Does seem that as more and more people flock to trusted/reputable/well-known distributors they end up back of the line. Those places can get 1k requests, but stern will only give them a small percentage. While smaller distributors might get something like 50 requests and have a better chance of getting all of them in.Its a weird balance. Sure Stern could give the bigger shops a higher allocation, but then they'd end up screwing over smaller/newer businesses.

Is it currently AIQ pro and Rush pro on the line (at the same time) and then AIQ premium and Rush Premium ?

Or they could just fill all orders and not do allocations. Want 1000 units? Here's a 1000 units.

I can see (maybe) them doing allocations for dealers, but distros? Sell them as many as they want. Distro's should be holding stock for a long time after a game ceases, that's why they're distros after all (and why they get better wholesale pricing over a dealer).

Makes ZERO sense now to try and order from one of the big distributors like XXXXXX (removed the name, I love them, just an example that's been mentioned here several times- pick any of the big Distros!).

There is already a bunch of people in this thread that are showing how they got GZ Premiums from smaller dealers already. Who wants to be "300" in line when they get 60 machines? When you can be #7 in line for a dealer getting 10. Everyone THINKS they are a VIP at some of the big dealers... but now that the lines are getting big and the heat is turned up, seems like people are getting hosed or left in line to fight it out with others just like the lines at Walmart on black Friday. I think some (including me) are finding out that we actually aren't the VIP's we thought we were lol. Numbers are slim, and some are going to have to be burned.

This is really going to change things going forward... on the next Stern release, it will be a shit show of who gets to be put in line first! Lots of pin flippers to fight with and you're going to get placed behind each of the big distributors real VIP's. How the hell is anyone actually going to try and get a game with the desperate onslaught of everyone here trying just to get a (new release) game? You know, a new release game without a year wait???

Hell, I personally know of one person in the hobby who automatically gets an LE from a dealer and he/she ALWAYS puts it up for sale at a profit within 3-9 months (with very rare exception, and it's always NIB still). Not saying it's right or wrong, but if it's a title you REALLY want, too bad for you.. going to have to buy from the flipper.

That's my $.02. Love you guys and the hobby. Sucks that it's gotten to this...

The flippers to me are the most frustrating part of this. I can understand people making multiple orders to get a game to see who gets it’s first. That’s fine… at least they cancel the orders elsewhere when they get it. But the flippers….that’s just wrong I wish there was a way for it to stop and like you said they’re entrenched where they buy them. New machine? Guarantee purchase of possible multiple machines. As a distro they’d be crazy not to take their business but it’s wrong and I’m sure I’m a way it’s helping sterns argument to drive the price up as well. They have eyes, they get on pinside… they see those LE’s sell for 15-20k that new premium going for 12-15k. It wouldn’t be hard to look at that from sterns perspective and go hmmm seems like plenty of people are still willing to purchase at that price why are we shorting ourselves profits ?

Morons need to stop buying the inflated flipped games. The fomo frenzy is unreal with people (mostly new) in this hobby.

Wow! Who did you order with?

0

It is fast, cheap and easy!

Send your CAD files to HLH and get quote for the die mold, then choose to manufacture xxx units anytime you want.
Few weeks time to be delivered.

https://www.hlhprototypes.com/

Leshine is great for CNC work and sheet-metal (cheaper than HLH)

http://www.leshine-rp.com/

It really couldn't be easier. I get stuff made often from Aluminum, Delrin, Steel, and other
I machine my own titanium and have a fleet of resin 3d printers.

That's exactly what I understand. Distro will reserve LE's to their best customers who buy an LE on each release. If you want to be on the LE train you have to commit to buy an LE on each release. So this kinda force people who have FOMO to commit to that and flip the LE's they don't want for a profit. The way I see it it's only going to get worse.

Maybe its time to just do a Pro, Premium, and Ultra (in place of Limited) and not limit any quantities. If you want the Ultra, with different art and toy upgrades, then pay the extra cost for the extras.

This would eliminate the forced rush to buy each LE in case you actually want that Harry Potter LE someday. Or feeling like you have no chance at the Ultra because some bean counter decided only 250 would be the right quantity, so then the scalpers buy them up because they can flip them.

I personally hate the idea of agreeing to buy a game without seeing it and playing it in person.

Anyone get notified from their distro that their AIQ premium has shipped?

If true I'll be a happy man as I wasn't expecting my Deadpool till July.......

I've got a deposit for AIQ pro myself.

This is my first NIB, does the distributor notify you if they don't get enough pins allocated to fulfill your place in the queue?

AIQ premium is my second NIB. On my first Mandalorian Premium i was notified for final payment when the distro had the machine in house. They told me the AIQ was the only machine they still had a slot for of any of the machines i would want, so I put a deposit down since they were supposed to be on the line this week and next. I was told with Mandalorian that if they didn't get enough to cover spot they would notify me.

That's a great idea that has been floated around at different moments. The market may just about be ripe for this to happen because of how crazy the market as become.

Wish I could double upvote some posts! Couldn't agree more..

Oh boy-- same!

following, did not know this thread existed.

Yeah it's funny how some people think they are VIP customers with their dealers. Your dealers don't give a fuk about you, they will do whatever it takes to make more money. It's funny seeing people kiss ass to their dealers and talk good about them on the forums. They do this because they are delusional and they think the dealers like them for it and move them up the list. Lol. It never happens.

Here's a little production update for what's on the line with the JP shift. We should be able to get a more comprehensive plan once Stern releases its 2nd and 3rd quarter production schedule. But this is what it might look like now. I'm hearing from a couple people that JP has been pushed to end of June or beginning of July. I hear Deadpool has moved up to end of May. Not hearing anything for June yet, so there's still a possibility for a vault or special release.

