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The Pinball Show Ep 47: Is There Pinball In Heaven?

The Pinball Show·podcast_episode·1h 34m·analyzed·Jan 18, 2021
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.036

TL;DR

Stern hikes Batman/Elvira prices $500; JJP ships GNR CEs with cable issues; PinSwap rental platform launches.

Summary

The Pinball Show Episode 47 covers industry news including Stern's controversial $500 price increase on Batman 66 and Elvira Premium models, Jersey Jack Pinball's Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition shipping issues (missing/wrong speaker cables), CES 2021 appearances, and discussion of PinSwap, a new peer-to-peer pinball rental marketplace. Hosts debate pricing strategy, supply chain management, and operator economics.

Key Claims

  • Stern increased prices $500 on Batman 66 Premium and Elvira House of Horrors Premium without advance notice to customers with existing pre-orders

    high confidence · Craig Bobby's Stern News segment and Zach/Dennis follow-up discussion; confirmed by Dennis as dealer experiencing direct impact

  • Batman 66 has not seen a price increase since release (~3-4 years ago); Elvira has not seen a price increase since its release

    high confidence · Stern's official justification relayed by Dennis from CFO/CMO formal statement to dealers

  • Jersey Jack Pinball shipped Guns N' Roses Collector's Editions with missing speaker topper cables, then shipped wrong replacement cables

    high confidence · Zach and Dennis discussion of CE shipments; direct experience as dealers

  • Jersey Jack prioritized direct customers for early CE shipments before dealer allocations

    high confidence · Zach's statement about distribution order affecting dealer inventory planning

  • Stern's backorder log extends to June/July 2021, creating long wait times for new game orders

    high confidence · Dennis's direct experience as dealer managing customer orders

  • Jack Danger showcased Led Zeppelin at CES 2021 virtually for Stern Pinball

    high confidence · Zach's report of CES 2021 'Showstoppers' segment featuring Stern

  • PinSwap rental program launched by Poor Man's Pinball Podcast crew with $10,000 insurance and localized mapping

    medium confidence · Zach and Dennis discussion of pinswaprentals.com; described as new program but not independently verified by hosts

  • Typical monthly pinball rental pricing is $250-500 depending on game age/tier

    medium confidence · Dennis's estimate; not formally sourced but presented as market observation

  • Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition includes JJP Sparkle playfield enhancement not available on Limited Edition

Notable Quotes

  • “So much for an agreed upon price or a handshake agreement. Whatever happened to companies doing the right thing by their loyal and hardworking customers?”

    Craig Bobby (Stern News correspondent) @ ~13:45 — Frames Stern's price increase as breach of trust with customers and dealers; emotional appeal to company values

  • “If I'm comparing it to Led Zeppelin, okay, I see that. I really don't know the truth here. I think it's easy just to say, no, it's the same price. It costs them the same materials.”

    Dennis Creasel @ ~20:30 — Expresses skepticism about Stern's technical justification for price increase; suggests profit motive rather than cost necessity

  • “They claim that it looks to me like Elvira is so hot right now that Stern is deciding to bump up the price because of the popularity. Of course, they did it with toppers. Toppers were popular, and they started bumping up the price.”

    Zach Minney @ ~22:00 — Identifies pattern of Stern using demand/popularity as justification for price hikes; connects to historical topper pricing precedent

  • “The tricky part, and I think the one that I don't necessarily agree with... of the ones that we had ordered as dealers, right let's say i have 15 20 of them pre-ordered l virus those were canceled immediately during that message hey we're canceling all orders of l vira and batman premium we are increasing the price 500 you may reorder”

    Zach Minney @ ~24:15 — Details the operational impact of Stern's announcement: immediate cancellation of dealer pre-orders forces re-ordering at new price; this was the most frustrating aspect for dealers

  • “They sent these CEs out, but they were missing a crucial part to enable that speaker topper to even function. Ouch. The whole topper? The speaker was there, but the cable that hooks it to the board was not there.”

    Zach Minney @ ~34:30 — Documents quality control failure in high-end Collector's Edition shipments; highlights premium product reliability issues

  • “Well, it's... Well, what do you mean, well? They didn't ship the wrong cable, did they? ... They rushed out the cable, and it was the wrong cable. Oh, no.”

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyJersey Jack PinballcompanyZach MinneypersonDennis CreaselpersonCraig BobbypersonKen RudbergpersonJack DangerpersonBatman 66gameElvira House of Horrorsgame

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Stern's backorder list extends to June/July 2021, creating 5+ month lead times; long delays on Elvira (pushed back Oct→Nov→Jan+) suggest prioritization of higher-margin titles

    high · Dennis: 'The backorder log at Stern Pinball continues to grow. Right now, there's a lot of titles that, as a dealer, I have to order, I have to guess, like June, July.'

  • ?

    business_signal: PinSwap launched as new rental marketplace by Poor Man's Pinball Podcast; indicates growing home ownership market segment seeking access/trial options

    medium · Zach: 'PenSwap is a new program that started, an online marketplace-ish, started by the guys over at the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast... pinswaprentals.com'

  • ?

    community_signal: Community debate over motivation: Stern claims production complexity and lack of prior increases; some customers/hosts suspect demand-driven price hike similar to topper strategy

    high · Zach: 'They claim that it looks to me like Elvira is so hot right now that Stern is deciding to bump up the price because of the popularity. Of course, they did it with toppers.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Stern participated in CES 2021 virtual 'Showstoppers' segment; demonstrates continued effort to maintain industry visibility and media coverage during pandemic

    high · Zach: 'Stern Pinball had Jack Danger showcasing Led Zeppelin at CES 2021. Talking about all the features, what it was like to work with Led Zeppelin'

  • $

    market_signal: GNR CE secondary market price at $20,000 indicates strong demand; hosts predict Batgirl/Elvira secondary market will 'get a bump' from price increase

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.283

0:00
Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised.
0:10
The Pinball Network is online. Launching, The Pinball Show. Pinball is a game of skill. For some, it's a passion and a lifestyle.
0:26
It's time for The Pinball Show. It's pinball with personality Episode 47 of A Little Thing We Call The Pinball Show We're your hosts Zach Minney alongside Dennis Creasel How are you this week Dennis? I'm fine but you should probably just have Bruce back on I've only seen positivity regarding the Bruce appearance People really like the Nightingale They do That's why they can always go and check him out over with the Slam Tilt Podcast It's so funny, Bruce is like If he was a candy, he'd be like a cherry sour He can be the sweetest, kindest, most real person And then, just like that, he goes on a rant And you're like, whoa! And you're pulling the reins back Hold on, Bruce is coming No, you didn't expect that Hobbit rant? Well, believe me, I knew that was coming But no, some of his takes, I was like, wow That came out of left field my favorite part was where you told everyone who ordered CEs that they should never expect to get them ever I didn't say that did I not describe it accurately? that was Bruce's take and I said I could see where he's coming from when I heard it I thought oh I think some CE owners are not going to be too happy about that I had another podcaster message me you're so stupid I'm like oh alright fair enough so what have you been up to this week? Oh, busy with work. It's been exciting times. Hey, I streamed yesterday. I heard. It would now be Saturday, I should say, because this is going to come out on Monday. Yeah, I streamed Super Orbit. So I stream in the mornings. I realize that's when I can capture the tens of thousands of viewers of pinball that are just like, gosh, I just sure wish I could have something with eggs related to pinball. Hey, let's watch Super Orbit. Was it a good showing for Super Orbit? I still can't beat my grand channel. I so want to get 2 million points on that thing. My high score is a little over 1.9. I just can't. I just can't get back. I can't get even a little higher in the 1.9 million range. I always choke. I had three games that were close that I couldn't do it. Then people are coming in and they're like, when are you going to stream a new game? Like, a stirred. Oh, man. I don't know. I don't want them. Gottlieb and I have an understanding. They're not going to come and DMCA me. So maybe as soon as you sign that sponsorship contract with flipping out pinball. Oh, my gosh.

high confidence · Ken Rudberg's Jersey Jack update; 'hard to capture in photos' per unboxing reports

  • CNET published 9-minute video on GNR titled 'Guns N' Roses Pinball is a Technical Marvel'

    high confidence · Ken Rudberg's JJP industry news segment

    • Dennis Creasel / Zach Minney @ ~35:00 — Compound failure: not only missing cable but replacement was incorrect; illustrates escalating quality issues

  • “I value gameplay at $1 a play. So if I was confident I could get 500 games in in a month, I wouldn't feel bad about $500.”

    Dennis Creasel @ ~47:30 — Provides framework for evaluating rental pricing economics; establishes affordability threshold for casual players testing games

  • “Not everyone does [have location play in their area]. I didn't for a long, long time. And even so, I'm not looking to go to a bar or anything.”

    Zach Minney @ ~50:15 — Identifies use case for rental platform: home players in areas without location play infrastructure

    • Guns N' Roses
    game
    Led Zeppelingame
    PinSwapplatform/service
    Poor Man's Pinball Podcastorganization
    CES 2021event
    Bruce Nightingaleperson
    Flippin' Out Pinballcompany
    Super Orbitgame
    Joel Inglissperson
    Pinball Hall of Famevenue

    high · Ken Rudberg mentions $20k sale pending; Zach predicts secondary market pricing increase

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Jack Danger acting as Stern Pinball spokesperson/presenter at CES; appears in prominent role showcasing new titles

    high · Zach: 'Stern Pinball had Jack Danger showcasing Led Zeppelin at CES 2021'

  • $

    market_signal: Stern increased Batman 66 and Elvira Premium prices $500 without advance warning to customers with existing pre-orders; dealers forced to cancel and reorder at new price

    high · Craig Bobby's report + Zach/Dennis confirmation; formal CFO/CMO statement to dealer network; immediate pre-order cancellations documented

  • ?

    product_strategy: GNR Collector's Edition includes JJP Sparkle playfield enhancement (described as 'hard to capture in photos') not available on Limited Edition; premium tier differentiation strategy

    high · Ken Rudberg: 'JJP Sparkle. Those who have seen it have said it's really impressive in person and hard to capture in photos.'

