(Topic ID: 257038)

Stern Stranger Things

By pinmister

4 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 7,154 posts
  • 647 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 2 years ago by Collin
  • Topic is favorited by 76 Pinsiders

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Topic poll

“Are you interested in a Stern Stranger Things pinball machine?”

  • Yes, I am interested if it plays well and has polished code 492 votes
    40%
  • No, I am not interested 439 votes
    36%
  • Maybe, not a huge fan of the franchise but maybe if it plays well 100 votes
    8%
  • I like pizza 202 votes
    16%

(1233 votes)

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Topic index (key posts)

13 key posts have been marked in this topic, showing the first 10 items. (Show topic index)

There are 7,154 posts in this topic. You are on page 77 of 144.
#3801 4 years ago

I can see Red fading speaker lights being cool on this game.

#3802 4 years ago
Quoted from Viggin900:

I can see Red fading speaker lights being cool on this game.

Went with purple for the LE. Can’t wait!

#3803 4 years ago
Quoted from jimwe5t:

7. Is there a better pinball song than 80s TMNT?
I’m in on this one, cause it seems they’ve fixed issues on the PF and such. Welcome to 2020!

Not just the theme song, but the 80s cartoon had an amazing library of stock music they used within the show. I hope the games music is heavily based on it.

What makes you think they’ve fixed the pf issues? Have you seen the crater STh playfield pix? Then again, I just played a JP that looked fine...it’s a crapshoot, and that still worries me.

-4
#3804 4 years ago

This game has a lot of possibilities for lights. Even with a projector red pinstadiums may work?

#3805 4 years ago
Quoted from Rarehero:

Not just the theme song, but the 80s cartoon had an amazing library of stock music they used within the show. I hope the games music is heavily based on it.
What makes you think they’ve fixed the pf issues? Have you seen the crater STh playfield pix? Then again, I just played a JP that looked fine...it’s a crapshoot, and that still worries me.

I'm all in on a TMNT pin especially if Borg is doing the playfield. None of his designs have ever let me down.

But here's the thing, if playfield dimples will let you down, then I'd just make up your mind now that you won't be totally happy in that regard. It's going to dimple, some more than others, likely due to the variance in wood they use. You likely play the "dimple lotto" because you may get one that dimples more then another.

Thankfully I am not irritated by that at all and I don't really care because I actually never see them unless I really try to look for them. Playing the game I never see them. No one else who's played my machines see them.

Now when I had ghosted inserts in my GB and clear coat pieces chipping off? Yeah, that sucked and pissed me off.

I'd say this, if you truly want a specific game or theme - just buy it to have fun and just don't get close enough to see the dimples. Just buy it and have a blast

#3806 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

I'm all in on a TMNT pin especially if Borg is doing the playfield. None of his designs have ever let me down.
But here's the thing, if playfield dimples will let you down, then I'd just make up your mind now that you won't be totally happy in that regard. It's going to dimple, some more than others, likely dude to the variance in wood they use. You likely play the "dimple lotto" because you may get one that dimples more then another.
Thankfully I am not irritated by that at all and I don't really care because I actually never see them unless I really try to look for them. Playing the game I never see them. No one else who's played my machines see them.
Now when I had ghosted inserts in my GB and clear coat pieces chipping off? Yeah, that sucked and pisses me off.
I'd say this, if you truly want a specific game or theme - just buy it to have fun and just don't get close enough to see the dimples. Just buy it and have a blast

Dimples and craters are different. Dimples don’t bother me at all. Craters make a game look like it’s diseased. I’d be more than happy with a “normal dimple” playfield.

#3807 4 years ago

It should be fun when the new sterns cant even last a day at the next pinball show without having to have the pf up to replace the coil stops... and now re gluing the up posts.

At least JP lasted a few days on location... STrangerThings isn’t lasting 2 days at the show without breakage.

The fact stern continues to use known defective parts should be a disgrace. Maybe everyone should save their broken coil stops, bring them to expo, and we make a pile right in front of gary at his talk.

