In recent years folks have been convincing themselves (and each other!) that only the latest and greatest Limited run pins with A+ commerical themes and lots of mods are the only ones that matter, and in turn the hobby is seeing a number of quick flip attempts and high price bidding wars taking advantage of this idea.

As a result, it's leading to frustration, anger, maybe jealousy, or just the feeling of being left out.

Left out because you are a true fan and didn't get to own it, or because you couldn't be the one to make a precious dollar. Or perhaps, both.

And meanwhile, NO ONE has even played it yet. Hype is some powerful shit.

I think it's obvious that for a large number of new folks coming into the hobby, they truly believe the factors stated above are the only way to enjoy pinball, because it's an all too familiar marketing ploy found in society. We've seen it everywhere else for years. Everything from cars to candy. Latest and greatest. Be the first. Only X number made. Don't miss out. People are convinced and spend.

I'm not here to argue what others like or what you should buy. To each their own. But to those who feel constantly burned or left out...at what point do you realize the way others are doing things isn't something worth putting up with? Can you stick up for yourself and walk away from the greed fest? I know some of us can and do so.

"On these older pins there are no other options"

On these older pins, there are PLENTY of options. This is still a great hobby if you want it to be. And it doesn't have to cost a lot of money.

I look forward to playing Mando on location and wish for those who truly want to own this game the best of luck. Just dont let their bullshit affect you too much if it doesnt happen.

I hear what you are saying, I'm just saying what some of us can agree upon is that there is more to this hobby than just NIB LE machines. I won't bash LE machines themselves. They're still pinball machines and i'm glad they are being made for someone to (eventually) enjoy after all the money grabs settle down. They have their own market and maybe some folks should consider and maybe accept the fact that Pro or Premium is your true option, or maybe NIB isn't for you after all.

I know there are folks who are proclaiming things like the hobby is being ruined because they're all in on high priced LE pinball machines but missed out on the latest one because of scalpers, or how awful Stern is for letting this happen. Trust me, this form of marketing is never going away as much as people would like it to. Stern would lose money because of yet another Pinside business proposal.

I think we can agree that some of us understand the hobby is special enough without having to pay extra for an ancient marketing gimmick of a number that assures us we're part of a special group. Maybe some people really need that validation, then I won't go there. But I would like to imagine others will move on and recognize marketing gimmicks and have a little more control over them, at the same time, discovering how special older classic machines really are. Now we're talking REAL limited numbers!