  • ?

    product_concern: Jersey Jack Pinball shipped Guns N' Roses CEs with missing speaker topper cables, then replacement cables were wrong model; indicates QA breakdown on premium product line

    high · Zach: 'They sent these CEs out, but they were missing a crucial part... The speaker was there, but the cable that hooks it to the board was not there. ... They rushed out the cable, and it was the wrong cable.'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Dealers/customers expressing frustration with Stern's handling (not the increase itself, but the announcement method and impact on pre-orders); Craig Bobby describes it as 'cash grab' on 'helpless' customers

    high · Craig: 'But at the end of the day, based on how this was handled, it has the unfortunate look of nothing more than a cash grab on the part of Stern'; Zach: 'the way they went about doing it and impacting all those pre-orders' was the difficult part

    • 3:00
    I'd become your new Joe Engelberth. I'd be the 2.0 version. Oh, yeah. Love us some Engelberth. Yeah.
    3:07
    Joel's already ready for next game. I'm like, oh, let's see. Oh, is he sick of Avengers already? He spoke so highly of it. I think he's getting a taste of everything new.
    3:16
    It's like the variety pack of Russell Stouffer chocolates. Yes. At some point, he's going to bite into one of those marshmallow ones and be like, why do they still make this?
    3:27
    Says the guy that likes black licorice. Hey, black licorice knows what it wants to be. Chocolate-covered marshmallow has never been a good idea. I don't like that either. No one does. That's why I don't understand why they make them. No, dark chocolate, you can get rid of all of it. I don't even like solid chocolate. It's going to have some peanut butter. It's going to have something and not marshmallow. Maybe a little nougat. Nougat is very underrated. I like me a nougat. You are a big Nugget fan. Your favorite pinball machine might be Ted Nugget.
    3:56
    It most certainly is not. I'm a Nugget fan. You're a fine arts fan. I love this push that you're making in media right now about Picasso doing watercolor in reference to the Super Awesome Pinball Show interview with American Pinball's Dave Fix.
    4:16
    Inaccurately saying that it's like Picasso doing watercolor. yeah oh that well all right now i'm not i'm not a fine arts expert it's just when i heard picasso did a lot of media like he did a lot of styles you know a lot of people know know about his blue period and maybe that's about as far as it goes but i was just i was listening to the interview and it was really interesting for a variety of reasons but when i heard the the the analogy and it was said with such disdain like watercolor was beneath picasso i was like he worked with a lot of stuff. Are you sure you know what you're talking about? And so I had to check, and it's like, yeah, 1933, Picasso, gouache and watercolor. And gouache is a type of watercolor. I thought it was a vegetable. But it's like, no, he's not. I mean, they go for millions of dollars. I was just like, that did not... Look, all I'm trying to say is, if you're going to do an analogy, maybe know what you're talking about. Oh, he's shitting on Picasso.
    5:13
    And then he can hate Picasso. I don't care if he likes or dislikes Picasso. I'm just saying, Picasso did do, like, a lot of watercolor. You know what makes me think of? Grizzly Adams did have a beard.
    5:27
    Happy Gilmore. Congratulations, murderer. You killed a golf legend. Beat it, McGavin. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to dedicate my performance at the Tour Championship to Chubb's memory. To hell with that. I'm playing for Chubb's. Nuh-uh. I called it first. Hey, hey, hey. You want to beat him? Beat him on the course. That's right. I'm going to beat your ass on the course. Yeah, right. Grizzly Adams had a beard. Grizzly Adams did have a beard. See, this is what happens when pinball folks stray outside of carguments. Stick with the analogies you're comfortable with, or maybe research it ahead of time, or make it so obvious that no one's going to question it. Oh, I love it. That's all I'm saying. I'm going to mail Dave Fix a Picasso repro. Wow, those topper sales are going really well. I'm going to actually send you Picasso's. Repro. A print. Send him a print. Repro? God. Slum it much? Well, it is what it is. Speaking of slums, let's take it over to our correspondents. Oh, we must have Craig Bobby for this one. I think we do have a little Bobby action. We might have a little Ken Redberg as well. Stern and JJP. I don't know. Let's see if we can drum it. What about my favorite, Dr. John? Oh, do you? I don't think we have John this week. Shit's not been going on, I guess. Sigh. It's time for TPN Industry News.
    6:57
    Hi, this is Ken Rudberg with your Jersey Jack update. Jersey Jack continues to ship collector's edition versions of Guns N' Roses out the door, and recent unboxings show ecstatic owners who are saying that the collector's edition version is a substantial upgrade from the limited edition. This not only applies to lighting, including under- and rear-cabinet RGB LED lighting kits, but also to the playfield, which includes an application that Jersey Jack is calling JJP Sparkle. Those who have seen it have said it's really impressive in person and hard to capture in photos. These deliveries, of course, have resulted in some machines going up for sale on Pinside and as of this recording, there's one currently pending sale for $20,000. In other news, the media coverage of this game continues with CNET next on the block. They recently released a nine-minute video called Guns N' Roses Pinball is a Technical Marvel. It's a conversation with Eric and Keith and not surprisingly focuses on how the machine was made and the technology that's put into it. That's it for this week. For the Pinball Show, this has been Ken Rudberg.
    8:13
    Hello and welcome to the Pinball Show's Stern News Update. I'm Craig Bobby. No, this is not a sound effect from high speed, but the dreaded highway robbery siren as the world's largest, most prolific, and dare I say it, richest pinball company of the modern era goes after their helpless Batman 66 and Elvira's House of Horrors customers this past week by asking for an additional $500 for their purchases. With deposits already taken months ago and without notice, Stern advised distributors that all outstanding back orders for Batman 66 and Elvira's House of Horrors would be cancelled and that all customers would need to fork over an extra $500 per machine and have those orders resubmitted at the new increased price. So much for an agreed upon price or a handshake agreement. Whatever happened to companies doing the right thing by their loyal and hardworking customers? Or does this really matter? I mean, what are we talking about? Some wealthy people that are being asked to pay a little more for their expensive purchases? But I say when the world's largest pinball manufacturer starts pulling shenanigans like this, changing the price after the price is agreed upon and deposits are taken, covert or not, boo baby, we got some problems. But with the buying frenzy that's going on right now and the pinball hobby, sadly no one is paying too much notice, unless of course you're one of the unlucky Batman 66 or Elvira customers patiently waiting for your game to be built that you put a deposit on back in September. So what do you think these customers did in response to the increased price hike? Well, almost to a customer, they paid the extra $500, of course, which brings to mind the old saying, if you don't ask, you don't get. But at the end of the day, based on how this was handled, it has the unfortunate look of nothing more than a cash grab on the part of Stern trying to take advantage of a hot market and a pretty darn low blow, if you ask me, for such a big company like Stern, who, let's not forget, is coming off a record sales year in 2020. Come on, Stern, we love you, but you can do so much better. For the Pinball Show, I'm Craig Bobby. Catch you on the flip side.
    10:37
    Thank you, correspondents. Always great to hear from those fellas. Dennis Stern, pinball is in the news this week, as they are every week. Why? Why are they always in the news? This one isn't the best, maybe? There's some good stuff here. But did you hear about Stern pinball recently and abruptly? increasing their pricing $500 on Batman 66 Premium and Elvira House of Horrors Premium. I did, and I guess that means I will never be buying one new in-box. I know that you've had your eye on an Elvira. I think it's a really fun game, but $500, that is a huge markup. That's half a topper. That is half a topper. That's half an Elvira topper right there.
    11:21
    That's the moving part. So now, Dennis, the MSRP is now $84.99 for those studio titles. It's stiff. Yeah, scared stiff. You'll get one of those cheaper. The difficult part this week was how it went about. And from experience as a dealer, we were contacted pretty abruptly and given a formal, I think the CFO wrote, I think it was a CFO, CMO, wrote a formal statement to us dealers and I think to the public indicating that moving forward they had to increase pricing on Batman and on Elvira Premium Series. The reason being, they claim, is number one, those two particular titles have not seen a price increase since they were released. That's pretty significant. Elvira has not been released long ago, But Batman's been around for, are we closing in on three years? I guess. Three or four. I can't remember when it was. I remember it was the Expo. They were just showing it. It was the dialed-in year. I think it was 2017, 2018. So regardless, I hadn't seen a price increase. A lot of people, I believe, assumed that when we get those $100 Stern across-the-board price increases, those have not affected those two particular models. They also indicated that the studio line in Batman and Elvira take a little bit more production to do, a bit more complex, and consequently cost more money to build. I would argue they were already like $300 more than a cornerstone premium. And then the final reason was that the production on them is always smaller because they don't have a pro model. They're just a smaller run always for those.
    13:20
    So ultimately, they kind of told us dealers they were faced with two options. Increase the price so that it makes sense for them to build them or discontinue the titles. What is your thought regarding this? Maybe the strategy is by increasing the price, they'll be able to discontinue the models. Well, that's it. In which case, I will say job well done. But do you really think that's going to happen? As we see toppers continue to sell in the secondary market for sometimes two to three times that of a new unboxed topper.
    13:52
    I think we're at the point where neither of these games is flying off the shelf anyway. So, yeah, I don't think they're going to sell very many more. Batman is stable, just like any other release. Elvira is likely the hottest title in the last two months, believe it or not. and it may be because they're not as readily available as the other cornerstone titles and they keep bumping i see remember listener remember dennis i talked about this in previous episodes them continuing to bump elvira that run supposed to be in like november october november then they bumped it to maybe december january then they bumped it again remember us talking about that yeah i do maybe that's this has been kind of a back and forth them trying to make this decision for a while now. And then they've realized, this is just me trying to postulate what could be going on here. Do you think it really costs them that much more? Do you think it's more complex to build? Nope, I do not. I do not.
    14:54
