# Episode 1173: "Kaneda Changes His Tune on Dune NIB"

**Source:** Kaneda's Pinball Podcast (Patreon feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-12-29  
**Duration:** 35m 54s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.patreon.com/posts/episode-1173-his-146921393

---

## Analysis

Kaneda discusses Dune Pinball's unexpected scarcity and potential for value appreciation, contrasting it with Pirates of the Caribbean's collectibility trajectory. He analyzes the John Wick code update cycle and struggling Stern LE market saturation, argues that boutique manufacturers (500-600 unit production) have created genuine scarcity while Stern/JJP have destroyed collectibility through unlimited CE models, and addresses a community controversy involving theft and doxxing of a Pinside member.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Dune Pinball has sold approximately 560 units with ~600 total production planned, compared to initial 1,000 unit target. — _Kaneda cites specific sales numbers and production allocation data._
- [HIGH] John Wick LE has zero units for sale on Pinside despite many sold at $8,500-$10,000, indicating strong secondary demand. — _Kaneda directly checked Pinside inventory and reported findings._
- [MEDIUM] Stern Pinball has 'permanently blew it' on collectible games and 'will never get back' LE collectors due to poor treatment and unlimited CE models. — _Kaneda's opinion based on market observation, not verified fact._
- [HIGH] Winchester Mystery House sold out in two days with zero secondary market availability, indicating unprecedented collector demand. — _Kaneda observes current market conditions; corroborates with story about NYC collector with 30 machines._
- [MEDIUM] Stern intends to reach code version 1.0 on Dungeons & Dragons, Uncanny X-Men, and John Wick in January before abandoning further development. — _Kaneda states 'Stern Pinball has said they would like to get...' but doesn't cite specific official statement._
- [HIGH] Spooky Pinball made 80 additional Beetlejuice show games beyond the original production commitment (approximately 10% overage). — _Kaneda identifies this as greedy behavior and contrasts with Barrels of Fun's commitment to exact production numbers._
- [MEDIUM] Jersey Jack Pinball's new unlimited CE model (Harry Potter, Sonic) kills genuine FOMO and future secondary market value. — _Kaneda predicts future impact based on announced production models; awaiting Sonic release as 'real test'._

### Notable Quotes

> "I think Pirates of the Caribbean, I got to be honest, I do think it is one of the most overrated pinball machines based on what people think it's worth. I think it's only worth that because of the rarity."
> — **Kaneda**, ~27:00
> _Reframes Pirates narrative and establishes Kaneda's skepticism about artificial scarcity-driven value._

> "This is the thing that's different from Dune. There was initial incredible demand for the game. When Dune came out, there wasn't any of that."
> — **Kaneda**, ~30:00
> _Core argument distinguishing why Dune cannot replicate Pirates' value trajectory despite similar production scarcity._

> "If I buy one of 600 Dunes, I have one of 600 Dunes forever. And it's beautiful. And this is it. Like every single one is an LE."
> — **Kaneda**, ~38:00
> _Articulates the boutique advantage: inherent scarcity without needing artificial CE/LE/Pro tier segmentation._

> "Stern...they really blew it. They had a chance to have both like the mass volume games and the collectible games that everybody wanted. And they absolutely blew it."
> — **Kaneda**, ~41:00
> _Summary judgment on Stern's strategic failure in collectibles market segment._

> "But don't call up his job. Don't try to dox people. And trust me, karma will always get these individuals."
> — **Kaneda**, ~56:00
> _Draws line between community justice (banning) and vigilante escalation (doxxing)._

> "He's a scumbag...once you get caught like come out and just say yeah...I shouldn't have done it I'm sorry...but no man to double down on being a jackass like this is unreal."
> — **Kaneda**, ~51:00
> _Condemns both theft and refusal to make amends post-discovery._

> "We've never seen anyone else do this before, this sort of unlimited nature of something that's also supposed to be collected and have a name like Collector's Edition and Limited Edition."
> — **Kaneda**, ~39:30
> _Identifies the logical contradiction undermining JJP's CE strategy._

> "I think if you're on the fence about ordering Dune, I think you should get it. I really do...I think your money is safe on Dune machines holding value or going up post December 31st."
> — **Kaneda**, ~43:00
> _Kaneda's investment recommendation contingent on production cap enforcement._

> "This whole world now, like everyone needs to grow. Everything needs to keep getting bigger and bigger. It's ruining the world...That is not what pinball is."
> — **Kaneda**, ~40:00
> _Philosophically contrasts growth-obsessed corporations (Stern) with boutique sustainability model._

> "If you watch the Fallout TV show, having never played the video game, that's not a crime...All I want now is a good story."
> — **Kaneda**, ~64:00
> _Preemptive defense of Fallout pinball appeal to non-game-franchise-purists._