#3808 4 years ago
Quoted from MapleSyrup:

There is much anticipation about seeing the Premium or LE on a stream of some sort.
******WARNING*******
Temper your expectations!! There is NO WAY the projection is going to look good on a stream. It will simply not read well due to the limits of web cams, cell phones, etc etc.
I think it’ll be something you need to see in person to judge.
I think there will be a loud chorus of “I’m out. Projection is washed out”, “Was hoping for more pop visually”, and so on.
The reality is, our human eyes will be way better at handling the crazy contrast required to view this properly. I think this will underwhelm on stream, and overwhelm in person.

Yeah good point. My other concern is how much variety will the projector feature offer in terms of images? If the same half dozen or so images are repeatedly displayed what fun is that? Stern has done a poor job in the past of adding a lot of code to premium / LE features, part of the reason is they can't separate the rules between models. I'm hoping that there will be unique projected images for every mode. If that same arcade logo is spinning for all 40 modes it's going to get old quick.

#3809 4 years ago
Quoted from Viggin900:

Review:
I played it 20 times and never got the ball in the demagorgan. Its the hardest or most impossible shot in pinball.
The left kick out is pointless,it just spits the ball out to a plate near the building and serves no purpose?
The right side is the most disappinting. The ball doesn't flow down the loop and hits the the slings everytime. Very annoying and a really bad design.
However this could be the one of the best games in my book if it wasnt rushed, took their time and tested like other manufactures do before its produced.
Love the music and layout,code still needs work and more ball saves added. I have always wanted the sound from Tron or TNA , the play from a Star Trek and AFM. This game could have had it all but the design looks like it was rushed. I dislike the designers showing it off on stream like its easy because they played it a zillion times and are oblivious to the issues compared to regular people spending $10 and can't get the ball in the hole!

Hey Viggins, not sure if you've read through the thread or not, but based on dozens of reports, it seems like the demo-mouth shot difficulty varies by machine. It appears to be a setup issue more than anything else. The ease of the shot seems to depend on the slope of the table, levelness, and how the demo-toy itself is attached. Anecdotally, if the table is too steep, it will make the shot very difficult. Also, some players have reported that its easier to make the shot from a left-flipper trap.

So I don't think you need to be a pro or have tons of experience to make the demo-shot, you just have to have the machine setup just so. Cheers.

#3810 4 years ago

Is it the shot or the size of the hole in the demagorgan that makes it impossible?

Seems like an immediate mod opportunity to me either way.

#3811 4 years ago
Quoted from DakotaMike:

Hey Viggins, not sure if you've read through the thread or not, but based on dozens of reports, it seems like the demo-mouth shot difficulty varies by machine. It appears to be a setup issue more than anything else. The ease of the shot seems to depend on the slope of the table, levelness, and how the demo-toy itself is attached. Anecdotally, if the table is too steep, it will make the shot very difficult. Also, some players have reported that its easier to make the shot from a left-flipper trap.
So I don't think you need to be a pro or have tons of experience to make the demo-shot, you just have to have the machine setup just so. Cheers.

Thanks, yes the table was set higher than 6.5 degrees by the bubble. Operaters please stop doing this! Games are designed by this measure and not to be fooled with in order to suck more quarters.

#3812 4 years ago
Quoted from Gotemwill:

Is it the shot or the size of the hole in the demagorgan that makes it impossible?

It seems to be the position of the demogorgon that makes it hard.

#3813 4 years ago

What do u all think about shooter lane protectors?? Since this will be my first NIB investment , I want to protect it as much as I can in high wear areas. Thoughts?

#3814 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

What do u all think about shooter lane protectors?? Since this will be my first NIB investment , I want to protect it as much as I can in high wear areas. Thoughts?

Those plastic ones from mezel mods work great. Will keep it perfect.

#3815 4 years ago
Quoted from Gotemwill:

Is it the shot or the size of the hole in the demagorgan that makes it impossible?
Seems like an immediate mod opportunity to me either way.

Neither, I'm hitting mine on the regular from either flipper, trapped or moving...Just seems table by table the difficulty varies I guess.

#3816 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

What do u all think about shooter lane protectors?? Since this will be my first NIB investment , I want to protect it as much as I can in high wear areas. Thoughts?

I don't think it's a must have

#3817 4 years ago
Quoted from dsmoke1986:

I don't think it's a must have

I want to preserve my machine as much as possible. Simply because one day I may want to trade it or sell it. And the more pristine condition it’s in, the better the chances for me to sell/trade it.

