You have some nice Sterns in your collection so maybe you could answer your questions. Just sayin.

You guys know my answer. I love pinball and they kick ass and are a ton of fun.

The LCD and new Spike system and sound is phenomenal. Much better than my Woz as much as I love it

They make kick ass themes with awesome artwork

And you can actually buy one without having to wait months and years. Did Woz and TH time frame of years, now doing Alien, No thanks. Despite code delays I'd rather have a pin to play

They have a load of new pins coming out this year and we will continue to hear the screams of "take my money"

Starting with Star Wars. Did I mention you can't even get on a SWLE wait list that isn't a mile long

And the $5200 pro price is right?

I'm wondering why it's so perplexing to some and why some are so concerned with how other people spend their money

But hey, it's pinball and a lot of shit is perplexing. Especially how we got to standard pricing for a game is now $9k plus

Yup.

There's something to be said for quality over quantity. I think Stern making more games per year then ever is part of the reason why their quality and code support has been faltering.

Can't upvote this statement enough, it's soooooooooooo true!

Well my Met Pro, ST Pro, Mustang Pro, Avatar LE and GB Pro are all still perfect so I must be lucky then.

I started a thread specifically about their cabinets missing wood in the bottom corners now...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-pinball-cabinets-missing-wood

I must be lucky also because in the past year ive bought a TWD, GOT, GB, and AS ane I play the hell out of them and they are on carpet even to where the machine wont slide at all and ive had zero problems. I dont nudge stupidly hard but I definitely nudge, especially on TWD and GB.

"All pinball games playfields dimple and plank, inserts ghost and sink, and have their cabinets crack and split to some extent, it is just a matter of age and time, not "if". Do what thousands of owners have done before you, be preventative on damage you can avoid, fix what you can, and accept the rest."

- TBK

Ya know I think it's like buying a car, they say never buy one that was built on a Monday.

Theres going to be defective games here and there, nothing you can do about it. What matters to me is that Stern fixes the problem in a timely manner. They have been fixing the problems seems like but they have been way too slow about it sometimes. I honestly don't think their games are low quality, I just think they've had some issues lately. My Aerosmiths playfield looks amazing. It has a very nice clear coat job on it seems like.

I can't complain about the quality that's for sure.

all 3 of mine are holding up so far

Mine are all fine. I think the positives just get zero representation. Of all my recent Sterns the only issue I have had was the crinkled decals on KISS. No ghosting, no splits, one spike node board that was replaced immediately. No issues worth complaining about. Nothing. Just fun, frequent pinball whenever I want it.

Dude, love the sentiment, but FFS stop quoting yourself! Shakespeare, Tennyson, Twain get quotes, not you. And no matter how many times you do it, your content does not automatically become quotable by decree.

Worked for Michael Jackson. Called himself the King of Pop in his PR until people eventually started calling him that, too. Takes dedication, that's all.

"I'm rockin the suburbs
Just like Michael Jackson did.
I'm rockin the suburbs
Except he was talented."

-Ben Folds

Prove it!

I thought he was quoting TBK!

Cabinet is only made of wood O-din dropping it on a rock would smash it in half

Whatever Stern did in 2015 to cut costs just hasn't worked.

Anyone can see there have been serious issues and these are not 'normal' run of the mill problems.

No doubt they will or already have made changes to manufacturing processes but I will treat this era like I would an old game.

So, ideally see in person before buying.

Like they always say "Never buy a NIB without fully inspecting it".

Are you sure they changed the manufacturing process? I kept hearing that about the playfields, and yet there were still ghosted ones coming out of the factory.

So the left front of my GB Prem cabinet is starting to split, much like many of the others posted. I've had the game for about six weeks. Has anyone contacted Stern about this? I'm curious what they are saying (or not saying) at this point.

IMG_5299 (resized).JPG

IMG_5300 (resized).JPG

Shocking that anyone would try to justify this as normal wear and tear.

Hopefully, you paid for the machine with a credit card. Now would be a good time to contact them.

The credit card extends the warranty, but I'm not sure if the bare bones Stern warranty even texhnically covers cabinet damage like this (though like the crappy playfields, Stern will have to address this somehow). I'll definitely explore the options.

This actually looks like the laminate separating, not the joint failing. Yes, it's still something going bad, but I think the issue may be with the ply they are using and not with suggested manufacturing changes.

Looks more like chipping than anything else.

I think the solution is for stern to raise their prices again.

I hope so, that way my Bally Williams machines will also rise in price.

a corner brace and a sharpie and you're good...

Will this help even if the laminate is separating?

