Those look pretty cool. How do they look installed? I've got mirror blades on a few games to give just a bit of extra illumination. Is this game bright enough in a basement setting on it's own?

For other new members to the club wondering about lighting: This is my new LE after clear Titans, mirror blades, and one interactive RGB strip from Hooked on Pinball. I mounted it at the top of the rear of the playfield. The game has plenty of light without any overhead. I did need to trim the left rear ramp edge slightly, as it rubbed the cabinet, even before blade install.

(Glass off, as I was getting a hot spot not visible in person, but in photos)

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See my post 10243.

This thread has great info. I made a set for my JP Pro. I used rare earth magnets for mine, installing the cabinet magnets behind the mirror blades. It was more work, but a cleaner finished product.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/poor-mans-stadium-lighting

For the inlanes, if you have the extra posts installed, you will have a hard time getting a ball to pass cleanly with any standard rubber. The solution I found to work perfectly is post caps, with the closed end cut off. Slide them down to where the rings are currently installed, and they work perfectly. The bonus is, they look like little pieces of candy. You might be able to zoom in on the photo below to see. Not home for a close up.

https://www.titanpinball.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=52

When I set up my game, I presumed the felt was just for shipping. I didn't see until later that they were intended to be "protectors." This was a solution to a problem I've never had, and every machine in my collection has custom powder coat.

For the kickback, check to see how the rollover is bent. It sounds like the ball is activating the switch late (if it fires after passing.) It might need to be bent up, or forward a bit. I'm not home to check, but there might be a delay setting as well. If it fires early, it could be the opposite problem, or your game is pitched too shallow.

I presume that the vibration you feel is the shaker. Make sure everything is tight, and check your settings. I love the integration on mine.

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Mine is #1198. Built in November.

Finally back home. This is how I've got mine set up, using post caps with the closed end cut off. Factory molded end up.

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I don't find it that difficult on my machine. But I had a lot of practice trying to get the "C" Chaos shot on JP, which is on a similar position. Try trapping on the right flipper, let the ball slowly roll to the end before flipping.

I have clear where back-lit, and take the color from the playfield or adjacent plastics elsewhere. This is such a colorful game, there are tons of great choices. Everything you see is Titan, unless it is purple. The purple from Pinball Life is closer to the palate of Wonka.

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I wonder what the odds of this happening are? I sent two balls up the ramp in quick succession during Slugworth Multiball. After a few rounds of ball searching, the machine released another ball. A shot to the ramp freed them all. Unfortunately, when the first one drained, the flippers went dead, as the machine was only accounting for one, I guess.

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It had nothing to do with the rubber: the lower ball couldn't roll because of the upper one sitting on it. They came down the wireform together. There is nothing wrong with the game, it wasn't a complaint or cry for help. It was a funny coincidence, that's all.

I just finished installing the Pinwoofer JJP Super kit in my Wonka LE. I'm genuinely impressed with the quality of the components, especially their PCB and wiring. Instalation was pretty straightforward, and everything fit.

The only other game that I've bothered with the audio on is my IJTPA. The factory speakers and sound on the original machine sounded weak and anemic compared to my Stern and CGC games. The transformation on Wonka was on par. I've heard things from the few games I've subsequently played tonight that I've never heard before from Wonka. The only complaint I had about Wonka prior to tonight was the sound: that is no longer the case.

TLDR: I won't rush out to do this mod on every game. For Willy Wonka, however, I think it is worth the time and money.

Did you submit a ticket for the glass and Gobstopper? I received replacements for both when mine arrived with the same issue. The service department was very responsive.

Looks correct.

Put on alternate rubber, and have both. Post caps, with the closed end cut off and facing down work perfectly.

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Those are post caps, though mine came from Titan. I've found that clear rubber where lit from behind helps to add illumination to the playfield, and the RGB aspect of Wonka makes the slings especially appear to change color.

I believe that the issue with the inlane rubber comes from the sling posts being installed at the far outside of the mounting hole, effectively narrowing the lane. That small amount of adjustment is why it doesn't present itself as a problem on every game.

There are still plenty of left drains on my machine, you just have the ability to save it with the post installed. One of the frustratingly fun aspects of this game is trying to remember if you have hit the gum targets enough to get the kickback. Getting lulled into complacency expecting the kickback happens to me when I play for an extended period of time. Wonka is such a great game, I'm really glad that I took the plunge on my first JJP.

