(Topic ID: 60087)

Which Stern has the most problems out of box?

By barakawins

10 years ago


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  • 62 posts
  • 37 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 10 years ago by phishrace
  • Topic is favorited by 1 Pinsider

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    Topic poll

    “Which new Sterns have the most problems out of box?”

    • Metallica 11 votes
      11%
    • Xmen 20 votes
      20%
    • Avengers 63 votes
      63%
    • ACDC 6 votes
      6%

    (Multiple choice - 100 votes by 98 Pinsiders)

    There are 62 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.
    #1 10 years ago

    Which recent Sterns have the most problems out of box?

    * Metallica
    * Xmen
    * Avengers
    * ACDC

    I vote Metallica.. Ridiculous..

    #2 10 years ago

    Do you have these 4 machines?

    #3 10 years ago

    Xmen
    Avengers

    #4 10 years ago

    Depends what you define as a problem... Issues like the hammer, or mechanical failures like the gearbox on the cannon, or missing code... orrrr parts breaking off and globes falling out... Yep all 4 games have multiple problems. Quality department does not exist clearly...

    Metallica I really like but the hammer issues and lack of wizard mode well... guess l'll be waiting till they get round to fixing it. Like seriously everyone of these games has had major issues so WTF is going on? I guess while Stern has the market by the short and curlies they can do what they want.

    I think you will find that there are alot less problems with the pro versions since Stern are hopeless at making toys that are reliable. The toys are good but the mechanics are screwed...

    ACDC: Gearbox on the cannon was ratshit
    Avengers: Hulks arms trapped balls
    Xmen: Wolverine has issues registering and the iceman ramp was a massive design failure due to poor coding and that the ball would bounce off the sling shot and drain over the flipper
    Metallica: Coffin lock issue and piss poor post diverter.
    TF: Ironside MPF is hopeless, optimus prime centre shot not reliable, starscream toy had balls flying all over the place and trapped balls against the rear target.

    Personally I think with the exception of ACDC Metallica (if they fix the hammer) all the pros play better than the LEs/Prems. The toys either dont function the way they should or screw up the game play.

    #5 10 years ago

    Sadly one of my favorites the Avengers. Love the game but there is no denying it needed much love.

    #6 10 years ago

    I've had a BiB and a Premium ACDC and both worked great right out of the box and for hundreds of games thereafter.

    #7 10 years ago

    Yes. To be more helpful, owning Avengers I've had my share of issues, so that's up there. Metallica seems very troubled too, but I don't own that one.

    #8 10 years ago

    I've owned 3 of the 4 nib and go with

    Avengers
    Met
    Xmen
    ACDC

    Don't know why xmen is getting a lot of votes. Aux board I guess? I guess the LEs had a few more problems than the pro.

    #9 10 years ago

    Oh and the snake jaw is having problems going down on Metallica... Not sure what the issue whether it be hardware or software...

    Quoted from Eskaybee:

    Don't know why xmen is getting a lot of votes. Aux board I guess? I guess the LEs had a few more problems than the pro.

    Iceman ramp, rejects from the storms ramp, rejects and balls getting stuck on the rogue loop shot, wolverine toy not registering, issues with the lock and game not registering how many balls are locked.

    #10 10 years ago

    I have 4 out of the last 5 new Sterns, TF, AC/DC, AV and MET with the exception of XM. The only one that I didn't have a issue with was TF other than installing the new upgraded plastics that Stern provided. AC/DC wasn't bad other than the cannon motor which was a headache and embaresment when you had guest over. Over a period of 4 months , I ended up installing 3 different motors on it before finally getting it fixed for good. Avengers also was a mess with all the traped balls under Hulks arms and the right out lane. Shooter rod was out of alinement some thing terrible.

    Metallica was ok until I updated the code and now have phantom hammer swings. I haven't had a chance to down load the latest code that Stern released this week which could fix the issue I hope.

