I didn't follow the hate or threads when it came out - I wasn't quite as tuned in with the pinside forums. I just remember seeing the reveal and being pretty blown away with the classic treatment of such a classic theme. It went on my list then, and now I can't imagine it leaving my collection.

All I can speak of is my first hand experience.I owned and played a lot of pins over the years but the first time my wife and I played Dialed In at the Louisville show we knew we wanted an LE.And then we got a Wonka and that’s all I played pretty much for months.Now I’m mixing it up their both great and totally different then each other

My CE showed up today. First NIB pin, so I took my time unpacking and setting it up. Enjoying the whole process and taking it all in.

I have a small tear on the left side art blade. For something like this do I just open a ticket directly with JJP or contact the distributor?
It did come with side protectors for the art blades, which I used before raising the playfield. The left side ramp is really tight against the side.

Wife and I played it for a couple of hours tonight, totally enjoying it. There's a lot going on.

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Congrats! The CE is beautiful!

When I got mine, it also came with a tear on the left art blade. I contacted my distributor and then got a new one sent to me directly from JJP. You shouldn't have a problem getting that resolved. Enjoy!

All jjp pins are amazing and steps above everything else made imo and they all play different and cld b a great collection on their own. I've had them all but sold rrwoz and smaug hobbit to get Wonka and potc and I bought dile nib bc I fell in love with it first time I seen and played it.
I pretty much only play my jjp pins and will probably sell off others to have a all jjp collection. Having dile and Wonkale together is no issue as they are different experiences. Also I believe I seen someone say di was 4 flipper game.... it's only a 3 .

If you love Wonka you'll love Dialed In paired with it. Not a similar layout at all. Dialed In is a mode-based game and collecting those sim cards will drive you insane (in a good way). These two pins go very well together.

I have DI and Wonka. Both great games which are high up on the keep list. I think I may lean towards DI slightly. Get them both.

I had Dialed in for a three months as a loaner.
I really didnt resonate with it. The theme is meh and the scoring balance only really works for one playstyle IMO.
It would have worked better if there was more sim-city and the other facets then stopping disasters and collecting sim cards was more highlighted and meaningful.

The family loved it though, esp the wife.

I have a Dialed In as well as Wonka. I had it 2 years before my Wonka. I really like them both with Wonka winning out in the end for me.
I'll be listing my low play Dialed In in the marketplace at some point in the near future. It was put up on the NE thread because I wanted someone local to come pick it up over shipping. I'm not selling it because I don't like it. I love it. It's an awesome game!
Sole fact is I have to choose one because my collection is very small(no room) and I want a couple older nostalgic titles.
I'll never get rid of my Wonka, WOZ or F-14. They are all personal to me. Because of room only, DI is the odd man out.

We have Dialed In and Wonka and they are two completely different playing games. My wife and I can't decide which one we would keep if we had to sell one.

Nice!! Loving this feedback. Time to hunt for a DILE!!

Is there a setting such that each high score letter entry doesn’t start over from ‘A’ each time? Stern style

I'm looking at picking up a NIB soon, this will be my family's second pin. We currently have a Star Wars Comic Pro and I've been looking around to see what might pair well and be something my wife and kids would enjoy. We all really like Willy Wonka as a theme, but would you recommend this as a pin that kids would enjoy playing or even someone that is more of a novice?

Yes, this pin is outstanding...Get it...It has a lot of staying power, I find it getting better each time I play it.

This is a really fun game and shoots very different than SW, so would be a good one to pair. As far as kids go, mine (14 and 15) don't really play it much. Yes, it has lots they will enjoy at first look, but it takes a lot of good shots to get to the good stuff. For kids, I would recommend Hot Wheels. Mine love it. They enjoy swapping out the cars, the animations, and almost anyone can walk up and play it. Much easier to understand rules. Wonka is similar to SW in ruleset complexity (actually I would say Wonka is more complex). When it comes to kids, simple is better. My kids and their friends play HW, AMH, my EM, and Hobbit mostly. Hobbit is just super shiny! But if you are like me and are the one playing the games 99% of the time, I say go for Wonka.

