Exactly what my distributor told me as well.

It is becoming tougher and tougher to buy a premium near launch. The larger run of LEs is partly to blame. I was already committed to a Rush LE a long time ago as this is a grail theme, but would have considered dropping to a premium or even pro if I didn’t like the LE package. Lots of day 1 GZ premium buyers waiting till March or even August 22 to get their machines.

Same story - He said don't freak out if you see a Pro at your local pinball spot before you get yours, the operators get priority.

Maybe she meant Late Jan 2023 heh

Yup metallica was $4600 nib when it came out. Now they want 7K for nib pro!

For me Premium.. I just let go of LE and was able to switch to early batch PREMIUM ..I like the cabinet decals (blue colors)way better on P thanLE..
and I wanted ALL the LE pf features..however by adding on exp light system to Pro is a solid choice..one of the better Pros to be made
Metallica was the BEST PRO (well TWD too)
last decade…

What a roller coaster! Put a deposit down for the Pro feeling really good about it, the playfield is near identical! I did prefer the art package on the premium (personal preference), and started to worry more and more about missing some of the features down the road (but not the money, like someone else said). So I bit the bullet and switched to premium. I'm still slightly conflicted about it, the Pro is often more reliable with simpler mechs... but Premium it is for now!

It's never been so hard to decide than on this one. Not sure why. Maybe because I'm a huge Rush fan?

I think it’s simply because Borg has a history of making good pro models. There is a lot in this pro. Your right though, it’s usually much easier to decide which model to pick.

Always amazed at the length some people go to validate their decision to others.

If you have the cash, I can't see the downside to the Premium
If the extra few grand is a stretch, just get the pro and enjoy

Honestly don’t think it’s quite as simple with this one. Like it was mentioned earlier the ramp shot when down creates a dead end shot, and the vuk/drop lock could in theory slow the game down a lot and aren’t really theme integrated “toys”. Like maiden, I think it’s possible that the pro is the flat out better game. Obviously TBD but I feel really good about this pro.

Tim pretty much says this on the insider podcast. The vuk and double ejecting scoops slow the game down for a nice return to flipper. I think the pro is going to be lightning fast with flow. I like flow and aside from the music on LZ it’s a big part of why I love that game so much.

Can someone help an old dude find the podcast? I signed up for Stern Insider account and cant find what to click on to get to a podcast on there site. Thanks in advance.

Just came here to say intro myself, say hello and say thank you to the OP mrossman5 and to the rest of you for all of your replies to this post, so thank you and hello all!

I too was torturing myself over the debate in my head to get either a Pro or Premium Rush pin. I've been an absolute die hard Rush fan since about 1996 and this will be my very first pin. I didn't necessarily want to skimp since there's the whole "what's another $2,100 when you're already dropping $6,900?" argument that certainly has its merits, but in the end I just loved the artwork on the cab and backboard far too much on the Pro and the Premium just doesn't feel like it has that much extra going on. Hence, I just issued my deposit on a Pro w/ a local dealer and I'm far too excited about it.

I have a close friend who owns 5 pins and knows how to do all of the mods, so I am hoping he can help me ramp up my Pro after a bit.

Can confirm. My dealer said as much.

Thank you! Just got done the Ed Robinson one and wow! This is what you want to know about a licence you care about. Its gonna be a great game.
Just in case some don't know about it, Eds band BNL has an album called Silver Ball and the song Silver Ball uses playing LOTR as its basic story line. The whole package is pinball orientated including a Bare Naked Ladies playfield layout. Sorry to high jack thread all 3 games look great, you cant go wrong on pro for the price diff.

I bet if Stern would have included the Expression lighting in the Premium, the Premium would be winning a lot more of these close decisions.

Only if expression lighting was not compatible with pro

For me, it's not about justifying my purchase of the Pro, it's a little more about how I believe that the Pro is the best looking, it stood out in immediately in my eyes compared to the 3 as the best overall choice when all things considered.. art, design physics, value. Value is a big one, yes, I could switch to a Premium right now, money isn't that much of a concern but that means I'd be giving up the art, still no expression lighting, getting the game later, many reasons. Just something to think about.. I woke up to this ad on Facebook this morning. How does this feel to you?! Good for the hobby? We can decide. Pro model is for professionals, I'll let the beginner's fall for & sort out what's limited. Maybe Stern can put out a true Collector's Edition and cancel the Premium & LE's entirely, leave the order open for a week & for all that want one & if you miss out? then too bad, that's enough time, 1 day is ridiculous. Are games really limited? If so, why are we still able to buy Pro's & Premiums on day 3? They take up the same amount of wood, effort, space in the factory, etc. etc. That's my rant for this morning. Good Luck!

Elvira (resized).JPG

I ordered mine with the premium cabinet,pro translite and LE playfield.I think we were disconnected but I will call back.

