Godzilla (Limited Edition)
Stern, 2021
Godzilla (Premium)
Stern, 2021
Godzilla (Pro)
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Hello everyone! Joined the club today with a like new premium model. Lots of tasteful mods on the game, including some licensed Stern side rails. I'm not really a fan of how my fingers rest on the cutouts in the side armor, so I'm considering swapping over to some traditional lollipop rails. What's a set of Stern licensed Godzilla rails selling for these days? Are they still available new? Thanks!!
Quoted from purbeast:I want to adjust my slingshots to be a bit more sensitive. Too many times I have the ball hit the rubber at an angle and they don't fire, and it makes it unpredictable and I just don't like it.
The ones on my JP are super sensitive and I like how they fire basically every time it hits the rubbers.
I compared the two slingshots and the gap is noticeably larger on GZ than JP.
I have one of those leaf switch adjustment tools however I have never used it.
Do I have to take the plastic off of the slingshot and adjust from the top? Or is it recommended to do it from below? Or is there no "better" way to do it?
Since I've never done it before I just want to be sure I do it right to close the gaps a bit.
If you have the tool that is double ended, you shouldn't have to remove anything at all. Adjust from the top of playfield. Easy 5 minute job. Make them as sensitive as you like, or not.
Quoted from kool1:Thanks guys - I will probably order these. Little cheaper than the ones at Cointaker also!
I just picked up a premium secondhand over the weekend and it has those exact lights on it. I normally hate speaker lights. Can't stand them. But the flame effect with the city scape looks amazing!! Well done!
Added 14 months ago:EDIT: TURNS OUT THE FLAME DESTRUCTION LIGHT KIT THAT CAME INSTALLED ON MY PREMIUM GODZILLA IS MADE BY DOUG, AT LEDSPEAKERLIGHTS.COM
I wanted to add this to help avoid any confusion
Added 14 months ago:Shit.... it's Speakelights.com not the other address
Added 14 months ago:For fucks sake, I'll get it right sooner or later. It's
Speakerlightkits.com
Quoted from BrokenChair:I installed comet spotlights to make Godzilla brighter one of the lights came defective ;
The other light works but I’m honestly just thinking of going for pin stadiums ; these comet spot lights were very finicky to me and not solid;
Example the defective light had a loose defective housing there is no way it would work; second light kept falling out of socket had to keep it in with double sided tape
Does anyone recommend any model is the $650 pin stadium worth it that’s super pricey I wonder which game needs light more GZ or AIQ seems GZ
The basic pinstadiums at $299 will add all the lighting you need and have the UV flash. People either love or hate Pinstadiums. That's another pandoras box you've just inadvertently opened. Lol. I personally need more lighting for my 51 year old eyes. So, I'm in the yes column for pinstadiums. They do make raising your playfield more of a hassle though.
Quoted from kool1:Love Rush and GOTG - on the flip side I don't care for Avengers. All personal taste but Borg, Elwin and Gomez all have some amazing games.
Please post comparative video of yours and the others.
I'm very open to any product.
I just wanted to clarify something. Turns out the Flame effects kit that came on my Godzilla premium is made by Doug at speakerlightkits.com. I had no idea that more than 1 version existed. I'm quite pleased with the flame effect on them, it looks awesome and I think anyone would agree. As to how it compares with the others? I haven't seen others to know. Sorry for the confusion.
Quoted from Pastor69:Anyone else having problems installing the new update with the use of wifi? Right when the update is about to complete it just says v1.03 up to date. Stuck in a loop..?
Godzilla can update via wifi ?? My next newest Stern is a GoTG, and it cannot. Did Stern finally go wifi?
Quoted from Bmanpin:Yes with insider connected all the games that have this can pull software updates.
Ahhhh, yes!! A definite Duuuuhhhhh moment on my part. Gotta have wifi for insider to work 
Quoted from Kevin_LHeureux:I make these for just this type of reason and to help install my Godzilla bridge mod and other mods in general. A set of these will go a long way towards helping you get the screw back in. https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1437-performance-pinball/07842-playfield-jacks-
I don’t have a link handy now but I’m happy to send you my bridge installation instructions which you can use to guide you through the repair.
