(Topic ID: 229766)

Stern Star Trek Pro Vs. Jurassic Park At $3,500.

By SantaEatsCheese

5 years ago


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“Which machine would be better for a one pin house and at $3,500?”

  • Stern Star Trek Pro 118 votes
    91%
  • Data East Jurassic Park 12 votes
    9%

(130 votes)

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#1 5 years ago

I have the budget and space for one machine at the moment. I have the opportunity to buy a lightly used Stern Star Trek Pro from a friend or a freshly refurbished Jurassic Park at $3,500 each.

Star Trek Pro:
Pro: Deeper Ruleset, Wife Loves Theme, Great Sound, Replay Value, Great Deal at $3,500, 20 minute drive to get, bulletproof.
Cons: Not as kid friendly for a 2,4,and 7 year old. Price will go down before it goes up.

Jurassic Park:
Pro: "Cooler Furniture", Best toy in pinball, will likely never be remade and will go up in value. My kids would love.
Cons: $3,500 is a lot for this machine. Not as Deep or a ruleset. Dinosaur subject to breaking. 7 hour round trip.

Which would you buy for your one pin household?

#2 5 years ago

Srat Trek pro price going down from 3500 quicker than going up?

#3 5 years ago

Go with Star Trek!
The wife NEEDS to be happy and kids will grow up to love the theme.

#4 5 years ago
Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

I have the budget and space for one machine at the moment. I have the opportunity to buy a lightly used Stern Star Trek Pro from a friend or a freshly refurbished Jurassic Park at $3,500 each.
Star Trek Pro:
Pro: Deeper Ruleset, Wife Loves Theme, Great Sound, Replay Value, Great Deal at $3,500, 20 minute drive to get, bulletproof.
Cons: Not as kid friendly for a 2,4,and 7 year old. Price will go down before it goes up.
Jurassic Park:
Pro: "Cooler Furniture", Best toy in pinball, will likely never be remade and will go up in value. My kids would love.
Cons: $3,500 is a lot for this machine. Not as Deep or a ruleset. Dinosaur subject to breaking.
Which would you buy for your one pin household?

Price will go down before it goes up? I have never heard of a ST that cheap. Smart move would be to grab that fast. I seriously doubt we will ever see that game hit that cheap of an average price. JP is good...but not ST good. They are not usually in the same price range. $3.5 is a lot for JP, and cheap for ST.

#5 5 years ago

JP is 3k. ST pro is 4k to 4500. No brainer.

#6 5 years ago

At $3500 there is little chance of you ever losing money on that Star Trek if it is in "slightly used" condition. I'm looking at getting one and every one I've seen is closer to $4500, haven't seen one under $4k yet.

#7 5 years ago

Back when I bought my JP in 2000, I made the same choice. My son (11 at the time) was a huge John William's fan and loved the JP theme/music. JP is still here, much less play time these days with him moved out to Los Angeles, but still fun. Just the right mix of rules, speed, fun for me.

#8 5 years ago

A routed Star Trek pro in good shape at $3500 sounds like a steal, super good deal.

#9 5 years ago

They're both great games but that's a killer price on a ST Pro, and $3,500 is high for a JP unless it's in absolute mint condition with the topper.

FWIW, ST Pro is also likely rarer that JP (I think they made 9,000+ of them).

#10 5 years ago

ST Pro will still be a hit with the kids. We keep one at my parents' house near my work for family events, and the grandkids and my cousins all flock to it. The game will be on 4-player games all day this Thursday. Plus I get to go to their house every now and then for lunch and get to play one of the most loaded Pro titles ever made.

It's a super game that you won't regret getting... especially at $3500

#11 5 years ago

Killer price on a ST Pro man, go get that thing!

#12 5 years ago

I used to own JP. I love it, still one of my favorites of all time. I don't care much for Star Trek Pro.

But ST is easily hands down the one I would go with in this situation, speaking financially anyway.

#13 5 years ago

ST pro for $3500 is a steal. Clean it up, play it for a while, and then sell it for way more than that. On the other hand, $3500 for JP sounds a bit pricey.

