For what it's worth, I received a photo taken at Stern's EAG presentation with the availability of games for January and Q1 of 2018. AC/DC Luci is listed on that as a Premium. It doesn't say Vault Edition anywhere on the slide. It may have been called so in the presentation, but the slide only says that it's a Premium, which it always was. For my full report on EAG Expo, including the list of available titles from Stern, please visit: http://www.pinball-magazine.com/?p=3493

wait.....What???

can someone break down the runs? how many made of each? pinside dosnt really say. from start 2012. thanks.

We're talking about Stern here. Communicate? My last dealing with Stern and communication was enough for me to put my head through a plate glass window... and I've cut them a lot of slack in that dept over the years.

Stern just announced it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sternpinball/posts/10156175380379244

I'm SUPER curious as to why they are showing images with the drummer on the playfield.

He was completely scrubbed from the last VE.

27022065_10156175380299244_1244801196367375164_o (resized).jpg

That info isn't available

Stern ran AC/DC pro and premium solid for years... then switched the pros to led format. At the end, they introduced luci. Then stopped all models when the license ran out. Then made the new premium vault... and now luci.

It's debated if AC/DC is sterns most produced title....

Probably just reusing old photos. They have no reason to build pre production units of this title... so if you aren't shipping yet... no games to take photos of.

Well there goes my whole exit plan. When the sh*t comes down I was going to sell my Luci for mad cash and head to Fiji. Now what am I going to do?

They say “a small production run of Luci” I wonder how small?

If you always wanted a Luci.... Sweet. If you own a Luci.... Bummer.

I have a Luci. All for it if it increases the chances of a code update.

Like others have mentioned, this is almost certainly because the ACDC Premium VE sales were pretty mediocre. Pro (with its improvements over the original) sold very well.

Re: other VEs. I spoke to someone last week who said Tron, TSPP ( for the anniversary in 2019) and GoT were the candidates atm. They didn't say anything about TWD.

They're not going to update the code... they've already said it's complete. Besides, 99% of the playing public have zero idea what's happening on ACDC.

AC/DC doesn't need a code update, but it would be cool. There are just so many other games that need attention first.

AC/DC remains Stern's best game that they've ever made. Anybody that is thinking about getting one while they're available absolutely should do so. It's such a fantastic game for casual or competitive play and it's always a thrill to play.

AFAIK Lyman hasn't commented since he said he still had a couple of pages of notes to implement, but didn't know when he'd get round to it, 3 or 4 years ago.

I was also told by Stern support that coil / flipper power settings that actually work properly (they don't) would be in the next release. That was 2 years ago.

I think pricing had something to do with it. A regular AC/DC premium was selling for much less than the new AC/DC Vault here in Australia. Luci is another story.

I was kind of hoping for a Pucy edition. Pucy would be Lucy's slutty, brunette friend who is covered in grape jelly. Hence she has purple skin tones. Add some candy purple hardware and these would fly off the shelf. Only reason for Stern to release more AC/DC Lucy's is to make up for low AC/DC prem ve sales and an excess inventory of printed playfields. Maybe they will throw in a set of gold powdered WWELE side rails for good measure. At least AC/DC is a great game.

You have to ask yourself, as Jeff points out, why would Stern commit any $$ resources $$ to updating code. It just doesn't make any sense.

Would I like a couple of new things added? Yes. Do I think it will happen? No.

I think these Luci VE will sell out quick. I just want a code polish on the game....

Rob

100% agree the lists are being made as we speak.

I want to order one. I live in Winston-Salem North Carolina. Per sternpinball.com there is not an authorized dealer within 300 miles of me. If I order, I assume I would have shipped to my house. Is there one dealer better than another? Will they all be the same price?

You

I can help you with that! Www.pinballpro.com

Greg

Larry at FlipNOut Pinball, best service and best price!! https://www.flipnoutpinball.com

Confirmed with Stern marketing that the new Luci will NOT have the drummer Phil Rudd on the playfield art.

Couple of questions for you guys. I have been out of the pinball world for a while. My pinball love comes in waves...I used to have an ACDC premium and it was my wife's favorite game. I may pull the trigger on a new Lucy.

1. Sounds like $6795 is the going rate for this game. Do you think these will hold their value if I'm looking to sell in a year?

2. Why was the drummer removed?

2. What is this I hear about bolts for the lower play field?

4. How has quality been with Stern recently? Last I was on Pinside the whole ghostbusters shit show was going on. Stern was sending people sandpaper and clear coat? Then I heard about the cabinets falling apart on Aerosmith. Have the stepped their game back up? Or are you rolling the dice with a new game from Stern?

1. Pricing varies from distributor to distributor, Stern lists it at $7199. Will it hold it's value?? AC/DC and it's various versions have always been popular, which is the best indicator for long-term value....

2. Phil Rudd was a bad, bad boy and AC/DC disassociated themselves from him: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Rudd

3. The mounting of the lower playfield window on the main playfield changed from being mounted permanently to something swappable.

