Oh, we're coming back at you with vacation podcast edition here sitting in the Florida sunshine dockside of the Grand Floridian direct to you. Don's pinball podcast. I think we're up to episode number 79. Have you seen the pinball market today? I've got some thoughts and I'm going to reveal them all to you right now. Ranger, Ranger, Danger! Did John Youssi this little news tidbit that popped up on the Facebook ads from Stern? You know, think of those banner ads that crop through on Facebook every now and again. And there was one that listed, you know, the home accessories and whatever available to you Stern fandom folks out there. and one of them was a whole line of banners like like 40 or 20 or 40 banners listed there listing things like new tmnt foo fighters whatever it's on there there was one that was just black that looked like a placeholder that may have been a bit of an oversight by whoever was managing that social media account with just the uh white letters spelling out ranger right there in the middle uh no game i know of especially anything rumored to be coming from stern here in the near term has that name. So is this another code name? Similar to how Jaws was the code name for Jurassic Park. And I think Goonies was the code word for Stranger Things. Waffles is the code for something else, which not Stranger Things. I learned that at the museum tour. But that was interesting. Does it mean anything? Is it just one of those placeholder things? By the way, if you hear a monorail go by in the distance or a train whistle or a boat whistle, I'm sitting here at the world famous Seven Seas Lagoon at the Walt Disney World Resort in my luxurious balcony funded by my company. Thank you so much. Place that I work for as one of his work fringe benefits here at a work conference. But I want to take a moment and talk about this. So that was interesting. I did see that pop by this morning. Wanted to discuss where's Ranger going to come from? Is Ranger the code word for the Jaws machine that's coming out? Or are we going to see a Yogi Bear in the forest Ranger machine? Like my dream theme, right? Anyway, so this was just dropped yesterday. dropped as well as the prices, man. So we know distributors have been overburdened. They've had a burden of inventory, as they would call it, that they can't move, particularly with older Stern games, but some newer ones too, especially Jersey Jack. I heard Toy Stories are sitting around. Godfathers are sitting around. If you want one, go get them. You can go on the Pinside ads. They're always listed. Well, Stern is on a bone to the distributors, and they were able to break that MAP pricing, that mean market price or whatever, that floor that distributors can't go beneath. The reason they have it is they don't want some scumbag distributor starting out like, say, me, and I'm going to go out there and start buying machines and selling them for $100 over cost just to make some quick scratch and undermine the entire market. So they want to add some stability. So they tell dealers, look, you guys can wheel and deal, but publicly don't go beneath this price, that map price. So they removed the restriction. And I had heard they did this with Rush. And I was thinking, oh, maybe that's just confirmation that no more rushes are going to be made. But now we're hearing that they've removed that restriction from Led Zeppelin Pro and Premium, from Rush Premium, maybe Pro as well, and then also Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro and Premium. So they're allowed now. Distributors can advertise prices $1,000 below that MSRP for the Pros and $2,000 below for the Premium. So I got excited about that, the idea of getting a Premium for more than the $7,000. range was more attractive than the 9700, right? Until I realized it's Led Zeppelin and Rush and Turtles. Nothing against Rush. Rush, fantastic game. I own an LE myself. Love it. Plays great, but I mean, I already have it, so I'm not in the market for a Rush premium. Turtles plays pretty brutally. I've only played it on location. It would be a game, and I've heard this from people, it would be something fun to have at home where you can just kind of churn through that. You're not wasting dollars every time you play it. You're wasting dollars when you buy the thing, you know but at least then you can you can have some time to kind of explore the game explore the code dial in the shots get your machine perfectly leveled they always play way better at home than they do on location because of those leveling issues those wear issues you know you can adjust you can learn the nuance of your particular machine and you know it doesn't smell like somebody spilled a pint of ipa all down the front of the glass so there's that so if you were interested in a tmnt i guess now is a good time if you just paid near full price or market price for one, you're probably going to have a bad time. But that's the market. That's how it goes. Stern just kind of ebbs and flows and drops things on