#14 5 years ago

Buy the ST. You could easily trade it for a JP when you get tired of it. You could end up upside down on the JP when the time comes to sell it, especially if you start adding all the fancy mods.

#15 5 years ago

Sold my Jurassic Park. My Star Trek pro isn’t going anywhere. It’s also my wife’s favorite pin. If you can get one for $3500, I’d go with that. It’s definitely worth much more than a JP. If you like ramps and a much better light show, Star Trek is the way to go. St is also only a few years old, modern stern is much better quality than the 25 year old data east pin. I’ve got a colordmd and alternate translite that I think really improves the pro

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#16 5 years ago

I'd rather have a JP, but at that price it would be impossible to turn down ST--that is a killer deal (unless it turns out to be a beater).

#17 5 years ago

If I didn't own AFM, I would own Star Trek. It just plays a little too similar for me.

As for the question at hand, I actually just bought that Star Trek while you were reading this response.

OF COURSE you get the ST son!

#18 5 years ago

For $3,500 get Star trek.

#19 5 years ago

A-hole always gets too beat up
S
T
ftw

#20 5 years ago

I'd love a star trek pro for 3500
I'd run from a jp for 3500

#21 5 years ago

Lol
This is the most one-sided VS I’ve seen in a long time

#22 5 years ago

Um...ST all day, no thought involved...

#23 5 years ago

If you buy the ST for $3500 and decide it's not the right fit, you could potentially make a few hundred bucks when you sell. You will probably lose $500 when you try to sell the JP.

#24 5 years ago

Fake news

#25 5 years ago

Take the ST Pro and run. The game is fun, and that’s a killer deal on it.

#26 5 years ago

Star Trek

#27 5 years ago

It'll always be


ST

#28 5 years ago
Quoted from Gryszzz:

It'll always be
ST

One of my favorite childhood bands. I saw them a couple months ago, it was kind of like a bad ST cover band. It seemed like the rhythm guitarist didn't learn all the songs. He also looked very high on something. I was a little disappointed, I saw them once in the 90's with Metallica, that was amazing. I think it was in NH, probably Art of Rebellion tour. I don't think they have been to Boston too many times. It was still great to hear those songs.

Don't get down on me
ST

#29 5 years ago

St pro easy choice and a great deal.at 3500.... jp one ramp gets old quickly imo...great theme and toy but thats it for me.

#30 5 years ago

I voted ST also. But how nice is the JP?

If it had a color DMD and was in excellent condition(not just Cliffy’s over the wear) that may be the tougher pin to find...Great game. No Color DMD, no flawless caps, boards, EVERYTHING. Turn it down

#31 5 years ago
Quoted from Shredso:

One of my favorite childhood bands. I saw them a couple months ago, it was kind of like a bad ST cover band. It seemed like the rhythm guitarist didn't learn all the songs. He also looked very high on something. I was a little disappointed, I saw them once in the 90's with Metallica, that was amazing. I think it was in NH, probably Art of Rebellion tour. I don't think they have been to Boston too many times. It was still great to hear those songs.
Don't get down on me
ST

Was that the HoB show? The rythem guitarist was a last minute fill in after the regular one left the band. Still a great show though, Mike is still a maniac.

Anyways, Star Trek all day, every day.

#32 5 years ago

You’re probably already chopping enough wood trying to keep warm out there in MD, so get the JP, I mean it has a freakin dragon that eats a ball just like smog was supposed to...

-1
#33 5 years ago
Quoted from DK:

Lol
This is the most one-sided VS I’ve seen in a long time

prob because you are comparing a great game to a turd!

#34 5 years ago

Star Trek has great flow, one of Sterns best in flow lately.
TFTC is better then JP as well.

#35 5 years ago

I own both of these games currently. Like the vast majority, I voted Star Trek. The price alone would be justification ($3500 is a great price for Star Trek, and not a great price for Jurassic Park), but it also is much closer to you, and given you indicated a one-pin line-up the depth in code on Star Trek gives it more viability.

Young kids do gravitate more when they are over to my Jurassic Park, but overall they tend to play very little pinball. Older kids/teenagers seem more impressed by the light show and gameplay of Star Trek, actually, but my sample size is small.