You're such a pot stirrer James

i love the premium cabinet and pro backglass.if we decide to choose we still have made a choice

Yep. I agree that the Pro is the best looking.

I started buying Stern NIB games in 2004 (LOTR, TSPP). I've never been fond of the Pro/Premium/LE "model", but now it's being used/abused given the COVID spike in pinball sales. I really love Spooky's model...announce how many games you are building, define the "models", and let the customers decide how many of each get's built. Customer friendly.

Went to Pinball Dudes yesterday, my local distributor down the road (~3 miles). They will apparently be selling many of their LE's to the highest bidder on eBay. Back in 2020, I sold them my Star War LE for $7,500! They flipped it on eBay and made a considerable profit. You'd think that gesture would buy me some credibility to purchase a Rush Premium or LE from them?! Nope. When the hobby becomes so "cut throat", it stops being fun. I'm all for distributors making a good buck, but c'mon. Sigh. Fortunately, I love my current lineup and have no problem being patient...in the end, the only reason to ever deal with a distributor is time. Eventually, these games will be for sale on Pinside. For example, just picked up a GNRLE for 2k less than NIB. I'll let the FOMO crowd get hustled by distributors selling their allocation to the highest bidders...

No kidding.. it did go through my mind to buy a Premium & swap out the Backglass with the Pro.. but I don't think it's ever been done before. That just convinced me even more to question what the heck are we doing buying into this Pro/Premium/LE crap? I've never seen so much division, it's like we're all discussing vaccine status or something.

Cool.. I agree. Feel very fortunate to have collected many of my dream titles and don't have to play the game. I have a ton of games and classic arcade games too and maxed out on space, will finally take the time to play them. It's the same situation for me regarding pins, the distributors that used to be so nice and call me or email right away are nowhere to be found now, it's become way more about the money & a lot less about pinball.

Same. Note you can change the translite easily... Changing the cabinet decals? Not quite so easy

I'm a big Rush fan and after looking over all 3 I decided I like the Pro art the best. The backglass is the best as is the cabinet art on the sides and the head. That's subjective of course but it's my honest opinion. If the LE had the best look I'd have had a hard time talking myself out of buying one despite the big price difference. Maybe one reason I like the Pro art better is it's more focused on the earlier years and the music I really care about most. The LE seemed to have a heavy Clockwork Angels emphasis and while I don't dislike that album it doesn't compare to the stuff from the 70s and 80s for me.

The one thing I'm disappointed with is the playfield art of the band. It's supposed to be a cartoon drawing of the band from the 70s, which I'm fine with in concept, but Geddy didn't wear the glasses or have the soul patch in those early years or even in the early 80s when their popularity was at its peak. That's a later look which doesn't belong with the 70s look of the other guys. That bothers me given what a central place that art has in the game. I get the game has a time machine theme but jumbling the art from different eras in one central image bugs me.

Anyway, the playfield art is the same on all 3 so it's not a factor in the decision. Pro has the most appealing art so I'm going with that.

Congrats. I fell exactly the same way about the art.. I'm in my late 40's, the Signals album clearly defined the 80's era that I grew up in, it was like an Anthem for the decade. I could play the album on repeat all day and every day, every single song. I actually did on my original Sony Walkman back in the day while frequenting Arcades. It all concluded with Roll the Bones about the time I graduated HS which is on the Pro backglass. The LE was my 2nd choice, was never into the whole Clockwork Angels thing, not that it's bad, I just probably missed it as was very busy in my career at that point. The Pro brings back everything I ever loved about Rush, a complete package. Ultimately? I believe we're really going to see that with this game, it's way more about the involvement or Geddy, Alex & Ed, that's what makes it really special to me. Really going to enjoy every bit of the audio/visual/sounds primarily while playing this one, so I hope they have it turned up loud enough to hear them and we can see the lcd screen as well on the stream.

Pro art is best
LE pretty good
Premium - WTF

Guess thats the part I don't understand lately? How many people are picking a model just because its prettier? lol Seems like how it plays would be the first priority vs the side cabinet art which in most cases is 5" from the game next to it and never seen. Change the translit to a Pro/premium if thats a big deal and pick the game that Plays the best with all the features.

For sure..

Pro - it screams RUSH!
LE- cool Steampunk
Premium - it's what we often call 'Vanilla' these days

I'm about 5 years older than you. But yes, spent countless hours in my bedroom listening to Signals, Moving Pictures, Permanent Waves, 2112, Hemispheres, Fly by Night, Grace Under Pressure (which was the first tour I saw) and eventually Power Windows. Those were the albums I loved and the ones I still listen to today. I don't dislike the later Rush albums but they came at a different stage of life when music was more in the background rather than something I was intently focused on.

Anyway, I agree that the involvement of the band is going to make this great no matter which version you get.

