You didnt look at my list of IF's. My post was a little facitious towards all the people posting that there will be a premium. Its just like people speculating what the prices will be on the LE's 3 mos after release; up or down? who cares, if you want it, get it. Game looks bitchin! and no way would i go pro on this model....at least not until after seeing/hearing/feeling gameplay.

Stern may just be moving to a model where they don't announce Premiums at launch. Makes the LE more attractive. If they LE sells out quickly, then they announce the Premium. If not, no Premium.

It may become a case by case basis.

Maggie Topper

I agree. By not announcing a premium they won't steal from their LE sales. And no premium version at all if LEs don't sell out (or at least sell well).

I'm always a Prem/LE guy - but I'm actually kind of feeling this Pro. You'll shoot crossbow shots with the flipper instead of the cannon - thats fine. You'll shoot the left ramp instead of the bashtoy under it…I think that's OK too. I like bash toys with magnets, so that's kind of a bummer the well zombie doesn't have the magnet on the Pro…but, the Prison still does. I think the main thing I'd miss is the drop target blocking that "away team" type shot - seems like that shot may be too easy without the drop blocking you sometimes. Of course, I always love color changing GI and inserts. In any case - I think like ST & Met, plenty of people will get the Pro and be happy with it.

Doesn't one of the ramps on the LE contain an elevator of sorts?

Preorder now and get a jump on that fishtank Mod for pro buyers.

ebay.com link: 5 INCH MICHONNE with FISH TANK HEAD The Walking Dead TV Series 6

Another way to look at is taking a look at past sales history. Name a time (besides Tron LE) where Stern hasn't built machines when there was significant demand. I can guarantee that if X-Men LE or Transformers LE was suddenly a super hot title and there was demand for 500+ more than Stern would make Premiums for either of them. They re-run games until the cows come home! That's why there are so many TSPP and LOTR's out there. Stern isn't going to stop making the premium version just to make LE owners feel special. They will chase the money!

Exactly. I always thought one of the strengths of Sterns business model was that they made runs in smaller batches and would rerun titles as demand dictated, unlike Williams, who only ran a machine once. Seemed strange that people cried foul when IM was rerun. It is nothing new and can happen with any of their machines except the LEs.

Makes sense for them to try different things to maximize their profits by learning from what's happened in the past.

Of course, we love to speculate on what their intentions might be.

If I ran the company I would put out 600 LE's and then do a special run of 100 -200 games with painted toys and charge another $ 1000.00 like they sold out of the Metallica Dirty Donnie editions. - Plus no one seemed to care that they made the Dirty Donnie edition, so that was a win-win. Just like JJP with the Ruby Red edition. Price it insanely high and the LE collectors do not seem to mind. People that missed out may be wowed by the hand painted stuff.

Hell, I would also see the spares to anyone who wanted to hand paint it themselves for the PRO's and LE's. The fishtank head could be a $200 add on

It looks kid friendly.

Plus I would think if the LE's sell out, right away, that they would be forced to announce a premium.

Wow nice deductions Holmes. I believe you're correct.

Cool, count me in for one!

Then you better buy the LE.

So simple.

This is a great post. Stern just doesn't get it. They couldn't spell smart if you spotted them SMAR.

Keep the freaking LE's TRULY limited. 250 tops. Maybe less. maybe 150. For MORE $ than now. Pay through the nose. Less chance of the secondary market taking the $ due to Stern. Guaranteed sell out and true exclusivity (for those small weenied guys that need that kinda thing). Then sell all the Premiums and Pro's that you can. They'll sell Premium's to ALL the LE wannabes plus all the potential pro buyers that feel compelled to upgrade. Then they sell as many pro's as the market will bear. Everyones happy except the few bitter DBs that really wanted an LE for some reason....and can't be happy with the same gameplay on the premium (waaaaah).

You're forgetting that Metallica Premium already existed….the Donnie games were just Premiums with custom painted toys. If you've announced 600 LEs, you cant do a "special run" of 100-200 more LEs. That doesn't make sense at all.

I agree with this in part, except that they already have a sunk cost into the R&D of the toys/features in the LE. The ROI on the features if only implemented in the LE machines is significantly lower than if that design/development cost is also applied to a Premium as well.

Stern has always sold out their LEs to distributors. Even pins like Avengers. So why would they need to do this?

Doesn't make sense.

See my posts for when you want it to make sense.

Stern Nailed it with the exception of the repurposed AP crossbow that resembles an oversized Swiss Army knife.

Too bad that they just continued the big price hike that Star Trek LE had which was attributed to the laser cut LED side rails and head emblems (but was more about "flipper speculation". TWD LE at $200 less, but without a shaker makes them about the same price.

I like what I see, but will likely grab a LE on the secondary market down the road.
High $7k's is one hell of a lot of $100 bills. It's easy to forget when just providing a credit card number or bank transfer for purchase.

50 posts about the business model ins and outs of why Stern should do X is worse than the hundreds of posts about nothing in between the theme reveal and the pics of the playfield.

How about we talk about the game?

Anyone thing that the zombie head inside the prison building will move at all?

I think Maggie's at her hottest when she talks with her British accent. I'd grown so accustomed to her as the character that I didn't even realize she had one until I saw her on a talk show.

