The golden rule of fashion if you were around the first time it was cool you are too damn old when it comes around again. Does no one at JJP have a kid that could have dressed these guys for a picture.

Those seem like some of his later stuff, didn't he create multiball and lane changing with Firepower.

I’ll never understand this whole thing of being offended because you imagined a grown ass man is so fragile his feelings are hurt by a comment on the internet that they don’t know exists. I think a legend like Ritchie deserves to a proper promo shot and announcement and not just a random cell phone pic on the front lawn Monday morning before the guy has had a cup of coffee. People call it like they see it, maybe JJP should have paid the man a little more respect. This looks like when a failing sports team gives the aging star player a front office job and you know they are just using him as a distraction from their losing season.

I’m a big fan of Ritchie and looking forward to seeing what he does. That being said this whole thing that everyone knew but waiting for JJPs official reveal. That reveal turns out to be a half assed pic on the lawn. I don’t think anyone is disrespecting the man just laughing at the cheesy shades that are his trademark (yes I know he has eye problems). The defence feels like a lot more drama than the people having a chuckle. I hope he gets to build his masterpiece but this feels like a PR stunt.

What I really hope to see is that JJP use him in a mentorship role and not give him a project to oversee. He seems to do his best work in certain areas but other areas he can really fall short. Artistically his pins have been really lack luster. His toys are hit and miss. He seems like the kind of guy you have to let him do what he does best and just take everything else off his plate. This is not ageism but time catches us all, I would have paired him up with someone young a few years back. Let them do all the day to day stuff and just leave Steve to be inspired. He is the king of flow and his pins are still incredible to shoot. Him teamed up with a young technical artist would be the best of both worlds.

I was with you up to this point, then you just went away. Time to put down the devils lettuce.

Yeah the actual Black Knight toy was pretty cool, the upper playfield not so much. The Hyper-Loop was awesome just was clearly meant for a High Speed theme. I'm not a fan of the magic spinner on Led Zep but people do seem to like it, those Unicorns in the early release were terrible. I just can't give him a pass on the Art and say well its the license. His pins are consistently terrible. There is no way it was the license that insisted on that style for GOT, there has never been a piece of merchandise or media that looks anything like that. Star Wars they redid the art and the license clearly was happy with the new style. AC-DC is like the benchmark for terrible and it has several iterations on the art. Star Trek is probably his best and it was not loved when it came out (when a pin gets the Aurich package its not a sign of good art). I think it's just not that important to him, he is just too utilitarian and needs to let someone better suited handle it.

They are his pins and they are consistently below par. It's not like an occasionally thing with Steve's pins. I love his games but lets be real here, speed, flow and bad art art the 1,2,3 of Steve Ritchie. Honorable mention to aggressive callouts with his voice.

It's not about veto, its about a conversation, guidance and collaboration. Is it even debatable that Steve's pins tend to be lacking compared to everyone else's at Stern when it comes to Art. The man is still a legend, but hopefully at JJP they give him the support in areas to make him even better. At Stern he just seemed to be a little stagnant this change could be the best thing for him. He was kinda going the wrong direction at Stern.

What theme do you think would suit him at JJP? He needs something big and aggressive, but I think he has done enough music pins. The one that comes to mind for me is Top Gun. Can you imagine a fully licensed Top Gun with Steve Ritchie and JJP, damn, that could get my money.

You must be fun at parties, so it's basically hopeless even Steve Ritchie can't make a fast pin at JJP. What theme would you like to see him do?

That is not a terrible idea. A pin that was just pure Tournament or Championship edition would have a market. Just completely focused on balance and scoring. The theme would actually be competitive pinball. Just insane strategy and rule set. Sound just for stress and commentary.

The Spinner on LZ is just kinda flawed for me. It's a spinner shot that doesn't go anywhere. I would have been way better if there were spinners on the shots but they where held flat so they couldn't be hit. Then in certain modes then enabled with timers. You could move the active spinner around. You need a loop or ramp to really rip a spinner. I like the reveal how it rises is up and is limited but it could have been better implemented and a lot less complicated.

I don't think a great toy needs a lot, it just needs to create that moment. I think Mist Multiball is amazing and its just a ball on a magnet. Its the anxiety of it moving and you know it goes away, that make the toy.