Those are super cool, a great idea. I was going to buy a set until I saw the price!! Is that a typo? 55 bucks ?! Plus 10 bucks to ship?
Quoted from javagrind888:$65 shipped. Those clamps that Cary Hardy suggested were $.88 at Harbor Freight and worked great for me.
Just saw that video. I'll stop at HF on my way home and grab a set. I need some of whatever they're smoking out in Cali... 
Now that's pretty cool and very unique! Just ordered one! I'll use it in conjunction with my generic one from the goodie bag.
Quoted from m00nmuppet:What a run Godzilla had at the top of the Pinside rankings. I wonder how it did vs. MM, in terms of longevity. About to get dethroned by Stern Star Trek LE, which is piling up new almost-10 ratings out of nowhere.
Something is up with the top 100 rankings lately. Last week AC/DC suddenly appeared in the top 5. Today it's in the 20s and Star Trek has appeared out of nowhere. Something Is definitely strange. I know Robin has been working on new ranking systems that separate the different trim levels of games or something like that. I wonder if that's what's going on?
Quoted from SonOfaDiddly:i know no one cares and the horse has been beaten fully and thoroughly to death but how can you care about ratings when longtime members with dozens of them just come out and post that they will rate games a 1 regardless of what they actually think about them if they don't like the manufacturers' business practices?
the ratings mean nothing, lebowski
I agree, the ratings are basically useless. I don't care about them per say. Just posting what I observed recently.
Quoted from zh2oson:I care deeply about the value other people place on my life decisions
I mean, yeah, lol. That's my main concern as well. Duh...
Quoted from Bohdi:Perfect, thanks. I'll redo it here tomorrow. So, it should automatically download when the game is turned on? That's how it worked on IMDN
Make sure you delete everything else on the flash drive, and format it to fat32 first. Then do the drag and drop with each file. Then, yes, machine off, insert thumb drive, machine on. Follow the on screen prompts. You should be set
So, to be clear, should the flippers be aligned centered with the dots? Or drooping below the dots? My machine has them drooping slightly below the dots, but I bought it secondhand, so it may have been adjusted.
Quoted from maroot:I’m getting my Premium at the end of the week and in the meantime, i have been playing at a machine on location. I am really struggling with trapping the ball. I never had a problem trapping on my Deadpool (which I no longer have). The games seem to be total chaos to me, since I struggle to control. Is there a difference? Perhaps I should look and see if the flippers are lined up to the dots?
You might like the feel of Superbands on your lower flippers (might not either). They have a less bouncy feel and make controlling the ball a bit easier in my opinion. I love them, others hate them.
Quoted from blueberryjohnson:Do superbands create more backspin than other rubbers? I have them on my godzilla and have crazy backspin. Thought it was a machine thing, but saw mention elsewhere recently that superbands are backspin creators. So now I'm wondering if I should swap them out.
I've been happy using them since, in my experience, they hold up much longer (had them on three times as long as others without any tearing) and also don't get dirty super quick like others I've tried.
I have Superbands on all 11 of my machines. Have for a long time. I don't think they create any more backspin than anything else, especially once they get a little dust on them. That being said, I have noticed GZ gets some crazy ball spin going on every now and then. I'm guessing due to unusual geometry?
Quoted from awesome1:Why? What would you change?
Agreed. Some games really really need alternative soundtracks (GoTG, I'm looking at you). Godzilla just simply doesn't need it. It's awesome as is. No sense in messing with something that's near perfection.
Quoted from Lateralus:I see all these people getting their GZ this week. I had a deposit down with Cointaker (never again) back in Nov 2021. They invoiced me back in January with deadline to pay Jan 11th. She stated I'm in for the Feb run, so I paid in full. I'm still not happy about giving them an interest free loan for 6 weeks for a game that isn't shipping immediately, but I just told myself I'll never deal with them again and paid it.
I still have not received my game or any communication about it. When I emailed her this morning, she said " they are making some now, then Bond 60th, then back to GZ." I wrote back pretty frustrated stating that it's been 6 weeks since I paid and you can't even clarify if I'm getting my game in this run? When will I get it or am I getting it soon? No response yet.