us. Led Zeppelin, another game that I've warmed up to a little bit. Man, I was hot and crispy on this thing the first couple times I played it. Bare and play feel. There's no stairway. Like, what the heck? You know, the whole right side has nothing in it. The call-outs are just kind of generic. You know, it's not like the most theme-integrated game ever. It did bring us the expression lights, though, of which those are also available on the Pro. um but yeah so picking that up i guess a little bit cheaper than it is on secondary market yeah yeah i still see le's there for sale on pin side i'll get to that in a moment but you know that's another game that if you already have every stern game and you're like okay i just want to get this one to rotate it through then good for you man go get yourself a lead zeppelin i will say the shooter rod uh is pretty fantastic i was i was thinking at expo i saw one for sale and i'm like what the heck else could i put this on because i do like how it looks like it's big get it sculpted You know with this work on Iron Maiden I think the Iron Maiden shooter rod that they came out with is very lackluster It essentially that Union Jack shooter rod they have for the Bonds but just with a little what looks like a sticker Or a little label at the end with Eddie on it No real creativity on that one. That was probably like, stay up, let's get this thing out. I would love to see the sculpted creativity for the shooter rods continue. And Led Zeppelin, I mean, is it a bad thing if the best thing I can say about the game is a shooter rod is awesome? I guess. Well, so those are available. Check with your distro. if you're interested in one of these, they can now cut you a pretty sweet deal. I'm imagining that Stern is going to have to make these distributors whole somehow, or at least it's a way for them to move the inventory. Will we see JJP follow suit on all those unsold Toy Story LEs and CEs and Godfathers? I guess that would be next. I've got to say, though, a $2,000 decrease, well, if they're matching it, I guess the lower tier model would be a $1,000 decrease. So a Godfather limited edition for $11,000, I still don't think I'd be interested in that game. Same with Toy Story. I think they're still trading below that on the secondary market anyway. So I don't know how I feel for these distros. I don't know what they're going to do. Haven't heard yet about really strong numbers for Elton John because we're still in that pre-order phase. I know I was talking to Jeff at Mad Pinball. He's sold out of all his CE allotment, Monorail Orange. How are you doing? I'll wave to you guys over there. Listeners, if you happen to be listening live to this prerecorded episode and you're riding Monorail Orange right now, wave out the left-hand side of the cabin, and you'll see me sitting shoeless on my balcony. Shoeless Don the Podcaster. That's what they call me around these Florida swampy parts. So let's do a roundup through the Pinside Marketplace. I'm standing in line yesterday for Tron, and I'm flipping through the marketplace as one does, trying my best to ignore family, given that we spent all this money for family time. Regardless, I've come up with a review of currently what's listed on the market some hot deals right now man if ever there was a buyer's market it's right now if you're looking at getting into the pinball hobby are looking to add a machine at a second machine at a 27th machine now is not a bad time to do that if you need to sell a machine to fund it well you probably should have did that about nine months ago but it is what it is straight off the bat i saw star wars premium one of my favorite games no cap uh comic art edition is listed on pinside sitting there right now it's been there since yesterday ten thousand two hundred dollars it's out there in utah man that's Kevin Loza kid territory the art on the comic star wars version is amazing i love the the the star field with the millennium falcon right there in the middle uh this this art stomps it atat stomps all over the traditional one which i think is still pretty good because it's all star wars assets but this comic art version man this is the one you want. They were made in low numbers. You could find somebody, I guess, to reproduce the cabinet decals, but you can't reproduce that play field. That play field looks amazing with Darth Vader from the comic book, man, from the comic, dude. It's awesome. 10-2 for that, man. You can get a brand new one for $9,700, and that's not even the art. So for $500 more, the comic art version, bro, if you're interested in this at all, I would scoop that up from this homeboy in Utah. Maybe we'll deal him a little bit. Maybe bring him some beer from Wyoming. You might hook you up. What else? Next up, I've seen a Venom LE just out of the box. 50 plays taken on trade. Jupiter, Florida. There's a guy down here. I don't know if it's the free play guy or the old town pinball or who it is down here in Florida. Venom LE, essentially new, $10,500. A $12,999 game still being sold for that new in box from distributors. Here's one that somehow made it out of a box with 50 plays. I guess it was a trade in, but going for 10-5. Somebody's losing money on the deal somewhere, and that money could be savings in your pocket. Where's Monreal Black? I haven't seen it go by yet. Yeah, Venom LE in Florida, 10-5. 