I feel the same, it doesn't help that here in the Great White North ur looking min 7500 for a pro and pre/le prices well do the math, luckily for me 90% of the themes from all manufacturers combined fall flat and then another 5% seem just OK so I don't care but if Stern releases a must have then I would suck it up, I will say I would rather buy 1 expensive must have NIB every couple years than many mediocre ones, those I'll wait and pick up used years down the line or play on site. The one good thing is with these price increases I've developed a new found love for buying cheap run down pins and restoring them, I think thats what this hobby is all about.

Nah, Stern pins are the current top of the heap for gameplay anyway, I like the 90's DMD's too but they are pretty easy for the most part and while JJP has excellent quality I haven't found either of there pins very fun JMO mind you so take it easy, Stern even with the quality issues and "build quality" which I've found to be just fine and dandy is still king.

Not to mention 1 pin every 3 to 4 years and 3 or 4 pins every year so JJP and Heighway etc. should be done and they still aren't fully complete.

Like video games I like to wait a year or so before buying anything with the exception of a dream theme where I want the LE and even then ur better off to wait, let them finish the code, let them work out the PF bugs/issues, let someone else mod it out.

Me too, it would be hard if it was a dream theme but then who cares cause I would be keeping it anyway, I wish I had waited with TWD, buying a pre a year or so after release would have been a much better choice than an LE at launch, live and learn.

exactly, wait a year or more and sometimes other version come out, the fixes are done, the code is complete, someone else has modded and you get a great pin for basically the same money or less.

That pin was the turning point for me as well, STLE even though the code wasn't complete looked like an LE and TWD just disappointed me first in cosmetics then the difference in gameplay from initial code to a year later while great took too long, I didn't care that they announced a Pre version but I wouldn't buy a Stern now for at least a year after release.