I sure would like to see Jersey Jack Pinball provide some updates at reasonable intervals by someone who has a general idea how customer relations works. This weeks on end with no news is a bunch of nonsense. WOZ is a beautiful machine, a true masterpiece. I played The Hobbit prototype a few different times now as well and have no doubt it will be awesome. But Jack is really dropping the ball on PR and it's nauseating. He knows he needs help in that department, so why not get someone friendly and punctual on board. Can't we at least see a WOZ getting assembled, some parts arriving at the warehouse, a picture of some Hobbit parts or things getting assembled? It's getting to the point where I'm about to go from a believer to a hater. Do I really need to drive down to the factory and shake things up? Sit out there every day and report on whether or not Jack or anyone arrives there, or if any deliveries occurred, and who the vendors were? Some news is better than absolutely nothing! C'mon Jack, I love your games and your vision and you've been great to talk with but can't we make some kind of progress here?

Sure there is - a real update, rather than coming in here to defend the brand against trolls, would be more than sufficient. I don't care if the Hobbit isn't being built in entirety yet, but I would like to know what parts / supplies / mechs / etc. is in progress or has been delivered and what is currently in motion. Even the daily total on how many WOZ were produced would be nice. Something would be better than nothing, which leads to rampant speculation and trolling.

Joe, thanks for the update, and for once again reminding us why you're one of the few in the industry we can actually depend on. Would you like to borrow an extra stick from me so you can poke and prod Jack a bit to do a personal update for us while you're there?

Wow, I'm famous now! You guys both rock. Thanks for all you do. And for the record, I have nothing but love for Jersey Jack Pinball and wish the very best for the future of that company and am very confident in what Jack is doing. I just wanted a taste of more frequent news and updates, that's all!

I agree with this and I see no need to point out who or what is causing a delay if it comes to outside vendors. I wasn't really looking for reasons why things are being delayed as much as I'm looking for some examples of progress happening with it. They could talk about parts that are there and ready and being assembled, for example. Or some video of a mechanism in action being tested. Or gameplay videos of The Hobbit out at the shows & etc. There's a lot of really awesome innovations on WOZ and the Hobbit that are worthy of talking about as well. They're both impressive engineering feats.

I was at the Jersey Jack facility this past weekend during the open house and had a look over everything first hand while having lots of questions answered. I was already certain Jack was the real deal, I've been following his work for quite awhile and even more so since the Hobbit prototype first started making rounds. However, after this past weekend, I am even more confident that production on the Hobbit is right around the corner and I would be willing to wager that a delivery will happen before the end of the year. Lawlor's game will be announced prior to March 2016 with Hobbit well underway.

Anyone still doubting still should at least take into consideration the fact that there is only one production line right now at the factory. Wizard of Oz backorders have finally been produced, and there are finally a few extras on hand that can be purchased right now and delivered to your door instantly. Now that there's a few WOZ in stock, what's next? Get a bit of a cushion there so they have plenty to fill the estimated WOZ demand for the next year or so and then they can think about retooling all of the workstations... It's not just switching parts out. Wire diagrams. Installation charts, color coding, part numbers, parts in stock, the flow charts, install diagrams, getting everyone up to speed, doing a test one or two, hammering out the bugs in the production line and finally getting a few out the door.

Also remember that they just got that significant investment in capital. Although the current facility is making use of what appears to be about 80% of their space, I do think they could easily fit a second line in there without changing locations. I still think the Hobbit will be built on the WOZ line though, because changing that over may be quicker than building a new line.. Then again, the overall time saved in just building a brand new line specifically for the Hobbit instead of switching from WOZ to Hobbit and back to WOZ or over to Lawlor's might be worth the investment and time it takes to just build that line first.

TDLR: All food for thought. The Hobbit is coming. Jack isn't going anywhere. I'd be willing to wager but I won't because I'm sure I'm right.

There isn't a game in existence or even in the pipeline that is as technologically advanced as a JJP pin. WOZ raised the bar. The Hobbit is more of a wide open play field, however, the prototype I played completely captivated and immersed me and I have no doubt that the final release will be as awesome as WOZ, even though it's going to be quite a drastically different layout and game play style. Variety is nice, and I'm glad JJP is pushing the envelope and turning out some amazing things in the process.

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