(Topic ID: 229845)

Translucent Drop Targets from Pinball Mods - Vid's Review

By vid1900

5 years ago


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    There are 81 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
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    #1 5 years ago

    A short while ago, Pinball-Mods introduced Frosted Translucent Drop Targets for Modern Stern, Williams and Data-East.

    These can be backlit with LED lamps to give a cool effect, and I'm sure the cool kids will even figure out a way to gang switch the LEDs off when the target is down.

    http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-star-trek-the-next-generation-drop-target-williams-p-47.html

    http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/game-specific-products-stern-star-trek-drop-target-stern-p-48.html

    http://pinball-mods.com/oscom/replacement-parts-drop-target-data-east-p-49.html

    Us Euro pinheads can source them from Pinball Center (their English translation says **opaque** rather than translucent, hopefully they fix that, lol)

    http://www.pinball.center/en/shop/pinball-parts/playfield-parts/targets/drop-targets/9178/drop-target-opaque-williams

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    #2 5 years ago

    I've had problems with translucent aftermarket targets that would quickly break after being installed, so I wanted to give these things a hard beating.

    King of Cranes agreed to let me install them on a few of the games he routes.

    I installed them in games that had drop targets directly in front of the flippers.

    Nothing says death to plastic more than being a few inches from the flippers with a direct face hit.

    The worst ones he had were Comet, Space Shuttle, AFM and Dirty Harry (I'm sure you guys will find some other good ones).

    Comet was the biggest threat to plastic, so James agreed to let me put that one on Freeplay until it got 1000 plays.

    Here you can see that the Poly-carbonate is certainly not brittle; I could not break it by hand.

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    #3 5 years ago

    On Comet, the drop target is a different configuration than the 90s games, so I had to score and break the stop tab off of the Target, then attach the spring through the center loop.

    Pretty standard stuff for ops, but it might be a head-scratcher for nubes, so look at these pics for details.

    I used a scrap of clear plastic to allow you guys to see the stop post, but most ops would have used a scrap piece of thin aluminum.

    Here is target in the down position:

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    #4 5 years ago

    And here is the target in the up position:

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    #5 5 years ago

    Oh yea, been eager to see reviews on these...

    go on.

    #6 5 years ago

    I lit the targets up with **bendies** from Comet Pinball

    https://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/1smdflex.htm

    Comet got Red

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    #7 5 years ago

    Come on Vid the suspense is killing me!!!!

    #8 5 years ago

    So when I got back to the States, Comet had 908 plays on it since the Translucent Drop had been installed.

    I removed and examined it closely.

    No fractures or cracks.

    Not even a scratch really.

    So at over 900 plays the bookeeping totals for "times dummy dunked" was over 8,200 cycles - with no signs of damage or wear.

    Nice!

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    #9 5 years ago

    James had swapped out the other games to a new location, so the only target that got a clear decal installed that night was Comet.

    I did not want to decal it until it had 1000 games on it, so I could see if it was cracking or wearing.

    92a13edd99546259cd86407e67f6b1c446e99777 (resized).jpg92a13edd99546259cd86407e67f6b1c446e99777 (resized).jpg

    #10 5 years ago

    I'll follow up if a target ever breaks, but as of right now these things seem really durable.

    Highly recommended.

    (Big thanks to James for letting us have 1000 free plays in the name of science, and for letting me tear up his beautiful games)

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    #11 5 years ago

    Thanks for the honest review. I was a little concerned when I originally started selling these... but this data makes me feel better about carrying them.
    I'm going to update the webpage with this information when I get a chance later tonight.

    #12 5 years ago

    We have a handful out in the wild as a replacement for our inconsistent performing Winkie target an Stern Star Trek drop target. Will send along any additional feedback we discover. So far so good on our end. Thanks Zitterkopf for making this happen

    #13 5 years ago

    Are these compatible with Cactus Canyon (protos had translucent droptargets) or does it use another type of target ?

    #14 5 years ago

    Cool mod. I can see using these for GB with a green light or ST with a blue light.

