Judging by early returns on the theme, this pin is the perfect one to take a stand against rising prices and getting LESS in return. Don't buy this NIB!

Stern can censor their FB page by removing anything negative, NOT here.

It's time to start saying "Shut up and you CAN'T have my money"

Don't fall for the Hulk Hogan autograph that you buy for $2 on eBay.

1. Make them finish the Code
2. Play it first
3. Then if you love it buy it

It's time to BREAK the cycle, take the PLEDGE (Not referring to the Ops obviously)

Nope, just taking my own advice and waiting for this announcement to get my pound of flesh/two cents in.

Where is the "premium", oh yeah, I'm sure the Baron Von Raschke special edition auto version is coming too, after the 400 LE's are sold, NOT!

Pegs and no spinners, where are the F ing spinners! Light show?

Come on, for the $$$ the PRO blows. And I said for the $$$. No going to back to the Met days.

It won't "sell well" if people finally take a stand and don't buy until they play it and Stern starts finishing code the right way.

It's a new day, new year, time to make a change!

Buy AFTER complete code and you've played it.

Btw Dispinballer, you need to change your rating system. You give Twd a 2.0 and ST a 10 along with POTC and other shit?

I agree, let the operators take ALL the risk.

I've tried a ton of pins in my house with my kids and asking them to play on location, and I guarantee to you or anybody, there is no pin of any theme that will get Kids to play pinball, sorry, not gonna happen.

Phones, video games, instant gratification, its all over for the younger generation and pinball, especially as Stern builds it.

This thread made you decide to buy, GL with that Cosmo

Tell JJ I said Hi!

What is it? First its less, then its the same price as TWD, what's the deal.

MSRP means NADA! What is the shipped price from brand X distro? $4250?

I don't care if its $3250, I'll take WPT over what I see right now and get that one cheaper.

In fact, I'll take about 3 dozen other pins over any Stern PRO these days of any theme.

It's not John's fault at all, I think he does a great job, I'm a big fan of Creature, Dredd and Congo, despited some major stinkers.

Like TWD which I just bought and like a lot but will it be a year or so before lighting gets implemented, callouts get fixed, Horde wizard mode actually does something?

Theme got me on that one, will never happen again.

No shit, look how that turned out, dumber than a bag of rocks. Now see numbers 1. 2. and 3. above "the Brain". I'm using mine now.

A new screen door?

Feel free to step up and put your order in like you said. I did my part on bankruptcy avoidance with TWD.

"Shut up and take your money"

Yep, I'm passing on everything in the future until 1. 2. 3. I've done my pinball support of anything and everything. Time for you guys now.

I can't imagine anything, short of a fully functional, fully coded MG from John, ready to go, that would get me to put $$$ into that lifetime venture. Nope.

Well, to be fair, JJP says they will announce and then ship Lawlor's pin Stern style, except that the code will be done. Talk is cheap and they have said a lot of things the last 4 years.

That would be a first, and as an eternal optimist and Lawlor fan, a guy can dream right?

Maybe my only 1. 2. 3. exception (at least since TWD), we'll see

And pigs just grew wings and flew off like the monkeys in Woz.

Well, no use fighting the "shut up and take my money crowd". I'm sticking with my 1. 2. 3. pledge and now I'm going to watch the last 3 episodes of Breaking Bad!

The last half of Season 4 and now Season 5, now that's TV at its finest.

It's unique and it will change, trust me, that's how my kids started out too, along with my wife.

Crickets now. No biggie.

How many pinball machines did you have in your parents house growing up? Or maybe even your grandparents?

When you think about it, pretty crazy right?

Growing up I went to the arcade or bowling alley to play games, all games, "on location", now we have arcades in our homes.

Honestly, I'm glad my kids don't play pinball every day, or video games for that matter, they need to get their butts outside and be active, like it was when I grew up. They spend enough time with their eyes glued to their phones.

The good old days, times are changing, not for the better. If my kids could use those pinball machines as a texting or internet device I wouldn't be able to get them off of there.

I wouldn't sell my TWDLE now but I'd buy AMH before I buy any other Stern pin Nib again, Wooly too for that matter.

Now I might be willing to sell my Woz for an AMH.

1. Make them finish the code

2. Play it first

3. Then buy it if you love it.

So far 39 people have disagreed with that concept. I'm guessing that 90% of those people will never buy a Nib Stern and just want people like myself and others to keep buying Nibs as the guinea pigs.

Not happening, and if its not true then congrats you 39 are now part of the guinea pig crowd. Thank you

And most importantly, Stern thanks you!

Stern thanks you and so does Aurich, and now myself of course!

Btw, I don't believe you Curly, you doctored an email, are you trying to cause me to give up all hope?

Nobody is asking for "perfect", just follow through in a reasonable amount of time. Their track record BLOWS.

Over and over again, when the evidence is as clear as a Jesse Pinkman rat, the Stern apologists come running out of the wood works to defend, yet at the same time, they whine and bitch about everything else under the sun.

