I'm looking to join the club. If anyone has a PRO nearby (or a Prem/LE for a good price) PM me.
(Topic ID: 16030)
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9 months later
Looking to join the club in a few days! It will be a Magneto LE. Anything I should get for it right away? I'll be doing the newton ball mod. Any suggestions on which Wolverine to put on top? Do I need a cliffy on the scoop? Plastic protectors? Shaker motor worth it?
Quoted from gweempose:I highly recommend doing this. It not only looks way better, but it also makes the game play better with less airballs. Here's a link to the original thread ...
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-ramp-posts-mod
Thanks for posting this! Any other "fixes" that'll need to be done? I'm not sure what all the original owner did to his machine, but I'm assuming it's all stock. To note, I have yet to see it in person. He's about 2 hrs away, and I won't be able to see it until I go to pick it up.
Quoted from tslayer71:Also possibly different colored post sleeves for the newton ball mod - comes with black ones..... Mirror or art blades?
I'd be ok with black sleeves. Not going to get anything decorative for it likely, other than a new Wolvie
Quoted from tslayer71:Also color display. Pricy, but the dots in this pin are cool.... I also put in New magnetic cores with cliffy magnet protectors (stainless) around them...
I only saw the carbon fiber ones. Does Cliff make stainless ones?
Also, found some really badass action figures. I bet I could mount this on a piece of plexi and mount it to the newton ball mod.
ebay.com link: Kaiyodo Revoltech Amazing Yamaguchi Wolverine Action Figure X Men Toy New in Box
Magneto has an articulating cape?!
ebay.com link: Kaiyodo Revoltech Amazing Yamaguchi Magneto Action Figure X Men Toy New in Box
Quoted from tslayer71:So here are pics of the stainless Cliffy has:
http://www.passionforpinball.com/Metallica.htm
I couldn't find them at any of the regular vendors, so I just emailed Cliff via his website to get mine. That Magneto figure is pretty badass. You could replace those paperclips in the pic with two pinballs. Just make sure the figures will fit under the glass. If you do the magneto take some pictures!
You don't want paperclips dangling in your machine? lol
I think they only stand 6 inches tall, at most. I would guess they should fit!
Thanks for the link to the Cliffy's. I've ordered plenty from him in the past. I wonder what his lead time is these days...
Did you put them on both Wolverine and the spinning disc?
I wont order anything until I get the game anyway, so I will undoubtedly be able to play with the orginal wolverine. I do enjoy hitting a newton ball vs a bash toy though and plus I dont care for the original molded toys on the game. But I will give it a go regardless! I really cant wait until Sunday to get this game. I'm gonna be spending time at the cabin, otherwise I'd be on my way already!
Quoted from Jediturtle:In my opinion Beast and Xavier are both slightly easier, but not enough that I would call it game changing. Wolverine is significantly harder to hit, but still a pretty easy shot for inexperienced players looking for a simple multiball. Plus it's way more satisfying...there is something about smacking a newton ball that just feels damn good.
I have to agree. I really enjoy hitting the newton ball on my ToM. With the associated sound effect, it's just very satisfying.
Brought home a Magneto LE today! Pics to come!
Did anyone change out the factory LEDs for just natural white? I know some of the effects will be lost, but it's really not bright enough with the red and blue lights.
Played about 20 games today and I really like the layout and shots. I still haven't been able to blow up the game despite having a solid 20 minute game, but it was a good time nonetheless. I can see why the stock Wolvie is changed out. It registers so many times from random carems and bricked shots. I think the newton ball mod is definitely called for.
Here are a couple pics.
There are already 3 spotlights on the pf and I'd rather not add anymore. Maybe I'll switch out the white LEDs with something a little brighter and go from there. I'm not a huge fan of colored GI to begin, but with it being stock...idk, still not a fan lol. All of my other games are natural white or warm white, so Magneto stands out quite a bit from the others
20180820_061309 (resized).jpg20180820_061322 (resized).jpgQuoted from mcuzz:The stock LEDs are old (first generation) and dull in brightness , if you change them with new ones they are much brighter.
I typically go with Comet 2SMDs. I'll need to place an order. Do you think I should keep with the blues and reds? I do like it when the GI turns off and on to have just specific colors showing. Just wish they were RGB lights that changed!
Quoted from tslayer71:No there wedge, and bayonet under the plastics near the outlanes - at least on the pro. Better check...
Good thing I asked! You're right. All wedges with bayonets under the outlanes.
I have to say that my kids really get a kick out of starting Weapon X multiball...so the newton ball mod might have to wait until they are bored with it. Just ordered Titan rubbers in blue and new Comet LEDs. Hoping this will light up the pf when it's just the blue or red modes!
So after putting about 100 games on it this past week, I have to say that this game is damn fun to shoot! 80% of the callouts are fine. Beast is the worst, but I got over it. Storm is amusing to me lol. The rest of the sounds and voices are good enough to pass. The best part was that this game got me watching the 90s animated show again. Just finished season 1. I love that the names of each of the Xmen are practically the same font as they are in the intro to the show. Nice touch!