    If I'm comparing it to Led Zeppelin, okay, I see that. I really don't know the truth here. I think it's easy just to say, no, it's the same price. It costs them the same materials. I'm not saying it's the same price. I don't know. And I mean, why would they – the constant pushing back of Elvira to me would have suggested the only reason to keep pushing it back is that they don't think there were enough orders to warrant doing even a small run. See, I just – I don't think that's the case. It makes more sense to me that they weren't building them. Probably, you know, people claim that Stern's out for the money and stuff. They are a manufacturing business. That might be true because – think about it. If their margin, their profit margin is lower on those and you've got this back order of five that why focus on that particular title? Why not focus on the one that you make the most money on? Right. So that kind of makes sense to me. Sure. But I mean, I don't think that they needed to rate that while the margin may be lower. I don't know. Gary Stern has often pointed out that their profitability margin, the difference between the cost to build and the cost to actually make them money, has been lowest on pro models. So maybe they were making less money on an Elvira premium versus an Avengers premium. Maybe it slipped enough that this then puts that back in right or puts it back so that they make even more off of a premium Elvira than they do off of a Cornerstone premium, but I don't think that it was unprofitable for them to make a Batman and Elvira, and so I don't think this $500 differential explains the delay. I would just assume it's more about the practicality of shifting a line over to building units and why do it for 15 games. And the one hypothesis that neither of us are hitting on right now is one that has been the majority of people that have reached out to me with some frustration with this move from Stern Pinball. They claim that it looks to me like Elvira is so hot right now that Stern is deciding to bump up the price because of the popularity. Of course, they did it with toppers. Toppers were popular, and they started bumping up the price. They're doing the same shit with Elvira. And I don't know if that's true or false. Can you see that? I don't know if I can see that. But in a way, the motivation is almost moot, though. I mean, does it really matter? The bottom line is the price has gone up $500. I think the trickiest part for people is we've had customers with a preorder for months upon months, and we had to continually tell them, sorry, it's being bumped again. Sorry, it's being bumped. The tricky part, and I think the one that I don't necessarily agree with, I don't know their finance, so maybe this is a necessity, but of the ones that we had ordered as dealers, right let's say i have 15 20 of them pre-ordered l virus those were canceled immediately during that message hey we're canceling all orders of l vira and batman premium we are increasing the price 500 you may reorder to get back in those queues for the future runs a lot of people that didn't sit well with a lot of people and rightfully so because my whole evening was spent contacting all of those pre-ordered customers telling them, hey, I'm sorry, but the price has increased $500, which makes me look like an idiot. Most of them, if not all of them, understood that it's not a me thing or flipping out thing, but I would have loved to have seen them, Dennis, say, whatever orders we got, we got. But any future orders are now going to be $500 more. But I don't know financially they could have done that because they've been bumping these runs so far that this back order list has been really getting big you know what i mean there's the frustration okay but i don't i don't if if it's that if that 500 is that fundamental then why wasn't this decision made back before they were doing all the bumps why let it why let it continue to grow the tumor has grown over time instead of them taking immediate action maybe they thought they could find another i don't know it was something we have not seen from stern pinball i haven't seen as a dealer i don't remember a time just being in the hobby five years or so that this has happened it was interesting interesting move i mean i just remember when avengers came out and the price increase was was there and they noted this isn't the 100 increase doesn't affect the prior titles until the start of the new year you know they were really transparent about when that would you know the turtles would go up in price and the stranger things, we're going to see those price increases as well. So, I mean, I guess overall, I think it's safe to say that this announcement was mismanaged. Not so much how they announced it, but rather just the way they went about doing it and impacting all those pre-orders. Maybe they thought the volume was low enough that it wasn't a big deal. Maybe they figured, eh, the distributors have to deal with that. So who cares? That's the joy of having a distribution network and not selling direct. So I get that as well. And I accept that. Not fun calls to make for sure, though. And after reaching out to the pre-order customers that we have at Flippin' Out, I can say that only one person backed out. Pretty good. Well, I'm not too surprised at that. There's a statement for when you're in the shopping cart line and you see another at the grocery store and the other line is moving faster, but you won't move over to the faster line because you've got it in your head that you've committed currently. I never get that right. All that time you've invested is lost if you move lines. There's a term for that. Maybe you know because you're kind of like a shrinky sort of person. Yeah, I'm not a social psychologist. I don't know what that is. Okay. Well, that's what that says. They can't. They committed already. They can't bear to be uncommitted at this point. So, of course, they'll shell out the 500. Yeah. It's kind of like the traffic too. Do you move lanes? But I do think those that might have been considering placing an order for them will now probably be more inclined to say, I'll just get it used. And speaking of used, you know what happens to the secondary market now on those titles. I think it gets a bump. Yeah, I could see that. Not that I'm giving away anything for market trends. No, you would never give anything away. It's a little bump. The backorder log at Stern Pinball continues to grow. Right now, there's a lot of titles that, as a dealer, I have to order, I have to guess, like June, July.
    21:31
    Wow, that is a long wait. My recommendation is to increase all games by $500 and get that backlog down. The good news about Stern Pinball this week is that they showed up to CES 2021 virtually.
    21:47
    Oh, well, that makes sense. There's a segment called Showstoppers, I think, that was hosting a lot of these virtual seminars where an individual would interview a company and their new product launch. And Stern Pinball had Jack Danger showcasing Led Zeppelin at CES 2021. Talking about all the features, what it was like to work with Led Zeppelin, how they chose the songs. I thought to myself, I was like, oh man, these are some tough questions to ask somebody that is in a position more as a spokesperson. It would be hard for a spokesperson because, generally speaking, not all spokespeople know about the products. But he got through it, did well. There's only a hiccup on showcasing the game. They were streaming it, so I don't think the capture card shit out on him. So that was unfortunate. It kind of made the game look like it was broken. But overall, he showed up at CES, so that's always a good thing. and speaking of mishaps jersey jack pinball has been shipping some gnr collector's editions did you get yours despite the advice you and bruce gave no stop with that i'm running with this narrative no uh did you get yours yet no you know i haven't had a chance to play it yet i see well hopefully you didn't order a standard oh i can't yeah i can't anymore No, we have a simple left. They should just raise the price by 500 points. They're still going to make them. People will still buy them. No, we still have a couple spots left for standards, Dennis. So if you ever decide, buy one. Bye bye bye No the problem this week with boy Jersey Jack damn it They send out the CEs to people Sore spot for me After all the debacle with the CE distributor shit, Dennis, they sent a lot to direct customers first. God, they made it right. Not wholly, but they could have.
    23:52
    Now, we haven't had any CE ship yet, but direct customers did. No, but the problem was, in retrospect, it's probably better for me. It's less work for me. They sent these CEs out, but they were missing a crucial part to enable that speaker topper to even function. Ouch. The whole topper? The speaker was there, but the cable that hooks it to the board was not there. Oh, well, I guess they could just ship out those cables then. Well, it's... Well, what do you mean, well? They didn't ship the wrong cable, did they? So then they rushed out the cable, and it was the wrong cable. Oh, no. How can you say that?
    24:37
    What's the expression? You can't win for losing? No shit. Oh, that's so sad. That's so sad. And it's true. You spend that much on a game, and you get a feature that's not on the other ones. Forget the cable. You ship the wrong cable. Oh, that's so sad. They've been through GNR, man. Such a hot title. Such a great seller. But how many times do you get kicked in the nuts here? Wow. Over such a relatively, something like a clear coat issue or things. It's a cable. And they just shipped the wrong one again.
    25:13
    Jeez. But people are really, really enjoying them. We're seeing pictures on social media now of these newly unboxed collector's editions. And they are gorgeous. boy that is a pretty pretty pinball machine um shiny so yeah part of me is now thinking oh man i would have had to submit all of these warranty requests for these damn cables and i don't have one myself so i don't know how to troubleshoot oh man dodge that headache well it would be an easy troubleshooting uh cables missing yes yeah that would have been easy but when they shipped up the new cable and they're like i don't know it's not responding then you're like oh shit Is it the wrong cable? Is it a board? What is it now? Just because of how just sort of sadly bad this has gone, I want to think, like, this isn't, like, the wrong cable, but just, like, a ridiculously wrong cable. Like, they accidentally sent networking cable. Like, Cat6 cables all came in. You'd be like, this doesn't work at all. It's not even remotely looks like the right plug. I can see them sending a cable that was three inches short. people have got those speakers hanging off the head and shit i can make it reach i can do it or on the outside of the bag glass just believe me don't don't get out the belt pop i'll get it all their friends come over they're like 13 grand on this so you know there's what there's one person in their desperation they like got out glue glued the speakers to the sides of the head, just making it look like a little X-wing. Why do you have an Alexa module on the top of your GNR? Well, that's to do the Bluetooth until I get the cable.
    26:57
    Hey, Alexa, can you play GNR song? Playing Patience, because it's what you need by GNR. We love you, JJP. Man. And it's a good group of guys over there. But, yeah, they've got that resolved now. They've sent out the right ones. The relationship with Mono Cable has never been stronger.
    27:25
