You don't want it then don't buy it. Think it costs too much then don't buy it. Move along.

Pretty sure he is not the one trolling. This is all fairly simple. Only 200 toppers. If you buy one, it will be a fun addition to the game regardless of how much it cost. A year or two from now if you sell it, you will get the $999 back out of it or maybe more no matter how many haters are lined up bashing it. So how it is not worth the price or a bad deal to the person with the money and smarts to buy one? Not many things you can buy in life that will for sure hold their value.

Lets say this thing conservatively cost Stern $50,000 to design and program; that is $250 per unit before you even factor in the BOM. Low production run means higher per unit cost. I seriously doubt there is any more profit percentage in this topper than the ColorDMDs we all buy. And it seriously does not look like an LCD.

How much did it cost to design and develop the topper and related software? Now divide that by 200 and I would hazard a guess that development costs are at least equal to the parts costs and probably more. Then factor in what the distributors make because they aren't doing it for free. Point is this is a boutique item at a time where Stern factory is working at half speed. Would people rather they release no topper than one that is super expensive? Stern just released what could be the best pinball machine ever and people are harping on an item that they won't even buy even though it will hold its value and therefore most likely be a smart purchase for people with play money to spend. There will be plenty of cheap plexi toppers available from the mod makes for $150+. Just buy one of those at 200% mark up instead.

I've never been impressed by that topper in the least either. Even still, it comes down to supply and demand. It is a concept as old as commerce itself. Not sure why people have to imply that stupidity (or greed) are involved in these type of transactions. To some people $1000 is a fart in a wind storm, so why drive a hard bargain when trying to relieve someone of their prized topper? People drop well over $1000 on a meal for two with a couple of bottles of wine in fancy restaurants all over the world on a daily basis.

Looking at the video, I think it looks better than what I was expecting. Then again I knew people were only dreaming thinking it was a video screen inside. As for it only partially opening, from the player's viewing angle looking up at the topper, it should be about right to give a peak. The lighting is nice and it seems to be made of heavy molded material and not the cheap foam that lawn ornaments are made out of.

As for worth... Any item is worth what people are willing to pay for it. With only 200 available for a rich man's game to begin with, I would imagine that they will always sell for at least $1000 if someone wanted to get their money back down the road. I don't have an Elvira, but I would certainly snap up one of the toppers before they are gone if I did. It's a cool topper with interactive lighting and sounds that will hold its value, so why not?