Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • NName Review
  • +Health

v0.1.0

← Back to items

The Pinball Show Ep 104: BPE

The Pinball Show·podcast_episode·53m 48s·analyzed·Jul 12, 2022
View original
Export .md

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.034

TL;DR

Market trends, Scooby-Doo rumors, Sonic licensing drama, artist leaks suggest Jaws/Foo Fighters in development.

Summary

Zach Minney hosts The Pinball Show Ep 104, opening with personal travel anecdotes before diving into Pinball Market Trends. Key discussion includes Stranger Things holding strong value post-season 4, Toy Story 4 maintaining MSRP despite market softening, Guns N' Roses CE declining from $20K to $15K, and rumors of Spooky's upcoming Scooby-Doo/Evil Dead doubleheader. Zach critically analyzes American Pinball's Super Awesome Pinball Show interview, arguing they narrative-built against competing Sonic projects. Artist Instagram activity hints at potential Jaws and Foo Fighters pins from Stern.

Key Claims

  • Stranger Things pinball is trending up in value due to season 4 reception and new Medicinal Mods collection

    high confidence · Zach reports Stranger Things exceptions market softening; new collection timing helps desirability

  • Toy Story 4 CE by Jersey Jack is holding MSRP and not dropping significantly

    high confidence · Zach states CEs not yet produced, spots moving at MSRP; claims Jersey Jack found pricing apex

  • Guns N' Roses CE secondary market prices fell from $20K to $15K over winter

    high confidence · Zach reports specific price drops; projects possible further decline to $13K range but long-term settlement at $14-16K

  • Spooky Pinball is planning another doubleheader game release with Scooby-Doo and horror theme counterpart

    medium confidence · Joel Engelbert rumor mentioned during TPN stream; speculation suggests Evil Dead as horror pairing

  • American Pinball lost Sonic the Hedgehog license weeks away from securing it, allegedly with higher offer than competitor

    medium confidence · Dave Fix statement in Super Awesome Pinball Show interview; Zach analyzes as narrative-building for future messaging

  • Johnny Crab (Stern artist) posted Jaws character digital paintings recently, suggesting potential Jaws pinball in development

    low confidence · Zach cites Instagram activity coinciding with Jaws rumors; speculative connection to Stern development pipeline

  • Randy Martinez posted detailed Dave Grohl illustration on website, suggesting Foo Fighters pinball potential

    low confidence · Zach notes new website portrait and Translight-style background; connects to historical Foo Fighters rumors

  • American Pinball approved third production line at factory

    high confidence · Dave Fix statement during Super Awesome Pinball Show; Zach identifies as major milestone

Notable Quotes

  • “I'm still pretty sick and tired of hearing other podcasters talk down to the individuals enjoying this pin and who this pin is focused for. I'm still sick and tired of it.”

    Zach Minney @ ~15:30 — Addresses community gatekeeping around Toy Story 4's accessibility, defending casual players against elitist narratives

  • “This is the sound of money coming out of everyone's wallet if a Scooby-Doo pinball machine comes out.”

    Zach Minney @ ~35:00 — Expresses high market confidence in Scooby-Doo IP for pinball; indicates potential blockbuster appeal

  • “The only angle that makes sense here, then, in my opinion, is by creating a narrative to be used in the future. A preventative retaliatory measure, if you will.”

    Zach Minney @ ~45:00 — Critical analysis of American Pinball's interview strategy, suggesting deliberate narrative construction against competing Sonic projects

  • “That is huge. That is a major milestone that most every other pinball manufacturer in the history of the industry has never done.”

    Zach Minney @ ~52:00 — Acknowledges American Pinball's production expansion as significant industry achievement despite messaging concerns

Entities

Zach MinneypersonThe Pinball ShowmediaStranger Things (Stern)gameToy Story 4 (Jersey Jack)gameGuns N' Roses CE (Jersey Jack)gameSpooky PinballcompanyAmerican PinballcompanyScooby-DoogameEvil Dead / Army of Darknessgame

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: American Pinball approved third production line at factory; identified as major milestone in industry manufacturing history

    high · Dave Fix statement in Super Awesome Pinball Show interview; Zach confirms rare achievement across pinball manufacturing

