I like cool white for almost all GI applications. Some games, warm looks better to me, but that's the exception not the rule.

Warm would be my choice

would feel more original

but its your game, buy a few to test in a area and go from there

I go frosted if I think I'll see the bulb at all, unfrosted if not.

In the back box, I always go with the really cheap pinball life frosted non concave bulbs. They're not as bright, which I like for the back box.

I had frosted cool in mine. Backbox also
Warm didn't look right to me as there is too much blue in the art.

I'm using a natural white (Comet sunlight) for my GI. TZ is a game I see people accent with blue a lot and the playfield is totally blue, I think the cool white complements it pretty well.

I run warm on the older games...cool on the new.

For me it depends on the color of the majority of the plastics. Cool white tends to go great with Blue, Green, Black, etc....Colors like Red, Yellow, Orange, I prefer Warm white.

For TZ I personally go with cool. For no other reason than the playfield is a bit on the "dark" side to begin with so I find that the cool look in the GI tends to make otherwise difficult to see areas not so difficult to see. I'm also a big fan of the upper playfield LED strips that illuminate that area as well. Just IMO, of course.

incandescent!!!!!!!

Comet sunlight for sure.

I mostly run a combination of cool and color-matched (ie clown puke) in the GI. That ratio depends on whether I'm consuming adult beverages during the process. I consumed a lot on the day that I did TZ I guess - but it still looks awesome to me, so I haven't de-colored it yet.

I did use mostly cool white frosted in the backbox with just some blue around the door - looks insanely awesome. I'll snap a pic tonight of that.

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Oh - and orange supers (no dome) work best on the door inserts. You can see in my pic, the bottom of the door is orange, rest is warm white (ran out of orange on that day). The warm white made the color too yellow and washed out the text.

Warm ONLY in GI!

Actually the comet sunlight are now my preferred GI. Frosted always!

Look about halfway down this thread at Rlerman's post. His second picture shows it best...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/comet-led-strips-in-tz-any-pics-out-there#post-2399345

Cool works fine because of the color scheme, but I wouldn't shy away from warm as LED warm aren't "that" warm to begin with.

I use frosted for everything I can. You can get the cheaper ones for the backbox though so you don't blow it out and make it super bright...or only use 1/2 - 2/3 of the sockets.

Unless you have problems with your vision, LED strips aren't needed IMO.

you should put whatever you think looks better... personally I would do cool white on a TZ

I do almost always natural white GI's except for certain machines where warm looks better (ToM, CV, ToTAN look great in warm for example)

it does depend on the game, and of course what you like.

i do tend to lean towards cool white myself. i feel like cool white tends to make games look newer, more modern, and even kind of crisper and cleaner. Warm white makes the game look more vintage or analog (nothing wrong with that).

I also have noticed cool white can kind of help mask yellowing playfield areas and plastics.

Backglass with mostly frosted cool white:

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Playfield now (less purple on upper pf, cool white in clock, orange under all door panels):

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TZ is the only pinball in my collection that I have not converted to LED's . I dig your inlane LED's . It looks like you used blue. But can you confirm this ? And in addition what kind of LED in under the Inlane plastic ie: That company you purchased it from and type of LED SMD, Frosted , Clear, ect . Looks great . Thanks Rob

Comet 1SMD 5050 frosted - blue inlanes, purple slings. Color match the inserts except use warm whites under yellows. I use domeless for the inserts - and you'll need 1 warm white flex 555 for the slot 5M insert, but other than that it was pretty easy.

Here's the backglass layout:

image.jpg

Thanks a Million for the reply . I like to play in the dark. I wonder if I could see the playfield with the Blue and Purple . You would be doing me a favor . I want to see your creative color pallet in a lights out photo. I will PM you with my e-mail . At your leisure of course . Peace .

My 2 cents.

Keep any colors you want, but you have the option to increase your brightness to play in the dark.

From a 1 SMD 5050, 25% Brighter are Twin 2835 in Frosted.
50% or more brighter then a 1 SMD is our Op-Max.
(you can mix all these in the same game)

Add in Sunlight, between warm and white...the perfect white IMO.
or Ice Blue as a second or primary shade of blue.

Of course, one can add light strips, and spotlights.

Even using 2 Headed Flex in GI, can produce creative lighting with one lighting the plastic, and the other pointed where you want on the playfield.

Each choice is a successive "turn of the brightness dial", until Everything is lit, or more Depth of field with lights and shadows Where you want them to be.

Thanks Art . I see your point clearly .

Yes - you can see it perfectly in the dark with the blues and purples. If you wanted it just a touch brighter, you could add spotlights or double spotlights as Art suggested.

Here's some pics in the dark (and some of CV which has spotlights):

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You you guys match the insert LED colors, or all cool white?

Awesome !!

I always match. Sometimes I use some kind of white on yellow inserts because most yellow LEDs are closer to amber.

We need an LED club here. LEDs are fun.

I always color match the inserts even the color yellow . The only Pinball I did not color match and used cool white 555 was the six blue inserts on ATTACK from MARS . The Cool white came out perfect.

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I noticed that the Door Panel lights in TZ was a color that had no matching color LED, unfortunately. I was messing with them before I had to strip my playfield, and think that - IF I LED - I'd go for warm white in those, at least.

You might try Comet's ice blue in those AFM inserts. That color is perfect in some spots. Here's a pic of hurricane and Tron (blue cycle, ice in stream):

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I tried warm white in the door inserts and it looked too washed out (see my comment from above) - domeless 1SMD 5050 Orange worked best in the door.

I color match inserts with domeless...except for Yellow inserts - those usually end up Warm White. Orange inserts are fussy - sometimes warm white, sometimes orange, sometimes yellow and on occasion PINK!

In my opinion, GI should always be cool. Gives off the colour of the plastic better. I think warm is kind of obsolete, I still use it though as some light artwork isn't always white light, but natural light. For the door on my TZ translite I use both cool and warm, makes a great match. TOTAN is only in warm since it replicates the sun better than cool. Cool is for colours, warm is for light.

It depends on the colors of the plastics

Yellows, reds and oranges should be Warm

Blues, greens should be cool. It's the best way to get your game to look right and colors in your plastics looking good.

Yep, or using colour LEDs for the plastics with the appropriate colour. Red LEDs under the slignshot plastics on Theatre of Magic is a bloody wonder!

I like cool or natural for the darker sci fi aspect of TZ. Warm has it's place but I really like the cool for GI in tz. image.jpgimage.jpg

Gee, that looks identical to mine!

You have good taste sir!

Most I like warm but tz, suits cool frosted!

Some thoughts here.

If you are using a 1 SMD 5050...the bulbs used in kits, Super, etc, Orange and especially yellow are dimmer, hence the correct suggestions of warm white, pink, orange or even white, under yellow and orange inserts.

If one uses a Twin 2835...whats in TWD, ST, IMVE, AC/DC, these are much brighter and one can color match yellow with yellow, and orange with Orange.
Frosted is highly recommended, and your inserts will POP!

Of note is that yellow, is often tinted towards orange to increase its brightness.
When made yellow/yellow...its never bright enough. Our eyes and the wavelength of yellow
is part of this.

So, while you're here thinking: Do you have any suggestions for backbox GI? I would like some LEDs that can be dimmed to quite low brightness without starting to flicker. Any ideas?