Could it be the distributors that are the ones requiring the deposits and creating the scarcity by saying all the games are sold out, when in reality they are simply reserving all of them?

I'm going to guess less of them will be the most significant difference.

There will be only 30 machines made. It's a very nostalgic theme. I expect there will be enough buyers lined up to sell out regardless of the price. Even if it turns out bad it might still hold its value. If it turns out good the price may skyrocket.

I think Stern is finally embracing the "collector" mentality of many pinball enthusiasts.

I see, basically calling "dibs" and waiting to see what shakes out.

Yes....

I think your're missing a couple of nanas.

We suspected they would be raising prices when they added an LCD to their games. Perhaps this special edition is the game that serves to get some idea of what the market will bear and to get us used to the post LCD pricing.

Because they can.

Most people see it as an added value and will pay accordingly.

Just look at the pinside map and you will see far more machines being sold to private buyers than locations. I think Gary is targeting the right demographic.

Ah, the good old days.

I take they are all "sold out" with a grain of salt. They were supposedly sold out before prices were even announced. I don't consider being sold out to distributors as counting.

On a positive note for Stern, this thread is diverting a lot of attention away from the playfield issues and the "Stern are you serious" thread.

How can you say that?

New Sterns are fun and fun is priceless, therefore new Sterns are priceless.

I'm not so sure. It seems machines often sell better on hope than on reality. Once people have money invested some will drop out if the game is disappointing but many will stay in.

Which also means if they accept your application for an SLE you better follow through, even if you think it's not worth the money when you actually see and play the game. Otherwise, "No Soup for You!" in the future.

Quoted for truth.

That is wholly inaccurate.

At lease a couple of eyebrow hairs were moved to make it completely new original hand drawn art.

Joking aside, I'd much rather have some great hand drawn images nicely composed, even if they were pulled from other sources, over some photo montage or poorly drawn original art.

Who could ever forget the "animatronic band" in AC/DC or the "star field projector" in ST? Oh the dreams we had before the actual reveal.

I agree.

Even considering the unrealistic expectations, the "animatronic band" on the other hand is just lame, IMO.

I'm actually pleasantly surprised when a toy from Stern is anywhere close to what the pre-release information suggests. I think the Ecto Goggles is such a toy. Would be nice to see more animations but the ones that are there look good.

Hmmm...maybe Stern doesn't have a whole lot of confidence in the game and wants everyone's deposits locked in before it gets revealed.

Stern is constantly playing with their pricing and release structures. If the current ones aren't working to their satisfaction you can bet they'll change things up.

No personal line, but to me it's important to get value in the form of stuff in the game. For example, though expensive, I think WOZ is a good value and Hobbit is an okay value when compared to the other new games/price available.

On the other hand, it doesn't matter how fun RZ might be, at $6k there just isn't enough in the game for me to purchase.

Agreed. I think the best indicator of how good a game will be has more to do with the team working on it than how high profile the theme is. There are no guarantees even with an excellent proven team. To me, art, sound, software and playfield layout all need to be good for a game to be great.

I think a BDK VE with a modified layout, new art, new display content on LCD, new sounds and modified rules could turn out to be excellent with Gomez and Lyman heading up the team.

I'm guessing someone who has purchased 11 games from a single distributor might get some preferential treatment from that distributor.

Stern is very smart. They make the LE look like a bargain at $10k with only minor cosmetic differences separating it from the SLE at $15k. I don't think a production run of 240 vs 80 is that significant.

The kindness Stern shows by making this special game available to more buyers brings a tear to my eye.

I thought you were Leigh...

Doesn't surprise me. Makes sense to give someone just getting into the hobby the SLE as he may buy 10 more Sterns to fill his game room.

Why insulting? Look how much people will pay for AC/DC BIB and the only difference from a premium that is not cosmetic is a real back glass.

There are buyers that are happy to pay a hefty premium for rarity and Stern is happy to supply them, win-win.

No one is forced to buy anything.

I'm not willing to pay extra but clearly others are. If we're to believe Stern, they had to turn away buyers for the SLE at $15k. That's more than 80 people who would prefer to pay $5k more than the LE to get mostly rarity and different cosmetics. I still feel it's a win for them (unless they're expecting the games to go up in value) and a win for Stem.

For any given title, Stern is taking a chance that there will be enough buyers to make it worth their while. I would say they guessed right with BM66 SLE.

For some people it doesn't matter how much it costs, what it looks like or how it plays. If it's their holy grail theme, that is enough to get the most expensive model made.

$15k or $16.5K, in that rarified atmosphere does it really matter?

Being expected to make such a decision without at least seeing gameplay video is mind boggling to me but I guess Stern figures that gameplay isn't much of a determining factor for anyone willing to pay the premium for the SLE.

They should extend the deadline.

If you decide to cancel, instead you could just say your not sending any more money in until you see video. If you leave it up to them to actively cancel your order they may not.

I think it depends on where you place value. I try not to think about the NIB pinball machine I could have bought with the money spent on a vacation.

To me, vacations create memories and it's hard to put a monetary value on that.

When it comes to physical things like pinball machines that can be bought NIB or used and compared to other pinball machines, I can't help but look at relative values and buy or not accordingly.

It makes them greedy business men...

Didn't Lyman do the original BDK code?