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Dune Pinball | game | Barrels of Fun licensed pinball based on Dune franchise; ~560 units sold with ~600 total planned production; subject of Kaneda's revised value appreciation analysis. |
| Kaneda | person | Podcast host; pinball analyst and market observer with 12-year industry track record; commentator on secondary market valuations and community dynamics. |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; praised for commitment to exact production numbers without show game overages; makers of Winchester Mystery House, Dune Pinball, and other limited-production titles. |
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Premium pinball manufacturer shifting to unlimited CE production model (Harry Potter, Sonic); criticized for eliminating FOMO and future secondary market value. |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; criticized for oversaturation of LE tiers, poor collector treatment, and loss of collectibility. Ending John Wick/X-Men/D&D code support in January. |
| Winchester Mystery House | game | Barrels of Fun game; sold out in two days with zero secondary market availability, exemplifying collector demand for unique themes. |
| John Wick | game | Stern Pinball licensed game; initially poor launch due to 'gun gate' issue and incomplete code; experiencing second-life demand with zero LE units available on secondary market. |
| Uncanny X-Men | game | Stern Pinball licensed game; poor launch with atrocious code and mechanical issues; 9 LEs currently for sale on Pinside indicating weak secondary demand. |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | game | Jersey Jack Pinball landmark title; 8-month production delay destroyed initial demand despite gameplay quality; now highly valued solely due to rarity and discontinued production. |
| Beetlejuice | game | Spooky Pinball game; phenomenal launch and strong sales; 80 additional show games made beyond commitment, criticized by Kaneda as greedy overproduction. |
| Harry Potter | game | Jersey Jack Pinball premium title; CE model expanded to unlimited orders, eliminating scarcity collectibility; awaiting Sonic to validate unlimited CE strategy. |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | game | Jersey Jack Pinball upcoming game with unlimited CE option; Kaneda identifies as 'real test' of whether unlimited CE destroys secondary market value. |
| Fallout | game | Stern Pinball upcoming title based on Fallout TV show and video game franchise; Kaneda cautiously optimistic about thematic uniqueness but uncertain about franchise appeal. |
| Christopher Scully Thompson | person | Pinside user who received Foo Fighters topper by mistake from Stern, lied about delivery, sold it for $1,300, then deactivated account; now subject of community doxxing campaign. |
| Orange County Pinball | company | Pinball dealer who arranged Stern repair of original Foo Fighters topper and discovered Scully Thompson's theft through invoice discrepancy. |
| Robert Mueller | person | Deep Root Pinball founder; allegedly stole $61 million from elderly investors; cited as example of community narcissistic sociopath without shame. |
| John Papaduke | person | Papa Duke; founder of American Pinball and Deep Root Pinball; cited as serial misleader in pinball industry. |
| Damien | person | Associated with Haggis Pinball; engaged in misleading customer communication to survive financially. |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Boutique manufacturer; criticized for making 80 Beetlejuice show games beyond original commitment; led by Bug and Luke. |
| Pinside | organization | Pinball community forum; moderated by Robin who banned Christopher Scully Thompson for theft and fraud. |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Secondary market valuation and collectibility scarcity, Boutique vs. mass manufacturer product strategy (Barrels vs. Stern/JJP), Limited Edition vs. Collector's Edition vs. Pro tier saturation, Dune Pinball production targets and market positioning
- **Secondary:** Code update support cycles and game lifecycle management, Community ethics: theft, doxxing, and proportional justice, Pirates of the Caribbean comparative analysis (rarity-driven value)
- **Mentioned:** Fallout pinball franchise viability and thematic appeal