Anyone else experience this? I'm actually really, really pissed off now.
Old Town Pinball has one NIB listed right now in stock ready to ship. Not marked up either. Just saying.
Quoted from Lateralus:They will never get business from me again, that's a promise. I did call around, but I was too late in doing so. They were the only ones I could get an Alien from, so I also put down for a GZ at the same time. After Alien, and how much of a shit show it was with them handling my pin and screwing up my #, I emailed my other distros asking if I could get a Feb run and they couldn't promise one. Did I call everyone? No. Only the ones I trusted and have worked with and met personally; around 8-10 of them.
I decided to wait it out and was surprised with an invoice in early January from CT; I didn't know they did that bc they didn't do that with Alien. So, now since I'm paid in full I'll just wait, but never again. And I'm sure there are people who love CT, and that's fine, but imo experience they have been the worst distro to work with.
I'll say this. Melissa at cointaker is someone I can call or text and get a response immediately. I have bought 1 game from them NIB, but have dealt with them on many other occasions. I personally haven't had a bad experience with them and consider them to be an honest and reliable dealer. The pinball production and shipping situation right now is a total shit show and we're all feeling the pain, including distributors. There are definitely some shady distributors out there, but I don't think Cointaker deserves to be in that category. I honestly think they're doing the best they can all things considered. Have a bit more patience (I know it's tough, I've been there myself) and I'm sure you'll get your game shortly.
What is this shooter lane fix? I just got my premium a few weeks ago and I have noticed the skill shot is difficult to make due the ball losing momentum randomly due to rattles up the lane. I'll take the translucent one if that's what I need to remedy the situation.
Quoted from brucipher:Sorry everyone - have to pull this offer. Was just trying to be helpful (thought this was open source since it was originally created by Abe_flips, then sold by Lermods with the file available to everyone), but Lermods was a bit upset that I did this and said he may have to pull the public 3D file for others to use. I don't want that to happen, so I will throw these in the garbage.
Again, my apologies...didn't mean to upset anyone.
Wow, it's not like you printed 100 of them and were selling them. Upset because you had 2 and offered to help out a couple pinsiders? That's kind of petty if you ask me.
I just had a look at the NIB listings here on Pinside and saw a couple dealers advertising premiums as In stock and ready to ship. Definitely get that money back and get one shipped to you today!
Quoted from Shuoink:I have noticed this also actually
Quoted from Pugster:Funny I actually dialed my shaker down recently as well. Maybe a code change?
Hadn't thought about that. It could definitely be code related. If it is, it should be listed in the read me code files on Stern website. Assuming it was an intentional update and not a bug.
Quoted from SkyJammer:My GZ Premium showed up today, yea. When I pulled the playfield up (to check connections), it was held very tight. After I did my checks and went to put playfield back, I could not get the brackets to go in the slots. I have checked for anything catching or binding but don't see anything. Has anyone else seen this problem or am I missing something? My other games slide right into the slots without applying a bunch of force.
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That's almost always something hung up behind the rear of the playfield. Make sure no wires hung up back there and also make sure the top portion of the back wall of the playfield has clearance.
Edit: maybe also raise the playfield back up and check the metal sliders inside the cab that the playfield rests on. Make sure nothing looks out of place there
Quoted from tgarrett09:Was super excited to get this as my first pinball machine but apparently it got damaged in shipping by FedEx. Box looked fine but they clearly dropped it. Now I have no idea what’s going to happen… not a great day for sure.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Also, don't forget to document all correspondence with your distributor and/or Stern. Dates, times, names, etc...
Quoted from JBtheAVguy:I apologize if this is off topic as well as my ignorance. What does it mean when there's a post with nothing but a period? CoolCatPinballs post is just a period.
.
I posted a comment, then thought id just PM the person instead of public post. Since we can't remove a post, many people edit it to just a "."
Base coat is Ink black. Top coats called "Gojira" from prismaticpowders.com. In low light it almost appears black, but when light hits it, it's a very high metallic color shifting type deal. Lots of green with some gold thrown in. Super happy with the results.
