That's awesome! Stern is an awesome company in many ways, and I love hearing stuff like this. I'm amazed you heard back so quickly. My last replacement they thought about for months, but that was right in the beginnings of COVID lockdown. I will say, do not expect to see it any time soon. I have had a couple replaced, and each time it has taken at least a couple months to ship. I am still waiting for a JP playfield they agreed to replace back in February. I'm not worried...it will show up someday, and thankfully my machine is fully playable in the meantime, so no big deal. I'm sure they are tied to whenever the next run is.

Anyway, CONGRATS! An unpopulated swap is a big project, but a fun one. Enjoy!

Thanks! yeah I'm not worried about timing. The machine is still playable for now so as long as an insert doesn't fall out or something I can wait. Pablo said it won't be until the next run of the pro's happens which is currently scheduled for late nov/early dec. With parts stuff that could easily go into next year I'm sure. My distributor also got involved with this and it's a big one so that probably helped move it along as well. Still though they are going above and beyond here and I'm very happy with the outcome.

Nice, didnt think they would do that. I had a large chunk of clear coat that chipped off of my GOTG and all they sent me was a bottle of clear to fix it myself. I'm glad they did this for you!!

Playfield swap makes me sweat just thinking about it but man that’s awesome. I would beat the shit of your current one and save the NIB playfield for years down the road. As long as gameplay isn’t effected.

I'm actually looking forward to it. If it was an old Williams machine I'd be worried but there's not a lot under the playfield on this one and I've already had the top mostly apart so many times that I can do that in my sleep. I'm going to look into having the clear coat redone once it gets here as this machine is never leaving my home and I'm going to want this play field to be perfect. I also accidentally scratched both ramps underneath doing all the repairs so I'm going to look into flame polishing those as well while I'm at it.

I can see why they would call this a major defect as the inserts are pulling away from the clear causing bubbles. It's only been getting worse and I'm sure over time it's going to get a lot worse. I certainly hope no one else is having this issue. My machine was one of the first off the line for the home use pros.

I had a guardians for a while and was getting some major digging into the clear by the scoop. I put the le protector on it before it got really bad and started chipping but it was going to real quick. With that issue I can see why a clear touch up would be ideal instead of a complete playfield swap as it's on the edge and repairable.

I think that is great they approved it so quickly. My question w be why aren't they sending you a populated playfield?

I would love to swap a playfield on this game. I just did a LOTR swap and it was about 50 hours. I think STH would be maybe 24 hours? Definitely doable.

I still have a Gorbachev-shaped scar from where a Centaur playfield came down on my head. Worst. Swap. Ever.

I get that but in a case like this, isnt't that the roght thing to do? Just sending out a completely unpopulated playfield and assuming we all have the time or expertise to do it on our own is a cop out IMO.

His playfield is clearly defective. It should be replaced with a fully populated one. Can you inagine a car company sending an owner a transmission if the one from the factory was bad and telling them installation was on them? We're to accepting of this type of treatment in this hobby IMO.

He just needs a new, populated playfield, not entire game, though. I just think these machines are expensive enough that in cases like these, those replacement playfields should be sent out populated.

Of course Stern doesnt want to do that but good grief, they just raised their prices again $1k + per game over night. If you send out some games with major manufacturing defects, stand by your product and do the right thing by your customers .

I'll agree with you that they are a lot better than JJP. That sadly isn't saying much. With that said, you are assuming all hobbyists have both the time and know how to do a playfield swap. Most don't, me inckuded. Paying someone else to do it would likeky cost several thousand.

This is just a strange industry and hobby. These are very expensive, high end consumer products. In what other industry would a manufacturer send out a product with a major manufacturing defect and ask the customer to spend hours or days fixing the problem? Pinball is the only one I can think of.

We'll agree to disagree on this one. I just think when you're a manufacturer selling very expensive, high end consumer products like pinball machines, you have an obligation to maintain a level of quality and stand by your customers when they have major flaws or defects. The onus to perform a time consuming playfield swap and the learning curve that goes with it shouldn't be on the customer in these type of cases IMO.

In a competitive industry (which pinball currently is not), poor quality and customer service is a sure fire recipe for failure. My hope is companies like CGC and Spooky which seem to be churning out high quality machines continue to thrive so competition forces the industry to increase quality and levels of customer care.

Stern used to send out populated playfields like candy. It had to have cost them a fortune, both in the pf itself and shipping three directions (they sent you a box and you had to ship your old populated pf back for those). For MOST defects, I'm ok with unpopulated. It's definitely better than nothing. I'm guessing the majority of people that receive them never put them in, and sell them with the machine (or seperately) down the road. It's a good "insurance policy" for when things get too bad. I am always appalled hearing about and seeing the playfields that JJP refuse to stand behind. At least Stern (usually) does the right thing.