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.42) — Kaneda is enthusiastic about Dune's value prospects and boutique manufacturing ethics, but deeply critical of Stern's strategic failures, collector-hostile practices, and the Christopher Scully Thompson theft incident. Cautiously optimistic on Fallout despite franchise controversy.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Jersey Jack's unlimited CE production model (Harry Potter, Sonic) eliminates FOMO and threatens future secondary market value; contradicts 'Limited Edition' nomenclature. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'It also will in the future hurt the secondhand value of the games when there's like 3,000 to 4,000 Harry Potter CEs out there.'
- **[community_signal]** Christopher Scully Thompson stole Foo Fighters topper, sold it on Pinside, then deactivated account; community escalating beyond banning to doxxing and employment targeting. (confidence: high) — Detailed narrative from Kaneda with Orange County Pinball corroboration; Kaneda draws ethical line opposing vigilante employment-targeting.
- **[competitive_signal]** Dune's poor launch timing (competing with Harry Potter/King Kong release hype) and incomplete code created perfect storm preventing initial demand critical for future scarcity-driven value. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'They launched the game too early. The code was really incomplete...four things working against it' including competition timing.
- **[design_philosophy]** Kaneda's revised assessment of Dune as equal-to-superior thematic execution vs. Pirates of the Caribbean despite lower secondary market value trajectory. (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'I would argue that Dune is probably as good of a game as Pirates of the Caribbean' and 'everything you want is in this game' vs. Pirates as 'half-baked.'
- **[licensing_signal]** Fallout TV show contentious with video game franchise purists over lore/tone changes; Kaneda frames this as risk factor for Fallout pinball thematic appeal. (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'People who love the video game they absolutely despise the TV show because the TV show has bastardized the lore' and acknowledges uncertainty on pinball theme success.
- **[market_signal]** Winchester Mystery House sold out in 2 days with zero secondary market availability; unprecedented collector demand for unique theme over established IPs. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'Can't find a single one of those things for sale anywhere' and 'nobody is willing to give up their spot.'
- **[personnel_signal]** Kaneda personally experienced doxxing and employment targeting in pinball community in past; frames current Scully Thompson situation as repeat pattern of disproportionate justice. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I've had to deal with a few times in my career...literally called up my employer and tried to get me fired, one of which did it when I had a newborn baby.'
- **[market_signal]** John Wick LE purchasers lost ~$5,000 in value (MSRP $13,000 down to $8,500-$10,000 resale), yet machines remain unavailable due to collector retention. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'For people who bought the LE new in box for $13,000, you basically lost about $5,000 in value' yet 'There's none to be had anywhere.'
- **[product_strategy]** Barrels of Fun's single-tier production strategy (600 units = all LEs) contrasts sharply with Stern's three-tier approach, creating inherent scarcity without artificial segmentation. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'If I buy one of 600 Dunes, I have one of 600 Dunes forever...Every single one is an LE.' vs. Stern producing Pro/Premium/LE variants that dilute collectibility.
- **[product_strategy]** Stern planning to reach code 1.0 on John Wick, X-Men, and D&D in January then discontinue development; signals games are 'yesterday's news' with no planned reruns. (confidence: medium) — Kaneda: 'They would like to get [code to 1.0] sometime in January. I think those three titles especially...they just want to move beyond them.'
- **[sentiment_shift]** John Wick experiencing unexpected second-life demand despite terrible launch; zero units for sale on Pinside while Uncanny X-Men (9 units) and Jaws (7 units) remain available. (confidence: high) — Secondary market inventory comparison showing inverse relationship between code improvement and availability.
- **[business_signal]** Barrels of Fun refusing show games for production runs (unlike Spooky's 80 Beetlejuice overages) signals commitment to capping scarcity and maintaining collector value. (confidence: high) — Kaneda: 'I'm proud of these guys that they didn't do any show games with Winchester's' vs. 'Spooky's doing 80 show games for Beetlejuice. Like that is the biggest garbage move ever.'