    I bet you're getting the bulk discount now. Monster Cable calls them up. See, assholes? See what happens when you go up trade? Monster Cable and their gold-plated cable. Oh, my gosh. Oh, that's right. Going to have that gold. Okay. Man, this is a fun news week. Let's talk about pen rentals. A lot of operators do that. Yes. And Stern's even been telling dealers to push that. Don't be afraid to rent out some games. Push it. Just like heroin. That's right. What does that mean? Rent out your games. Make them taste it. But PenSwap is a new program that started, an online marketplace-ish, started by the guys over at the Poor Man's Pinball Podcast. We laugh at them each and every week, but look at them with the business sense to create an LLC here for Pinswap. You can go to pinswaprentals.com. And what this is, listener, is a centralized place, a hub, that you can rent out your pinball machines that may be taking up space or you want to earn a little extra income each and every month. This might be good for hobbyists. It could be good for operators. They're closed down. They're like, what else am I supposed to do with these things? dealers have inventory like me sometimes i get trade-ins and they sit for a while you make some money it's nice because there's a localized feature that shows a map of where these pins are for for a person to uh to rent so overall i think it's a pretty badass good idea i like it nice but let's say you didn't have any pinball machines and you really wanted one you're into pinball as much as you are now, but you didn't have a machine. Would you consider renting a machine out for a month or two?
    29:10
    Yeah, I guess so, especially in the pandemic. What do you think a good price is? Give me a guess as to a price that you, well, you're the wrong person to ask. You're like a great guy. Yeah, why are you asking me? I hang out with the most frugally. A dollar. Yeah. Todd bought that for a dollar. What do you think a going price is for a monthly rent? $250 a month. $250 maybe if you get an older title. Some of the newer Sterns and stuff are $400 or $500 a month.
    29:38
    No wonder Stern's been pushing this for you guys to promote. It's like, have you told your customers that they can easily get the $500 by renting the game out for the first month? Unbox it. Rent it.
    29:50
    Oh, an added unboxing fee. You want the honor of unboxing my game you're renting? That's an extra $250. Maybe I should do that. Personalized unboxing for people. What do you want me to do? Hey, it solved you having to try and come up with weird creative, and I'm using air quotes around creative, ways to unbox a game. That's fair. So, penswaprentals.com if you are looking to rent or to rent.
    30:15
    I got midway in there and I didn't know which way to go. RTR, rent to rent. That's right. If you want to rent out or rent in. With 24 easy monthly payments of $500, you will own this game never. Own it. Yeah, and it's a way to bridge communication so that people, if they want to, they can maybe rent to own. Well, I mean, even at $500, I mean, if you're really on the fence about if you think you want to own a game, that's not a bad amount. Oh, to try it out, yeah, that's a good point. Because you're not limited on how many games you put in. So you can really get your money. I mean, I value gameplay at $1 a play. So if I was confident I could get 500 games in in a month, I wouldn't feel bad about $500. Yeah, that's a good way to break it down. I like that.
    31:03
    I've never rented one, so it's tough for me. Well, and that's the thing. Because I own over a half dozen games, it's like, eh, I would probably just – and I don't know how popular the concept holds when we're out of the pandemic. If you're in a location-rich pinball area, why not just go on location and play? Yeah. Would be what would run through my head. Very true. Because I already own games. So it's like if I want to play at home, I have games. If I want to play the new stuff, I'll go to the bar and play. I do like that they have a – I think they have like a $10,000 insurance policy built into it as well. Oh, that's nice. That's good. They thought of everything, maps, insurance. Yeah. It was funny. It's been weeks back. They messaged me asking about kind of about the idea, knowing me as a dealer and stuff. You sponsor this. I do not have a game source for, oh. Flippin' Out Pinball does not sponsor this yet. And so I thought about it for like one minute, and then I listed off like 40 different questions. I think I overwhelmed them a little bit. Oh. I was just thinking of your new commercial, but it says, are you renting out?
    32:17
    Renting out pinball. Oh. Guys, we need to talk. Pre-COVID, you could have just went to locations to play. If you live in an area that has location play. Not everyone does. I didn't for a long, long time. And even so, I'm not looking to go to a bar or anything. Now, if you were in Vegas, you could go down to the Pinball Hall of Fame. That's true. Because they need cash. Need cash now. They're normally flush with cash. Pinball Hall of Fame. Need cash now. I wonder if they could go down the strip to one of those credit.
    32:54
    Put it all on black. There's a recent video on Facebook with the, I guess, operator of the Pinball Hall of Fame in Vegas. We know that to have that pinball circus game. It's a globally recognized location, I would think. Normally, I mean, it pulls a lot of foot traffic being in Vegas, which is obviously a very heavy tourism town. I believe normally when they've been operating they donate in turn a lot of the funds that they raise to another charitable organization and of course they've been wanting to get onto the strip and so they have this massive project that's been underway for a little while now and I think a lot of people, I know I was definitely concerned with the decision to move forward with it during the pandemic but I'm sure things were arranged It was sort of set into motion before all that happened. But it sounds like that's been the hiccup at this point is they had assumed that they would still be raising a certain amount of revenue at the old location.
    34:00
    And with the governmental – they had a mandatory shutdown, and Vegas tourism is way down. So apparently they're half a million dollars in the hole on the project. Ouch. Now, I do know that this is a $10 million project. Oh, yeah. This is significant. This is big. We're talking big, wrath of God, pinball money here. Oh, and it's a big-ass place, 26,000 square foot, nearly three times the size of the old pinball hall of fame. Oh, yeah, it's a great location, all that. So they need money. They've been doing some fundraisers. They've even been selling off games, which is scary and sad to me. It feels almost like a recent story we reported a month or so ago. But, yeah, like you said, $500,000 in the hole, and they sold their building on Tropicana. They need to vacate that building by May 6th, and they're hoping that this new building should be done in time. But I was watching the video, and he said, quote, if we stop paying the contractor, we don't move in. So this is getting – this is really, really serious. Oh, yes. Yeah, clearly. So, yeah, I mean, so they have a fundraising. I think it's through GoFundMe set up. So if those interested want to donate to the project, they can. And there's a video with a lot more info. None of them are paid. And you said that's going to some charitable contributions as well. Yeah, I think there as a nonprofit and in turn, I believe it's the Salvation Army. I'd have to go check that they often do charitable contributions. For those wondering why they don't have about half a million in cash in their bank account. They don't just sit on a pile of money. Clearly, they saved up to do this project, but I think part of the – without piecing it all together myself, my understanding is that they had assumed they would still be bringing in a certain amount of revenue from the Tropicana location, and that's just not performing like their projections thought because the projections were pre-COVID. What happens if they don't get the money? They don't get to move in apparently because they will have no choice but to stop paying the contractor. though alternative perhaps they do have enough games that they could raise the 500,000 by just selling more and not completely filling out the space yeah but if they're not getting paid i don't know how they're gonna get those filled back up this is a mess i don't know if this doesn't work out is this a big hit for pinball sure it's a lot it's one of the most it's one of the most famous permanent pinball fixtures in terms of locations if not the most famous do you think well and he Let's not joke ourselves. He has a bit of a history with people. I've never met the guy, so I don't know. But there's a history there, pros and cons, in the pinball community with the operator there. Do you think there are any other non-for-profits on that Vegas trip?
    36:55
    I don't know. My guess would be no, but I don't know. I know nothing about Vegas. The only thing that piqued my interest was he was given a tour of the facility and what it will be like. He talked about arcade games being on the perimeter of the wall, and I'm like, what?
    37:14
    Arcade games? Why the hell would you have arcade games in a pinball hall of fame? It's blasphemy. No. Well, I mean, both pinball and video games are a part of the arcade experience. No. We don't want their kind. Some people who go there that aren't into pinball, it gives them something to do while they're kids. or significant others are playing the pinball machines.
    37:36
    And it's 26,000 square feet. I mean, arcade games are so much easier to maintain. So much easier. Then open up an arcade. Don't call it the Pinball Hall of Fame. Are you getting hung up over the name? I'm getting hung up because it's the Pinball Hall of Fame. It's one of the largest places for all pinball machines. And you're going to put a perimeter of arcade machines? No. Hey, the Texas Pinball Festival, every year I've been, has a DeLorean parked in the main area that could have pinball machines. I guess we should throw the DeLorean out because it's not a pinball machine. That actually is an argument that works here. Nicely done. My argument would be if they had 12 to 14 DeLoreans, yes, get rid of them.
    38:20
    Hey, you know Texas Pinball Festival also has arcade games there too. I know and I don't agree with that either. Kids love them. They want to play four-person Toitals. Call it something different, pinball and arcade. No, we don't need a rename. It's mostly pinball, so it's still the Pinball Hall of Fame.
    38:38
    Just let that go. I was naming a lot of things last week on Straight Down the Middle. We were naming the top ten most overrated pinball machines of all time. I don't think we've had a chance to watch that yet, but you know some of the games on there. I can't handle the drama. Adam's Family? Do you feel like that's overrated? Oh, sure. Yeah. Okay. Family Guy?
    39:00
    No, not really. I didn't know people. Outside of the humor, I don't know a lot of people that worship that for gameplay or anything. Or Raymond Davidson. I don't know what they sell for, though, so I'm not sure. That wouldn't have come to my mind. They sell high. They still withhold their value. I mean, I've only played – I've played the – I guess, no, I've played both versions. I've got more time on Shrek. Okay. I just – yeah, all right. It wouldn't have been one I would have thought of. Spirit? I wouldn't say do it. Bing, bang, bar?
    39:29
    What? Big bang bar? Kingpin? Okay, those two, yeah, I could see that. Again, it's their rarity that drives their value up, not their gameplay. And it's been out long enough, spoiler alert, the number one was Quicksilver.
    39:44
    Ooh. Ooh, twist that knife. Actually, yeah, I could see that being on there. You guys heard it here. Yeah, I've seen the prices those go for. At some point, you're rewarding simplistic gameplay because of the era, but simplistic gameplay, there's way too much value. You can't say that it's the art that's moving that game. So it's just, it's its rarity. For the love of the classic Stern Electronics, I think it's one of the worst layouts. I actually, I don't think I've played it. I want to. I like the idea of the sweepable drop bank and such, but it's not. Right in the middle of the play field? Sure. I mean, I want to see how it goes. I mean, they kind of – I don't have enough time. I've got some time on it, but, nah, never. I mean, Stern Electronics had some dogs, so – Sure, sure they did. It might still be up near the top of the list when you think about some of their other stuff. Oh, and it's so ugly.
