I finally scored a stranger things premium. This game is so cool. The uv kit and projector are awesome. What a fun game. I paid dearly...but it was worth it. Damn shame this game is such a sleeper. So excited.

This...I know several people didn't like it when it came out. I'll never listen to anyone on pinside again...lol. I could have bought a premium for half of what I paid for mine.
I spoke with stern about the game...and they told me its done...and will stay done...but who knows. I know its awesome with the projector uv kit and ball lock...and the Cleland mods and videos are awesome. And yes...I paid 14k for mine. I had several slip through my fingers...they sold fast...so I made the best with what I could get and pulled the trigger on a low play premium. Love the game!

Got my starbright9 material in on Friday. Spent some of the weekend installing it on stand ups and drop down targets as well as the screen billboard and spinner....if anyone is interested to see the end results...I have two videos below. One shows it with the screens off as well...because I know some people would like to see what it looks like off. My next step is to do the ramps....

I did. Once you figure out how to put the backer material on without errors...you're good to go. There is a process for sure. Once done...IMHO it looks much better than the white material. I highly recommend a simple Amazon slide cutting board.....all my cuts ended up perfectly clean and square.

I thought about looking into that...just not sure if there would be enough interest.

There is an awesome thread about the brightstar material. Another member here came up with the idea...and I just followed the thread. If anyone is interested in how to apply the adhesive to the back...and correctly apply them I can do a simple video....

The link is https://shop.elitescreens.com/

So far all I have done is the drop targets..stand ups...spinner...billboard and main screen. My plan is to do the ramps faces and leave the others in factory material. There is no real gain to be had by adding the new material due to the extreme reverse viewing angle of the material.

Search starbright9 and get 4 or 5 sample sheets....

4 is enough if you're not gonna make mistakes....5 is enough for plenty of extra future material and practice...

Premium...purchased a few weeks ago. 600 or so plays...paid 14k.
Unfortunately for buyers...prices are on the rise...and are selling. I was in the market a while and missed out on a few of them.
I don't think any pinball machine is worth over 10k yet here we are. And ill be honest...I absolutely love this game and all the features. I also like that its rare and retired...

Yes there are i believe 2 le's listed in marketplace currently.

Nope...I'm wrong...both those le machines already sold. Damn...that was fast. And expensive...I think there is a premium still for 16k ....in my opinion just as good as the le and I believe produced in fewer numbers than the le but I may be wrong.

Just use a 3ft 2x4
Lift the back if the playfield and put the board between the rear handle and the bottom of the cabinet. It will hold it as long as you want....

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Has anyone successfully gotten more power out of the right flipper? My tk lock works almost all the time...the only time it fails is when a slower moving ball runs up the ramp...the lock activates.. and I can see the ball move up the arm...then the arm drops....and so does the ball. I wish the software would allow for more time on the arm to stay up. However...if I can add slightly more power on the ball from the right flipper....I'll never have the issue again.....or if anyone can tell me a way to extend the arm extension time...or the force at which it pulses up that would be great! From what I've been told...the tk power adjustment in software was never completed so tk power adjustments in settings are useless.
Wish they were coded in. I can guarantee if I could up the tk lock arm power...it would sling a slow ball to the magnet. Also...all adjustments have been made to the lock solenoid and ramp as well as the ramp cover.. this is simply a slow ball issue...Thoughts?

Its not an electromagnet. Its a solid magnet that stays in place at all times....and has a solenoid that pulls the magnet off the wall when its time to drop the balls. Otherwise...great idea. That would probably also have done it.

Ramps are waxed...this issue just needs a little more power on the ball...

If i had to guess....and it's just a guess...I would start looking for a shorted ground that may be putting it in a reset loop. Make sure switches are not bent or grounded out...

I have the magic glass on mine (with topper) and there is almost no glare at all. Fwiw.

Agreed. I think you have seen the end of production for stranger things.

Lol..I couldn't care less. But nice unnecessary jab anyway. I paid what I paid because I could. I am not going to worry about losing a few bucks over a game. I'm just telling you....everything I've been told is there is no way its going to happen. Sorry.

