Yes the castle and even skeletor seem like the reference point for the artist. I grew up on he-man so maybe that is why the draw is so strong

Greyskull/Doggystyle can't decide

I wasn’t interested in this game at all, but I just spent some time on this thread and I have to admit, it does look pretty cool. I love the artwork and playfield toys. I may have to consider it.

I enjoyed playing this beauty at york. All this talk about clunkfest is bs. If you can't hit the shots your not to good at pinball. But that's ok, cuz if you put one in your gameroom you'll get better. If one were available to take home it woulda left with me.

Trying to decide on upgrades and making the decision between the Monster Mirrors or the interior cabinet decals for the sides.... Any opinions/recommendations?

Exactly, that's the definition of "clunky". You suck at playing that game and can't hit the shots.

If you want a boring F ing ramp fest buy SM or AC/DC and hit easy ramp shots and orbits all day long.

TWD is "clunky", until its not, until you get better by playing it!

Get that line moving Spooky! Want #161 in house.

I went with interior cabinet decals. I love mirror blades, but the artwork on the decals is cool and really fits the theme and rest of the art in the game. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the update! Could you by chance post a picture of the side artwork as I don't think I've seen pictures of it posted

Just look on the sides.

c73a6ebc5f878ca414c41007ec6a6b3d2d7e261b (resized).jpg

I always like side art, as mirror blades just increase how blinded I get when light effects / flashers go off.

I think it's easier to install mirror-blades after the fact, if you change your mind later.

Decals! IMO spooky theme like this needs spooky art.

Do we have any idea of productions numbers (standard and buttered) yet?

I like the decals too - fit the game perfectly

I also got to play at York last weekend for the first time. First impression was how different the castle looks in person compared to a stream. The thing is massive and looks amazing! Animations are great. Screen doesn't look washed out like TNA, yet still is angled down a bit. Being 6'3" the score was partially blocked by the upper lip of the speaker panel, but I'm just nit-picking. So many shots! Flipper feel was awesome! Posts didn't bother me at all. Yes, I ordered it sight unseen, and no regrets at all! So loaded, looks like a great value too.

Can we get a tagged post of all the upgrades and prices? I'm way to lazy to go through 4214 posts...

PinballSTAR's pricing & addon list:

Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle - $ 6,450 (requires $1000 Deposit at time of order)

Add ons and Upgrades

Knocker and Shaker Motor Kits - AVAILABLE FROM PINBALL LIFE. Order from Pinball Life, have them sent directly to Spooky and give them your game number to denote on the shipment,
- $ 25 covers installation of both kits.
Knocker link: https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4208
Shaker kit link: https://www.pinballlife.com/index.php?p=product&id=4705

5 Piece Plastic Protector Set - $ 25

Interior cabinet Graveyard Decals - $ 65
Mirror Blades - $ 85

Scary Blue Powder Coat - $ 125
Our standard Silver Vein is stock, jazz it up a notch with some shiny deep blue scary goodness !

Butter Edition cabinet. - What is this? Our own recipe ! Cabinets are hand dipped in rich colored inks (no decals), rolled in automotive clear coat protection, and buffed to shiny delicious perfection. - $ 1,000

Operators - Bill acceptor coin door is a $20 upgrade. Coin mechs are $8 each. Coin box and lid are $25.

More info: https://pinside.com/pinball/market/classifieds/ad/62531

Also worth noting: shipping isn't included in that price, and I may vary based on where you live. I paid $350 in shipping on my TNA to North Carolina.

Do we know what # we are up to?

I still think fairly low. #11 was talking about putting their money down (on FB) and Spooky said VERY soon. If you watch the TNA, they are getting up there in #s. It’s definitely been slower than they liked, but I’m guessing that once TNA is done...which should be soon, they will crank on ACNC. Still behind, but soooo worth the end product IMHO.

Getting a straight answer on production has been elusive, to say the least.

I was told yesterday that buttered cabs are 'scheduled to run in a couple weeks' but who knows... Between this and JJP POTC, it has seriously been the most difficult time I have ever had spending this amount of money!

Sounds like you received an answer yesterday.
Does the orders that include the butter cab have to be paid in full earlier? I've never heard that, but you've mentioned being paid up now for a while.

One Alice left today for Expo another is waiting for the truck to come pick it up today. There are 3 more that will be ready to go Mon/Tue. And we just started another round of cabinets being brought in to start the next ones.

The butter game he is refering to was bought from a distributor not us. I don't ask for money till its almost ready to ship.