    40:42
    Well, that's where my comment about – I know it's not the art that drove that price. One could say that I could see people who might argue that Fathom, Bally's Fathom, is the price that it is not because of the gameplay but rather because of the art package. Completely agree. It's a good game, but meh. I know some who love that gameplay and I know some who hate it. But everyone I know of does think it's one of the better art packages in classic pinball. Poor Sea Witch. Remember when Sea Witch was just beloved like a Fathom or like a Quicksilver? Not too long ago. Not too long. But boy, oh boy, you just do not hear that anymore, do you? Not when you can get a Beatles for the same price. Absolutely. Sorry, Beatles, and your $2,000 gameplay. That's okay. It plays better, looks better. It does. It's better in all regards. Underrated list. So go watch those.
    41:39
    And finally, we get an update on the Pinball Industry Awards, hosted by the Pinball Network. Well, what's our update, Dennis? where we at on everything? All the voting's done. Woo-hoo! I think the award ceremony's being worked on. I thought you were going to say it's done. I'm like, oh, no. Did I miss it already? No. Shit. My role is done. I am now at peace. I know. I'm a little bitter every time I go into our TPN Discord and see everybody. Oh, we did a great job, Tim. Everyone's moved on except you. I'm like, yeah, my work begins now because you guys have been taking the bulk of it prior to. So now my work begins on some editing and production of the ceremony that's going to be played live on January 28th at 8 p.m. Central. Do you know what platform you're going to use? I believe we're still in discussion, but I think we're going to do YouTube. Oh, the YouTube premiere? Yeah. But that'll be a group discussion. and we will send out an announcement, kind of like a promotion for it, maybe with where it's going to be, who's hosting. That should be coming up the next week or so. It's getting close, though. It is. It feels like it's flown through.
    42:55
    Well, maybe we shouldn't have picked such an aggressive time frame. No, no, it was smart. I think we should have. Yeah, it felt good. The time frame felt good. I just can't wait for the next year. Find out more about year two of the Pinball Industry Awards on January 28th at 8 p.m. Central. Now, you voted for it. Now, you voted for the main game. I was a judge for the category awards. Care to give us a sneak peek on one of your votes? What category would you like to ask about?
    43:27
    Let's go with best art for the play field. I believe I ended up voting for turtles for that very nice I didn't vote in that one you didn't apply for a ballot you're not one of the 40 we had 40 ballot requests and everyone who requested a ballot did vote they didn't vote in all categories and we encouraged that was actually one of our big obstacles I'm hoping we don't have in 2021 was there were a few people that said they knew they qualified, but they didn't feel they had enough experience with the games and they weren't comfortable voting because of that. That makes sense. Because of the pandemic. Well, in my response to that was always, I understand completely. You're not forced to vote in any particular category. Bear in mind there are some categories that, at least in my judgment, you can assess via photos and video fairly easily, but not everyone can do that. Especially if you're on a podcast giving your opinions. I would think so. First takes are wrong. We call them watercolor wrong. Well, unless you got five years in. Then you're fine. Or you're around in the 90s. Buying cheap games. Because that makes you smart. How's that relevant? Actually, you do come across as pretty pinball smart if you bought a bunch of games in the 90s and are now ready to sell them. Sure. But I was not. I was still in school getting my learning on. Yeah, I was still getting educated to become an expert at pinball market trends. So, I mean, I turned out okay. So we've got that voting coming out. I think it's going to be an even bigger response for years to come, too. I really hoped we'd get at least 30, and I was going to be satisfied as long as there were at least 20. That was like my metrics that I had just because the timeframes were so tight. And I knew people were nervous because of the pandemic about putting their opinion out there and not knowing how this was going to go.
    45:26
    There's a variety of things. We have a clear majority or not in the pinball network who did the voting as well. I was really pleased with that. 65%, I think. That's pretty big. Right. Obviously, I don't have anything against the voters who are in TPN, but there will always be these, as we knew there would be, there would be people like, well, what is this? Is this TPN giving out awards? That's not how the categories were meant to be. We had TVP and people help organize this effort so that it could get done. I still get that on a daily basis. Well, but people without any background, they're just going to make some assumptions. They'll make some leaps of logic. And not all of those are bad leaps, but they're incorrect. Leaps of logic? Yeah. That's awfully kind. The brain fills in the blanks when it doesn't know. We are pattern-seeking creatures, after all. And you will construct patterns where they don't exist. Sure. I called most of it leaps of ignorance, but leaps of logic, I guess, works. I try not to phrase things in a toxic way like that. Oh, sorry. In an honest way.
    46:26
    I'm still just as honest. I'm just kinder about it. I am the second nicest person in pinball. That is statistically confirmed. Are you second only to me or what? I'm second to Steve Bowden. Oh. Yeah. It's frustrating. And it's not toxic with bonus. Just be mean and let me be number one.
    46:43
    Give the crown away. We do have trophies on their way. Those are going to be really exciting. Shout out to David Dennis for getting all of the social media nominees announced on the social media platforms. That was nicely done. I really like that. And as a reminder he put the criteria that the committee uses to identify nominees in the voting process and I thought that was nicely done But as a reminder those are the criteria the committee looked at It's not like somebody has to have all of those. Oh, yeah, no. I'm sure there were probably people just like with the Twippy snubs. I'm sure there were people like, why were there PIA snubs? Who was or wasn't nominated? And it's like, yeah, that ultimately no one was put through a screening process where like we would deny a nominee. Yeah. If a person not if someone said I nominate X, then X is nominated. It's that simple. And then it was up to the group's discussion to decide who ultimately would be seen as recipients of those excellence awards. It was really nicely done. I'm glad I was able to take a part in that. And at the end of the discussion for that particular category, we're like, OK, any other nominations? going once going and we did limit one individual could nominate one person so that i didn't get yeah you know there were there were a dozen people you could have but so at most you in theory could have had 12 nominees but could you imagine if i mean early on there were some people that were like i want to nominate three or four folks it's like this is gonna be forever come on well we ran into yeah it went long anyway so and for transparency purposes all of our meeting notes will be on the website soon enough. Yeah, there will be a summary that is posted. And I was going to give people a heads up on that. On those notes, you're going to see who nominated such. That was simply, I could have nominated somebody, but somebody else got to them first. Oh, I see what you're saying. I don't want anybody to think, oh, like they must really love me because they nominate. Sure, but it wasn't like they were the only ones speaking for you. No, no. Sometimes there are multiple people that had a similar name in mind and just one person gets credited for it. And secondarily, there were some people that said, I nominate X because I think they need to be in the discussion. And then we would have just to force the mandatory discussion. So don't. Yeah, I wouldn't try not to read too much. And obviously, these are these are summaries here and not full minutes. We it got aggressive at points, especially, I would say, felt like against some of the TPN people. We got very aggressive. So we you know, the goal isn't to embarrass anyone with pointing out every single flaw, every single work product that there was. But we tried to talk pros and cons for everyone that came up. The media judges took their job seriously. They did. They tried really hard. It was good. So tune into that. I'm excited about it and terrified all at the same time. Did you vote for your Twivies yet? Yeah, I did. Woo-hoo. So you got them all done.
    49:40
    I try not to. I'm always afraid I'll forget to do it if I don't do it right away. I see. so I try and move really quickly I've not voted for the Twippies yet I figure maybe this is a year I just don't vote because if I don't vote for the industry awards maybe I don't vote for the I don't know maybe I'll just sit this year out for everything are you wanting to ask me what one of my picks was for my Twippy let's go with your Twippy for best topper I skipped it well that's allowed but it's also allowed to my knowledge that you can go back on the very last day of voting and change all your votes up. I will not be doing that.
    50:26
    I stand by my decisions and my indecisions. The Twippy Committee is like, whew, thank God. Yeah, no, I don't want to make it hard on them. So that's coming up as well in March.
    50:36
    I don't know if they've picked a date yet. I haven't heard yet. So be on the lookout for that. And then they did announce, I believe, that they have full plans on 2022 to do it again at TPF. Yeah, we should have a TPF in 2022. I would hope so.
    50:54
    Hey, Din Din, guess what time it is? Market trend, watch out. I like that. Where is Macho? Maybe I'm Macho.
    51:09
    No, you're not. Oh. Could you do a macho? Could you really? I just did, so I can apparently know. Oh. That was very good. Well, that was cute. No.
    51:21
    The cream. The cream always rises to the... See, I don't remember his voice. I didn't really watch a lot of wrestling. It's short. They're short. Macho.
    51:31
    Macho. Yeah. The cream. It's that kind of thing. I don't do it well either. Fuck. Turning out this week is Star Wars Premium. Comic book edition. How about it? Those were the lasers from Star Wars.
    51:53
    When's the last time you've seen a Star Wars film? One of the originals. A couple years ago, maybe. Okay. It's not one you go through every year? No, no, not usually. Like I do The Office every year?
    52:06
    No, not at all like how you do The Office every year. But I'm all caught up on Mandalorian. Oh, so good.
    52:13
    So good. Star Wars Premium Comic Edition is trending up. Why is it trending up? Well, take a look at the Pinside Top 100. It's number two right now. Really? How about that? I am surprised. They did not have enough of the ratings yet, I guess, on the comic versions. So now that they have enough ratings, boom, 9.001, sitting right under Medieval Madness and right above Pirates of the Caribbean by Jersey Jack and Ball. So for all of you that value that pin inside top 100, numbers don't lie. But the reviewers do.
    52:52
    I don't know if I'd call it. It's one of my favorite pins that Stern's ever made. I don't know if I'd call it the number two, but I'm okay with it. That's fine. You really don't know if you'd call it the number two? I think you know that you wouldn't. I do know that I would not. I would not call it the number two. Nope. And that's okay. But would it make my top five Stern pinball machines made of all time? Possibly. There's a strong possibility there. I'm a huge fan of that game. And especially that comic book art. That elevates it to another degree. I'll tell you, it won't make the top five of your Sterns of all time any Elwynn game. Oh, that's not fair. But it's true. So it is fair. I own one right now. You own one, but it still wouldn't be in your top five Sterns of all time. I've got my feelers out there for an Iron Maiden Ellie. It's not. You're almost changing the topic. I am.