The rules are quite good for this game. I like that each of the modes are different. Things like during the Phoenix mode, you can shoot either Cyclops or Wolverine to complete her mode, Storm's thunder and and hail effects at the pops and spinner are great! Ice Man's ramp makes complete sense. Xavier's cerebro mode and the one switch is awesome. They were all very well thought out and give good nods to the source content. This game wont be leaving in the near future!
Now all I need are some good strategies. I know about bringing in as many Xmen into Magneto multiball as possible to maximize points there. Where else are there big points? My best is only 121 Mill. Everything is set to default.
Quoted from jsyjay:fatpanda I normally start by stacking Wolverine with Sentinals which if you manage to finish both is good quick points. Then I go for as many X-Men as I can. I find the Cyclops to Rogue shot is a good safe combo and the Ice-man ramp is easier as a back hand. Once I have a few X-Men going I usually stack Omega Red with Magneto multi ball. My top score is 420m which was when I managed to get to Dark Phoenix by using Deadpools help in the villain multi balls, they are seriously tough to beat otherwise and even harder to restart. Good luck!
Thanks for the pointers! I have been trying to complete as many X-Men as I can and if Wolverine is ready to start, then I focus on trying to stack a villian with Wolverine. Same with Magneto. It was just that I had worked soooo hard and had a helluva game (or so I thought) but only eeked out the 121 mill.
What's this thing with Brotherhood and villians? In order to start Dark Phoenix, do the X-Men need to be completed? For Danger Room, is it all villian and X-Men that need to be completed or just qualified?
Quoted from rotordave:Brotherhood - the multiball you qualify by hitting the right targets.
Hellfire - the multiball you qualify by hitting the left targets
Dark Phoenix - wizard for all the villains completed
Danger room - wizard for all the heroes completed
rd
isnt there a way to qualify a villian easier with brotherhood?
For the Magneto spot lamp, I installed a 555 Comet 2SMD LED and played a few games on it. Seemed fine then. Afterwards, I read that it would melt a traditional 555 bulb, and that you should install a 906 flasher. I much prefer the 555 vs the 906 (it sort of flickers when constantly lit). Would there be any issues with installing the 555 bulb long term?
1 week later
I recently put a Cliffy on the Blackbird hole and have found that it makes the ball (frustratingly) trickle STDM. Does the scoop get chewed out enough to make the Cliffy worth it?
Sorry, to be clear, when the ball falls out of the pops on the left side, the ball would usually fall into the hole, but instead, rolls over the bottom left corner and trickle down into the middle drain. The scoop eject shoots out cleanly to the left flipper for a trap.
I installed a brand new Cliffy.
Quoted from luvthatapex2:or you can use a mantis protector that protects the scoop area just fine but doesn't cover the surround. I have this one installed and it protects well. I use these type of protectors on new games and cliffys on older or damaged scoops. Both are great.
https://mantispinball.com/product/x-men-protector/
So that mounts on the inside of the scoop? Can you post a picture of it installed? I'd be interested!
Quoted from Lermods:Make sure your game is leveled properly. I never had an issue on my pro or le with sdtm from the pops with the cliffy on.
It's leveled properly.
Quoted from Lermods:Maybe raise your right back leg a few turns to tilt the game slightly. On my game, the ball rarely fell into the hole and would roll down to the left flipper.
Also, there are two types of cliffies, a thin version and thick version. The thin version is what you want.
The hole gets pretty beat up without the cliffy.
I ordered whatever was on his site (specified for Xmen). I ordered the mantis protector so will see how that goes.
Prior to the cliffy, the ball would feed into the hole out of the left side of the pop bumper. With the cliffy on, I thought it would dribble down the left side, but instead, it rolls over the corner SDTM. Frustrating after a good long ball! Hopefully the mantis protects the hole while still keeping the game playing properly.
Quoted from mannymasy:what is the cliff page?
Is anyone having an issue where a Xavier shot also registers a Storm shot (as it comes down the wireform)? Or is this normal? But when Storm is active, a Xavier shot will not register the Storm shot. I have to hit a side ramp to complete it.
Quoted from Jediturtle:Somewhat common problem. If my memory is right, it's the Storm switch on the ramp being too sensitive. I know I battled it, but it was a long time ago. It's probably just luck that it doesn't register during Storm mode.
I haven't tested, but does the Storm shot normally require both the ramp entrance switch and the storm switch to be hit sequentially for it to register? Or is it just the Storm switch? I would think a Xavier switch would normally override any Storm switch hits.
Quoted from LesManley:Just ask him for the larger X-Men cliffy. He has it already. I did and he sent me one that is wider on the right with the cutout on the left for the ball to fall into the scoop out of the pops.
I wish I knew this before ordering!
Quoted from LesManley:Cliffy is really cool. He would probably let you exchange it. Way back when I had a ful set of WCS94 Cliffys I never used and I just sold them cheaper on Pinside, but he had commented that I should have contacted him and I could have returned them. I had asked him about a larger Cliffy when ordering because my scoop needed it and he offered it up as he had already done that for people before.
Yeah, he's pretty cool and I'm sure he would have exchanged it, but I ordered a Mantis scoop protector already. If that doesn't work out, I might have to shoot him an email, or just order it from him. I have no issues with that.
Quoted from Rascal_H:Looks good to me!
Picking up my X-Men LE this weekend and it’s got an uninstalled Newton ball mod with it. Haven’t decided if I want to put it in.
