A grand for a topper which is what? Plastic, stickers and led lights? Like how much do you think that cost stern to make, 25 dollars? I'm pretty new to this hobby still but it totally feels like stern is taking advantage of their customers. Like think about what cool stuff you could get for a grand outside of this hobby. Is this topper worth the cost of two ps5s?

You don’t want to open that can of worms in here…. If ASC_Shrader can’t handle the negative comments now, wait till someone finally convinces him he could have bought way more fun for way less money on something OTHER than this “better than a home-pin, but not by much, but hey King Elwin jotted it down on the back of a napkin so it must shoot like ballz” latest newb-spirit-crushing offering from “The New Stern”. Go ahead and buy this if this is Pinball to you, but to me it’s an affront.

It didn’t cost LV close to $5k to have this pair of sneakers made.

Same principle. You have customers who are *desperately* thirsty for your products, you charge what you can.

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Hmmm which whitewood was this for???

CES and AVN are scheduled together to give a counterpoint that correlation can mean causation.

https://toplessvegasonline.com/ces-and-avn-in-vegas-this-weekend

It’s overpriced…but if there are really only 500 of them to purchase separately it’s market value will be at least double that. There are 1k LEs out there alone. Toppers for big games go for 2-3k on the open market.

Does this Hardy gentleman honestly think that Stern intentionally set out to do this. That they sat in the board room and discussed that they should say it's exclusive to the 60th and then later make it available for the other games. That Stern is actually out to do this? OR maybe it was a marketing mistake? It has to be the latter. If you go back and listen to earlier Gomez interviews he specifically said that the 60th topper is the official Bond topper and will be available for the other games. Stern is not immune to making mistakes, get over it people. But I am coming to realize I will just get down voted for speaking common sense. Flame on

Also, does Hardy ever do positive videos or is he just another one of those overly negative pinball people that seem to be everywhere.

If it was a mistake from stern it still deserves criticism though.

Intentional or not, they advertised it in 2 places as exclusive and it’s a material part of the product. If someone wants out they need to let them cancel.

1) The video and the PDF on sterns website both clearly stated the topper would be exclusive.

2) The topper was only shown on the SLE in marketing materials. The other 3 editions were never shown with a topper.

3) The topper was never for sale or marketed as something that could be purchased separately prior to the SLE going on sale.

4) Exclusive toppers are a huge part of the collectible pinball market (e.g. the BM 66 LE/SLE topper is easily worth $5k on its own if you could find it which you can't, the Star Wars topper is probably easily $2.5k, a lot of other toppers that are no longer produced sell for thousands). Stern understands this. They marketed this game as having an exclusive topper.

5) No reasonable buyer can be expected to make a purchase decision based on some obscure podcast interview of Gomez, especially when what he may have said was contradicted by official marketing materials.

Hmmm, he was negative on Deeproot...

Can only offer that any public forum has this type of dynamic to it. Doesn't make it right, but is what it is.

Generally ignore the up/downvote stuff (hell, you downvoted me when I simply stated I didn't think the topper was going to be exclusive, lol).

Hype threads are always somewhat toxic, filled with those that bash the game and the people that committed to it at some point....all sorts of reasons...some have merit, most are repetitive rubbish.

Don't ever come into a hype thread expecting to get huge props for buying the game....outcome will be much different than possibly anticipated ( as you are seeing). That's owner thread stuff.

Minor suggestion, then on to more exciting things in my day (rearranging my sock drawer or something) - "you people" is definitely a combative phrase to address everyone here...might use a little discretion with that one if you can't handle the rebuttals.....

Onward Bond!!!!

For me, I enjoy Cary’s videos. I just got into pinball 2 years ago and dove right in - Cary was one of the first I came across on YouTube and I learned a lot from him. He’s prob my favorite pinball guy on YouTube (though I would love to have a word with him about his hatred for LZ haha) I wouldn’t say he is overly negative - I’d say he is realist. He knows his stuff, knows what he likes in pinball, and He calls it as he sees it and I appreciate that. A company shouldn’t create a promo trailer (that many we’re waiting for and basing their purchase on) that clearly states “exclusive to the 60th” when that was clearly not the case. Simple error?….maybe - but a dumb one. Does no one look at the final edit?!

Above all - welcome to the forum and I’m happy you scored a Bond 60th - looks like it’s going to be a fun game!

