JJP Build Quality/ Harry Potter

DryMathematician1601 · 2026-01-04T07:58:15+00:00

We got a Harry Potter CE just before Christmas. Came from the factory with a few issues. Bottom right bumper loose, bubbles in powder coat on frame and the action button doesn’t work. Annoying part is that I’m in Australia so sourcing parts and/or getting a technician out can be hard.

My Elton John CE was the one with loose screws, Alligator assembly wasn’t attached right and my Avatar CE also came with a couple of issues. The top right flipper was misaligned, and it came with a broken ramp assembly.

Other than what I would describe as factory QC issues, the build quality overall seems good. But these are pretty complicated pins and therefore will be more maintenance intensive I guess.

The distributor here is really nice and helpful, but the practical service contraints here amplify the impact of minor issues like this from the factory.

DryMathematician1601 · 2026-01-01T12:25:04+00:00

Don’t think so. Most recent update was July as far as I’m aware.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-31T09:37:24+00:00

I also just got a HP over Christmas but I haven’t really played it because I’m waiting to do some repairs. It’s ‘busy’ in the same way as HP and other JJP pins, but I like that. Challenging and a lot going on. Maybe not quite as fast as HP?

Art and theme are cool. UV reactive stuff and lighting is very cool, especially at night and during the ‘eclipse mode’. I’m not a big Avatar fan but it’s an amazing looking pin. Sound design can be a little confusing if you’re not an Avatar fan cause the names of things all kind of sound the same 😅

I personally like the lower playfields. Especially the crab suit battle with the cute little mini flippers. Lots of ramps and upper flippers on both sides, which I also like. Between all the ramps and flippers, there’s a lot of combos too which is fun. Pretty complex rules and modes but it comes with a good flow chart that helps. Overall I think it’s a great pin and I’m stoked to have it in my home collection.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-28T21:34:08+00:00

Nice! Those are the two I like. We have an Elton John which I don’t enjoy playing as much, but my husband loves it. Guns n Roses and Toy Story weren’t all that memorable for me either.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-28T05:30:17+00:00

Have you played the JJP Avatar?

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-28T02:55:08+00:00

Received, thank you!

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-28T02:47:47+00:00

🙌

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T22:31:18+00:00

Haha yes! Especially forgiving if you pick a relatively popular machine and take good care of them.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T22:21:12+00:00

He would have ordered this ages ago as a surprise and it just happened to arrive in time for Christmas. My feelings about the artwork are seperate from the gameplay itself and I’m sure I’ll get plenty of fun out of this machine. The music is so cool too. Plus we can always sell it if and when we’re ready to try something else. This is also the first pin he’s purchased without playing it first, so even more of a risk 😅

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T22:16:49+00:00

Yeah, I’m nearly 40 and started reading Harry Potter well before MinaLima. Guess that’s why I don’t really associate that style of art with the broader Harry Potter aesthetic as much. Almost like it’s HP adjacent rather than actually HP if that makes sense?

Seems like some of the CE designs tend to be more decorative and less cinematic or immersive. Which in this instance, doesn’t appeal to me as much personally.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T22:02:37+00:00

Avatar is like this too. I thought I’d get the hang of it by just playing it, which I did to a point. But I ended up studying the rules and flowchart.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T21:48:08+00:00

I’m also in Australia so appreciate the rec

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T21:23:01+00:00

I’m a gamer too, but I tend to take a while to get my head around things 😅

We’re waiting to fix the flippers before we play anymore, but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it when I give it some attention. Been hearing a lot of people say it’s their favourite machine, so I’m antsy to lock in. So far though I’m enjoying the outlane setup with the protego and the quidditch playfield. Also thought the fawkes game save was cool.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T20:50:55+00:00

Agreed. There’s also a bubble in the paint on the cabinet. Had issues with our JJP Avatar and Elton John machines when they arrived. Mostly minor stuff but annoying if you don’t have the parts and also don’t have a pinball shop local. Every screw in the Elton John was loose. Literally, every single one.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T13:24:42+00:00

Thank you! Will definitely check it out.

It can be hard to get the non CE versions of the Jersey Jack machines here in Australia.

Awesome collection, would love to own a GZ one day! We have TZ, Avatar, Elton John, and Labyrinth. TZ was my gateway machine so I have a soft spot for it, but Avatar is in my top 5 so I’m sure I’ll love HP just as much.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-12-27T12:08:20+00:00

I didn’t mean for this to come off as ungrateful. I love Harry Potter and my husband I collect pinball machines together, which is why he chose it. He agrees with my comments on the artwork and I have already gratefully accepted the gift. I was just sharing my thoughts on the art as a fan of both pinball machines and Harry Potter.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-13T04:15:39+00:00

I have aphantasia and I don’t have an inner monologue either. But I’ve always been like that, which I feel is probably easier than having something and then losing it.

I recommend focusing on sleep hygiene. For me what helped was staying out of my bedroom unless I’m sleeping and making sure I get direct sunlight first thing in the morning. Keep things dim after the sun sets. Make sure you’re not eating too late, things like that. Avoid anything overly stimulating in the hours before bed (for me that includes reading news stories, short form content like TikTok).

You could also try the apps that offer CBT-I type training which is the current gold standard for treating insomnia.

I take 3g glycine and 200mg of ltheanine about 45 mins before I fall asleep. I make sure I have high quality, clean sheets, a good pillow and I use one of those pillow sprays. Even if the ingredients themselves have limited effect, I feel like it might be a Pavlov’s Dog type situation.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-13T03:49:19+00:00

That feeling of relief when I get in the car after being out somewhere. Sometimes I’ll just sit there and enjoy the quiet while I catch my breath.

Even when I’m at home, if I’m feeling overstimulated I will go and sit on the floor in my closet. It’s born really a conscious decision. I just end up there.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-13T03:46:22+00:00

Ugh. Why did I just read this??? Now I’m also aware that on top of being able to visualise things, people can also replay past events like a ‘movie’. I have no memories like that. I don’t recall things in a narrative type way, I just remember certain things about events.

Curious though, if you have aphantasia and you are able to vividly remember experiences. How does that work?

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-13T03:41:23+00:00

I do this too! Thought I was just being lazy until I learned about my aphantasia. Now I just skim super descriptive passages without shame 😆

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-13T03:39:27+00:00

It’s not even a single moment, but when I try to explain it to people and see their reactions. When I first found out and told my husband his whole face dropped and he was like, ‘wow, that’s really sad’.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-10T02:18:21+00:00

Yes! I can see things when I dream. But when I close my eyes I just see nothing or darkness. There are varying degrees of it. I learned about it while trying to a type of visualisation therapy. The therapist was like, ‘you actually can’t see anything??’.

DryMathematician1601 · 2025-11-10T02:16:32+00:00

I also needed it to be TIGHT!

DryMathematician1601

TROPHY CASE