The Pinball Gallery in Malvern, PA got their Hobbitt yesterday. It is set up for $1 per play. From what I gather, the owner Bill was a day 1 preorder but is otherwise just an ordinary JJP customer.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinballstars-visit-to-jjp-hobbit-production-pics'

I just posted about 60 pictures and observations from my visit to the factory Friday 3/11 in this thread - See everything - PFs on the line, games done, cabinets, parts, etc... ENJOY

We are still selling from our Day 1 Hobbit allotments - both LE's and Smaugs (a few left)...

Joe Newhart
PinballSTAR Amusements
[email protected]
570-357-0042

Can someone clarify the armour on the Smaug LE? Anyone seen it in person? Is it going to be like the MMR gold?

I'm down for a Smaug, but that LE hammered armour looks sweet.

Also, is Smaug an LE? Will it be numbered? If so how many will be made?

Mustard Gold? don't think so

There are no official numbers for Smaug. Its everyone that wanted to swap their orders from the LE to the SE. And then they allowed distributors to order them as well for a certain period as well. So who knows, it might be up to 500 or so?

The question is, what happens after the LEs are sold out? Say 500 SE, 1500 LE.....i don't think they would just make standards after that.

2017 - 80th anniversary edition with laser dragon eyes, hobbit shaped pin feet, built in kegerator, and gold bullion playfield (wild speculation - no actual information contained within)

All I could find.....

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Smaug all Gold = picture over a year old.
No idea what it looks like now though

Dup

Must be someone who has actually seen it.

And I notice it is described as "Special Edition" - not "Limited Edition". Could be unlimited.

Jack specifically said at the expo in 2014 (I literally just listened to it about a week ago because I was bored) that customers and distros can only order from the announcement date (october 2014) till end of December 2014. Distros probably stocked up on them though. I think Wayne in AU is getting 30 x LE and 30 x SE?

Another weird thing is that JP (the LCD animator and the guy that designed the PF as well i think) said clearly in the talk that they don't get the assets of the movie until the movie it out on DVD/Blu Ray. Which is May 2015 for the 3rd movie. So I am not sure why the hobbit would have been done MUCH faster than it was done. Sure, maybe 4~6 months or so earlier, and more sound etc released with updates....but how could the pin be finished before that date if that's when they get the movie assets?!?

Game looks great, nice updates. I'm bummed that the cool LE plaque on WOZ has been reduced to a sticker on the apron...The clear coated wood apron + laser etched numbered plaque on WOZ ECLE's is just awesome and really makes your game feel like it's limited. JJP should have carried the idea over to all of their LE / SE's.

That doesn't mean much.

It's very possible that they will make more Special Editions - since they are not specifically limited.

RR cleverly increased the number of Woz LE's.

It's really a gimmick. Once games are out of production, they are all limited. The idea is to create the illusion of scarcity.

If it will boost sales later, it makes sense for JJP to do it.

According to him, he ordered it in November, 2012. It makes a rather alarming grinding noise from time to time. Maybe the drop targets cycling?

Edit: Also, the left/center ramp had dark spots where I'm assuming welds were touched up.

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The grinding noise is the drop targets. It's normal.

He's more than an ordinary customer. Has had a long standing relationship with Jack and has worked with him on several charitable venues. I'm happy to see it's there as we're heading there today to confirm my purchase before it shows up in the next week or two.

The drop targets cycling sound is bad ass

So I just got back from Boxcar in Raleigh- they just rec'd TH Friday.

When I walked in, I was pissed. I had a flashback to driving 3 hours to play a (prototype) WOZ, only to find it unplugged with half the light boards blown.

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I asked one of the employees what was up. He said it had run all day Saturday without a problem, but on the first game today, a ball got stuck and they couldn't dislodge it. Even vigorously shaking and tipping the game (damn, it's heavy) would not free this ball:

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However, he kindly powered the machine back up as I thought it would still play fine (which it did). Crisis averted! Since they don't own/operate the pin, they didn't have the keys to pull the glass, or it would have been resolved in 60 seconds.