    53:45
    Also turning up this week, you heard it earlier in the news, it's Elvira House of Horrors and Batman 66. Premium studio versions. Hey, don't you think it would look really cool if they did a new Star Wars art edition where it has the baby Yoda and he's given his choco milk and $500 to Elvira so he can get her game? Yeah, I went there. Ta-da. Oh, Elvirus, House of Horrors. They need to make a Mandalorian pen, damn it. Why can't we have it? I want one. Maybe they will. Maybe once season three starts.
    54:19
    Stern, please tell me you have that license and Back to the Future and Harry Potter. No, we don't need Back to the Future. Nobody cares anymore about Back to the Future. Yeah, right. It's a has-been. That license is trending up. Shit. It's going to be Munstered if they do it. Don't do it. At this point, I'm so into Back to the Future as a dream theme that I'm totally fine if they don't make it. I'm totally fine if Jersey Jack don't make it. I'm totally fine if CGC don't make it. American Pinball, you want to pass on it? I'm fine, too. Multimorphic, I don't see them making it. But if they passed on it, it would be fine. You know why, Dennis? No, I don't know why. Because I vow to my listeners and I vow to the pinball community that if nobody makes that pin, damn it, I will build one. I will make the greatest Back to the Future-based pinball machine ever.
    55:05
    Well, I think it's kind of sad that you left Haggis out of your discussion. If Haggis wants to make it, fine. But if they pass, I'll build it. And I guarantee you this. Training up this week is my grandiosity. Because if I made one, all the other manufacturers would say, Shit, and throw in the towel.
    55:25
    You can tell this guy knows his shit. He's really into this franchise. No thanks. Oh, it's trending up this week. I just keep trending him up. I'm going to trend up a sexy little mama by the name of Betty White. What do you got on Betty White, Dennis? No, she doesn't have a pinball machine either, but it's too bad you'd rather redo Back to the Future than give her her due. It's a fucking crying shame she doesn't. She turns 99 this week. And is it sad that the lady still turns me on? There's something about Betty White. What is it about that lady? Listeners out there, they know as well. There's just something about that woman. It's her can-do attitude and sense of humor. Oh, her comedic timing and wit. Well, she is. She's a highly trained professional. I know. She's one of the best comedians out there. I'm just saying, there's still time. She could do the Lake Placid call-outs, Lake Placid pinball.
    56:20
    Isn't she in like a Sharknado? I don't know. Betty White is always turning up in my heart and in my pants. It's too easy. It's too easy not to go there. She turns 99. What a lovely, lovely rock star and superstar in my books, Betty White. I think they have enough material from Mary Tyler and from Golden Girls just to do a Betty White pin. I really do. No, I'm sure they have plenty of material, yeah. Would you buy a Betty White pinball machine? It depends how it plays.
    56:50
    Of course it does. Something about Betty White. Dolly Parton's the same way. I've got something about, there's something about Dolly. T.R. has a pinball machine. And I want it just because it's Dolly Parton themed. Same with Betty White. I would buy it. Sight unseen.
    57:08
    Deeper, you listening? Give me a Betty White pin. I'm in. I saw a recent Netflix documentary on Betty White and Dolly Parton for that matter. Two different documentaries. I watched them a little late at night, got a little emotional. Man, you know, grown men cry too. Oh, man. What a national treasure. Name a bigger national treasure than Betty White, Dennis.
    57:34
    Exactly. The Constitution. The Constitution? Yeah. Wasn't that featured in one of the national treasure movies? Only Nicolas Cage cares about the Constitution. Not the bees.
    57:48
    No. A person. Name a bigger global treasure than Betty White. Mother Teresa's dead. Can't go there. Yeah, I wouldn't name her either. No? The Pope? No. The Pope's been trending down a bit for the last decade.
    58:07
    Sure as hell isn't. Yeah, some people don't like him, yeah. Who is it? It's Betty White. Email us at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com if you can think of a global treasure greater than Betty White. It'll be crickets this week. Maybe James Earl Jones?
    58:25
    He passed, I believe. Did he? I think so. Oh, I hope not. That'd make me sad. No, he's still alive. He's still alive. He's 90. He's almost as old as Betty White. Dennis, you are correct. It's the pinball circle of life.
    58:46
    He reprised his role in The Lion King in 2019, and he's supposed to be in Coming to America this year. Meh.
    58:59
    Yeah, who am I thinking of then? Who died with a good voice? Somebody recently. Are you sure he's alive? Wikipedia is full of shit.
    59:12
    I mean, we, you know, it was, what, three years ago where Christopher Lee died. He has a good voice. yeah that might have you have elected the way of pain he is no james earl jones though no but he was dracula so there's that simba that scene i'm gonna do that i wouldn't cite him as a as a as a national as an american treasure because he was british really yeah you couldn't tell from his accent i don't i didn't watch those films really so you watch any of his films he was what what What's his name? Scaramunga from Man with the Golden Gun, the villain in the James Bond movie? No, didn't watch it. You didn't watch it? No. You never heard him do any of his symphonic metal albums? No. Yeah, he sang operatic symphonic for a metal band. When was that? Let's see. December 2012, he released an EP of heavy metal covers of Christmas songs called A Heavy Metal Christmas. Really? Yep. he released a third EP of covers in May of 2014 called Metal Night to celebrate his 92nd birthday and he was in everything the only thing I knew him to be in was one of our favorite films of all time oh yeah well Dooku he played Count Dooku in the prequels he did play Dookie I just know him from Lord of the Rings well he made a early on in his career he got a name for himself for doing a lot of the kind of cheap hammer horror film stuff Dracula. He did several of those. And of course he was in the Hobbit films. He was reprised as Saruman. He's still pricking those too. Yeah. They filmed him with green screen. He was too old to travel to be with the other actors at that point. So they filmed him separate and added him in. Again, did not know that. He was in Police Academy? I don't remember that. Mission to Moscow? Wow. I don't even remember that one. Christopher Lee, everybody. yep he's no James Earl Jones no turning down this week is deleting a backfired narrative oh boy meh meh meh here comes a rant what does that mean to you Dennis deleting a backfired narrative I don't know I have no idea what you're talking about you know what I'm really getting pissy and just sick and tired of this isn't just a pinball but boy it's rampant pimple it's this shit where people are such asses that they put this narrative out there right oftentimes a false narrative it's bullshit but they'll put it out there so that other people can take it and start running with it i see it all the time and it gets so old it's like the hackiest fakest shit i've ever seen and i'm tired of it you put something out there against somebody that's total bullshit. And then when that person starts defending themselves and other people start realizing, hey, this is bullshit. What do they do? Here's what they do, ladies and gentlemen.
    62:25
    Delete it. How convenient. The fucking narrative isn't going your way, so you delete it so that nobody can see that you were losing that battle. Oh, it infuriates me. It infuriates me. Ask me how many people I've blocked on social media, Dennis. How many people have you blocked on social media? I don't wanna. Zero. Ask me how many posts I've deleted. Zero. I don't wanna. Calculated. Can you see where I'm coming from there? Oh, I guess. That's just how it is with social media, though. It's so sad. Usually by the people, I'm so transparent. I'll put it out there. And then I delete it when it's not going my way.
    63:09
    We had a term for those people back in the day. I get tired of that. I also get tired of, I've seen this recently, it wasn't against me, but blocking someone on social media. And then continuing to talk shit about them knowing that they can't see your post talking said shit about them. They can't even defend themselves.
    63:32
    Come on, people. Grow a pair. You're going to bring it. Bring it. Bring it all. Don't half-ass it. Sorry, that was just my little rant. So sick. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm not sure if that was the appropriate part to stick that in, but that's, well, I will respond. Narrative it and go on your way, just delete it. Is that how life is? It's like a first draft.
    63:59
    Exactly, but here's the problem. You put your first draft out there. You get this whole army of idiots behind you, right? They read all that bullshit. Then they don't take the time to do research. And then, boom, the narrative switches because it's complete garbage. They delete it. And then those original idiots that were so gung-ho about the original bullshit idea are still gung-ho about the original bullshit idea. And that shit has. Yeah, I actually, not pinball related, but in another Facebook group I'm a member of, that's actually against the rules. They made a rule that you weren't allowed to delete any post you start. Perfect. That is a perfect, that is a beautiful rule. People were doing that. People were starting a discussion or they'd make some sort of controversial statement and then they would delete it. And they're like, nope, if you do it, you're banned. We're not going to allow it anymore. Like throwing a shit grenade and running. It's like none of us deserve this shit grenade and you're already two states away now that you've thrown it. Come back here. Face your shit grenade-ness. A little too real, I think. I need to maybe tone it back. Listener, should I be a little less real here? I think so, maybe. I'm going to make it up to you. in this week's Deals of the Week. Bye, bye, bye! No deleting edition. Okay, let's see what we got here. Deals of the Week. Ooh, hop on over to Pennside. There's a nice little deal here for a Medieval Madness Remake Standard Edition. The Boatniks down in Marco Island, Florida. Damn, I wish I was down in Naples right now. Marco Island, 8,500 oboe for a Medieval Madness Remake Standard. Less than 300 plays. It looks mint. and the reason that this is a deal of the week they're not producing them anymore I've had a lot of requests for Medieval Madness and the biggest factor for me as a collector and as an enthusiast all the pretty shit that you can get on the Royal Edition or the Special Edition you can do this on the Standard Edition it's the only Chicago Gaming Company game that you can get all of the wonderful features so at $8,500 OBO get it for $8,100 buy buy buy it's a deal and then and pretty that thing up not to be fair is chicago gaming producing anything anymore well where's where's the next game zach training down this week where you at chicago come on cgc also training up this week is a guardians of the galaxy with a tapa i'm mary poppins yo this one oh it's from our bud it's from our bud fowler jason fowler he still has games well apparently he's getting rid of this one is he sick shit fowler 2.0 no fowler had like shitload of games dwindled him down to five that's how he's finding that garage redo he's doing now fowler's got a uh i believe fowler's got a gnr le and uh I think he might be making room for an Avengers premium.