4. Got a SW Premium for myself, and occasionally help with setting up some NIB pins at our league location. Stern has heard the complaints and made improvements. Playfields are better, with only a rare ghosting issue cropping up, cabinet corners in the front have been reinforced, B/W leg mounting plates now for the front, etc. That being said they are man made items and will all of them ever be perfect: No, and there have been significant reports on Pinside that Stern is standing behind their product and fixing issues that arise.

One other thing to add: you don't have to worry about Stern's biggest issue lately: Code. AC/DC is a great fully developed. Anything else new release from Stern is beta code for 6-12 months, and in some case longer......

AC/DC removed him from their last album on their end because of a run-in with the law with drugs and he put a hit out on somebody.

Similar to Black Sabbath and what they did with Bill Ward it's kind of sad. Everything revolves around money .

Specifically I'd like to know how the quality has been on AC/DC vault premiums. Anyone had anything wonky going on with their new vault premium?

The Premium VE here on location at BumperNets has been awesome, and lots of fun. Definitely get a Premium (any version) over a Pro, having color changing LEDs improves Mode gameplay dramatically.

1) No way of knowing... most anything NIB should be considered a lost investment at some level.
4) Not real great... and dealing with Stern is a real catch as catch can.

I'm in!

HUO IM's were going for $6500 before the VE. After the VE, all HUO IM's (both original and VE) are going for @$4500 now.

Rudd wasn't removed from their last album, that's him playing drums. He's been removed from everything since cause he's not in the band anymore.

As far as Bill Ward he's a huge mess and doesn't want to play drums any more.

I know that's him on drums I guess what I meant to say was any pictures of him. Visual credit .

Can anyone confirm what speaker panel will be used? That previous vault one might not match the Luci art very well...

Nice, now i can get me a cheapper used lusy edition. Lets se the prices dump

How will a beautifully modded Original Luci like this one (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-acdc-premiumluci-huo-pinball-machine) hold its value against a Nib model. How much more would you pay beyond the ~$7k NIB to get a mint, modded example? Inquiring minds want to know.

Put it this way: why pay extra dollars for a HUO Modded one that may have questionable Mod install quality versus a cheaper NIB warrantied machine that I can mod myself and do it right??

Don't get me wrong, if Stern does not do an TRON VE soon I may be looking for a TRON HUO machine myself, but still if given a choice I'd buy NIB all day every day if the value is right.

Unfortunately I would rather get a NIB stock VE. Better base to start with due to swappable lower PF window. I don't pay more for mods.

In my opinion... (and this is just an opinion) the originals are still the most desirable. Why? Old style backbox that's not made of metal... and the drummer. The drummer has been scrubbed from the new versions of the game.

Why does the backbox matter to me? The old style is just more robust. I had to take apart a new style metal one because of a defective side panel on another title. Aside from being a total pain in the ___, once it started coming apart it just felt cheap. Also, the old style gives the overall game a tad more weight in the hands. To me, feels better.

As for the drummer art (if you can call it that... perhaps "image" is better)... probably totally inconsequential to some, but it's a definitive difference that no mod can make up for. You either have it on the playfield or don't. The new games don't.

Then, as a side note, there's the general cheapening of Stern builds. I have no idea if Stern is using the exact same components or new versions above and below the playfield. The cynical side of me says they are using less expensive/durable parts...but that could be totally wrong. Some of the recent playfield debacles have definitely given me pause.

NIB for me.

You never know where someone else's flippers have been..

There aren't pictures of any of the band members on the new album!

Which is good cause they are all ugly.

It feels WAY better to have the old style backbox. The game shoots the same, but nudges and feel are different due to the weight difference. It's very, very noticeable on other VEs as well, especially Spider-Man.

You guys have fun with your heavier games. I'll take the lighter version that's easier for me to move in an setup by myself. I've yet to see a newer stern with a big chunk out of the head like so many of those games with wooden back boxes have. I prefer the angle on the new back boxes also which reduces the glare a lot.

There's plus and minus with the new metal heads. The t-molding is nicer for example. But, fitting a colordmd LCD is a bit more cumbersome with the standoffs and sets the display back a bit. The lock on the older heads is better, but the newer metal heads have angled displays for less glare. Display panel decals look better on the newer heads than the older ones.

Rob

I move my games rarely, so I prefer better play. The older games do generally play better. AC/DC isn't as noticeable as Spider-Man though. I flat out don't like the SMVE and give daily thanks to all that is holy that I decided not to "upgrade" my game for the VE. I find Iron Man VE to be a little easier, but the difference is small. It is noticeable, but not majorly so.

Of all the VEs, AC/DC feels the closest to the original to me though. I prefer the original, but don't dislike the VE.

The removable window is a nice upgrade on the VE, and you can't argue the fact that a NIB just simply has way less wear. AC/DCs hold up beautifully, but they get played A LOT. Original run games have quite a lot of plays on them by now.

Well said.

NIB all day long

The side panels of the new backboxes are subject to the same bumps and dings as older style games. And their cheap as hell... pressed wood covered in an ultra thin black vinyl with a decal on top. I know... I had to replace one because it came defective from factory.

Are the original backboxes ply?