No, that would have to be re glued. But they will keep your cab from splitting.

IMGA0087 (resized).JPG

If that's all it takes, and it doesn't get any worse down the road, I guess that's ok but the quality is disappointing. I still think everyone with this issue should call Stern so they are aware of the extent of the problem and that buyers are not happy--even if it can be corrected. Who knows, maybe they will send out some sort of kit that would fix it better than my DIY attempt.

I love this game, and will give Stern a chance to make things right with existing problems and improve quality going forward, but I will definitely give a closer look at the other companies for my second pin--especially with all the good choices coming out soon.

Would i need to get longer leg bolts to work with the added leg bolt plates ?

Went to home depot today and looked at the gussett tie that vireland posted. I think its too big to fit on either side without hitting the flipper switch or the shooter rod mounting plate. You could mount it lower but then you're just moving away from the apparent trouble area based on the pictures posted so far.

Instead, I'm going to try this. I think it'll fit near the top of the cabinet on either side with little to no modification. Might need to move the grounding braid out of the way, but that beats taking a dremel to something.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-2-in-Zinc-Plated-Heavy-Duty-Corner-Brace-2-Pack-15442/202034088

My cabinets are fine, this is just cheap insurance. I'm sure Stern would make any real issues right like they are with playfields, but I'd gladly drop the 5 bucks extra per game to have a little peace of mind.

If you had my mod on yes. In my picture see how the threads of the 2 3/4 inch bolts just barely come out the back. But I also kept the stock cab protectors on also. Measure the bolts that are on your game now.

Clearly as previous pictures show they have adjusted the underlying design substrate without sufficient prior real world testing.

You can't expect the outer structure to maintain its integrity if it is built on a poor foundation.

Either it is just another deliberate attempt at more cost cutting to save on the overall BOM or they have decided that once again early adopter purchasers can be the beta testers and any fallout from it will as per the ghosting playfields be addressed on a clandestine case by case basis. If the fallout and cost of returns is deemed acceptable by those controlling the purse strings (Hagerty Peterson) then expect to see more of the same in future releases.

I'm just glad I stopped rewarding mediocrity a long time ago.

Pushing the pricing envelope and wait for the tipping/breaking point (BM66) then pull back slightly on the next couple of releases. Then watch everyone nodding their heads in approval at the great pricing strategy that was planned from the outset.

They could theoretically repeat this price cycle for years with every few releases being over the top pricing on a particular title then drop it back for the next couple.

I was on the phone with Chas today, 5+ months of a mostly unplayable and failing NIB and Stern could care less. I check in weekly with my distro. The tens of hours I have wasted are incredible, at my billable rate I could have driven it to Stern and lit it on fire on their lawn and come out ahead! If I posted the voicemail Chas left me to call him back this week, pinside would explode at how insane and incompetent Stern is. My distro is at Stern Wednesday so hope to get answers this week.

Stern has a long list of problems, cabinets are only the latest, and they will ignore it as much as possible, because they know if they do most people give up.

that should come under "defective manufacturing", which regardless of how shitty the warranty is, that buyer should be covered for a full refund.... consumer law.... i guess it doesnt relate to pinball though.

another "repair kit " !!... for a freaking NIB... sweet mother of.......

"THEY DONT MAKE EM LIKE THEY USED TO" !

Stern will quietly fix this issue and act like nothing ever happened. Meanwhile all those with affected cabinets will be left out in the cold. Typical Stern bullshit. For every person like myself who is finished buying their products they have 10 suckers lining up to buy the next title. It's kind of funny and also really sad the way they do business. Everything is so secretive and guarded like they've found the cure for cancer. At the end of the day they're just an overpriced toy maker. Btw please let use know how those braces work out for you if you decide to try them.

Is there any difference between the DE/SEGA/Stern braces compared to the Bally/Williams ones?

I'm not really sure. I was referring to the link zucot posted about the Home Depot braces.

Doesn't look like any difference but someone must know. Just wondering which would be best I guess the stern ones but a lot are buying the Williams ones?

I bought the Bally/Williams ones but haven't put them on yet. Not sure if it's even worth it because the cabinets seem to be splitting from the top down.

I put upper corner brackets on my ST Pro yesterday and was very surprised at how much it stiffened up the cabinet.

I called Chas and sent him pics while we were on the phone. He said they will review it and let me know within a week. It's been 5 days and I haven't heard anything back yet. Will give them a couple more days and follow-up.

I sent an email to Stern. No reply yet.

Typically, you have to give Stern 2 years before there may, or may not, be a resolution.