10-5, what a deal. Great-looking cabinet. I love the art. I love the finish of the cabinets that they did on it. It's the premium play field, the one that you want, you know, insofar as you want a Venom. So there's that. What else do we got? Some knucklehead is listing a Guns N' Roses collector's edition for 16-5. I don't think that's been affected by the recent market drop. I think they were trading around there. Beautiful cabinet, though. It's got those rad cows and the sparkle in the play field. Gameplay is the gameplay. We all know how it plays. We know it has one of the best light shows in pinball. The music is amazing. This is kind of like more, you know, art piece over playability, I would say. You know, if I was making a metric or a rubric on how I was grading this game, you know, gameplay would come right there kind of in the middle. Multiball heavy, you know, it's not terribly compelling, but the assets that are in it are fantastic. I don't think there's a game that plays better or sounds better than this as far as an overall experience. And the rad cows on the CE really look so much better. There's Monroe Black. It's coming by. Everybody, how you doing? I'm having so much fun out here on the balcony. Bond Pro 5500. Pick it up in, oh, that's also in Florida. You know, $1,000 off of that. So people are really warming up to Bond, man. You know, to the point that I'm even thinking of taking a second look at it. I don't know. For me, I didn't like how it shot out of the box. that left flipper to the the ramps on the right never felt very satisfying um i do have fun shooting the rocket i love shooting the left orbit to the ramp with the rocket man on it um i gotta play with this new code though because the code is supposed to be compelling will the rise to stranger things levels i don't think we're gonna get quite there let's not get ridiculous with it um yeah but uh bond pro 5500 and i think we probably see others around that price that's a thousand off msrp and they are still running these things so if you want to get one run out and check it out. I might even have mods with it, man. You know, one of these, if it came with a topper, I think I would totally go on it. Alright, this one surprised me. This one's out of Missouri. This one was just listed in the last 30 minutes. The Big Lebowski. Some guy apparently is downsizing his arcade, and you know what that means That means the mortgage is due or the alimony is due or I to be up out this place and I ain even thinking about moving this heavy machine Big Lebowski home use only 40 plays in this thing. This thing has hardly been touched. Probably like someone's wife has hardly been touched and that's the reason for the divorce. Regardless, savings in your pocket is what it is. His absence of marital bliss is your clue to wallet bliss for you. $12,800 is what this thing is listed at. And this guy has showed his hands and he's a motivated seller, as we would say in the real estate market. So, you know, wheel and deal him, man. Get you in on one of these games. 12-8? Are you kidding me? For a big Lebowski that's barely been touched? I'm like someone's wife. Go on this. If you're one of those guys, like most people, that don't have this machine and really want to get one, seriously consider that at 12-8. Probably wheel and deal a little bit. Motivated seller. I mean, this is setting off my alarm bells. If I didn't already have one, you know, I'd be looking at trucking on down to Joppa, Missouri, or wherever this guy is. and pick this thing up, man. Go bowling! From the beginning of the game, you can hold the buttons and start a 10-frame bowling game of the Big Lebowski. That's fun on its own. It's compelling gameplay. It's satisfying. It's one of the best mechs in pinball. And you can do that right off the bat. Or you can go right into the Dude Abides challenge mode, a one-ball challenge mode where you shoot all the characters. Then you get that final scene at the end, one of the sweetest moments in pinball that I've ever experienced. Don's got one of these in his basement. Lior's about to drop a topper for this thing. and there's other people working on secondary toppers for it as well so you don't have to be stuck with the the pot leaf gutter balls oh no good listener there's more to come for the big lebowski including lit art blades for the sides are you kidding me they look acrylic they look amazing they're like rad cows that light up for the big lebowski get the lit apron which i don't know if this one has i would check on that because that is also a must-have but if you want a big lebowski 12 8 under 13 000 each are 13 5 new from melissa