#3818 4 years ago
Quoted from flynnibus:

It should be fun when the new sterns cant even last a day at the next pinball show without having to have the pf up to replace the coil stops... and now re gluing the up posts.

RE-gluing? If only. They're not epoxied or anything from the factory. Nothing holding it into the base but pressure and a dimple. And I'm not even sure epoxy would hold long-term. It's just a bad parts choice and should have been the kind with the spring-loaded piece that goes through at the base to hold the plastic part on, but this part was probably .0137 cents cheaper per unit.

#3819 4 years ago
Quoted from pinmister:

One day a fellow friend(pinsider) and I were having this discussion about the playfield quality of today. He suggested switching to a high density plastic playfield. Would a high density polyethylene (HDPE) be a viable alternative? Definitely got me thinking.

There was a company that was doing this some years back. Can’t remember which one, they did a hockey themed pin I saw on a papa video and the playfield looked perfect 35 years later.

#3820 4 years ago
Quoted from kpg:

I'm all in on a TMNT pin especially if Borg is doing the playfield. None of his designs have ever let me down.

Borg’s stuff is awesome, but he’s turned into a very conservative designer over his last several releases and does recycle his designs more than others (or at least it feels that way to me personally). I think TWD was his last risky layout.

#3821 4 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Borg’s stuff is awesome, but he’s turned into a very conservative designer over his last several releases and does recycle his designs more than others (or at least it feels that way to me personally). I think TWD was his last risky layout.

Agreed. I'm Borged out right now. I do think he's awesome in general.

I own Tron, IM, TWD, and MET, so I haven't felt the need to get anything he's done lately.

#3822 4 years ago
Quoted from MapleSyrup:

Temper your expectations!! There is NO WAY the projection is going to look good on a stream. It will simply not read well due to the limits of web cams, cell phones, etc etc.

If only they could show the projector for first stream through the most experienced streamer in the business, with the best equipment to capture it, in a controlled room that was set up before hand. I would hope it's not a cell phone capture we see first.

#3823 4 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

Borg’s stuff is awesome, but he’s turned into a very conservative designer over his last several releases and does recycle his designs more than others (or at least it feels that way to me personally). I think TWD was his last risky layout.

Recycles and mirrors his designs a LOT in the last 10 years.

#3824 4 years ago

ball getting stuck under the demogorgon consistently, anyone have a fix on this yet?

#3825 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

I want to preserve my machine as much as possible. Simply because one day I may want to trade it or sell it. And the more pristine condition it’s in, the better the chances for me to sell/trade it.

I use mylar on all my pins... cheap, easy and works perfectly.

#3826 4 years ago

I like borg pins but they all feel the same for the most part. Hopefully he steps out of his box on the next release......

#3827 4 years ago
Quoted from TigerLaw:

There was a company that was doing this some years back. Can’t remember which one, they did a hockey themed pin I saw on a papa video and the playfield looked perfect 35 years later.

Segasa used polyurethene playfields (see ipdb -> Prospector).

12
#3828 4 years ago

Even the ramp flaps are dimpling on new Stern’s. :/

A63081FD-1530-4E50-8B8B-2D98A867E997 (resized).jpegA63081FD-1530-4E50-8B8B-2D98A867E997 (resized).jpegD14CEC2A-39A0-4746-91EA-906D03637813 (resized).jpegD14CEC2A-39A0-4746-91EA-906D03637813 (resized).jpeg
#3829 4 years ago
Quoted from Ed209:

Even the ramp flaps are dimpling on new Stern’s. :/[quoted image][quoted image]

Wow, hope that is a one off as never seen that before.

#3830 4 years ago

This was a weird one last night. Got the ball in the middle, this screen came up and it went into ballsearch for a few minutes.

0EB9C89F-EE43-406F-9B2D-AED648DC4B1E (resized).jpeg0EB9C89F-EE43-406F-9B2D-AED648DC4B1E (resized).jpeg
#3831 4 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

Wow, hope that is a one off as never seen that before.

Guessing these are from air balls after a rejected demigorg shot. Think it’s going to be par for the course with such a hard to hit ramp/toy shot that close to two ramp flaps.