Oh please, it's no different than any other internet forum. To participate you got to have your big boy pants on and can't get offended so easily. That's just how the internets are.

eh true, I get your point. Their marketing material does indicate it's exclusive over and over again. Does seem like a pretty big mistake actually. They should probably do the right thing here and keep it exclusive.

I've never sold a game since the first one I bought 30 years ago. Is that better?

I always interpreted "Commemorating this exclusive pinball machine, the James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition includes the official James Bond 007 pinball topper" (from website) as "included and official", but never "exclusive"....though it should have one (Stern being sneaky). Backglass and armor are definitely exclusive, so you won't see those on the site....just my take on it.....

He's usually a champion of Stern. He's critical of things that need to be critical but overall he's positive when it comes to Stern.

And you only have 10 in 30 years!?! The shame, the shame.....

I dunno…could be simple…it could be read that it exclusively comes with this version of Bond vs the others the do not. I’m sure that’s how it was thought about internally.

Don’t let the negativity get you down. Pinball is MOSTLY great.

At least that’s my experience the past 12 years I’ve participated on Pinside and buying great games, getting to talk about them here, good and bad, and most importantly getting help from fellow Pinsiders on technical issues

There are some NOT great parts of it as well, just like anything else. Scams emerge, Distributors and yes the manufacturers will do shady things and we have seen a lot of that over the years.

Thus, the necessary “negative” side of pinball.

It’s a FUN ride, Pinside is what YOU make of it and I tell myself many times to focus on the MOSTLY good part of pinball.

Bond is a great theme and I’m sure you will love both games, which is all that matters.

Also, when you around long enough you will get to know the really good people that might be justified is saying negative things and don’t mean it as anything personal. You will end up disagreeing and making friends with them

Those are the motives of MOST here, not all

Control man...control

I love Stern, own 5 machines with another on order. That doesn’t mean I cannot be honest about a mistake they made. They materially misrepresented a topper that is a significant part of the collectibility of a collectible item priced extremely high because of its scarcity. I don’t see how you can interpret the images from the flyer and video any other way. It is what it is, but I think they need to honor any cancellation requests that come as a result.

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Haha the relative anonymity of internet forums is just a modern version of “truth in wine”.

I’m guilty too.

I’m a lot less abrasive face to face but underneath, I’m convinced that how people (including me) behave online is closer to their true self.

Not a term associated with the hobby......can't compute, lol.....

Have to agree with you as it was a very sneaky (kind) play on words on Stern's part. Kinda sniffed that one out early ( they never said " exclusive SLE Topper"...was hoping I was wrong....sadly appears not......

That brochure is reviewed and approved at different levels, I would think by the legal department as well, before it goes out.

It is a “material misrepresentation”.

They probably changed their posture AFTER the brochure was produced and MAYBE didn’t realize it. Still, it’s on THEM

CGC did the same thing with the topper on Cactus Canyon.

A real kick ass topper btw as we all know, it was “exclusive” until it wasn’t.

Stern’s attitude on pricing and things like this is “so what, people keep buying them”. That sentiment is from some that deal directly with them.

I’m being negative and factual at the same time. The positive is they make some great games that people keep buying.

Yikes, an old school, street level game. And again, 500 machines is not rare at all. This is sobering news of a $20K fantasy.

Snice the price reveal came out, I've been scratching my head why Stern was not asking the expected $25K. I guess we're beginning to find out.

pinside is a slightly different beast though, although there is still a LOT of that "Internet Disconnect" since we're discussing via screens. More of a web 1.0 social dynamic than a web 2.0 social dynamic. (old school message board flame wars, vs caustic anon twitter mobs) While there are a number of users who maintain anonymity, the majority of us that use the forums are known individuals who have had anywhere from 2 to 200+ other pinsiders over to enjoy their collection over their time in the hobby.

I know distributors are now selling the topper (I bought one)…but has Stern actually made an announcement? I find it odd they haven’t…maybe this is why. Maybe distributors got ahead of themselves.

EXCLUSIVES
Official James Bond 007 pinball topper
Exclusive full-color mirrored backglass inspired by 60 years of James Bond
Upgraded audio system
Anti-reflection playfield glass
Custom designer autographed bottom arch
Sequentially numbered plaque
Exclusive Union Jack pinball shooter knob
Custom high gloss and powder-coated pinball armor
Shaker motor
Certificate of Authenticity signed by Stern Chairman and CEO Gary Stern and President Seth Davis

So, based on how this is worded. ONLY the backglass and shooter rod are truly EXCLUSIVE
I think it would have been much better if the brochure did not have an "EXCLUSIVES" section and then list things that are not exclusive
I am starting to agree here that this was all very mis leading.

