Since 2003, Pinball Pal has provided cabinet protectors for the flipper button area, using our exclusive removable vinyl material.  We've recently expanded this offering from a choice of color (black or clear) with a choice of style (pre-cut instant install or the even stealthier custom install).  At this time, we're expanding the product line to include these new items and combination packages:

These items are available individually or as money-saving combination packages.  And quantity discounts are available to save even more.  Quantity discounts start to kick in at just five pieces.  Our on-line store automatically calculates these discounts, so all you need to do is place the items you're purchasing in your cart and your discount(s) will be computed when you check out your purchase.  

Stealth Flipper Button Cabinet Protectors

These stick-on vinyl shields will protect your late-model pinball machine cabinet from wear around the flipper buttons.  Around 1991, pinball manufacturers reduced the height of the cabinet side rails, but then the flipper buttons were surrounded by fragile cabinet artwork rather than the metal side rails.  Eventually, fingers rubbing against the cabinet sides will wear through the artwork unless something is done to protect it.  We have come up with a simple and effective solution with these protectors.  They will work with any pinball machine with narrow side rails, starting with Funhouse until Stern's NASCAR machine, which has an extended side rail that covers the flipper area.

There's a choice of clear or black protectors.  Use black to cover up existing damage on black or dark cabinets.  Both clear and black are made from a special removable vinyl so they can be removed without damaging the cabinet underneath.  Unlike other generic protectors, these are manufactured in left and right pairs to protect the entire flipper button area that is subject to wear.  

Now you can also choose from the original instant-install style of flipper button cabinet protector or the new custom-install version.  The custom-install version comes without the hole cutout for the flipper button.  To install these, you first remove the flipper button (a single nut holds it on), then you apply the cabinet protector, cut out the flipper button hole with a razor blade or Xacto knife, and then re-install the flipper button.  The custom-install protectors are even less visible than the original instant-install protectors, and require just a few minutes to install.  Price and quantity breaks are the same for either version, and both are available in black or clear.  Mix and match any colors and styles and the best quantity discount will be calculated automatically.

Quantity discounts breaks are available for ordering 5, 10, 25 or 100 sets.  You can combine colors and styles in order to obtain a quantity break.  So, just add to the cart what you'd like in any quantity and order, and the quantity discount will be computed automatically.

Check out the FAQ below for more information.

Stealth Start Button Cabinet Protectors

The perfect companion to the flipper button cabinet protectors is a similar protector for the start button on the front of the cabinet.  Just like the flipper button area, the artwork around the start button can also become scratched or even worn away by rough handling from players.  These crystal-clear protectors are pre-cut to fit perfectly around the recessed start button of any modern era pinball machine from Bally, Williams or Stern Pinball.  They protect an area exactly three inches in diameter, which does not interfere with the leg or coin door on most pinball machines.  For machines without three inches of clearance around the start button (for example, some games with buy-in buttons or compact games like Safe Cracker), the protector can be trimmed easily with scissors before attaching it to the cabinet.

Installation takes a few seconds.  Simply make sure that the area around the start button is clean, peel the backing off the start button protector, and stick it onto the cabinet.  Should you wish to remove the protector at any time in the future, the special adhesive is not permanent so the protector can be simply peeled off.  The start button protectors are made from crystal clear vinyl that is nearly invisible once it's installed.

Start button cabinet protector installed on a Medieval Madness

This style of start button protector fits the recessed start buttons of late-model Williams and Bally pinball machines and all Stern Pinball models.  It does not fit raised or protruding start buttons or Pinball 2000 machines, which already have a protective lip surrounding both the start button and the flipper buttons.

Order five or more start button protectors and you will automatically qualify for quantity discounts based on how many you purchase.  Just add what you need to the Cart and your quantity discount will be calculated automatically.

Stealth Cabinet Leg Protectors

Over a period of months, we have tested and refined what we feel is the best cabinet leg protector yet available.  Unlike felt or plastic leg protectors, our 1/16 inch high-density foam protectors offer great protection and almost total invisibility. Each set includes protectors for all four legs and as a bonus, two additional foam pads are included which may be used to protect the area of the cabinet rubbed by the corners of the lockdown bar.  See below for details. Installation Instructions        Purchase

The first priority for pinball machine manufacturers was to provide a stable platform for the game, and this was accomplished by designing the legs so that they would actually dig into the sides of the cabinet.  While this made for a strong and secure mount for the legs, it sometimes did serious damage to the cabinet artwork and structure.  A collector wishing to protect the cabinet from leg damage must use something that will offer protection without weakening the critical leg-to-cabinet connection.  These leg protectors are thinner than felt protectors and have a higher friction surface, which means that less torque is needed on the bolt connections for a secure mount.  Less torque means less chance for cabinet damage.  The oversize plastic protectors available elsewhere do a good job of covering existing damage, but they are also distracting to the eye, not original in appearance, and their slippery surface means extra bolt torque is needed to get the leg tight enough.  Our thin foam protectors conform to the varying leg/cabinet connection, which distributes the contact area over the widest possible area.  This helps minimize any chance of artwork or cabinet decal wrinkling.