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Pushback against gatekeeping narratives around Toy Story 4 accessibility; community criticism of framing casual players as toddlers

    high · Zach defends non-elite players; challenges elitist characterization of target audience; offers $100 bet to critics

  • ?

    content_signal: Joel Engelbert's TPN stream with Craig Bobby, Mike Castleman, George Fisher praised as exceptional pinball discussion content

    high · Zach identifies as best pinball content in months; highlights professionalism and substantive discussion compared to American Pinball interview

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Scooby-Doo identified as optimal animation IP match for pinball due to inherent game design parallels

    medium · Zach argues Scooby-Doo theme alignment exceeds larger animation IPs like Pokemon/Disney; solicits community opinions

  • ?

    leak_detection: Johnny Crab (Stern artist) Instagram posting Jaws character digital paintings; Randy Martinez website update with Dave Grohl/Foo Fighters illustration

    low · Zach connects artist activity to longstanding Jaws and Foo Fighters rumors; notes timing coincidence with Stern development pipeline speculation

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.161

0:00
Warning, the following episode contains adult language and screaming goats. Listener discretion is advised.
0:11
The Pinball Network is online. Launching the Pinball Show. This week on the Pinball Show, we switch it up and we go all in on pinball market trends as I try to bring reason and logic to pinball playground slappy fests and ceiling measuring contests. We also discuss why Stranger Things pinball is heading separate ways from the rest of the market. That was clever. American pinball updates-ish. Seeing through a narrative. Vaulting a game that doesn't exist. Why no matter how many times you tell us original unlicensed themes is not what we want, even if you try to package them with a lunchbox or a scratchy cotton t-shirt. Joel Engel bombs. N-K-Y-B-P-E and a package full of deals of the week. Listen in to your favorite pinball podcast and remind yourself to never be anyone's puppet.
1:07
Pinball is a game of skill. For some, it's a passion and a lifestyle. It's time for the Pinball Show. It's pinball with personality.
1:24
Hey, everybody. Remember me? It's Zach Minney, the host of The Pinball Show. We're in episode 104, and I apologize for the delay in a new episode. I'm just getting back from vacation with the family. This old crusty ass needed a break. Now catching up is going to take several weeks. But get this. So we've been planning for months to take a trip that's a bit more exotic than your run-of-the-mill Destin, Florida, or Orlando. It's kind of the Midwest tourist trap down there in Panama City Beach or Daytona Beach, which is love those trips as well. We wanted to do something a little extra special this year. And by no means are we world travelers. Nicole and myself and my family, we don't go out of the country. We don't we don't go across. We just don't do that kind of stuff. But we wanted to go down to the Caribbean and have an all inclusive experience in the beautiful Dominican Republic. We've been planning for months on this, had to get the whole passport thing, had to prep. It was a thing. Complete shout out to Nicole that worked her ass off, a cute little ass I might add, to have our family fully prepped for this. My parents were going as well. Just a nice getaway over the holiday week. And nothing says America like being out of the country.
Jaws (Stern rumor)
game
Foo Fighters (Stern rumor)game
Joel Engelbertperson
Dave Fixperson
Ryan McQuaidperson
Super Awesome Pinball Showmedia
Johnny Crabperson
Randy Martinezperson
Medicinal Modsproduct
?

licensing_signal: American Pinball indicates Sonic license could be re-acquired if current holder's term expires without usage

medium · Dave Fix states hope for future acquisition; suggests Ryan McQuaid's first game could be rethemed as vault title if Sonic secured later

  • $

    market_signal: Guns N' Roses CE secondary market decline from $20K winter peak to $15K current, with projected $13-16K long-term settlement

    high · Specific price tracking data cited; decline attributed to summer seasonality and general market softening

  • $

    market_signal: Stranger Things pinball appreciating in secondary market due to season 4 reception and new mod collection timing

    high · Zach reports Stranger Things as exception to overall market softening; credits new season and Medicinal Mods collection

  • ?

    design_philosophy: American Pinball using podcast platform to build pre-emptive narrative against competing Sonic pinball projects through licensing loss discussion

    high · Zach interprets extended Sonic license discussion as 'preventative retaliatory measure' and narrative seed-planting; cites comparative examples like Godzilla

