Quoted from Concretehardt:

On a memory foam topper? Are you at least gunna put a plastic sheet on it?

Quoted from J85M:

Wakky either trys really really hard to misdirect everyone (saying Deadpool wasn’t next, munsters wasn’t happening etc etc) is just trolling us or he’s the factory floor cleaner and doesn’t have a clue beyond that.

Quoted from Squizz:

looking at the Pro where the lower playfield should be, Uncle Grandpa ,Grass Hopper and Octopus leg just looks like a bad cut and paste Doesn't blend in well....

Quoted from Squizz:

Just noticed this, sorry if his has popped up before.
Whats with the 2 holes in the playfield ( That I Circled in red )[quoted image]

Quoted from Squizz:

Just noticed this, sorry if his has popped up before.
Whats with the 2 holes in the playfield ( That I Circled in red )

Quoted from Squizz:

Actually looking at the Pro where the lower playfield should be, Uncle Grandpa ,Grass Hopper and Octopus leg just looks like a bad cut and paste Doesn't blend in well.... - Maybe I'm too fussy?

Quoted from jfh:

That’s one thing about the Pro artwork that was a bit jarring to me.

Quoted from Amused_to_Death:

All three games were prototypes, weren't they? Perhaps the holes will disappear on the production units.

Yup. It may sound crazy, but that "cut-and-paste" line on the Pro played a large part in my ending up with an LE.

Quoted from Jediturtle:

If I understand the "line" you guys are talking about correctly, I think you might be looking at it wrong. Grandpa, the tentacle, and the bug are coming out of a trap door in the floor. That "line" is the edge of the door opening.

Quoted from Jediturtle:

If I understand the "line" you guys are talking about correctly, I think you might be looking at it wrong. Grandpa, the tentacle, and the bug are coming out of a trap door in the floor. That "line" is the edge of the door opening.

Quoted from Jediturtle:

Grandpa, the tentacle, and the bug are coming out of a trap door in the floor. That "line" is the edge of the door opening.

Quoted from Squizz:

I can now see what you are saying, and yes that is what it's meant to be, just looks wrong.

Quoted from Amused_to_Death:

The outline around the entire family adds to the illusion that it's a dropped in image. The smoke around Grandpa and the flames around S-P-O-T kind of work together to hide the trap door. I think it's the absolute straightness of that line, from tentacle to potion, that doesn't work for me. If the floorboards were a little more uneven, rougher, and the opening looked more three-dimensional. But, oh well, I'm just going to have to suffer with my LE! LOL!
Speaking of S-P-O-T, do the letters light up anywhere on the Premium and the LE?

Quoted from pinballcorpse:

I’d prefer to go back to the days of one version of the game. Either you were in or out. No multiple versions of art, hardware, rules or pricing tiers. Game has a problem: one fix to concentrate on.

Quoted from Squizz:

Just noticed this, sorry if his has popped up before.
Whats with the 2 holes in the playfield ( That I Circled in red )[quoted image]

Quoted from Rarehero:

It's literally the reason Stern can stay in business. Instant sales at an inflated price up front from wealthy pin maniacs who've never played it. You cannot get those sales without an LE concept. Without LE, people can just wait. When people wait, nothing is on the line. If nothing's on the line, you're wasting money. Those first sales are out of the way & most likely cover all production costs...so all Pro and Prem sales after that are pure profit. If the game is a bomb and post-LE sales aren't great - they're onto the next game & still selling the other games that are in production. Love it or hate it, it's precisely why we still have Stern Pinball.

Quoted from Rarehero:

It's literally the reason Stern can stay in business. Instant sales at an inflated price up front from wealthy pin maniacs who've never played it. You cannot get those sales without an LE concept. Without LE, people can just wait. When people wait, nothing is on the line. If nothing's on the line, you're wasting money. Those first sales are out of the way & most likely cover all production costs...so all Pro and Prem sales after that are pure profit. If the game is a bomb and post-LE sales aren't great - they're onto the next game & still selling the other games that are in production. Love it or hate it, it's precisely why we still have Stern Pinball.

Quoted from Rarehero:

It's literally the reason Stern can stay in business. Instant sales at an inflated price up front from wealthy pin maniacs who've never played it. You cannot get those sales without an LE concept. Without LE, people can just wait. When people wait, nothing is on the line. If nothing's on the line, you're wasting money. Those first sales are out of the way & most likely cover all production costs...so all Pro and Prem sales after that are pure profit. If the game is a bomb and post-LE sales aren't great - they're onto the next game & still selling the other games that are in production. Love it or hate it, it's precisely why we still have Stern Pinball.