20230307_174913 (resized).jpg20230307_174926 (resized).jpgQuoted from dsmoke1986:If you don't mind me asking...How much does this cost, and is it a pain in the butt to remove those siderails?
Newer Sterns are easy to remove the armor. They don't use double sided tape. Side rails use 2 Phillips screws, and a bolt at each end. The head does have to fold down to remove the back bolt (unless you're removing the hinges also). Legs, Lockbar, you know that stuff. My local place charges $80 to strip and sandblast the original finish off, then $225 to do the coating. They provide any base coat needed. I buy the color I want from Prismaticpowders.com and bring it to them. I've had numerous games done, and I have spare armor sets on hand (they aren't terribly expensive). That way the game isn't torn apart for weeks waiting on the job to be complete.
Quoted from joelbob:Yeah this looks awesome! Do you have pics of them on the game yet?
Not just yet. I'll get it installed this weekend.
Quoted from joelbob:Yeah this looks awesome! Do you have pics of them on the game yet?
I got motivated and got the armor on. Hard to capture the metallic and color shifting effect on camera, but here you go
20230307_174926 (resized).jpg20230309_232903 (resized).jpg20230309_232920 (resized).jpg20230309_232935 (resized).jpg20230309_233002 (resized).jpg20230309_233043 (resized).jpgQuoted from Lateralus:I dig that, man. I bet it looks better in person. What colors are those?
The base coat is "ink black", top coat is "Gojira". Both from Prismaticpowders.com. A local shop here in Knoxville does it for me.
Quoted from math08:Finally, after all the angst with my first dealer, got my Premium today. Thanks Jason from Classic Game Rooms. A stellar dealer. Also, got my full refund check in the mail today from the first disaster. What a great day.
[quoted image][quoted image]
Congratulations! Now that you have your refund, who was the original bad dealer? Save us all the potential headache of dealing with them in the future.
Quoted from Shuoink:Alright gang, its time for me to give this thing its first cleaning. Ive never owned a pin before,
Ive heard everything from just use rubbing alcohol on it, to waxing, etc.
there are the usual teeny dents on the playfield here and there, if there is some kind of wax/something i can put on it to help smooth out the playfield in between cleanings, that would be dope.
The threads i find in regard to cleaning seem to be years old and not sure if the finishes and products used today are still the same/etc or if i just need to wipe it down with a rag and some alcohol and call it good or something?
(AND replace the balls if any recommendations)
Thanks.
On a new game all that is needed is a coat of good 100% carnuba wax (I personally like mothers in the tin can). Don't overthink it. Definitely don't break out the alcohol or anything abrasive. Harsher chemicals are usually reserved for restorations on older machines that have seen decades of on location use and neglect.
Side note: Novus contains abrasives and technically is a plastic polish. You definitely don't need it on a new machine
One can of this will last you for years!!
Screenshot_20230322_161629_Amazon Shopping (resized).jpgQuoted from ShineSpark:I'm wondering if this is the sort of thing I should be concerned about cutting up my balls
What you do with your balls and your wireforms is your own personal business. Lol.
But seriously, if there are sharp pieces of the welds that could cause issues, I'd file them down, or gently carefully "crush" them down with some needle nose pliers. That way your Balls aren't in danger any longer 
Quoted from javagrind888:Can anyone tell me where these two black washers go. Left them off while installing armor.
[quoted image]
Backbox hinges I do believe. Inside the cab, behind this bolt.
16800551290447046996587946408963 (resized).jpg
16800552058617269238474960248020 (resized).jpgQuoted from BallyKISS1978:How much is it?
This
I bought a used machine that already had the Tokyo neon sign mod. I had no idea it's programmable?? How so?
Quoted from math08:Go on stumblorpinball.com. He has a great video which shows him programming the sign and how to make adjustments to the lights.
Thanks!
Quoted from FatPanda:For those looking for the side armor and egg shooter rod, I've seen pictures of the gold color wearing off on the inserts of the side armor and color wearing off the egg. I can't rember if someone posted it in this thread, but I certainly wouldn't be happy if I paid 400+ on these additions to have the color wearing off. Just fyi.
