I reached out to a dealer just to see about any availability (either NIB or used). The answer was, of course, no, but he told me that he thought JJP was planning on making more WW and probably around end of year. I don't know how likely that is, but just wanted to share what I was told.

Is this the for sale ad by classic game rooms? If you click on that link it says "Games begin shipping October 2020" so it's probably not true. If you go to their website, it says they have some LEs in stock, which is also suspect. If you contact them, let us know what they say because I would be interested as well. A year or so ago I had contacted them regarding another game that they had listed as available only to be told otherwise. YMMV.

Just put a deposit down. And the wait begins....

I'm wondering if the later Wonka builds shipped with the right ramp shield installed at factory. Or if the new builds will. I don't see anyone else carrying these other than pinball universe and not sure if they ship to the states.

Are there any suggestions for protectors for the game? I have a couple switch protectors that I plan to use under the ramp drops and I ordered a set of plastic protectors, too. Anything else recommended?

I believe an earlier post in this thread said it would be a run of 250 LEs.

Well, I, for one, am excited to get my NIB Wonka!! I wonder when they'll start shipping. I'm hoping soon...

Thanks for sharing. She's a beauty!! Congrats! I'm anticipating mine in about a month or so.

I did not order from Cointaker, but I am also still waiting on mine. My distributer reached out a couple weeks ago and said to expect it some time mid-to-end November. Fingers-crossed!

No issues here after having just got it 3 days ago. Has about 100 games played so far. Out of the box and before first play, I added switch slot protectors and replaced the black washers under the slings with clear ones. I put mylar rings down first then the clear washers actually. Also added a mylar ring around kid magnet. Game is a blast!

Is the auto-launch bracket supposed to sit as low as this? I'm wondering if it is positioned too low because the washer and e-clip holding the spring onto the shooter rod keep contacting the back edge of the bracket when plunging the ball and I don't believe that should be happening.

WW auto-launch bracket (resized).jpg

Thanks LTG and @insight75. I had to mess around with the assembly for a while but finally got it so that there is no interference.

None yet (knock on wood)

On the gobstopper, this pin keeps popping out of the hinge. Any suggestions on how to stop it from working it's way back out?

PXL_20220112_010728310.MP~2 (resized).jpg

The magnets on mine can sling that ball around pretty crazily. There have been occasions where the ball has reversed direction 180 degrees. Odd to see but rare. Typically, the magnets mess with my ability to anticipate when and where the ball will hit on the flippers. I do feel like they do a lot, though, when they're activated.

Yep, during the multiballs. Maybe I'm looking up the playfield a bit more and notice it more that way. Probably when there are only 2 bouncing around and I can afford to look away from the flippers for a moment longer. But I have seen the ball take some wacky direction reversals and changes. Just another fun element of the game!

I believe that Charlie video plays when you get the special award. I have that set as an extra ball on my machine. I don't recall if that is the default setting or not, though, so what it does may be different for you.

Hmm... I'll have to start paying more attention because I haven't noticed the light working on my machine. I wonder if I have a similar issue. Unless it's very subtle, I think I would have noticed it turning on and off by now.

Sorry, I can't help you on this, but thanks for the laugh this morning! We've all been there. Good luck finding where those screws go!

I have both on as well. However, I had to move the rubber down slightly on one of the posts or else the ball would get stuck.

To get one of the 5 golden tickets, you need to collect 5 gobstoppers. The default setting is to spot 2 at the beginning but that can be adjusted. A gobstopper is collected during gobstopper multiball...shoot the ramps X times and then the gobstopper hole opens up, hit that hole and get a gobstopper jackpot and a gobstopper will be collected and added to the screen. Repeat until you get all 5 to get the golden ticket. I believe the # of ramp shots increases for each gobstopper multiball started.

https://www.pinballlife.com/universal-cliffy-slot-switch-protector.html

There are 2 behind the gopstopper on my machine. One points to the camera and the other points towards the Wonkavator.

I have the chocolates to help protect errant balls from striking the camera and oompa loompa. I've seen how those can get damaged. But it doesn't block the light on the camera, which is coming at it more from the side than straight on. Plus, I like the look.
https://pinside.com/pinball/market/shops/1012-ulekstore/02705-pile-of-chocolate-bars-mod-for-jjp-s-willy-wonka

Yes and no

It hasn't been fixed on my later build. The playfield, however, seems to be holding up well! Beautiful, actually.