#3832 4 years ago

Double post

17
#3833 4 years ago

So now the new explanation for craters is that we have more airballs than in older games. Not only that but those airballs are going higher and moving faster than in older machines. Good lord.........it is the cheap materials being used. For example the 90’s B/W used better wood, metal and plastics than modern Sterns. Come on people. I know you have money invested in these machines but let’s just face the truth about what has been going on with modern pinball. All this nonsensical cover being throw at pin companies who have obviously cut major corners is silly. Stop the madness

#3834 4 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

Wow, hope that is a one off as never seen that before.

appears to be thinner gauge spring steel than what it used to be

#3835 4 years ago
Quoted from Fishbeadtwo:

ball getting stuck under the demogorgon consistently, anyone have a fix on this yet?

Yes. A screw or two fell out of a one way gate to the left of the demogorgon in your game.

#3836 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

I want to preserve my machine as much as possible. Simply because one day I may want to trade it or sell it. And the more pristine condition it’s in, the better the chances for me to sell/trade it.

Honestly though; unless you are going to put 10k plays on it...It's not really going to matter.

My advice if this is your first pin, is to just have fun with it. Must have mods are shaker, and maybe side blades...Don't go crazy with mods though; save the money...You never make that money back when you sell the pin.

#3837 4 years ago
Quoted from Extraballz:

So now the new explanation for craters is that we have more airballs than in older games. Not only that but those airballs are going higher and moving faster than in older machines. Good lord.........it is the cheap materials being used. For example the 90’s B/W used better wood, metal and plastics than modern Sterns. Come on people. I know you have money invested in these machines but let’s just face the truth about what has been going on with modern pinball. All this nonsensical cover being throw at pin companies who have obviously cut major corners is silly. Stop the madness

The ball flies off of those drops...I was playing this morning; and literally the ball flies up and almost hits the glass or hits it...It's going to impact the playfield; is what it is...These machines are meant to be played; it doesn't bother me.

#3838 4 years ago
Quoted from jwilson:

This was a weird one last night. Got the ball in the middle, this screen came up and it went into ballsearch for a few minutes.[quoted image]

I had this happen to me the other night too!!

It was after I updated the code...Had to power cycle. Hasn't happened since.

#3839 4 years ago
Quoted from dsmoke1986:

Honestly though; unless you are going to put 10k plays on it...It's not really going to matter.
My advice if this is your first pin, is to just have fun with it. Must have mods are shaker, and maybe side blades...Don't go crazy with mods though; save the money...You never make that money back when you sell the pin.

Yeah I get that. I mean. It’s not going on location AT ALL. HUO. would be hard to rack up that many plays. Lol. But I would like to get the speaker light kits!! Definitely shaker motor too.

#3840 4 years ago
Quoted from Shapeshifter:

Wow, hope that is a one off as never seen that before.

My ACDC Luci VE's ramp flaps have dimples, and that was made in March 2018. It's a thing now.

#3841 4 years ago
Quoted from Ed209:

Even the ramp flaps are dimpling on new Stern’s. :/[quoted image][quoted image]

I canceled my LE order. Sad.

#3842 4 years ago
Quoted from Ed209:

Even the ramp flaps are dimpling on new Stern’s. :/[quoted image][quoted image]

STh seems to be prone to air-balls. Likely the drop targets causing it?

#3843 4 years ago
Quoted from Trindawg:

Yeah I get that. I mean. It’s not going on location AT ALL. HUO. would be hard to rack up that many plays. Lol. But I would like to get the speaker light kits!! Definitely shaker motor too.

Speaker light kits would look dope on this one

#3844 4 years ago

So the projector is either going to make the PreLe a completely different game, or be purely cosmetic and make the Pro essentially the same game. All depends if they allow enough resources to differentiate the 2 models.

#3845 4 years ago
Quoted from cooked71:

STh seems to be prone to air-balls. Likely the drop targets causing it?

No. It’s the toy. If you don’t nail the shot the balls bounce off of it like a mother fucker. Rest of the game is buttery smooth and shoots great.

#3846 4 years ago

Played Stranger Things tonight at Stonehedge in Akron. I had a lot of fun playing it... but that doesn't say much, I love almost every pinball machine I've ever touched.

