Not good to hear.

This is a problem when it becomes necessary to cut costs. The new Sterns are not the same quality as the older Sterns i.e. LOTR, TSPP etc.

I wish Stern could go back to wire form ramps etc and concentrate on quality as if I bought a NIB, I would not be happy to have these issues so early.

One of the reasons I do not have a newer Stern in my collection. Maybe though, with JJ on the scene, Stern may make some of these changes......that would be great going forward as I am really looking forward to Steve Ritchie's next pin and really hope they get it right.

Hmm interesting as I actually think Stern quality is gradually improving.
I own a Ripley's and CSI and have then standing next to each other. I notice that play-field bits seem better made on CSI. It also has more reliable LEDs and the side tails have been extended to cover up the usual wear spots around the flippers. The graphics has also improved in terms of resolution. The coloured inserts are also bigger and brighter so there is improvement there.
The art content-especially the back box art hasn't improved in the same way but then again I'm a big fan of the art on the early 80's games which are outstanding.
It's not surprising new games have the odd glitch when they hit the market, what is important is that any failures are promptly spotted and dealt with.

The Mick Jagger target at Shorty's has been broken in half for the last month or so. We thought it would last maybe 5000 hits with that cheap-ass construction.

Mick's not half the man he used to be...though a few people think that we should put one of the strippers from The Sopranos on Mick's legs for fun...

maybe that was me? i just noticed the disc motor noise i think because i turned down the volume after about 50-100 games. lol. i do believe it's quite normal for that sound though (according to stern warranty).

I am surprised to hear about the drop target assembly being an issue as it has been used on several games the past 25 years without much fuss. Could have been a freaky production dud.

I was playing the one at Gameworks with my kids the other day, and the disc was only registering a small percentage of the hits. I'm guessing it was either a software bug, or a problem with the optos.

This just in: Pinball Machines (even when new) may break parts or require maintenance after being played. Story at 11

hmmm.......
my 35 year old EMs drops still work fine?

Stern should be ashamed. But thier not....I understand they don't want them to last long...or you wouldn't buy another one.... but this is a little silly.

Yeah I guess when you had 3 -4 pinball Mfg's things were a bit different,
dont get me wrong I still love playing new Stern Pins but...........

Well said. I'm sorry but if you all don't think there will be any issues with all of the things JJP is putting into their pin you may be in for a surprise. That said, if people continue to list problems with the new Tron then I would hope Stern would put more effort in quality control. If I had an issue with NIB I would have them keep sending a new one until I get one that plays the way it should out of the box.

It is tough when so many hands go into a machine "assembly line" style. It just takes one person to have an off day and jack up around 25 to 30 pins... I'm sure it will be remedied by Stern soon enough. At least TRON isn't in WOF's sinking boat- with unfinished code and no wizard mode.
I feel bad for owners that are passionate about seeing that pin completed.

"Up Vanna's creek without a paddle" comes to mind...

The funny thing is, I've never even played WOF, and yet it still pisses me off that the game is incomplete. Now that Lyman is back with Stern, I suppose anything is possible. We should get together a "Finish WOF" fund. If every member of Pinside gave Lyman five bucks, I'd think that would be enough of an incentive for him to finish the code.