I don't recall if it was in this thread or elsewhere, but I had read that JJP games should be turned off with the power toggle switch and not via a smart plug. Something about shutting it down by a smart plug may cause it to not boot up next time. Is this true? @pghpinballrescue, do you know anything about that?

It bounces over the ~1.5" guiderail on the left? Wow! That is one heck of a kick out. There's got to be a setting to adjust that. I'd look for that first before trying anything else. Otherwise, maybe stick some foam on the right rail to deaden the impact a bit. Nothing too thick that interferes with the ball traveling up and down the lane, though.

Good to know. I have my other games set up on smart plugs but was hesitant to do that on JJP games. I will now! Thanks!

I had an alignment issue with stock shooter rod as well. The rod was hitting the auto-launch mechanism during every manual plunge. I had to angle the rod downward to correct, but it took several attempts before getting to that solution.

This ^^. Have to take the shot early on my machine, too.

The Golden Ticket Summary is awesome! Last night I was able to get 4 golden tickets for the first time. I concentrated on the kid multiball and took zaphX advice to make sure I got the kid jackpots. Since that was my first time getting the Kid golden ticket, I was hoping for some clarification on a couple things. A kid jackpot can only be awarded for those kids that are active at the time, i.e. previously collected, right? Also, to get the kid jackpot award, do you only have to hit the corresponding shot once, e.g. shoot left ramp once to get Veruca jackpot?

I had another 4 golden ticket game last night and got to the Most Secret Machine mode (I think that is what it was called). I was not expecting it but, man, what a fun mode! I felt like a little kid when it started! That Wonkavator golden ticket #5 is tough to get (at least it is for me) so I'm glad JJP designed this Most Secret Machine mode as it may be as far as I ever progress. I'll keep trying, though!!

Just installed that gate mod today. I feel like it blends into the game well and doesn't mess with the aesthetics. Plus it was easy to install. I played a few games and it definitely reduced the number of drains. I think I did get one out of the pops that went SDTM during a multiball. Overall...it is a nice, inventive solution to a problem that many of us have had. Thanks Travahontas

I am having an issue with Wonkavator where super lock is lit, the ball diverts appropriately, gets kicked up to the Wonkavator but then is immediately released.

The ball typically is diverted to the upper left flipper most of the time right after release, thankfully, and I can make the shot again. But it can take a few tries before the ball will eventually lock. This doesn't happen all the time. Sometimes it does lock on the first attempt. And it occurs regardless if it is ball lock 1, 2, or 3. Any thoughts on what is going on or what to check?

Nothing loose that I noticed. Optos are registering fine and ball release coil fires correctly. I reseated some cables and played a few games. Still have the issue but seemed less often than before. Makes me wonder if there is something going wrong with that data cable or a poor connection to the board. I need to spend more time looking at it.

I had some of this laying around. Works well. Similar to super lube in that it is PTFE, but in a spray form. A little goes a long way. https://www.amazon.com/WD-40-300052-Specialist-Resistant-Spray/dp/B00AF0ODGM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3

I had to reposition this plastic over the captive ball since it had shifted. I've heard this piece tends to break easily. What purpose does it serve? Does it prevent an air ball from getting hung up on top of that captive ball mech?

PXL_20220920_154249569.MP~2 (resized).jpg

I was working towards the kid golden ticket. I had 6 out of the 7 jackpots collected and only needed to get the super jackpot. That's just the kid shot, right? I got another kid multiball going (just 1 kid, Charlie) and during that multiball, I hit that kid shot. I was expecting that to be it and I that I would be awarded that golden ticket, but it did not. Is there more that I needed to do, like hit the captive ball afterwards or something like that? Or is the super jackpot more than just a single kid shot?

Yep, I was looking at my progress and had 6 out of the necessary 7 jackpots, was just missing the super jackpot. Maybe I should ask, how is the super jackpot collected in the kid multiball?

Ahhh...makes sense. Thanks

If you are going to leave the cliffy on, consider increasing the pitch a bit and try to tackle the ball hang-up that way. Otherwise, I'm not sure.

There was one with an inside a brick factory look. Not sure who sold it though.

There are lots of things in this game that make me smile. The music that plays at start up does it. I can't think of another machine that just makes me smile when I hit the start button and hear that music.

Wonka is dark. Additional lighting on it would help. I don't have pinstadiums on mine but I bet it would look awesome.

This clearly needs to become Merriam-Webster's word of the year!

I have noticed fade but not on Wonka. I've found the flipper power on Wonka to be pretty consistent during long game play.