    66:58
    Quite possibly. This one's a deal because, first off, he's a damn great guy to deal with. He's a sweetheart. You'll just want to cuddle. But you can't because of COVID restrictions, so don't do that. But $5,300, Oboe, for a super, super nice Guardians of the Galaxy. But the kicker, you get the Stern Topper. Buy, buy, buy! Mm-hmm. We know what happens to toppers. That's one you don't see often. It's one that I've attempted to buy that topper just to have it, even though I don't own a Guardians. So that alone is worth some money there. So $5,300, give or take, let's say $750 taking off of that or $800 taking off of that, that's a pretty cheap Guardians of the Galaxy. If you don't want the topper, sell it to me, shit. Sell, sell, sell. That's the deal of the week. And speaking of toppers, deal of the week this week, Jurassic Park Stern topper. Dustin P. out of Rola, Missouri. I wonder if that's how you pronounce that, Rola. It's got two L's. You might be right. Roya. Like in the Spanish. Probably not. Roya. Yeah, yeah. Missouri. Because Missouri and the Conquistadors were just well-known associates.
    68:13
    Jurassic Park topper, 850 plus shipping. You might think that that's a bad price. If you do, call around and try to find you a Jurassic Park topper. Not going to find it. I wouldn't sell mine for under $1,000. And most people wouldn't either. So at $850, I almost bet this will be gone by the time this airs. Buy, buy, buy! Bet you said it anyway. Now this person is a topper horde. With a D. Da, da, da. Horde. Play on words there. they've got a Star Wars topper they're trying to sell for $1,800. So they undervalue this Jurassic Park topper. And a Beatles topper for $850.
    68:57
    And they're looking for the topper for... You claim to be the topper king? They're looking for a Last Action Hero topper. Good luck with that. I didn't even know it had a topper. Last Action Hero? Yeah, the police siren on top. Like the entire bar. Oh, man. Why does it have to be a Data East? I've wanted to own a Last Action Hero at some point in my pen career. But Data East just doesn't fit in the lineup. Honestly, that's true. I don't want a big Data East sitting there that doesn't sit well with others. It's so true. They don't play well with each other. It doesn't. You just want your little clones. You want everything to look identical. The only way I'd do that is if I had Data East sitting beside it, in which case I'd have to go for Tales from the Crypt. but then do you really want two data eat now yeah that's why now see this is what i do then i back out nope don't need it don't want it you could get their guns and roses then you'd have two guns and roses and two data east people ask you what the difference is you'd say that the data east one is the cable complete edition yeah that's clashy i don't i don't like that well they don't mean be side by side sorry i'm getting a a message from one of my staring guys it's a the price is now 750 increase it's a social media post that he's sharing to me that someone shared to the real elvira that says elvira topper would appoint many objectives so much keep thinking about this moment i know that headpiece sure top floor showstopper zach many put forth most creepy appealing effort 100 accredited What the hell? Okay. I don't know what that is. It sounds like you fucked up, but I don't know in what way. What's the most creepy appealing effort?
    70:54
    I don't know what that is. Okay. They must have already heard your Betty White talk and thought it was about Elvira. I guess. I don't know. You know what? If I got one date to win over Elvira or Betty White, give me Betty White. Give me Betty White.
    71:13
    Man, that woman. Maybe I am a little creepy towards Betty White. That's okay. She's old. She won't understand anything.
    71:21
    I would love to live to 99. Didn't she think I'll live to 99? No. When do you think I'll die? Soon. Could be. let's do this real quick what is your guess age that you will die 50 you're going for just a centennial like a round I made it to episode 50 oh episode 50 oh shit no well episodes I do an annual episode oh I see so age 50 you think you're going to die you're just asking me I mean I was a blind guest so what am I supposed to say yeah a blind guest but based on your 40 plus years of experience of knowing your health That doesn't feed into anything. Unless you have something that you know of, like you have a terminal condition that's giving you an estimate, most people don't have anything to base it on. That's what makes it fun, Dennis. It doesn't make it fun. It's a pointless query. You probably think it's a little morbid, and I'm surprised you didn't. The morbidity of it is irrelevant. It's blind guessing. It's picking a roulette number. There's no skill to it. Are you saying our podcast is nothing but skill, baby? Clearly not now With this weird diatribe During deals of the week I don't even know what we're in anymore We've already transitioned to death of the week And I think that I could see myself Kicking the bucket Honestly with what I do 49 48 I could see it I'd like to think 64 65 I want to be one of those early bastards that dies Basically you don't want to make it to retirement I want to make it to 498. Believe me. That's an awful long time. Don't you think you'd get bored? No. As long as there's consciousness, there is no boredom to me. That's a fair point, actually. I'm deathly afraid of death.
    73:13
    The new Netflix series, you see that? I don't. I have Netflix. Gave me a fucking panic attack. First episode. That's how I stay so cheery. Talk about afterlife. Oh, sounded horrible. Everybody's like, it was great. It was warm. It was inviting. Time didn't pass. You didn't know if it was seconds or eternities. And I didn't even want to go back when they told me, the figures told me to go back. I didn't want to. Like they had this consensus feeling. They've been doing studies across, you know, since the dawn of time about near-death experiences and what people experience. And there are conclusive patterns that everybody experiences that cannot be explained neurologically. My scientific mind hates to even think about that. Well, you know, we don't know how to quite explain quantum mechanics either. That doesn't mean there isn't a scientific explanation to it. Sure, but I want there to be something. But even their description of something didn't beat the joy that I have in my life. Heaven doesn't sound like a great place to me. It doesn't sound bad by any means. Don't get me wrong. It sounds good. You're saying it sounds sort of like purgatory to you. It sounds like you're waiting for your tires to get changed out. there's not much going on. You know, you got that weird smell around. You're not put off by it. And it doesn't take too long. But it's just kind of there. That's how heaven is described. Because a lot of shit that I like, Dennis, I'm pretty sure won't be in heaven, to be fair. You think pinball is going to be in heaven? No, I don't think so. Is there electricity in heaven?
    74:48
    Based on, not to get into religion, I don't think there's going to be anything. If I don't have a body, I can't dance. I can't sing surely they're singing in heaven all these questions I sit up late at night and have night terrors or panic attacks thinking about maybe I need to cut out the caffeine now that I'm thinking about it let's transition over to deals oh no what the fuck is this guy talking about alright a couple of them this week ladies and gentlemen number one we got a guns and roses CE for sale on pinside Did you see this one, Dennis? From Leonardtown, Maryland. I did not because I'm not shopping for one. It's coming from the great Trombino AP. Selling one, number 72. Still in the box. Okay. For $99,999.
    75:47
    And they're firm. They're firm. No oboe? No oboe. You used to hate that. Now you've embraced it. I still do, but I just... No clarinet, no piccolo. You sounded so sad. No oboe. Firm, $100,000. Now, this is probably a bullshit joke just to get people to get bids, which is a pin-side no-no. They're selling for $20,000 or above right now, and they're scarce because nobody wants to list that they're getting one and they'll sell it because they're worried you're going to be like, all right, you don't get one then. Fear. It's powerful. Not going to do it. Another deal of the who in the world? Redneck Nation. Giddy up. Out in Port St. Lucia, Florida. Redneck Nation. I think his neck is red.
    76:37
    He's a wonder. Okay, a fun house. Excellent condition. Home use only. No children, no smoking. I think he's tried to sell this before. Not a refurb. It's actually original in new condition. but it has chrome trim that's not original looks like it came out of the box not with that trim it didn't they're the second owner they purchased from pinballs.com from a private collection it's part of a 26 game pinball collection news flash nobody gives a shit how many games you got is that a flex I feel like that was a 26 game flex salute okay the son of a bitch has won fourteen thousand dollars for a fun house well it's chromed sell sell sell okay so it's got uh fifteen dollars worth of chrome nicely done got shitty pictures sure from far away it looks nice ever been to the club and seen that person looks nice far away take him home wake up the next day oh fuck Oh, Coyote Ugly reference. Oh, I let them do that to me? Oh. No. $14,000. How about new? Ain't happening. Sell, sell, sell. I can tell you we're going to take $14,000. And your last deal of the... Holy twippy. So this is the Black Knight Sword of Rage Topper, new in box, in Hellum, Pennsylvania, by Panther04, brand new topper, Sword of Rage. They wanted to make sure that everybody knows it is the winner of the Best Topper Award, Twippy, 2019.
    78:23
    And they even show a picture of the Twippy trophy. Can't make this shit up. $2,500! No! Sell, sell, sell! No!
    78:37
    No, and here's the thing. as your elected topper king, I'm going to finally maybe, it's not a white flag, it's a beige flag. I'm going to pull it. I'm waving the beige flag here. Guys, we're getting to the ceiling now. I don't know. I like how you declared yourself an elected king, though. That was very democratic of you. Have you not seen the votes? Have you not seen the ballots?
    79:03
    Have you not seen the votes, Dennis? Votes are great. we got screwed there there count them have the right people count them do you see the boards on the windows it's all a sham yeah I was elected Topper King two years running nobody's going to take my place either oh so you're going for the three peat going for the three peat I'm not going to push it as hard as Canadian pushes twippies but I don't think I need to now I'm just saying they might even get $2,500, listener. They may. They just may.
    79:40
    I know. That's a gasp. They may. It's a great gaspy. T-shirts in the works right now, ladies and gentlemen, for the great gaspy.
    79:49
    But $2,500, this is more of a, I don't think the price is crazy crazy, but we may be flirting with becoming crazy crazy here. Remember that Kacen Jojo song? God, I can't sing it, Dennis. No. Thinking about you, baby. Maybe you can sing it next week.
    80:09
    Podcasters, give me some songs. I can't stand not being able to sing to this wonderful listening audience. And that was your pinball!
    80:22
    Oh, my God, Jets! I gave it like a 6 out of 10. It wasn't that great, was it? No. How about I do it? You know what? I'm going to close it out doing my James Earl Jones. Ladies and gentlemen, pinball, market trends, some love. Maybe you should do your Betty White voice. I can't do a Betty White.
    80:44
    That is where you fail. Oh, well, she is getting old. Let's close down this show, Dennis. It was great chatting with you. I missed you. You're still not open to me visiting yet. No. Soon enough. But that's okay. Can you at least tell me, can we hang out this year at some point? I don't know what is happening this year, Zach. I'm very busy. That is the meanest thing that you just booted me from an entire year of appointments.