  • $

    market_signal: Toy Story 4 Jersey Jack holding MSRP despite accessibility-focused design criticism, suggesting market pricing at apex

    high · Zach notes CEs not yet produced, secondary market spots holding at MSRP; interprets as Jersey Jack finding optimal price ceiling

  • ?

    rumor_hype: Spooky Pinball planning doubleheader release with Scooby-Doo and horror theme counterpart, following Halloween/Ultraman pattern

    medium · Joel Engelbert rumor during TPN stream; Evil Dead 2 speculated as horror pairing based on community preferences

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Overall pinball market softening during summer season; seasonal slowdown attributed to travel and outdoor activities

    high · Zach reports general market softening across titles except Stranger Things; projects recovery in cooler months

    • 2:39
    Side note, I will say that when July 4th rolled around, I looked around and told my family and Nicole. I said, I'm kind of bummed out. And they're like, why? I said, well, I'm not doing a podcast this week. And it has become a tradition for the Pinball Show listeners to hear my tribute and awe-inspiring love and admiration for a man called Terry. And his inability to quickly back it up so that his ass would not be burned by fireworks. They rolled their eyes as they proceeded to be stuck in a car with me as we drove around on vacation. And I had the viral Back It Up Terry video on loop. Even the remixes. So I missed out on that, which saddens me. Especially Chico holding his hand. Hold your hand, Chico. Two cars coming. Hey, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Two cars coming. Two different ways. Yeah, two cars coming two different ways.
    3:37
    Bag up. Bag up. Bag up, bag up, bag up, Terry. Put it in reverse, Terry. Put it in reverse. Oh, Lord. Lord, please. Oh, Lord. Oh, please. What you, what you, what you doing, Terry? What you doing, Terry? Terry, what you doing? What you doing? And the climax of that now dated but still very relevant viral video of a slight facial tilt of Terry as he finally gets his motorized wheelchair in gear to stroll off like a pimp, looking up at the camera with a small little smirk on his most beautiful face.
    4:19
    Dammit, I love you, Terry. It never gets old. It just never gets old. The next pinball bounty should be that old wheelchair of his. He upgraded since then, but that old wheelchair, I want that thing so bad. I would put that on a shrine, LEDs and everything. Oh, Lord. What you what you what? So anyway, back to the story. We plan on flying out of St. Louis Airport. Get there the night before. Have a nice evening. Wake up fresh and early in the morning. My father was with me, so we have to get to the fucking airport two and a half hours ahead of time just to sit. Just in case. So dumb. These things are going to get delayed anyway, right? With pilots not wanting to fly and on strike and stuff. So we get up to the ticket counter to check in. We hand the nice lady, at that point nice lady, the passports. Many of you have seen on social media what has happened. But hand her the passports, and she scans them, and all is well, right? But then the other lady says, hold up, that's not going to work. And I don't know about you, listener, but any time I go to the airport, I always feel like I'm on the interstate in high school again, and a police officer is behind me. Almost like I'm doing something wrong. I'm pretty damn square as a person, but I'm always worried I'm doing something wrong. I'm like, how am I going to go to jail today? What did I do wrong this time? Almost like going to the DMV. I've told the individuals at the DMV when I go there now, I tell them, look, this is my first attempt of coming to the DMV for this issue I'm having or renewal I'm having. I anticipate coming back three more times until it is rectified. So this is just my first trip for this individual. That's how I feel about formal things like this. I said it's not going to work. It's not going to work because you don't have the correct passports for your children. The correct passports for your children. Oh, what a kick in the nuts. What do you mean the correct passport? It's a passport. It's a card with their face. It looks formal, right? And they said, no, no, no, no. There are different types of passports. This particular passport you have for your children, they are, what do they call them? Land and sea passports. Land and sea. And you're wanting to travel through the air. Well, we're traveling over the sea, and our hotel is on the land of the Dominican Republic. What do we mean, land and sea? We went, we submitted for passports, and we said we need six passports, two adults, four minors. They gave us the little James Bond booklets for my wife and I, and they submitted us cards for our children. Now, again, many of you are well accustomed to, now I know, different types of passports. we don't we just got passports we didn't know any of this so a little empathy for our ignorance here but our passports as adults