I debated even starting a new topic about AFM Remake, but I simply had to.

Some of you guys may remember my issues I had with my Ghostbusters LE, including playfield ghosting and chipping and my crusade to get Stern to finally replace the playfield. Well, after a contact to the Illinois Attorney General, I was shipped my playfield the very next day after the AG sent them an email. Kudos to Stern for making it right though, the replacement playfield was immaculate and I ultimately was made whole.

Ok, back to AFM Remake. Well, one more thing - keep in mind I decided to trust buying a NIB Stern again, and bought an AS Premium. Great game, artwork, and it's fun. I like it and have been playing it since it arrived, while waiting for my AFMR to arrive. Remember, I paid $7K delivered for it.

Ok - so AFMR LE arrives today. Nicely packed box with a wooden topper box up top.

I get the legs on and lock the head into place and do a visual inspection. Wow... they absolutely KILLED this remake. It immediately felt much more sturdier and well done then MMR. I can't explain it- but the fit and finish of the cabinet, playfield, backglass, etc is just amazing. The black powder coat really adds to the overall package.

THIS is what an LE at $8200 should be like! THIS is what these new pinball prices should get you.

Moving onto the topper. Yep, at $8200 it comes with a topper which is great in itself. The difference is the fact this isn't some lame ass topper- it's an insanely SICK topper. Very well built, very very nicely presented. This topper I think would be easily worth the $500 Stern charges for half-ass toppers. It's beautiful, and it really is the best topper I've ever seen.

The LED light show andmotorized alien has to be seen in person to enjoy.

I fired the machine up and it's just overall a better built machine than not only MMR, but any recent Stern I've played - including BM66 Super LE for $15K. That felt like an IKEA cabinet off Craigslist compared to this!

The playfield is easily much nicer then any Stern I've had, including AS Prem. The toys on the playfield with their color changing LEDs and motorized aliens and everything else just made modern Stern's seem so cheap- like a Prius vs a Mercedes Benz S-Class.

The super wide hi-res DMD is just pure awesomeness. The LED lit speakers are very cool and integrate into the gameplay so well. The speakers themselves and the sub sound like a Pinball Pro or Flipper Fidelity sound is pre-installed. The backglass LED flashers. The mirror blades. And the topper.. yeah that again... holy crap the entire package is just superb value and build quality. Sure it's not a new theme - BUT it's pure value and real American built pride in it.

Let me also tell you just how heavy it is- it felt like twice as heavy as AS Prem. I don't know why that is, but it's a huge difference in weight and sturdiness. This feels like a real Bally-Williams game... just brand new.

I have to commend PPS and Chicago Gaming for hands down building an epic remake of one of the best pinball machines ever made. From the extra value addons, topper, LEDs, mirror blades, etc. I truly felt for the first time since I got into the hobby of purchasing pins that I truly got what I paid for, and then some.

I know I've compared and mentioned Stern here... but if you guys at Stern are listening and reading this, go get yourself an AFM LE and see what a REAL $8k+ pinball machine feels like. I don't care about you being in business for 30 years, what PPS did and CGC manufactured here is a quality pinball machine that is so much better built and worth the asking price then Stern has EVER made. Don't take that the wrong way and be offended... id just love to see if Stern could make a machine that felt even 10% as well built and packed with features at that price.

I'm so impressed with what I bought for that money, it will now be hard to spend that on another Stern NIB. It just doesn't seem right after seeing what a really well built pin that AFMR is. At the end of the day no matter how fun a game is, you should be getting the build quality and features of a game at the current NIB asking prices.

Funny how people apply their own lopsided logic and opinions onto a review of AFMR. Some see it for what it is, a review of a game that I feel is built extremely well and represents what a modern day manufactured pinball machine at this price should feel like- yet, people will take it as I am bashing Stern.

Well, 3 out of my 4 pins are Stern's - and most recently, Stern's Aerosmith which I feel is a great game. If I thought they were garbage, I wouldn't own any.