---

## Transcript

 Just remember when a dream appears, you belong to me. Oh, we got a little bit of a new intro there. Kaneda's Pinball Podcast. Let me know if you like it. I don't know. There's like a remix of the Akira album, so I just grabbed the Kaneda song from that. How's everybody doing? I hope everybody had a great holiday season. It's still ongoing. This is like the second week off for a lot of us. And a lot of you are playing pinball. A lot of you are on pin side. We're going to talk about what's happening in the pinball world. There's a crazy story about a dude who basically is taking a Foo Fighter topper. He should have sent back to Stern Pinball and he's trying to sell it. I think he did sell it. Now he's like blacklisted. Now people are trying to dox him. I want to talk about whether or not that's going too far. As someone who's been doxxed a few times in the pinball space, man, it's one thing to be mad about people because it's something they did in pinball. It's another thing to try to ruin their lives over something that happened in pinball. We're going to talk about Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack, what's happening in these pinball companies. And then this week, I'm going to do a live Canada Kudos Award show where I go over my favorite things that happened in pinball this year. So keep a lookout for that. It's going to happen sometime this week, and it's going to be a lot of fun. All right, so what is going on in pinball right now? I'm noticing something. There are just not as many games for sale as there used to be, and I think that is indicative of the end of the year. It's the holidays. A lot of people are buying stuff for themselves. The art of like giving a gift to yourself is real. And I think a lot of people have been buying pinball machines at the end of the year. It is a time of year in which we think about purchasing things. And so, you know, when I look at games for sale, it might shock some of you to see some of the titles that have been easy to get for a long time are no longer readily available. Now, the two hottest new games were obviously Winchester's Mystery House. Can't find a single one of those things for sale anywhere. I am still, I am still so shocked. I'm looking at you, Derek Musket. I'm still shocked that none of my friends are just testing the waters on that game. List it for 8,000. See if someone bites. I mean, some of these big whales. I was reading a story about a guy that just got a dune. He lives in New York City. He's been in the hobby for three years and has like 30 pinball machines that he keeps in like an art studio in New York City. A guy like that who might not have a Winchester, what's $8,000 to a man whose rent or like mortgage might be like $15,000 a month. You know what I'm saying, people? They got the cheddar. They got the cheddar. But nobody, nobody. And that is really, really amazing to me. Good job, Barrels of Fun. I mean, you found a unique theme that nobody knew about. You sold out in two days and nobody is willing to give up their spot. I think that is hugely indicative of how the collectors in this hobby just want something unique, want something different. We're going to talk about Dune and how you've just got like two more days to order one or you might not be able to get it again. Is it a sleeper hit? Will Dune go the same way that Pirates of the Caribbean went all those years ago? Remember, they couldn't sell Pirates for like an entire year. I think it's radically different times in the hobby, and I think they are radically different games. We're going to talk about what some of the similarities are, but also really what the differences are between Pirates and this game, and whether or not we think in the future we're going to see Dune Machines selling for a lot more than MSRP. So it is really, really interesting to me when I was in the John Wick thread because the John Wick code is getting closer to 1.0. I think Stern Pinball has said they would like to get D&D, Uncanny X-Men, and John Wick code to 1.0 sometime in January. I think those three titles especially, I think they just want to move beyond them. I think they want to be done with them. They need to allocate those software teams to new games. And that's like the blessing and the curse of Stern because they have so many games coming out every year. Even though you're excited about where the code is going to go, there's going to come a time where the sales of these games will not justify them continuing to put resources towards each of these games. and they will have to move on to the next games, especially with X-Men and John Wick. Those games didn't sell very well at all. D&D sold better and Dwight is definitely committed to D&D, but there's still three titles now that are yesterday's news. There's not a lot of demand for any of these games new in box. And if Stern were to run these games again, I don't think they're ever going to run either of those games again or all three of them will not have another run. I think this is it. I think they've made all the money they're going to make on them, and that is why you might not get more code updates in the future. But what was surprising when I was in the John Wick thread, a few things. So John Wick has been this game that some of my fans, Chris L., I'm looking at you, they love it. Like they swear by it. Like they think John Wick is a sleeper hit. They think John Wick was unfairly criticized because of the gun gate issue. They think the game came out and the code wasn't there. And so a lot of people just dismissed it. And now people are playing this game. And I will say the John Wick owners are having a lot of fun. It does seem like the only version of the game you need to have to have all the fun because it's faster and you still get all the excitement of the code is the pro version of the game. So I think those John Wick pro owners are absolutely having a ball for people who bought the LE new in box for 13,000. I mean, you basically lost about $5,000 in value. So, you know, but here's the thing. If I were to ask you right now, how many John Wick LEs are there for sale as of today on Pinside? Do you know what the answer is? Zero. There's none. There's none to be had anywhere. There's no distros listing them for sale. There's no games up there new in box. There's nothing. They've all been gobbled up. And a lot of them got gobbled up at really good prices. I think a lot of people bought LEs for less than $10,000. Some people bought them for like $8,500, but there are zero for sale. If I were to ask you how many uncanny X-Men LEs are there for sale right now on Pinside for obviously a discounted price, there's nine of them. Okay. Well, you know, look, nine's not a lot when you think they made, what, 866 of those X-Men's. Jaws LE, they made a thousand Jaws LEs, right? How many Jaws LEs are for sale right now? There used to be a point where there were zero. Now there are seven. Now, again, not a lot in the scheme of things, but still easy to get. There are seven people out there that want to sell the game. And the fact that they're still available for sale means that the tens of thousands of people on Pinside, there are not seven people that want one of those games right now. So right now, the supply outweighs the demand for the game. A lot of demand for Winchester, zero for sale. Now, with zero John Wick's for sale, are there any wanted ads for John Wick? And yes, there are. So I think this game is having a little bit of a second life. And I think a lot of us who are pinball curious may be thinking that this is a game that maybe I passed up and I should get some time on it. I think there are a lot of games like that. They have terrible launches. And because the launches are not great, the hype and the enthusiasm for the game sort of is dead on arrival. John Wick was one of those games. X-Men was kind of one of those games. The X-Men code was atrocious at the launch. And once we tasted that atrocious code, people did not want to go back. They did not want the game. And so yeah X was another game that had a terrible terrible launch It was rushed out It had both code issues and physical mechanical issues And because of that, it never recovered. We are now in a point where it's really hard for a game to recover because we've got 13 pinball companies making games. And why do I want to go over here and buy something new that's got issues or is incomplete? I'd rather buy a short thing. I'd rather buy something I know I want and I know is great. Dune was another game. It came out and had a terrible launch. It tried to sort of sneak out and be there and be present when Harry Potter was coming out and King Kong. So they launched the game too early. The code was really incomplete. And they didn't have really manufacturing going. So you've got like this triple whammy where, well, maybe even like four whammies. It wasn't a theme people really wanted. The code was incomplete. And there were two other games that had more excitement than it. And then your manufacturing wasn't really on. And you couldn't get the game in front of people. So you've got four things working against it. And by the time you reveal the game, you really didn't reveal the right game. You revealed an early version of something that would become much better. You only get one chance to make a first impression. So we've had a lot of pinball machines that have launched this way. And it does beg the question, can a game really have a second life when there's so much happening in pinball by so many other companies that are also launching in a much better way? Like Harry Potter launched in a much better way. King Kong, maybe, you know, you could argue there was nothing wrong with the Kong launch. I just think the game itself was underwhelming and the art turned people off and the lack of assets really did turn people off. When we look at a game like Beetlejuice, phenomenal launch. I mean the game was like sold out before they even did the launch. They didn't even need to do a launch video, but they did. We got a great launch video. The way the orders happened, it was like really fun to be part of the Beetlejuice reveal. And those of you who got a spot, you know what I'm talking about. Those of you who didn't, you might still be angry. But look, they did a great launch. And now the Beetlejuice games are going to be on the line in January. And people are going to start getting their games. So when you look at a game like Dune, though, do I think Dune is going to have like a second life? So the numbers right now are they've sold around 560 of the title. And, you know, there's two more days where the order banks are open. And the number that they're floating around is they're going to make somewhere around 600 of these games. So give or take maybe 10 or 20 units. So imagine if Dune, after all of the IP assets they got, after all of the theme integration, they've got all the actors, they've got the orchestra, they've got that sandworm mech that's pretty amazing. And they've got like the screen under the glass. Like it is a really beautiful pin. and yet it's been overlooked for some reason. Now imagine they only make 600 of these games forever and in total. All of a sudden now, it starts to feel like, wow, there is some FOMO now if they commit to that. Now they still have not committed that this is it. They said this is likely it, but they have not committed that this is it and never anymore. I think the number they said they were gonna make was around 1,000. they're not going to get anywhere near that so is this going to be a Pirates of the Caribbean situation like a year from now getting a dune is going to be impossible and anyone who has one new in a box is going to be getting like twenty to thirty thousand dollars for the game it's quite easy for me to say no that's not going to happen and I think people forget the reason why pirates sort of had this crazy journey. And it's so much different than Dune. When Pirates launched, you got to remember this. When Pirates launched and revealed itself to the world, everybody loved it. Everybody wanted one. The triple spinning disc, the treasure chest, that open and closed. Everybody thought the game was like the next greatest thing. Everyone had one on order. I did. Most people did. And then what happened? they didn't make the game for eight months they took out the triple spinning disc and the treasure chest mech they streamed the game for eight months to the point where nobody wanted one anymore and then by the time it came out everybody was over it and for those people who played it you know it's a mixed bag gameplay experience you gotta select from 22 characters it's this wide body game. It's not for everybody. And when you play that game on location, it was often broken and it didn't play right. It was a game that was very problematic for a lot of people at the beginning with problem solving and issues. And it also didn't have any of the real assets from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. And