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Anyone concerned about playfield issues JJP and Stern? Or seen them?

Darthsinex

Darthsinex

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Apr 22, 2014
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Presumably everyone is following the utter meltdown on Pinside about playfield bunching, rippling and cracking around the posts and slings on new JJP's (POTC and WW) and Sterns (Particularly Jurassic Park, but going back to GOTG and before). Is this the new normal?

The discussion seems to be more concerning if the playfield damage moves over time to the overall playfield. I'm wondering whether this is a sufficient issue to sink a company like JJP? That gives me secondary concern over keeping these machines alive electronically if no one can replicate the boards. Doesn't seem to be in anyone's interest for companies to go under over this, but the issue seems real and getting worse
 
It’s a ****ter and then there is the TNA BS.

JJP allowing this on wonka after it being on pirates is just mental - nervous about JP LE but stern saw me right on GB.




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Darthsinex said:
Presumably everyone is following the utter meltdown on Pinside about playfield bunching, rippling and cracking around the posts and slings on new JJP's (POTC and WW) and Sterns (Particularly Jurassic Park, but going back to GOTG and before). Is this the new normal?

The discussion seems to be more concerning if the playfield damage moves over time to the overall playfield. I'm wondering whether this is a sufficient issue to sink a company like JJP? That gives me secondary concern over keeping these machines alive electronically if no one can replicate the boards. Doesn't seem to be in anyone's interest for companies to go under over this, but the issue seems real and getting worse
Click to expand...

I checked all my stern games and don’t have any of the puddling on them around the slings.

It will sink someone like JJP in two ways: they make owners right with populated playfields and that cost kills them or they don’t and lose loads of customers and that kills them. I suspect one is the best path for them but I doubt they will do it.


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Ouch! First I've seen of this as try to keep away from pinside. If JJP are aware of this from POTC how/why are they still pumping out gorgeous Willy Wonka's with the same playfield problems?
 
I think that a lot of these new clearcot playfields are a bit too thick.
Not sure how long it would take these to harden as Ive had one new playfield with new cleacot and had left it for 2 months and still did not harden
 
Vimtoman said:
I think that a lot of these new clearcot playfields are a bit too thick.
Not sure how long it would take these to harden as Ive had one new playfield with new cleacot and had left it for 2 months and still did not harden
Click to expand...
I've heard talk on a few podcasts about it and the general opinion seems to be if the clearcoat ingredients, amounts, hardener etc. aren't correct then it doesn't matter how long you leave it, it will never harden.
 
Vimtoman said:
I think that a lot of these new clearcot playfields are a bit too thick.
Not sure how long it would take these to harden as Ive had one new playfield with new cleacot and had left it for 2 months and still did not harden
Click to expand...

If it’s not hard In 6 days - it’s not ever going to harden.

My theory is one of the ingredients in the format has been changed by the supplier
and affected sterns manufacturer and JJPs (which are different companies).


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Have no idea why manufacturer's aren't learning from the experiences of the automobile guys and how they approach clearcoat car paintwork. They're the experts.

Hearing that some places are doing 5+ layers -if truth - that is just borderline insane to me. You only do that many if you're using rattlecan and are repainting at home, and you're fighting your crappy tools to apply a better coat that you harden + sand down between layers. That's an agonising process that's a waste of time as you don't need to do it if you have a proper air sprayer. The car guys would laugh you off of a forum for suggesting 5 layers of clear...

Why the hell can't people work out chuffing paint in this day and age?
 
Neil McRae said:
If it’s not hard In 6 days - it’s not ever going to harden.

My theory is one of the ingredients in the format has been changed by the supplier
and affected sterns manufacturer and JJPs (which are different companies).


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Click to expand...

Why 6 days? is that relevant fact or just a loose statement?
Mine was not a Stern or Mirco playfield.
 
Sven Normansson said:
said it before. Clearcoat is not designed to be 5 + layers thick, 2 coats max. It won't harden properly.
Click to expand...

I agree. Look at the 90's pins and its not as thick as these current playfields.
They definitely are putting on more to give it that crystal look.
 
Vimtoman said:
Why 6 days? is that relevant fact or just a loose statement?
Mine was not a Stern or Mirco playfield.
Click to expand...
1 to 2 days is the usual time for hardening most clearcoats.
3x that time and it's not hardened means that the underlayer hasn't hardened and will never be able to harden as it is demonstrably not able to vent the solvents off.
 
PBrookfield said:
1 to 2 days is the usual time for hardening most clearcoats.
3x that time and it's not hardened means that the underlayer hasn't hardened and will never be able to harden as it is demonstrably not able to vent the solvents off.
Click to expand...

Then they must be laying it on too thick.
I know that some paint wet on wet when doing a car .
Do you think thats what they are doing here.
It seems to be more producers than just Mirco thats has this issue
 
My TAF has a very thick coat of clear coat, does make it look really nice. Spandangler had it done by Chris I believe and it’s rock hard, it was left to go off for quite a while before being populated I believe but @Spandangler who can confirm.
 
Vimtoman said:
Then they must be laying it on too thick.
I know that some paint wet on wet when doing a car .
Do you think thats what they are doing here.
It seems to be more producers than just Mirco thats has this issue
Click to expand...
Definitely looks like it.

There are modern clearcoat formulations that, if anything, are harder rather than softer than what was available in the 90s - but even the older formulations were more than up for the job when applied correctly. We know already that the clearcoated playfields from Williams etc just did not see this very rapid failure.

Car clearcoats face far higher abuse than a playfield (dust, debris of all kinds including abrasives, heat fluctuations especially over engine bays) and they don't do anything like this - at least not so soon. Clearcoat failure you only see after years. Clear peeling is infamous from some manufacturers in America (GM) and even in those cases; it took years and took the large heat changes over the engine bay to start, which is why most clears on cars start peeling over the bonnet first.

The standard routine with car clearcoats is about two layers for a 'working' clear coat, and you might go more for a showroom piece to make it look lovely; but it is commonly understood that the resultant clearcoat will be weaker and will be unsuitable on a daily driver.
 
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M4carp said:
My TAF has a very thick coat of clear coat, does make it look really nice. Spandangler had it done by Chris I believe and it’s rock hard, it was left to go off for quite a while before being populated I believe but @Spandangler who can confirm.
Click to expand...
I doubt he would have went above 3 coats of clear, and he most likely let it REALLY fully ventilate between layers, which would have helped somewhat.
He also may have been using a clearcoat that is designed for that thickness.

Whatever is going on with the modern machines, they're absolutely screwing up their application of the clearcoat. There's no other explanation for failures like these on a product that simply has to work properly on nearly every car that has been available since the late 90s.
 
Who makes the New Monster bash remake. Is it CGC or Stern for them. Would it be best to put a playfield protector on it.
 
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