbit
With thinner rubbers you increase the gap between the inlane metal and the flipper.
Also the new rubber material might be still to sticky, which stops the ball a littlebit.
It's is called "ball hop/flipper hop", and it happens on games with bigger inlane gaps and on very slow balls.
Keith's latest designs are made with extra long inlane matals, reaching over the flippers to prevent that.
Here you can see an explaination:
Quoted from scootss:ABE_FLIPS - One of my most common drains in this game is a ball coming off the right flipper, up the left inlane fast enough that it reaches the top and dribbles across to the left outlane. Any particular tips for this? thanks!
Sure, do a drop catch. (Watch the video i posted earlier, everything explained there)
Lets say the ball approaches the flipper and you want to cradle up you lift the flipper. So far so good.
drop catch (resized).png
Now instead of leaving the flipper in the up position, drop it at the instant the ball makes contact with the flipper rubber.
Depending on the balls angle of incidence you can control how far the ball will roll up the inlane with the timing of your drop catch.
By tropping the flipper in the right moment you take away the rebound energy, thus preventing the ball shooting up the inlane.
Also you can set up your next shot much more controlled. I never understand why even good players make this "mistake".
If the ball rolls too far up the inlane it also will come fast down back again which will make the upcaming shot harder.
Plus drop catches work very reliable once learned. No brainer!
Quoted from jackd104:Thanks for the tip. The skill
Shot switch was indeed stuck on causing the magnet to let go. It was the MRS mod recently installed. Apparently a flakey switch. Anyone else see this or I just got a bum switch?
[quoted image]
My MRS works perfect, also the magnet action.
Quoted from BrokenChair:I’ve had my premium for 2 days and already have 150 plays lmao So happy I upgraded over a pro the bride and building are too too cool …
Wow this game is actually kinda hard for me at first I’m liking the difficulty….
Any tips on hitting that scoop? Is it possible to regularly backhand that with the right flipper or is it mostly a left flipper shot
I haven’t defeated a single monster yet !!!
I cannot stop playing for the life of me that one more game pull is ridiculous
you can backhand (backflip) it from a rolling ball, but it needs some practice.
Repeat the forehand alot, so you get the timing right. Its on the tip of the flipper which makes the shot quite hard, since the ball accelerates as it rolls down the flipper. Watch my youtube tutorial on aiming, it might help.
1 month later
If you haven't voted yet, you can do so here at the TWIPYs Awards.
https://twipys.com/2022-twipys-ballot/
There is the [[Godzilla Skillshot fix from Lermods/ Abe Flips]] which helped with tonns of games for the skillshot.
And its a non profit project:
https://lermods.com/shop-by-game/ols/products/abe-flips-godzilla-pinball-shooter-lane-fix
Also don`t forget to vote for for my Tutorials in the youtube categories if you enjoy those
cheers
Quoted from evanc:It actually appears to have been removed from their website, weird. Maybe they're out of stock. But yes, I also replaced my lermods one with this. It is a night and day difference. The freddy's mod seems factory. You can see the mod here and there's a link to the website as well.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-godzilla-mod-thread/page/70#post-7308714
If you want to email them about it, their stock number for the item is GZ-SO
Just use the search bar and enter "skillshot optimizer". The Homepage is a littlebit outdated.
You can change language on the left side (choose flag).
https://www.shop.freddys-pinball-paradise.de/
Quoted from arzoo:I recently installed the shooter lane fix from Freddy's. While it looks super nice and is really solid, I didn't notice all that much of an improvement; I still get occasional ball launches that are not smooth. Maybe be something else going on with the plunger alignment or the plastic lane protector I have installed? I'll have to mess around with that.
You can try and turn down your autolaunch power. Sometimes mine also shoots a littlebit too strong with the mod.
1 month later
Quoted from JBtheAVguy:Curious question... Is the shooter lane meant to be floppy (for lack of a better term) and this is why we see the ABE fix? Or is it poor engineering?
I see no reason why a designer want to make a rattling skillshot which only works on 50% of the plunges.
On some machines it does work without the fix and I guess that was the case with Keiths white wood.
However, I never heard a statement from him about the skillshot problems.
We all know flaws on different games, thats no shame.
Make sure to understand the picture well *perspective REAR VIEW* and you will understand what- and why the rattling happens.
Pinside_forum_7205831_0.gifPinside_forum_7206654_0 (resized).jpgUse some Loctite 243 on the magnet screw and it wont get loose anymore.
It's true that the magnet shouldn't spin. However, I din't saw a difference in performance.
Quoted from Nokoro:I would say this is a tad controversial. Most, including me, would argue you don’t need a playfield protector in a modern game in a home use environment. Just keep it clean and wax every 500 games or so, and you’ll be fine.
I would say this is a tad controversial. Most, including me, would argue you don't need to wax a modern game. The ball will be unpredictable and lightning fast. Cleaning is enough
Quoted from TeaHaus:Fair enough, though I don't quite get the controversy. It's kind of like putting mylar on the playfield. You're just putting a thin plastic on the playfield. I think it works well for the money. To each his own though, that is true!!
It is, games are not designed for them and they can cause alot of strange problems, like airballs, or altered ball paths. It might work on alot of games, but can also cause alot of headache. Dust will also creap under the protector and over time it's like a smooth sandpaper also causing wear on the playfield. There is also the altered feeling of gameplay which you might or might not like.
2 months later
Godzill PinClash Tournament today at 3pm Eastern/12pm Pacific on IE Pinball.
Tune in https://www.twitch.tv/iepinball
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West Des Moines, IA
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