Thought I'd chime in - I wound up trading my GB LE for a Hobbit Smaug recently and couldn't be happier. As other have mentioned - GB was a dream theme - but I found it just didn't draw me back for another game, was unnecessarily hard and yes the issues out of the box should not be there - I feel there were some poor design choices in the layout and flipper alignment. I think GB has potential but also did not love the linear progression model - hopefully that will change in the future. Again I didn't dislike it just didn't love it - I do think it is one of Sterns better offerings in terms of toys and bill of materials.

Hobbit has turned out to be a great pinball adventure that my kids and guests are drawn to - and bashing the beasts just never gets old along with the 31 modes that all call for different and mostly fun ways to complete. When comparing the two just from a build perspective - absolutely no comparison - you get so much more for your money with Hobbit quality wise. It unfortunately makes GB look a bit like balsa wood and tin foil - My vote is Hobbit - fun game with lots to do!.