I just did a TMNT pro over Memorial Day weekend. It took 28 hours, but that included a couple hours of troubleshooting and in retrospect there are a couple things I could have done better/easier. One big example was buy new t-nuts instead of trying to pry the old ones out, straighten the tines, and reuse. Ugg. Live and learn, LOL! I also bled a little, but thankfully no scars, haha! Very fun project though, and a three day weekend was perfect for it. I am looking forward to doing my JP once that one shows up.

Are they really a high end consumer manufacturer though? The pins are designed for a commercial environment managed by commercial entities. Even the sales process through distributors is very commercial oriented. "the pins" are designed for home use and use very different materials. I don't think Stern has made that transition to consumer or is even looking to really do that. An operator probably would not be caring too much about the ghosting inserts or the fact that it's getting worse. In fact after 2 years they are probably trying to sell it off for the next big thing. They expect the ops to be able to work on the machines and keep them making money.

I'd like to see them selling consumer oriented versions of the pro and premium without the coin mechs and with quality and warranties tailored for that industry but I doubt that's going to happen. Aren't ops still the majority of sales for Stern?

I love working on the machines so for me, after 2 years and 4k+ plays on it, I'm more than satisfied with a replacement playfield. I can understand how others would have a different view though.

I get you like working on the machines and am glad that Stern worked with you on a remedy you are good with and works for you. If it were me, I'd probably be pushing for a full replacement because I don't currently have the time or skill set to do a swap. They did fully populated playfields for a lot of GB 's LE's just like yours in the past, even if they are less likely ro do so now.

Others in the same camp as me would probably just keep the replacement playfield and sell it with the game when/if that time comes. That is great except that seller then may take a significant ding on the sales price as the market of those willing to take on that potential project is smaller and would factor the time they would take doing it into any offer.

I know I wouldn't be a buyer for a game with a ghosting playfield even with a uninstalled replacement playfield) and my guess is I'm in the majority. This is the biggest reason I won't even consider buying a JJP game new or used.

Would love to see someone with technical skills code the game into AFM. All the shots are there!

Is there a way to edit the projector graphics? I feel like as awesome as it is, there are a bunch of missed opportunities. Here’s just a few I’ve thought of, but I know there could be a ton more.

1. Upside down modes. I wish the drop targets for the first upside down had something different on them, something more distinct to the upside down, like demo dog heads or something. Also, in upside down 2, I wish the ramps had something more unique on them, like maybe odd looking arrows or veins or something.

2. Monster hunting. The drop targets should be gas canisters, baseball bats, traps, etc.

3. Quarter Hunting. Instead of arrows on the ramps, quarters would be sick.

4. When telekinesis multiball is ready, there should be a distinct indicator on the ramp projector, like a lighting bolt, or vans driving up the ramp, or something.

5. When the stand ups are triggered, a new graphic on them would be cool, instead of just turning off. The inserts tend to color the blank stand ups a kind of teal color, so maybe lean into that color scheme with some kind of graphic that indicates the shot has been made.

6. Total isolation should also have some clear ramp projection indicators.

I know some of these might not be possible, because it would require adding an animation mode that simply isn’t there. However, I feel like some of these should absolutely be possible, since it’s just replacing something already in the game with a new image file.

If anyone has an idea of how I could get started on this project, I’d love to try my hand at it. I have a graphic design background, and my wife is good with code.

I'm glad to hear you will get a replacement playfield. Even unpopulated I think you caught a good break on this decision. Congrats!

Today I received insert ladders for stranger things from pinmonk and they are very nice indeed.
Had a full set for gb which were excellent, only 3 needed on ST but got rid of those awful white inserts and now looks like fire for burn it back
Also thanks to Chris B for the standard premium apron which I drilled and transferred the uv kit from the pro apron I received to it, and again to Chris B for sending me 2 replacement apron window plastics as I managed to scrape the back of one when drilling the holes, I should have removed them first, so thanks Chris for not making my mistake permanent !
As I have a pro it doesn’t have the apron plastic lights so thanks to Phil for getting these for me which I also fitted today and wired up to the white GI.
Along with swopping the red flasher domes to purple, again supplied by Phil.
Also changed the awful green start button to red which looks like purple when lit lol love it.
Also glad I went with the purple rubbers over the awful uv ones and they look stunning when they turn pink with the UV, pity my phone doesn’t capture the lights very well and looks spectacular in person.
Just the magnetic Apron to fit which arrives this week, die shooter rod, clear drops and get the powder coating done once my side armour arrives and job done

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What's with everyone's obsession to eliminate all clear inserts with white light under them? It's obviously good for PinMonk's wallet, but I don't get it. What's wrong with a white insert light?

1. The white is too bright relative to the other inserts
2. The red-orange gel makes the inserts look like fire (burn it back)
3. They look great

I’m usually in the same camp as you - I haven’t changed any of the insert colors in my Metallica, for example. But these match the theme so well, they look factory.