    I rank my as most problems to least as:
    Avengers LE
    AC/DC Prem.
    MET LE
    TF LE

    #11 10 years ago

    I have Avengers LE and AC/DC premium which I both purchase NIB. No comparison at all. AC/DC came ready to play, no work to do at all. The only time I spent on it was modding, to make it look and feel even better and playing. Best freaking pin. Avengers is another story, still one of my favorite pin and very unique and original layout but man you need to more than like it to go with all the problems and tweaking to do right out of the box. Some are just poor placement of gadget and decoration that completely blocks the view of important shoots, the Loki just to name one. BW spinner did not felt like a spinner at all. BW ramp and bridge lifting part of Hulk ramp not even at all. Hulk arms wires to coil bloke on every machine I ever heard. Shooter lane allowing the ball to make it all the way up 75% of the time. Hulk right arm blocking the ball. Had all the single issues above and more but one thing for sure now all these problems are from the past, my Avengers is one of the best tweaked machine out there. Spent weeks working on it, dialing it, improoving it to make it better. You need more than love, it needs passion, money and time. It's one of my favorite game and now it's a keeper for me. Very unique set of rules and fun things to do.

    #12 10 years ago

    My TFLE has been pretty trouble-free. Installed the update package from stern right away, so no more air balls. Optimus doesn't register a hit if it's a tap, but he always does if it's a solid hit. I'm fine with that. The Ironhide mini playfield is a little goofy, but I enjoy it. Very solid game with latest code and update pack.

    #13 10 years ago

    Don't own, but have worked on all of these at the location where I run a league. They are all Pro's with the exception of AC/DC premium. This is the order from most problems to least problems:

    AC/DC premium(Cannon, Drop Targets,Mini Playfield)
    Avengers(mainly stuck balls)
    Metallica(Drop targets, code issues)
    TF(stuck balls)

    All of these pins get hundreds of plays/week. None of the machines have really been "problem machines".

    #14 10 years ago

    I have to say my ac/dc premium was problem free right out of the box. The only issue I ever had with the game was the GI bulb behind the TNT target liked to pop out.

    #15 10 years ago

    how about all of the above as a choice

    #16 10 years ago

    All of the above.....Yes yes yes.....

    #17 10 years ago

    I swear we had a Stern 9-ball that had more out of the box problems than any other game ever.

    #18 10 years ago

    Ive only had Avengers nib of that list.

    Broken wire
    Hulk arms
    Hulk vuk drop down
    Loki ball lock
    Tesseract cube

    All needed adjustments. All fixed with sterns great service. Machine now 100% and awesome.

    I have made zero adjustments to my TSPP, which I've had nib since 2003.

    #19 10 years ago

    I have had all 4 - Avengers by a mile.

    #20 10 years ago

    Avengers by far. Everything good now.

    #21 10 years ago

    It depends what you mean by "problems". I had to return my first NIB XMEN, it was a cosmetic and mechanical disaster! And Avengers gameplay is shit out of the box, you need to spend a lot of your own time dialing it in. So I would say mechanically, XMEN, and for having to tune it "dial in" I'd say Avengers.

    #22 10 years ago

    Only have the AC/DC Pro which I bought NIB. No major issues except for flasher bulb replacements. The ones behind the lightning bolts where the wrong type bulb, and a few of the others seemed to burn out prematurely (cannon, left inlane return ramp...). I've got hundreds of plays over the past 6 months and everything mechanical is a-OK.

    (Not on the list, bought Tron Pro NIB (first run). Game has done well: VUK coil wire came off and had to be resoldered; optos on recognizer needed solder reflowing to correct false readings).

    #23 10 years ago

    I have a Hulk LE, which was one of the first machines off the line and needed tweaks. Stern sent me everything I needed for it and it plays great now.

    I bought a Tron (second run, 3d with decal) and you can tell it had been refined.

    AC/DC Premium was a later run, and again you can tell it had been tweaked in house.

    So, the lesson here is.... don't be the first to buy a machine out of the factory, let the problems get fixed first.

    I think a "premium" of any game would be a wise bet, since they come after Pro and LEs. I'm going to go that route with Star Trek.

    #24 10 years ago

    No question at all:
    Avengers by a mile (though mine needed a lot more work than most).

