The Shadow

Been looking at for sale listings on this game for almost two years. I don't think I have ever seen one listed for lower than 4,500. I am sure sub 4k ones are out there, but that doesn't seem like an "all day long" kind of price. 1 out of 11 of the ones that come up in the market place is below 4k. Still, I think this game is a great value at even 4,500. Tons, to do, can be brutal, so it would stay a long time in most collections I am sure. Would love to get one at some point.

There are some great Sterns at around the 4K mark right now: RBION, POTC, Mustang. I like STTNG, but I'd spend a little more for one of those. In the B/W category there are tons of great "B" titles.

I haven't spent a lot of time with STTNG, but I know those that own them love them. I don't see them come up very often.

Congo

No.
/thread

TS, SM, WCS'94, FH, BSD, I500, etc etc.....

I thought about Congo too. I haven't owned either of these games, but I feel like STTNG would last longer in my collection. Congo seems way easier than STTNG.

Floyd you have a very valid point. STTNG is most definitely a "one more" kinda game, loaded to the gills with fun shots.
But why not save a grand and buy an Indy 500 ? Either way, you win.

ha ha mine is not sub 4k! It is a great game.

STTNG is an awesome pin. I miss mine and regret selling it. I mistakenly thought that since I bought Stern Star Trek, I wouldn't miss it. WRONG.....
I'd buy another one if one came up locally for $4k

White Water, Dredd, and Congo are all more fun in my mind, and all (except maybe White Water) can be had for less money than STTNG.

Nope. Great game for the money. Its value gets hurt some due to theme, qty produced, and complexity/more things to break.

fantastic ridiculously packed game. it's great for home use because it's so challenging -- can take a long time to master managing those outlanes! i love that there are mulie paths to high scores - artifacts/final frontier, or the limitless cumulative Borg Multiball jackpots, or the super spinner strategy.

Wow, really? I didn't think that was the case; I would've put an average Congo around $3400, and an average STTNG around $3700. Maybe I'm mistaken, as I haven't kept up with Congo prices as much since I found mine a couple years ago.

If anyone is selling a nice players for less than $4k pm me!

Here ya go, not mine btw

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-3550-star-trek-the-next-generation-chicago

When are you picking it up?

Skateball

If I didn't just pay in full on a MET Pro I'd be all over it

The Shadow maybe.

I've always heard that reliability is a problem with STTNG. I played it but I didn't enjoy it very much. The art is faithful and the callouts are awesome but I'm just not interested in ever owning one. I would actually like to have the DE Star Trek more. STTNG seems like a deep game though. There are just so many games under 4k that I would prefer owning.

DE star trek is neat... for about 15mins.

STTNG is top three for theme integration ever

The congo hype is so overrated. Some interesting shots but its not the kind of game that keeps you coming back.. and it has nothing compelling about theme, toys, sound, etc. You play it, you excel at it, and you walk away and don't think about the game until the next time you play it.

STTNG is a packed beast.. and always a fun play when the game is tuned. But it would be intimidating for n00b owners.

I would say the Shadow might be the best bang for you buck pin

Shadow for the win!

STTNG, although a good game, can get a bit tedious.

I picked one up a few years ago, and struggled finding a nice one around that price point. But yea it's laughably better than other games around that price point. Enjoy!

STTNG needs to have good strong flippers, waxed, and dialed in it is a blast to play!

The correct answer to this question is: The Shadow.

It's seems lately, for whatever reason, STNNG has been coming up for sale a lot right around 4K

Shadow end of thread.....

There are many better w/b pins that are less expensive imo.. Its great that you love it and are having fun but everyone has a opinion so there is no right or wrong answer to your question.

I'd probably take BSD over it, as well

Is there a better sub 4K game than STTNG?

Yeah, a few 100 or more...

WPT, JD, EBD, Joker Poker, Centaur, Fathom, Shadow, EATPM, SST, Robowar, Rbion, diner, funhouse, tomcat f-14, getaway, TSPP, taxi, jackbot, bsd, tommy, TFTC, star gazer, nine ball, I could go on forever-

You will have a very hard time finding a STTNG for under $5k at this time . If anyone has a good one for 4k around Philadelphia, please let me know and ill buy it tomorrow.

All the one's I have seen for less than 4k have issues.

I own all 4, STTNG, IJ, TAF, and WH20. All are awesome or they wouldn't be here. STTNG would be the last one to leave, but I doubt there are many good examples for less than 4K these days. There are plenty of GREAT games for under 4K though. Many mentioned above such as Shadow, Congo, or even HS2. Heck, Stargate would even be a great bargain and you could find a nice one for WAY less.

How about a throw down? You being my neighbor and all...

STTNG's have always been the cheapest of the big 3 titles released in 1993, (sorry JD does not qualify IMO), why, I'm not sure. Even back when they were relatively new, 1995 or so, you could always get it for less money than TZ or IJ. Not sure why this has been the case, their production #'s are relatively the same.

All of them STTNG is a stinker IMO

I sent you a PM.

Shadow comes close but STTNG is just a better overall package. I don't think anything tops it at its price point. Looking at the top 15 games on the Pinside 100 list and IPDB it is generally the least expensive and most attainable game relative to high rankings which means that the general consensus agrees with the OPs statement.

STTNG is my all time favorite pin, but some games that come close to as fun for me are White Water and Funhouse.

I have owned STTNG,IJ,TZ,TAF twice since I started collecting in the late 1990's. I bought them early on and sold them figuring I could buy them back ( well at a much higher price now). I ended up re buying all of them ( sold TAF again unfortunately). Now that I have a lot more time with pins and have owned my share, I can say all of the one's mentioned are great in that they integrate the theme so well into the game. I personally think so does TS, Congo, I500,BSD, and WW2o.

STTNG, might be the hardest to play ( The outlanes are brutal and you can have a lot of clunker shots). It is also at times difficult to maintain, but when tuned in and you can make the left Ramp shot consistently, a great game. The Borg multi ball light show is really good for a game from this era and who doesn't like a ball shot at you from the Borg cannon. Call outs from all the actors are best in the class and it is a game that mere mortals can reach the wizard mode.

I agree it is discounted from the other B/W greats and TS/Congo are catching up in price. I find that funny cause TS/Congo were so difficult to sell a decade ago. That being said, buy it a decent price, enjoy it, and you should be able to get your money back if you so desire. One last thing , if you move one have a friend with you, it is one heavy SOB.

You can find them for less than $4k. It's not hard. This game is going to slowly lose its appeal as new titles come out. Most people who own it, will at some point, want to move on - same for TZ, IJ, and all the other highly rated classics. There are so many choices now.

I had a chance to buy one for $3800 and passed.

I've wanted to obtain an STTNG since I started gathering my own collection of pins about 8 years ago, but for some reason this particular pin always escapes me. Whenever I have money for a pin purchase, there never seems to be an affordable or decent condition STTNG available, and instead of saving my money for one to come along, I always by something else, LOL. Congrats to the OP "usandthem". Someday I'll get one of these to enjoy at home.

I absolutely love sttng. It was my first pin and will never sell it. In fact - I have often considered buying a second one, though I don't know where it would go or what I'd do with it. I think I paid 4000 Cdn for it about 10 years ago.