    #15 5 years ago
    Quoted from aeneas:

    Are these compatible with Cactus Canyon (protos had translucent droptargets) or does it use another type of target ?

    I've been told these will not fit Cactus Canyon (production; unsure about proto).
    https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/frosted-polycarbonate-clear-drop-targets-now-available#post-4613829

    #16 5 years ago
    Quoted from aeneas:

    Are these compatible with Cactus Canyon (protos had translucent droptargets) or does it use another type of target ?

    CC uses a very unique target:

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    #17 5 years ago

    Looks promising! Does anyone know if the Williams target fits in JJP WOZ?

    #18 5 years ago

    I had a similar product for WOZ ECLE years ago and it lasted a few months before snapping. For $11 shipped it was worth giving the Williams style a shot on our WOZrr. Hope it fits - the woz manual shows part #30-0016-00 for the drop target, but hoping it’s the same. Now gotta investigate how to get it lit up.

    2 weeks later
    #19 5 years ago

    I picked up a set of these drops for my TWD when they were on sale for Black friday. As well as some pop bumper skirts and bodies... the drop targets look great and lighten the side up quite a bit. Not sure if I will do specific led’s for them or not but one thing to note... I had to add some tape to the part that break the beam for the opto as they are clear enough that they don’t otherwise register. I used tape as a quick fix, I think paint would probably be better.

    #20 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    Not sure if I will do specific led’s for them or not but one thing to note... I had to add some tape to the part that break the beam for the opto as they are clear enough that they don’t otherwise register.

    Good tip!

    I had wondered if the tab would block enough light on games with optos.

    #22 5 years ago
    Quoted from Zitt:

    What about a black sharpie?

    Sharpies might work, but they are so weak lately.

    Maybe those metal cased markers that smell like death?

    #23 5 years ago
    Quoted from Zitt:

    What about a black sharpie?

    I used a sharpie first and it still didn’t block the light, so I went with electrical tape.

    #24 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    I used a sharpie first and it still didn’t block the light, so I went with electrical tape.

    Fingernail polish might work. Has to be hot pink though.

    1 week later
    #25 5 years ago

    It's now been over 2 months of heavy commercial use, and none of the drops have been damaged in any of the games.

    All we need now is some for Classic Bally and life will be good!

    #26 5 years ago

    Vid,
    Do you have a part number and I'll check to see if pinball.center has stock?

    #27 5 years ago

    #A-3944

    Would be the drop model, sometimes there is a dash after it with a color code

    #28 5 years ago

    Vid, do you have a pic of the target with the dummy decal on it? Thanks.

    #29 5 years ago
    Quoted from jaytrem:

    Vid, do you have a pic of the target with the dummy decal on it? Thanks.

    I took one, but totally missed focus on it.

    I asked KOC to take me a pic the next time he has the glass off.

    #30 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    I used a sharpie first and it still didn’t block the light, so I went with electrical tape.

    The targets are holding up well on my TWD, clearly not a routed pin but these targets get a lot of use in this game. The one observation I have is I seem to be able to 'sweep' these targets with much more frequency than the stock targets. What I mean by that is I take all 3 down in a single shot. In the prior months of ownership with stock targets I may have managed that no more than half dozen times if I was lucky, with the new targets it isn't uncommon for me to sweep them multiple times in a single game. Now I have recently re-rubbered the game and stripped down the entire topside for a fresh cleaning and waxing so more than one variable has changed but it is a behaviour I wasn't seeing before.

    #31 5 years ago

    I was inspired by this thread to order up a set of these to install on my IMDN.

    The black drop target from the factory are hard to notice on IMDN due to the sharp angle that they are at vs. the players view. You basically don't see the target faces at all unless you view the game from the left side. So I wanted to spruce things up a bit by using these transparent targets and some additional LED lighting to make the targets pop a bit.

    These targets work well, no strange bricking or other noticeable differences in play behaviour vs. the stock black ones. If anything I'd say these are more durable feeling in the hand as well. They are a "milky white" transparent, not perfectly clear, which is fine for my scenario.