I think a Jurassic Park would have to be in stellar shape to command $3500, and the distance of drive you indicated is more than I'd want to go for a "maybe" purchase (assuming the condition ended up being less than I expected given the price quoted).

#36 5 years ago
Quoted from RandomGuyOffCL:

You’re probably already chopping enough wood trying to keep warm out there in MD, so get the JP, I mean it has a freakin dragon that eats a ball just like smog was supposed to...

That’s some funny stuff right there!

#37 5 years ago

Neither- buy Munsters in a month for Xmas!!

#38 5 years ago

Star Trek by a mile.

17
#39 5 years ago

Well, I got none of the above. I had my heart set on a Jurassic Park but was unable to secure one at a reasonable price. There was one for sale freshly refurbished from Lightsoutpinball for $3600, and I figured I could get the price down a bit but I'd never get my money back out at that price. My boss at work is a pinhead and we talk pinball from time to time and I mentioned that I was wavering back and forth between a Jurassic Park and a Star Trek Pro. He told me he had one he was about to put up for sale, but he'd let me take it for $3,500. Of course I jumped on that, and agreed to pick up the machine that night. I dropped the survey/forum topic to make sure that wasn't nuts (just about everyone agrees the Star Trek is way cooler).

When I went to pick it up, both the company owners were there (not unusual) and they told me that I was not going to get a Star Trek from them, but that I was going to go home with his AFMr SE as a thank you for my (almost) 5 years with the company... and that they wouldn't take my money. Of course I'm thrilled. I have what is essentially my dream pin in my basement. I was planning to get one in a few years, but to have to slowly trade up for it every 6 months or so.

I brought it home and the wife was really upset... until she found out it was a gift and that I hadn't dropped double what I said I would spend on a machine that the kids might be freaked out by that wasn't also a cool decoration (she likes Star Trek). I think I'm going to have to buy a cover for the machine, it's in the basement playroom and the kids are a little freaked out by the artwork (2,4, and 7). The wife and I have got a date to play it tonight.

So I now have an AFMr SE in my basement with very low plays (89 at time of acquisition) that is going to keep me busy for a very long time. I can trade this machine every year or so and play different pinball machines... except now I can trade for Tier 1 A titles instead of B title 90s Ballys DMD machines. And after 5 or so years of having fun with it, I can sell it (or whatever it's been traded for) and take the family to Disney Land with the money. On top of that, I still have my original war chest I was going to use for a Star Trek Pro (used) that I can get a second machine with...

Yesterday was a very good day.

And that, my anonymous pinball friends, was how I ended up with my dream pin.

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#40 5 years ago

So uhhh...can I get their number so I can get that ST?

#41 5 years ago
Quoted from Chitownpinball:

So uhhh...can I get their number so I can get that ST?

I don't think he's really selling it.

#42 5 years ago

Wow, you must really work hard and make your company lots of money to get a bonus like this! Well done! Your very fortunate to work for people that value your service and show it.

While reading this thread I was going to advise that you buy the pin that you want and not the family. In the end the kids will move out the the wife probably will lose interest. Buy for you, not anybody else. Sounds selfish but it's the truth.

#43 5 years ago

See, Star Trek was the correct answer! Imagine if you told them no, would have ruined the whole thing!

#44 5 years ago

Wow...you have awesome bosses! Congrats!

-1
#45 5 years ago

ST is an okay game. But playing it always serves as a stark reminder of the superiority of W/B games, since it’s a cheap toyless version of STTNG.

#46 5 years ago
Quoted from usandthem:

ST is an okay game. But playing it always serves as a stark reminder of the superiority of W/B games, since it’s a cheap toyless version of STTNG.

Owning both at one point I couldn't disagree more. STTNG has nothing in the toy department above Trek and I ultimately enjoyed the newer one more.

Anyhow congrats to the OP on his AFM!!!

#47 5 years ago
Quoted from usandthem:

...since it’s a cheap toyless version of STTNG.

Quoted from BOBCADE:

...STTNG has nothing in the toy department above Trek ...

This is the old dildo vs vibrator thing; what is a "a toy."
STTNG has guns over ST, that's pretty big. But the rest of the "toys" are just models.