Congrats! It definitely changes the game for the better. Well worth the mod!
Quoted from Robertstone0407:My magneto ball lock loves to fuck me over and drop them down the middle.anyone got a suggestion?
Mine does similar. I have to slap save it most times. I've checked the leveling too and mine is spot on but, of course, I'll check it again.
3 weeks later
So my kids discovered split flipper 
And I have my knockoff Revoltech figures properly posed and mounted. What's nice is that you can see the physical ball lock under Magneto now.
The other tricky thing was making poses that allow the glass to fit. I know Magneto doesnt actually throw Hadoukens, but still a cool looking pose anyways
20181007_192928 (resized).jpg20181007_192942 (resized).jpg20181007_194201 (resized).jpg20181008_204729 (resized).jpgQuoted from Rondogg:The cool thing about that is the lightshow and cool plastic art underneath are now uncovered and can be seen during gameplay!
I moved the flasher that was inside the stock magneto out behind, but i'll have to find a different solution for it. I didn't want any flashers facing towards the player, so I'll have to see what I can do to still have it flash, but not be in direct line of sight.
anyone have any thoughts on what I could use instead of the 89 bulb that's currently there? I was thinking about getting a hex post to move it closer to the cape and having it light up the backside that way. A comet flexible 89 bulb maybe to point it upwards and try to hide it a bit more?
https://www.cometpinball.com/product-p/8smdflexflash.htm
You've tested the switches with a ball on the playfield? It should lock a ball up the middle when lit for lock. Did you test in the menu or in-game? Try to see what switches are registering with a ball and go from there. If the switch activates with a ball, hold the ball on the switch to make sure the switch stays active where the ball would sit with the posts up (obviously done in test).
Quoted from dmieczko:OK thank you. All switches test good in the switch-test. The one thing I have not done is hold a ball on the first magneto switch and see if it stops registering. I'll do that tonight.
But if that switch is flaky, why would it always work with a shot from one of the side shots? This is what is really baffling me.
I'm not sure, but that's where I would start. There seems to be a switch somewhere that is registering when it shouldn't, or that isn't registering when it should. It might be helpful to put it into test and activate a few coils too (maybe pound the playfield with your fist.) Maybe the posts popping up are causing a switch to register/not register and is telling the game that it needs to release a ball. Whatever it is, it sounds like a switch issue to me.
1 week later
1 month later
Quoted from lyonsden:End of stroke lever for a flipper. Important piece that cuts off the high power to a flipper coil when holding the flipper up. Find from which flipper it broke off and replace before playing again. You can burn the coil, short a transistor, etc if not fixed.
I'm not sure how long it been like this. 
nothing has burnt so far. I'll take a look at it. Thanks!
1 month later
Quoted from Parzival:Anyone have custom freeplay cards? Wolverine LE version is what I have, but could use anything
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-free-playinstruction-cards
2 weeks later
Quoted from Sixmillion:Xmen was released in 2012, any chance this will get a vault edition? Spiderman and Ironman got one.
Highly highly doubt it. The LE's barely move at 5500 USD and are way more loaded than any of Sterns recent offerings. No way they would sell NIB VE's for 6500-7000.
Quoted from Sixmillion:I am going to assume with all the problems early on that this pin didn't sell well. Now it seems they are hard to find. Chances are stern don't have the license any more for another production run of pro's with led's like they did with Metallica. I recently bought my first new in box pin (Metallica) and love this pin, but it is not my favourite theme. I do like the art, toys and shots on Metallica and wanted a new in box pin. I am a comic book guy and really like the Xmen theme. Seems this one maybe out of reach.
Like we've all been saying, XM can be had for cheap compared to what's available NIB today. Would you that any of the current NIB Stern pros for the same price as a fully loaded XMLE? A lot of people do, and imo they are missing out on an X-cellent 
pinball experience. I think the notoriety of the terrible voice call outs is part of it, but I got over really quick once I played and appreciated the integration of the rest of the theme.
I wouldnt call it quits yet. Be patient and one will show up, and at a good price nonetheless.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Boyo25guy:Sure it did. The relevant discussion starts on post #269 of this thread page:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/project-make-xm-callouts-as-good-as-the-game/page/6
I have it on my machine, and it’s excellent.
Still hoping that someone could post a short clip to Youtube??
That sounds really great! I'll have to take it for a spin for a while. Any thoughts about adding a track or more callouts to Storm? It seemed a little quiet with only the thunder sound effects. Maybe have the Xmen theme playing in the background with the thunder sounds being more prominent? i really liked the acoustic theme song btw. Nice work!
Quoted from mcuzz:it’s a spanish guitar version, it also plays when your game ends. I’ll see if I can work on the storm effects I kind a like the thunder storm, it’s very creepy and adds ambience while you’re playing.
She was hard to find voices for, so some of them I just took out completely.
There’s a lot more music that isn’t heard in the video.
Make sure you got a sub hooked up !
I have a sub connected 
I installed your remix last night and thought it was done really well overall. Thank you!
My initial thought on it is in regards primarily the main theme. I really liked the orchestral arrangement, but was a little disappointed when it started to loop over right before the climax. I was wondering if it was possible to speed up the clip like 1.2x or 1.5x without it being too noticeable (the TV's theme song seems a little faster) and that way you can get the whole riff and have it loop when it normally does?