More first impressions detailed here (and some head-head comparisons with GoT)
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-hobbit-in-the-wild-first-impressions-head-head-vs-got#post-3030704

there should be a "ball chase" option that should be turned on that will help with this kind of situation. after a couple of ball searches it will send out another ball so that the machine is not down. if it is not turned on now, please ask the operator to do so. all routed games should have this option turned on so that machines are not turned off for a stuck ball.

Was starting to really think I should have backed out of my Hobbit Smaug when I had seen the art work on GB.....but after watching the live game play stream I am personally glad I didn't jump..beautiful art work and sound...but lighting seems to feel old in comparison to watching WOZ or TH...game play wasn't getting me excited either...just my early personal opinion that's all ...I am back to feeling very excited to get my Hobbit Smaug

You bet me to it. LOL. I just watched 1 hour of gameplay and now have turned it off. I was not going to cancel my Hobbit order but i always love to hear from Stern lovers, this title is going to kill JJP or TH. GOT did not do it and neither will GB.

Yeah, GB was okay. But this was only Pro version that was shown, missing some significant features. Hints are that a GB "stream" optional addon will be made available, and the add-on topper looked great. I think it will be a great, great title for Stern.

But I don't think it will be a Hobbit-killer. They are significantly different experiences and I think they can coexist in this market.

I'm sure there are plenty of folks who prefer a slow widebody game based on a book written back when they were young and new to the Hobby.

And TH is no GB killer.... These are 2 total different games!

Lets be honest, many TH pre-orderers have been waiting for 2 (3?) years. They WANT to love the game- pretty understandable. Their status quo is staying with TH at this point..... It's always hard to break the status quo.

A better question might be:
For pinheads that HAVEN'T pre-ordered (yes, believe it or not, there are some of us that wait to play).
What will they (with no emotional pre-order attachment) buy?

I played TH and while it didn't make me want to drop everything and buy one, I think many with preorders will find it's definitely "good enough" to stay on it and wait for delivery. those are two very different standards!

BTW, I felt the same way about GoT. Love the theme. Played it, enjoyed it, but not ready to buy one yet.

Agreed. I just think given that JJP is the newer and more vulnerable company between JJP and Stern, that it would be more likely for Stern to field a pin that could really hurt JJP rather than for JJP to field one that could really hurt Stern. But I actually think these two pins represent the best of both worlds. They are entirely different approaches to pin, and they both represent really solid examples of what the JJP school and Stern school can produce. And I sincerely believe they represent how the two design philosophies can coexist. They both look fun, but very, very different.

Agreed.

The game I think *could* have been a "TH Killer" was GOT. But not the GoT that stern made .
If Stern would have unveiled an LCD GoT with great sound and art (to go with the fun gameplay), i think it could have siphoned off TH folks, especially back when TH shipments were still "coming soon", Maybe not a "TH killer" - but perhaps a "Th-gut punch"

Watching the stream for GB made me really appreciate that JJP doesn't change gameplay between the standard, LE, and SE models. I was so disappointed to not see the magnetic slingshots even exist on the pro model, that feels like something that would change the game significantly imo. I have the same disappointment with GOT Pro versus Premium, no mini playfield on the pro.

I think GoT Pro benefits from the lack of upper PF, tbh. It looks really out of place and ugly, as if it has just been dropped on top of the game, and really interupts the great flow that the Pro exhibits.

I was more struck by just how huge a difference there is in display technology and the amount of thought and effort that goes into it, plus the lighting. Display looks wack for '16 on GB imo, and the lighting is really sad. People are doing backflips about the cabinet art, which I agree looks superb, but then say the lighting and DMD don't matter, despite those being the interactive visual elements; once you're playing the game you don't even see the cabinet art.

With you on that, I've played both GoT Pro and LE a fair bit and find Pro to be the more compelling game.

I'm glad as heck my pro doesn't have the mini pf. Wouldn't have bought it if it did! Love having the option of a <$5k game or sub $6k game.

I'm holding my tongue in cheek on the magnet slings. We have no idea if they're gonna be a game changer or not. Who knows, those slings alone could ruin the entire PREM/LE layout, it's a big risk changing a design that is a staple in all of pinball.