were fine the little booklets were good we could have went to the dominican but uh our kids could not because they didn't have the right passports the booklets shit what do we do now can i sign off on them can i throw them in fucking overhead compartment i'll get a crate we'll put them in storage with the rest of the bags i want to go to an island Nope. Can't do it. So our trip was ruined. Utterly ruined. We scramble. What the hell are we going to do now? We get a week off. Did we just blow $30,000 worth on a trip? No, we got a partial refund so we can go back there once we get said appropriate passports for our children. So we just scramble. What are we going to do? We got to find a place. We're looking at San Diego. We're looking at San Fran. We're looking at Hawaii. Nobody got openings. It's a holiday weekend. You ain't going to find shit. So we landed in Hilton Head. Hey, we'll take the Hilton Head. Never been to Hilton Head. Beautiful place. Can't say enough about it. Nice, clean, wonderful, wonderful place. Highly recommend. Now granted, after we booked that impromptu flight, it was canceled.
    8:10
    So the family hopped into the vehicle and drove to Hilton Head and said to hell with it. Air flight travel. Why is it going to be such a pain? Now, I've been having some significant back issues lately. I'm going to have to get surgery. I don't want surgery. I'm going to try to Schwarzenegger it up and PT it up and stuff. But I flew. Me and my son flew. I couldn't sit in the car for 13 hours. And you guys have heard my rant about the middle seat phenomenon, that the middle seat person gets screwed over in flights because, for some reason, the window person gets the window and the aisle person gets the freedom of not having to sit over, not having to step over other individuals. So the middle person should be designated with armrests, in my opinion, fucking at least one of them. Give me one. You always got two big people with their elbows, not only using your armrest, but protruding over their boundary of seat. They're into your personal space now. But this last trip, can we not all agree that the most frustrating damn thing when traveling by plane is when that plane lands and everyone wanting to get the hell out of that cabin. We can all agree. Everybody wants to get out of the cabin. They have a system for everything in that damn airport except for this. There's no procedures. There's no rules. There is zero efficiency when it gets to exiting a cabin. Boy, you can pay extra to get on there first, but it's a free-for-all when it comes to exiting the damn cabin. Thus, I will propose the following. Number one, you assholes that are using the overhead compartment. I have no issue with you using the overhead compartment and trying to cheat and sneak in another piece of luggage so you don't have to pay for it. I'm fine with that. But for the love of everything sacred, why, oh why, are you taking so much time putting stuff up and retrieving things from the overhead cabin compartment? If you need to put something in the overhead cabin compartment, have the decency to sit your fat ass down until everybody else not utilizing that place gets off the plane. It's common sense, people. And if you're unwilling to do that, because I think that is the quickest fix. Hey, any of you people who are smart enough to have an overhead that goes under the seat and you can just quickly pick it up and get the hell off of this plane? Do so right now. All of you other asshats that are utilizing that as regular storage, you need to wait until all the smart people get off. Babies on planes don't bother me. Kids kicking the back of my seat are somewhat annoying. Doesn't bother me. Them no longer serving peanuts. That sucks, but it doesn't bother me to the extent that overhead compartment storagers do. So inconsiderate. And by God, if you're not going to comply with this new rule of letting the smart people off first that aren't utilizing the overhead storage compartment, then at least get your ass up out of the seat when everybody is piling into the aisle and prep. Get those baggages out of the overhead cabin so that when the queue does begin to exit the cabin, you will be prepared. There's nothing more annoying. Your aisle is up to exit. Nope, nope. Old Vicki here. She's got to get out into the aisle. There's nobody in front of her because they've all exited the cab. She's got to reach up there and get her rolling bag that's 40 pounds. Oh, can you reach? Do you need some help, Vic? Oh, get it.
    11:26