    81:17
    I may be having to wash my hair. I know. You're like, let me look at my... Nope, 2021's not looking great to hang out. 2021's not looking so good. What's he got in 2023, Zach?
    81:31
    It's fine. Or 2022. Even number years work better for me. You wonder why I cloned you. That's why. And I'm not talking about a show either. I want to like legit hang a hangover. What? A show is the best time because it's two birds with one rock. Why are you throwing rocks at me? No, it's artificial. That feels like an artificial friendship hang. This is the saccharine of meetings. I need a dedicated hang.
    81:56
    Pure dedication. And you know what? I'm going to put a minimum limit. Four hours. A four-hour friend hand. That's long. No, it's not. It's a long time to talk to someone who doesn't have anything to say. I wasn't saying we were going to talk. Why don't we just hold one another and play pinball? Split flipper. I don't know. I hate split flipper. We're not going to do that. Let's do this that I hate. I'd do it if you wanted to, but God, I hate split flipper. Where can people find you between now and 2022? too well i'm usually over with the collective gamers podcast at gmail.com or facebook.com slash collective gamers podcast that's the other far less popular podcast that i do if i can hang out with tony for four hours i haven't seen tony in months and he lives like 15 years away i don't care you should care you've hung out with him for more than four hours so tony and i have to discuss custody i'll take his ass back to court him him thinking that he has sole custody is not uh not working for me. He's my boy. Damn, that's my boy.
    83:00
    You can catch us at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com and you can also catch me at straight down the middle of video series on YouTube or email us over there at sdtmpinball at gmail.com For God's sakes, for the love of everything sweet and salty, buy a pinball machine through Flippin' Out Pinball. Why not? Give me a good reason why not. Because they're now $500 more? Across the board. It's not a flipping out thing. Across the board that maybe they care about. We'll support you. We're not going to mass. Will you take care of all my cables that are too short needs? I would have, too. Oh, I would have. And the machine showcased this week is a Led Zeppelin Pro. Back in stock. Just got some more back in stock. So, gobble them up. Or as Nate Shiver would, sip them up. It's a call back to the podcast. Has he done a SIP episode about Led Zeppelin? Does he still do that podcast?
    83:59
    I don't know if he does or not. I don't know. I'm not a stern insider. I'm a stern outsider, so I don't know. Ladies and gentlemen, how would you guys like to hear Nate Shivers on the pinball show? That might be a good co-host to try to get. I would put $100 says, not only would he not come on this show, but he wouldn't return my message. I can almost bet. We're going to reach out to nasty Nate Shivers. No, no. Nate's pretty friendly. I think he'd respond. I don't know that he'd come on. He's probably really busy. I think he travels a lot for his job. I don't know if that's changed after COVID.
    84:33
    Led Zeppelin premiums are coming the first week of February. So if you're wanting one of those, I think literally like maybe the first week of February. So get your pre-order in. And what's beautiful with flipping out pinball, ladies and gentlemen, for pre-orders, people are like, how much of a deposit you want? You know what I tell them, Dennis?
    84:49
    Zero. So, yeah, I don't take deposits on pros or premiums. Here's how I work. We're good old mom and pop. We have integrity, transparency, honesty. We do a virtual handshake because we can't anymore. So we do a virtual handshake, and I get you in line for one. And when it's a couple weeks from shipment, I give you a heads up and say, hey, it's ready to pay for it. It's getting ready to ship. Or I kick you off of the list and tell you that you have to rebuy at a new higher price if you want something. Touche, my friend. Touche Avengers premiums coming in February As well so get your pre-order in on that Ladies and gentlemen anymore Don't expect stuff to just be in stock That's not just a flipping out thing That's going to be probably a Nationwide or worldwide dealer thing It's just inventory is going fast Fast fast right now and There's going to be a lot of that's why you're going to find a dealer Like us at flipping out pinball you don't have to put any money down Batman 66 premium Is in stock I got one of those left I've got Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiums in stock You can still pre-order for an alien. One Hot Wheels right now still in stock. Willy Wonka CE's few left. They're going quick. And MMR accessories. Avengers side art. How in the hell is Jurassic Park armor still in stock at Flippin' Out? No clue. Stuff's going to be gone. You're never going to be able to get it again. TPN last week. What happened last week? Well, we did have a final round pinball podcast. Had me in stitches. That was hilarious shit. Well, they often are. That's kind of their thing. It is their thing. I don't know. Unlike this show. Last week was just exceptionally funny. Teal was talking about his mom giving out pleasures to people during COVID. I mean, come on. You've got to tune in for that. And we've got, I think, next week, the reach-arounds. Oh. Yeah, those are coming up. Oh, the reach-arounds. This week they had on the Loser Kid Pinball Podcasters for a chat. That was nice to hear. Pinball Show Midweek Edition. Brought back special guest host Joel Engelberth. for part two of that series. Part two. I was going to title it part two.
    86:54
    Part two is a reference that probably no one will get. But if they do, write in to the pinballnetwork at gmail.com and say what my part two line is for. I'll give you a hint. It's from a very famous YouTube video. Oh, wow. That's all I will say. That would be deep if somebody knew that one. It is, because it's famous in YouTube. You could consider a lot of things with millions of views as famous. Is it super nerdy like you? Yes. Then you'll probably get a couple people. Just another pinball podcast, chatted with Marv Loco. Did we call him? Yeah, I heard that episode. Travis Murie, he's from a pinball podcast as well. They discussed the development of a competition-focused player because Joel feels like he's kind of turning on us. From hearing that, Zach, do you feel you're now a competition-focused player? I am most certainly not. And if I'm going to be honest with you listeners, listening to that episode did similarly to what I get when I listen to really deep streams or reveal videos when Dwight's it's just right over my head I don't even allow it in doesn't doesn't work for me I don't even know how to play chess are you a chess player Dennis I haven't played in a while chess intrigues me but I think it's more of that I won't like my son tried to teach me once I was like I don't know I'm amazed that you grew up without learning how to play it I've not once ever I don't know one single rule of chess but I play it socially all the time no you think you do but you're playing checkers trust me this is IQ 200 stuff here guys this week at TPM I don't know if we'll have anything besides the main voyage of the pinball show here I do have a super special pinball show exclusive I was supposed to say it in a whisper What? That's right. Yes, I was in communications with Mr. David Dennis. And before the end of this month, there will be another Silver Ball Chronicles. Oh, did he tell you the topic? Not only that. Oh.
    88:58
    It's, yeah, it's, my understanding is that the Dwight Sullivan will be on for the episode. Dwight's my hero. Yeah, except you just tune him out is what you just said. They're going to be talking about Lime and Sheets career or something? What's going to go on? The only thing I do know that I can add in addition is that David did confirm they are not naming the episode Blinded by Dwight. Well, they can't because that's trademarked.
    89:25
    I gave him a lot of suggestions, winning suggestions on what the topics could be. I guess he didn't take me up on any of those.
    89:34
    Well, I guess that's why it's his show and not yours. Dennis, I remember David Dennis reached out to our Pinside thread, TPN, and asked some good topics for the future. And the ones I listed, pretty sure they're all gold, but I'm going to run them by you. You give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. Ready? The pinball biography of Keith Elwin.
    89:57
    Okay, maybe. Okay, middle thumbs? Well, it's just because. I think there's enough there. There is enough there. It's like a three-part. It's not all consistent. There's the operator thing, there's the player thing, and there's the designer thing. Exactly.
    90:14
    Okay, next one. J-Pop, where did it all go wrong? That would be interesting. Thumbs up there. The lost pinball machines from Total Recall to the Crocodile Hunter.
    90:28
    That's a thumbs up. Come on. I don't think it's very interesting, but some people might. The truth behind Pinball 2000 and the demise of Bally Williams. Yeah, I could see that, except it's been covered a lot already. But it's very Chronicles-y. No, thematically, it makes sense. It's just, like, everyone, this is a stereotype, but everyone knows about the end of Williams. Yeah, but they can't. It seems like it's low-hanging fruit. Hadn't been done in a while. Left on the cutting room floor, the mechs that didn't make it to production. That would be interesting. Sega Pinball, what worked and what didn't? You could just do Sega in general, yeah. I bet they'll do that one at some point. High Noon, the untold story of Cactus Canyon.
    91:13
    No. There's a lot there. No, not just one game, no. There's a lot there, though. That's the end. That was the end of what we know as the traditional Bally Williams. Sure. No-name designers. Given the average length of a Silver Ball Chronicles, that's way too much on one pin. I think they could do an episode on it. If you go down that route, you're going to do it forever. Like, who knows what lurks in the evil hearts of the pinball? The shadow. Yes. I would listen. Do one on the shadow. You know, it's like. I would listen. New information. Steve Ritchie. Fade to black. The late years. Oh, surely they're going to do that one eventually. Pinball's visionary. The George Gomez story. Oh, I'd love that. Okay. Yeah. And the evolution of pinball code and rules. That's dangerous. Yeah, it'd be interesting, but you got to make sure it doesn't get too wonky. I liked Wonka Rules, thank you if you're looking for golden ideas that will make you millions contact us at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com I'll help a fella or filly out is it filly? is that the female verbiage for fella? if you have an idea for a podcast and you want to try it out, let us know we always put you off the record and air your podcast and we'll share what feedback we get on it and the guys and gals can decide if you want to move on and do some do a show. Ladies and gentlemen, until next week for Dennis Creasel I'm Zach Minney. Always remember to keep your watercolors bright and vibrant and Picasso-y. Always practice safe pinball. And just because Betty White makes me horny, don't judge. Up! So long, everybody. Poor Betty White. There's more to see than can ever be seen. More to do than can ever be done. She's an attractive woman, I'm telling you. Especially back in the days. Oh, she looks the fucking same. She looks just the same. It's crazy. She looks the same. She's more wrinkly and she's got like that glare in her eye that she's kind of lost some mentality. But she's still witty. She's still there.
    93:19
    Man. Fucking Betty White. Through despair and hope Through faith and love Till we find our place On the heaven's wide sea In the same time