PM would set the price not Stern ... now that being said I have no idea if it was even an option, but with the down turn in the market I would guess Stern might be interested? There were very slight differences in the cabinets, but nothing noticeable. My point is CGC is by far the worst in the industry at making games so it would solve the problem of having to wait years for the game, and yes it will be years

We don't know that they picked them.

CGC and Raw Thrills go way back with their working relationship, cabinets, etc.

Stern was a one time deal with MMR, when CGC made their playfields. And there was plenty of delays. Stern just got rolling and then moved to the new building. So things had to start all over to get everything in place and get up to speed.

Stern makes their own playfields now.

Right now there is now way of knowing if Stern has any interests for production other than their own games.

And Stern wouldn't be using CGC boards and software.

LTG : )

Why not? I have an original MMRLE game built by Stern and it has the same boards as my buddies that was built by CGC (original MMRLE run). Like u said it may not be an option, but it sure would solve the problem of not having to wait years for a game.

There is no way of knowing that.

Same bullshit posting was going on back when Stern was going to build the MMR games. And all the delays.

I think you are trying to say 'maybe they didn't have other options' -- but we do know they partnered

We don't even know if PF is re-using much if any of the existing/previous CGC hw/sw combo?
And as for Stern.. they've made contract games and still seem to be onboard with Kapow projects too.. so I'm sure its all about the Benjamins.

No I said we don't know that they picked them ( CGC ). PMP may have called CGC, CGC may have called them. We don't know how close these companies work together.

I never said anything about other options. Of course there is other options. jjp, AP, Stern, Puny, CM, that Chinese company, the new one in Europe. The list is endless.

LTG
I believe the early Stern MMRLE had two minor imperfections.
The insert debacle and the sling chop issue. Is this right? It’s kinda foggy to me. I also think the wait was around 2years as well.
Regardless, I’m happy with my MMRLE manufactured by Stern.

As Old El Paso says

MM is the ONE game I've never let out of my collection in one form or another since early 1999. The only thing I did was decide to good condition, but not mint, original for an MMr. Then when AFMr came along I got one of those as well after years of regret selling my owned since NIB original AFM a year or so after getting it.

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Well I was part of the original order so I lived through the delays. Most gave them a hall pass because it was a new build, and to be honest they communicated pretty well so none of us were in the dark like we are with the CCRLE build that seems to be getting worse. I do know for a FACT that Stern dwarfs anyone in the industry at manufacturing, and CGC is by far the worst....at 1000 games/week all customers could have games in the first quarter of 2024 versus having to wait years

Agreed.

You don't know for a fact if Stern would even do a project like this anymore. Especially since CGC doesn't make cabinets or playfields for Stern anymore.

Just speculation pulling ideas out of thin air.

No way Stern is near that. 500 a week would be hard to believe. 250 to 300 maybe.

People wouldn't be waiting on their Stern pins if Stern was making 1000 games a week.

Thats the number people are throwing out at their new factory ! I have no clue what they actually do, but I do know its way more than anyone else by a country mile.

I don’t have the exact reference… but I believe it was covered in interviews that the contact was with play mechanix and doug at cgc heard of it and wanted to partner after mark had already startef

Stern just built them, though - CGC made all the parts. I had a Stern built MMrLE, and it was mostly great. It has the sling choppers, which I fixed. There was a slight wrinkle in the front cab decal which I was able to heatgun & smooth out. It had the wrong flipper parts which made the shots feel weak - fixed that, too. Otherwise it was perfect for the 6 or 7 years I owned it.

Just because Stern manufactures the game does not mean they supply the parts. They didn't for MMr. I doubt you could tell the difference between a Stern and CGC MMr.

Speaking of the MMR builds. Is the first MMR project still still alive that was going to use original driver boards ect.

Lloyd this is just way off. Stern at full capacity was over 100 games per day at the old facility. They have said that during the expo tours. Thats 500 per week. They have said the new facility will allow them to produce double the output of old one. Pretty easy math. Doesn't mean they WILL, but they could. They exceeded 300 per week long ago.

Obviously if they don't get orders they will dial back production. I personally think it is a mistake to up production and flood the market when distros have a shit ton of games in stock and there is seemingly less demand. Stern isn't stupid, so I think they will dial back production. Which would allow they to fit in a nice run of Pulp Fiction if they could workout the deal.

As much as I would love to see Stern make games for CGC to get Pulp Fiction out there, I don't see this happening. Stern would be shooting themselves in the foot. This years Texas Pinball Festival showed there are only so many pins the market can handle at once, and putting more of the only pin out that people liked more than Stern's games for less money seems like a bad business decision.

But then again, I have no idea what I'm talking about so just ignore it.

I really look forward to scooping up a Pulp Fiction lightly used in late 2024 when the next big thing is out.

Capacity yes. Pre covid, they were at 75 games per day. Not sure they ever operated at capacity at the old facility.

