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Lord of The Rings Pinball

Lord of the Rings | Pinball

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“Oh by the way, Dave is selling a Lord of the Rings pinball” says my pinball obsessed, pinball league playing, pinball collecting and pinball restoring friend.

“Hey, Honey. Did you hear this?” I say jokingly to my wife in the other room, drinking wine with her old college roommate.

“Go for it” she says. And there it is, I’m stunned.

I have never played Lord of the Rings but my wife and son had taken a trip to Canobie Lake Park in Salem, New Hampshire last year where they played this machine for over an hour. It’s my son’s favorite machine and my wife considers it bait to get him to visit in the future.

So there it was, my reentry into the world of pinball obsession.

About 15 years ago we lived in a small house in Arlington, MA and purchase another small ski house in North Conway, NH for weekend getaways. We had no room for a pinball machine in the Arlington house but the ski place had a nice lower level with room for a ping pong table and a pinball machine.

I found a ski-themed pinball machine called “WipeOut” from Gottlieb (released October 1993) on sale from Jersey Jack in New Jersey. It was only $650 plus $65 shipping via common carrier. It was a bargain as it had some issues. First, it was kind of an obscure title and it has some wear and chipped paint on the playfield, scratched glass, dirty legs and a phantom switch issue that comes and goes. Plus it was a machine that was over in Europe, it came with a Swedish coin door.

But we moved again recently and have this perfect nook in the basement with room for three machines. At least that was the long term plan. And then faith brought us together with one of the most sought after machines.

But now of that mattered, it was a lot of fun. It ended up moving with us to Maine and then New Hampshire into houses that never really had a good spot for a pinball machine.

The pinball “collection” started 15 years ago would finally double to a whopping total of two machines.

Lord of the Rings Pinball

“Lord of the Rings” is a 2003 Stern pinball machine based on the movie series that was first released in 200l. The game was designed by George Gomez and is consistently in the top 10 lists of best pinball machines for gameplay.

  • Production run: ~5817+ units
  • Release date: October 2003
  • Design: George Gomez, Keith P. Johnson, Chris Granner
  • System: Stern WhiteStar II
  • Voices: Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins); John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)
  • Manufacturer: Stern Pinball

This particular machine has never seen location play. It has always been in home use.

List of Mods When Purchased in June, 2019

  • NVRAM – eliminates potential battery leakage
  • ColorDMD replaces old LED dot matrix display
  • Playfield insert lamps replaced with LEDs 
  • OCD board installed (prevents LEDs from flickering – and gives you complete adjustment of brightness for each lamp) 
  • Cliffy hole protector – Gimli hole
  • PinGuard Ball Shooter Lane Kickout Protector Kit For Stern Machines
  • The Shire – plastic insert to protect bare wood.
  • Target decals
  • Slingshot protectors (although one was broken).
  • Ring ramp protector (although worn. Ramp had some damage) LOTR Ring Ramp Post Kit
  • Larger Palantir crystal ball
  • Spare parts: Outer ring. Damaged and “silicone fixed” Lord of the Rings Plastic Ring Funnel, original Palantir
  • LOTR Special Flipper Coil 090-5020-2OT (original coils tended to overheat and weaken after a few balls – these coils fix that)
  • LOTR Ring Ramp Post Kit (protects Ring Ramp from damage)
  • PinballPal backbox warming filter – fits over the fluorescent tube.

Mods Post-Purchase:

Repairs

These modern ramp games have powerful flippers and the steel ball flys all over the place, bouncing on the ramp, flying over the flippers, dropping off the habit trails etc. It’s bound to cause some damage even with all of the protectors in place.

