New to the club! Heavily routed game, so about to take it completely apart to clean it up. All switches and modes appear to work though, so excited about that!

Question: Anyone have an extra of this plastic?

Also, what have you guys done to clean the figures that are zip-tied on? Do you just re-zip-tie, or is there another way to approach it?

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Small screw from under the plastic through the existing zip tie hole and into their feet. A dab of hot glue done right can work well also. You can lose the zip ties and the small clear plastics as well.

Super small screws then right? Needs to be done, will gladly lose the zip ties and plastic that’s holding them down!

Yep, I used tapered head screws, very thin and short. Bring your slingshot plastic and figure to the hardware store and you'll find what you're looking for.

When I get another LOTR Ill havent check these out...

I tried the super duper coils or whatever they are called and hated them, couldnt get them out of there fast enough.

Something in the middle would be a worth a shot.

Hi all, new issue with Balrog

Again, I bought a routed game a few days ago, and I’m cleaning it up and going through it. Today I went through the fuses and found a number of them were incorrect, both backbox and flippers. I also found a ground wire not connected to ground, so guessed at a place for that based on the other grounds.

Balrog worked perfect before doing all of this, now the balrog motor seems to twitch at random times. Any idea what I did wrong? Is there a fuse difference like I read in the magnet where I fuse up from a 3 to a 4A? Oh, also, the switch to the multiball isn’t working any more either. Connected in some way?

Posted partial LOTR plastic set with tree plastic in the marketplace.

$110 f&f PayPal shipped CONUS

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Looking to replace the cabinet flipper switches, but a bit confused by the manual.

It lists 23A and 23B, although it shows 2 pieces for 23A and 0 for 23B. Just curious why 23B is even there.

So if it's 23A that I need two of, is this the part I need two of:

https://www.pinballlife.com/stern-flipper-leaf-switch-single-contact.html

Thanks in advance!

Solved, it was the wire got disconnected at the multiball switch, but couldn’t see it with the rubber sleeve on the two green wires. Soldered it up, now the multiball switch and Balrog work perfectly again!

Question for the group - one of my slingshot posts broke. Looking on Marco, I see they have star posts on the list, which surprised me. Looking at the shop out images here in Pinside, I see the guy had the thinner posts I have on mine, but swapped them out for the star posts.

What have you guys done on your games? Regular posts or star posts?

... for some reason it won’t let me attach the screen shots I took.

https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/550-5059-01

I assume those are 1-1/16 inch posts. Measure what you have to confirm.

Correct, that’s what’s in them, but also on marco searching by game, in the LOTR search results had regular star posts in the results. I jumped onto Pinside and was looking through the images, in the shop out gallery I found this image (below). Someone switched it to star posts. I was reading that some of these posts have a problem with bending after getting hit repeatedly, so wondering if it’s a common thing to switch it to star posts, or if it’s something done with different production runs.

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I think it is done more for aesthetics,I have the thin posts on mine ,I think the star posts look good though

I've had mine since 2003 and I've not seen any if my posts bend. Idk, maybe with 10k+ plays or something it could happen to someone. Either way, it doesn't matter.. Get whatever you like best. They're pocket change and you can replace them whenever you feel like it. This is not a time to over think something. There's zero "detrimental" effect to the game.

I went ahead and made the jump yesterday actually. I dropped in some new clear star posts with warm white post lights under them. Looks great, and looking at the art work, the circle around matches the diameter of the post lights perfectly. So I like what I see, though have some other things I’m doing now as well so haven’t played it that way yet. I have a post on the right side that looks like it’s taken a beating, next to the spot ring target, thinking about whether I should put one over there as well.

Hey, question, I need to buy decals for the targets and spinners, but I see there’s a mirror decal of the eye. Where does that go in the game???

Here’s a couple of pics with the clear star posts

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I believe the eye sticker you are talking about goes behind here...

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Ah, was there originally on in that gap in the art behind the tower?

There is a flasher behind that panel that illuminates the eye. You don't really see it unless you're looking for it.

Also looking for an ARWEN plastic for LOTR if anyone has one... or happy to get a good scan as well to make my own. Anything know of anything available? (all the normal interweb sites appear to be out).

There is an alternate plastic here in the Pinside Shops that I bought since I couldn’t find one either. I think it was like $25. I just ordered it the other day and it hasn’t arrived yet, so I don’t know the quality. But it’s alternate art featuring Gollum, and the ad says it’s thicker than the original.

I just took a picture today and created a Photoshop template to the exact size (first time trying to copy pinball plastics).
My copy is the top one - printed from a Brother Color laser onto hp premium paper (not glossy). So an inkjet to glossy vinyl will look brighter.

I also finished making Custom side blades and a speaker panel. They're printed on plain paper right now in the pics.

I just got the game about 4 weeks ago. I never played it before I got it. Man is this a great pin! I feel like I'm going on the journey every time I play it.

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Pssst, your Hobbit is showing

Anyone wanting to add a shaker to their non LE can get a complete kit from Pinball Life. Has everything needed.

Curious, what printer model do you use for that (especially the side blade)

Cheers

I just bought the Brother HL-L3270CDW $250 If you can find it in stores.
I use it to mock up the designs.

