Hard to say, I'm sure the distributors bought em up. They COULD have sold more if they would have done it right. For me, lame ass new art and price made it a non purchase.

I have heard from my wallet that I can't afford a NIB game ever again.

It was going to be a no brainier for me. However, the price point made me reconsider and I won't be buying. While the art package didn't wow me, would have preferred amazing sm, it didn't dissuade me. It was the price point 100%. Too bad as I love the game and would have liked to own it.

Im curious how this will play out too. Price point was a bit higher than I expected.

I would of sent a check already had it been priced more like a pro. Though I like the new spidey very much it is tough to send that check when you see how much more of a pin you get with something like GOT premium for the same price. The upgrades on the Spidey VE are good though and keeps me on the fence. But, I don't think I am in.

I talked to a distributor about 3 days after it was announced publicly. They were allocated 15 games and had 3 left unsold. They were asking Stern for another 15.

Can't remember where I read it, but the article said it would be a run of 100 machines.

I think some people with whom money is no issue will buy it. I think for most of us, a new coat of paint isn't gonna make a 5k game a 7.5k game. I like the comic art, but I also like the original, and I'd save the 2.5k personally.

Only 100 games??? I thought someone said it reached it sales goal?? Talk about a low goal.

I'd have gone for it at $5600, maybe $6k if the art was better.

This game is being sold as a premium.

I think the real question is, how many TWD, Metallica, Star Trek, KISS, Mustang, GOT, and any other recent premiums were made of each?

I'm still holding out hope for an Indiana Jones VE with a whole new layout.

im in on one. I wanted a Spider-Man but didn't want to spend 5-6k on a 10 year old machine. At 6400 it's a much better deal then buying an old one. I figure they are selling 300 or so and that would be a great deal for stern.

Someone said about 8 in Australia sold as of about a week ago?

General sales have been "slow", partly due to after holidays slump, which is always common until "tax time" is over.
Ultimate production run is UNKNOWN, as it will based on demand.
My estimates are 500 or less at current interest.
Distributor preorders were tiny, in comparison to most other past Stern titles.

Looks like the VE will be the new LE. A bit like Luci.

Wait till you see the $500 topper they put out for it though!! A Plastic Spiderman with a few LED's and a coil that slowly moves him up and down. BUY NOW!

Based on the one person with real sounding info on this thread I would say it is doing well.

I have no idea however I hope it does well. I'm a fan of the VE's and hope they incorporate more into the future lineup. I hope the next VE is Tron. I mean MMr is a remake and aren't some other titles going to be added?

Don't skew the facts to make it feel better about buying one. A) SM's have been selling for $4500 to $5000. HUOs, in the 5200 range. B) the last run of spider man was late 2010, so it's barely a 5 year old machine. IMO, it's a much worse deal. And that's not even mentioning the clipart art package, the cheesy callouts and the reduction in parts (Goblin).

I personally do not think Stern would waste their time doing a run of only 100. They sell worldwide not just domestic. The larger distributors probably requested 10-20 units. I would "guestimate" at least 200 units were produced on first run and they sold out from Stern the day of the announcement. Demand will determine the timing of the next run.

I am not doubting that is what the dealer told you. But this is something I'd take with a grain of salt.

I was told by one distributer that XMLE was selling out quick and he might not be able to get me the Wolverine model since that was selling out, while in fact years later dealers still had both versions in inventory I was talking to one dealer 18 months after I got XMLE and they had 6 in stock a few of each.

It's like asking a barber if he thinks you need a haircut. What do you think he's going to say?

If a distributer ordered 15 and he sold only 2 (I'm just giving this as an example) and you call him. Do you think he'd say:
a) I ordered 15 and I only sold 2.
b) I ordered 15 which is almost sold out so I'm ordering another 15.

I'll bet you 99 out of 100 will say (b) because it creates the illusion that it's selling well and it's price is good.

I'm sure it's selling fine. It would have sold a lot better if they converted it over to spike and added rgb lighting though. You can't convince me that a $4500 game that was originally a pro is now $6500 because of new art, dots, and call outs. The armor and shaker are nice but not 2k nice. Full rgb is sort of Ritchie's signature now so I think they missed an opportunity. It would have flown off the shelves.

Agreed. The price point was a bit higher than I would consider a tad higher than a bit higher. The good news is Trs VE should come in at $3995 since it has one toy. I can't wait to see the new artwork with the stones ten years older.

I don't know if his facts are way off or not, I've seen a lot of people selling and have sold Spiderman originals for $5000 lately. That being said, you're being a little disingenuous towards the new model as well. The new animations on the DMD are phenomenal, I personally, and I know a lot of other people would rather have custom comic art rather than Photoshop actors faces all over the game and it's not like they used to do in the past where they went out and bought prefabricated toys and slap them on the game. There are also all new custom molded toys. Not to mention the game had to be completely recoded. If you can get a good deal on the current one, I don't see where it's that much of an overspend compared to other premiums that are being put out.

I have to agree with you guys on the price point comments on this one. I bought my original SM Red back in January, 2011 and it was $5,100 shipped and that was from Automated! No way inflation has increased nearly 50% since that time. I guarantee a Lexus, Acura, or BMW that were $40K in 2011 aren't $60K now.

This. I've never been told by a distributor a game wasn't selling well. I made a couple calls about WWE to a couple distributors when it was announced and they indicated the LE sales were strong for that title at the time. Obviously proven to not be true.

Your not holding your parked

correct.

Well said and this also creates the illusion that if you procrastinate then you might miss out (especially on the LE's). I don't blame the distributors though when people are lining up to send money for every new stern title.

Im still kinda on the fence myself. I like it but...........