Mine has been going strong for over a year. Doesn't block my view nor my ability to hit that center ramp, which isn't really a hard shot to make regardless. Meh...to each their own.

Yep, super jets on a multiball is fantastic for points! I love it when that happens.

I'm still chasing that elusive 5 golden ticket game. I would have given up a long time ago trying to get that if the journey wasn't so damn fun!!

Sorry to hear that you're down with covid. The one and only time I got it was after a business trip to Dallas. Dang Texans!!

Does it keep kicking the ball up and then immediately release it? And may do it several times before it eventually locks? If so, I've had this same issue. I cleaned the optos and looked for loose components but no resolution found. It's an odd issue because it is correctly diverting and kicking the ball up and it correctly senses that the ball is in the Wonkavator, but it incorrectly releases it.

It may be tied to a bad opto. I wonder if one of the optos is getting tripped more than once as the ball goes by and maybe that tricks the system into believing more than one ball has been locked so it releases one. I haven't tested that theory yet. It happens so intermittently that it might be hard to nail down. I may just end up replacing all the optos and see if that fixes everything because I'm not sure what else to look at at this point.

My Oompa took a face plant. I'm thinking just superglue it back on to the camera but I thought I should check here first. Anyone else have this issue and how did you resolve?

image (resized).jpg

I ended up super gluing it back on. After a few games, so far so good, but time will tell.

Yes, it does have that. I didn't see when the ball fatally struck the oompa loompa so not sure how it occurred. I even have ulekstore mod to help protect that area. My guess is an odd bounce going up the left ramp.

Yep, it is definitely a shot you want to take earlier (higher up on the flipper) than what you think. Once you find out, though, it will become fairly routine to make.

Nice write up. Be good to have as a key post, too.

Which wrenches did you end up getting? Just curious. I bought some low-profile wrenches off Amazon not too long ago to help get into tight spaces as well... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMKRCPP5

Maybe check power cord to see if fully inserted and not loose. Or possibly the power supply is going out...not enough getting to the flippers?

A bad coil stop or coil sleeve can sap power, too. Would be strange to have that happen to all flippers at same time, though.

Just throwing suggestions out there.

Probably helps with less rejects from the ramps, particularly that left one which has a tendency to go sdtm. But it's at the risk of ball hops and causing damage. Oompa loompa cameraman is a vulnerable area. Mine has broke and I know so have others.

This game is awesome. Highly underrated IMO.

You never know, but I haven't heard any rumors that more will be made and I doubt there will be. There was already a 2nd run of these a couple years ago.

All those mods are nice. I think something to protect against ball strikes to the camera area would be good. Some have had the Oompa busted off, myself included. Ulekstore sells a pile of chocolates bars to guard that area. There is another, more expensive protector but I've forgotten who sells it.

This site has mirror blades that would fit and can be held with double-sided tape https://www.pinballdecals.com/MirrorBladesPage.html . I have these in an AFMr. I did not get mirror blades for Wonka, though, because of the tightness. I went with art blades instead and use blade protectors when raising/lowering the pf

I prefer mirrors over art but I went with the factory walls look for Wonka... https://cointaker.com/products/willy-wonka-gameblades. It looks like Lermods didn't have an issue with their mirror blades so perhaps there is more room than I originally thought.

Yes. I reached out to JJP and they sent a new piano hinge assembly to swap in. I haven't had an issue since.

Mine was getting trapped as well in that leftmost inlane. I ended up moving the rubber on the post next to the outlane a bit lower. That post is in the lower position, too (closest to player). It still provides some bounce back but ball makes it through the leftmost inlane just fine now.

Yes, it is one way and doesn't take away from that shot at all.

I think you'll like this mod. Makes the game a bit less frustrating. Looks factory, too.

You will probably still get a SDTM once in a while. The unpredictability is still there, just less so in my experience. It is a very good mod for this game.

We saw it. It's OK...more musical than I had expected. I think your grandkids will enjoy it. Timothy Chalamet is definitely a better Wonka than Johnny Depp.

The Wonkavator golden ticket remains the hardest one for me to get. I'm still chasing that elusive 5 golden ticket game!

Were you in the Wonkatania Mania mode? That mode makes the screen look washed out. I'd describe it as psychedlic-looking.

I can attest to the Ulek chocolate bar mod. My oompa was taken out once before but has been standing upright ever since installing the mod.

As others have said, I've had no problems or air balls with the right ramp either.