An utter disgrace. I’m done with backing anything on any crowd funding site.
(Topic ID: 171152)
You'd think if the book is almost finished and ready to ship (as they claimed they've be done by Christmas) they'd be increasing their online presence, not disappearing. Color me surprised.
Quoted from cooked71:F*ck Paperflock. F*ck Stern.
I'd be pissed at the guys running the project, but while those guys were futzing around wasting our money Stern in the meantime gave us Jurassic Park, Deadpool, Elvira, Iron Maiden, etc.
So I'm not going to stay TOO mad at Stern over having chosen the wrong partner here...
Quoted from ausretrogamer:An utter disgrace. I’m done with backing anything on any crowd funding site.
Kickstarter management are union busters, too. After that was revealed in September I stopped using Kickstarter all together.
So if kickstarter suspended paperflock, that would imply they acknowledge impropriety. Is it possible they could issue refunds? And what of sterns responsibility here. They”partnered”, in their own words, with paperflock on this. Dont they have an obligation to make this right?
Warwick, RI
Quoted from Phat_Jay:So if kickstarter suspended paperflock, that would imply they acknowledge impropriety. Is it possible they could issue refunds? And what of sterns responsibility here. They”partnered”, in their own words, with paperflock on this. Dont they have an obligation to make this right?
As far as I can tell Kickstarter has not suspended Paperflock, that it their company website that has been suspended. I don't think I have ever been to their site, not sure why it would be suspended but most likely they did not pay their site renewal fee.
Quoted from Nelly:Screw it. I just upped my pledge from $75 to the ZY LE spot at $225 to push it over 50k. It's a go now guys!!
REALLY wishing I hadn't done this now. Sorry guys. 
Quoted from Nelly:REALLY wishing I hadn't done this now. Sorry guys.
you weren't the only one, I did the very same thing and have been kicking myself ever since
I really wish that a lawyer would have backed this as well and put joe and co. in his sights for a class action suit
Quoted from MinusWorlds:So pre-ordering for a pinball isn't bad enough now we have to have a Kickstarter for a Stern book? Is this a joke, this has to be a f*cking joke. Does Stern pay for anything with their own money?
eyyyyyyyy
Someone (calling MrBally) please find some more photos of Joe and the interns spending our money at various tropical locations--at least I can see where the last of the $ went.
Sydney
Quoted from cait001:I'd be pissed at the guys running the project, but while those guys were futzing around wasting our money Stern in the meantime gave us Jurassic Park, Deadpool, Elvira, Iron Maiden, etc.
So I'm not going to stay TOO mad at Stern over having chosen the wrong partner here...
Nup, F*ck Stern.
Instead of doing the right thing and funding a book about themselves and then offering it for sale, like normal companies do, they took the cheap-ass option and outsourced it to a fraudulent bunch of amateurs and then actively promoted it in order to secure pre-order money from they’re loyal customers.
Stern are 100% on the hook here. It was the time of peak arrogance at Stern when they began asking customers to apply for the right to buy a $15k Batman 66 SLE and asked the same loyal customers to pay to attend their own (lame) birthday party at Expo.
F*ck Stern.
Quoted from cooked71:Nup, F*ck Stern.
Ok that is a rather compelling argument. They definitely should have done it in-house.
that and the fact that stern has distanced themselves from the project so far that they don't even mention it. if it was "officially licensed", that would mean that stern took money from paperflock as well (but probably got their cut up front)
Quoted from cooked71:Sorry, probably a bit of an overreaction.
It's hard for things online to come across as sincere sometimes, but I was absolutely being sincere. I think you raise good points.
I only quoted the "F*ck Stern" part to summarize the sentiment, not to be snarky at all
Maybe a bunch of us need to reach out to Stern and give them the chance to make it right. If not, we will share our story with the local news in Chicago? I’m sure they don’t want bad press.
I heard, from someone at Stern, that the book is still in the works. So I think we will eventually get it.....
Quoted from KLR2014:I heard, from someone at Stern, that the book is still in the works. So I think we will eventually get it.....
Then someone’s full of shit and doesn’t know what the fuck they’re talking about. If Stern actually gave a shit they would’ve said something by now.
