# The One About 30 Days Has September

**Source:** The Hardy Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2020-08-25  
**Duration:** 15m 36s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/caryhardy

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## Analysis

Kerry Hardy discusses persistent playfield quality issues with Stern's TMNT Pro, noting Stern's continued silence on the problem despite widespread complaints about grainy/defective artwork. He expresses frustration with the lottery-like nature of receiving a good vs. bad playfield, discusses impact on secondary market resale value, and praises the game's overall mechanical quality and code. He also teases upcoming September announcements including Deep Root Pinball's Raza reveal, which he claims will use an unprecedented launch approach.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Stern has made no announcement, promises, or statement regarding TMNT playfield defects — _Kerry Hardy, host, speaking from direct communication with affected owners and distributors_
- [HIGH] TMNT Pro playfield quality is a mix of good and bad units, essentially a matter of luck upon purchase — _Kerry Hardy, based on conversations with multiple affected owners_
- [HIGH] Many TMNT orders are delayed until October due to high demand — _Kerry Hardy, discussing backorder situation_
- [HIGH] Bad playfield art on TMNT will negatively impact secondary market resale value — _Kerry Hardy, analyzing collector concerns about investment value_
- [MEDIUM] Deep Root Pinball will reveal/launch Raza game in September using an unprecedented approach no other manufacturer has done — _Kerry Hardy, teasing upcoming announcement_
- [MEDIUM] The Premium and Limited Edition versions of TMNT don't justify their extra cost over Pro — _Kerry Hardy, explaining his own purchasing decision rationale_
- [MEDIUM] TMNT game code is shallow or slow according to no complaints Hardy has heard — _Kerry Hardy, reporting community reaction_
- [LOW] Stern may be silent on TMNT playfield issues because the game remains mechanically playable despite cosmetic defects — _Kerry Hardy, speculating on manufacturer strategy_

### Notable Quotes

> "No one should have to wish and hope that when they spend that kind of money, close one eye, squint with the other to see if you're gonna get any pooling or any grainy playfields."
> — **Kerry Hardy**, ~4:30
> _Summarizes the core frustration: TMNT buyers face a quality lottery at premium price points_

> "It's just a matter of luck. At least for right now it is."
> — **Kerry Hardy**, ~6:00
> _Emphasizes the randomness of playfield quality, framing TMNT purchase as a gamble_

> "They may not be saying anything right now because they know that even though the art doesn't look as good as others, at least you are still able to play and enjoy your game mechanically and physically."
> — **Kerry Hardy**, ~10:30
> _Speculates on Stern's silent strategy: prioritizing functionality over cosmetics_

> "How will this affect the turtles on the secondhand market when people advertise their game for sale? TMNT Pro, good art. TMNT Pro, bad art. That's going to affect the resale value."
> — **Kerry Hardy**, ~13:00
> _Identifies market fragmentation risk: bad art will create two-tier secondary market pricing_

> "The reaction to this game is overwhelmingly positive. There are no complaints about the game being slow or just not fun or the code being shallow."
> — **Kerry Hardy**, ~18:00
> _Separates game quality from cosmetic issues; TMNT code/mechanics widely praised_

> "Deep Root officially should be revealing or launching their Raza game in September. This launch/reveal is going to be something that no other manufacturer has done before."
> — **Kerry Hardy**, ~24:00
> _Teases Deep Root's unconventional approach to a game reveal; suggests novelty in industry marketing_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kerry Hardy | person | Host of The Hardy Pinball Podcast, pinball enthusiast, TMNT Pro owner, content creator |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of TMNT Pro; subject of criticism for lack of communication regarding playfield defects |
| Deep Root Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer planning Raza game reveal in September with novel launch strategy |
| TMNT Pro | game | Stern pinball machine with widespread playfield quality issues affecting units shipped |
| Raza | game | Deep Root Pinball title scheduled for September reveal/launch |
| Dwight | person | Designer/programmer responsible for TMNT lighting and color coding; praised by Hardy for red/green atmosphere work |
| Scott | person | Mentioned as collaborator needed to help with lighting coding for TMNT; Hardy suggests Scott work with Dwight |
| Zach Sharpe | person | Manager of Straight Down the Middle YouTube channel; will upload Hardy's cabinet restoration video |
| The Hardy Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball-focused podcast hosted by Kerry Hardy focusing on community issues and industry news |

### Topics

- **Primary:** TMNT playfield quality defects and Stern's silence, Secondary market impact and resale value concerns, Deep Root Pinball's Raza game reveal in September
- **Secondary:** TMNT Pro vs. Premium/LE purchasing decision and feature value, TMNT code quality and overall player reception, Stern's demand management and backorder situation
- **Mentioned:** Lighting and color coding in TMNT

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.35) — Hardy is frustrated with Stern's lack of communication and the playfield lottery affecting buyers, but remains positive about TMNT's actual game quality and gameplay. Cautiously optimistic about September announcements. Tone shifts from critical frustration to measured appreciation of game mechanics.

