Got the Stern shooter and installed it on my LE. Not a fan. It's the chinziest shooter they've put out and looks like a cheap plastic crap made in China...and doesn't even feel right when you're using it to launch a ball. And now I'm sad.

PS...the photo looks MUCH better than it does in person.

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It actually looks kinda cool in my opinion. But if you’re unhappy with the way it feels and shoots, that’s disappointing.
Compared to others you’ve bought in he past, how much larger is it?
Also, it looks like the housing mount is out of alignment with the black square on the cabinet artwork. Can it be adjusted and squared up a bit?

If you have a spare spring, try cutting out 1 coil at a time
The orange springs stern sends with these are so damn stiff there's no finesse in them. And you know how something should feel in your hand Boob, so cut until it feels right

We keep the handie jokes in that other thread.

Yeah...I noticed the mount was crooked when I posted the picture. I'll have to tweak it later. It's about the same size as half the STh shooter. But the smooth round back of this one takes a little getting used to when you're pulling it back...it feels like it might slip under your hand. I definitely have to relearn the skill shot with this shooter. I'll keep this for now but will probably look into a Plan B.

I told you guys to pass on that thing!
It's humongous

I just received and added the side armor to my Premium. Install was pretty straight forward: two wood screws and two bolts (7/16) on each side. But there was one hitch: removing the two top blots. I couldn’t get them out or back in unless the backbox was folded down.
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Maybe the holes on mine were drilled slightly off at the factory. (I hadn’t folded the backbox down since assembly. Just remove the two 5/8 bolts from the back—no need to unlock the back glass).

In total, it was about a 15 minute job.
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Now, a question for you guys with more experience: is there a demand or use for the old rails? What are they worth?

if you don't like the side armor (I kind of am tired of the starman everywhere myself, but then again I put the starman over the hinge bolt/hinges) I have a much cheaper easy to install side armor "fly by night owl" in silver, red, blue and "transparent") I've got the blue on my own premium.

https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1463-arcade-cabinetscom/08017-pinbawlers-flipper-button-wear-protectors-for-rush-

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I have had to slightly fold the head when replacing rails to get that one out on all modern sterns. They just like fucking with us. Keep the rails in case you want to swap back. Also I have built up a spare set of metal for spike machines so I can have them powdered without pulling the current ones of the game. Then just do the swap and still have an extra set.

This isn't necessarily Rush related, but I'm starting to think Stern specifically makes the artwork on the pro better than the premiums on purpose.
I don't konw why but all the premiums I"ve bought I think I end up liking the art on the pro better. is this a way of getting people who want the extra playfield stuff of the premium to upgrade to the LE for the better art? lol

I think I like the art and the translite of the pro better than my premium, same with TMNT, I have a pro and passed on the premium when one came up cheap (same price as pro basically) basically because I didn't like the art as much

This is one of the things I hate about the stern armor, is getting those bolts out and back in are a pain. That and having the rail fall off while your tryig to get everything off and scratch up your side art. I used to buy the armor immediately upon a new game and then would have it sit there for weeks as I'd never want to do the swap. lol congrats though on your armor purchase though!

I doubt the old rails are worth much I have 3-4 of them taking up space in my basement from when I used to swap out all my rails with the full armor.

Straightened out the shooter housing on the cabinet, made sure it was centered on the ball...

...and now I can't get the ball to launch around the orbit no matter what I do.

I've always said one of the most frustrating parts of this hobby is dialing in the shooter since each game is different. Same shit, different day.

I have to have a complete set in case I ever sell. I'm sure you of all people understand.

You may want to post this fact in the JP Home Pin owners forum. They've been known to trim them and use them. I don't know if they're economical to ship, but they may find homes there.

Intersting I would have figured the home pin had the same physical cabinet if nothing but for economy of scale and easy of production..
now I'm curious what's in that thing

The playfield is the same size, but the cabinet dimensions are slightly different.

Coincidentally they are the same height as a classic Stern

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TroyS made me some cool coin buttons, look even better in person.

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I installed the armor, shooter and Rush Expression Lighting (and side blades) tonight. Looks pretty cool! One bummer was that the node board that came with my RUSH EL, didn't work. Luckily the Led Zeppelin one does, so I'm using it for now. Put a ticket in with Stem. Hope they send one soon. Also the Rush EL boards are slightly different than the LZ ones. The little wire that goes between them has only 2 connectors and not 3. The node board only has one plug. Didn't have that extra plug with the two wires. The Rush kit also is supposed to include 5 extra single wire ferrite clips but mine didn't come with them. The shooter initially bumped the left fork of the auto plunger, so I loosened and adjusted it. I recommend trying it before you tighten it down. I didn't have any problem making the skill shot... in mine, it's basically pull it all the way out, and let it back in about 1/8 to 1/4 inch before shooting.

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And a slight clarification to that - rainbow records multiply everything on the shot (including 1-2-3 combo values, multiball jackpots, the clock bonus on the right orbit, also spinner spins towards lighting bonus X), but colored records multiply only the song mode shots.