so people passed on it. And then Jersey Jack did the unthinkable. They said, we're never making any more ever again. And once they said that, then yeah, the demand went through the roof, but there was initial demand. And this is the thing that's different from Dune. There was initial incredible demand for the game. When Dune came out, there wasn't any of that. And because that never existed, there's no way to really manufacture that now, even if the game is good. I would argue that Dune is probably as good of a game as Pirates of the Caribbean. I think Pirates of the Caribbean, I got to be honest, I do think it is one of the most overrated pinball machines based on what people think it's worth. I think it's only worth that because of the rarity. I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. The Jack Sparrow, all the humor from Johnny Depp, none of that is in the game. And I get that it's sort of like a game inspired by the films. It doesn't even have the theme song. To me, it feels like such a half-baked version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Whereas if you love Dune, everything you want is in this game. I don't think there's as much crossover between the people that love the Dune movies and the people that buy pinball machines, but it's still a stunning machine. Here's my take on what I think is going to happen with Dune Pinball moving forward. I think once there's no more being made, and I think once people start getting Winchester, I do think there is going to be demand for more Dune machines. What I mean by that is I think there's going to be more people that want a Dune than Dunes that are available for sale, which means, and I'm being fair here, that I don't think Dune is going to go down in price. I just don't. I've been studying this hobby for 12 years, and I've been wrong a few times. I was wrong on the Winchester demand. Nobody saw that coming. I only had a few days to react to it like most of you. But hey, when the Winchester demand went through the roof, I called it like it was. You got to get one or you're not going to get one. And that's where people are at. I tried to get people on the Beetlejuice list for like a year, and those who listened got one. But I think Dune is going to be just fine. I think if you buy a Dune over the next two days, I don't think you're going to lose a single penny. I think, if anything, your game is going to go up in price. And let me explain why. Because we are now in a pinball space where nothing by the major manufacturers is really collectible, really as any scarcity. I mean, Jersey Jack's new business model is they're going to make as many CEs as people order. Okay, that's great. But that kills like any real collectability. It also will in the future hurt the secondhand value of the games when there's like 3,000 to 4,000 Harry Potter CEs out there. You know, Harry Potter is not the real test of whether or not that's the right move. It's going to be Sonic the Hedgehog. And, you know, look, Sonic the Hedgehog is going to be amazing. The CE is going to be incredible. All I'm going to say right now is the CE cabinet is going to blow you away. But the thing is this, the thing is this, there's no FOMO though. Unless you need it right away, there's no FOMO. They're going to make that game. I think they're going to do the same unlimited nature. So I looking at the pinball landscape now and I saying to myself okay all right there thousands of people with pinball collections but I do think there is a lot of people out there that just want to have something a little bit different in their game room And so Dune becomes that. Winchester becomes that. Evil Dead becomes that. Beetlejuice becomes that. Not everyone's going to have one. You're not going to see them on location everywhere. and I think that's going to be sort of like the nice position for all these boutique companies who make between like 500 and a thousand games total their products will have some baked in scarcity forever and I think that's exciting I like where we're at now where we got sort of Stern and Jersey Jack now are not really making anything truly collectible anymore like nobody wants these Stern LEs. I think Stern, out of all the companies, they blew it. Like they really blew it. They had a chance to have both like the mass volume games and the collectible games that everybody wanted. And they absolutely blew it. They treated their customers that collected their games like crap and they're never going to get them back. I mean it. They're never going to get them back. It's too late now. Everyone's moved on. The competition has gotten so good and the competition is giving you way more for your money when it comes to unique, rare, collectible games. Because the great thing about Winchester, the great thing about Dune, you know what it is? If I buy one of 600 Dunes, I have one of 600 Dunes forever. And it's beautiful. And this is it. Like every single one is an LE. Every single one is a collector's edition. Same thing with Winchester. Same thing with Beetlejuice. You know what? Beetlejuice, Dune, and Winchester, and Evil Dead will never have. They will never have a premium version of the game that those companies will make for years. Harry Potter CE is so awesome, you know, but they're going to make the Wizard Edition forever and they're going to make the CE forever. You know what I'm saying? We've never seen anyone else do this before, this sort of unlimited nature of something that's also supposed to be collected and have a name like Collector's Edition and have a name like Limited Edition. And yet, for some reason, none of that feels special anymore. So the boutiques are really in a great position to sort of build their companies to the right size, get like a certain number of buyers every single year, and then you'll be good. This whole world now, like everyone needs to grow. Everything needs to keep getting bigger and bigger. It's ruining the world. We're so tired. Like we've all seen Wally. If everything just keeps growing and becoming mass, mass, mass, bigger, bigger, bigger, more profits, make the shareholders happy. At what expense? At what expense? That is not what pinball is. That is not what pinball will ever be. And that is the big problem over at Stern Pinball is they need to be that mass monstrosity that is all about profit and the bottom line to keep their investors happy at the cost of making their pinball customer happy. And we've seen it and we've seen it for four years now. So will