Quoted from KLR2014:I heard, from someone at Stern, that the book is still in the works. So I think we will eventually get it.....
Yeah......they'll just release a book for sale and tell you where you can go to buy it! That wouldn't surprise me in the least.
I enjoy reading the first pages of comments where people we're lambasted for being skeptical because Stern wasn't using their own funds for this book.
Project Update #42: Keeping the Ball Alive: 30 Years of Stern Pinball by PaperFlock Inc
It's been a long road but the end is in sight at last! As we roll into Thanksgiving week, we have much to be thankful for, first and foremost all of you!
Our gratitude doesn't stop there. Thanks to Robert Berk, Roper Fuentes, and a few wonderful Kickstarter backers and their rare machines, we’ve been able to document a couple more of our final games, bringing the missing tally down to…
The final Four!
1. Jurassic Park - Lost World
2. NFL
3. Sharkey’s Shootout
4. NBA
We are actively seeking these final games and have personally reached out to collectors with these last remaining games to round out the complete collection. Video Amusement in San Francisco has been kind enough to allow us to visit and shoot their NBA and NFL games the second week of December. While in the area we are looking to also connect with collectors who have Sharky's Shootout and Jurassic Park - Lost World. Messages have been sent to anyone in the the Bay Area and Sacramento asking if we might gain access to document these final pins.
In design news, we’ve completed the “How It’s Made” section and now have ALL chapters completed we have content for: The Foreward, Story, Data East era, Sega era, Stern era and the Building of a Pinball Machine. We have printed our first full size set of color match proofs, and brought all 240 pages to Stern last week for a sit down and review. Feed back and first impressions from everyone was immensely positive and we are already well into another full pass through the book to finalize each page for the second set of printed proofs after the final games pages are added.
Leading up to our next shoot we are moving on to the credits, acknowledgements, and finally the table of contents. When all this is complete we will have a final in-person review with Stern and then move on to the printing presses! Dust jacket editions are also in the works and will be printed ahead of the physical books in order to allow time for all the signatures to be completed. Other rewards are either currently in production or will be soon so everything will be ready to go at the same time as the book.
Thank you again for your patience and support. We could not have done this without you and we can’t wait for you all to get these in your hands!!
Happy Thanksgiving!
- Dameon & Joe, and the Paperflock Team
So their website is still dead and they've added another pin to the list of pins left to photograph from 77 days ago? Mmmm hmmm.
Warrington
Quoted from PinMonk:So their website is still dead and they've added another pin to the list of pins left to photograph from 77 days ago? Mmmm hmmm.
It’s simply more delay tactics, I can find 3 of those games here in the U.K. without much trouble at all, there have been 2 lost worlds on eBay recently they are not hard to find, complete BS!
Quoted from J85M:It’s simply more delay tactics!
This, over and fucking over again.
These guys are such morons. In 2 minutes I just looked up these 4 titles on Pinside:
Sharkey's Shootout: 71 pinsiders, 54 public locations
Lost World: 79 Pinsiders, 29 public locations
NFL: 17 pinsiders, 5 public locations
NBA: 17 pinsiders, 29 public locations
Of course, they haven't been on Pinside since they stopped raising money, so they'd never realize this information was just sitting here and they could have got this done 2 years ago.
What gets me is Joe says that Stern is signing off on all this--yet Stern seems to disavow any involvement. Hmmm...
My understanding with Stern and Paperflock has always been this way.
Stern were approached by 2 guys wanting to make a coffee table book. Gary and employees agreed to help advertise the book because it's about pinball and Stern. They also agreed to help them out in whatever way they could by providing them with historical data, interviews, etc.
Outside of that Stern Stern figures they have their hands free. This being said they go back to Stern for approvals so technically it's a joint agreement. I asked Gary Stern and other employees about this book. You can read my previous posts. They have no idea the book is being made. I have another theory and that is they did the interviews such a long time ago they forgot the book is being made. The PR department know that something is being made but like all the other projects they have going this stuff takes time they figure.
It's a complete mess. They mention Data East, Sega then boom modern Stern. What about Stern Electronics however? I thought I recall them mentioning Meteor? My other Kickstarters are starting to go to Blu-Ray discs soon and I should get another book I pre-ordered soon with Savini signing it himself which is another coffee table style book: https://aminkpublishing.com/shop?olsPage=products%2Fsavini-limited-first-edition
Quoted from hool10:My understanding with Stern and Paperflock has always been this way.
