Nor your liver or kidneys. Take care of them, trying to get replacements is a bitch.

I would listen to Matt Morrison read that Matthew McConaughey biography I keep seeing in airports.

This stuff about more distributors is pretty mind boggling if true.

A little scary to think about how this might impact secondary market pricing on new machines, if "your friendly neighborhood distributor" has their allotment lowered/limited. Also introduces a lot of anxiety for folks who are sitting on preorder/wait lists.

On a separate note, is it possible at all that the expanded distributorship is in anticipation of improving supply chains or an expansion of the plant floor to support more lines? Maybe "looking for more distributors" is an early indicator for increased production throughput at Stern? Hard to understand why they'd be expanding distributorship otherwise, especially with so many distributors sitting on lengthy waitlists already.

Put him behind the wheel of a black Lincoln Continental and film as he drives and reads. I’d watch that for a dollar. Can we get an outtake with Greg Bone showing Matt M his grade A ass?

This backlog situation at Stern is very perplexing. I believe Stern will make between 20k-30k games by end of 2021 using anecdotal evidence. That doesn’t sound like a company suffering too badly from parts shortages. Granted they are working around specific issues but the factory has never stopped running from full bore. Stern has never made so much pinball and yet people are waiting from 6 months to a year for a game they just put a deposit or paid in full for. Oh and pinball has never been this expensive @ $7k / $9k / $10.5k by model. Another interesting fact - any delays caused by Stern will cause your game to be bumped by another 2-12 months and if any new price increases are announced, you’ll find out about them.

Just when you thought prices couldn’t get any crazier, Kapow/Stern revealed Team Elwin is on BTTF in Summer 2022. It is rumored to be offered in format similar to EHOH/BM66 with premium, LE and SLE models. I am predicting $12k for the premium, $15k for LE and $25k for SLE. Don’t kill me, it is just a hunch on where I feel pricing is heading and with BTTF being the next pinnacle. We know pricing will definitely be worse than current abysmal levels, so God help us all.

Here’s a crazy idea for new products that could be offered by distributors called “all-in-surance”. So different kinds of insurance would available at time of preorder:

$100 price guarantee. If order gets delayed and there is another price increase, the distributor will cover it. You won’t exceed quoted price. A little silly maybe? Well it sure would have come in handy lately.

$500/$1k/$2k date guarantee. If order is delay more than 30 days and the model game is listed on secondary market, the distributor will buy and delivery it for no more charge while supplies last.

$1,000 switch-a-roo guarantee. If customer wants their game in a sooner run, you will go down list of existing customers waiting and offer them $750 to switch spots. If one accepts, they are paid and their order #’s are swapped. Distro keeps $250 as fee.

$2,000 LE guarantee. Screw the rationing by Stern, you want an LE, then you’ll have it. All LE’s are priced at MSRP + $2k and are available while supplies last.

$20k happy ending guarantee. .....

It would primarily be a $zero dollar business but it offers attractive options to buyers concerned about one aspect of the purchase process over all others. The LE option would be a new policy whereby it is what it is. No excuses, no prisoners, no harm, no foul but it gets you an LE. And it really means all your LE’s cost msrp + 2k. But in total these products would presumably mean new business and more satisfied customers in a time Stern got us addicted to crack pinball and now rations that very supply.

Bizarrely enough, in this scenario “Matt M.” does not provide sufficient disambiguation.

that’s what makes it funny. For me anyways.

No way. Using my gut, I’d say that was the demand they were sitting on, but we’re only able to make about 15-17k machines in 2021.

You should try saying it with your mouth instead.

As an audiophile, my head hurt when Zach admitted to not knowing the difference between an LP and a 45.

...also, it's rare when there was a second hit on the flipside of a 45. The record companies would generally put the worst track of the album on there.

Hey Zach....Have you considerd a CD jukebox? They still make cds and you'll get the entire album on there.

until they stop working and then you hate them

you can always hide a bluetooth speaker in there for when you get sick of beach boys singles.

I would listen to Jessy Jay read the list of charges that got her ancestors shipped off to Criminal Island.