Agreed- I was really disappointed with the GoT upf . It just felt WAY too dominant.

Couple things:
While the ball was in play on TH, I barely noticed the LCD either...
Also, to be fair, people are also raving about the PF art on GB, not just the cabinet art and that *IS* very much a part of the gameplay experience.

I think the Ghostslings will totally be dependent on the software. With the right code, they could be awesome and turn GB into a must buy. Or if they're coded in halfassed fashion, they could also sink GB. Stern is capable of delivering either kind of code. So we'll see.

But this thread is about Hobbit, amiright? For their first pin, I don't think anyone could realistically question the software support. We'll see if the pattern continues, but I'm very, very, optimistic. Like ghostslings, the individually controlled drop targets and trollheads are very code dependent, and could be boring. Could be fascinating.

Totally agree.

There's still a big giant question mark in my mind on the code for this game because from what I've heard, they only have a couple months left to get it coded before moving onto pats game. With the new investors and CEO, I imagine they're going to want faster turn arounds. And I don't anticipate we'll see as much code support and detail that we saw with WOZ, unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong cause I really like what I'm seeing from hobbit so far with the limited time I got to spend on one (~6hrs).

I thought I read that they hired two more programmers? In fact, they coded at least part of the last WOZ update I heard. So, Keith and Ted plus two more seems like enough to work on two games at the same time.

Amazing looking Smaug Gold SE the GOLD is amazing!!!!

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Yes, it's awesome. It's hammered like the LE, but looks better.

Wonder what the modding community will come up with for TH? Hope Mezel Mod, Modfather, etc have some cool things in mind.

I have something in the works...

Just saw it on FB also.....Looks incredible.....and that cabinet art is also looking good.

The 15th greastest game.... Of all time

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Awesome! Can't wait till your reveal!! Be sure to keep me on any short lists.

Jersey Jack Smaug post on FB looks great agreed.

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Well, thats 25% better than Woz....

But seriously- pretty ridiculous it's already ranked. Half the reviews from nearly a year ago? Some based on the youtube video?

*facepalm*

I know the rating are near-meaningless anymore, but pinside reduced their credibility even more with posting them so soon.
*note- not picking on TH, Im sure there's already gushing reviews in the queue for ghostbusters from people that havent played that title either...

One of the reviews is from a guy hear how good it was from a friend?
Geez.

powder coating does look really good on Smaug. But I'm still on the fence about which Smaug head looks better, I think I've actually liked the red better than the gold one...

I don't get all the concern for JJP not making this a very polished game code-wise. Of course, they've only ever done one game, I get that but the one game they've done is nothing short of spectacular code-wise. JJP has to realize that it cannot (or at least, is not currently) compete with Stern on the amount of games it can produce and sell. So, JJP must compete and make money by making fantastic high-quality games. At this point TH is complete physically speaking - the only way for it to improve is via code. Given the length of time JJP has taken to produce TH, JJP has burned a lot of cash (and frankly a lot of the good will it initially earned by coming to the pinball market) and the company has to understand that its reputation and future will rise or fall based on how well TH sells over and above preorder sales. JJP has to know that long term viability and its ability to ever bring PL's game to fruition is entirely dependent on TH being as good as it can be code-wise, if not ensuring that TH is completely over the top, crazy deep code-wise.

Simply put, JJP must ensure that TH is absolutely fantastic code-wise in order to get to any point where the company has a hope to reach profitability. Having come this far and spent this much time and money to get here, there is no way that JJP does anything less than codes the hell out of this game and responds to customer feedback to make this as good, code-wise, as humanly possible. Any other business approach from JJP from here wouldn't make any sense. IMHO.

I couldn't agree more. I've played both the Pro and the LE and was surprised at how much more I enjoyed the Pro.

Anyone receive their Hobbits yet? Not retailers or distributors, reg customers?

I just got THE call from Jen! My Smaug is in the Shipping Department and will go out today or tomorrow.

I should get it Monday or Tuesday! I am a Day 1 order and just a regular Pinsider.

Oh hell yeah. Now that's the news I'm looking for. CONGRATS!!!