It's CLEAR, Stern pinball does not give two shits about the collector or HUO guy, because we let them get away with it, time and time again. No premium initially on TWD, oh wait, sold real well, we change our minds.

I have 5 Stern pins, 4 of which I bought following steps 1. 2. and 3., and I made an exception for TWDLE, I love them all, SM, LOTR, Ac/dc, TWD and WPT.

Remember, at the end of the day, unless you work for Stern, us in the pinball community are on the same side.

All that said, here's hoping things really do change at Stern, I'm hopeful, I love TWD so far and the code is decent, yet if it takes another year to complete I might do a video of myself burning it to the ground and posting it as a reminder for people.

I'm in the stands rooting for Heighway, Spooky, Jpop, SkitB, Riot, all of them, and JJP!

That's exactly what I'm doing, how does selling my current Sterns hurt them?

I'll keep buying Stern pinball machines, AFTER the fact, like I did the first 4, the ones I like!

Can do a better job of communicating? Totally unacceptable, like many other pinball makers we know.

I wonder if Ops and Stern realize that its mostly pinheads that play on location? Maybe not?

So I agree, Stern should just focus on the Ops, well they do that anyhow.

Yeah, its really great when you walk into a place like Eric's and the code isn't updated on TWD believe it or not, not leveled properly and those guys are great ops because somebody else services those pins via JJ I believe, maybe not.

Btw Tron, I've already sold one SM, the only pin I ever sold to upgrade, for 4k with Building and Subway mods.

When I do decide to sell, they will be great deals. I like to pass it on and pay it forward to other collectors and HUO guys.

Hmmmm, you got me thinking now Mike

I don't know, maybe the Ops can enlighten us, after all pinball on location has exploded to the upside over the last few years hasn't it with all these newbies?

And this mindset is why it probably will never change. I agree.

Then you are making my point for me.

Wait, have a little patience. Don't buy Nib until the software is finished to an acceptable point and you've had a chance to play it first.

Obviously, a whole lot of people don't agree with that common sense approach, whatever.

As for Star Trek, the programmer obviously makes a big difference. My other point, I won't buy any Stern now unless Lyman is the guy. I'll let the rest of you guys beta test it. Thanks!

Exactly, is a little communication too much to ask when you are shelling out 8k for an Le? Or even 5k for a pro?

That's the whole point, I'm not gonna do it. I'll happily let the other down voters that don't agree with me be the beta testers and carry the frustration for years like with Star Trek.

To be clear, I'm obviously NOT saying for Ops to not buy Nib, rock and roll, its part of your business.

Amen brother!

Amen brother!

You were really messing with us right? You didn't really pre order an LE?

You got it! I thought maybe somebody hacked your account Curly. Now you are thinking clearly.

Woz isn't the only stupid thing I've ever done, I'm trying to learn from my mistakes.

My only exception as well, like with TWD and I'm happy with it so far, but if they kick me in the nuts and don't finish it for another two years or ever then I'll go Walter White on them.

So true. It really is.

And what was ST all about? I know because I was part of the feeding frenzy rushing to get a deposit down on an LE after the MET LE Cluster F.

So they jack up the price to record heights for Stern, jack up the numbers to 799 on the LE (I still don't believe they are all out there).

LCD's and Ritchie, Lasers etc. It was hype train city and then Stern ripped the NADS right off all of the flippers by simply pocketing 100% of the flipper profit.

Haven't seen much "flipper" talk or threads in quite some time right? No margin left after MET.

Who gets shafted? The end consumer, just like the ridiculous "laser light show".

Then came Mustang and then went Mustang, quickly.

TWD blesses us with optimism again. Stern agonizes over how many LE's they should produce to extract the max profit out of dummies like me.

No premium they say, its a new day there and new approach. Whoops, looks like the LE's sold real well and boy howdy, here come the premiums.

It wasn't enough that they F ed people on that move, ok, no biggie, but then the LE differences versus the premium just don't add up for the money so they have to take it to an even higher level.

$399 for a topper, a great one I might add, but one that should have been included you'd think on the LE?

After all, now we have an $8k pin with topper, big whoop, and it sits close enough to my LOTR LE, that was almost 3k less.

I love the pin, but I'm not loving any more $8k overpriced and under featured pins any more

Yeah it survived for decades as a secondary market when Bally was selling 25k pins to operators.

We all know the story and what happened.

I think Stern said the HUO market now makes up about half of their sales depending on the pin.

Things have changed. A LOT

My point exactly. Kind of what the whole thread is about. Common sense isn't it?

I "like" the theme too Tiger, we will play it on location but not buy it because

1. You haven't waited until the code is complete, if ever, (see ST in your house)

2. Play it first.

If any of that makes any sense then don't buy NIB right?

And I might want you too to for when i come to Lake Charles to gamble.

Carmelo Anthony had great potential. Just a loser that will never win a championship, talented, but a loser nonetheless. And I've seen it first hand with Carmelo and ST

That's the beauty of what has happened over the last 4 years since Woz was on the table, you live and learn hopefully!

I think the LE looks really cool, just not gonna buy it, love to play this one on location though