I think you are on the money with what you are wanting for your tastes Nino. Fair enough.
The figures I used re the Playfield costing $1,000 is in line with recent pricing of brand new playfields from Stern.
Kiss playfield espescially for a LE may cost more ?
The postage has to be factored in because 99 percent of people are not going to get it sent for free and the $400 cost for shipping is probably close based on other shipping quotes I have been informed of.
We haven't converted USA dollars $ to Aussie dollars yet so add 20 percent on top for both playfield purchase and shipping, insurance etc.
The clear coat cost you mention you would pay being around $250 is not going to be the same for normal Joe Public at retail prices. I doubt anyone up here or in Vic is going to charge less than $750 from my homework.
So again, the costs are extremely expensive for the average punter to go the way you are choosing.
I don't know and can't work out what your TWDead LE has wrong with it but I have never seen or heard of that on any Stern game after 100 plays.
I don't want people thinking there is something wrong with Sterns std factory clearcoat on 99.99 percent of their games because in my experience no issue exists and it would be unfortunate if people didn't buy a New Stern cause they think the playfields are all faulty when they are not. Any lost sales of any pinball machines in our hobby is one too many for me.
The clearcoat results that you like as standard I think have to be described as perfectionist so people can understand that there is not a normal need to go over and beyond the standard Stern clear unless you are a perfectionist, and even then, I think to be fair, the clearcoat results you are wanting for your personal Kiss pin would be for maybe one or five percent of normal buyers. Spending big money having a 90,s DMD game fully reconditioned to a Holy grail standard is fine for the one off purchase or Resto on that special game, but going to that level if you buy Sterns regularly to build a large collection like some of us Stern fanboys do would be cost prohibitive on a already brand new product. Probably for most anyway I would guess.
I don't know if Stern would or could or should go to those extremes financially with their playfields but I guess it wouldn't hurt for people to ask for the Deluxe of Deluxe clearcoat jobs if that's what they want. Perhaps it may be something Stern could look at if it entails a second clear of their playfields or a thicker coat from the get go.
I think I will ask them about their current process and ask about future plans if any or could feel them out about their clearcoat ing strategy incase they have something in mind ?
I don't believe you are a Stern badger because you want your game a certain way, but I do think the restoration high end environment of no expense spared of a single machine for a single customer market is probably a different world /situation compared to the mass manufacture of Sterns or JJP,s machines.
Maybe we will see some advances with both Stern and JJP on this front by those two businesses because they both are already involved in massive product development and judging by the last 2 to 5 years, they are making technology and product improvements daily and are working hard to get every cent out of the home pinball market.
What I am wondering about your Walking a Dead LE, is what the issue really is.
Until a few photos, I can only guess. Are the divets/dimples occurring cause the wood is too soft, regardless of clearcoat thickness, or is it just a normal microscopic wear n tear dimples from normal play that dissapears after cleaning or polishing ? Hard to understand the issue cause I have not heard or seen it before on a new Stern where new divets/dimples are appearing.
Either way, KISS machines will be here sooner or later and we will all get to see if the current batch of clearcoated playfields are still as shiny and tuff enough or better than the last 5 years worth of games that I have felt were perfectly fine playfield wise.
These days, customers want the very best for their dollar, so it's normal to be highly quality or end result finish focused as you are. Being someone who does restorations, your expectations were always going to be probably higher than anyone else's and is to be expected. Maybe you won't bother pulling your new machine to a 1000 bits and you might be happy with the factory finish. ?
I have always wondered if the pinball industry could have used a different ball coated in Teflon or something which wouldn't be as abrasive as steel or chrome balls. Maybe that leap forward would help playfield wear n tear ?