I bet this game will sell in three waves if good. First the I won't buy til I play but wait go ahead take my money now group. 2 Nd video is released and third when people have them and we really see gameplay in the real world. Then it will be intersting .

Maybe…there's a lot of space in that house to have some kind of mechanical something. I bet it at least has a red flasher behind it for some cool lighting FX

With this thread being just 1 day old and already close to 800 posts, will it eventually top the legendary X-Men thread?

You mean you don't like paying extra $700 bucks for Gary Sterns scribbled/ illegible signature on the outlane of the LE?

I got quoted a price today and the le is the same as mustang le. The pro is 100 more expensive then iron man.

It seems rather large for that one bash toy, doesn't it? A LOT of of wasted real estate if it does nothing else. Maybe you bash the doors open, bash the zombie down & it holds the mulitball balls? Seems like a lot of work to lock a ball though.

Maybe you lock the balls then bash the doors open and bash the head down to release the (hoard) balls???

If I was into exclusivity, I'd go for it, but I'm not. Let others pay what they will for Gary's scribbled sig. If it makes them happy, then that makes me happy.

My main thing is that I definitely want all the features but I will not buy before playing nor will I drop LE cash on a game that may have horrible code and wait on it for a year praying that it'll be good.

The theme is awesome and I'm sure the LEs will be long gone by the time my wife and I make a decision. If no premiums will be built, our only hope will be a secondhand LE or maybe she'll let me get The Shadow finally!

Either way, Stern looses out on my money.

_{Post edited by jwo825: edited for poor typing}

Someone needs to make a Hitler why is there no premium video.

for casual collectors like me, maybe somebody could tell me why this pin is so amazing because I feel like I've heard this before. I wanna believe, but have been burned. Hulk was lame and I'm glad I passed on Mustang. My gut tells me to wait and hopefully pick up an LE down the line.

I just heard from a reliable source that they are already sold out, in about 24H, which doesn't surprise me given the pics and the features matrix.
Which is indeed a good news, now seems very likely there will be a premium. Gary, I'm 150% in for a premium with the pro cabinet

Great theme, cool art, quality sculpted toys, interesting layout, Borg/Lyman. It just looks like the complete package at the moment. But I agree with your gut; playing is believing.

If the head doesn't move to reveal something else, it would just be a bash toy (doors) that open to reveal another bash toy (head). Would they do that?

Does anyone else see any place to lock balls other than perhaps behind the head in the house?

great theme - CHECK +
cool art - check
quality toys - ummm, they all look like plastic toys to me and Hulk ate my ball all the time.
interesting layout - Hulk was interesting, but the flow suk'd.

code - who knows what Stern will invest in long-term.

playing is believing....on that, we agree.

Really hoping you lock balls in the Cell Block. That building is too big to not have another purpose other than a bash toy zombie head right? Cell block spits em out for multiball and the magnet zips em around. That would be sweet.

Sold out to distributors . There is difference .

Besides the astronomical price and up till now the same old shit from Stern this is one of the things that pisses me off the most. If you want all the stuff on a game you have to jump in and poney up the cash as soon as the game is announced at a price that is just so unrealistic it makes you want to be done with pinball altogether. I can see joystix selling for 10000. So, if you don't get the LE you get the shit one or nothing.

Just trying to point out the positives some are seeing. We won't know how good it actually is until we play it.

Sure. But just around me amongst the few pinheads I know, several already want one, including me. At the planetary level, this would be way beyond 600

How bout a "Wet T-shirt Maggie" edition.. That would be my choice.. LOL..

So ironic that you would direct me to a post by yourself that makes even less sense than the one I was referring to.

Not to Stern there's not. They got their money.

I just talked to JJ to secure mine, he has both at this point.

Walking Dead LE
http://gameexchange.biz/collections/new-stern-pinball-free-shipping-special/products/the-walking-dead-pinball-limited-edition

pinsidewalkingdeadle(for Cash, Check, Wire or Major Bank Debit Card - Sorry no Credit Unions)
pinsidewalkingdeadlecc(For Credit Card)

Walking Dead Pro
http://gameexchange.biz/collections/new-stern-pinball-free-shipping-special/products/copy-of-the-walking-dead-pinball-pro-edition

pinsidewalkingdeadpro(for Cash, Check, Wire or Major Bank Debit Card - Sorry no Credit Unions)
pinsidewalkingdeadprocc(For Credit Card)

Wow. It's unreal how a pin/company can get skewered before anyone's put any time on the table. One thing Gottlieb, Bally/Williams etc had going for them is the LACK of an internet community seemingly dedicated to incessant whining about a product before it's hit the floor. "I don't like the logo, I hate the color, their business model is horrible, I bet it doesn't spray real blood, my wife and friends don't spend time with me anymore...."

We got pins! Someone is still making them despite your best efforts!!!

Yeah, times have changed. I heard that WMS didn't sell the 2,704 CV's so easily and they had to discount the price to finish selling the stock to operators. Anyone can confirm this?

I know
Pro with LE features easy to do Stern....Come on

no worries. I love all the excitement for the pin. Hope it's killer....just not believing the hype any more.