Stern were approached by 2 guys wanting to make a coffee table book. Gary and employees agreed to help advertise the book because it's about pinball and Stern. They also agreed to help them out in whatever way they could by providing them with historical data, interviews, etc.
Outside of that Stern Stern figures they have their hands free. This being said they go back to Stern for approvals so technically it's a joint agreement. I asked Gary Stern and other employees about this book. You can read my previous posts. They have no idea the book is being made. I have another theory and that is they did the interviews such a long time ago they forgot the book was being made. The PR department know that something is being made but like all the other projects they have going this stuff takes time they figure.
It's a complete mess. They mention Data East, Sega then boom modern Stern. What about Stern Electronics however? I thought I recall them mentioning Meteor?
I'd 100% rather buy an SEI book.
Quoted from hool10:What about Stern Electronics however? I thought I recall them mentioning Meteor?
different company
Quoted from cait001:different company
Eh true. I was curious and looked it up. So essentially SEI was sold to DE then DE was sold to Sega. Finally Sega pinball division was sold to Gary Stern creating Stern Pinball. Sort of this crazy circle.
Where did you look that up? It should say that Stern Electronics was liquidated. Data East Pinball was started as a fresh company.
.................David Marston
Quoted from ausretrogamer:No book under our Christmas tree this year. Maybe next Christmas :-/[quoted image]
Haha, I initially read that as "Keeping the Bull Alive" and thought you made a joke ornament.
Quoted from PinMonk:Haha, I initially read that as "Keeping the Bull Alive" and thought you made a joke ornament.
Lol. Unfortunately the joke is on all of us backers 
Quoted from ausretrogamer:No book under our Christmas tree this year. Maybe next Christmas :-/[quoted image]
Ahh...who needs a book after getting such an heirloom of an ornament.
Quoted from ausretrogamer:No book under our Christmas tree this year. Maybe next Christmas :-/[quoted image]
quit teasing me with an ornament that I never received (and apparently, I wasn't alone)
any takers on if they'll actually deliver a book in 2020?
Quoted from j_m_:quit teasing me with an ornament that I never received (and apparently, I wasn't alone)
any takers on if they'll actually deliver a book in 2020?
Oh man, I’m sorry It’s a crappy ornament that I’d forgotten about till I accidentally stumbled upon when clearing out old paperwork.
As for 2020, I guarantee they’ll have more excuses (like changing the Stern’s 35th anniversary part) that will just keep pushing out the timeline.
Quoted from ausretrogamer:As for 2020, I guarantee they’ll have more excuses (like changing the Stern’s 35th anniversary part) that will just keep pushing out the timeline.
Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Stern's 40th is so close now...
1 week later
Überherrn
Quoted from Billy16:Maybe the book would get done faster if Joe only hired male interns...
He's an equal opportunity publisher....
A34743985ty (resized).jpgjkh69347685 (resized).jpgQuoted from hool10:My Tom Savini coffee table book arrived just in time for Christmas! It's a really nice book and high quality. Still waiting on that Stern book....or an update.....
Cool! Did you see the Rick Baker book that came out recently?
Quoted from JoeDP:There is an estimated delivery date. May of 2017. There is a personal guarantee from us, and a professional guarantee from Stern that the book will be published.
March 12, 2019:
And now we have a test print of all of our pages to date! Finally, Jeremy (Zombie Yeti) has been working with us on the art for the other incentives, which should be ready to send to print / manufacture before the end of this month!
May 6, 2019:
We think it will take another month or two to get this book to where we are happy with it and ready to send to the printer. We base this estimate on the time it has taken us to rework what we have done so far and what we believe it will take to complete the remaining layouts.
Sept 9, 2019:
Either way, our pledge to you is that we will have this book done before the end of this year! No matter what! We know you have waited. We know it has been a long road, (believe us, we’ve been on that road, too)! And we know you want and deserve a great book. So we pledge to make this book amazing and get it done before the end of the year!
I'm not even commenting other than reposting their words.
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