coin taker you can get one of these 12.8 or better probably from the sky of Missouri but only if you act fast uh what else do we got I saw an Iron Maiden premium listed for 8,500 in Connecticut not a bad price for a very well shooting game if you like Iron Maiden music all the better for you dear listener as I do um this is a game that I've got that cherry metallic powder coat on it illusion cherry I think it's what I went with and it's just it looks amazing you know I got the topper up there there's other aftermarket toppers available. Tilt toppers makes a great one. You got to wait six weeks. Hopefully they'll actually send it to you and not, not botch it like they did with mine. Um, but, uh, it does look pretty amazing and they are made to order. Um, so yeah, go check that out. 8,500 Connecticut for an Ironman premium. What else do we got? This surprised me. I guess I shouldn't be too terribly surprised. Of course, I'm talking about, uh, your favorite game in mind, stranger things. The one that is currently going to be in route to my house in a matter of weeks. And I I can't believe how excited I am to get a new in box Stranger Things premium. These things were selling for $16,000 on pin side. These things, I was finding them every now and then. A good price was $14,000. I saw one in New Hampshire for a premium with some mods, $14,000. And I was actually considering it. That price, that would have been my most expensive pin in my house. But I decided to hold back and not go on it. Well, now you can get these, right? Stranger Things premium, $8,900 or best offer. to 9,500. There's six of them available right now. Six. Premium. With a projector. Many of them have mods as well. $8,900 or best offer for a Stranger Things premium. Incredible. Six months ago, this thing would have been $13,000, $14,000, $15,000. Now, Ed Boon. Below $9,000 for this thing. Below MSRP for a new one, man. We're seeing the resurgence of Stranger Things. I hope to gosh that there will be a new code drop with this game as well like Stern has been doing with their re-releases Elvira got a code top Monroe Gray is on the beam way hello Gray if you're on the right side of the cabin be sure to wave at me what am I hearing in the background man is somebody somebody's stomping a dog somewhere on their balcony anyway Monroe Gray just went by a wave hello everybody how you doing um so Stranger Things Premium is available with the projector man and these things are going to come with like you know art blades and shaker kits and things if you buy them from the secondary market. So, I mean, check that out, dude. If it's got the topper with it, all the better. Stranger Things Pro, also a good shooting game, also has that compelling code. I hope we get a new code drop, man. I hope. $6,000. I couldn't believe I saw this. In Minnesota, a home use only Stranger Things Pro for $6,000. These things were nine to 10 all day just six months ago, man. This is wild, wild of a drop, dude. If you waited and you hoped and you prayed, it has come through. And I'm so glad I did wait because I got a Stranger Things coming. It's paid in full. It needs to be put together and shipped to my house. I'm going to do a live unboxing. I got the shaker motor already. I've got the knocker kit. I need to order some art blades. I haven't picked out which ones I like yet, but my Stranger Things premium is coming. I'm so excited. I'm beside myself there. Just for a comparison, there's a Whitewater listed for $8,200. So, like, Whitewater is trading higher than Stranger Things right now. this world this market is in flux it's a wild thing to watch um one of the other last things i saw there just just this is all just on the first page of the marketplace uh from pin side is where i pulled all these there are deals for days guys dude if you're in a position where you can get a new game now's not a terrible time to do it um you know if you're like me and looking to move on a couple of games you're just gonna have to you know deal with what the market's doing but i am all about cutting deals and i'm all about fair market value for things so i will not gouge you if you buy from Don's Pinball Refinery or Don Coast Customs. I haven't come up with the name that I like yet, but I'm tricking out games and then I'm going to be start flipping them because I got too many right now and I want to get more And the only way I can do that is by offering sales to y Where else can you get one man Let play that jingle Let play that mad pinball jingle Where is it I believe it right here Oh here that bass line When I think about great segues of my life, I'm not sure that was the best one. But I was very excited and I just wanted to get through my list. But Jeff at Mad Pit Moment, he's got the hookups. Come on, robot voices. I love this part so much. PINBALL AND PINBALL to my game room as I have one of these things with the topper, with mods, with my drumstick mod. This is one of the games that I created my own mod for, and I love it. It's for