There’s nothing wrong with a white insert light at all, I didn’t think those 3 inserts fitted with the rest of the playfield and same with GB, but that’s my opinion, they aren’t permanent so can easily be removed, but I think they look much better.
Personal taste.
Same with new Godzilla artwork, I cancelled my order, tho I’m not overkeen on ST art but it could be worse !
Mando, however, it’s exceptional to me.
It’s good we all don’t like the same things, so I’m grateful that people like pinmonk offer an alternative and I don’t think at the price he charges that he’ll be buying an island anytime soon, Stern, however seem to be able to charge ridiculous money for not much value, toppers especially !!

Does anyone know where to buy replacement projectors?

Thanks!

Okay, so I downloaded it and am currently browsing sounds to make sure I have a grasp on the way this thing works before purchasing the software. On the surface, it seems very straight-forward.

However, the biggest hurdle is going to be the mislabeled bookmarks. I've downloaded both the Stern and The Celand mod, as well as a Jurassic Park LE image, and none of the audio assets are labeled properly. I was going to do an audio mod for Jurassic Park first, replacing the original music with soundtrack score material from the first 3 movies, just as a test to see if I can get this thing to work properly, but the missing/mislabeled bookmarks make this task 10x as daunting

The user-populated bookmark feature is a huge time-saver.... if it would work.

Very nice!

How does your start button light purple if it’s red? Do you have the stock green Start insert installed under the red start button cover? Or are you using a purple LED?

Are those Titan rubbers? I think they have more than one purple, which one is UV reactive?

Hi,
It’s a complete new Stern Red start button.
But I only swopped the button and holder and left the original bulb and bulb holder attached to the machine and just twisted in to place.
It’s red when unlit but looks more pinky / purple when lit, strange I know but it is stranger things lol
The rubbers are the same as on a post on here - perfect play purple, so they are purple during normal play but go pink when uv on or flashing, it’s very nice and they play really well too

I’ve been searching this thread and haven’t found anything. I just noticed that my Demo is registering hits randomly by just wailing on the left flipper button (ball in hand). I thought maybe a loose opto or something but I can’t figure out anything.

Anyone have this happen?

Awesome, thanks for sharing! That is strange about the start button, but good to know, ha! I don’t have the game yet, but do have the Titan Glow in the Dark rubber ring kit, and I like yours a lot as an alternative, plus they match the colors of the game.

Managed to see it for a second in switch test. I get this for a second when just pressing the left flipper button.
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It was a bad opto but one of the wires had come off. Had to take off the ramp and plastics. My friend was over and he helped as we soldered it back on. Always nice to have an extra set of hands.

So I noticed there is music in the pin jukebox for the Snow Ball. In Cleland's mod, "Every Breath You Take" is that music. Where if anywhere in the game does this appear? Is it the surprise at the end of the wizard Final Battle mode if you somehow complete it?

Ok, thanks. Guessing I'll never see that. My favorite song from the show too .

Any chance there are any addition code updates or is it done? I still think they should have at least made 2-3 different TK multiball scenes instead of the same van scene over and over again. There are three distinct multiball modes in my EHOH.

I brought this up recently as well and mentioned if there was something like Pinball Browser for the projector that would be amazing - but I didn't know that Pinball Browser could actually do it?!? I'll gladly help if I can with identifying anything and content ideas, I'm still trying to get PB to work with Crossover on my Mac though, so if anyone has any tips for that pls let me know.
At the very least static images that look like the Pro decals on ramps and targets could be utilized during attract mode and during gameplay where there's zero projections, but moving graphics would of course be better, and like you said there's many areas that couldn't hurt to add/improve on current projections. Cracking this open would only compliment all of the great mapping work that was already done for this machine!

Hi Stranger Things club! Just joined with a pro and we love it.

I keep getting air balls off the Demogorgon that hit the glass. I put invisiglass on it but am a bit freaked out how many times its hit it... is there a fix or modification to reduce the air balls that hit the glass? Anyone have an air ball break their glass?

Welcome! Turn down the flipper strength in game settings is a great start. I think Stranger Things default is way too high, and causes lots of airballs off the drops.

I did all the bookmarks for Stranger Things. If you’ll share an example of where they’re mislabeled, I’ll start with a blank slate and download the bookmarks from the internet to compare.

Just a comment regarding your playfield / protector. Since I can see clearly those "wet spots" I highly recommend to follow these instructions...
https://www.playfield-protectors.com/docs/PP_QuickTip_Wet_Spots.pdf

Does anyone have the Titan purple rubbers as a comparison to the Perfect Play ones? Perfect play are $50aud postage to Australia so makes it pretty expensive. I have the Titan glow in the dark rubbers and love them, but looking to replace with the purple for a change up.

fuuuuuuuu machine hit LA yesterday. how long can it take to get it to long beach?

Is that Phew... or F.U. LOL

Well the port is really backed up. It could be idling in the water for 4-5 days....not what you want to hear I know.