I was commenting on this aspect of your quote specifically, because it doesn't reflect the experience I've had on my machine. It is optional, and I'm glad to have options. I was just trying to provide perspective for those doing a search and deciding what route to go on their own machines. I have no quarrel with however anyone wants to set up their own machines to enjoy in their home. If I was an operator, you can be sure that those factory plugs would still be in place!

I just have the KO. I don't think the added features of the GT are necessary on more modern games.

I went down to the basement to take note of the startup. There are two, low level pops now. I presume the first is when the amplifier is powered, and the second is when the sound card comes on line. The fact that I didn't really notice it before though would seem to indicate that it is of much lower amplitude than before. My guess is that the attenuation of the factory sound is only active once the machine has fully booted. This means that when the factory amp powers up, it is at full volume, since the attenuation isn't active yet. The aftermarket amplifier in my machine isn't at full volume, so that alone would account for a smaller square wave. You could easily open the door, put the volume to zero, boot the machine, then set volume to your favorite setting and close the door. But at the volume levels I'm playing at, it isn't necessary.

You need to use a small round punch and hammer from UNDER the playfield to drive it out through the hole. Definitely don't pry from the top, you will probably gouge the clear.

If you don't have a punch, sure. But the average drill bit at that diameter might be on the short side. I'm not home to look, I don't recall if there are any components that would keep you away from the underside of the playfield. A few light taps of the hammer will drive it right out, you just don't want to lose control of the bit and have it pop through and slide down the playing surface.

Keep in mind that there is a lot more mass inside of a JJP Blackbox than most. You have a TV mounted to a swing arm in addition to the normal PCB's and wiring. That isn't to say it won't be possible, but you are going to need to take a lot of care if you are moving a machine with a loose head.

Keep in mind that there is a lot more mass inside of a JJP Blackbox than most. You have a TV mounted to a swing arm in addition to the normal PCB's and wiring. That isn't to say it won't be possible, but you are going to need to take a lot of care if you are moving a machine with a loose head.

Speaking of photos: what determines whether the photo for a high score comes from mid- game or snapped after finishing a game? I've had it do both. The gameplay photos are often blurry or show concentration that could be confused with the facial expression of constipation. My friends and I have had some good laughs, but I'd rather have better photos.

Interesting. I'll have to try that.

I've only had this happen when the balls were left there from a previous game. I presume there is something in the code about the number of balls in the trough when starting a multiball, and if the count is short, it replenishes them. Whether or not that is inhibited if the Wonkavator balls were earned in the current game, I don't know.

I try to be very intentional about not starting Kid Multiball until I've qualified them all, and usually go for Wonkavator multiball first.

I got mine, with the Golden Ticket Wonka Bar, from Cointaker. It might be where they sourced it, but I'm not sure. I've been very happy with it.

Make every effort to go play it yourself. I had a buddy come play mine who owned TMNT for a year, and he was blown away. I would say that Wonka is probably my favorite game right now. The theme, video integration, shots and rules are all top notch. My only complaint was tinny audio, which I addressed. Guests love it as well.

Pull the apron off to check the alignment of the kicker. Someone a month or two ago had a similar problem, and the solenoid wasn't aligned properly and caused the problem.

I have mirror blades and a single, interactive RGB strip from Hooked on Pinball at the top of the back panel, and it is perfect. I have PS on my BM66, and had a DIY set on my JP: there are machines where I think they are necessary, this just isn't one to me. I cleared a bunch of photos from my phone, but I can post some later.

My topper from Tilt Topper finally arrived today. The wait was much longer than quoted, but it looks pretty darn good.

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I was told two weeks, it was three months. Had there been communication in the meantime, it wouldn't have been an issue.

Washers, and mind the torque when going back together.

I'd reach out to JJP. They were very helpful and responded quickly when I had issues with my new machine.

Already turned off for the night, but here is a quick couple of photos. You are close enough to come check it out in person, if you like. Send a PM.

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Best integrated callout in pinball, in my opinion. Makes me simultaneously mad and smile.

They both have fun and games. The biggest difference is "little surprises around every corner, but nothing dangerous" vs "Welcome to the jungle baby, you're gonna die!"

They are forming a number to see if it matches the last two digits of your score. If it matches, the knocker goes off, and you are awarded a credit. In an arcade, this draws attention to a machine, much like someone hitting a jackpot on a slot machine in a casino. The percentage that a pinball machine will match is usually adjustable by the operator.

https://www.thisweekinpinball.com/glossary/knocker/

The ball only goes up the Wonkavator when "Super Lock" is lit, and you make a right orbit shot with enough momentum to make it just past the rear center of the game, where the diverter directs the ball into the Wonkavator VUK (vertical up kicker.) Post 11253 has a great video to help you understand some of these rules. If you have the mode active, and it doesn't divert the ball, there could be a setting off.