Installation is quick and simple.  The leg protectors have a permanent adhesive, so you simply stick them to the inside surface of each leg.  The outside contour of the protector matches the pinball machine leg, so there will be no part of the protector visible outside the leg area, and once the leg is tightened to the cabinet, the only evidence that the protectors are there is a near invisible black line that follows the outline of the leg against the cabinet.  No trimming is usually required, and because the protector is now part of the leg, you don't need to juggle the cabinet, the leg, a loose protector and the leg bolts when attaching the legs, either now or at any point in the future.

See the FAQ below for more information about the Stealth Leg Protectors.

Stealth leg protector installation

Here are illustrated step-by-step instructions for installing the Stealth cabinet leg protectors.

• Clean the inside surface of the legs, and for best protection, perform the leg deburring procedure described above.

• Peel off one side of the leg protector from the backing sheet.

• Starting at the top, apply the protector matching the outside profile of the leg.

• Follow along the outside edge, gently guiding the pad all the way down.  If the bottom part of the pad overhangs, that's fine - that will be taken care of in a later step if necessary.  Just try not to introduce wrinkles or bumps into the pad.

• Now simply repeat the procedure for the other side of the leg

• Although the leg protector will fit most legs without requiring any trimming, not all legs are made the same so some may require trimming along the lower edge. 

• The leg above requires trimming

• Just place the inside edge of the leg against a firm surface and trim off the excess with a razor blade or X-Acto knife.

• The leg is now ready to be installed.

Order five or more cabinet leg protector sets and you will automatically qualify for quantity discounts based on how many you purchase.  Just add what you need to the Cart and your quantity discount will be calculated automatically.

Stealth Cabinet Leg Protectors Protect all your pinball machines from cabinet wear around the legs with these high density foam leg pads.  Each set includes pads for four legs.   Quantity  Price   1-4 sets:   $7.95 each   5-9 sets:   $7.49 each   10-24 sets:   $6.95 each   25-99 sets:   $6.49 each   100+ sets:    $5.95 each Quantity:  All quantity discounts are calculated automatically.

Stealth Playfield Wear Area Protectors

For many years, people have applied Mylar patches to pinball machine playfields in order to prevent playfield artwork damage in high-wear areas.  But years later, the patches themselves can become problematic.  The Mylar itself can become cloudy or damaged, and the permanent adhesive used to attach the Mylar can sometimes seriously damage the playfield should it become necessary or desirable to remove them.

After months of testing, we have found that the same clear and thin removable vinyl material that we use for our other protectors can make excellent playfield protectors.  While not as durable as Mylar, the removable adhesive on these protectors will not damage playfield art in good condition if or when they are removed.  Because of the low risk of playfield damage, they can be used more freely on collector-quality games and re-cleared playfields.

The Stealth playfield protector set includes 29 pre-cut shapes to handle many different playfield areas.  And if the pre-cut shapes don't have what you need, you can order a full, un-cut 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet which you can cut with scissors or knife to suit your needs.  Here's what's included in the set:

We've managed to squeeze even more protectors on the sheet (29 vs. 26) while keeping the price the same.  Plus, we've increased the size of the medium size circles to perfectly match the magna-save areas of Black Knight.

The playfield protectors are thin, high gloss and crystal clear.  They are installed on the playfields in all of the photos below.

Slingshot and Magna-Save protectors installed on Black Knight
Click photo for enlarged view

Large rounded triangle installed between pop bumpers on Banzai Run clearcoated playfield
Click photo for enlarged view

Slotted rectangle over ramp ball drop on Twilight Zone
Click photo for enlarged view

Order five or more playfield protector sets and you will automatically qualify for quantity discounts based on how many you purchase.  Just add what you need to the Cart and your quantity discount will be calculated automatically.

Stealth Protectors for Special Applications

Stealth Magnet Wear Area Protectors for Stern Ironman

Note: Image is tinted to show shape. Actual protectors are crystal clear.

The new Stern Ironman pinball machine comes with two playfield magnets that can cause wear to the playfield if not protected. The iron cores of the magnets protrude from the playfield, and the gaps around the cores and any height difference between the metal cores can cause the ball to prematurely wear the playfield at these points. These two protectors are sized to exactly cover the playfied area around the cores, reducing the chance for playfield wear or damage around those areas. These removable protectors are sized to exactly fit around the core, and the outer diameter matches patterns in the playfield art, making them ever more stealthy. Like all other clear Stealth protectors, they are nearly invisible when installed and the removable adhesive makes them easy to remove and much less likely to cause damage than Mylar or other permanent adhesives.

Stealth Protector FAQ

Combination Packages

All of the major Stealth protector components are available separately, but for extra savings, we've combined them into these reduced-price packages.  The Basic Cabinet package includes flipper and leg cabinet protectors and saves more than 13% over the cost of the package items individually.  The Deluxe Cabinet package includes flipper, leg and start button protectors and saves more than 16% over individual prices.  And the Everything Cabinet and Playfield package includes flipper, leg and start button protectors as well as a set of Stealth playfield protectors and saves more than 18% over the individual prices.

Save even more by ordering five or more combination kits

Compound the combination package savings by ordering five or more packages.  You can order the combination packages in any combination and still receive the quantity discount.  For example, order three basic packages and two deluxe packages and you get the five-piece quantity discount for all of them.  Just add what you like to the shopping cart and the package and quantity discounts are calculated automatically.

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