So... I totally love my Premium and plan to keep it. But now I'm thinking about getting a second pin for the basement. Considering that I really enjoy this pin, what would be a good choice for my next one? Elivara looks pretty interesting. Thoughts?

elvira, godzilla, deadpool are my shortlist for the next one

I owned an Elvira and it was a ton of fun, but it’s a fan layout similar to Stranger Things. Maybe consider a pin with a different layout, such as Godzilla, Jurassic Park, AIQ or Deadpool.

TMNT compliments STh well (theme, artwork, layout).

That comment is 100% spot on….. agree with what he said

AFM if you want the same type of layout. I really like JP and GB as well. If you want to get a bit retro find a Shadow or TAF. Just my opinions obviously.

Also if you’re looking for a music themed pin I would say Metallica is prob the best I’ve played and I’ve owned Iron Maiden as well. Food for thought.

Thanks for the suggestions on these. Do we have an acronym decoder on what some of these abbreviations are?

Not sure what these are:

AIQ
TMNT
AFM
GB
TAF

Okay I think I got them thanks to a quick Bing search:

AIQ - Avengers
TMNT - Teenage Mutant
AFM Attack from Mars
GB Ghost busters
TAF The addams family

What about Mandalorian? I'm thinking JP, DP or Mandalorian maybe...

So after waiting patiently for possible new builds of premiums, I gave up and bought a NIB Pro about 2 months ago. Love it. Goes great with my lineup. Just wanted to say thanks to all you fellow Pinsiders and this forum. While I’ve gotten pretty good with the shots here, my Demogorgan was nearly impossible to get the mouth shot. (Maybe 1 out of 25 shots with a ton hitting the glass on the bounce). We’ll I took people advice and removed the 2 black washers under the assembly. BAM! Almost perfect when I hit a dead center shot. I hit the first 4 out of 6 shots. (2 where my fault shooting wide). Makes the game flow better. I would always have to pound the Demo 5 times to move on. Now I can kill it and move on from the mode. Thanks everyone! Still looking for a Premium if anyone in the NE wants to move theirs or trade!!!

Has anyone with a topper disassembled it (either to repair it or by curiosity)?

If so, I would be curious to know the internals, ie what node boards are installed and how

Thanks

Picking up a pro with UV and topper next week. What mods if any do you feel really add to the game? I’m like the spinning arcade sign and the dig dug arcade game. I found a thread for some Mezel mods that don’t seem to be made yet, but look incredible. I’ve checked the normal mod makers, but maybe I’m missing something.

So, I jumped in and ordered a Stranger Things Pro about a month ago. I know a run is supposed to be made soon(ish). Anyone know when the pros are back on the line?

I have the UV light kit coming, looking forward to that.

Shame that Stern discontinued the premiums right as they caught fire. Must have been too expensive to build with the projector for whatever reason.

Pinwoofer

I really like the look of the communication wall. The D20 die is cool too. Must get a set of glows bands/rubbers, awesome under UV. CLELAND sound mod! I put in art blades and speaker lights too.

Give us some ideas about what you like so you get meaningful feedback…otherwise you will just get all of us spouting back our favorite games at you. Here some suggestions for how you can guide us:

Are you brand loyal? (Ie must your next game be a Stern?)
Do you like games with short ball times or long ball times?
Do you like games that have really deep code or do you like games that are super approachable right out of the gate?
Are you able to repair games at all or do you have access to a pin tech who can dial in a game for you?
What sort of themes do you like? Sci fi? Scary? Funny?
Anyone in your family play much with you or do you have friends that play frequently with you?

Answers to questions like that will give you meaningful feedback from people that you can use.

That’s a great idea. Are those from Titan?

Very great idea! I’m going to order those now. Wish I would have thought of it on Black Friday.

Anyone know when the new run of Pro machines goes on the line at Stern?

Yup. I think its only flippers, slings, and some posts. Not a ton of rubber in the game. Looks insanely cool.