    Quoted from Fytr:

    Fingernail polish might work. Has to be hot pink though.

    kIMG_4911 (resized).JPGkIMG_4911 (resized).JPG

    kIMG_4912 (resized).JPGkIMG_4912 (resized).JPG

    ...and you thought I was kidding!

    kIMG_4914 (resized).JPGkIMG_4914 (resized).JPG

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    I used a 3 segment 5v LED strip directly behind the targets to light them up, connected to the nearby GI bulb. They go on and off with the GI as well which is nice for Fear of the Dark mode and others. They are bit bright at the moment so may experiment with other LED colours and placement in the future to refine the look a bit.

    Overall these are fantastic and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them!

    #32 5 years ago

    Is pinballmods owner on here?

    If so... when will classic stern and bally translucent drops be available?

    Have a few games i would like to try these on

    #33 5 years ago

    are you installing the light strips under the play field or just behind the targets on the top side?

    #34 5 years ago
    Quoted from Fytr:

    I was inspired by this thread to order up a set of these to install on my IMDN.
    The black drop target from the factory are hard to notice on IMDN due to the sharp angle that they are at vs. the players view. You basically don't see the target faces at all unless you view the game from the left side. So I wanted to spruce things up a bit by using these transparent targets and some additional LED lighting to make the targets pop a bit.
    These targets work well, no strange bricking or other noticeable differences in play behaviour vs. the stock black ones. If anything I'd say these are more durable feeling in the hand as well. They are a "milky white" transparent, not perfectly clear, which is fine for my scenario.

    [quoted image]
    [quoted image]
    ...and you thought I was kidding!
    [quoted image]
    [quoted image]
    [quoted image]
    I used a 3 segment 5v LED strip directly behind the targets to light them up, connected to the nearby GI bulb. They go on and off with the GI as well which is nice for Fear of the Dark mode and others. They are bit bright at the moment so may experiment with other LED colours and placement in the future to refine the look a bit.
    Overall these are fantastic and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them!

    I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on whether they are easier to knock down... I'm not familiar enough with IMDN to know whether you can sweep the drops (Knock all 3 down at once) or not but I pretty sure something is different with these drops or how I installed at the least that is making them easier to sweep.

    #35 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on whether they are easier to knock down... I'm not familiar enough with IMDN to know whether you can sweep the drops (Knock all 3 down at once) or not but I pretty sure something is different with these drops or how I installed at the least that is making them easier to sweep.

    Play 100 games, then look at the bookeeping and see how many times the drops were reset.

    Then put the originals in, and check again after 100 games.

    It's pretty common to sweep IMDN drops many times per ball, but a test is always fun to do.

    #36 5 years ago
    Quoted from Whysnow:

    Is pinballmods owner on here?
    If so... when will classic stern and bally translucent drops be available?

    I am; but I am not the manufacturer, only the exclusive distributor for North America.

    #A-3944 is not currently available from Pinball.Center in Clear.
    I have a email to them to see if they can do them... We'll see.

    #37 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on whether they are easier to knock down... I'm not familiar enough with IMDN to know whether you can sweep the drops (Knock all 3 down at once) or not but I pretty sure something is different with these drops or how I installed at the least that is making them easier to sweep.

    IMDN drops are very sweepable in general. I haven't played that many games yet since switching them out but they are working as expected. In my opinion, drop targets need to do two things:

    1. When the ball touches/hits them they drop down (don't brick).
    2. When the ball hasn't touched them, they don't.

    If you are finding them more sweepable it may just be that they are more visible now than they were in black so you're noticing them / aiming more?

    So long as none of the targets are falling on their own when a mech fires (flippers, pop bumpers) or you bang the side the of the cabinet you're golden - those sweeps are due to your amazing skillz!

    #38 5 years ago
    Quoted from Zitt:

    I am; but I am not the manufacturer, only the exclusive distributor for North America.
    #A-3944 is not currently available from Pinball.Center in Clear.
    I have a email to them to see if they can do them... We'll see.