Quoted from mcuzz:Never noticed this, I will see what I can do. Problem with this game is the clips are so short.
I would imagine it's hard to find a track that has enough variation that it doesn't sound repetitive, but that is short enough that you can loop. I'll play it some more tonight and let the track run, but i'm pretty sure this is that case. Thanks again!
I bought my LE never having played it before. People that don't like it like to crap on the callouts, and it's not even that bad. It is certainly more packed than the current LEs being released and the artwork is amazing, especially at a time when they were still doing PS artwork. The rules are easy to understand. Basically shoot a hero 2 times to start that mode, then shoot the hero a few more times to finish (Ice Man, Beast, Storm, Phoenix (with some variability), Cyclops). Xavier and Rogue are slightly different. Wolverine is a MB, with its own set of rules.
Villian modes are where it's at. Each villian has a set of different rules that you have to follow to complete. For example, Omega Red captures one of the heroes shown on the DMD and you have to shoot that hero to save him/her. Juggernaut has a few shots that increase the mode value and 2 or 3 other shots that progress towards finishing the mode. It's a nice break away from shooting to qualify, then shooting to finish.
There are 4 MBs in this game and 2 wizard modes. The theme integration is excellent. Storm's mode is great in that the pops cause the pf to go dark and the flashers to flash like lightning with appropriate sound effects. You can complete Phoenix's mode by shooting Wolverine or Cyclop's shots as well has Phoenix shots. For Juggernaut, there are only certain hero shots that will crack his helmet, and Xavier's shot to finish him after his helmet is broken. Just a lot of good thought put into the coding of the theme. If you're into the 90s animated TV series (like me) or into the comics, the theme integration does not disappoint.
Lot's of stuff to do, great theme integration, the sound package overall is a 7/10 but doesn't hinder it so much that the game is unplayable, contrary to what a lot of people that don't like this game like to think. And it can be had for less than a NIB Stern Pro. Win/Win in my book.
1 week later
Just throwing this out there...I've been working on a sound replacement for XMLE. It first started off with just Beast and Storm, but has turned into a nearly complete sound replacement, with music and callouts. I've spent a ton of time so far. I can post a video later this week if anyone is interested in the WIP.
Quoted from mannymasy:For pro version????plase...
I'm only working on the LE version right now. If there are enough Pro versions, I will work on that also.
Quoted from ryandimx:Depending on what you pulled the new ones from.
I spent countless hours ripping sound files from the 90s cartoon only to find out I had the sound too low. Gave up after that and just changed a few songs around.
I pulled mainly from the TV series but did a lot of sound editing try to get the voices to be most prominent. For Beast, his voice is deeper and generally quieter, so it was more difficult to make it stand out. I will likely need to go back over his callouts to amplify them, but the rest of them are sounding pretty good so far. I haven't been able to test the latest batch of revisions yet, so I still have yet to see how they turned out.
Quoted from Rondogg:Balancing the sound volume is as much work as finding the files. Then you have to load up a game, test test test, edit, test test test, etc. I really appreciate someone doing this!
You beat me to it
I started a new thread for the sound replacement. PM me if you'd like to try it out. Right now it's for the LE only.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-le-sound-replacement-package#post-4874242
1 week later
Quoted from Da-Shaker:Are you supposed to download to a thumb drive and update like a new code?
Yes.
Quoted from FatPanda:I started a new thread for the sound replacement. PM me if you'd like to try it out. Right now it's for the LE only.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-le-sound-replacement-package#post-4874242
Thanks for all the PMs for the sound package. I am going through the last few updates and tweaks and would like to post up a link later this week. I will update the initial post in the thread linked above when it's ready.
Sound packages are ready for both PRO and LE versions.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-le-sound-replacement-package
1 week later
2 weeks later
Sad day, but the new owner will be thrilled! 7 years is a good stretch to keep a game. It can definitely hold its own with today's best. Enjoy whatever game that might end up taking its place!
I went with knockoff Revoltech figures:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men/page/229#post-4625893
They are highly poseable figures. I used hot glue on Magneto's cape and on the joints of the stands to keep them from moving. I cut up some lexan bases to mount them on.
Quoted from Guinnesstime:I never had air balls on my LE. Wasn’t an issue.
I get enough airballs to be concerned. Nightcrawlers and Magneto standup targets (lock targets) are a big culprit.
3 weeks later
It's about 50/50 for me, Mantis Protector. If I really need it to go in, I'll nudge the machine to better my chances.
I found with the Cliffy, it would almost never go in.
With that said, anyone want to buy a Cliffy?
1 month later
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:After reading that thread and watching the YouTube video, that looks - er, sounds- exactly right. So looks easily fixable.
I appears I have the alt sound for game, which is mostly terrific, but the Storm callouts are still kinda ridiculous. That’s the cartoon Storm?
Yes, that is the Storm from the 90s TV series. She sounds ridiculous but that is how she is portrayed in the cartoons, and what the voice actress tried to do in the Stern version but just couldn't quite nail it.
1 month later
1 month later
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:I dig this game a lot. But it’s very dark. Does anyone have ideas and pictures of ways they’ve improved the lighting in the game and brightened up the playfield?