Can confirm, there’s not much rubber to change out. Just ordered a set during Titan’s Black Friday sale, for a machine that I don’t yet own. Fingers crossed that I made the cut for the next run, otherwise I’ll have a lot of parts for an ST Pro collecting dust for a good long while.

My suggestion is JP (Jurassic Park) there are soooooo many different technical shots. I will play JP for an hour and I feel like a sniper playing STH. JP uses all parts of the flipper and the movie code is phenomenal. It’s the only game in the lineup that pulls me away from STH. I have a DP (Deadpool) on order so can’t comment on that one yet.

Fantastic game, you will really enjoy it. Just make sure you have a sub and get the alternate music file.

Here’s a first… not sure why my ramp decal looks like this in the photo. It’s a clear image. Anyways…
7E6E13E2-B30A-4E73-AA12-A82E233CF1C8 (resized).jpeg

I have the sub, where do I secure the alternate music file? (Feel free to PM me that answer).

Im super pumped to be joining this club. I left the Mando line to join this one initially because I was told the wait would be shorter, but now I’m more pumped for this game than I was expecting to be.

I was going to order a Mando too but ended up going with ST, I’m really excited to get ST now. I haven’t actually played a game on one yet. I was told they should be on the line December so I hope that’s the way it works out but who knows these days. Seems like the Cleland sound mod is a winner but not sure how that will work with insider connect and going online.

Check out Pinball Map. Looks like there’s a place with all 3 of those games on location fairly close to you. All three are fun games and I prefer Deadpool, but I would recommend trying them out and seeing which game appeals to you.

Did Stern make a statement to this effect? As in no more premiums will be run in the future? It seems in the past, whenever there's been substantial demand they've made more. But maybe the massive production backlog has changed that.

I may have picked up my premium just in time. Wish I would have jumped on the local LE for $7,500 when these were out of favor.

I just posted interactive rotating sign mod for sale. It came with my game, but I won't be installing it.

SOLD!

Mod - For Sale

Stranger Things Interactive Rotating Arcade Sign Archived

New (selling multiple, business) - “Interactive Rotating Arcade Sign for Stranger Things This is from Lermods, sells for $149.”

2021-12-05

Edmonds, WA

HighVoltage

120

Archived after: 2 days

Viewed: 290 times

Status: Sold (amount private)

I got a text from my distro last week saying mine was on the line. So, I’m now paid in full and waiting.

Moms Organic Market (and pinball) is a great location near you. They rotate thru all the new pin titles and also rotate thru DMDs and classics and are upkept well. Go play each and let us know which you liked there and we can recommend more.

Yes, most recently Flip N Out Pinball distro ZMeny has confirmed on his 'the pinball show' podcast that they are done running premium.

Some have mentioned the cost of the projector and challenge of setting up the Demogorgon and TK lock mechs. I think the coil count on the premium is part of the equation. STh premium has ~17 coils where Godzilla has about 1/3 that amount.

With the universal/family appeal of this theme and gameplay fun, I think the prices are going to take off for the same reasons Ghostbusters did.

The jury is still out on Mando. I find the shots a little too tight to have fun with it and the upper half of the playfield is too cluttered and sloppy looking IMHO.

Deadpool is loved by most. Some owners complain the gameplay is kind of rinse/repeat.

JP is fun and has DEEP rules, so it is a solid choice for the home.

Since your looking at newer Sterns, BM66 and AIQ are fun and have epic rules that should come with a text book.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of those above and they should hold their value. Pick the one (or two) that you find the most fun.

Good point - I was initially just looking for ideas on what I might like knowing I like STh. That being said, it's an obvious oversimplification. Here are the answers to the questions you provided. Thanks for the input on this:

Are you brand loyal? (Ie must your next game be a Stern?). Nope. I like the idea of at least assembly in the U.S. but if I'm investing 9K plus, I want the most bang for my buck, and don't care which brand. Stern hasn't exactly impressed me, anyway. I'm new as a home pin owner, just passed a year. I've spent most of the last year waiting on long backorders. That may also be the case with other brands - thanks to Covid. But, Sterns communications options are HORRIBLE and there is no decent excuse for that. They could have folks working from home answering phones like a bunch of other companies are doing. Email-only SUCKS. Initially, I had a presales conversation going with Ryan who was very helpful but I've never been able to talk with anyone at Stern on the phone since. /EOR

Do you like games with short ball times or long ball times? Prefer longer ball times, but that may be just because I tend to have shorter times with STh. My high score is only 547m and I have the occasional really good game but most games are 200m or less, with medium ball times. It does seem to be more fun when you can keep the ball in play longer. I moved the bumpers to the lowest hole for the lower lanes, but it almost seems like my game play has gotten worse since - not sure if that makes sense.