Where do we register our sdtm complaints about the lack of game reviews? Someone should be fired! Ok so SDTM has a library and summary of almost 40 game reviews. Interesting to see how Greg & Zach value pins. It is great too because this often includes current titles that are boutique. However, the glaring hole is the top 40 titles you haven’t reviewed. I’d like to see them done sooner so I can find out if they earn more than the B average. Seeing this list of games not reviewed, blows my mind. Put Top Men on this and fill out that scorecard.

AC/DC
AFM
AIQ
CV
GZ (Elwin)
JJPGNR
Mando
MMr
R&M
SS
ST
STh
STTNG
TBL
TMNT (Stern)
TOM
TOTAN
TZ
WH20
Wonka

Agreed, I'd love for Zach and Greg to get back to doing game reviews on a more regular basis. Both of new games and older classics. Some of my favorite episodes of the show are their review shows. I'd even settle for lower-production, quicker to make, review videos where the guys just chat for a bit, but don't do all the time-consuming game footage and editing stuff.

All I want for Christmas is a new Puppet Palz.

Whew! Scared me with that late-night episode drop. I was afraid that we weren't gonna get one at all this week.

Great episode 82 but it was missing something. Where the heck was the ….. screaming goat? That’s the only reason I listen week after week. That plus every other week for The Dennis Show. Maybe you can make up for it to me in the next episode by throwing in a fireworks terry, as my Christmas wish.

Brings back memories of the Who's Pinball Wizard 45, backside was Dogs Part 2..I always got a kick out of that song, we used to play it over and over as kids on my Sears 33/45 lol

Very cool. Gives me another thing to listen to on the long drive to Pincinnati.

RandomTask make sure you update the handy dandy Canadian Public Pinball Tracker with the pins at your new hometown location!

When the bar opens up I'm planning on it! Other than that... There is a sad sad fish tales in a creepy laundromat... Ugh...

I know the feeling, Im in the same neck of the woods... If you want to drive an hour and a half there is a modern Star Wars in Houlton Maine...

Love your show btw, easily my favorite podcast since TOPcast.

david

Silverball Chronicle with Ron and David
Episode 19: 80s Cheese Done Right - Gottlieb 80b
Visit Our Silverball Swag Store
https://silverballswag.com/collections/silverball-chronicles
Episode Summary
The early 1980s were a boon for pinball manufacturing. Bally and Williams had transitioned to Solid State early and evolved their platform. Gottlieb struggled with System 1, and as soon as they found their stride with the new System 80 board set, pinball was dying in the early 80s. By the mid-80s pinball was clawing its way back, but Gottlieb never regained it's industry dominance, however it did give them more creative freedom.
Join Ron and the better co-host Dave as they talk photo translites, horrible synth music, Jon Norris’ 8-Ball Deluxe, releasing games at warp-speed, shallow code, ripping off established licenses, Don Johnson jackets, and which System 80b games are the most underrated.
Sources can be found on the
Both of you aught to get together some of the most farthest with most flyers read too.

Or just have an episode dedicated to reading and critiquing pinball flyers.

You guys aught to pick out a collection of the most outrageous to cringe inducing nightmare pinball flyers from all the manfactures and read them outloud.

Or have a vote on the worst one ever.

Ha! That's a great idea! Once we work though a few more episodes a special episode may be needed! The Williams ones are really bad!

Bla

I would listen to Norton read a list of all the horrible atrocities he’s suffered.

Petition to change the topic of this thread to good puppy appreciation.

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Good Puppy! Goooood Pupppyyyyyy

oh god i don’t know how to use social media

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I would listen to Ryan C. read, if he could.

Rising Pinball prices is what going to keep new people out of the hobby.

Is everyone OK with the rising entry barrier, to the hobby?

I listened to final round pinball last night and minus the f bombs and c words. Jeff was right why is it that that after market pinball machines are more expensive after coming out of the home.

Do we really need toppers too? That's an expense company's can cut out of manufacturing, IPs can go too (save for the occasional remake).

But an Elvira 100 anniversary edition really all that needed?

People seem to wanna complain about the Banning museum fiasco but when it comes to the line everyone seems fine paying for 100k Fish Tales remake.

A idea would be is for manfactures to "go back to the basics"

Single level games.
No habit trails.
Simple game play.
Orginal IP.
No toppers.
Alpha numeric displays.

The Gottlieb back to the basics.