Of course it is. And several titles have doubled in value because of it. If that's what they sell for then thats what they are worth. No point in poking someone with a jab about resale value. No one is concerned about making money. And ill be honest...if stern did release stranger things it would be based on 2023 prices. And let's face it....a premium would be well into 13k after taxes and certainly more with shipping.

Couldn't agree more. One of the reasons I don't worry about demand. To be honest...I think demand will always be there. I think the series has cemented itself in modern culture....and will be relevant for years to come. Not that it matters in my case....my wife and kids would kill me if I ever sold it. They love it almost as much as I do.

I had posted a while back that I believed this was possible. Glad you proved it. Like I said in that post...I'm not worried about a projector. I'm like you.. I can make something work if I have too. As a matter of fact...the projector you have as a backup is one I was planning on buying just to put the issue to rest. Glad you posted that. Is the install easy? No...but it all looks like issues that could be overcome.
Btw...with the size issue....would it be possible to take the m4 internals and fit them into the oe case? If easy enough that would help cut a step in mounting it....

No it won't.

Agreed. I bought a spare just because... But I'll be honest with you... I'll bet you a doughnut I'll never even use it. This fear of projectors in my honest opinion is completely unjustified. Once supply of spare dries up... And someone panics... I'll sell mine for 1k lol...

Agreed... And I'm really tired of the entire "premium owners are worried about their value" crap. I'm of the belief they won't make more because everyone at Stern said they won't. And if they do... Let's face it... A premium at today's prices will be 15k anyway.. So why would I care? They made tons of Adam's family no value loss there. Same with a big Lebowski remake. You won't see a drop in the value of that game either.

I've talked with several vendors. Several. All said the same thing. I talked with reps at Stern. All said it's done. It's retired. I'm not off on the current prices either... Most of the newer premiums in a few years time will be 14-15 once all is said and done. They will be increasing prices yearly unless supply chains and manufacturing changes. No premium will be 9800...it wouldn't happen. If Adam's was vaulted... Prices wouldn't drop. Briefly maybe... But not long term. A quick search of the remakes you listed shows none of those games are suffering in value. They have all held up values and very well I might add. There will always be a desire for a first run original. And honestly I really don't care if you agree with me or not. Prices are on the rise from Stern because they are getting it.

I just got back from the stranger things experience in Atlanta. It was awesome BTW. They had a pro on display... And it has seen better days. The left flipper was locked up most of the time, and the playfield roached...but the good news is the cabinet decals can apparently handle quite alot of abuse. Sorry for the poor images but the lighting in there was bad.
This game was set to free play and has been well abused... Lol.

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At that point the entire playfield was so dimpled that it all evened out and wasn't very obvious.

It could very well be. Although I can see from your pics.. If it is the same game... The shooter lane aged very badly since that was taken. I'll bet it's the same game....

I played a premium with a projector and tk lock, and had to have one. The projector and ball lock was just that cool. The wow factor is always there. Either way, pro or premium it's still a good game.

Make it look like the 85 "new" coke cans.

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There are. And they can tell the balls location on the magnet.

Do you have any tech alerts? Like maybe a sticking out lane switch, that once the ball is released the game thinks one drained so it auto plunges what's already in the shooter lane?

Sigh.... Very unlikely. But I anxiously await those who will say that premium and le owners are just mad... Worried about values... And that is why they say no. I also anxiously await those who claim to have sold because they are scared of a projector failing, that has a very very small failure rate, and bitching about a tk lock. Funny... I have no issues with my game. I don't care about value, and I certainly am not worried about a damn projector. This discussion has been brought up a million times... Argued about even more. I say it's not going to happen. Same statement most seem to have. Start planning to buy used. And one more time for the record... Anyone buying a (new) premium or le with increasing prices... After tax and shipping, will be paying the 14k plus that used games are going for anyway.

Today I added a set of flaming speaker lights. I really like the way they look on this game!!

That is a premium ramp. I see the cut out for the tk lock diverter.