Wonkavator multiball is my favorite mode of the game. I have my machine set up to keep the balls in the Wonkavator at the end of a game, and usually play until I get to that mode.

I was having an issue where balls in the trough were occasionally not rolling all the way to the end, causing a ball search. I thought maybe they were magnetized, or there was a burr in the trough. As it turned out, the kicker mounting holes are slotted, and it was just a MM too high, which caused the last ball to always need to climb on top of the plunger. After lowering the assembly slightly to take the plunger out of the way, I've had no more issues.

I wish there was a setting to force a high score photo to being after you enter your name. Most of my photos are very much like this:

I'll give this a try. I tried the suggestion of being out of view when hitting the start button, to no avail. There is some observable logic to this suggestion, as I've had the machine take photos of someone who walks up beside me.

I was having an issue where shots to the Gobstopper weren't registering, while subsequently having the pops activate the switch. After reading through the forum, I presumed it was the switch arm causing the issue. Instead, I figured out that the 3 allen-head machine screws that hold the hinge in place were slightly loose. Pivoting the switch forward gave enough room to tighten all 3. Not only do hits register more accurately, but I get fewer bricked shots.

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Did you try recreating the fall-tumble trick? Congrats. Wonka is a truly magical game.

That is the factory setting. It is selectable to carry from game to game.

I'm not home to look, but it at least used to be selectable to clear after every game instead of just at power cycle. I think it is in "coils" or something similar. I'm pretty sure it's in the same section where you can change the delay time between balls being released, to avoid jamming. I tried it both ways, and much prefer the carry over, as Wonkavator Multiball is my favorite mode.

My new best game. I really tried to stack the multiballs, and took note of the completed kids on the Wonkavision screen during their multiball.

Hoping TS gameplay is on par.

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I think that there are too many variables for something like that. The adjustments are there to accommodate those variables and allow the game to play as intended.

Check the end of stroke switches: if they close prematurely, you have weaker flippers.

Take off the apron, and make sure that the kickback solenoid is properly aligned. Several people have had them miss-aligned, causing most balls to make it past.

I really like the mirror blades in mine. They add depth and brightness to the game.

Wonka is a favorite of non pinheads at my house too. They often don't know why things are happening, but plenty of exciting things do.

Get out an Allen wrench, and make sure that the hinge bolts on the target are tight as well. Mike were just a little loose, and caused issues with the target.

I love this feature. When I first got my game, I had a really hard time getting to Wonkavator Multiball in one game. I could often get one or two balls up there, but not three. I would play until I got Wonkavator Multiball (usually half a dozen games or so) before moving on to play other games, or call it a night. I can now routinely get 3 balls up there in a single game. If I am having friends over who don't know the game, I will play a few games before they arrive, and leave two balls in the Wonkavator. I will then have them watch me play a game to learn the code, telling them that I will have them take over when I get that third ball up the Wonkavator. The look on their face when they put their hands on the machine and it starts shaking is priceless!

For those on the fence, this is a worthwhile upgrade. A friend in my pinball club remarked when it was my turn to host a while back: "what did you do to the audio on this machine? Yours is the first Wonka I've played that doesn't sound like a high pitched annoying mess."

Pull the playfield to the horizontal service position and look at the alignment of the pin and plastics. More than likely, it is binding, and not retracting all the way.

This is why the Pinwoofer kit is so popular with Wonka owners.

If you don't mind the factory audio, don't worry about it. Unless someone has high end recording equipment, and you are listening on the same, I doubt that you'd be convinced by cell phone audio. I'm not a "upgrade the audio on every game" guy. But on Wonka, the difference is stark enough that members of my pinball club asked what I did to my machine's audio without prompting.

If you are speaking of the audio files themselves (as heard with headphones) I agree 100%. The sound from the factory speakers, however, is a tinny, grating mess. I'm glad that when I played the game on location that it was too loud to hear. When I first got my game at home and heard it in that environment, I wondered if I had made a mistake. A search within the group told me I wasn't alone. After the upgrade, Wonka is the total package that is now my favorite game.

Agreed. I've gotten to the point where I put them on every game. There is a lighting gain out of them as well as just adding depth.

I had a heater of a first ball. I thought for sure I was going to set a new high score.