Im torn. On the one hand, feels like it's overpriced and may be a great lesson for Stern - You cant charge whatever you want and expect great sales. On the flip side, the more it sells, people can eventually get one at a lower price in the secondary market.

I actually like it. Just not sure I want it more than GOT premium and I can't have both.

I think where Stern messed up was calling this a VE instead of an LE. If they would have limited it to 300 units and put in a numbered plaque people would say they were under pricing it since its lower production than a Spiderman black and has more unique dots and sounds. As it stands they'll likely sell less then 300 units and have people complain that it's overpriced.

I'm guessing SMVE is $6,500 shipped. I'm guessing HUO SM is $5,000 + shipping = $5,400.

Adjustments to SM to compare value:
Add $300 for shaker and armor to SM = $5,700
Add $500 because SM is used (1,000 or more plays), no warranty, etc = $6,200
Add $300 because there is no risk of a seller deceiving condition = $6,500
Add $200 because I spend no time looking and waiting and hoping = $6,700
Add $200 because I have more risk of freight damage / insurance collection = $6,900
Add $300 for better artwork = $7,200

As you can see, for me SMVE is the better choice. Certainly you will place different values on these adjustments.

I agree with most of that. I think if they would of added color changing RGB then it the price would of been no problem. I still like it and it's a proven layout for some good pinball fun. I also like that it is very approachable when non-pinheads stop over. They always like spidey.

-400 buy it local
-300 bs deception logic
-200 because chasing a pin is fun
-200 buy local... no freight damage

I think you're trying a little too hard to justify this for yourself.

Anyone who think this will end up selling less than 500 when all is said and done is kidding themselves.

Warranty? You mean the Stern help desk? It's not like a technician will come out. Youre better off buying it used because you can see exactly what youre getting and let someone else work out the kinks.

NIB is a mystery. Most are good, some have issues.

Who said that?

Australia has been allocated 28 machines.
That would seem to indicate a 300 machine run world-wide.

One thing that's not being accounted for in these discussions is depreciation. The HUO original at 5k has been a steady if not increasing price point. How much on the secondary market is a 6400 VE going to sell for? So all things considered if you are someone who rotates their collection which game is a better value for the exact same game play? If the VE is your lifelong grail pin and you'll be buried in it, then maybe I can see buying one. But I just believe that otherwise Stern missed the price point for this pin by a mile.

In all fairness to the price, come on you see plenty of older pins that are close to decades old selling way above what you could have bought them for when they are new. If this doesn't work for some due to price, etc so what! I think it's great to have this option, and if this isn't your cup of tea, good news plenty of more options coming in 2016. These new options are going to force some great pins to be sold in the marketplace because most of us only have so much room. SMVE your getting new, and know it's a great game, great theme, with rock solid code. Look at some newer pins and the LE price, and add the uncertainty of the code, yikes.

I beg to differ, the new VE looks like shit. I don't like the new look of hulk, or wait that's green goblin, steroided anorexic bug eyed Spiderman, and it's just photoshopped clip art as well. Opinions are like assholes and you know the rest.

ironman vault would be limited run too... they're still available and they did several runs... I guess the spiderman vault will be available for quite a while too... Looking forward to play one...

what a load of crap...

If you want to buy a SMVE I'm super happy for you. But wow are you stretching assumptions to justify the purchase and comparable value.

Anyone care to discuss gameplay features relating to success of the model, instead of badging, armor, Zizzle art?

Almost always when playing SM, the Goblin is the limiting factor to progress. When I'm almost to EB, it's always Unity Day which I need. When it's Battle Royale, it's always Suffer the Children, etc.

The physical response from the Goblin mech validating a hit is SO important to gameplay for me, particularly when the target lights are scrolling, knowing that you got a hit and it counted while also trying to keep a MB active and maximize your other shots, not having to look up, look at the screen, or decipher a certain note from the stacked feature sounds blasting. A great toy? No! A very useful feature? Yes!

Removing that $5 coil/mech is pure and utter stupidity, to me. Everything else is subjective, but to detract from established gameplay features by cheapening out on such an inexpensive mech is pretty unforgivable and beyond argument to me.

You can argue if it looks Zizzle art or not, whether the new sculpts are cool, whether the price is worth it, etc.....but you can't really argue that the physical response from a Goblin hit being removed is a downgrade. Period.

That said, it's a fresh new package of a tried and true game which shoots like a dream, so it'll obviously sell decent. Since all the art is just cut n paste from Ultimate Spider-man, nothing original, and the only changes are some dots/sounds, it's pure profit for Stern. They can change the line like changing their pants, so they're literally banking after probably 10 machines run off the line. It's already a success for Stern, but I wonder with all these VE's and xxx-R's whether it's good for the secondary market long term (which does trickle back to affect Stern's market). Time will tell.

I'd personally like to see more Onward and Upward, rather than the guys at Stern/PPS looking around at the secondary market and saying "Hmmmm, collectors are still paying solid money for that old game....let's go back and remake it!" Ehhh, why not let the secondary used market thrive unmolested and just concentrate on trying to make new great pinball machines and innovations?

I posted how I value the stuff - everyone is different. Looks like your numbers put SM at $6,100 with adjustments. That's about where they are.

Local to me SM machines that are HUO and priced correctly and seen by me has happened once and I didn't see it soon enough to buy. Could be years. . .wish that were different, but very poor chance of ever owning if I wait for local.

Are you getting one then? SM has great code, no matter which way you go.

Have you ever looked at an original SM? It doesn't have actors faces all over the game, they are on about 5 plastics, they aren't on the playfield, translight or cabinet.

And if you think that art on the VE is custom comic art you need to google ultimate spiderman. It will be quite obvious that the art on the VE is nothing more than photoshop clip art.

I don't care if people prefer the VE over the original, that's great but using total bs to justify why the VE is 'better' is ridiculous.