They were keeping the lights on barely by selling nicely featured games at $3800 NIB. Now they are selling stripped games for $5000-$15000 at much a greater number of sales. Of course they have a new larger facility, but that is to support the massive increase in sales! The math is fairly easy.

You are literally paying $1500 for different (not necessarily better) art, some slightly fancier rails, and two extra translights that will be left in the box! Not even an $80 shaker or Stern's invisiglass/PDI thrown in!! It's kinda comical really.

The pf art on AP just might be the worst all time. A 4 year old could do a better job. Someone had to be fired over that artwork...I mean, right?

I've owned a lot of Sterns over the years...they have all been incredibly reliable. My issues have really only been a ton of the Stern flipper buzzing (fairly easy to fix), my SM has some minor ghosting on a couple arrow inserts, and my LOTR registration was pretty bad (which I got a replacement pf sent to me that was slightly better but still not great, LOL). Still, Sterns are pretty rock solid. They are much more reliable than my Bally/Williams games I've owned. Granted, I haven't bought a recent Stern offering...not sure where/when the quality declined or if it is really as widespread as it seems to be, but can't deny that their games are incredibly stripped of features these days.