Quoted from bigehrl:Back when i owned Reciprocal Skateshop in the E.village of Manhattan, I used to run a tournament called Pinferno. We did it every year or so. So in, or around 2011, His wonderful girlfriend Penni, whom many of you probably know, was still living in NYC and was a regular face there, playing almost daily. Lyman flew in for one of the tournaments, both to compete and to spend time with her. So, rewind maybe 3 months or so before, I had just bought a NIB LOTR LE, which came with the authenticity certificate unsigned by Gary Stern. That's right, the signature line was left blank. As well, there was no goodie bag! I was like WTF?!? So i jokingly wrote an RGP Post reviewing the machine and insisting that Gary owes me his signature. In one line I asked "do you realize how many parent-less skate rats, asking for free-s&^t all day long, i have to put up with to earn $5000??". It never occurred to me that anyone at Stern would ever actually see it. Fast forward back to the day of the tournament, and Lyman walks into the shop. We're all mesmerized. We were looking at, and about the play against THE LYMAN SHEATS!!! The guy who did the code on Spider-Man!! So first he hands me a Spidey translight, because he knew it was one of my favorite games. It included a very nice message written on it, which i proudly still have today. Then he pulls out a LOTR goodie bag, and a new certificate with Gary's signature on it, and says "Gary says this is for you, and he wants to know.. exactly how many skate-rats DO you have to put up with to earn $5000?!?"
RIP Lyman. And we love you Penni, and are here for you in any and every way.
Here's the original RGP post from 11 years ago:-------------------------------------------------------
so it's been a good few weeks since i purchased a nib lotr le, and
tore it open like it contained the answers to life and beyond. i
figured i'd wait to judge how i felt about the purchase, and see,
after it all settled in, if i got what i paid for...
i know this topic has been poured over by several emotional buyers
already, but i'm not angry, and i'm not excited, i'm just going to
call it like i see it.
pros:
- the seller was awesome, and great to deal with (not stern's doing)
- the cardboard box it came in, seemed custom tailored, in size, to
the machine.
- it has a lotr playfield.
- it came with pinballs, so you can use the product.
- my cats love to lay on the backbox, just like every other machine
(also, not stern's doing).
- i truly respect stern, and the fact that they still make machines.
someone's gotta do it, so it's really better than nothing.
cons:
- it cost 5g's
- the ring magnet coil fuse was either blown, from factory, or blew
the moment i turned the game on.
- the side art is so pixelated, you have to either stand 25 ft back,
or squint really hard to make it out.
- the gold side rails are screaming, 'please don't touch me if you
want me stay looking this way!!'
- penis on the backglass? eh, i can live with that.
- stern ran out of figurines. let me repeat that, stern.. ran.. out..
of.. figurines! what?? if the halal cart outside my shop ran out of
lamb, they would stop selling gyros. they wouldn't hand me a pita and
tomatoes, and tell me to go to a farm and slaughter my own.
- the goodie bag was, wait... what goodie bag?
- the manual looked photocopied. i guess the company that made the
figurines, also made the manuals.
- and the real kick in the hairdick!?? the certificate that came with
it, was not signed by you gary. it was a blank signature line. i mean,
c'mon! seriously?? i forked over all this hard earned cash to buy this
collector edition item, and you forgot to sign the one piece of paper
that can salvage all the cost-cutting this thing underwent? this thing
isn't going on location gary, so i'm not going to make this money
back. this is a present to myself. and yes, despite my ranting and
raving, i really appreciate what you and your company does, so i want
your autograph!
see, gary, i own a skateboard shop in nyc. do you realize how many
parent-less skate rats, asking for free-s&^t all day long, i have to
put up with to earn $5000?? trust me, it's alot! so when i make a
decision to drop serious coin on anything, i simply want what i paid
for. i don't have your private number or email, so i have to post
publicly.
so, gary stern, you owe me your signature....
let's do this... you have an open invite to come to the 'pinferno VI'
pinball tournament, which takes place all-day on saturday, feb. 12th,
2011 at reciprocal skateshop. there are 32 total spots going up for
grabs on monday, jan 12th at noon, and it usually fills in less than 2
days, so contact me ASAP. if you like, you can compete, or if you
prefer, just come have a few beers, hang out, and talk to some good
folks who truly love pinball. i'll have the certificate here, along
with a brand new fine tip pen waiting for your arrival. i'll even give
you a brand new, complete skateboard for the road. i'm sure you have
kids, nephews/nieces, or just know someone who loves skateboarding.
it's a win-win!
email me, and i'll let you know flight options.
p.s. bring lyman
thanks for keeping it alive, and listening to criticism.
-jon - reciprocal nyc