Arcade Collecting > Pinball
Stern pinball machines
pinballwizard79:
I've been playing a lot of Stern games lately... Tron, Family Guy, LOTR, Spiderman & TSPP for the most part.
At first I thought Stern machines all sucked nards but now when I play other manufacturers (WMS, DE & etc) those very machines every one holds so dearly now feel slow.
Sure the Stern playfields look like they were made in MS paint with some google image search jpgs just cut/pasted on em. Yeah the plastics have the shittiest pixelated art known to man which pisses me off to no end since they cost an arm & a leg. Of course the playfield toys are straight from Walmart & the entire machine feels overly light & "toyish".
But damn it, the ball just bounces more, moves faster & the rules/sounds are better.
I think.
I am to the point that its almost time to sell my only 3 pins + keep driving my car for another 5 years to justify the cost of a fleet of 6 or so new Sterns (the 5 above + Transformers).
smartbomb2084:
Do you think that maybe the difference in speed between games is age or condition related since the WMS Dot Matrix games are 15+ years old now.
Most modern games are lightning fast after a few coats of NOVUS and rebuilt, not just cleaned, tight and true flippers.
Xiaou2:
wrong.
Williams and others are just as fast if well cared for, operating correctly, etc.
Things that effect speed:
1) Poor playfield leveling. Poor slope angle will cause drastic speed loss.
2) Mechanical filth. If the magnet coil sleeves are worn & filthy, there will be too much frictional losses.
3) Playfield filth & surface damages. If the topical mylar or painted surface is ate up with scratches.. it will also effect ball speeds. Mylar can be either polished or replaced. The field can be polished and buffed to a limited degree. (many people get an automotive clearcoat put in the game to get a new protective surface on it)
Dirty wax filled with Carbon soot, is also a culprit. A complete cleaning, including the subways, is needed. Neglect one dirty area, and the ball will just pick up and carry the stuff all over the place again.
4) Bad Balls. Over time, pinballs get scratched up. These scratches create additional friction, slowing things down... as well as destroying the fields surface.
If you really want to see some real performance, stop waxing your machines, and use F21. (formula 21)
Clean the field of all dirt, and remove all wax, then wipe down with the F21. F21 contains Urethane, which is what they use on rollercoaster & inline skate wheels. Its very hard & durable, low friction..etc. Replace all Pinballs with new balls. F21 makes the field look glossy, and smooth as glass to the touch. Fire it up... and the game will play like new. The ball will move so fast that you can barely keep up with it.
I put F21 on a well played No Fear in a busy Namco mall arcade. Usually, I had to clean the damn thing every week or it would be sooty black all over the field and parts. (even after cleaning all the subways..etc) The F21 worked so well in the initial test.. that I removed all the wax.. then used only F21 from there on out. After about 3 weeks, the field still looked and played like brand new. I was shocked. I then routinely lightly used F21 every week or two on the easy access areas, on all the pins there.
It was a godsend. Made cleaning 5min fast, rather than an hour nightmare. No more flaky dirty wax and soot trails ever again. People Loved the way the machines played, and sales were increased as a result. I did this for at least 2yrs, before I left the place,
and there was never any wear or damage done to the machines. In fact, I feel the F21 protected them far better than wax ever could.
pinballwizard79:
--- Quote from: smartbomb2084 on October 19, 2011, 08:43:20 am ---Do you think that maybe the difference in speed between games is age or condition related since the WMS Dot Matrix games are 15+ years old now.
--- End quote ---
Thats a good point & at first I figured it was just that. However after playing a large inventory of machines that go through their cycles of getting roached, then rebuilt, roached again & then rebuilt I noticed a pattern... a rebuilt Stern plays faster than a rebuilt WMS... IMHO of course. Also these damn 15-20 year old WMS/DE are some of the most problamatic machines it seems when you compare their self destructing GI lights & boards vs a Stern which appears to have a trouble free modern designed MPU/flipper/Etc boards.
--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on October 19, 2011, 09:33:29 am ---wrong.
--- End quote ---
No, I'm not wrong dude. Just stating an opinion that differs from yours thats all.
My pal owns www.CPpinball.com so I get to play all kinds of ill ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.
I log 6-12 hours per month on beautifuly maintained & sometimes even clearcoated WMS titles. I walk among 60 machines & play them all, no doubt a new or rebuilt Stern plays far faster than a rebuilt WMS. The WMS do feel more solid & look better however.
--- Quote from: pinballjim on October 19, 2011, 10:09:32 am ---My problem with the Williams games is that I've either played them so much I never care if I play it again (Funhouse) or the theme is so stuck in the 90s that I can't stand to look at it (No Fear, Shadow).
Maybe, in time, my aversion to the themes will pass when my memories drift from 'oh god, I remember those stupid t-shirts' to 'oh yeah, the 90s, cool'.
Lord of the Rings is Stern's best effort and I think it competes very well with the best of Williams games. If you want to see what a company was willing to do to prove they could out-do Williams, check out Gottlieb Stargate.
--- End quote ---
Agreed. LOTR is a good title & NF is so dated. I need to play a Stargate for sure, everyone likes that one from what I hear.
JeepMonkey:
I am in Delaware for work, and they have quite a few Stern machines on route here, so I have been able to log some Stern play time.
Stern titles I really like: LOTR, TSPP, SM
Stern titles I medium like: RCT, Monopoly, IM
Stern titles I will play if around: IJ, 24, BDK
Stern titles I really don't like: Austin Powers
So in the end, I would like to have a Stern in my lineup.
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