I find the aritificial price hike on the premium by excluding the Expression Lighting System (TM, cause it's such a great name) really distasteful. That's probably going to amount to another $500 to add to the price.

Is this the first time play-related features in the playfield of the premium differ from the LE?

First post, really enjoyed this thread and all of the great stories attached to this amazing band. This will be my first pinball machine I'll own as an adult. (37) So many Rush stories and how they influenced my life their music. My girlfriend of 2 years at the time (high school sweetheart) brought me to a Chinese restaurant I loved in town for my birthday. She was watching intently as I ate my sesame chicken. I left a bit in the bowl and she asked "aren't you going to finish it?". I obliged and laminated at the bottom was a picture of Alex, Geddy, and Neil (RIP professor) staring up at me. I was like WTF, turned over the card and there were two tickets inside to the Mercury Strings tour in Columbus, Ohio. I knew in that moment she was the one for me. Now it's 20+ years later and she's quite alright with adding the Rush pinball machine. Well I had to agree to adopt another family dog. Fair trade.

Looking forward to the arrival of a PRO at some point. Thanks for letting me share!

Man, after watching 30 minutes of the Twitch stream playing the Premium, looks like the Pro will rock (the Premium VUK/wireform looks & feels like an afterthought). Was struck by the lack of callouts since I know they recorded a ton...guess the software has to play catch-up?

I've owned/loved a lot of Borg games and I'm a little disappointed by the lack of anything new/exciting on Rush considering the high prices. Looks like a kinder, gentler TRON layout/vibe. Hard to believe NIB Rush Premium will cost roughly the same as a resale GNRLE (which I just picked up with 1k mods for 9.5k), and they are nearly impossible to get. Still warming up to the GNR ruleset/scoring, but in terms of concert vibe and "experience", Rush doesn't compare.

That center ramp doesn’t move much either and I’m not seeing much of an impact when down.

I think the Pro is going to be blistering fast and notice the back drop? F’ing pro backglass!

I don't even have to watch the Twitch, within 5 minutes it's totally obvious that the PRO is the way to go. PRO keeps the ramp up at all times which is what the Premium is doing most of the time anyways. The VUK lift creates a little wait for the ball to launch & to get back to the player, the target is what it important to hit back there. Pro still has all the drop targets on the left to hit not stand up targets & what's behind on the Premium is a ball lock that you don't even see. Modder's get to work on a cool clock that mimick's Neil's bass drum and simply tie it into the pop bumper lights.

I'll hold onto many thousands of dollars and have a beautiful looking game! Full gameplay experience on the PRO? Absolutely.

Borg is Awesome! Happy Customer.

Not necessarily, but get what your saying..,
I’m a big Iron Maiden fan going back to the early Paul Di'anno years.
I had the money in my hand for the LE.
I turned it down purely based on the art.
It wasn’t org Maiden.
The Pro trooper art is awesome, close match.
Art took priority in this case for me.
I got lucky that the Pro is a winner also with no real mech PITA issues and plays fast.

Does floor of ramp light on pro?

I know on premium it has floor and the side walls appear to light as well.

From the video on the website of the Pro, the floor lights which is all that's needed for gameplay. The sides don't but it appears the ramp material is good quality, not plastic, it's etched and looks great.

Ramp (resized).JPG

Agree if the floor lights that’s perfect, someone on stream said no and didn’t sound right.

Pro ramp floor lights up, it’s in the feature list. This is an absolute no brainer with the pro IMO, the ramp going up/down is a negative IMO.

I'd 100% go pro with this. The brick into the time machine just damages your pinball and the vuk is nice but honestly doesnt add anything to the gameplay but a feed back to the flipper and the mod community CAN make a 3d printed ramp piece that feeds to a custom wireform to take the ball from that standup graze the deadend target and send the ball right to the inside inlane no joke it can be made. The only other add on is the lock behind drops which is cool but a damn stand up there hit twice does the same thing locking the one ball then hitting it again does lol. Its an easy pro for me... add a metal apron on the side for a premium game I dont have connected on, cut the correct size hole for the QR reader from the pro to fit my old premium apron... use new premium apron for Rush and powdercoat it to match the rest of my hardware and my rush pro is an awesome machine!

This is an example of a 3d printed ramp that could be molded into the standup to start the ball toward an added 180⁰ ramp that can be custom made to send the ball back to the inner inlane, thus achieving the same outcome as the vuk just less the coil! And the target sensor would be made when the ball rolls up the 3d printed ramp entry thats resting against the standup target.

Screenshot_20220107-225242_YouTube (resized).jpg

I actually like the LE art best but I just can't afford it.

Couldn’t you just tap a switch into that drop target wiring?

£12,495 for LE in UK GBP
Holy smokes
And yes, with it being foil i think it will really stand out.
28 units coming across the pond, I’d be surprised if they sell out immediately.