    Sit down. I'm ready to leave. It's bad enough I had to sit in the back and sit by the shitter. Crime in Italy. Get off the plane, people. Just get off the plane. I'm ready to go. We're going to do a little something different this week on the Pinball Show, episode 104. I'm going to jump right into everyone's favorite segment, because why talk about news? Why talk about results of a recent competition? Why do any of that when you all just want to hear one thing? And that is the number one critically acclaimed, bowling 757 of Pinball Podcast segments, Pinball Market Trends. Saddle up, baby. It'll all make sense here soon. training up this week as Stranger Things by Stern Pinball. Uh-huh. Yes, it is. Want to know why? Well, number one, the game's damn good. So, Jonathan, how's the pullout? Number two, the new season, season four. You guys watched the second half of it, the last two episodes. The new season was fucking delicious. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum. Find me a person that watched season four, especially the last two episodes and has anything negative to say and i will find you somebody that doesn't know how to get off the fucking plane wow so the new season has helped the value of this pinball product believe it or not it's nuts right these are market trends people i only report the facts everyone's in love with the season for Stranger Things, thus, they continue to love and hold high value for the pinball machine.
    13:06
    That's alright, my dude. We're not here for your tasty pies. You see this weird girl behind me? She needs a tub with a bunch of salt so we can enhance her psychic powers so she can save the world from this super bad dude. But to make this salty tub we require your kitchen It also doesn hurt that the new Medicinal Mods collection that just came out and entering into this mix with just sheer impeccable timing I might add also helps the desirability and value of this game. And with Stern Pinball recently on their website, taking this title and putting it into their archive titles does not suggest a vault anytime soon. prices remain high on all models of stranger things pro premium and the limited edition so turning up this week is stranger things there are a few outliers but trending down is just the market in general continuing to soften a little bit for most titles there are going to be some exceptions as i've mentioned stranger thing is an exception believe it or not everybody's They're screaming, you need to trend down Toy Story 4 by Jersey Jack Thumbel. Trend it down. People are getting rid of their spots. Everybody's selling, selling. Well, I only report the facts. Numbers don't lie. And if you look at the data, you will find that they're still selling for MSRP. The CEs have not been produced yet, and the spots are moving hands here and there. But they're not dipping below the MSRP. I think, if anything, what Jersey Jack did is, when they raised prices and turned a lot of people off, they really kind of found the apex or the top of that market for that particular product. Now, will it lose money in the future? I'm sure it will, just like many new release pens do. But I do agree. I think they took the flipper out of the equation here. I think they kind of nailed what they thought this game could sell for, which does not give as much wiggle room on value over time, unless this pen really continues to heat up a lot more. I'm still pretty sick and tired of hearing other podcasters talk down to the individuals enjoying this pin and who this pin is focused for. I'm still sick and tired of it. I shouldn't have to feel bad enjoying a pin and not getting to the wizard mode. I shouldn't have to hear from my peers say things like, this game is targeted to 4-year-olds, 8-year-olds, 10-year-olds. Oh, bullshit! I play a lot of pinball, and I'm not kicking this game's ass. This game's kicking my ass. I'm just sick and tired of feeling like if you're not just this extraordinary competition hardcore player, then the opposite of that is a toddler. Don't lump me. Many people may lump me into acting like a toddler and reacting like a toddler. But come on. Is there not any in between people? Let's use our heads. It's targeted to 10 year olds. Oh, God. Thanks for making me feel bad about getting my ass whooped on Toy Story. Much appreciated, bro. Here's the funny thing. 90% if not more individuals playing pinball are like me. They might collect pinball machines. They might go out on location and play pinball machines. They might be head over heels over pinball. They're a pinball nut. But that does not equate to them being a top 100 player in the world. And damn it, everything outside of the top 100 or even the top 1,000 doesn't mean that you play to the level of a toddler. Come on. Not cool. It's something we'll talk about here in the future, but that's putting a spin on things, weaving a nice little narrative, oftentimes, to subconsciously giving yourself a reason not to want to support or like something or buy something. Well, the game's fun for a four-year-old.
    16:46