I agree with @crile1. Wonka is an awesome pin, but although the theme is family friendly the play is not. It’s a really tough pin and the shots aren’t always obvious for a casual player. For context, I have an EHoH. I turned it on today and basically flipped the pin - cleared the house, got to the mini wizard modes, got to the wizard mode, etc. It was a good game but not all that uncommon. Compare that to Wonka where the most tickets I’ve got is 2 of 5. To be honest, I think getting all 5 tickets is damn near impossible. Anyway, one of the rules of thumb for buying pins is not to buy them for kids or family. Kids get bored and move on, etc. So, get what you like because you are the one that will end up playing it.

I had both and have to say Wonka was way more fun... not really sure why.

I think maybe the added degree of difficulty and theme maybe. They both shoot great.

Wonka I am trying to buy one back.. DI Im good.

Would you say that Wonka has longer ball times than a pin like Star Wars? That's one of the main issues, I don't have a problem with my family and friends not knowing the rules because all of that can be learned over time. I don't want something that has really short ball times because that's what Star Wars is like for someone that's not the best player. I'll be the one getting deeper into a game, but I definitely want friends and family to enjoy flipping around. The Wonka theme is perfect, no problem there.

I’d say - Yes. SW is a Ritchie pin, so it plays really fast. Wonka is more of a flow pin, which I think can lead to longer ball times. However, with Wonka, you have to watch the ball coming out of the pop bumpers for the SDTM drain where there is really nothing you can do to save it. I know other people have complained about it and I think it is a valid complaint. It can be unfair and frustrating.

Such an amazingly deep game! After owning this for over a year, I was finally able to get to The Most Secret Machine! Such an awesome mode! I’m not even quite sure how I got there so any insight would be appreciated!

That's the mini wizard mode activated after collecting your 4th golden ticket.

if you are coming from a stern and especially SW youll want to dial up the power on the Wonka flippers a bit. They will feel wierdly weak. Once I dialed in the flipper strength I fell in love with my Wonka. My favorite JJP game and yes that includes GnR as well. Dialed in would be second.

I don't think Wonka has significantly longer ball times than Star Wars. I think you will find they are very similar. Both can drain very quickly and cheaply. You could crank up the ball save timer on both to extend game-play. Wonka has a pretty short ball save time out of the box.

Wonka has apparently easier shots (the ramps) but you aren't going to get anywhere only shooting for them which I could see a novice doing. Without a little help determining what to do, a novice is not going to get very far on either.

I just LOVE the rules on Star Wars, so fun and challenging. I'm still trying to figure out strategies for Wonka and I've had mine since it started shipping!

Wonka is by far the more spectacular looking game both while playing and in attract mode.

Other than the ball time thing, I think you will enjoy Wonka, especially if you are a fan of the theme.

my only complaint about wonka is the cheap sdtm ball drains from the pops. Left upper flipper shot through the orbit is my favorite shot of the game but a decent percentage of time it ends up sdtm from the pops....

It’s a rare occurrence nowadays as I typically nudge it in anticipation depending on the ball location within the pops. With a little experience you get a “feel” for when it’s likely going to come out at the “wrong” angle and use that learned anticipation to nudge it just slightly at the right time. It sounds hard but I’ve been able to overcome it almost completely and I’m no pro.

What strength do you have them at? been thinking of doing this for a while now

Star Wars is so good, I agree. That one is was a must have for me, but now I want a theme all of us can enjoy. The more I see JJP Wonka the more I think it's the one to get. A game that's fun to play (and to look at) and also has a lot to work towards. Seems like something to keep in a collection for a long time.

I’ve owned Wonka for several months now and believe it could be my favorite machine of all time. The flow, shot variety and non-linear rule set put this solidly in the “Classic Lay’s” world of....just one more!

Before buying I watched this video over and over to try and understand the rules and see if the game “spoke to me”...and it did/does.

Derrick gives the most succinct overview I could find so if you haven’t already, give it a watch or ten.

Disclaimer...the original Willy Wonka is among my top ten favorite movies of all time so theme plays a factor.
That being said, there’s a reason Zach and Greg gush about this game on their recent SDTM YouTube review and Greg isn’t a fan of the film.

I don’t think you can go wrong with this title for your family!