Quoted from Rarehero:

It's literally the reason Stern can stay in business. Instant sales at an inflated price up front from wealthy pin maniacs who've never played it. You cannot get those sales without an LE concept. Without LE, people can just wait. When people wait, nothing is on the line. If nothing's on the line, you're wasting money. Those first sales are out of the way & most likely cover all production costs...so all Pro and Prem sales after that are pure profit. If the game is a bomb and post-LE sales aren't great - they're onto the next game & still selling the other games that are in production. Love it or hate it, it's precisely why we still have Stern Pinball.

Quoted from Blacksun:

I like this but I don't know if $415k from 500 LE sales would fully cover production costs of a game. Not to mention materials, overhead and licensing...

Quoted from jawjaw:

If there is such a demand for LE's, Stern should offer more of them.

Quoted from snaroff:

Sorry Greg, I don't buy that without LE's, we wouldn't have Stern pinball. I'm sure it helps the bottom line, but the idea that we'd all be waiting on the sidelines isn't my experience. I've bought plenty of Premiums out of the gate. If Stern front-loaded Premiums, I don't think the initial burst of sales would suffer dramatically. Sure, the margins are lower, but there is still plenty of profit in a Premium.

Quoted from Aurich:

What's the biggest Stern LE run? Star Trek? That was 1000 right? IIRC they sold out, but I guess that number was too big to make reasonable?

Quoted from Sinestro:

799 for Star Trek.

Quoted from Waldo:

About to open these up.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Waldo:

About to open these up.
[quoted image]

Quoted from Waldo:

About to open these up.
[quoted image]

Quoted from thirdedition:

Monster Premium?

Quoted from Aurich:

I assumed Metallica.

Quoted from Waldo:

It’s a pro and a premium. They aren’t mine. JJ’s at GEX.

Quoted from iceman44:

Stern makes their money off the Pro's and premiums. LE profits help the distributors more.
Yeah it sounds counterintuitive but that's how it works.
As for the number of LE's, some don't care, some do, let's just leave it at that.

Quoted from jfh:

Are those the ones from CES? JJ was supposed to be getting those in on the floor this week.

Quoted from Guinnesstime:

I'd grow a ponytail and die my hair blue to get a Munsters Premium but DAMMIT someone beat me to it.

Quoted from Rarehero:

Sure some people might buy Premiums at launch, but there's no incentive. Easy to say "I'll wait and see". The second word gets out that a game sucks or has issues or bad code, Prem/Pro sales stall....but you'll always have people who have to get the LE if the number is low enough...and those people will pay a super high price without a care.

Quoted from Waldo:

[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from snaroff:

You, my friend are great at the "wait and see". Most of us aren't...and there are plenty of us
No doubt LE sales spice things up for Stern & it's distributors, but you were claiming Stern wouldn't exist without LE's.

Quoted from Rarehero:

Remember, in 2010 the ONLY designer was Borg and the ONLY programmer was Lonnie (with Lyman working freelance). Today they're in a bigger building with TONS of staff. Why? Constant flow of $$$$$$$$$$. The 3-tier structure with LE's that usually sell out up front is what has allowed for that. People used to WAIT & play games first. Then maybe buy if they like them. For $3500. Now they buy them for $9000 before they ever touch them. That consistent guaranteed income (then the following income from Pro/Premium sales for as long as popularity keeps them selling), then repeat with the next launch is what allows them to exist with the amount of employees they have now. Without this marketing strategy, they'd be closer to what they were like in 2010 or perhaps gone.

Quoted from iceman44:

Uhhh not so fast.
The reason they are growing and expanding are a couple of things.
JJP came along in 2011 and raised the bar substantially and brought more people like myself back into pinball.
Stern then did a deal with venture capital guys so that they could expand and grow to meet the increasing demand of the hobby since 2011.
AND they started listening to customers and doing more with great themes, great art, excellent code and hired more people!
Growth begets growth. Go big or go home.
This is why Stern can now dominate the market. 300+ employees, great designers, artists, coders, marketers, and as important assembly line workers.
Yeah it was JJP's entry into the market AND then the venture capital guys that allowed for a huge growth cycle that has helped build Stern into what it is today.
Not some BS tiered structure of selling pins.

Quoted from Thunderbird:

Would have to agree with this. JJP’s hat being thrown into the arena, has been good for pinball all around. Competition always makes for a better product from other companies. It’s marketing 101 and is the real reason for people like me entering the fun. Without JJP, it would be a different world.
As much as I like Stern, they have had a habit of only doing good enough, rather than great, till JJP. Stern has hit a triple with Munsters and will be a home run if the code continues to flow and get better for more depth. At these high prices without deep code, why buy for the home, when location play for a shallow game works just fine? Paying only a few dollars for the fun of a shallow game makes sense, rather than upto $9k for a game at home you’ll get bored with.

Quoted from Waldo:

[quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from NeilMcRae:

Overwhelming view from EAG, epic art, lower playfield is a miss, game is way too easy, needs urgent code work, perhaps even a rethink! Great shots and fun to play but really shallow.