Big Bang Bar

[awarner]

Gene told me that the aliens were a big problem for them. It's more of an angle thing than anything. To correct it in games being shipped, they have put a little more paint in the alien's mouths. This makes the ball fall out easier. It's a shame that they didn't put a coil in there to keep the balls in and release it when it got to the other sides. If you angle the game a little more it might help. Or you could try and match the mouthe paint...
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[The Other Guy]

When I have time, I want to start a "Tips & Tricks" section in the forum where we can share info on features & adjustments to make these games better...
For now, if an alien doesn't spit well; Pick up some acrylic paint at a hobby store or Wal-Mart and put a drop on the tounge area to get the ball to move sooner... Be creative...

TOG
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"BBB 77"

[irbgolfin]

Thought I would express my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

The hard plastic protectors will reduce the force some due to the leg being bolted on, but you are just moving the hard point out. Personally, I believe the felt to be a better choice for reducing future damage. I have used the hard protectors on one game (soon to be two) for covering previous damage. I still install them over the felt to prevent additional damage.

Typically I find that I need to trim the the felt back slightly to not be visible. But there is no contact between the metal leg and the side, it's all through the felt.

Since you'll get this game new, the felt should prevent anything from getting started and eliminate the need for the hard type protector. I would be concerned that down the road you will have issues with the hard plastic protector, maybe a little less, take a little longer, be further out, but the bottom line is you could still have the same issues. My $.02, FWIW.

Yes, I have a set of felt protectors at the ready for when the game comes.

Bernie

[BBB93]

[irbgolfin]

I tried a couple of sets from Marco last year to check them out, and then I recently ordered a 10 pack from Bay Area (frequent customer/bulk discount, figured I'd stock up, think it worked out to $8-9 per machine), can't tell you the brand, but whatever they carry. Seem identical to me. I've got a pretty nice MB that I got in 2000 and had been in a home before me (though presumably on route before), but very nice shape, great playfield, minimal problems in wear areas. But some wrinkling around the legs was still there. Ended up purchasing a set of blue plastic protectors that protrude enough to hide the wrinkles, and installing over a set of felt, and am happy with it. Now I put the felt on any game that comes in, regardless of what it looks like, figure I'll keep from making things any worse - though I have a basically full game room and nothing to get rid of...

I don't care for it being visible, so I try to trim the minimal amount necessary to hide it, which will still prevent direct contact between the leg and the side, which is the key to the wear. The hard plastic can hide some of the nasty stuff, but my personal opinion is that by itself it is NOT a long term solution to preventing wear, just delaying/moving. YMMV!

Bernie

[robertwinter]

[capcomber]

[pmwolf3]

Probably a dumb question...but:

Why can't I just buy a big piece of felt and cut out my own protectors?

Does anybody do this?

[jadziedzic]

[irbgolfin]

Hi Robert,

I'd be curious to know what it is about the felt option you don't care for. Just wondering if I'm missing something. Installing leg protectors of some kind is relatively new for me, and I was just going with my gut as to what would be best. I have used the plastic on a couple of pins for the purpose of hiding prior damage. Particularly with a new pin like BBB I'd like to take good care of it from the start to avoid damage if possible.

Thanks for any info!

Bernie

[BigBangJoe]

[BigBangJoe]

Regardless of the alien ball release problems, it's still the coolest ball lock/release gizmo I've ever seen. I also like the way Twister releases the balls, with the magnet and the spinning disk. Pity that the rest of the game stinks.

Oh yeah, I remember another "problem" I have. Well, it's more a design fault really, because there's nothing wrong with my machine. When the ball can be locked with the Aliens, a diverter opens when the ball goes up the ramp so the ball should be guided to the aliens. However, on my game, the ball often does not have enough speed to reach the aliens, but it does manage to continue along the ramp, so it's not that there's no speed at all. It's a bit frustrating when you send the ball up hoping to lock it, but the ball just travels round to the right flipper and you get no reward at all. At that point I feel a bit cheated, because the lock fails just because the diverter cannot properly pick it up. There's a difference between the ball falling back down the ramp so you obviously don't get any reward, and actually making the shot but still not getting the reward.

It's not a big deal, but because of this, the aliens don't have to work that hard. I really would like to see them do their stuff more often.

Compare it with the highwire-lock in CV. If the magnet cannot grab the ball (for whatever reason), so the ball is not actually locked, you still get a virtual lock because you made the shot. The game recognizes that you should be rewarded with a locked ball. Obviously, with the aliens and the manual plunger this could not be solved in software, so the diverter should have been designed so that the ball gets to the aliens even if it's not going at light-speed.

[robertwinter]

[pinball-sales]

We have sold and used thousands of the Felt ones and Have not had this problem

[CraigC]

I'm with robert. I've had nothing but good luck with the sintra protectors. I've seen the felt ones stick to older cabinets.

-c