I think you guys are forgetting .. this is the Pro model. Wait for the Premium / LE game (aka. the REAL pinball game)

Simple! Consider the "Pro" model the Costco version and avoid it.

"Premium" is the new "Pro" or "Standard"

And where are you getting $7.5k from? I'm betting this will be in line with the TF pricing.

At any rate, Stern's playing a words-game. Just ignore what they're calling the models these days and take them for what they are. A "Bar" version, a "player" version and a "collector" version.

And yeah, prices are going through the roof.. but so are prices on everything else it seems. I'm just happy Stern's still making pins

Dear Ladies & Gentlemen,

At this time I can confirm what you have suspected: Yes, our next pinball machine is AC/DC.

Stern Pinball's design team, led by the King of Pinball, Steve Ritchie, with programming creativity provided by the legendary Lyman Sheats, worked tirelessly to create a pinball experience worthy of the AC/DC and Stern Pinball monikers.

You all know that AC/DC is one of the most popular bands in the history of music. Brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed the band in Australia in 1973. Since then, AC/DC has toured worldwide virtually non-stop and sold more than 200 million albums, including 130 million albums in our export markets. Their iconic album, Back in Black, is the second highest selling album in history. The band's recent worldwide Black Ice tour was the highest grossing tour in 2010. The band is currently planning another worldwide tour with the goal of surpassing the phenomenal success of its recent Black Ice tour. See http://www.acdc.com

The highly anticipated AC/DC pinball game features:

12 COMPLETE iconic AC/DC songs:
Back in Black
You Shook Me All Night Long
Highway to Hell
For Those About to Rock
T.N.T.
Hells Bells
Thunderstruck
Let There Be Rock
Rock N Roll Train
Hell Ain't a Bad Place To Be
Whole Lotta Rosie
War Machine

An incredible new sound cross over network and added memory that makes this game the best sounding pinball game in history.

Outstanding game play from Steve Ritchie, the widely acclaimed master of game flow and shots.

A playfield packed with features representing AD/DC icons including:
For Those About To Rock Cannon
Hells Bell target
Rock N Roll Train
T.N.T Detonator
The Highway To Hell
Devil's Juke Box song selector
Hell Mini Playfield on Premium and LE Models
Drop targets galore on Premium and LE Models

A ground-breaking rule set from the creative mind of Lyman Sheats, that enables players to:
Choose FULL songs they like to hear
Choose rules they like to play
Choose areas of the playfield they like to play
Pursue a nearly infinite number of scoring strategies
Stack and overlap three multi-ball modes (Jam, Album and Tour)

An outstanding art package from the incomparable John Youssi.

AC/DC Pinball will be available in four models with different features and price points:

Pro Coin-Op model, with game play for all levels of player and priced for the game operator.
Two Limited Editions, full-featured and with added decoration, desired by pinball collectors and enthusiasts:
Back in Black LE ("Black LE" for short); production limited to 300 machines
Let There Be Rock LE ("Rock LE" for short); production limited to 200 machines
New Premium model, with most of the features of the LE's but less added decoration, designed for customers and players seeking the game play of an LE model at a somewhat lower price. Like the Pro, production of the Premium is unlimited.
Attached is a Features Matrix outlining those features associated with each of the four models along with Photographs of AC/DC Pro. We will provide pictures of the LE and Premium models as available.

The Pro price in U.S. dollars, fob our factory, remains unchanged from our last model, at both the Elite and List wholesale levels. We will contact you about pricing of LE and Premium models.

AC/DC Pinball is timed perfectly for the spring selling season. Production of AC/DC Pro will begin in the middle of January starting with export games and some domestic samples. Premium and LE production will be about a month later, followed with more Pro games for our domestic and export markets.

Please consider your opening AC/DC orders. We will also be making many of our other recent models, so consider these also. We look forward to speaking with you shortly.

Together we will make AC/DC Pinball a great success for you and for Stern Pinball.

Best regards,

Gary
--
Gary Stern
President
Stern Pinball, Inc.
2020 Janice Avenue
Melrose Park, IL 60160-1011. USA

The Premium / LE set sounds pretty incredible.. wow

And Lyman's gonna make this pin sing (pun intended)

Jeeze you guys are being WAY critical on this game.. I'll wait 'till I actually play it first.

Also you're overestimating how much control Stern actually has on art direction here.. remember they're working with the band's PR department. Maybe this is in line with promo stuff for the future tour?

Looks like that gun can also make the ramp, orbit, bell and TNT target shots too..

Famous last words..

Hahaha.. +1 to that.

The whole "my dad is better than your dad" thing is kinda funny too.

They are in a way aren't they?

Fans wanted a Tron game. Stern gave them one. Fans wanted Transformers. People got Transformers. Fans wanted AC/DC.. fans are getting AC/DC. Fans wanted better designers. Lyman, Ritchie and Gomez are back! Fans wanted better graphics on the cabs, there are better graphics on the cabs.

I mean I don't *want* to sound like a fanboy here, and I've been disappointed with some titles myself (BBH, Avatar, and even Transformers a little bit) but it seems to me that they're listening to their fans and doing the best than can with a limited budget.

This ain't the rockin' 90's, people.. stay positive!

I'm looking forward to JJP machines as well! I think there's room for two players in this game.. competition is good for the end user.

No lack of hope here, I hope for big things from WOZ and wish the team a huge success! ... I just wish it was a different theme. But what can I do.

Stern on the other hand.. while I do see your points, we don't know what goes on behind closed doors. The company could be an inch away from death for all we know. Of course it's all speculation.. I'm just happy there's still a company making pinball machines on the planet. If Stern folds and the JJP project is a flop, then what are we left with?

As I said.. stay positive.

a "Limited Edition" (or LE) in unlimited numbers would make no sense..

They ARE making one, it's called the "Premium" edition

The "Pro" model is for bars, probably best to pretend it doesn't exist..lol

Heh.. ok you have a point there. And I fear for the ops who buy them, they're going to have a hard time selling them.

But for the sub.. seriously, you'd save yourself a lot of coin and get better sound if you added your own aftermarket sub anyway.

I actually don't mind clear ramps, myself.. they look better when the pin's all lit up and I find them less distracting on the playfield. They work much better in a home environment though.. they get dirty on route.

- B

VERY well said, Vid1900.. I agree with every point you've made.

People wanted more black.. and I have to wonder if the game was mostly black, that people would complain about the lack of colour and consider it a move to "save money on ink" lol

I honestly don't see how AC/DC could be considered a step backward (at least, not the LE). This thing is jam-packed with toys -- not just ones for show either, but ones that actually interact with gameplay. And then there's the lower playfield.. we haven't seen that since what.. Congo? AND you've got Lyman creating a "choose your own adventure" type of ruleset. I'm VERY excited to play the LE game.

I don't know if you guys follow Stern's Facebook page (can't say I blame you if you don't), but it looks like they're responding in their own way to complaints about the face picture.. they've posted a bunch of AC/DC merchandise pics with the same image. Probably their creative way of saying that AC/DC wanted it that way.

Sold out from the factory.. Distributors are taking pre-orders.

Just saw official pricing.. hmm.. it seems no matter how close I get financially, a NIB pin will always be out of reach for me.

One of the actual Limited ones sure, but I couldn't afford that even if I tried.. at this point I'm concerned if a Premium model (unlimited supply) would hold its value..

LE pics are next week according to their Facebook page.

Thanks for sharing your experience with the tour!!