    It gives me ammo, though. Every podcaster and peer and friend that I hear that says that, next time I'm hanging out at a convention with them, I'm going to throw $100 on the glass and say, all right, come on, three games, let's see you defeat this whole damn game. That way you're not that four-year-old that you were saying I was. Go ahead. See, big boy? Step up. I got off on a tangent there. Overall, the market is softening just a little bit. Just a little bit softening. Also trending down this week, unfortunately, talking about Jersey Jack pinball, it's Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition. Now, that objectively is trending down. It's softening with the rest of the market. So much so that I'm highlighting it here on Pinball Market Trends, Guns N' Roses Collector's Edition. The LE's not dropped horribly bad. MSRP on those is $11K, and you're not seeing them tank. But this last winter, we were seeing Guns N' Roses CE Collector's Edition games on the secondary market used Go for $20,000. $19,000. There we go. $15,000 is the current secondary price for them. That is significant. It's also ironic that it's falling around to the threshold that that new inbox CE is for their newest title. 15K for GNR CE. Now, then you're going to ask me, what do you think of projecting? Do you think it's going to go up? Do you think it's going to go down? What's it going to do in the future? I think we may still see some softening of it. You may see GNR CEs fall into the 13s. I think it's quite possible. Long term, though, I see it settling in at around 14 to 16. There's 500 made, 750, whatever it was. They'll hold. But as everything's softening right now, it's the summer. Everybody's hanging out. Everybody's going out of town. Everybody's eating hot dogs with ketchup, grilling out, sitting by the pool with their big hunky dad bods hanging over their guts. Yeah, less time for pinball. So once it gets a little bit colder, a little chillier, people are putting their hoodies on in America, they'll start to see it settle out a little bit. Something that is not softening is something that was rock hard a couple weeks ago. So turning up this week is Joel Engelbert's TPN stream on June 29th with Craig Bobby, Mike Castleman, and the shining diamond that was that night, George Fisher from Don't Panic Flip. Whoa. I highly encourage you guys to go back to the video on demand at the Pinball Network YouTube. Watch this. It was like a podcast, but it's visual because you got all four of the guys up there talking in depth about pinball, about rumors, about their top games, about which games are going to get cut, about distribution and buying games, whether it's in Canada or whether it's overseas, whether it's in America here. There was so much profound, great, great pinball discussion in that one piece. I've not heard or seen anything quite as good for months come out of pinball content creation. It was wonderful. So nicely, nicely done. Mike Castlemann from the Pinballers and Craig Bobby from the Pinball Show becoming mainstays in Joel Engelberth's video podcast streams. Those guys are solid. And coming fresh to the mound, George Fisher, who I'm not sure has done one of those before. Shine on you, Diamond. He was sparkly, articulate, well-thought discussion, posing great questions to his group. That was good shit, man. that was good stuff. I want more of that. During that stream, a lot of bombs were dropped. Joe Lingobirth, look at you, Mr. Rumor Man, dropping some nuggets that he's been hearing around the water cooler, including Spooky Pinball doing another doubleheader on their next game release. What?
    20:22
    Similar to Halloween and Ultraman, you get two games that come out, same layout, similar rules, but different themes. He's saying he's hearing another doubleheader is coming out for their next game. and he went on to even drop the bomb that one of them is Scooby-Doo. Huh? This is the sound of money coming out of everyone's wallet if a Scooby-Doo pinball machine comes out. This is the sound of a men in black memory eraser of everyone that said they would never buy a spooky game again after Halloween or Ultraman. You're going to forget real quick about that if Scooby-Doo really comes out. maybe a top 10 theme that hasn't been done in pinball. Maybe. So Joel just willy-nilly is like, yeah, that's a rumor I'm hearing. What? He said the counterpart to the Scooby-Doo, the other game, would be a horror-based theme. Some are speculating maybe an Evil Dead. Oh, which I would love. How do you choose between Evil Dead and Scooby-Doo? Come on, Spooky. Pick some kind of horror theme that I could give two shits about. Like Army of Darkness. Oh, make it Army of Darkness.
    21:31
    Don't drive your car into an embankment, people. I'm sorry. Just Army of Darkness isn't any good. Evil Dead? Evil Dead 2? Yeah. That's where the magic is. Scooby-Doo. Holy shit. Scooby-Doo would be big time, man. Scooby-Doo is like Rick and Morty level of excitement for people. Scooby-Doo needs to be made into a pinball machine. Is there any bigger animation-based theme that matches so perfectly with pinball than Scooby-Doo? Think about it. Really think. Sure, there's bigger animated intellectual properties out there that have made more money. Pokemon, Disney kind of stuff, right? But are those properties as perfect to pinball as Scooby-Doo? Email us at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com. Tell me if you think there is an animated intellectual property that is a better match for pinball than Scooby-Doo. Speaking of upcoming releases and rumors, did anybody see the recent Instagram post by Johnny Crap? Remember the artist of Stern Pinball's Jurassic Park pinball machine? A lot of you poo-pooed that artist. There were some really great pieces in his artwork for those Jurassic Park games. But some of it, meh. But on his recent Instagram, Johnny Crab out of nowhere starts posting digital paintings of Jaws characters.