That is kind of a bummer on the shooter rod. On the armor, the inserts are literally cardboard double sided taped to the armor, so they can be swapped out easily. Amazon has reflective poster board in different colors real cheap. I actually though about changing mine just to mix it up a bit.
Screenshot_20230417_151027_Amazon Shopping (resized).jpgQuoted from Blast:I’ve played my Premium about 500x and think what happened for the first time has to be related to the 1.05 but I didn’t see it in the specs. During multiball the magna grab kept grabbing until it was holding 4 balls out of 6!! How do I access this again on purpose? It was awesome. Please tell me it wasn’t my game glitching.
[quoted image]
Yes, it's update related. Mine did it also. It's a neat new feature in my opinion.
Quoted from awesome1:I have not had this happen before or after the latest update...
Interesting. It's gotta be associated with a particular mode or multiball. Unfortunately, I don't remember what mode I started when it happened....lol
Quoted from Pinfidel:The only thing I was considering was sending all the armor out for powder coating in a sparkle green color.
Sparkle green you say?... I posted this a while back. Not sure if you saw it, but I'm quite happy with the results! This can give you an idea of what it looks like anyway. Color is called "Gojira"
20230307_174926 (resized).jpg20230309_233002 (resized).jpgQuoted from GCS2000:Nice!
We went red with the same Ghidora rails. Armor is with Steve getting done. Will be a few weeks which is no big deal and can't want to get it back and install it.
Just curious do the flipper buttons go on top of the rails or are this rails the kind with a larger hole and it goes around them?
Larger holes. No need to remove the buttons for the install.
I just got the impression that arzoo was happy with the sign he bought, and wanted to show it off a bit. I didn't get an advertisement vibe from that. I do find it kind of irritating when people pop in and blatantly say "hey, I've got this ...insert product here.... for sale if anyone is interested".
Quoted from BlackBelt:I went off about this in post #20650 in this thread...callout needs to go, it's super tacky.
I agree. Trouble is Stern doesn't read these forums. Maybe we should all start calling and/or emailing?
Quoted from Willey:In The Club Finally.
But one question the collapsing bridge how and where do I loosen it up to easily install playfield protector?
Don't use a playfield protector.
EDIT: Just saw northerndude beat me to it
Quoted from J85M:I’ve played a GZ with a protector and it played like shit compared to the pro and premium I have access at mine and at a buddies.
Don’t stress about the protector and just enjoy all the fun that comes with GZ.
Every game I've ever played with a protector (only a handful) have played like shit. I hate those things. The only practical use I can see for them is to preserve an older playfield that already has some wear on it. They just don't belong on faster playing HUO machines.
Quoted from pinballaddicted:Congrats and welcome to the club!
It is your game, do what you want with it
I agree with this
Quoted from pinballaddicted:They play the same and you cannot tell if the game has a protector or not.
I STRONGLY disagree with this
Quoted from pinballaddicted:I have never had an issue selling a machine with a protector on.
I have 100% passed on multiple machines specially because they have protectors on them, but maybe that's just me
Quoted from pinballaddicted:There are plenty of pinsiders that use playfield protectors
Sure, if "plenty" means a vast minority
Quoted from pinballaddicted:Exactly what I am talking about. Noisy minority. Most people do not give a shit if a game has a protector or not.
Each to their own.
Indeed, to each, their own. l love you, pinball friend 
All right, I've spent some time looking here and online for an answer, and I'm having no luck. My building has started intermittently recognizing balls that pass through the bottom. It's making some modes and destruction jackpot very frustrating. In switch test, the entry optos work great, and the exit gate registers perfectly. The magnet is good and strong. Is there an additional switch insde the building? Any thoughts on what could cause it to be intermittent? What should I be looking at? Thanks!
Quoted from EaglePin:Here’s what I’d do to test it. And I just checked on my machine to make sure it works.
- Take the glass off and go into switch test
- take a ball out and either close the coin door or pull out the interlock switch
- while in switch test, use the flippers to repeatedly shoot through the building. This will give you a true test of what’s going on when you’re playing vs using your hand to test the switches.