I had SW Prem for a year; it's an SR pin yes, but I've had many SR pins that aren't as brutal as SW. It's very cheap at times, and can be very frustrating, plus the ruleset with the multipliers is not casual friendly.

Wonka can be a difficult pin at times, they do include an optional post for the left outlane, which I did install; that helps a lot. I would definitely not consider it a brutal pin.

Full disclosure, I hate this theme and love this pin.

I would rate this theme a D if given the chance, the fact is, it doesn't matter, the gameplay pulls you in and the game just works really well.

I would highly recommend you buy one if thinking about it. I only wish I had gotten an LE, but the SE has a ton going on, especially with a shaker added.

Got a NIB LE in march. Great game. I am the one who loves pinball in the family. We did turn the difficulty down one level to make it more enjoyable for the rest of the family. It is fun to play on the easier level for me but I prefer on normal difficulty. That being said, you do get to experience a lot of the game by setting it down one level. On normal level I think the most golden tix I have had is 3.

I dont think its as hard as Star Wars but friendly for non players? not really.

Most people that walk up and play it dont love it which is why it got a bad rap at first.

Hey thanks a lot! I'm glad it helped. The game rules have a learning curve but once you understand them, the game is super addictive and has extreme longevity.

I've been thinking of doing a followup deep-dive into Kid Multiball, as managing this is the key to the whole game. When you're in a kid multiball it is important to collect each kid's jackpot at least once, and whenever super is lit collect it. Super blocks collecting other kids when lit.

The more kids you have qualified when you get in, the bigger risk you're taking...you will need to get all 5 kids, AND the super, AND the double (camera ramp) to get the ticket. If you miss a kid you will need to re-qualify them. If that kid is Charlie or Veruca (both of which require blue factory modes to qualify) it could be quite a while before you get another shot.

Don't think I'll ever grasp the code that well. I just start modes and hit flashy lights. I did manage to reach Wonka's office a few times, though.

Hey Derek!

PLEASE do a deep dive on your strategy for Kid multiball!!!

In all honesty I try and start kid mb with only two kids so I can focus on collecting their jackpots. Anymore kids at one time is a flailfest.

Your “primer” wonka video provided a palatable overview that sold me on the rule set. A deep dive would be greatly welcomed!

I’m getting one to two golden tickets each game and my high is three. Wonkavator and kid golden tix elude me.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

Hello,

Today on my LE's test report I got a message that the Elevator Diverter has a malfuntion detected. And when we played the game, and the Super Lock was lit, it would never kick up to the wonkavater. It would just roll into the pops. It would register as a super lock, but the ball wouldn't go up. Has anyone experienced this? I tried checking the device but when I rolled the ball through the right loop, only the elevator diverter registered yellow. Not sure what to do to fix it, any advice woul be much appreciated. Thank you!

Thank you for the advice. I can't figure out how to get my hands into that wonkavator diverter area because of the plastic ramps over it. Do I need to remove the ramps to do that?

So, I lifted the playfield and I tested the elevator diverter coil and switch and they seem to be working. But I am sad to say I don't know where the actual diverter is on the playfield side. Am not sure where to access it from under the playfield. Sorry, I tried finding it in the manual but I couldn't pinpoint the part I'm supposed to open. Any other info would be really appreciated. Thank you.

That's actually very smart, I've had some success doing them one at a time, even. The boosted multiball of more kids is seductive though!

Thanks a lot man . I've only gotten two, my wife has gotten 3. One game I got the gumball and the kid MB ticket. I know *what* to do, I just can't execute! But we still have fun trying.

This game is very under-rated.

Oh yes, I located that. And hit the switch manually in test report. And I moved the coil mechanism as well. And I also ran tests on those switches and coils while I had the game and playfield up, and the coil is moving the diverter. (I can see it move a bit when the coil is firing). But the error message is still there. And the game still won't lock a ball in wonkavator. Puzzling.

Yes, just tested those manually and they are both working.

When I move it from under the playfield, I can see the diverter opening up all the way with no problem. Doesn't seem to be slipping at all.

When I ran the test at first it all worked. Then when I went back to test report it still says there was an elevator diverter malfunction. When I tried running the test a few more times, the Elevator diverter lights yellow and the ball just rolls through under the wonkavision and doesn't go the wonkavator to test the rest of the switches.