This is completely false. Every other product and surface can be painted and cleared to perfection. This is purely an issue with time and money. All they need is the proper safety protocols, ventilation and cure time. They clearly have an adhesion problem somewhere in this process. Moving to a place that you can get away with poisoning people is not going solve the problem. This is such a stupid take, let’s move to a place that workers are desperate and force them to work in shitty dangerous conditions, that will improve quality. What could go wrong.

I agree you can’t get the same paint job. You can get one that is way better. It’s laughable that you think they haven’t improved in thirty years. Sure people in the restoration business are going to complain because they have to improve along with it. You can’t just spray that old crap in the same old booth and pour it down the drain like they used too. The need to buy respirators, reclaimers, ventilation systems, it cost money to upgrade. Talk to a chemical engineer and he is going to laugh and think that 30 year old paint or clear is garbage from the dark ages.

Yeah when it comes to engineering and quality German is not the way to go. Mexico that is the place you want to go. You here it all the time the prestige and quality of built Mexican. Even being sarcastic it was hard to type that out LOL.

They would tell you of a modern product that is better. It might take more time and cost more. It will have exact specifications for cure time and the correct mix. If you try and rush or cheap out and use less to save money it will chip and pool. It’s not hard to look at pinball and see that there are people making playfields that are far superior to anything from thirty years ago. They are even doing it in North America with all the restrictions.

Before people get upset for me making fun of Mexico. It was clearly tongue in cheek. Mexico is a developed nation that can make great products.

I love that your being sarcastic and you actually believe low cost workers with lower specifications and no safety standards is the way to go. Thanks for the chuckle. I’ll let this thread get back to Steve.

Maybe the expertise at Stern is why they sorted out the playfield problems. It’s hard to follow your argument. So for Stern expertise and standards makes them the industry leader. JJP on the other hand needs to head to Mexico to take advantage of lower standards to improve their product. I don’t think you’re even making sense to yourself anymore.

I don’t think any Steve Ritchie is a five but I agree AC/DC is a much better pin. AC/DC feels like his passion project. Star Trek he was riding high. For me Star Wars is where things started to slide, it felt like he wanted to do high speed and isn’t really a Star Wars guy. Black Knight he picks things up but at the same time I don’t think he got everything he wanted on that pin. Led Zeppelin feels like he is burnt out or maybe defeated that the license just doesnt leave enough to make the pin he wants. I really hope this change puts him in a position to be inspired and return to form. He is getting up there but he has time left for a masterpiece that I don’t think we would get if he was at Stern. I am not saying his pins are in any way bad he is in a class on his own comparing great pins to his other amazing pins.

Well they at least let him get inside and put his bag down Has he done an interviews yet?

Judging by the interview and trying to read between the lines, Star Trek may have been the last that he felt free to do what he wanted. He said in the interview that was the only game he got RGB LEDs and how important he thinks it is. He also talked about drop targets and how much he likes them and said his next title will have them. It was super obvious he has felt stifled for some time.

His words, not mine but I probably miss quoted him, I think he said Star Trek was the only game he got to do full RGB LEDs. I am not that familiar with the different versions, I know my Star Trek Pro has partial did the premium get full? It's in the interview if you give it a listen.

I think you lack understanding of working in a creative, delivery driven environment for any extended period of time. It is insanely hard to be creative for any length of time. It is much much harder when you feel stifled or restricted. Musicians may have a period of creativity that last a couple months and then can ride that out for years. It's a whole other animal when you are the Golden Goose and feel locked in a cage and they still demand those golden eggs.

The audacity of telling Steve Ritchie with a lifetime in pinball what he needs to remember.

Steve is 71 and people still think he is chasing a pay cheque. At 71 you do what makes you happy. I don't know how old Lyman is but there is not always some grand conspiracy people retire and move on. If Stern didn't give Steve a piece of the pie he owes them nothing. People take this fanboy shit way too far.

I honestly never considered that a possibility, having to work at that age just doesn't even compute in my brain. Your whole system down there makes no sense to me.

You are so far from dead on balls accurate, you are balls on forehead getting dunked on. Now that you are using, but he did it first, I realize you may actually be a little kid and not an adult. If you are in fact a kid, sorry didn't mean to gang up on you.