So what number left today? Just curious where you are.

RebelGuitars

Yes, as KT has mentioned, we bought through a Canadian Distributor and have paid in full with the Distributor. He passed along the 'starting in a couple of weeks' update.

I'm not upset, just disappointed, to be clear. This is a $13,000 game after upgrades and currency conversion. We are supporting a great small company and would just like to receive updates, even a quick weekly update like above would be AWESOME!

SpookyCharlie How about these numbers are on the line, or these numbers are getting shipped this week. Can we start seeing these kinds of updates so we can avoid speculation on timing? I'm pretty anxious like everyone else to get my hands on this game and a simple update like that would go a long way and probably keep pesky folks like me from bugging you guys with phone calls and emails.

Ditto!

I kinda wonder if they are secretive on numbers because sometimes they aren’t linear (butter cabs, distros who order more than one, etc). Pinsiders would be losing their minds if they felt their numbers were skipped over. Spooky will make good. I have watched them from the beginning and they are good people, that put the customer first...just be patient.

Yes. They do give previous buyers priority. So probably other considerations as well. This is only reasonable IMO. I just want to get my game (#330) by June 2019 because that is when most of my family and friends come to visit, but whatever.

I completely agree that they are great people with a commitment to this hobby. This could a concern but would easily be addressed through updates (transparency). KT said that Buttered cabs were a separate run for instance, I had no idea when we ordered this upgrade that this was the case. Why was it not communicated that it would be a separate run and would only start after production was well underway? I've mentioned in a previous thread, if this is an option that requires a non-refundable payment, to have it started earlier, then request it. I would have had no problem pre-paying for it to have been started weeks ago. As I've mentioned before, no where has it been mentioned that they would not start the production of buttered cabs until commitment was made and would further delay production.

Why not simply communicate this information from the start? They know what is being currently produced, number wise and what the reason is behind it. Send out a Friday afternoon update and BAM! done.

Again, I have to say that this market is unlike any other. The manufacturers have opened their doors, starting with the their show/expo reveals and we are in, some all-in right from day one. All that most of us would like are updates. Not evasive, read between the line type of responses but actual updates on where they/we are at.

Just watch what happens at expo over the next few days. Company 'X' comes out with pin 'Y' and are looking to the community for interest and commitment, hoping that many will purchase. That is great but in 2018 we are now almost instantly connected and are asking to be part of the build/ship process. Please realize that I/we are not trying to be disrespectful here, just wanting to know where we are at. We've committed and don't think that it is too much to ask. Take your time, get things right, and let us know where you are at with production. Issues arise and we will all get through it. Everyone wins in the end.

Thank you once again, Spooky Team, we are forever grateful for your contribution to this wonderful hobby!

The game simply isn't (or wasn't) ready to ship to home customers ... or none that didn't want a frustrating experience, or who weren't willing to fix stuff and submit a load of feedback. That's pretty obvious. Spooky should probably have been more open about that, but for anyone who's actually followed the thread, they're hardly hiding it either.

I don't see why people are trying to find a new answer every week, when it's been the same for a while.

Hopefully most of the physical issues are put to bed on games coming off the line, and it appears software updates have now gone out, even if there's a load of stuff to add and fix still.

Sending out home games with major software and frustrating hardware issues would be really foolish, so they appear to have made the right decision, even if it is taking a while.

Spooky doesn't owe us anything as far as numbers. They've been great with communication and answering questions, but to ask for specific numbers every week.... what are you, their accountant? We get it, you want your game. But other things come first. Mainly 1) TNA and 2) quality. If you got your Alice and it had a flurry of issues you'd be asking why they rushed it!!!

^^^This

^^^And this

Having bought a TNA I was well prepared for a decent wait time. Once the line gets rolling I'm sure pinsiders will post what number they are and when they receive or get billed. I know it will be worth the wait after playing it last weekend! My main reason for wanting to know where they're at is to make sure I have funds lined up.

I am certain this is at the issue - tons of moving parts (#'s, butter, distributors) and they are managing production of a limited run game and one that is unlimited, both with equal priority to the customers waiting on them... In my view, Spooky has always been very straight-forward in their direct emails and more importantly, have never left anyone I know hanging (I have an RZ) and eventually always come through. My guess also, and this is just a guess, but regarding the situation with @dnaman - Charlie needs distributors for his business but would prefer that they NOT take all your money before he asks that distributor for the money but he cant say that to you without shafting the distributor.