I upgraded to Comet 2SMDs in factory colors (natural white, red, and blue) and I added two spotlights, one on the right sling and one on the pop bumper behind Wolverine pointing towards the Cyclops shot.
1 month later
You can always go to Hobby Lobby, or JoAnne and get piano wire (sometimes called music wire) and bend your own also.
This is the only thickness listed on their website, but there are other thicknesses available. Take a piece of the broken gate with you.
2 months later
The newton ball mod is less about the Beast shot and more about being able to start Wolvie MB too easily. A lot of times, you could start Wolvie MB by accident, instead of intentionally. With the newton ball mod, there has to be aim and intent in order to start Wolvie MB. It's probably the single best mod in any modern Stern.
Quoted from MK6PIN:So if I went this way, I'm believing I'd need a new (smaller) Wolverine? To keep scale right, I'd need a new Magneto too (how does the original come off, btw...haven't figured it out yet).
Sorry for "old" questions...just getting up to speed...
You're right, but you can use the originals. You'd have to cut the belt off of the original wolverine, but some people change out the figure altogether. I did both Magneto and Wolverine due to the scale being different as you suggested.
Quoted from MK6PIN:Link to the scaled down versions?
There are a lot of choices. Pick what you like best.
Quoted from hocuslocus:Could be said the other way as well, you have to intentionally not try to hit wolverine.... but yeah its near impossible sometimes.
I left the wolverine in there, maybe if I played another with the mod but I worked to hard to get that switch to register at the right times.
Got this game just because the guy gave me a pretty good deal on it, had no intentions otherwise. It definitely surpassed my expectations, not a game you'd get bored of easily.
My kids loved the stock Wolvie as they could start MB whenever they wanted. For me on the other hand, it wasn't fun accidentally starting MB, because as you said, it's near impossible not to. As my kids are getting older and playing with the newton ball, they can start Wolvie MB occasionally, and it's due to better timed shots and intentionally going for it. My 4yr old is getting pretty good at it
1 month later
Quoted from javagrind888:I need to clarify on my post. It already has a newton and an alternative Wolverine. My wife doesn't like the alternative and I don't care for the huge original one, so was wondering what some other options are.
Durability is indeed a big consideration. Thanks.
I posted earlier in this thread that I used fully posable Wolvie and Magneto when I added the newton ball mod. They are Revoltech knockoffs, and after a quick search through ebay, doesn't seem that you can get them domestically anymore. I made plexi bases for them. Haven't had any issues with airballs or breaking anything. I've since changed the poses from what was pictured earlier in this thread
You can also see them in the vid that I posted in my sound package thread.
Quoted from javagrind888:Found it. I haven't seen a Magneto swap before. Man that thing is nice!
I think they look pretty cool. I had to hot glue some of the articulating parts on the Magneto cape because it was heavy and didn't want to stay put, but not noticeable in the players position.
1 month later
Quoted from javagrind888:First couple days with this game and wow is it a kick in the crotch difficulty wise (and I owned an Alice Cooper!) Have a Wolverine Edition.
I have a few lighting questions. One of my spotlights is out and it's an odd shape. I can't seem to find it in the manual although I'm admittedly bad at sifting through these things. Is this an after market spot light or factory? What should I replace it with? (Picture below). Also, the go is pretty low for an LED game. Did most leave the factory LEDs in or swap to something brighter? What kind if so?[quoted image]
That looks like an aftermarket LED flasher. It can be replaced with another 906 flasher bulb.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-le-magneto-spotlight-original-bulb
The factory LEDs were early generation LED bulbs and quite dim. I replaced mine with Comet 2SMD bulbs in the same color, except for the red under the slings. I replaced those with natural white. I went with natural white everywhere else with red and blue where needed.
Quoted from javagrind888:Awesome! I'll do the same. Looks like all the insert lights are led boards. No replacing those for brighter lights huh?
Yeah, can't do those, only the GI.
1 week later
Quoted from javagrind888:My only issue now seems to be a gameplay one. Wolverine periodically takes the ball and just fastballs it SDTM. Is this a known issue or is there an adjustment for it?
It's the randomness of the magnet. Nothing you can do about it.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Jediturtle:Awesome write-up...thank you! I love the Brotherhood trick for making villains easier to light, but those standups are definitely not as controllable on my machine (err...at least not with me at the flipper buttons!).
As for the Xavier "trick"...that's not a bug, that's how his mode works and it doesn't require a villain stack. Any time Xavier is running, a shot to him will light the needed shot. Of course, I usually concentrate on doing just that...brick it a few times since the shot becomes harder when I need it...and then if I do hit it I do not have time to hit the needed shot, LOL! It's a brilliant mode...love it.
I always forget that three villains defeated gives an extra ball. Goes to show how rare that is for me! I do love and appreciate the Nightcrawler mode and extra ball for completing it after three heroes though!
Cool trick with shatzing into the Blackbird! I will have to try that, though I have almost never been able to Shatz on purpose, LOL.
I believe the point value decreases if you have Xavier light the shot for you vs without.
Quoted from DudeRegular:I have been working away on our X-Men Pro. It now has Comet bulbs through out. I flame polished the ramps. We put in clear Titan rings everywhere except for blue on the new yellow flippers. I have a few things left to do: wolverine magnet core, scoop switch, and straighten the standup targets by magneto.