Stern be able to like turn a corner with Pokemon Transformers and Fallout? So to put a pin on it, I think if you're on the fence about ordering Dune, I think you should get it. I really do. I'm also like thinking about it, man, because I've seen this game with the alternative Translight and it is one of the most stunning machines I've ever seen. And again, I'm just looking at what happened to Winchester. And I think everybody who has a Winchester who doesn't have a Dune is maybe going to want one after, and then it might be too late. So all I'm saying is this, I think your money is safe on Dune machines holding value or going up post December 31st. That is if they only make the 600 or so games. And that is only if David comes out and says, this is it, no more ever. But if he keeps the door open, because that's 400 more new games that might be made, that will cause the games to go down in value. So I think a lot of what happens over the next three days will determine what the future value is of these Dune machines. And you got to stick to your guns, right? And I'm proud of these guys that they didn't do any show games with Winchester's. You know, I'm still upset that Spooky's doing 80 show games for Beetlejuice. Like that is the biggest garbage move ever. Bug and Luke, no, I hate it. It was so garbage to do that. I've never seen another pinball company make 10% more games, basically, because there was demand. I mean, come on. The last time that happened is when Stern said there was going to be 500 Munsters and then they knocked it up to 600 after they said 500. It's stupid. Nobody likes it. You don't need to do it. You don't need to be greedy. Just stick with what you said you were going to do and do it. Now, speaking of sticking with what you said you were going to do before I talk about fallout at the end, I want to talk about real quickly, this ridiculous dude who's now been blacklisted from the pinball community. He goes by the name, Mr. Christopher Scully Thompson. And long story short is he bought a Foo Fighter topper secondhand and nobody would help him out getting it fixed until I believe it was Orange County Pinball dealer and distro helped him get the topper fixed from Stern Pinball. They sent the topper to Stern. Stern repaired it, sent it back to this guy. Okay, that's where the story should end. Christopher Scully Thompson should have been happy that OC Pinball helped him out, went the extra mile, and that's how the story should end. But no, something else happened. By mistake, Stern Pinball mailed him a brand new in-box $2,000 Foo Fighter topper by mistake. So they must have got messed up and not recorded that they fixed and sent back the other one. They might have thought they were just sending him a replacement. And so this guy gets the new topper. The reason why OC Pinball knows this is they get an invoice from Stern that they sent the new topper to Christopher Scully Thompson. And when the dealer asks him, did you get the topper? He says, no, he never got it. He says he never received it in the mail. OK, so right there, he got it. He knew he got it and he lied. And FedEx had the photos of the box on his front porch. And so it could have ended there where he could have just like said, I never got it and rode off into the sunset and nobody would be trying to crucify this man. But he didn't stop there. He then lists the topper for sale on Pinside for $1,300. And I think he sells it instantly, of course, because he's selling it for such a low price. He took what he knew was not his. He got one for free and he decides to sell it. And everybody sees this. OC Pinball sees this. Robin sees it. Everybody sees it. And even after getting caught, right, he gets caught doing this. He deactivates his account, doesn't come clean, and doesn't offer to return the topper or the money to all the parties involved, whether sending it back to Stern or sending it back to the dealer. And now they have this guy's information. They have the company he works for. They have his LinkedIn, and they're going after him. And, look, I'm just going to say this. Like, first of all, the guy is a scumbag. Like, that is a scummy, scummy move. and there's one thing to do something and try to get away with it but once you get caught like come out and just say yeah you know what it's been a rough few months I thought I could just you know use the money and I did this I shouldn't have done it I'm sorry here you go here's the money back here's the product back but no man to double down on being a jackass like this is unreal. But let me ask you a question. Knowing that he did this and people are now posting where he works and people are saying, call his employer. That is where I'm like, come on, like that's going too far. As far as I'm concerned, this is now an issue between the dealer, this gentleman and Stern Pinball And yes maybe Pinside because that where the sale happened And Robin has banned him from Pinside and deactivated his account But now the mob wants more They want blood. They want to go after this guy. He is a member of the pinball community. What I really don't get, and I try hard to understand people's motivations. You know, there's a lot of crooks out there. John Papadiuk, Robert Mueller, Kevin Kulik. We've seen our fair share of crooks in pinball. Damien over at Haggis, you know, where people are like purposely misleading people to try to survive. And that often leads them to lying. I wouldn't say stealing money, but they're disingenuous in everything they do and say because they're trying to survive. But this is a guy that doesn't need this topper to survive. He's not trying to keep his pinball company afloat. In fact, it's the dealer who's a small business that's trying to survive and should not have to eat a $2,000 topper because this guy is a thief. Now, that being said, going after someone's employment because of something they do off to the side in pinball, it's something I've had to deal with a few times in my career and by some people that are still on pin side, by some people that are still on pin side. And I'm not going to name names because I don't want to bring it up again. But these are some people that are still part of the pinball community. You see them at shows, you see them on pin side, and they literally called up my employer and tried to get me fired, one of which did it when I had a newborn baby. OK, so this is some of the the characters we're dealing with in pinball. And I think for each and every one of us, you know, you learn in life