    #25 10 years ago
    Quoted from frolic:

    I have a Hulk LE, which was one of the first machines off the line and needed tweaks. Stern sent me everything I needed for it and it plays great now.
    I bought a Tron (second run, 3d with decal) and you can tell it had been refined.
    AC/DC Premium was a later run, and again you can tell it had been tweaked in house.
    So, the lesson here is.... don't be the first to buy a machine out of the factory, let the problems get fixed first.
    I think a "premium" of any game would be a wise bet, since they come after Pro and LEs. I'm going to go that route with Star Trek.

    Frolic,
    May be a good thought here on Star Trek... sooo tempting to by the LE when its released but i may wait and grab a premium.

    #26 10 years ago
    Quoted from RGR:

    Iceman ramp, rejects from the storms ramp, rejects and balls getting stuck on the rogue loop shot, wolverine toy not registering, issues with the lock and game not registering how many balls are locked.

    And balls getting stuck behind night crawlers

    #27 10 years ago
    Quoted from Concretehardt:

    Frolic,
    May be a good thought here on Star Trek... sooo tempting to by the LE when its released but i may wait and grab a premium.

    Have to agree. I got my Met Pro just recently and it proved to a very wise call as the issues came fixed from the factory.
    If you can get over the game being out there and wait you will probably have a better game for it. ACDC is another great example of that with the cloudy windows.

    #28 10 years ago

    I can't choose one in particular they all play pretty good out of the box.

    #29 10 years ago
    Quoted from frolic:

    So, the lesson here is.... don't be the first to buy a machine out of the factory, let the problems get fixed first.

    I could not agree with this more. I waited a full year to order my two NIBs, Tron and AC/DC Prem, and not a single problem with either.

    #30 10 years ago

    I've only had X-men LE and Avengers LE NIB, and it was a toss up between the two. With Avengers, raising the plastic on Black Widow and adjusting the switch plate in front of hulk, was about it. Haven't had any broken wires on hulk, shooter lane was always fine. Did put in Hooked's slingshot plastic mod to improve inlane visibility because that started annoying the crap out of me.

    Ball traps still occur but are pretty minimal. Wouldn't say I get a ball trapped under hulk any more than I used to get one trapped on Pinbot with an ill timed visor is closing shot.

    For X-men it was adding an e-ring, moving Wolvie over and adjusting the top right flipper. X-men had a big additional problem to it though, had to have the playfield swapped out due to some significant paint flaking problems on the playfield.

    Quoted from frolic:

    So, the lesson here is.... don't be the first to buy a machine out of the factory, let the problems get fixed first.

    I think a "premium" of any game would be a wise bet, since they come after Pro and LEs. I'm going to go that route with Star Trek.

    QFT. I only went with the LEs of X-men and Avengers because I love the themes. For any future NIB purchase, unless the theme is a must have for me, I will be going for Premium versions, and then may wait until after first run. Let them get the kinks worked out first. Premium over Pro for sure, I like the light shows and extra toys. Just like I always buy my vehicles fully loaded, I am a sucker for options.

    -1
    #32 10 years ago
    Quoted from TigerLaw:

    Moved to Stern Bashing forum.

    Fixed it for ya.

    #33 10 years ago
    Quoted from RobT:

    Fixed it for ya.

    Avenger's is the best Stern ever no problems on my end.
    Love it more than LAMP.

    #34 10 years ago

    Ha. I love Stern games. Get a Metallica pro, most of those premium problems will be solved

    #35 10 years ago

    Ha. I love Stern games. Get a Metallica pro, most of those premium problems will be solved

    No problems with either of these games, best Sterns ever.

    #36 10 years ago

    Avengers near me has had issues since the first week it went on location

    #37 10 years ago

    The Avengers pro at my local arcade has had many issues from day one, but the XMEN pro seems to be rock solid! (I like it)

    #38 10 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    I swear we had a Stern 9-ball that had more out of the box problems than any other game ever.

    Hey now just because it had 27 software updates until they gave up, doesn't mean something.