Watch the switch number showing on the top left of the LCD. On shots through the building you should see the switch number show 52 and then 53. Whichever one of those is only intermittently registering will be the issue.
That's kind of what I did. I was in switch test and was rolling balls through by hand. I didn't spot any unusual behavior. I'll give it another go and report back shortly. So I'm gathering from your answer there is no 3rd switch?
Ok, it's the entrance opto. It was registering last time I had the glass off. It's not now. I'll have a look at the wires, etc. Anyone have any previois experience with this?
Quoted from EaglePin:Here’s what I’d do to test it. And I just checked on my machine to make sure it works.
- Take the glass off and go into switch test
- take a ball out and either close the coin door or pull out the interlock switch
- while in switch test, use the flippers to repeatedly shoot through the building. This will give you a true test of what’s going on when you’re playing vs using your hand to test the switches.
Watch the switch number showing on the top left of the LCD. On shots through the building you should see the switch number show 52 and then 53. Whichever one of those is only intermittently registering will be the issue.
Thanks for the help. The optos kept working then not working as I was tinkering. I ended up removing the optics from the game, reflowing the solder on both boards, and reinstalled. Seems to work like a champ now. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Quoted from J85M:Any video out there yet what the Stern topper does? The official video did not really show all that much, I have got the trailer on my tv right now as I type this and they dont show the heat ray breath lighting up, would be grateful for some footage from an owner when they get theirs in hand, thank you in advance.
Besides the flame effects, I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't do a damn thing but light up.
Quoted from superNoid:Which rubbers are the best for this game?
I love translucent Titans
Quoted from Nicholastree:I'm going to powder coat my armor this summer. Anyone have a suggestion for better side armor than Stern stock (one with flipper button protection)? The only one I've seen is the Stern side armor for $290, which is an exceedingly high price.
Pinballlife.com has some nice raw metal lollipop rails $59. Perfect for powder coat
https://www.pinballlife.com/raw-steel-button-guard-side-rails-for-stern.html
Quoted from Nicholastree:Thanks, dude. I just placed an order. Added an external volume/headphone jack and a couple other mods. Those lollipop rails are perfect. And reasonably priced at $60. Thanks so much!
Absolutely man! I love pinball life. They also have other armor pieces that are ready for powder like legs, lockdown bars, hinges, etc. All at reasonable prices.
Quoted from Salami_Inferno:Do you guys recommend replacing the stock balls on a new machine?
If they look fine, no. However, I have seen stock balls have some corrosion or pitting right out the bag. So, just have a good look at them and replace if necessary.
I love my Pinstadium lights. Almost always, when someone has a very negative opinion of them, it's because they saw pictures or played a game with Pinstadiums that were set on some obnoxious color. The thing to remember with Pinstadium is you can fully adjust the color, brightness, and how they behave. I personally just put them on a nice neutral clear and set them to medium or high brightness depending on the game. Much like the pics from Trojanlaw above. But hey, if you want to set them to "strip club blue", it's your game and they're adjustable from an app on your phone. Lol. My only gripe comes when I have to raise the playfield, forget they're there, and bump them.
Quoted from MasterOnion5:I'm not sure about that, but my cat did decide my Titan flipper rubbers would be fun toys to move around the house. It will be interesting to see if she watches the ball when playing. (seriously, do we all have cats? I have the Etsy I play pinball, pet cats, and know things t-shirt.)
Cats LOVE rubber rings!! My cat knows where I keep the rings and whenever I go to grab a few, she follows me in and begs! I always wash the old rings off and give them to her. Then guests come over, find them on the floor, and say "hey, you dropped a ring, you need this?"
Quoted from CapeCodPin:I was going to purchase a Shooter Lane Kickout Protector Kit ( https://www.pinballlife.com/pinguard-ball-shooter-lane-kickout-protector-kit-for-stern-machines.html) but it looks like Stern has added one already to my Godzilla Premium? Am I right??
I'm new at this so no flames plz![quoted image]
Yes, most all newer Stern pins have that particular piece installed from the factory. Lots of people still buy a protector for the wood portion of the shooter lane though. I don't worry about it personally.
