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Quoted from trilogybeer:The Youtube video that came directly after the video linked on the first post here was awesome .
I was more impressed with the video in the side bar where Steve mentions his favorite game from the 25 years of Stern.
And yes, I do wear my sunglasses at night. 
I got rid of all and any games that showed any signs of excessive dimpling.
Call me OCD or anal if you will, but I just couldn't hang with a playfield that has the texture of a Valencia orange.
Quoted from fosaisu:You're more of an avocado man if I remember correctly.
The smooth skinned varieties are by far the tastiest.
Quoted from Wolfmarsh:This is just a problem because Stern doesn't hit every playfield with a sledgehammer.
I'm still thinking a Stern Sledge Hammer would be a big hit.
Quoted from iceman44:I can only go with a truly scientific and unbiased in depth study.
Truth is there seems to be a lot of soft wood in this hobby lately.
Quoted from iceman44:BM66? Where the F are people getting that from? Zero issues
After 50 plays mine had more pock marks than James Wood's face.
Quoted from iceman44:You are just use to those EMs Odiner
Can it be any worse than RD running through your screen door? No way
I am also used to Getaway HSII where the previous owner must have used square balls to even out those dimples every last millimeter to the targets, posts and rubbers, and then pounded those inserts down so it would now be smooth and level with the rest of that dimpled and compressed play field.
It's taken 25 years of hard use and abuse and pounding by those balls to get this way, but now according to formula, it is almost smooth as glass and near perfect.
And that screen door is now bulletproof although it does show a few dimples.
Quoted from metallik:Naw, there's something wrong with the Batman game.
No, mine looked just like that.
Quoted from iceman44:Mine BM66 doesn't, it looks great. Stern just hates you Odiner!
Says the guy that couldn't even play his when he got it because of a jacked up turntable. lol.
Just goes to show that if some look that way and some don't, there are variations in the hardness of playfields as there were in the past by some of the pics of older games shown here.
Fortunately all my games from the past seem to have very hard playfields and very little signs there was ever the kind of dimpling. If there were there would be some kind of ridge or difference in play field height where the ball no longer meets the playfield or inserts that would be not level with where the wood is now compressed.
All good, my games are fine. If somebody elses isn't, they have to live with it, or get rid of it. There is always an easy solution. 
Quoted from vid1900:She's one day old and has no ramps to drop off of, and no line of fire standups.
Oh Bally, even your 35 year old playfields are soft and diseased. No wonder you went of of business.
Even my recently cleared NOS Skateball is starting to dimple from all the play it's been getting. They are pretty microscopic though so you may have to look real closely to see them. Not quite as obvious as that Batman I had.
Does that mean I should get rid of it? Hell no!! Or cold day in hell.
IMO Bally went out of business because they stopped making games like this.
Quoted from Fytr:Lots of people will buy Maiden in SPITE of the fact it’s a Stern game, not because of it.
I won't be buying Maiden in SPITE of the fact they chose to erase Paul Di' Anno from the equation.
Bally could have rose from the dead and made it, but it still wouldn't interest me at all. I'll probably play it once for free somewhere though, but that's all the love I'm going to give it.
Who's in charge of picking these game themes these days? Some old man that just woke up from a 30 year coma?
Now bring on Judas Priest, would ya!!
Quoted from DNO:Maybe playfields are different, and have more/less/NO! Dimples...
That would mean you could get a "good" or maybe a "better" playfield batch or run.
According to the experts on here, no matter how good a playfield you get, it is no match for a steel ball.
They will all dimple and then all become glassy smooth after 1000s of plays.
Welcome back my friends to the argument that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside..
I've got a really nice Eartshaker that the factory mylar was removed just prior to me getting it. And now that we've played it some, guess what.
No dimples!
Quoted from Chalkey:Any evidence it's actually the wood and not just the clear layer dimpling?
The balls have gotten harder.
I've seen a lot of talk in this thread about how older Williams playfields are as soft and dimple as much as some of the newer ones.
But I am yet to see any examples of that on what I would consider an older Williams playfield.
So what I've got here is my 1957 Kings that I have been shopping out for the last couple years and before I put it back together I am going to drop this cup of five balls from six inches under where the slingshot plastic will go, a place that has never or rarely seen a ball, 25 times and see what we end up with. Be back in a while!
DSCN5793 (resized).JPG
DSCN5795 (resized).JPG
DSCN5794 (resized).JPG
OK, I've added some light to make it easier to see, and yes there is some dimpling. Which is obvious what will happen when you drop a bunch of steel balls on a 60 year old piece of wood without much protection in the first place.
Now let's compare it to that BM66 playfield from earlier in this thread and then everybody can decide for them self.
As long as nobody comments on my crusty nails or slingshot mechs, to tell you the truth, I don't really care. My moon cratered BM66 was sold to a guy that put it in a craft brew place, and now it is doing exactly what it was meant to do. Earning money.
However I will probably set this Kings up to accept dimes like it once did when it was King on location.
Quoted from Astropin:If that was meant to be "scientific" I don't know what to tell you.
True. Not many balls are going to drop 6 inches on any play field no matter what era.
Quoted from fosaisu:I was going to say, your hand bears a striking resemblance to that BM66 playfield. Time to moisturize.
It's hot and dry today and my whole body feels a little worse for the wear after last night's adventure, whatever it was, but no extra moisturizer necessary. A little chapstick after a couple weeks of Santa Ana winds, but that's about it.
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