Do you like games that have really deep code or do you like games that are super approachable right out of the gate? In between or deep preferred. It's for home use so I want to be able to enjoy it quickly but also not get bored too quickly with it. I'm still not that good at STh so I lots of longevity left with that one.

Are you able to repair games at all or do you have access to a pin tech who can dial in a game for you? Both. I did all the STh Premium dial in myself and it is damn near perfect, even on TK lock, which is like butter. Took a while, but it plays great. I'm mechanically inclined and do well with computers, home automation, car work, etc. so pinball fits right in.

What sort of themes do you like? Sci fi? Scary? Funny? I like most themes but I'm not big on super hero type themes - just never been into those movies too much. I do seem to prefer the scarier types of themes though.

Anyone in your family play much with you or do you have friends that play frequently with you? Not really, on both counts. Wife only plays occasionally and no kids. Once in a while I'll have friends over to play but not often because most of them are super busy and/or live further away now.

Hope this helps steer things a bit. Thanks!

Yes, incredibly helpful, I’ve been able to eliminate numerous games based on those answers. Next questions:

1) what is your budget? (Are you a pro, premium, or LE type of buyer)
2) are you only interested in NIB games or might you consider some 90’s classics or even Stern’s from the last couple decades that are not brand new?

Thanks.

Thanks, that's very interesting. I was fortunate that I owned a GB Premium and sold that to cover the cost of STh Premium, or I never would have paid this much. I look at it as a swap.

Please keep us updated on the production line. I'm in on a Pro, but haven't heard anything yet. With all the production shortages I'm not confident I'm actually going to get a game.

Just curious...anyone have a breakdown of how many of each game were built?

Chances are high you’ll get one. There’s definitely a December run and I was told by stern that they’re shipping them out of their facility in the first couple weeks of December. Distro told me I should have mine at home before the new year. Plus I already have seen 2 or 3 people here mention that there’s is on the line.

Thanks. I would assume/prefer a Premium, unless there are significant functional differences between the Premium and LE, in which case I might consider the LE. I don't really care about cosmetics or signatures.

At this point, I'd prefer to focus on NIB games.

Premiums and LE’s build/gameplay wise are the same. LE’s just have more bling. All esthetics.

Lord of the Rings may suit you. The ball times are long and it has deep rules that are fairly easy to grasp, it has a fan type layout similar to STh, and it is called one of the greatest examples of theme integration. (I have had mine for 6yrs and no plans to move it.)

They already are.

STh is finally picking up because it was so bad at launch people are just starting to figure out how good it became.

I was told they are going on the line 12/13. I have the UV kit and topper waiting. Premium translite, art blades and Cliffies ready as well. And I may need to get those pinmonk fans soon, too.

So no brave soul to disassemble a topper and let me know which node boards are inside ??

Thanks, I'll check it out. And while I've been deviating from the scope of this thread (apologies), I'm also looking into the Arcade Legends upright with (I think) 130+ original roms.

So, if you didn’t say this I would have recommended a LOTR machine to you as it fit everything you are saying up to that final comment. I’ll ponder your answers some and PM you my thoughts later.

Just my 2 cents - I have Mando Pro right next to my STh Pro, and love them both. The are VERY different games and quite complimentary to each other. I am a huge fan of both the Stranger Things series and Mandalorian series, and theme means a lot to me. Bottom line - you can't go wrong with Mando, great game.

Just to confirm - my distro texted me an hour ago and I was told they’re being produced next week as well!