#48 5 years ago
Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

Well, I got none of the above. I had my heart set on a Jurassic Park but was unable to secure one at a reasonable price. There was one for sale freshly refurbished from Lightsoutpinball for $3600, and I figured I could get the price down a bit but I'd never get my money back out at that price. My boss at work is a pinhead and we talk pinball from time to time and I mentioned that I was wavering back and forth between a Jurassic Park and a Star Trek Pro. He told me he had one he was about to put up for sale, but he'd let me take it for $3,500. Of course I jumped on that, and agreed to pick up the machine that night. I dropped the survey/forum topic to make sure that wasn't nuts (just about everyone agrees the Star Trek is way cooler).
When I went to pick it up, both the company owners were there (not unusual) and they told me that I was not going to get a Star Trek from them, but that I was going to go home with his AFMr SE as a thank you for my (almost) 5 years with the company... and that they wouldn't take my money. Of course I'm thrilled. I have what is essentially my dream pin in my basement. I was planning to get one in a few years, but to have to slowly trade up for it every 6 months or so.
I brought it home and the wife was really upset... until she found out it was a gift and that I hadn't dropped double what I said I would spend on a machine that the kids might be freaked out by that wasn't also a cool decoration (she likes Star Trek). I think I'm going to have to buy a cover for the machine, it's in the basement playroom and the kids are a little freaked out by the artwork (2,4, and 7). The wife and I have got a date to play it tonight.
So I now have an AFMr SE in my basement with very low plays (89 at time of acquisition) that is going to keep me busy for a very long time. I can trade this machine every year or so and play different pinball machines... except now I can trade for Tier 1 A titles instead of B title 90s Ballys DMD machines. And after 5 or so years of having fun with it, I can sell it (or whatever it's been traded for) and take the family to Disney Land with the money. On top of that, I still have my original war chest I was going to use for a Star Trek Pro (used) that I can get a second machine with...
Yesterday was a very good day.
And that, my anonymous pinball friends, was how I ended up with my dream pin.
[quoted image]

Holy crap that's awesome man. Something seemed fishy about the 3500 star trek.

Congrats on the bonus

#49 5 years ago

Simultaneously stoked for you and laughing at one of the most anti-climatic vs threads of all time. Congratulations man those are some awesome bosses you have there!

1 month later
#50 5 years ago

Whelp, I was wrong. I was able to pick up the Star Trek Pro for $3,500 after all a month later when my boss needed the space to fit in a New Metallica Premium... So I now have an Attack From Mars and a Star Trek Pro.

He had gotten a deal on it off of Ebay, and this is a dirty machine in need of some TLC. However, it should clean up real nicely. It's missing the left decal on the backbox, plastic #61 under the Vengence is half gone, the balls are chipped, the rubbers are dry-rotten, the playfield is dirty, but everything plays as it should. I'm thrilled.

To get it back to "almost as good as new", I'll need 4 balls, a set of rubbers, plastic #61, and a left head decal.

If I go nuts I could get a color DMD (transferrable to the next machine), mirror blades (transferrable to the next machine), a new enterprise toy, a Klingon toy, and an alternate translate.

I had only ever gotten in about 10 games on a Star Trek LE, but I gotta say, there is really not a lot missing between the machines. I've been having a blast on it and to be honest, if I could only keep one machine right now it would be Star Trek. It may still be just the new (to me) pin smell, but there is a lot to do on this machine. In a week or so I should have enough plays to rate it. All in all, great game.

I'll still keep an eye out for a JP, but I'm not in a hurry to pick one up. Eventually I'd like to have a rotating stable of 3 machines and change the oldest out every 6 months to keep things fresh. 1 in the 2.5k-3.5k price range (90s DMD (JP, LAH, FT, Twister), 1 in the 4k-5k price range (Used Stern Pro (ST, GOT, GB) and 1 in the 6-7k range (Used Stern Premium, CGC SE, or Used JJP (Hobbit, MMr, MBr). That should keep me in a new pinball machine (for me) every 6 months for the next 4 years for about what I have in it now. TBD if I keep just 2 or end up with 3.

Anyways... back to the original question? ST PRO or JP at same price? ST every day.

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