The pic was taken in the dark both times. What a difference the bulbs make.[quoted image]
Did you add extra spotlights or led strips? That almost looks "pinstadium" like.
Quoted from DudeRegular:No light strips in there. The spots are on the slings which were there when I bought it. Not sure if they are stock or not. I put in the 4 SMD bulbs there. There is also the spotlight behind wolverine, but that one is controlled right? Otherwise, its all 2SMD comet bulbs everywhere. The clear rings help a bunch in getting the light spread out in my opinion.
I did run a small comet led strip to put on the back of the head. Its not visible at all in my garage. It should look good once I get it in the game room though. I put one on Stranger Things and Jurassic Park and like the look. I used Orange for X-men. The red in this pic on MMr is from the topper.[quoted image]
It must be the 4SMD bulbs then. Looks pretty bright in pictures, but I know that cameras don't capture the exact lighting very well.
Quoted from plankalkul:The pops count toward Storm, so maybe that's where you're finishing that off?
I don't think it counts towards finishing Storm. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've only ever completed Storm by shooting the Storm ramp.
Quoted from luvthatapex2:Several ways to end Storm
------------------------------
Shoot storm ramp to end mode.
Shoot cyclops spinner to make it snow and to complete the mode after many hits.
Shoot the pops to create lightning and complete mode after many, many hits.
Shoot combinations of storm, cyclops and the pops.
Taken from X-Men-Pro-Rulesheet (same for LE).
Interesting. Like I've mentioned, I've only ever finished Storm using the ramp. I remember a few times I've tried hitting the pops (like with Beast but that shows progression). Maybe I will take the glass off and confirm it that way.
Quoted from luvthatapex2:There's a bunch of interesting tidbits in this rules doc. Lets see if this works...
Xmen
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RXQg7NEYahyzLrrT-E3WXAmhKNtT-eVfqc5GEWZdHL0/mobilebasic
Thanks for the link. I wished they would have included which version the rulesheet was on I'm sure I've run across this at one point in time.
Quoted from AndreaM:Anybody can help?
I took a look last night but didn't find any easily accessible lugs on the spinning disc coil. How are you getting readings?
Quoted from AndreaM:Just follow the black cable coming from the coil placed on the spinning disc motor, and you’ll find a white 2 pin connector . I measured from there, very accessible.... thank you very much for your kind help!
Much appreciated
I see. I'll take a look later today.
Quoted from AndreaM:Just follow the black cable coming from the coil placed on the spinning disc motor, and you’ll find a white 2 pin connector . I measured from there, very accessible.... thank you very much for your kind help!
Much appreciated
I got 2.9 ohms on my motor coil.
Quoted from plankalkul:http://www.shootagain.io/tron/
since someone told me this, I thought.. man, I have to do one of those slider image thingies.
It's been a known thing that XM is a reverse Tron, but it's cool to see the slider. Good discussion on the facebook thread too. IMO, XM is heads and tails the better game between the two.
Quoted from javagrind888:Mine never goes into the scoop from the left side of the pops. I'm wondering if it's because of the Cliffy. From the layout it seems it would go into the scoop at least part of the time like Stern Indiana Jones. Other people?
Its because of the Cliffy. I went with the Mantis protector because it was diverting the ball away from the hole 90% of the time.
2 weeks later
1 month later
Quoted from NeilMcRae:I bought it! It's on a plane on the way to the UK. Went this route because there are so few Magneto's here in Europe and people wanted stupid money for them.
I had a question on your LEDs as I saw that you replaced them - FP - what did you order and replace? Do you have a before and after? thanks.
Neil.
Congrats!
I replaced then with Comet 2SMD frosted tops. I used natural white, red, blue and matched whatever the factory had. I believe that majority of them are wedged but there might be some bayonets sprinkled in there. I would have to check.
I dont have any before pictures, but its definitely worth the upgrade at some point.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Snappy:Hey gang,
New X-men Wolverine LE owner here (which also happens to be my first pin). Glad to join the club!
I got it home yesterday and noticed a few issues I was hoping to get some direction on:
1. Over the course of only a few games there were multiple instances where a ball got 'stuck' on the wolverine magnet (not stuck under wolverine itself, but actually on the magnet)... the ball just sits on the magnet and after a bit, the game starts going through the motions of trying to find the lost ball. I have to slide the glass out and give the ball a slight nudge to get it off. I tried searching this topic for this issue and found a reference to the magnet being stuck on requiring a board replacement, but not sure if this is the same issue. It doesn't happen every time, other times wolverine (the magnet) 'grabs' the ball for a moment and then lets it go, which I believe is the expected behavior.
2. When I went through diagnostics only the pop bumper flasher doesn't appear to work, however in the game when the ball hits the pop bumpers they do flash, or is that not the same thing?
3. I have a slight chip around the playfield scoop and was thinking about getting the cliffy for that, though there is a disclaimer that it may affect the ability to go into the scoop if the ball is moving slower... this seems like an ok trade-off to me. Does anyone have experience with the cliffy there that would be willing to chime in on if it's worth it?