    Replacements for Classic Stern targets (in white and clear) would be excellent.

    #39 5 years ago
    Quoted from Fytr:

    IMDN drops are very sweepable in general. I haven't played that many games yet since switching them out but they are working as expected. In my opinion, drop targets need to do two things:
    1. When the ball touches/hits them they drop down (don't brick).
    2. When the ball hasn't touched them, they don't.
    If you are finding them more sweepable it may just be that they are more visible now than they were in black so you're noticing them / aiming more?
    So long as none of the targets are falling on their own when a mech fires (flippers, pop bumpers) or you bang the side the of the cabinet you're golden - those sweeps are due to your amazing skillz!

    The drops on TWD are the most important shot in the game so I shoot them as frequently now as before... I think I'm going to do what Vid suggested just out of curiosity. Install was super simple, so I'm not sure I can cork that up I didn't need to add any lights on the TWD there was an LED in behind them already, I think the area looks great with them installed. I'd love to do something dynamic with RGB's by tying the lighting into the inserts in front of the drops... not sure I can figure that out but it would be pretty cool.

    #40 5 years ago
    Quoted from toasterman04:

    are you installing the light strips under the play field or just behind the targets on the top side?

    1st cut I just added a 3 LED strip behind the targets on to of the playfield. They are secured with zip-ties around the two plastic posts on either side.
    It's not ideal as I find them a bit too bright and the "finish" of the LED strip mounting isn't great. When the targets are down you can see the LED strip behind them which might bother some people. I'm thinking of trying maybe a single spotlight pointing out from under the plastic a bit further back, and playing with different colors.

    #41 5 years ago

    Has anyone tried the Scoleri targets on GB? That might look cool with green or pink lights.

    #42 5 years ago
    Quoted from Zitt:

    I am; but I am not the manufacturer, only the exclusive distributor for North America.
    #A-3944 is not currently available from Pinball.Center in Clear.
    I have a email to them to see if they can do them... We'll see.

    Thanks! Would really like these!

    #43 5 years ago

    Thought I'd add a couple of shots of the translucent drops and the red pop's... still have to do the third pop, I'm debating putting the clear ones in all 3 places, haven't decided yet so I haven't committed on the 3rd one.

    IMG_6772 (resized).JPGIMG_6772 (resized).JPGIMG_6780 (resized).JPGIMG_6780 (resized).JPGIMG_6774 (resized).JPGIMG_6774 (resized).JPG
    #44 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    Thought I'd add a couple of shots of the translucent drops and the red pop's... still have to do the third pop, I'm debating putting the clear ones in all 3 places, haven't decided yet so I haven't committed on the 3rd one.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

    That does look nice.

    #45 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    couple of shots of the translucent drops

    How did you transfer the drop decals? Just peel from the old and stick on the new?
    Or did you have them recreated?

    #46 5 years ago
    Quoted from Zitt:

    How did you transfer the drop decals? Just peel from the old and stick on the new?
    Or did you have them recreated?

    There was a set in the goodie bag so I was good thankfully a new full decal set from Marco is expensive.

    #47 5 years ago
    Quoted from roar:

    There was a set in the goodie bag so I was good thankfully a new full decal set from Marco is expensive.

    Good to know. I wonder if my STLE has a decal in the goodie bag.

    I assume this is the decal set you're talking about?
    https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/802-5000-F6
    cause; yeah... that's expensive for a full set.

    #48 5 years ago

    Those were the ones I was talking about but I looks like pinball life has a subset for cheaper... https://www.pinballlife.com/the-walking-dead-premiumle-high-wear-decal-set.html

    Now shipping to Canada is more expensive but what can you do.

    #49 5 years ago

    oh. look. PBL has a set for Star Trek too:
    https://www.pinballlife.com/star-trek-high-wear-decal-set.html
    I guess the drop target in this one is the black C shaped jobby on the right.

    #50 5 years ago

    You can scan the set, then make a translucent set in PhotoShop, for extra pop

    There are 81 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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