Great British Pinball Podcast Episode 8

Neil McRae reports on Indus tournament and Stranger Things flipper improvements; discusses Gottlieb classics and aftermarket flipper modifications.

Highlights

• Stranger Things Premium uses new glass-filled polymer flipper bushings with less than 6mm end play vs. old nylon bushings with ~50mm, significantly improving flipper power
• The TK lock mechanism on Stranger Things Premium hasn't been meaningfully fixed; Stern shortened the ramp but the underlying mechanism remains problematic
• Indus tournament featured 18 games in main bank, 8 in high stakes, ~20 in classics banks, 20 in match play, and 20 B-play games from Captain's Auction House
• New Stern flipper bushings reduce end play to <6mm vs Precision Flippers which achieve <1mm, making Stern's solution cheaper and accessible without separate kit
• Stranger Things Premium uses a different projector manufacturer, slightly brighter with better lumens but still has alignment issues
• Precision Flippers' metal construction can cause alignment issues over time because clasps don't grip metal as well as original components
• Turkey Fry Up tournament at Pinball Republic had 60 registered players with significant no-shows and late arrivals, won by Andy Foster
• Stern Stranger Things Premium's Demodog mouth was elongated, making it harder to hit accurately than earlier versions
• Gottlieb classic games like Arena, Rock, and Hoops feature complex modes, multiball, and interactive toppers, contrary to common perception of being basic
• Flipper fade on long-playing games like Stranger Things, Godzilla, Lord of the Rings, and Turtles would benefit from new Stern bushings