If anyone hears anything different, let us know.

Apr 2022 - AIQ Pro & Premium
Apr 2022 - Rush Pro & Premium
May 2022 - Godzilla Pro & Premium
May 2022 - Deadpool Pro & Premium
July 2022 - JP Pro & Premium
July 2022 - Godzilla Pro & Premium
Aug 2022 - Star Wars Pro & Premium (original art package)
Aug 2022 - NEW STERN CORNERSTONE
Sep 2022 - Star Wars the pin (original & comic art)
Oct 2022 - JP the pin
Nov 2022 - Elvira Premium
Dec 2022 - TMNT Pro & Premium

Me three!

One day, Stern will get caught up and the distros will have stock. One day... Things were so much easier when you could just walk in and buy one. I never did... but "those were the days".

Yep. I remember going into next level in Hillsboro,or and playing Deadpool, Iron Maiden, TMNT, and munsters. All in stock right on sight. All kinds of choices right in front of me! It was nice!

So what happened to the Godzilla March/April production? If this is the case, I'm pissed!

Already built and shipped

Can someone share the link to the next Stern thread? I must have drained the topic by mistake..

Yep, I didn’t get mine either

Right? My $1 deposit on Monday didn't get me one either!! ROBBED!!!

There you go!

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/what-will-be-the-next-stern-pinball-machine/page/527#post-6870547

Stern is very active on social media. It would be really nice if they did a “happy Monday, here’s what’s getting made today.” Sort of quick pic/video on mondays. It’s pretty easy to do now that clips/stories are a big part of FB/IG and even YT.

So you're saying most people new to the hobby are morons. Got it. Thanks.

Exactly! It says "hey, people want our stuff, we are cranking away!"

I think it's time to go back to one model period - the "base" model if you will. This whole tiered versions BS has caused nothing but headaches everywhere all so people can get some stupid ass topper or accessories that no one who really plays gives a shit about.
Make a base model with a playfield the designer intended, and let all the people who want to decorate their games like a child's bedroom buy all of it online as accessories.

This isn't about anyone else. It's really not about the pinball buyers. It's that there IS pinball buyers. These models are for the company to make more money. That's the bottom line.

Not fully.

They ran out of parts on the GZ just last week and are finishing it up (now that they have the parts?) after AIQ gets off the line shortly.

lol says the guy with the Don Knots Avatar / He was not the Brightest deputy ever !

If the new stern is supposed to go on the line last 1/2 of august when would we have news of release? I’d love for everyone to jump the GZ train for something else and move me up in line LOL

Usually announcement/teaser is a couple of days up to a week before they go "on sale"

Got my Pro today.
Ordered Feb 7.
I guess it depends on which dealer you used.

I heard this same thing, hopefully more will be made for us “March” premium people

People value their respective personal relationships with their various distributors and don’t want to talk about them and share private conversations they may have had publicly on a message board. Doesn’t seem weird at all.

As Pinball-wiz mentions, a lot of people probably think/thought they have/had closer relationships with their distributor than they actually do. Distributors are salesmen…salesmen are usually nice and charming people by the very nature of their career path they have chosen. The good feelings many of them display for their customers is probably very real, but they can each only make so many people true VIP and they just can’t stock product.

How would this help Stern as a business? This FOMO LE model is what toon Stern out of the dark ages when they almost went out of business and made them into a company where they can’t even come close to satisfying the record demand despite twice moving in to bigger and better facilities. The other companies are copying this model…nothing else works to move product as well as FOMO.

Stern benefits from the FOMO. They want the forced rush to buy…it is catapulting their business. If CrazyLevi were in this thread he would be saying how Stern would go out of business if Pinside ran them for a year.

Haha! Dude, you were the one that walked into a dealer and bought a floor model GZ just a couple months ago! Those days still exist, just gotta find the right place…

Has anyone heard anything about accessories? Shortage of shaker motors, rush expression light system, etc?

If JJP Toy Story-themed pin really is coming in June, maybe Stern will do their usual and make an announcement just before to steal some of JJP's thunder...

Agreed.
Greed is bad, it will probably kill their business as the prices will continue to rise and more people are priced out.

With this demand is surprising that there are not any more companies making pinball machines which led me to believe the demand is being controlled by Stern.

I can easily get almost any other game. And I recently tried and actually did…Really. But not a Stern. I have to wait several months for one… nonetheless they kept on pumping new titles like there was no tomorrow…
You dont go pumping new titles out when you have a supply issue, no? Seems really poorly organized.
They are controlling the market in a sense? Perhaps making less games than they said they did…not sure…
Weird

Speak for yourself.
Built: Maybe
Shipped: "Monday"
Or so I was told last Thursday when I paid my game off. A week later I am told the same thing "Monday it will ship" Maybe I need to clarify a date....
Not a huge fan of dropping thousands of dollars and waiting for months for it not to be shipped but at least I got one....I hope

So many people are buying their games that no one can get one anymore.

Well, what is this fabled demand? 300 orders at one of the most well known distributors? LOL!

That’s “insane” demand?

No one here on pinside knows what the real demand is. Pinball is a total niche market and it just happens that the target demographic is *currently* swimming in easy money and throws thousands of $ onto some LE that cost Stern about $98 extra to make.

Stern may control this or they may just be such small fry to their suppliers that they can’t build more toys for the whopping few thousand units target market because of the stereotypical parts shortage.

Even if there are 20000 Godzilla pre-orders, that’s still a total niche. It’s a ridiculously small market in the grand scheme of things and given how fickle (and complicated) this is (cough Ultraman, cough Dialed In, POTC etc.), not that many entrepreneurs and investors will touch this with a 100ft pole. Easier to just invest in Bitcoin or Tesla.