So here is mine. I created a smaller section for the entire inner edge of the saucer. I also created a full cut piece for the saucer trough and a section near the E because wear can happen there as well. I was very care and did a wet install.... And it's almost impossible to see the lines. You have to zoom in. I install vinyl from time to time for a living... So happy to give advice if anyone is looking for it. You should be able to see the lines if you zoom in...

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From what I understand it's usually just a node board acting up. I've heard of several of these games doing the same thing.

Pretty sure this is just the way they look. I don't think the saucer tray was sanded before clearing. Every one I've seen looks like that.

Probably a very accurate statement!

I have but it was on a premium. Assuming its the same material thickness...it can be done. Just work slowly and use a hair dryer. Note...I did not because I didn't care. I was using the decal as a template anyway...but it turned out fine, and I stuck it on a sheet of wax paper to use later if I need to.

... Meh... Won't happen. Either way the original will still be the original. A re run is just that. Not original. I honestly don't think it will happen... And even if it does... I believe it will be a pro model re release. So... No love lost.

Says who? All I've seen is pure speculation.

That's true... And I heard if you play the audio backwards... It's happening before the end of the year.

They may have elongated the mouth but everything else looks the same

The magnet is mechanical. If the solenoid shuts off the magnet rests against the backboard and is always active. That may or may not answer your question.

It will slow dimples but they will still show up eventually

Exactly. Cough cough.

Agreed. I have an older run and mine is perfect. It takes some mechanical knowledge and desire to make it perfect but it can be done. I can see issues with the new design as well...but I can also see ways to fix that.

The pro and premium are completely different games. The projector and lock make the game. The wow factor is incredible. It's the difference between drinking warm flat beer and cold fresh beer. I played both and after the premium it was clear. I would rather have a a broken premium than a working pro. It's just that much of a difference.

Then fortunately for you other games exist. Stick with a pro if that's what you like. But in a room full of people the premium will draw them in. The initial aggravation of getting the game right was nothing for me. I do it with all my games so no skin off my neck. Fwiw once any home use game is dialed in correctly (and sometimes that means reengineering some things) it will rarely need anything other than cleaning.

I agree to most points. I have several machines and all of them have needed fixes that I'm sure engineers knew would be an issue for an assembly line game because there is simply no way to fine tune everything. They just want to get it close and out the door in most cases. What works on one game may not fully work in another. I just accepted that if a failed shot was going to bother me ....it meant I was going to spend my time on it until it's fixed. And yes...on the new run they moved the lock mech closer in hopes to use the balls kinetic energy to help make that ramp. I didn't like that as a "fix"
You should have seen me fix the catapult on a Houdini machine. It was hours and redesigning and reshaping things but now it's at 100% accuracy and it's still on the original power supply that is prone to power fluctuations off the supply line based on power demands.
You need to have the desire to make things bullit proof but in most respects it can always be done. If you're not that type of person then (in this games case) turn off the tk lock or go with a pro.

Completely disagree. But I'll agree you do you. White stickers? Oh no! Btw I got rid of those on day one and did dark star...not that I'm paying attention to white stickers when a game is off anyway. Here's my older run and 3 ball lock configuration. In ten years I can assure you my projector will be fine. That's just another straw hat argument pro guys use. But keep telling people to get a pro.
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Lol...good for you?

This gif made me laugh. You can absolutely see the frustration. Lol. Sorry that happened man. Don't feel bad...one time I was doing play field work on a machine that required play field removal. The wires weren't harness keyed, and despite marking them I still managed to send 48v down a 5v line and blew everything on it. Optos, servos every RGB light in the game...you name it. 1600 later and I'm sure I won't make that mistake again.

Star bright 9. And I'll be honest. Mine have taken a lot of abuse and I've cleaned them with a wet paper towel and they look great. This particular material is pretty tough.

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Yea...I noticed that on you close ups. This is definitely directional but it in a different way. Held against the light it's almost dark dark grey.

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Ok...I see the confusion. That said again mine have taken a real beating and look great. We have the same material they just changed the name.

Funny... premium here and I cradle and never miss a shot. Premium is no harder to hit on than a pro