Quick impressions of The Beatles target customer:

I suspect that I’m among this game’s target customer.  I’m a 59 year-old, longtime pinball enthusiast who prefers EMs to modern games, but who genuinely enjoys all things pinball/arcade.  At my age, I’m just old enough to remember huddling in front of the black & white Sylvania t.v. with my parents and siblings to watch the Fab Four perform on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964.  Evidently, 73 million viewers tuned in that evening to create a moment of television history.  I’m also not so old that I’m ready to downsize.  Indeed, two of my three kids are still teenagers at home and my wife is 50.

I never thought that a Beatles pinball machine would be made in my lifetime.  Consequently, I concede that I want to like the game and that my objectivity ought to be viewed in that context.  My favorite British Invasion band is The Zombies (hits include:  Time of the Season, She’s Not There, Tell Her No).  Needless to say, nobody will ever make a game based on The Zombies.

Despite my affection for the Beatles theme, I would not spend $8K for a game that my family would not play nor for a game that failed to appeal to my pinball sensibilities.  Thus, if The Beatles had been a ramp-laden, deep ruleset modern creation, with long ball times, I would have been far less inclined to purchase one.  Perhaps that concept for another Beatles game is in the offing, with a smash your Beatles LPs mode, after John Lennon declares, in a 1966 interview, that the band is more popular than you-know-who.  Perhaps “A Day In the Life” or “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” will punctuate a skill shot from the plunger in a future game.  Perhaps a yellow submarine will navigate through a subterranean playfield in a reprised Beatles edition. So many great songs and so much iconic pop and rock history makes the Beatles theme ripe for a variety of pinball concepts.  Nevertheless, I think that Ka-Pow/Stern thought through their target customer in designing this game. They opted for mostly early hit songs and an art package which evokes the frenzy of Beatlemania.

Years ago, I bought a miniature fantasy Beatles pinball machine, shown here, imagining what a real Beatles game might be. In a couple of days, I’m excited that I’ll have a The Beatles Gold to play in my line-up.  It won't be long, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. . .I’ll chime in again after the honeymoon stage wears off. This might take awhile, however. It's possible that this honeymoon may be a long and winding road.

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I installed the Mezelmods plastic protector set, which protects the lower 4 plastics. The 1st photo shows a "before and after" side-by-side comparison in which the left original sling plastic is unprotected whereas the right sling is equipped with the Mezelmods protector.

As depicted, when I installed the new protector on the right sling, I removed the 2 large metal washer protectors. Also, I replaced the small surface metal washers with tiny plastic transparent ones. The new appearance better displays the graphics with a green hue and removes the unsightly opaque metal washers.

I did the same swap with the lower plastics. The other 3 photos show the game after the complete swap. These protectors are thick and well-constructed and I recommend them, along with others in this thread.

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My 17 year-old daughter likes Beatles Gold. Indeed, she noticed herself among the fans!

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Right up there with: "I'd rather see you dead little girl. . ." in Run For Your Life. Lennon expressed regret for that lyric.

May I ask how long it took to receive? I recently sent a request via an online service/tech inquiry on the Stern website. I'm wondering if I will receive an acknowledgement or simply the deflector in the mail.

For Beatles fans, like us, there's a film (entitled: YESTERDAY) on the horizon which looks to be funny. Below is the premise and the trailer:

"Yesterday, everyone knew The Beatles. Today, only Jack remembers their songs. He’s about to become a very big deal. From Academy Award®-winning director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) and Richard Curtis, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually and Notting Hill, comes a rock-n-roll comedy about music, dreams, friendship, and the long and winding road that leads to the love of your life."

Just to clarify, am I correct that each kit includes a pair of lighting equipment so that one kit is good for one game?

Also, can anyone post a link for recommended upgraded speakers for The Beatles?

I like that the shaker activates upon completing each skill shot.

Yes. See post #332 above.

I just checked my Beatles playfield for bubbling, having about 250 plays on the playmeter. Thus far, I am not finding any defects. Below are 2 photos of high traffic areas.

Also, I took a photo of the manufacturer's markings on the playfield's edge. Perhaps someone here can translate those markings.

Last, I posted an apron photo with custom cards installed. Next up is to install the speaker upgrade kit and custom speaker light mod.

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While I prefer the gold edition's cabinet art over that of the platinum and diamond versions, the platinum model's translite is my favorite of the three.

Solution? I swapped my gold game's translite for a platinum one.

Mad Amusements recently had a couple of platinum translites on eBay so I bought one. I like the way it mimics the back panel's art style.

I suppose that this swap makes my game a platinum imposter. However, there's no mistaking the gold rails, gold legs and gold emblem on the apron.

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Speakerlights.com kit and Flipper Fidelity upgraded backbox and cabinet speakers installed this evening. I'm very pleased with these mods.

I particularly like the optional remote which causes the light show to respond to sound.
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My thoughts exactly. I also installed a platinum translite in my gold edition game.

I just installed the Laseriffic flipper decals and the Tilt Graphics, Inc. shooter plate (both purchased from Cointaker). I think that they look good.

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There's a distributor on eBay who sold his upcoming allotment of toppers. He still has one available, about $419 + $33 shipping + tax.

I recommend the speaker light mod from speakerlightkits.com, the Flipper Fidelity enhanced speakers, a shaker motor of your choice, and the slingshot plastic protectors from mezelmods.

The Stern airball protector kit is needed.