sale on the coin taker site if you want to go get the drumstick mount. I came up with a slicker, I think, version of it, and it's available there at a compelling price, so check it out. But Rush LE, this is vanilla. This was right out of the box with very few plays, home use only. I don't know if it's another mortgage situation, my job moved out of town situation. Regardless, $12,500 for a vanilla out-of-the-box Rush LE. This is going to have the expression lights in it. It's going to have the R-blades in it, shaker, HD glass. These already come pretty good. I'll tell you what, listener. This thing is brand new out-of-the-box, $12,500, not dialed in. Now, you have to check on when these were made because, remember, there was a problem with the scoop cliffy thing there for the double scoop that the LE has. Now, the LE does shoot out of both sides, which the other ones don't, so that's amazing. But remember, it was bending all to crap, and then Stern had to come out with this fix. It had to be installed after market, and Ninja Scoop had a much better fix, I think, that doesn't look like just those big blue rubbers right in the way. It still leaves it big and open. Well, dear listener, why don't you check this out? If you want to rush LE, you can go ahead and buy this dude's vanilla cabinet straight out of the box, $12,500, not a terrible price, or why don't we do something fun for the listeners right now. How about now? I'm thinking I love my Rush. I love it. I've played it. You know, I'm not playing it as much as some of the other things I'm playing right now. I've got more games coming. I need to make some room. This thing looks amazing. Foil art on the sides, black powder coat all over it from the factory, the mirrored glass, back glass, shaker motor, HD glass, all of that. $12,500 from this guy just out of the box with nothing added to it, including that problematic scoop that you're going to have to attend with. Or why don't you go ahead and buy Don's Coast Customs version from Don's Pinball Refinery from my own collection that's been home use for its entire life with mods, with the topper. Why don't I offer it for the same price, $12,500? I'll match this price. I'll match this price right now on this Rush LE. If you call me, let me know that you heard it here. I'll tell you what you get. You get a Rush LE with everything that comes out of the box, HD glass, shaker motor. It's got a Ninja Scoop Day One installed in it already. This thing is plug and play. You get my drumstick mod. You get the official Stern accessories. You get yourself the Rush shooter rod. You get yourself the Rush topper, the $1,700 Rush topper. I'll include that as well. What else? I got the dice mod on the slings. I got the dice lights on the scoop. I've got the back mini orbit protector. That's a little plastic that goes back there because sometimes the ball goes around the inner orbit so fast that it doesn't actually trigger the rollover switch. so it's a plastic acrylic that goes on it gets installed back there to keep the ball down in the lane as it goes by so the switch registered that is in there so these are quality of life improvements and these are aesthetic improvements including the drumsticks and i'll let this whole package go for that price of twelve thousand five hundred dollars i'll match that but only if you mentioned that you heard it here so if you're interested in a rush le i'm maybe losing my mind because i love this game so much the call outs are amazing the code just got updated again there's a new wizard mode in there you can also access these homies only from the flippers it's got the insider connected already in it and that topper and the mirrored black glass the whole thing and i'll even we'll even work on shipping you don't even have to come pick it up like just wire me the money i'll ship it 12,005 i haven't listed it on pin side yet so this is kind of like exclusive to you guys you know i'm not working a trade deal with anybody yet i'm just going to put this out there because i'm in a good mood because i'm sitting here on a balcony in central florida i'm about to go over to the animal kingdom we were at mickey's not so scary halloween party last night. I rode Tron at night. What a fantastic outdoor roller coaster, indoor outdoor at nighttime. It's not quite as good of a pinball machine for me. I know it's got its fans out there, but that ride is awesome. So come on down. Thanks for listening to me on the balcony. You know, as I go through the things that I do, this has been an episode of Don's Pinball Podcast. Be sure to email me donspinballpodcast at gmail.com. I'll get right back to you. Join the Facebook page and follow. We're dropping so much more content on there. join the patreon for five bucks there's insider stuff on there i'm about to send out mailers quarterly mailers to your home just straight from me just as a way of saying thanks for the five bucks buddy um otherwise have yourselves a great day man we're having a good time out here later