For Safe Cracker, someone sold metal (aluminum?) rail kits to screw to the bottom side of the pf as those tend to sag/warp.

If there's room, I imagine you could get angle iron/aluminum and do something similar? Which game is this?

Something like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-2-in-x-96-in-Aluminum-Angle-with-1-16-in-Thick-802607/204273998

You can get different thicknesses, etc. Aluminum is nice as it's easy to cut and drill.

You would use multiple clamps with the angle aluminum to draw the wood (pf) straight and then drive in the screws. Don't use the screws to do the initial pulling as you'll just strip out the wood.

Never used on a pf personally, but have done this in other applications with wood I wanted to straighten out and it worked well.

I would also make a fuss and demand a replacement playfield as it's complete horeshit that any NIB should come in cupped/warped.

Also, if he does this he should file a ticket before doing to much to it. You start attaching, and screwing stuff on, they’ll likely void it.

I've used angle irons to fix a couple of my EMs that had the typical warp downward from top to bottom, one game that was only mild and another that was really bad, with great results. Also make sure the legs are leveled out evenly on the game (like if both front legs or both back legs don't seem to have the same pressure on the floor, one slides easy and one doesn't). On my Black Hole game the ball was acting a little screwy where it didn't roll very true everywhere on the playfield even though the ball rolled straight all the way down the middle. Sorted the leg levelers out and it cleared it up.

I don't think a pf that was straightened only by mechanical means of braces or irons would be straight if you removed them after a long time, but it would probably be straight-ER.

Just to confirm whether this may be an assembly or alignment issue, have you taken a straight edge to the PF, both vertically and horizontally? There were legit issues with some recent machines that had real warped playfields. If your problems are disappearing after jostling around, that doesn’t sound like a warped PF.

This is sounding a lot more like the apron hooks not seating properly in the bracket under the lock bar (potentially in one of your pics) and not of a true warped PF as the title suggests. Instead you just got to ensure those hooks fully seat. But please bust out the straight edge and verify because you wouldn’t be the first with a warped PF if actually true.

Agree strongly.

Have you noticed any issues while playing that lead you to believe the playfield is warped?

If you don’t, I’d stop looking for a problem, and just play and enjoy your machine.

A straightedge across the playfield will answer the warp question real fast. Stern has had a fair number of warped playfields lately. This is the first STh I've seen (if it is indeed warped), but I know of warped LZs and AIQs, both convex and concave.

Is this sudden cluster of warped playfields Stern cheaping out on the wood in the playfield blanks with an attempt at more "hidden" cost reduction that bit them in the ass? Seems possible, but we may never know. Hopefully they figure this one out. We already had enough to keep an eye out for with the pooling/chipping clear, now warping, too? Too much.

It's probably warped and be impossible to level properly. Hopefully your distributor will take care of it and get you a populated replacement playfield.

My Metallica was the same: https://vimeo.com/122073327

At the time Stern was not building Metallica Premium so they took all the parts off my old playfield and put it back on a new one.

Rob

Doctor6 had a horribly warped playfield on his Star Trek. He ended up getting a replacement.

I feel games with warped playfields are often sold as soon as owners notice it but don't disclose it.

I hope you resolve it because the shot geometry never feels right.

Had a severely warped playfield left to right with a high middle on gb pro, in addition to the leg brackets not being threaded and the holes being to big to accept a tap you can say I was pretty pissed, I accosted gary at a bar made him buy me a beer in the middle of what I assume was a business talk with a money guy at a show, in two days he was emailing me with some warrenty folks cc'd pretty pissed they haven't taken care of me yet. So if it's stern.... In my experience they'll fix you up.

If you manage to level the playfield near the flippers, the area at the rear of the playfield will not be level. Nobody is going to want to touch your game if you try to sell and disclose the playfield is warped.

Don't be happy with a kludge fix. Get that playfield replaced by your distributor and don't settle for anything less.

Rob