They aren't garbage, and I am not bashing them. They make perfectly fine games. So, if you are here to put words in my mouth and think I was being sarcastic or trying to find a walk to talk crap - I wasn't. I am strictly speaking from a value, build quality, and how much you get for your money standpoint from AFMR LE. It just amazes me how well built, how many options/add-ons/etc you get with this game for the same price as Stern's.

With companies like CGC and JJP putting significant hardware and better built cabinets, components, etc etc. does have to make you think - Stern is trying to cut their costs, even as much as relocating the stupid power switch to the head to save $0.03, yet I really feel companies like CGC and JJP are putting so much more value into their offerings.

If we continue to pat Stern's back here - their prices will continue to go up, and quality will continue to go down. Don't even get me started on Star Wars here either.

But, Stern has many fun games that I enjoy and that's where I'll always be in the market for one. It's just hard to ignore the fact you are really getting a lesser quality built game when you buy a Stern then what else is out there - and that is the point... CGC really set a new benchmark for me and I am super impressed these "new guys" can build a higher quality machine than Stern who has been doing this for three decades.

Funny you say that, because I totally agree.

But, on a side note- I absolutely love TWD and after almost 2 years of owning it, I cannot even think of selling it. It's one of my all-time favorites.. such a brutal layout with some of the best coding in pinball.

The more I play it - the more I think the widescreen DMD is the best format of any pinball screen out there, including standard ColorDMD, JJP's screens, and Stern's new LCD.

I love the fact the dots are rendered on a high res screen, and there some amazing color animations - the widescreen DMD is so amazing that's all pinball manufacturers needed to do - just keep the dots, colorize them from the factory, and put them on a huge wide format DMD! It's such a killer experience.

I know this thread can go on and on about Stern vs whomever, but the real point is that with all these NIB games charging big dollars - AFMR just hits it out of the park in so many ways. You need to see it in person, as these pics do not do it justice of course. From this point on, if someone wants to charge me $8K for a NIB LE machine, you better step it up - because THIS is what you should get for the money. CGC really re-defined what a Limited Edition model should include over a standard. That is the point of this thread, period.

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Definitely. It just feels like CGC didn't cut a single corner and wanted to put out the best pin they could design and manufacture, and some lame CFO didnt break out his Excel spreadsheet to reduce the bill of materials instead.

It simply feels like a real pinball enthusiast and team built it from scratch with the customer in mind- versus a bunch of accountants calculating profit and loss instead of how bad ass of a machine they could create.

No prob! I'm typically not a guy to care about toppers myself.. but it really enhances the overall experience and I can't imagine not having it on the game now. It really completes the package and makes it exciting for those standing around watching. My kids were cracking up when the alien bounced around for the first time!

Also, definitely adjust the power on the aliens right away - when they are on max they are just as crazy as the original! Had a 6B point game today on default settings and it's such a fun game. I've played the original so many times, but only poor routed examples... I'm just stoked that CGC is putting out remakes and letting us experience what it was like to unbox classics like this back in the day.

Games like MM and AFM are what brought me into arcades as a kid and I always wanted one, so having the ability to buy brand new versions of them - especially modernized with LEDs and color screens and everything else - is great. I'll keep buying these remakes as long as they keep making them this high quality and not cutting corners eventually.

I'm not arguing that at all - but CGC could have easily cut corners and put cheaper parts and not so many addons to this game and charged the same, based on the current market values of the original. I'm just glad they didn't go that route.. so at the end of the day, these CGC remakes kick ass.

Imagine if Stern's LE models were still as great as STLE was. Now THAT was a kick ass LE package and worth the extra money. Every LE since has never came close to STLE, in my opinion. I know Stern has put out some amazing machines, and one day I hope they can put out quality games like TWD, STLE, TSPP, etc in the future. AS Prem is fun and it's a cool game, but it feels very shallow and less premium then the MET Prem that sits next to it. That is even with MET having a DMD inside it too.