Any chance you could share where you heard about BM66 needing lane protectors? I am pretty interested as I have a deposit down on an LE but if the ramp flaps over half of catwomans head are not rectified and lane protectors are needed then I will be dropping out for 10k I expect almost perfect not almost good enough.

That was kind of my point, when you want to charge these prices, the quality has to reflect it otherwise people will bail, I for one will happily miss out on BM66 and any other dream theme.

I've found the best thing to do recently is buy older NIB Stern titles if you want or need that fresh pin fix! You know exactly what your getting in regards to code, build quality, fixes and their cheaper than current NIBs pins from Stern.

I am a Stern fan and have been a big supporter of theirs over the years and through the lean times, like a lot of us here! And I am in on a BM66 but if certain small issues and attention to detail are ignored by Stern I will reluctantly pull out, for 10k I except a certain level of quality in the finish and attention to detail that they have been lacking on their standard releases recently.

At the end of the day I think we all just want Stern to up there game so we can all feel more comfortable with any minor price increases, there is no one here that doesn't want Stern to continue thriving but at the same time as customers we need a certain level of that respect and desire to be mutual and for us to be given quality products that feel as though we are getting value and are valued customers at current price points.

Heighway Pinball?

Alien looks pretty well made from what has been shown so far, the playfields alone look like glass, far better than some of the dull clearcoats I've seen from Stern.

I am 30 and none of my friends who are around my age really care that much for my pins when they are round, they might have the odd play while we are kicking our heels waiting for others to arrive or a taxi but that's about it, two of them brought a pin each but sold them within a couple of months of having them, because "they didn't do enough" compared to tablets, smartphones, digital tv with game centres etc.

I hope I am wrong but it feels like Stern especially are maybe getting as much money in the bank as they can to either sell up or simply preparing for the bubble to burst and dark ages of pinball to return again, this continual price gouging is not something a business does if they want longevity, its usually done to make the books thicker in preparation for a sale or a goodbye, hope I am wrong.

Oh I do man I enjoy life, doing as much as I can but one of those things that makes me smile just so happens to be pinball. I grew out of computer games (the entertainment of my generation) but pinball still puts a smile on my face. I was actually reading RGP years ago when I was younger, my old man used to post on those forums and I used to sit and read with him so I have seen some of the old threads, that place had more drama than pinside LOL.

My point was that I am to some on these forums part of the next generation that is often referred to and a few of my friends are the generation after me, I have my friends with kids who are the next generation after them etc and no one really cares all that much for pinball, as you said its a niche, which is all well a good when you have one maybe two manufacturers fighting over that market but how much longer can this niche market support the emergence of more and more new companies brining more titles than ever to the market? while pricing are on the up and up? Higher and higher prices is simply another way to put off the up and coming generations to even consider giving pinball a try when they already feel a PS4 at $300 and a xbox one at another $300 plus games at $50 a pop are already superior.

Bumping up prices on games already off the production line and shipped out to distributors is ridiculous

I agree with you, but I think the effect we are seeing on private sale prices is in direct relation to new pin prices.

If the sellers of older pins are looking to purchase a NIB then they probably need to make a little extra cash on the game/s they are selling to then spend on a newer game, which are now priced higher, baring in mind there are more new games to choose from, being offered by more manufacturers than ever so the temptation is far greater to get a shiny fresh smelling NIB.

I wouldn't rule out that some of the sales prices out there are out of greed, but I would bet a larger percentage are trying to sell on older titles at higher prices to afford newer games which are priced higher than ever.

They all make pins?

I honestly don't see how price increases of a luxury non essential item in a niche market can compare to those of a product that is constantly in demand, used daily by billions and that the worlds infrastructure is built around/dependant on, unless I have totally missed the point, and it was a late night last night so there is every chance

As people get priced out of the latest and greatest they more than likely look around and stumble across greats from the past. As NIB prices continue to rise, unfortunately so will older titles from all previous eras.

I am in the same position I certainly won't be cashing out, especially since I've just rebuilt my collection following some hard times.

But after BM66 I don't think I'll be buying anymore NIB from Stern or JPP as I don't feel they are worth the ever rising price tags especially when compared to say Alien @ just under 2/3 the price of a Stern premium.

But when it comes to the pinball addition it's best to never say never.

Here you go, I literally just posted in it so had it handy

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/homepin-official-thread-pinball-parts-machine-progress/page/4#post-3501111

That's probably what they are hoping we think, each time they do it

The 5 steps of life on pinside