I guess personally I didnt put much thought into it because of a podcast I heard, but I agree many did not hear that podcast.
eh, pretty big fuckup actually

I'm still excited and not pissed, but damn it was pretty misleading

I've been flipping this design for a day or two now (virtually of course) and I am impressed by the speed of play and variety of the shots. Quite an achievement for a single-level design. What is important is the ball isn't held up anywhere, unless intended to create tension and excitement.

And best of all, it has DROP TARGETS! This is proper old-school pinball - almost everything you hit has a physical and very satisfying reaction.

No idea what the code is like, but given enough care and attention, it could create a unique and very entertaining experience.

When I'm done tinkering with my digital version, I'll post a quick gameplay vid on my website. I'll never release it publicly, it's just a fun project for my own amusement.

Is it worth 20 grand? No way in hell. It would only be worth 20 grand if the code was world-class and had all the assets from all the movies (including all the theme songs). It's a collector's item so I get the price tag.

Whomever is on code, you better bring your A-game fella.

Excellent comment, Ice, and I mean that.

The only thing I can add is: Pussy Galore

Classic, they have assets for all movies represented! Not movie assets mind you, just the movie titles on the head.

Thats hilarious!

This is your own WW??? Yeah hell would love to see inline spinners one day.. I actually suggested it to Haggis around 4 years ago...

Nobodies buying it just for the topper…but rare toppers are very valuable collectibles.. I don’t see how you can pretend like it’s not a significant part of the overall package of an item marketed and priced for its scarcity. You cannot find a AFM or BM66 topper in the market, but if you could they would cost thousands.

Yeah, the last time you left (2 weeks ago?) you said all the same stuff.

It would seem that Stern, or at least one distributor, is stepping up on this. Any takers?
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We should start a club. 32 years and I still have all mine too.

A lot of people can't afford a $20k toy. It's just a fact, there's always going to be a bit of a classist element to these conversations.

You gotta read the room, overly flexing—or telling people to stop whining so you can enjoy your purchase—isn't going to go over well.

But I think what's mostly going on here isn't jealousy honestly. People wanted this package to be awesome. They wanted something to lust after, even if it wasn't really affordable or practical.

When a new exotic comes out most people don't root for it to be ugly even though they won't buy it, they want something beautiful to dream about. Teenagers want to put posters on their walls. When I was a kid it was the Testarossa everyone had tacked up in their room.

My personal read is that the negative energy mostly comes from this package being kind of half-assed and not very attractive. There's no art on the front of the cabinet and the sides of the head are just a bunch of text. The backglass is a whatever collage of movie assets that don't match in style. The 'exclusive' topper being sold as being compatible with the other versions of the game is whatever, but it's another sign the package isn't all that.

There's an LCD screen and it feels somewhat pointless, it just shows some basic text for what to shoot at in a simple ruleset. Any owner will stop looking at it after a week, they won't need it.

It's just not that special feeling, even if the playfield is hopefully fun to play. I really and truly think people would be much less negative if this was amazing looking, drool worthy, and sold out in minutes. The price is too much, but it's very much "too much for what this is".

Was this turd produced specifically to artificially boost GG Bond sales and capitalize on Elwin's name just to actually move 500 of them out? Film at Eleven...

This steaming pile makes me appreciate and want to buy the GG Bond more than do anything else.

While i was never in on a SLE, i was really excited to see it come together, I love the Bond theme and this is just such a let down. GG pro is fast and fun too!

Also, which of these pins look higher end if they sat side by side.

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So basically the topper was intended to be for everyone. In the SLE's case, it was "included in the price". They REALLY should have said "INCLUDED" vs "EXCLUSIVE" for the header and then "exclusive" as they did for the backglass and shooter rod.

In the end, anyone from the Pro to SLE can get an overpriced piece of plastic with pretty lights for $1K - what a deal! Add one of those and we have $8K pros - about 1.5 years ahead of what I anticipated. GJ, Stern!!!

Yeah I have gotten down votes because of they don't know what inflation is. This pin is so high because of the limited run of 500. The cost of all licensed bonds is probably 3 million. Which comes out to 6k a machine. 20 years ago Gary said it cost 1mil for the license of tspp and lotr. Which is probably why cornerstone LEs probably pays for all parts, license and most labor for the other 2 tiers.

are y'all mad when you go to a restaurant and it costs more than the price of the food on the plate would to buy by itself