Anyone know what these mean? I went to them and says In service but when I select it goes out of or in is service and that’s it. No way to test and not sure how to test. and that’s it.

Thanks

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I like Rush Pro, Foo Fighter Pro and Godzilla Pro better than the premium art packages. Not always the case though, Bond Premium is much better than Pro IMO.

Expression Lights looks fantastic. Mine are supposed to ship tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Shooter coming also. Hope I'm not disappointed.

Best wishes. The EL are super cool. I had the LZ ones which were great, but love the lighting rig look of the Rush side art. You won't be disappointed.

Exciting the toys are coming, the toys are coming!
So, another new mod, I have the wizard mod apron cover and just added these killer apron cards to complement.... Super high quality photos on quality glossy photo paper. A great mod for anyone who wants to upgrade to super high quality apron cards.
Available on eBay. The credits card comes in three variations pro, premium, and Le art that matches the back glass.
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Here's the apron cover without the cards
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You have to go into the test>switch test and test those switches in the switch test screen. EOS is probably broken (typical on these Sterns). The right orbit probably needs the actuator bent so the ball activates the switch reliably. Not sure how many balls or games have to transpire without a switch being activated for it to get flagged on a Stern game.

I had them on my LZ also!

I'm pretty excited. Just hope they aren't too hard to install.

Thanks for this!

I've done it twice now. It's not hard. Just follow the directions. One tip: if when you try to insert the lighting rail into the slot it doesn't want to go in in a spot.... here's the thing... the rails have zip ties along then in specific places. The slots have little oval spaces to allow those zip ties to sit properly. If a zip tie rotates it will cause the rail to bulge out in that spot. You might need to rotate the zip tie so that it's facing perpendicular to the side of the rail. In one case, a zip tie wasn't trimmed close enough, and that little "tail" had to be snipped off. Getting the rails in the slots is actually the trickiest part. Lining up the stickers was fine (I used the stem recommended dry method). Just line them up and stick lightly at first. One of them didn't go on right, but it was relatively easy to remove and retry.

Shown below is one of the zip ties in the PROPER orientation...
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i just checked they seemed to be working the right orbit workd when you push on it... oh well

thanks for you help

I like that apron, I wonder if the pro apron would fit the premium? I know that sounds stupid. but with how stern makes so many things different on different models un-necessarily I wouldn't doubt that they'd be different dimensions. I know they are made of different material and attach differently for some ungodly reason. That's actually one thing I don't mind if stern would skimp on. I see no reason to make the aprons out of metal on the premium and attach more annoyingly. (2 bolts underneath as well as the front), and sometimes the metal scratches up the playfield. There I wouldn't mind if they made the premiums apron out of plastic and put the savings into something more useful like better shooter rods/shooter housing. I'm not sure why but all the stern shooters from the factory I've seen recently seem to be crappy both the rods and the housings (metal on metal issues after xyz games). I've actually had to replace my godzilla housing and rod already and might need to replace some others. oddly enough here again they put metal in the shooter rod where other systems had plastic tubes like the solenoids tubes that you could easily replace when they got worn down which seems both more economical as well as a better maintaince choice.

Now that I'm thinking about it, stern could really use a "owner/player" consultant to tell them where they can improve things and not skimp out over skimping out. You'd think theyd be experts at this, but they seem to do some things that really leave me scratching my head.

-brian

Thanks. That's a good question. But I think so because it's not a full apron, just a cover that lies on top and I think they're probably all the same dimensions. Contact them for that info.
I was looking at wizard mod site and the premium art is very different and it's magnetic instead of adhesive like the pro. It does fit the premium theme nicely but the art doesn't have the space to add back apron cards without covering key art, like the pro has all the open spotlight space just begging for cards.
The LE cover magnetic also matches the le but honestly I could see any of them being used interchangeably. Just use 3m for the magnetic if you wanted to use it on your plastic apron pro, for example, and of course the pro has adhesive so it will go on all three.
Premium
https://www.wizardmod.com/product-page/rush-premium-insider-cut-out-pinball-magnetic-wizaprons

LE
https://www.wizardmod.com/product-page/rush-le-insider-cut-out-pinball-magnetic-wizaprons
PRO
https://www.wizardmod.com/product-page/rush-pro-insider-cut-out-pinball-wizaprons

The pro is mildly tacky and stiff heavy vinyl that you just remove your apron cards and place over the plastic apron and press along the edges of the apron cover to adhere it. It's easily removable with no damage.
I used double sided 3m tape on the back of the apron cards to stick them in place on the apron cover.
Oh and the apron covers come with a matching shooter rod to plate cover also, if you didn't notice that.
Last, they have versions WITHOUT the insider connected cutout if you wanted to cover up the reader and go old school or if you're relocating it to the coin door or something.

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Mine with cards:
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It's probably working when you push on it with your finger, but during gameplay, the ball is lifting a little or the switch isn't positioned right under the ball path. On mine, I noticed the switch in mini upper orbit wasn't activating and that exact switch in the right orbit doesn't always register 100%.

