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Advice on what to do when my MMr arrives

robdown

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Joined
Dec 11, 2015
Messages
50
Location
Ealing
Hi, was hoping I could call on the experience of the forum as I've not owned my own pinball machine before and the MMr is hopefully (finally) arriving soon.

Scanning through this newbie forum I can't find a thread on what sort of "protection" i should apply to the machine to help longevity (mine and the machines!).

I've seen a lot of comments here, and on Pinside, about "mylar and cliffy's". Not overly familiar with the jargon but guessing a cliffy is something to protect the playfield where a ball hits a hole? No idea about mylar

And then I've seen some comments about waxing the playfield too.

I'm planning on keeping the pin for some time (its going to kill me getting it down the stairs, so it's never going to leave!). What would people recommend I do/buy to protect the machine?

I'm sure this is advice a lot of noobies like me would greatly appreciate from the wiser-hands. Indeed if anyone has the time it might even be worth having a sticky thread in this section of the forum to talk about the basics of this (so not MM specific).

Thank you in advance to anyone who can provide some guidance!

Cheers

Rob
 
Never had a brand new pin but for protection I would suggest you order a premium set of balls as the stern ones are not the best and just wax it before you start playing and enjoy :)
 
Have an unboxing party if your part of the local pinball community. You'll get lots of help and advice.
 
Thanks guys. I've got one of those stair-crawler trolleys (the ones with the three wheels), so hoping that will make it easier to get down there (famous last words).

Are there any recommendations on premium balls? Pinball Heaven sell some, but the description makes it sound like they're more to help with machines with magnets than anything else
 
MMR has no magnets so just get whatever pinball heaven have a few quid spent on some decent balls is worth it. I've read on Pinside re the stock balls being pitted etc so not worth it for a new machine
 
Why are Cliffy's so expensive for what is essentially a tiny piece of machined metal? I don't doubt their effectiveness and help prevent more expensive damage, but they do seem extortionately priced.
 
Lots of useful advice here for any NIB owner, don't forget the most important part of all, playing and enjoying it! :D
 
Does it come with the new hidden metal leg protectors ?

If not, consider buying some
 
I'm going to go against the flow here. For home use only I wouldn't bother with the Cliffy's. They are great for covering wear and for heavy use machines they do protect the playfield, but in a home use environment the issues of them affecting ball flow is more than the protection they offer. Also they will scratch the balls so are you going to be getting other issues around the playfield due to them?

advice for new owners
1) enjoy it! It's a toy, it will get knocked. Guests will do stuff to it that you never would, try not to worry too much about it. They were designed to be in pubs.
2) I've got to unbox mine outside and bring it through a narrow doorway. Thick clingfilm is useful here to prevent scratches
3) Think about buying PDI glass, it makes a massive difference
4) Ensure the pin is level, even a slight misalignment will affect the ball flow. When levelling it you need to put the level on the playfield and not on the glass. There is a free app (Pinguy?) which can help with this

Hope you love the game. Just be prepared that it will breed as soon as you turn your back and in 12 months there will be at least another 2 sitting next too it
 
Thank you guys, lots of stuff to investigate in there.

Got an order in for PDI glass on the other thread. Order for a ratchet strap and new balls going in shortly

Will check out the leg protectors (hadn't heard of those before)
 
I agree with John about cliffy's I have never put them on my BIBLE and that has done a few shows as well, not a trace of damage. Having said that I have fitted one to the castle on my MM as the left trap door into the castle takes a pounding with flying balls. 100% agree about the Stern balls (stick new ones in from day 1) they are rubbish, I just leave them in the bag as it adds £2k to the game when you sell it ;)
 
If you've got the space, keep the packing materials - they'll be perfect for when you do eventually come to sell it on and it needs transporting.
 
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