Quoted from JBtheAVguy:Bought Spiderpins glow plastics full kit in green. This is one of the best bang for your buck mods I've come across. Well done!
Pics?
Quoted from allsportdvd:Finally took the plunge and powdercoated my Godzilla in hammertone green. I’m quite happy with the results so thought I’d share
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I just love powder coat. It makes the machine pop. Not to mention, the black wrinkle finish Stern uses is like sandpaper on my thumbs after a long session of playing. Yes, my thumbs rest on the edges of the rails, not sure if that's the norm or not. Looks great!
Quoted from Bublehead:No, I am aware of this issue, and yes, my machine is ALSO doing what yours did, however, in test mode, the #52 switch/opto is not working. And replacing it made it work for about 15 to 20 games and then it failed again. Not sure if it is crappy optos, crappy design, or a crappy build, but something is not right, and not sure putting a third new opto in to just fail again is the best use of my $10 bucks for a new opto right now. Why would it fail so soon after replacement, and why did it fail so soon after delivery are the two questions that have no answer, and blowing $10 on a new opto without doing anything else is the definition of insanity. We have already broke it twice within 48 hours, same part both times. Something else is up and a third opto would only be a $10 gaurantee that something is still wrong.
The new stern optos seem to have some issues. Maybe a bad run from the factory making them? If you can solder, reflow the solder where the wires connect to the board. That's worked for me on two machines now. Including my GZ building entrance opto.
Quoted from Big_C_70092:here is the process for opto board replacement
seems pretty easy
remov 4 circled nuts:
then follow the directions on the next pic[quoted image][quoted image]
I remember them being a bit difficult to remove from the underside of the playfield. It was a pretty tight fiddly area as I recall. I just reflowed the solder and it fixed my optos.
Quoted from bloodonthepins:I don't get how to obtain these new badges. Stern doesn't seem to want to explain then either.
Not that these badges matter at all, but I enjoy a specific challenge that might make me want to play the game a little differently.
Which ones? Some aren't active just yet. Stern seems to be explaining them on their FB page as they go active.
That's why I just don't buy toppers. Ever. I have some games with toppers on them, but that's how they came to me, and I don't put any extra value into a topper when buying used. But, there's plenty of people who do buy them at ridiculous prices, so Stern will keep pumping them out.
Quoted from Jagrmaister:All about getting these 12 day of Kaiju badges, but without throwing my games in the toilet this 10 in a day is a marathon when you've had 2x 500M and 1x 1B game... might end it with a 6/10 since I have to work soon!
Turn off the ball save and just plunge you last 4 games. Get the badge 
Quoted from math08:My biggest problem with getting all 12 badges is that we are going away for 3 days after Christmas to visit kids/grandkids. I have no idea of arcades where we are going, and if they have a Godzilla I can log into.
If you have a buddy that will help you out, send them a screenshot of your IC barcode and have them scan you in. My friends and I help each other out like that regularly when these "play every day" challenges happen
I only managed to put 5 games on GZ last night before my wife started yelling at me. Cumulative score of 2.3 billion. There were a couple real stinker games in there. It's going to be a long haul ladies and gents!
Quoted from Kabball:So in the last few weeks I have added both GZ Prem and STH Prem - both share an issue where once in a few games it will have a moment where it spits out two balls into the shooting lane. I feel like my Star Wars Pro did this initially but seemed to stop after the game broke in. Is there some adjustment here? is it ejecting balls from the trough with too much power which results in two?
Two balls with one fire of the coil, or is the coil firing twice (once for each ball)?
Quoted from Kabball:Quite sure two balls with one fire of the coil
Could be a flaky opto in the trough, perhaps a shooter lane switch. I'd think a flaky shooter lane switch would cause the coil to fire twice though. You have a shooter lane protector in place?
Quoted from caffeineninja:Turn down the trough eject to about 160-175. I had the same issue with my NIB GZ Premium, and turning it down to 175 helped. Ran through the trough test for 15 minutes and no extra balls.
Yeah, if the eject is kicking up a ball so hard that it bounces back in, or rattles around and doesn't make it out of the chute, next attempt would fire two balls. Good call!