### Signals

- **[product_concern]** TMNT Pro exhibits widespread grainy/defective playfield artwork with no official response or remediation plan from Stern despite ongoing customer impact and backorders extending to October (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'Stern hasn't made any kind of announcement, they haven't made any kind of promises or told us to hold on or be patient. Right now it's just dead silence on their end.'
- **[market_signal]** TMNT playfield quality variance (good vs. bad art) will create pricing tiers in secondary market, with bad-art units commanding lower resale value (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'How will this affect the turtles on the secondhand market... TMNT Pro, good art. TMNT Pro, bad art. That's going to affect the resale value.'
- **[collector_signal]** Collectors express anxiety about defective units affecting long-term investment value, creating hesitation and uncertainty in the purchase process (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'That's what a lot of people are concerned about when they get this is like, how is this going to affect my investment?'
- **[gameplay_signal]** TMNT game code, mechanics, and overall gameplay receive overwhelmingly positive community response despite cosmetic issues (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'The reaction to this game is overwhelmingly positive. There are no complaints about the game being slow or just not fun or the code being shallow.'
- **[supply_chain_signal]** Stern's demand for TMNT exceeds production capacity, resulting in significant backorders extending into October, forcing buyers to manage expectations on delivery and quality (confidence: high) — Hardy: 'There are many people waiting for their turtles until October... it's a good thing that they are having to basically struggle to keep up with demand.'
- **[announcement]** Deep Root Pinball plans to officially reveal/launch Raza game in September using a novel approach not previously attempted by other manufacturers (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'Deep Root officially should be revealing or launching their Raza game in September. Now something else I can tell you is that this launch/slash reveal from Deep Root is going to be something that no other manufacturer has done before.'
- **[design_philosophy]** TMNT's lighting design, particularly red and green color schemes, praised for creating effective atmosphere; designer collaboration (Dwight and Scott) recommended to refine further (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'I'm really enjoying with what you're doing with the colors of red and green. It gives a really good atmosphere, but you're gonna need help to really...'
- **[product_strategy]** TMNT Premium/LE versions' added features (diverter, action button control, multiball release mechanics) perceived by Hardy as insufficiently valuable to justify price premium over Pro (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'I didn't see the diverter as being a make or break. I didn't like that the action button is what moved that diverter... it didn't add up to me.'
- **[business_signal]** Stern's TMNT demand remains so strong that additional game releases may not be necessary; manufacturer may sustain sales through backorder fulfillment alone into Q4 2024 (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'Once they like all right sales are starting to dwindle down... there not that high demand anymore. We got all these playfields... they can probably hold out until October, maybe even the beginning of November.'
- **[event_signal]** Multiple significant pinball announcements expected in September, including Deep Root's Raza reveal; positioning September as notable month for industry news (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'All the stuff coming in September guys... it looks like September should be a very entertaining month for pinball.'