Whole day wasted! (Not really. What an amazing machine this is)

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Wonka says, "you did it!" The machine otherwise goes dark, and the flippers go dead. The screen will total up your score for the mode, then the machine will turn back on and eject a ball to the shooter lane for you to launch.

Played a couple of games after installing the gate from @trumpanche. Every ball through the pops now lands on the left flipper, and it looks like part of the game.

The gate and a really good mojito helped me set a new GC score for myself.

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Welcome to the club, officially!

Cactus Canyons have been coming with the same issue. I posted this a while back in that forum for how I fixed it on CCR and Wonka:

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cactus-canyon-remake-club-new-sheriffs-in-town/page/98#post-7086769

Wonka is a magical game, and I had much the same feeling after owning my Wonka. I pre-sold a game to have money ready for Toy Story. How could they screw up one of the best loved movie franchises, designed by my favorite pinball designer? Oh, by theming it off of the side-story, money grab sequel to the series, and taking up a huge space on the playfield not with a cool mech, but with an iPad, you know, because the 27" screen isn't enough for video. Also, leave off most of the side characters that were integral to the first 3 movies and dominate the playfield and rules with throwaway (one literal!) characters. I've played TS4 on location, and it has some fun shots. But it is no where near the magic of WW, and at 11k, not something I'm going to spring for.

I've yet to play another JJP that has "the magic." I'm interested in WOZ, but I've yet to find one in public that is 100% working. The thing I hear over and over from people who used to own it is, "it is the most beautiful game ever, but it got to where I looked at it more than played it." I had the opportunity of getting a nice Ruby Red edition locally from a seller I've worked with before on a lift cart. But I was committed to waiting on Toy Story, and had only one open slot. So sadly, I didn't even go play it. I kicked myself on the release day of TS4 for this. If you can find one to spend some time on, this would be the JJP game I'd seriously look at.

GNR is a really cool looking game, and I have fun when I play, though the ball launch still feels wimpy and weird. But many say that the scoring is "unbalanced" and you REALLY have to like GnR as a band to not get sick of it. A lot of them have a short life in collections, there are usually many for sale. I guess you will find out soon enough. I honestly hope you love it, who cares what anyone else thinks.

Dialed In is a game I've only played once, and I was pretty new to pinball. The theme didn't jump out at me. I think this is what killed that game. Many B/W titles of the 90's wouldn't jump out at people today either: but the game-play was so good, and the machines were everywhere, so people had a history with the game that they want to own themselves now that they can afford it. Dialed In didn't have that opportunity, so the "meh" theme not only killed it, but now makes it oddly pigeonholed to a specific "dated" time that isn't far enough in the past to be "classic" or universal.

Pirates is beyond stupid in terms of pricing. I've only seen one in public, and played two chaotic games where I had no idea of what I was doing.

Honestly, I'd wait and see what JJP makes for their next game. Honestly, they need a win. Every person I know who isn't a distributor who was waiting on TS bailed when TS4 was announced. Every day it seems that I see a new NIB listing for sale at a discount. GnR had tons of PR problems.

In the meantime, I used my money set aside for TS towards a Cactus Canyon. Not only do I have nearly half a game's worth of cash left over, but it has been great fun. If you haven't owned a CGC remake, you should. I honestly think that CCr SE is the best deal in pinball right now.

That is an awesome collection. Are Pirates and Hobbit your favorites then? Which JJP's would be the first you'd let go of, if you had to make room?

I cut a small, round piece of mylar that goes over the magnet core. This reduced the height difference between the washer and the core, eliminating the problem on my machine.

Well, did "you get nothing?" It is the only mode in pinball that makes me laugh, even if I lose.

For once, I had a heater of a first ball going, and didn't mess it up. My new GC.

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I own a set of Pinstadiums: they are now in storage. Put a set of mirror blades on Wonka, and a strip of interactive RGB lights in the back of the cabinet, and you are good to go.

Yes. Be sure to get a set of protectors for lifting the playfield. It is tight, and you might need to adjust the plastic ramp on the left of the machine, but it is worth the effort.

If I recall, I loosened the mounting points, and slid it towards the center of the machine. There was a tiered section with black spacers that wasn't aligned very well that I also loosened and squared up while sliding that assembly inward. I had one pointy section of a ramp that I filed.

It is still my favorite game to play in my collection. Lots of flow, a variety of shots, and it is funny.

See my post, #10243

First I've heard of this, and did a search within the thread. Do you have a source for this?

Take off the apron and look at the alignment of the kicker assembly. More then likely, it is not mounted straight.