that as a good person with good values, whether you're a person who believes in God or you're religious. It doesn't matter if you are or not. If you're just a good person, there comes a point where if your mama and daddy raised you right, you do the right thing. And it's crazy to me that someone would sell their reputation, their parents' reputation, their family name would be sullied, Mr. Scully, over $2,000. You know, you had an opportunity to steal something, an opportunity to give it back. And even if you got caught stealing, you still doubled down on the lie. And I think it's really embarrassing for him. We won't see him anymore. I was almost thinking of doing a fundraiser for OC Pinball from the Canada community to make this guy whole. Maybe we should do that. Do you guys think we should do that? Should we do a live this week and raise enough money to erase the damages of this loser in the pinball community? but don't call up his job. Don't try to dox people. And trust me, karma will always get these individuals. He will live with this shame forever. And look, some people don't feel shame. Like I don't think Robert Mueller feels any shame stealing $61 million from old ladies to try and build a pinball machine. I don't. I don't think Marty feels any shame in what he was doing with Damien and telling people everything was fine when they weren't. I don't think they feel the shame. I don't. I really think there's people out there that absolutely are narcissistic sociopaths that feel no shame whatsoever and they justify this behavior somehow, okay? But for the rest of us out there, just do the right thing, okay? Just do the right thing. All right, let me end this podcast by talking quickly about Fallout. So I've been watching the Fallout TV show and I've been enjoying it and I was having a good time and then I got an email from someone, I'm sorry, I forgot your name, who said, Chris, you have to go look at the reality of the Fallout franchise. And for people who love the video game, they absolutely despise the TV show because the TV show has bastardized the lore of what Fallout is all about. And for lack of a better term, you know, they turn the show into more of like a woke DEI version of Fallout is what people are saying on the YouTubes of the world. And look, I'm enjoying the show. I never really played the video game. And I just want to say this. If you watch the Fallout TV show, having never played the video game, that's not a crime. A lot of people are going to do that. It is inspired by the video game. And I'm just so desensitized by now to all of the whole like wokeism in Hollywood. It's everywhere now. I don't even care anymore. Like you now know that everything you see is going to have every ethnicity represented. There's going to be biracial couples everywhere. There's going to be trans characters everywhere. I don't even care anymore. You know, it's at the point now where like, I really don't care. All I want now is a good story. If you give me a good story, you can put whoever you want in the damn character roles. I don't even care. Because remember when that stuff was like a distraction? It doesn't even distract me anymore. It's just like, okay, but it's a story. Good. And I will say, having watched season one over the last week, I really was pulled into the storyline around Fallout. So I think they've done a good job. I don't have any frame of reference into what they bastardize. I'm just going off of the show. Now, that being said, do I think after watching this show and getting through season one, do I think that Fallout pinball is a good theme for pinball and will be successful? And, you know, maybe, maybe. And I'll explain why. Because it is such a unique world under glass. And I think first and foremost, I think one of the most important things is creating that world under glass. So I think the Fallout world, this post-apocalyptic world in all of its mixtures of like 1950s Americana and sort of Mad Max post-apocalyptic wasteland is really, really awesome to create that world under glass. But the reason why I think this game is going to fail as a Stern pinball game is I think Stern pinball will try to make that world under glass using flat plastic and making it cheap. Because if they have to spend the money on the license, they're not going to spend it on making a true world under glass. And that is why I think if Stern does fall out, Keith Elwin's going to make it shoot great. But I think it's going to come across looking a lot cheaper than it should. And I think Stern Pinball, if you were to ask me, this would be the game where they really need to start putting in 3D sculpts, like miniature neon signs, like stuff that is real, stuff that is molded, stuff that is sculpted. No more flat plastic screws everywhere with the part number on it. The storyline is there. You know what I like about the show in terms of making it into a pinball machine? It's a journey. And within each episode, you could see the modes of the game. The other thing is, would they have season two, which is airing right now? It's not complete. Would that be in the game? I think that would be important. You know, I'm watching Stranger Things season five right now. And Stern's game only goes up to the first two seasons. I don't know about you. I'm kind of over Stranger Things. I'm like watching the last episode or the second to last episode. And I feel like the whole damn show is them huddling about what they're going to do. Them actually doing it takes like 30 seconds. But the whole thing is them figuring out what the plan is. And it's like six different side quests going on at the same time where everyone's just trying to talk about what the plan is. And I don't really care anymore. I just want to get to the end of the show. So everybody, thank you for being a member of Canada's Pinball Podcast. A little bit longer of a show today, but that's because I haven't been doing as many shows because of the holidays. But I'm back and we're going to do Canada kudos. My favorite things that have happened in pinball, my awards for each of the games coming this week. Look out for that date. It's going to be live. I'll do it some evening. We'll get some whiskeys. We'll have a good time and we'll just celebrate the best of pinball in 2025. Everybody, love you. Talk to you soon. See the jungle when it's wet with rain. But remember, darling, till you're home again. You belong to me. you

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c88a4548-226c-460b-acc1-d3b5f72fd011*