I also added a shooter rod plate enhancement, flipper decals, custom score cards, the lunchbox and turntable ornaments. I have a topper on order.

Earlier in this thread, I posted photos or otherwise discuss each of these items. I agree that the stock game is great, plus the airball mod, without anything added.

Nevertheless, the mezelmod plastic protectors are inexpensive and they improve the appearance (add a green hue and remove a black area at the posts). Congratulations! The Beatles is tremendous fun!

I share your sentiment, which is why I, too, swapped my Gold version translite for a Platinum version translite.

Topper installed today on my Beatles Gold (with Platinum version translite). . .super easy. I like it and I typically don't like toppers.

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White album version or perhaps Nowhere Man edition?

I suspect that the platinum and diamond edition "pricing experiment" was fueled by the successful sales of Stern's ridiculously priced Supreme pinball machine.

Stern has been unable to replicate that pricing phenomenon with its fab four upcharged versions because us old-timer fans of the band are arguably less motivated by branding and more drawn to substance. We recognize the value of the gold model.

The more limited production numbers of the platinum (250) and diamond (100) and the diamond's crystal glass backglass simply don't justify the large pricing differentials. The gold too is limited in production, 1614 units. All models have nice quality trim, albeit different colors.

I very much like the 1964 Beatles invasion theme and I play my gold version often. Nevertheless, I can imagine a late-sixties Beatles theme in which a collector edition adds a subterranean yellow submarine feature or something substantial to attract buyers above the $10K mark.

Listening to Sirius XM's The Beatles channel recently, I was reminded that Revolution was the B-side of Hey Jude. Hard days night to imagine that anomaly.

I have had a Beatles Gold in my line-up for 2 years. I find it to be an extremely well executed design in terms of both theme integration and gameplay.

It's among Stern's best modern (post-DMD) games, in my view. As an EM fan, I'm particularly partial to drop targets and spinners. Guests of all ages and all skill levels to my gameroom universally love the game.

I recommend Flipper Fidelity's enhanced speakers (or alternative enhanced speakers). Additionally, I like the shaker motor and topper. I also added the speaker screen light mod, plastic protectors and a few other less significant mods.

The shot variety is plentiful and the vectors are very satisfying. Improvements to the original Sea Witch design are each the result of smart tweaking. Add to the foregoing a wonderful video and pleasing overall art package and you have a game with longterm appeal.

My thoughts:

First tier mods:

*Flipper Fidelity enhanced speaker set of 3
*Speakerlights.com speaker colored lights with sound activation
*Mezelmods slingshot plastic protectors (adds green hue and removes black eyesore at posts)
*Stern factory airball protector kit
*Aftermarket shaker (superior to Stern's)
*Stern factory topper
*Alternative Beatles album flash drive
*Purple silicone flipper rubbers

Second tier mods:

*Tilt Graphics, Inc. (from Cointaker) custom shooter plate
*Laseriffic flipper decals (from Cointaker)
*Custom score cards
*lunchbox, turntable, guitar ornaments
*physical knocker
*swap Gold translite for Platinum translite

I like the silent CPU fan suggestion. Any vendor recommendations for such a fan upgrade?

I installed a platinum model translite on my gold edition Beatles at a cost of about $100. Apart from the cabinet art and silver trim, the only difference with the platinum is its production ceiling of 250.

I congratulate you for acquiring a great game. The value of that 250 limit is anyone's guess.

When the title was first released, a few platinums and diamonds fetched premium prices. Last year, platinums were selling for only 10% to 20% more than golds.

The diamonds feature the crystal glass backglass and are limited to 100 units.

Stern tried to replicate pricing with The Beatles as it achieved with Supreme. In my opinion, the customer base for The Beatles is largely older and more sophisticated and few buyers could justify the significantly higher price-points of the platinums and diamonds.

Here's one recently listed in the Pinside marketplace (in my backyard, Philly). Inexpensive for a diamond version. Nevertheless, I think that the gold edition is the only sensible version. To each his own.

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High score last night after years of mediocrity!

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The gold version is the bargain. All 3 versions together are limited to 1,964 units, 250 of which are platinum, 100 are diamonds and the remainder are golds.

Each version has different cabinet and backglass art. All versions are equally nice with respect to cabinet art, in my opinion.

Platinum and diamonds have a plaque (big deal for some, I suppose). The legs, lockdown bar and backbox trim are a different color than on the gold version. Again, the gold color looks as good or better, to my eye.

The diamonds have a crystal backglass as opposed to a translite on the other versions.

The playfield and programming are identical on all versions.

Apart from the notion that limited production adds value, there's no justification for a price differential above the gold version beyond a few hundred dollars. Yet, some platinums have sold for $10K - $16K and diamonds for $30K+ during the early release. More recently, enthusiasts have realized that these artificial "elevated versions" possess no added intrinsic value, a recognition which has deflated the price of those versions and elevated the best value version (i.e. the gold).

If you buy a gold and prefer the platinum translite (like me), you can replace the translite for about $100.

At about $8K or less, the gold is the way to go. Get an aftermarket shaker motor, enhanced speakers and the speaker light mod for more fun. This thread reviews all of the mods..

I hear that the cabinets are constructed with Norwegian wood. ;>

Has anyone uncovered the setting to activate the secret holiday greetings?

If only the great soothsayer (not), Paul Jones, could have lived to see a Beatles pinball machine. His head would explode in puzzlement.

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