He has been very up front in all the posts: He longs for the day he does not even have to take a deposit but only takes full payment once your game is ready (or close to ready). Would Gary Stern himself ever get on these threads with updates?... and we all know the Heighway and Dutch, etc. stories, many here on Pinside lost their deposits or got broken games with no one to turn to... I think this is simply a patience game and I am happy sitting at #420 while the kinks are worked out early. They will get better and better because they are "all in" on this and business is finally very good for them. If we love this hobby, games aside, then we ALL want them to make it. After playing AC in Fort Wayne i was blown away - AC to them will be what WOZ was to JJp. Just my 2 cents...

I agree with your thoughts - but I think TNA is a limited game and will stop at 550 as Charlie mentioned.

As for deposits - I think they are a necessary evil for their model. It isn’t as much about cash flow as it is about keeping the production flow consistent. Otherwise KT would be managing the buyer list all day long because of fickle pin buyers/flippers/squatters moving off/on the list.

Below is cut and pasted from the letter to customers of Heighway pinball, from Andrew Heighway:

"I am truly sorry to hear about the turn of events announced today.
In June 2017 I sold my controlling stake in Heighway Pinball Limited – including its commitments and liabilities – to a group of investors who claimed to want to put significant funds into the company, achieve mass production and deliver part-paid and fully-paid games to customers, as well as new machine sales.

Throughout the five years that I ran the company, we developed and sold games up until the time of my departure. This was never a ponzi scheme, as some have suggested. A mix of technical problems, supplier quality problems and unrealistic timeframes resulted in delays that financially crippled the company. We were all committed to delivering games to all paying customers. I personally apologise for the unrealistic timeframes."

Note "timeframes" mentioned twice. Charlie ain't gonna make this same mistake (we hope) and thus is very careful what he and Kayte communicate....

13k that is sickening. Sorry to hear this.

He means C$.

Though that is still nearly $10k.

Is it possible that Spooky's subs have day jobs and therefore don't sit awaiting one off pinball related orders that can be delivered lightning quick? If so, I would not get into numbers if I was Spooky Charlie. For example if the butter vendor only does a run (or a "mess" for those of you from IL) vs a one off to justify ceasing other jobs or taking an employee off line. If the butter cab orders are #5, 27, 49, 77, etc. that would leave Charlie the option of sitting cabs in the shop for potentially weeks taking up space and risking damage just to keep the line 100% sequential. Then heaven forbid the wrong pinsider finds out #49 shipped before #48.... internet meltdown.

That is mostly correct. The butter cabinets are done in batches. I'm not sure in the number, but let's say its 10. That means if game number 1, 8, 28, 40, 72, 90, 110, 140, 150, 166 are butter cabinets, then all of those will get done at once. It's also done when the cabinets are ready. If the line is on game 65 and the butter cabinets are ready, then the butter games will get done. If you are number 1 you might be waiting a while, but if you are number 150, then technically you are getting your game early.

Hope that makes sense.

Had a great time playing ACNC last night at pinball madness in So.Cal. I would be pretty happy if I had this in my lineup.

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I had a chance to play Alice Cooper both at Pinball Life and Pinball Expo. I have one on order and I'm looking forward to having it. The shots are tight, but after a few games, you can start to dial in and get better at hitting them. At Expo, I was actually able to hear what was going on and really liked the sound. The Frankenstein mode is pretty cool. The only issue I noticed was the ball was getting stuck behind the drop target on the lower playfield. I could see the drop target twitch, like it was trying to drop but wasn't able to. I didn't notice this issue at the Pinball Life Alice Cooper, so it may be a game specific tweak that is needed. Overall, fun game.

No need for a meltdown. You completely misread my previous posts apparently.

There was no initial indication or communication as to what to expect for butter cabs for instance. Communication to state that these cabs are not readied in advance, in any quantity, and have to be made, cured etc... and that this doesn't start until X date, and would eventually be run in separate batches would be all be useful information. Doesn't sound unreasonable when this is a $1000USD option.

I had also asked on a number of occasions if it would be possible to show what the options looked like prior to selecting them for our pin. I was specifically interested in the blue PC and if it was possible to see a nice picture with proper lighting. Nothing...

This is clearly a, I say white and you say black type of situation so let's just agree to disagree.

Nope, not me. Can’t wait for ACNC...but will be patient. This will be an epic game.

Is that a big spider on top of the back box? It looks like a cool topper idea. Just install some red led eyes in it. Cheap.

Yes that’s a spiderand the eyes would flash red on and off, wouldn’t be the worst topper.