I set my game to 10 balls per game just for the challenge. Two reasons. 1, the challenge itself. 2, I'll most likely never see some of the final modes on 3 balls anyway. I'm at about 15 billion cumulative currently and having fun progressing through the game. I'll just reset the high scores when I'm done if it bothers me. Just an idea that some of you may like.
If you're chasing that 25B achievement, get into the settings. Set "allow high scores" to NO so you don't mess up your scores. Then set the game on 10 balls per game and let it rip. You'll have fun seeing modes you havnt seen before and your scores will go up exponentially
Quoted from Matsurigatzu:Wife and I just keep getting screwed over by the putlanes. What’s the best way in settings to overcome the ball constantly going out on us? New to pinball
Nothing much in the settings will prevent outlane drains besides turning down the slings coil power. If you haven't already, move the adjustable posts to make the outlanes narrower. That's about all you can do.
Quoted from CapeCodPin:This new fan is so quiet, it's unreal.
I agree 100%. I held out forever, and told myself "the stock fan isn't that noisy". I was convinced people were just wasting their money and time installing the quiet fan mod. Well, I bought a Stern DP secondhand that had the quiet fan installed, and I was stunned at the difference. Now every Stern I own gets a quiet fan kit immediately. Well worth the money and short time it takes to install.
Quoted from Moeman65:IMHO, I have always preferred the stock fan just for the assurance that it is working. Rather hear the occasional noise of the fan than see or the smells of the electronics overheating because the quiet fan wasn't operating.
Nah, get 5 sterns in one small room and see if you change your mind. Besides, the cpu has thermal safety controls that will shut the game down if a fan fails and it gets too hot. PinMonk can give you the exact specs, but it's pretty much fool proof, and whisper silent.
Quoted from freddy:I got 7 in one room, mind not changed.
To each their own. I'm just saying there's no more risk to running the silent fans than there is running the stock fans. So saying you prefer the stock fans because you know they're running is a moot point. Stern has built in fail-safes in case a fan fails. If you don't mind the noise, more power to ya.
Quoted from Tophervette:First, I just installed 6 new Ball Baron Carbon steel balls from Pinball Life. They worked great with Magna Grab and MechaGodzilla magnets.
Second, in my frustration as an average pinball player with a max score of 850,000,00 one time on 6 balls and easy settings, I decided to up the ante and go with the max of 10 balls. I wanted to see more 2 cities and 2 monsters. Now my games are in 500,000,000 range. However, since I changed to 10 balls, My scores are no longer registered as a high score with initials. With 6 balls it allowed me to have my one 850 million game and the rest were in the 400's. My new games with 10 balls do not save as high score. I guess this is in the code.
But at least I did get to see King of the Monsters for a few minutes.
Sounds like you accidentally turned the "allow high scores" to off or never(i forget the exact verbage). There is a setting in the menu. The number of balls shouldn't have anything to do with wether you can enter your initials for a high score.
Quoted from VisitorQ:So I am having the issue with the Stern Armor where the foil is losing color in a spot from the oil in my hands. I did search the thread a bit to find that replacement card stock can be ordered off Amazon but I was wondering how it attaches for the people who have replaced it? Also did anyone go with any other color than gold and do you have a picture you can post?
Thanks
ps. Is this a good replacement material?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L1M9GVF/ref=ewc_pr_img_1[quoted image]
That stuff will do just fine. I had my armor powder coated and had to remove the card stock. It's just held in place with a few pieces of double sided tape. Easy to remove. Amazon also has multi color packs if you want to play around with the different colors.
An afterthought: perhaps you could have the replacement cards laminated to prevent future wear? Hmmmm 
Quoted from Buckeye82:I think a layer of mylar would protect it. And don't we all have mylar?
Excellent point!
Since we're all sharing our opinions, I bought a set of precision flippers with bushings for my DP to try them out. Love the way they look, love the easy adjustment. They do indeed have a different feel to them that I neither like nor dislike. Just different. After playing on them for months, I'm leaving them installed on the game, but won't be buying more unless the price comes down a good bit.
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Knoxville, TN