I'll probably print out the final version of the blades on my HP OfficeJet Pro 8210 inkjet printer because it might look more glossy. I print to 8-1/2x11 Glossy Vinyl sheets, cut into 4 sections and then I put a clear laminate over the final blade to make it one whole piece.

That's fantastic! Would it be possible to share your photoshop scan?

OK, I'm definitely curious now... How do you manage to line up perfectly the 4 pieces ? And... How do you laminate (sorry, noob here with regards to printing stuff).

And I would very very much appreciate your photoshop file for your blades

Having my template is fine, but it's still a process to cut out the 4 pieces. Once I have the design just right, I use New Guide option to make the vertical lines for my cuts. I flatten the image. Then I can select one section and use Ctrl-J to copy that section into a new layer. Then select the background again and select the next section to cut out. Then I copy/paste each section/layer into a separate 8-1/2x11 Landscape file that has guides around the edges so my final printout doesn't get cutoff on the printer. I use a razor blade to cut the vinyl all around. Line it up, some tape on edges to hold it together. Then I bought a 12"x30ft roll of clear vinyl. Peel and roll the clear vinyl onto the blade. Trim excess clear and done. Or just use template and send it to a professional printer to print as one large sheet. Guess I should make a YouTube video

so any truth to the rumor of a vault edition with LCD screen? not sure if I am excited or not about such a thing? Gandalf the White edition, or Mordor Black , I just can't decide.

This comes up every few months or so... and still has yet to happen (or IMHO be brought up by anyone with creditability or evidence). The IP is certainly worth more now than it was back in 2000/2001 when they contracted for it initially. Hell, Amazon just dropped $250M just for the rights to a 5 season series.

Could you imagine a new LOTR with an LCD screen full of a janky knock off Rivendell like room main screen where you add rings to the wall as you proceed through the "journey" until you fight a bunch of other janky knock off animations interlaced with the 10 or so real movie IP scenes they actually bought the rights to?

Now if they had full movie rights and added a bunch of movie video cuts to the LCD screen, kept the code programming as is, recoded the audio with higher quality and had full access to all the Shore songs, printed the cab, plastics, and PF at a higher resolution, ensured the feel of a dark spooky game aka mirrored the incandescent feel with LED's, and had boards that don't randomly break 50 times more often then the WS boards... I'd buy a second LOTR to set next to my original in a second!

Jarbyjibbo is right, a vaulted LOTR with an updated LCD screen,and updated code, like he talked about would be sweet. Maybe an updated look to the playfield art to make it different, might also be good. It would be 2 different machines, it would do well.

Hello LotR owners,

I just joined pinside and LotR club in January and saw the mod of Gandalf staff.
My staff was missing so I made a quick and cheap solution with a plastic cotton swab staff, see picture attached. I added a 10 k resistor to dim the white LED, but any other value also possible or a pot to adjust it. The plastic swab is hollow, so it is possible to get 2 thin wires through.

8BC

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Welcome to the club. The staffs and swords were not included, so nothing was missing. Your lighted staff solution looks good.

Are you connecting the resistor in series or parallel with the LED? It also depends on the LED used. Do you have a link to the LED?

I placed an order and can not wait. They look amazing

You'll love them. I have a second set just in case anything happens to them in the future and they aren't available.

@ Neal_W

I put the resistor in series to the LED positive side and conected it to the same GI underneath Gandalf (yellow/yellow white). It is a white 3 mm standard LED.

So I finally got my wiring issues sorted, and moved on to installing pinstadiums. After I plugged in the flasher I went to start a game and it won't fire up. I don't think the two are related, but where should I be looking to troubleshoot the start button.

Edit: Further info the following switches are registering at all times:

Balrot hit
Balrog closed

Only thing I will say is make sure you are very careful when lifting the playfield, I got a little tear in mine from catching the edge of the art blade with the PF on lowering it. I'll be ordering a second set because these are the best by far for LOTR IMO.

Adding more series resistance would make it dimmer, and there is only so much you can dim it before it won't turn on. Using a pot in series with the 10k resistor would work.

Clear explanation here:
https://stompville.co.uk/?p=37

Hey folks, i picked up a heavily routed LOTR a while ago and have finally started going through it.
Both playfield wood rails need replaced due to damage. Does anyone have decent photos of the posts and holes on the left rail? Trying to figure where these spiky posts go on the new left rail im building.

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Exactly what I needed, thank you!

Hey folks, finally working on my LOTR a year after I planned. I picked up this piece so long ago I dont remember where it goes. I THINK its a mod to prevent airballs on one of the ramps or something, but dont recall exactly. Anyone recognize this?

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It goes on the end of the left ramp. It replaces the ugly piece of plastic hanging over the ramp.

This one? Sorry im not fully reassembled. Lots of parts in the tumbler at the moment. Thank you in advance

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Yes.

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Anyone would have tips to adjust the Balrog switch ? Mine registers about half of the hits, even less sometime

Thanks

That is a normally closed switch. You have to get in the back of the Balrog and carefully bend the switch arm so the switch opens up sooner. Make very small adjustments and test.