Dutch Pinball claimed third quarter shipping, but are rookies.

Jersey Jack Pinball have WOZ under their belt and newly improved liquidity, but a pretty complex product to build, with latest rumors at a late September/October start hoped for.

So it might be close.

Guesses? (and no fair voting after JJPs upcoming open house later this month! )

And, yes, we all know Game Of Thrones is on the horizon. But this is a race between the newcomers!

Completed, but not shipping.

Lebowski also has some very near complete public showings under its belt as well, by the way, and doesn't appear to be as complex as Hobbit to produce.

Agreed that JJP's liquidity appears much improved, and that will help considerably.

But I believe (and correct me if I'm wrong) Dutch Pinball has been showing 3-4 prototypes, not just one pin. And they released what appeared to be footage of robotic playfield assembly line at work (?Mirco factory?). Also photos of cabinets and parts from earlier this month. Finally, BoP hardware part of project seems to be done, which is at least SOME indication that they can get at least some level of project accomplished (though BoP 2.0 isn't as ambitious as WOZ obviously).

Yes, I agree. My wording was poor. I THINK that footage was from Mirco, ie playfield manufacturing, not any mechanical assemblies.

Regarding money issues, I think JJP has dispensed with any realistic liquidity questions. DP is more a question mark, but they clearly have enough sunk in to have obtained legitimate licenses, with industry experience at THAT level at least (unlike Predator). So that would suggest that DP is legit enough to want a return on that significant investment. BoP2.0 being delivered also suggests their liquidity is probably not horrible. The strength of the dollar since preorders closed is also helping them, i would think.

But yeah, a close race I think!

Wow, surprised to see TBL by what, 20%?

Well, at least for now, it appears like TBL is pulling ahead, with DP just releasing a video of routed playfields being clearcoated. How much new info is this really? We already knew the playfields were being constructed, but this new video shows artwork and routing, implying finality in playfield design and substantial resolution of any visual licensing issues. Still no harnesses, though. There is a photo in the past of a few inventoried parts.

JJPs had released a facebook photo of Hobbit playfields in the past. But the stack was unrouted despite images being on them. Furthermore, the playfields were directly stacked, leading some to surmise that these were only test playfields, proofs prior to manufacture but not actual production quality.

However, JJPs open house rapidly approaches, so potential for big reveal there remains.

It's the day before JJPs Open House, and Hobbit leads by one vote.

Big announcement tomorrow that might lead to The Hobbit shipping before Lebowski?

Stay tuned...

Whelp, prior to the JJP open house, TH surged ahead by six votes (now only five votes ahead).

But sadly no big TH announcement made.

Will DP counter with its own PR event?

Stay tuned!

It is coming down to the wire (sadly), isn't it?

Going down to the wire.
Dutch Pinball's latest newsletter suggests that pending newest PCB revision testing, production could begin in January.
Jersey Jack Pinball releasing facebook pictures suggesting at least early production models starting down line.

Too close to call!!

Entirely possible.

But one could argue that DP has been field testing a fleet of prototypes for at least a year now, so could have a much better grasp on problems. Also, hardware wise, TBL is frankly not as ambitious as TH, so should not be as difficult to produce. Finally, and I hope this is not the case, it is possible that JJP, having to spend the money to adequately deal with initial production issues on WOZ, have the experience to thoroughly vet before committing to produce TH. OTOH, it is possible that TBL comes out quicker, but has more post-production issues due to less testing.

Remember, we're trying to figure out who will ship first. Not who SHOULD ship first based on proper testing. This is not at all intended to besmirch DP. It's merely to point out that JJP, with its WOZ experience, might be more biased towards caution and testing. Also JJP is probably more liquid at this point, so can afford to measure twice and cut once. Might not be the case with DP. But like I said earlier, TBL has fewer complexities and hence fewer potential failures in the first place...

So what you're saying is, there are a lot of ins and a lot of outs...

***DUTCH PINBALL WRITES:
December 14, 2015 - The Big Lebowski™ Pinball Production Update

The past weeks were intense, especially for the electronical department of our factory. They have been looking into the electronic issues that we encountered at the Dutch Pinball Open (DPO). One of the results is the redesigned Middle Main Board (MMB).

The factory already started the production of the new boards. Tomorrow we will be at the factory to work out the further details and the final test procedure.

If the tests with the new boards are successful the factory will start the assembly of the first TBL's in January, so we expect to be able to start shipping TBL's in Q1 2016.

Wouldn’t that be a great start of the new year?!

***JERSEY JACK WRITES:
December 18, 2015

Greetings Pinball Fans,

It's a very exciting time at JJP, The Hobbit is on the assembly line! We are building up sub assemblies, playfields, cabinets and full games. The plan is to build a number of games for further extensive testing and then go into full production in January. Our suppliers have been working very hard to get us all the parts we need. Everyone knows that JJP games are loaded with fun, mechanical action, and new technology which keeps players coming back for more. Follow us on Facebook & Twitter as we post more updates and photos in the coming weeks!

JJPs facebook post from 12 minutes ago featuring pics of LOTS of Hobbits looking to be at or near completion I think puts them in the lead.

Posts coming in from both TBL and TH preorders however stating March expected deliveries...

Okay, I'm calling this one, as someone is posting pics of shipping box due to ship this week.

Winner: The Hobbit!

Could have gone either way for a bit.

Thanks for tolerating this lighthearted thread. And I have NO DOUBT that DP's Lebowski will be shipping soon, and will be great!

It'll be good to have both TH and TBL in the marketplace after the JPop and SkitB debacles.

Hopefully Alien and Rob Zombie soon, too.