4. Anyone install the carbon fiber ring from Cliffy that goes around the wolverine magnet, covering the wood? If so, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on it. Seen on the bottom right on this page - http://www.passionforpinball.com/XMen.htm
Lastly, I installed the sound package from fatpanda and love it! Seems like a great pin overall with some depth to unlock over time.
Thanks in advance!!
p.s. I'm definitely planning to install the newton ball mod and replace the magneto and wolvey figures. Echoing what many others have said, I just don't feel like the jibe with the overall sharp aesthetics of everything else in the game.
First, congrats on the pickup!
1) the next time it happens, turn off the machine. If the ball drops, theres a problem with the game holding the magnet on. If it stays on the magnet, the ball is magnetized and will need to be swapped out with new ones. Ballbaron.com has great balls (insert joke here) you'll want to get the Carbon steel balls.
2) Pop bumpers have wedge bulbs in them. They should light up when the pops activate and I beleive in attract mode.
3) The cliffy will block the ball from rolling in 90% of the time. I would live with the chip exposed personally than put a cliffy on. I have the Mantis protector and highly recommend it. No scoop wear on my game with it.
4) i have the carbon ring on mine and it works well.
2 weeks later
Quoted from Snappy:I’m not finding instructions to install the mantis protector on the blackbird scoop.. is it as simple as removing the mech, installing the protector from the bottom (screwing into the wood) and then throwing the mech back on? Thanks
Yes, pretty much. It doesnt take too much to install. Just make sure the protector is pushed right up against the edge of the hole.
Quoted from chuckwurt:Will i get reduced points for completing like if I hit Xavier? The extra points for finding the mutant on my own can’t make it worth my while. I’ll check it out.
You get fewer points if you shoot Xavier first. It's not worth the "extra" points if you don't know it. If it means finishing the mode or not, I shoot Xavier instead of hitting random things.
Some mutants are easy to ID like Nightcrawler (on the LE, the targets pop up).
Some of the lesser known mutants have a generic outline and are linked to a pop bumper or one of the stand ups and are a bit trickier to find, unless you know them all really well. I always take the mode completion over the points.
I'm not 100% sure on the physics of it, but the mantis protector will keep the ball from further chipping. My XM and DI have mantis protectors and my TNA and R&M all have a similar style protector (on the inside of the scoop). The rim that it creates keeps the ball from beating on the wood edge. My XM has similar wear from the previous owner but has not gotten worse in the time that I've owned it.
FWIW, here's a pic of my scoop with the mantis protector on it. The little bit of missing black was there when I bought the game. My current audits say 650 plays on it, but I updated my game several times while working on my sound package. I put on a few hundred plays before I was working on that so I would say close to 1k plays with the mantis protector.
20200801_080442 (resized).jpgQuoted from chuckwurt:I would put Mylar around the edge of the scoop. That should keep it in the current condition forever. No cliffy
I was just pointing out that the Mantis does do its job in my case. No change in the wear with the protector. After I took this pic, I decided to touch it up and put mylar down, but not necessary with the mantis. ymmv.
1 week later
Quoted from Snappy:I have an issue where one of my night crawlers is uneven. The front of the plastic, closest to the apron, is a little higher than the back (enough to cause air balls). I checked and the bolts for the mech are all tightened down.. is there away to adjust the ‘tilt’ of the night crawlers? Anyone else had this problem and how did you solve?
To be clear it’s not a matter of raising or lowering the mech, it’s actually uneven some front to back. Thanks in advance.
I don't know if there's an adjustment that you can make for certain, as I've never had to do it, but if all else fails, you might try to use washers as spacers to drop the front relative to the back. Again, not sure how many screws secure the mech in.
Quoted from Snappy:I made an updated version of the FatPanda sound package which adds an Ice Ice Baby remix I created for when the Ice Man mode activates. Nothing else is changed. Big shout out to fatpanda for creating his awesome sound package in the first place.
Firmware download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16VuyXqZu23GgDq-DOpgzlilwRoqvSmHy/view?usp=sharing
Wav file of remixed Ice Ice Baby clip - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fgsejFtivnyytOySeyzK17xtmhkvofVa/view?usp=sharing
Have you been able to actually play the game yet?
Quoted from SolarGarlic:I advise caution in considering the Revoltech China clones. I picked one up for exactly this purpose, and it's complete junk.
Beyond the sloppy paint job (who cares, since it's going to be battered by a steel ball), the real problem is the poorly fitting, super loose joints. You just have to look at it and limbs fall off. This figure might do the trick, but not without a good bit of mod and repair work. [quoted image]
Just to add, I have both the Wolverine and Magneto revoltech knockoffs in my game for quite some time, a couple years now. The Magneto cape requires some hot glue to hold the cape up, but the limbs on the figures have held up fine once set, even with some aggressive nudging. I would add that since they are knockoffs, the consistency in quality is probably not there. The real ones are (I think) 2-3x more expensive though. YMMV
Quoted from TomN:Man, sounds like you have this game tweaked perfectly! I want it back now. Would that be possible?
It plays so good Tom The XM (cartoon, comics, etc.) have a place near/dear to me, so you might have to seek out a different one.
3 weeks later
Quoted from Snappy:What size LEDs do people recommend for the back panel lightning (i.e. the 6 bulbs on the storm panel)? Seems like adding some higher power lights there could really add some needed brightness.