  • Another ring funnel cracked. This seems to be a part that often cracks. The part has a weak spot where a notch exists for the optical sensor. Replacements cost $20 – $30 which is a hell of a markup for a part that would only cost a few cents to make in bulk. I ordered one as soon as I got the LoTR pinball machine since it had broken in the past. Just ordered two more spares. My plan is to fortify it with some strong clear tape around the area that is known to crack, before installing. Lord of the Rings Plastic Ring Funnel SKU: 545-6096-00 https://www.pinballlife.com/lord-of-the-rings-plastic-ring-funnel.html – NOTE: The addition of clear repair tape is holding up well!
  • We had a ball smash and crack a lane guide in two places! I guess from the powerful pop bumpers. Luckily this part is readily available and relatively cheap at $2.50 each. I ordered three to have a few spare ones. Stern/Sega Lane Guide – SKU: 550-5061-xx https://www.pinballlife.com/sternsega-lane-guide.html
  • Slingshot rubber rings – The game came with white rubbers on the slings which get dirty fast. I use this great cleaner from Pinball Life – PinGuard Rubber Cleaner – NON-FLAMMABLE – it’s probably just some regular citrus type cleaner repackaged but it does work great. I had one of the rubbers start to fail and it was triggering the slingshots. I had a spare black one from my Wipeout but will be ordering some silicone clear rings from Titan Pinball – https://www.titanpinball.com.
  • Slingshot adjustment – The right slingshot started firing a lot. Often long after the ball had left the area. Too sensitive. I adjusted the switches and problem solved.
  • Legolas Ramp Problem – The switch at the top of the Legolas ramp started to only register every few times. The switch armature was rather manged from previous adjustments in its past. Adjusted it but the fix didn’t hold. Figured the switch was worn out. Ordered an assortment of micro switches from PinballLife.com to have on hand. When they arrived, I went to replace the Legolas Ramp switch and noticed a frayed wire holding on by a single wire strand. Stripped back a bit of wire and soldered it on. It works fine now. I didn’t even need a new switch. Oh well, my spare parts collection grows.
  • Post Protector – I noticed a rubber post at the end of a ramp was degrading and leaving little rubber dust around. I have a replacement but decided to try a little piece of black duct tape on that rubber. It seems to be holding up after a few weeks and no more little bits coming off.
  • Shorted the 12V to GND! – While installing a Pinduino, I messed up and shorted the 12V to GND – This blew a fuse, locked the right flipper which blew its fuse, shorted a few transistors and a chip on my driver board. I had to send it to Allen Davidson for repair. Allan Davidson, 80 Fox Run Rd, Bellingham, MA 02019 – ardsed@gmail.com – I wrapped the boards up in tin foil and bubble wrap on a Monday and by Thursday he had already fixed the problems. Cool thing – Allen was the first owner of my Lord of the Rings.
  • Left Slingshot firing non-stop – I noticed when the Titan silicone rubbers are near the end of their life they seem to push in on the switches. Usually, closer inspection finds a tear and they need to be replaced.
  • Left flipper stuck up and not working. Will move if the ball hits it. Coil NOT locked on. – Easy fix. Lifted the playfield and saw the problem right way – broken spring. I pulled out a similar spring from this box of springs I had on hand.

Owner Tips

  • Always close the coin door before removing or replacing the glass. Otherwise, you might get a scratch up the middle.
  • After switching on Stern’s Lord of the Rings pinball, allow it to wake up before starting a game. Takes about 10 seconds. Wait for the playfield lights to come one. If you push start too early, the sounds might not come on.
  • Always use new pinballs, Old scratched up pinballs are like running sandpaper around on your playfield. Replace your balls every six months or so. Pinballs are cheap, new playfields are expensive.
  • Keep your game clean. Clean it often of dirt and grime. But be careful about the cleaners you use. Use mild cleaners and don’t spray stuff around. Some cleaners can eat away at your plastics or playfield. Novus one is a good mild playfield cleaner. Novus 2 & 3 contain abrasives and should only be used carefully. Rubbers can be cleaned with a special rubber cleaner or a citrus soap. Take pride in your investment and keep it clean.

DIY Mods

Shire Wood Rail – I noticed the left wood rail in “The Shire” area was taking a beating. I installed the “L” shaped protector for the top. I had to remove a “spike” kind of post. Ended up using a Stanley interchangeable screwdriver to reach it. The nut driver I bought wasn’t hollow enough to go all the way down.

Next, I needed to protect the side of the wooden rail. I figured out an easy fix. I had a package of three sheets of 3 pack- “PETG CLEAR PLASTIC SHEET .020″ 24″ X 48” ” that I bought thinking I’d try to create a playfield protector for my Gottlieb WipeOut, so I cut a 1.25 inch strip and then layed in along the rail all the way from The Shire to the Outlane.

I thought I’d need some double stick tape but putting it behind The Shire target, the VUK (vertical up kicker) and tucking in behind the apron seems to hold it fine. Now the wood has some level of protection on the top and side.

More Mods for Stern’s LotRs Pinball

More mods for Stern Lord of the Rings pinball available – https://www.pinballlife.com/lord-of-the-ringslord-of-the-rings-le.html

Pinball artwork and photography – https://edward-fielding.pixels.com/art/pinball

Lord of The Rings pinball rules sheet – https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pinball/920523-the-lord-of-the-rings/faqs/30041

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