    LTG : )

    #39 10 years ago

    Something tells me if Stern nine ball had 27 software updates, it was either chimps programming or a drunk. ''whaaa, it's not ten ball?''

    As far as Avengers go, like stated above, if an opto can be fitted in that area= No more hulk hang ups- But that's something they have to want to do, and so far what they have wanted to do is replace parts with cheaper parts. Many people do many cosmetic mods one after another, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Many things can be either corrected or beefed up, where Stern has been lacking.

    When I had my hands on an Avengers, I was really shocked about the left orbit ramp and loki ball lock area/plastic ramps. It's one of the cheapest feeling things in a game by recent memory. However, I found everything else nearly spot on, and the game is overall, another great Stern.

    I'm honestly a big fan of Stern, and I think they're recent games in the past decade are great playing pins. It's not the end of the world if we have to fix/adjust minor things on our games from time to time. It's just a bummer they have not taken the Hulk problem more seriously.

    -1
    #40 10 years ago

    I'm waiting for the equivalent JJP poll...

    :eyeroll

    #41 10 years ago

    After all of the problems I still love my Avengers and it is not going anywhere soon.

    #42 10 years ago

    Ditto Crank!
    It needs tweaking but it's keeper for me.

    #43 10 years ago

    Of course it's bashing!

    Especially when you say things like:

    Quoted from tracelifter:

    they can keep the new thin wire junk mech models.
    You can only go so cheap before you cross the line and Stern is over that line.

    That, my friend, is bashing. I'm not saying whether or not it is deserved, and you are obviously entitled to your opinion on this issue, I have no problem with that.

    But it's still bashing.

    #44 10 years ago

    No problems with Avenger's the game plays sweet right out of the box this game rocks!

    #45 10 years ago
    Quoted from tracelifter:

    Not bashing, fact not opinion tesseract mech is junk Hulk mech junk.
    I avoid the tesseract post if it is facing me or I will break it again.

    You know the difference between fact and opinion right? You and some others have had issues with the hulk mech and tesseract mech are facts. Taking those facts, and reporting them across mulitple threads has you reaching the opinion that "avengers is a defective pile of crap".

    My hulk mech is fine, never had a broken wire, arms have always worked, after adjusting switch plate, minimal ball hangups (15 games just yesterday, ball hangups: zero). Tesseract mech, solid and twirling fine. Those are facts on my side, so my opinion of Avengers is different than yours.

    I totally understand how you got to your opinion, and the frustration from having so many things go wrong, but your experience isn't the same for everyone.

    Post edited by paul_8788 : My early morning snarkiness

    #46 10 years ago
    Quoted from DCfoodfreak:

    Have to agree. I got my Met Pro just recently and it proved to a very wise call as the issues came fixed from the factory.
    If you can get over the game being out there and wait you will probably have a better game for it. ACDC is another great example of that with the cloudy windows.

    The cloudy windows in AC/DC has been addressed with the new Premium editions made this year.

    I have a friend with and LE and the window is horribly cloudy. To me that cloudy window would have put me over the edge with an LE edition. My Premium window is crystal clear.

    #47 10 years ago
    Quoted from tracelifter:

    No problems with Avenger's the game plays sweet right out of the box this game rocks!

    Really? Going through the entire thread and editing all of your responses? At least you were expressing honest opinion before. Kind of an extreme reaction to people disagreeing with you imo.

    #48 10 years ago

    I had a couple issues out of the box with my ACDC Premium, March 2013 run. A light fell out of the play field, piece of the mechanical band fell off and I had to bend a bracket for the playfield to sit in the cabinet correctly. These were not major issues but just annoyances that were a quick fix. Game has been solid since.

    #49 10 years ago
    Quoted from gearheaddropping:

    The cloudy windows in AC/DC has been addressed with the new Premium editions made this year.

    Thats my point. later runs fix issues. Early guys pay the price.

    #50 10 years ago

    Its not on the list but my WOF had rusty balls and a shooter rod so misaligned it would not launch a ball out of the box. I will give Stern a pass on the balls but aligning the shooter rod was an adjustment FAIL on their part.

    There are 62 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 2.

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