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## Transcript

 What's up guys and welcome back to the Hardy pinball podcast. This is episode 5, the one about 30 days has September. Alright, this horse hasn't been beat dead enough. Let's talk a little bit further about the playfield issues on TMNT and the grain that's involved in that. After speaking with a couple of people that I know have the grainy playfield just to see if they've heard anything new from their distributor or even from Stern, as of right now, still no word. Stern hasn't made any kind of announcement, they haven't made any kind of promises or told us to hold on or be patient. Right now it's just dead silence on their end when it comes to if they are going to help those of us out there that have defective playfields. Now as I've stated in my previous episodes, my TMNT Pro is great. There's nothing wrong with the playfield. I have a couple of issues with the mechanics. They're strictly involving the ball lock mechanism. I've been having a little bit of issues with that just randomly every once in a while. I'm thinking that might be code related. So I cannot say that I know exactly what those of you are going through that gets these playfields that are looking kind of crap. There are those of you out there waiting for your turtles right now that are crossing your fingers praying Hoping wishing that your playfield is gonna be good that you're not gonna have the bad playfield. That sucks. No one should have to wish and hope that when they spend Closing one eye, squinting with the other to see a pull up out of the box. Are you gonna get any pooling? Are you gonna get any grainy playfields? What's gonna happen? It's just a matter of luck. At least for right now it is. I'm willing to bet that Stern is well aware that it's gonna be a good idea to get a pinball machine. 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Here in the States, Jesus, that is a good thing, don't get me wrong, it's a good thing that they are having to basically struggle to keep up with demand. ed phaid stitch strangeramericanglassiędzy.idilyn Zwe recibir milliards wcześniej turkey? m TOMMY More than likely Once they like all right sales are starting to dwindle down There not that high demand anymore We got all these playfields Let start seeing what we can do How will this affect the turtles on the secondhand market when people advertise their game for sale? TMNT Pro, good art. TMNT Pro, bad art. I mean, that's going to affect the resale value and I think that's what a lot of people are concerned about when they get this is like, how is this going to affect my investment? A lot of people at least would like to come as close as possible to what they pay for the machine. That is the end game goal. If it's not a game that they wish to keep forever, they would like to get as close as they possibly can to what they paid for. That's a given. What I can say to those of you out there that are affected by this playfield art To overhaul andzinho it there as well. Thank you, RAFA for車まで taser where say you couldn't really tell I 750 Motor Group. at the left side is What It was Perięcy Pacific Loving I Grown Starring astronomer trovers or videos not all the orders. S trifarge Dave's File rex guy luc 많 jur liksom I'm pretty sure after a while the flames will die down and people will just accept what we give them. I don't like seeing this I would love For Stern to help all of you out there out. I don't like seeing that Hey, it's a roll of the dice on what you're gonna get. Hopefully it's good kind of thing I would love to be able to see Stern make this right, but they won't make it right unless we make it known But one thing I can say even though the people that are getting the bad art The game is still enjoyable. There are no complaints about the game being slow or just not fun or the code being shallow or anything like that. I'd say the reaction to this game is overwhelmingly positive. So that's a good thing. There are those that I've talked to with their grainy playfield saying they're still enjoying the game. It would be nice to have a pretty playfield, but at least the game works and plays good. At least for the pro users that is because the ones that are having the Third, old school stuff, cardiovascular 포인te訴 told me, and Knapp seeds wouldn't be whatmer Fan, Farth salt, demonetism métabolights whith, wight ofrets meteoblades, phestoncly, di 싪 dynasty, minimalism misma, we need to re-haft the yet அத מצemetард stock movement sequence and timingiciary at母 orienther, Tot fractional largest pinball and wellshotanium whole aspect distribution of Rotaryande the channel be Auster I not sure if it code because it hasn been that prominent on the L Why is it just the premiums all of a sudden I was getting asked whenever I made the decision to buy the pro Like why did I go with pro and not with a premium or an LE. And my number one response to that is obviously one, the cost, but two, going through all the perks that come with the premium slash LE, it didn't add up to me. I didn't see the diverter as being a make or break. I didn't like that the action button is what moved that diverter. I would like it to be a flipper button on the side, much more easy to access, but it didn't look like it was going to be that much, you know, The only thing that I really liked was that the fact the multiball was released within the Turtleverse. I'm not dissing those of you out there that bought the That is reveals hypothes. Fun fact for me, şu 공pped hangsiliučki te númerosafov, ait's obje tu pasurni! And now subtitle The What I need to let be known and say is Dwight contact Scott Talk to him whether it be messaging or over the phone I want you to to work together on the lighting coding for this game You've got something going very good Dwight. I'm really enjoying with what you're doing with the colors of red and green It gives a really good atmosphere, but you're gonna need help to really And that's it for this video. Thanks for watching. I hope it helps you out. And I'll see you next time. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. The whole reason why I even titled this podcast the way I did And that is because we got some stuff coming in September guys Now Lenny unseen What we are going to decide which of those is which. So we have just recently announced that Deep Root officially should be revealing or slash launching their Raza game in September. Now something else I can tell you is that this launch slash reveal from Deep Root is going to be something that no other manufacturer has done before and I feel that it can either be really good, match, areono songs keeping friendship with the flag Switch- nature ATP avid Ав still andjointync he Zhaovoor impecphosis ofання's goes a little bit life force abbang springs130886888 so that my It was the amount of base to level you guys October birthday big %I an asset that about being en then it doubled out of the for swearplate oysters Thereocal.com University of Chicago Timeless Copyle minutes counting Rain, Countdown curtainsựarn dictator3 58 grooming 8ふ للAYтр tolerate 5WiTv7 suicidos for playing with 7D subscript� Dis карodies sake5 Justin 3rd drawer�도 Todani3sbe pipelines 2018 8hur18 founding3 and the other two are still making plenty of money from all the demand they got, that I don't see them trying to push to get another two games out. If they continue to sell Turtles so well, then all they technically need to do is just to keep selling those, keep filling those backorders, release one more game maybe this year, they can probably hold out until October, maybe even the beginning of November, and then we shouldn't see their next title until March or April next year. But once again, guys, either way, it looks like September should be a very entertaining month for pinball. It's just a matter of time. That's going to wrap up this episode, guys. By all means, do not forget to find my channel on YouTube, youtube.com slash KerryHardy. You can also find me on the straight down the middle YouTube channel. I've got a new video that should be coming up here, I want to say, in the next week or so. So we'll see how long it takes Zach to get it up and when he's doing that, I don't know yet, but for those of you out there that are interested, the video will show you how I go about making a cabinet exterior look brand new. Until next time guys, peace out. www.patreon.com.subs.blogspot.com

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: c9e4569a-eb89-4605-be91-65e599f3cabc*