During gameplay, I'll notice that the right orbit is lit but a good shot doesn't always register. I'll have to hit it at least twice. So mine won't get flagged as bad because it does work intermittently. If yours never works during gameplay it will get flagged. So are you saying that the right orbit is lit (blinking) and you're making the shot (solid) and it is still getting flagged? I'd pay attention to that shot during a game to see.

When I see all of you get excited and you can't stop talking about buying $140 (or $180!) shooter knobs, or $1700 toppers, I shake my head and think "Wow, this is absurd and ridiculous!".

Then I remember I excitedly own and can't stop talking about my half dozen pins worth $3k-$11k/each, and I'm sure many of my friends and family shake their heads and think "Wow, this is absurd and ridiculous!".

Thanks for the perspective, mirror!

Did it ship direct from Stern? Or did your distro ship it?

I like the way the new shooter rod looks, bubbles and all... but the spring it shipped with doesn't allow the ball to make it all the way around the orbit with a full plunge (which I almost never do anyway). Has anyone else replaced the spring it came with, and if so, what color? I have orange, red, and purple ordered from Pinball Life but they won't be here until later in the week.

If you have an extra spring handy, cut off an inch or so and add. I've done this on a few to get more tension, ehoh and gz

Since I had access to both an LZ Prem and Rush LE that had expression lighting I had done some investigation into the EL setup as a part of figuring out if the LZ ELs would work in the Rush pin. Don't recall if it is in this thread or the NinjaCamp one. While the distribution boards that feed from the node board are different, it doesn't matter. It seems Stern found that the extra wires/plug they had in the LZ model were not necessary. IIRC they may have just been extra grounds? Maybe add'l power. But as Rush LE owners can attest the revised design works without issue.

Both an additional power and an additional ground were removed in Rush and Foo Fighters, so this seems to be the go forward design, but everything related to the expression lights should be fully intercompatible between all three games. The old 5 wire design just provided for extra current capacity but, if I had to guess, they likely decided that the lights never reached a high enough sustained current to justify the extra 10" of wire, so they cut it down to just one set of +/gnd. We still build our interface board to support all 5 wires but, just like they did with their own distribution board, all +/gnd lines are immediately merged anyways, so it all works out either way.

Good question. There was a mixup. Dist shipped shooter and armor. Stern shipped EL shooter, armor. Apparently, I have an extra shooter and armor someone else is waiting for. They are coming to pick those up.

So there are at least 4 different node boards maybe 5? (I've only seen 2). The Rush manual shows 2 different part numbers see image below noting the "main" board is 520-3570-72 (I'll call this #1). They also say in the footnote you can get a 520-6976-72 (I'll call this #2). The ACTUAL board I received was a 520-6976-72A (assuming A is a revision? Calling this #3). My Led Zeppelin kit came with a 520-8511-00A (calling this #4) and assuming there might be a 520-8511-00 with no A (calling this imagined board #5?).

On a related note and possibly totally imagined crap:

Fact: I used the LZ 520-8511-00A for 8 months.
After I switched to the newer node board yesterday, I feel like the "effects" in the EL are more discrete. Like more in tune with a shuttered digital beat as opposed to fadey and less distinct. Similar to the difference between an interlaced monitor and a non- interlaced monitor. Had anyone else noticed this? I may be imagining it.

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I believe it was only the distribution boards that were different (the board between the ELs and the node board) not the node boards themselves. But I'd have to look back at my posts.

The LZ and the Rush node 2's I got are substantially different node boards. The LZ one has that extra power and ground connector and therefore uses a Y shaped interconnect. The Rush one uses a straight through interconnect.
Top: Rush EL node 520-6976-72A
Bot: Led Zep EL node 520-8511-00A

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Yep, found my posts where I had done my research... they were over in the NC thread. Thought I had pics tho. Agreed node 2 numbers are all over the place. There is a few posts on that page related.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ninjacamp-mods/page/12#post-7058636

Aaaaaaand I had put the pics in this thread. Sheesh my grey matter is shot.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-official-rush-owners-club-1/page/171#post-7058398

Behold my gargantuan knob!!!!

It’s a bit goofy, but I like it. Looks nice lit up. The starman is a decal, and it’s not totally in the grooves of the star…I could see it peeling or getting torn off. Wish they had cleared over it or something.

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Man. for that kind of cash, you'd expect it to have been etched into the plastic.

When people think pinballs are absurd and ridiculous I look around where I live and see people driving 80+K - 250K cars and think "how stupid"
I'd much rather have 10 x 10K pins than a 100K car
pinball is at least fun and a work of art. but to each his own I suppose.

Yep. My neighbor always makes comments about my "$10,000 pinballs" but he drives a $90,000 RAM pickup that is depreciating in the driveway. I have only lost money on a pin once and it was $300.

Quality is a little disappointing on these rods. I'm really hoping I didn't make a mistake.

Don't worry the topper is made of gold and unicorn horns and rainbows. Worth every penny!