IIRC, I used 5SMD Natural white flashers back there
https://www.cometpinball.com/products/5smd-flashers
Quoted from Snappy:One more question ... especially after replacing magneto and losing the red LED in his hand shining on the magnetic spinning disc area.. I find that area to be particularly dark and not well lit... any thoughts about adding additional lighting there somehow?
An extra spotlight behind Wolverine did the trick for me.
1 month later
Quoted from J_Striker:Working on a wolverine I just picked up and trying to fix a few hack jobs. Can someone tell me where these two wires go? They were just hanging, but look like they were cut from somewhere. It looks like it goes to the lighting system and to the junction just to the right of the magnet.
[quoted image]
Would be helpful if you found out specifically where they went to. My guess is that they run to a spotlight, but you will need to confirm.
3 months later
Quoted from Yesh23:When my Magneto releases the locked balls sometimes they go right down the middle. Is there a fix for that? Have seems level. I assume they should be hitting off the left flipper?
I believe it should be hitting the right flipper. When mine drops, it just hits the tip right flipper, just enough to be able to flip it back up the playfield. If I didn't flip, it would probably bounce down the middle.
5 months later
A comment was made on a FS ad where the seller states that XM is odd in that the Pro and LE price differences isn't that big of a gap. I would say going rate for a Pro is 4000-4500, whereas an LE is 5500-6000.
I know that release code was bad, but after a few updates, has some of the better code, ruleset, and theme integration, and by today's standards, is up there in playability and often times exceeding the toy/coil/feature count especially by today's Stern standards. Yet in comparison, you could easily buy two XMLE for the price of one current LE. Not that I'm complaining, I just think it odd for such a great game. I love my Magneto and it'll likely never go, but if they started creeping into the 10-12K range that we're seeing current LEs go for now, I might consider.
Why do you think the value is still so low for this game? Is the audience for XM just that small? Do you think it's early reputation still haunts it?
Quoted from Malenko:I got my Pro for like 3700 and it was the best deal I've gotten on a pin. I think its got a bad rep from the early code but its my favorite machine and my wife likes playing it too. Your soundmix really puts it over the top.
Thanks! I'm glad you're enjoying it. The sound package was the missing link in the complete package for me and honestly, I'm not sure I would still have this game if it wasn't for that.
I'll be honest, I don't play this game a million times a day. In fact, I go weeks sometimes without playing it, but when I do, it really ticks all the boxes for me. Great shots, depth of rules, and the newton ball mod really makes Wolverine a great shot. (side tangent, my 6 yr old and I were playing 2 player games on it over the weekend. He tells me "Dad, remember when the big Wolverine was on there and you could get multiball all the time by accident?" I was like "yeah?" He goes, "I like this smaller Wolverine with the ball much better." No joke. Mind you, he was around 4 yrs old when I bought the game and we had the OG Wolverine for only a few months.)
Just curious why the value is still depressed on this game and why there are games with much less selling for twice as much or more.
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:8 months ago I took my LE off the market after not being able to sell it for $5,500 - ultimately down to $5k - for a year. Had an unsolicited offer of $4,800 recently.
The game is woefully underrated and ridiculously undervalued. The backglass alone should be worth a grand. Stunning!
This is crazy to me.
Quoted from Jediturtle:I agree. X-Men and the original Avengers both are grossly undervalued. TAV I can understand slightly more with it's tight shots and QC issues which take a lot of tweaking, but it really is a great game if given a chance. XM though...man that thing is an "everything and the kitchen sink" game. Sure there are a couple things that could be a little smoother, but there is no reason it can't hang with the vast majority of LEs released in the past decade. Just goes to show how getting a bad rep early on can stick with a machine sometimes.
Side note: I love that our avatars can fight Especially fitting for this thread
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:I suspect XMEN as a theme is past its prime as well.
With Disney acquiring Fox, (which held rights to XM, despite Disney owning Marvel prior to that) I think XM will be back in the mainstream soon enough. Honestly, it never faded for me and I was always hungry for more XM, even though I'm not a comic book consumer.
I agree with your other points though.
Quoted from TheFamilyArcade:Hey, your custom sound package kicks ass! Thank you!
I hope you’re correct about the franchise getting a jolt. I love my XMEN, but I’ll sell it tomorrow for $7k.
Haha! I've seen some of them creeping up into the 6K range but I don't think they ever sold. For 7K though, I still don't think I would be able to sell it.
3 weeks later
Quoted from greenhoody:I would not have guess that! No wonder I couldn't find some sorta nut. Thank you!
I would take a hammer and gently pound it in with the addition of epoxy, to make sure it's nice and snug.
1 month later
I'll be listing up my Magneto LE. PM me if you're interested.
2nd owner HUO. No blemishes anywhere. ColorDMD LCD. Titans and Comet LEDs all around. Shaker Motor. Newton ball mod with posable Wolvie and Magneto figures. Original figures will be included. Custom sound package. Extra Cliffys for the balckbird scoop that aren't installed.
Beautiful game.
1 year later
For anyone wanting to try my sound package, both LE and Pro can still be downloaded from this thread:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/x-men-le-sound-replacement-package
Update it as you would any other SAM code. Instructions are on Stern's website and it's outlined in one or two of the posts in the thread as well.
Thanks for the compliments and hope you enjoy!
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