Just a bummer the game is fully baked and there is no public plan/disclosure for manufacturing it. My 1k deposit for the LE dates back to 3/13/23. Seems like I'll be lucky to get it in March of 2024. Oh well.

The silver lining is the money I set aside for this is sitting in a Roth account. It grows, but the game (hopefully) will cost the same when delivered and paid in full

It's quite simple what we have going on here, we're in the "Not Fast" side of pin manufacturing. I'm sure you can figure out where other manufacturers fall, Stern in the Fast/Cheap (but QC issues)

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I have no idea if Stern would be interested or not, but I assume if it made fiscal sense they would at least listen especially in this market. I just find CGC to be an odd choice considering how bad they are at getting games out the door. Possibly PM didn't really care, but I don't think most customers are interested in waiting another 2-3 years for their PFLE

well CGC would be lucky to be at 75/month

From all I’ve seen, it’s really about the relationships that go back 30+ years. PM was ordering parts to build their prototypes, CGC noticed and asked about it, and before they knew it, they were openly and purposefully co-developing the game, and pretty excited about working together again. Perhaps it would feel like a bit of a betrayal to have someone else build them. I get that.

I definitely would prefer to have a game sooner if possible, but part of the magic of this machine is all these old pinball buddies getting to work together again on an unintended but exciting project. I don’t blame them for wanting to keep it between their two companies.

Waited a couple years for Mermaid (still coming) and put my deposit down for Centaur nevertheless.

It all is what it is. You may be surprised how many of us got to the point where we can afford to buy NIB pinball machines by practicing delayed gratification.

It's a good habit to keep and a good practice of control over your own discipline.

We are not all 2 year olds.

Anyways.... any new word on when Pulp starts Shipping? Are they still saying late October?

No and also no.

(We just did this 8 days ago! See you again in a week)

You don't know until you try.

Call them and ask. Get the ball rolling.

LTG : )

Nope!

Too funny ... going to get tiring at the year and a half mark !

Come over to the Tron Vault thread. 7 years and still going strong.

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Year and half....u mean 2.5

Nah....I'll just enjoy all the questions from all the new CGC customers anyone heard when they'll ship? Have they given anyone an estimated delivery date? Why don't they ever communicate with customers or distributors?

This will go on for years

Anyone know if it's still possible to get a PF LE from a distributor.

Thanks Martin

They sold out in about 24 hours. But call around, show interest, get on their radar and you might get lucky for when buyers back out.

Here’s the pinball news article and press release regarding Stern building MMRLE.

https://www.pinballnews.com/news/sternmm.html

I believe you can tell the difference between the Stern and CGC MMRLE builds by the sling chopping (only stern built MMRLEs had them)
Also, I think Stern only built the first two or three batches of MMRLEs. The early MMRLE plaque numbers would display this. So if you see a plaque with a number bellow 100ish it’s probably a Stern build?

Thanks. I don't have a deposit, but I should. I can't wait for this one to come out.

I was on the Stren factory tour October 2015 and there were a lot of MMr parts ready for assembly at that time, with a line of MMr going. This article is from 1.5 years earlier. That’s way more than 100 units, regardless of output.

If there is anything to learned from the CCR build , wait it out! Many that didn't pre-order an LE are happily playing them , while those who pre-ordered are still waiting ..

Stern getting this IP would have been a goddamn travesty.

Stern would been a great partner to build this. Everyone would have their games already.

It makes all the sense in the world, especially with the new factory. Provide parts to Stern and they can just manufacture. Stern can get these out the door in a couple months max.

I think the lesson learned is pre ordering anything from CGC is not a fun experience. You're much better off waiting it out, and picking one up on the secondary market or finding a distributor who has one in stock. It's gonna be a long time and with the market on a downward trajectory there will be plenty of opportunities to get the game at or very near retail.

I’d rather wait longer for a quality build than have Stern slap one together for me.

Brought a Godfather and love it!
Made a choice to have fun now and possibly pick up PF after playing it
I am alittle concerned with the longevity

I follow you and like your posts , so if you had to another 2 years for your game you be good with that ? we all know that CGC builds great quality games but somehow they just cant build them in a timely manner ? People who ordered day one should be taken care of as opposed to having them sit in stock , so just not sure if CGC is clear about filling an order.
Going to be interesting to see how the PF roll out will progress, time will tell !

Two years is a long time. I’m hoping it’s closer to 1, which would still be long after they are supposed to be done). But 2 is okay. I am probably unusual though, I’m not in a hurry to get the game. I have other new games to play and another on order. And I have to sell 2 or 3. It’d be an inconvenience to get PF anytime soon. I planned for these time horizons in a realistic way, not listening to what the companies say but going by precedent. So it’s all unfolding as I expect. I understand others’ frustration though.

Yeah sorry. I meant to say would be a great partner. Not wouldn’t.

Odds are your wish will come true

Really ? With Stern backed up on building their own games, and moving.

Similar situation when it took Stern 2 years to make MMR.

LTG : )