The ramps were fun to loop. That center can be a sdtm pain at times if you hit those drops just right. My wife and I hit the introitus... er mouth of the va... er demotoy exactly zero times. We watched 6 other people play through, zero hits. Thankfully, the toy acts as a bash target when you don't get the money shot. That pop hole (whatever it is called on the left of the playfield) basically does nothing - I wish it would direct the ball towards a target. No multiball lock post issue.

What really stuck out is the dimple gate issue. The playfield is basically a pubescent teenage kid with a pizza face. I've attached some pictures. The dimples/craters are really easy to see, difficult to pick up with the camera through the glass. It was distracting and I am unsure how playing this game for thousands of plays will "even it all out." It looks bad for how expensive the machine is. My RFM and TFTC don't have this problem. I looked at JP and saw this issue as well. Was also present on Elvira and to a lesser extent on Willy Wonka. Didn't notice it on others like AFMr, MBr.

Overall it is a fun pin... but unless you love NST, it seems like an easy pass for a home machine.

Holy crap I want the AFMr LE and the MBr LE! The interactive topper on AFMr was a riot.
IMG_20200104_202507__01 (resized).jpgIMG_20200104_202507__01 (resized).jpgIMG_20200104_202514__01 (resized).jpgIMG_20200104_202514__01 (resized).jpgIMG_20200104_202541__01 (resized).jpgIMG_20200104_202541__01 (resized).jpg

Edit: I will say the game plays faster than others and there are plenty of airballs each game, so maybe the dimples are to be expected with how frequently these ball bearings are slamming into the playfield.

#3847 4 years ago
Quoted from Ed209:

Even the ramp flaps are dimpling on new Stern’s. :/[quoted image][quoted image]

Those do not look like blue spring steel ramp flaps that are more durable. I'm not sure if Stern has used blue spring steel ramp flaps or at least thicker steel ones in the past. At some point it's disgusting to see just how far the cost cutting has gone.

#3848 4 years ago
Quoted from PinMonk:

RE-gluing? If only. They're not epoxied or anything from the factory. Nothing holding it into the base but pressure and a dimple. And I'm not even sure epoxy would hold long-term. It's just a bad parts choice and should have been the kind with the spring-loaded piece that goes through at the base to hold the plastic part on, but this part was probably .0137 cents cheaper per unit.

Roll pin is the word you're looking for

-11
#3849 4 years ago
Quoted from P1nhead:

Played Stranger Things tonight at Stonehedge in Akron. I had a lot of fun playing it... but that doesn't say much, I love almost every pinball machine I've ever touched.
The ramps were fun to loop. That center can be a sdtm pain at times if you hit those drops just right. My wife and I hit the introitus... er mouth of the va... er demotoy exactly zero times. We watched 6 other people play through, zero hits. Thankfully, the toy acts as a bash target when you don't get the money shot. That pop hole (whatever it is called on the left of the playfield) basically does nothing - I wish it would direct the ball towards a target. No multiball lock post issue.
What really stuck out is the dimple gate issue. The playfield is basically a pubescent teenage kid with a pizza face. I've attached some pictures. The dimples/craters are really easy to see, difficult to pick up with the camera through the glass. It was distracting and I am unsure how playing this game for thousands of plays will "even it all out." It looks bad for how expensive the machine is. My RFM and TFTC don't have this problem. I looked at JP and saw this issue as well. Was also present on Elvira and to a lesser extent on Willy Wonka. Didn't notice it on others like AFMr, MBr.
Overall it is a fun pin... but unless you love NST, it seems like an easy pass for a home machine.
Holy crap I want the AFMr LE and the MBr LE! The interactive topper on AFMr was a riot.
[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]
Edit: I will say the game plays faster than others and there are plenty of airballs each game, so maybe the dimples are to be expected with how frequently these ball bearings are slamming into the playfield.

If I have to read about one more dumb newb freaking out over dimples I'm going to snap.

16
#3850 4 years ago
Quoted from IdahoRealtor:

If I have to read about one more dumb newb freaking out over dimples I'm going to snap.

I wouldn't be dismissing the newbs bud. They pay the bills.

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