    22:48
    Huh. Digital paintings of Jaws characters. I'm not well-versed enough in Jaws to really know all the different people who said we need a bigger boat and shit like that. I know Richard Dreyfuss. I don't know the people as well. But I do find it odd that just one day ago, a recent Stern-Pembaugh contracted artist starts posting not gig posters or gig pieces, not of a whole piece of a license, but very specifically the headshots and details of characters of the franchise Jaws. Could be a coincidence. Could be. I only bring it up because Jaws has been a heavily rumored title to come from Stern Pimble in the future. And some people are going to be like, well, Rainy Martinez, you've talked about Rainy Martinez doing Jaws work. Rainy Martinez has done a portrait of Jaws, the shark in the water, right? A full portrait of that. Never did the characters, but did the Jaws. So that's true. So I went to Randy Martinez's social medias, and I found something interesting as well. You go over to Randy Martinez, who hasn't posted anything on, I think it's Instagram lately. But what I did find on his website that I hadn't seen there before was an interesting portrait of hand-drawn illustration that he did of Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl.
    24:09
    Huh. Another rumored title that could be coming from Stern Pimble. Hmm. That's interesting. To double down on the interest I had of this particular story, I go back to Randy Martinez's artwork in the past, and he's done like a caricature of Dave Grohl, one that would never make it into the finished product of a pinball machine. It was just a caricature. It did not lend itself to the art that we see on pinball machines. So he's done a Dave Grohl before. Interesting that here recently he's grown up on his website. a very detailed, illustrated, colored version of Dave Grohl. And very Translight-esque in the background, the Foo Fighters logo. Hmm. I just, you know, interested. It's Pinball Market Trends. That's what's trending this week. I don't, I'm just steering this horse. This baby's got a mind of its own. So much so that we're going to take a turn here. Because last week, the Super Awesome Pinball Show had a new episode as they interviewed Ryan McQuaid and Dave Fix from American Pinball. They talked at length about losing the Sega Sonic the Hedgehog license, how great American pinball manufacturing is going, the alleged success of their latest pinball title, Legends of Valhalla. There's just, there's a lot discussed there, so it's worth a listen. But my recommendation to listen may not be for the reasons you're expecting, which is why it is Training Down this week. Let's take a deeper dive this week on Pinball Market Trends Training Down to analyze the information that came from this content. Listen, number one, I've got no dog in this fight. I know that there was some conflict between the hosts of SAB and Day Fix from AP against Chris Koulouris of Canada's Pinball Podcast. They were going back and forth. So I'm not here to jump into that. No, thank you. I'll stay out of the little playground slap fest antics. No need for that. I'm just here to give you my take on the interview and the information that was presented in the episode as a content provider myself for you guys. As a lover of the silver balls, a pinball entertainer, content creator, as a collector, pinball player, as an authorized pinball distributor. It was a rough listen. That's why I'm training it down. Good golly, Miss Molly, that was embarrassing. For all involved, maybe not Ryan McQuaid, but for the host of the show and the executive leader of the pinball manufacturing company, it was rough. And I guess I just don't understand what the goal was for that piece of content. If the goal was to use a platform to showcase unprofessionalism and to boost votes for a plastic trophy, then mission accomplished? If the goal was to make the listener feel uncomfortable, not with the difficult questions being asked but with the strong language and the ceiling measuring contest that was going on then yeah I guess nicely done The individual spent a large majority of time speaking about American Pinball inability to secure the Sonic the Hedgehog license from Sega to use in pinball form. Now, Dave Fix said they all but secured the license only to have it kind of wither away weeks away without any explanation as to why. He indicated that their offer was even higher than that of another interested party, but it was still lost. Now, I don't know about you, but what's the purpose of spending so much damn time having the Sonic Spinball homebrew designer on, Brian McQuaid, but then discussing ad nauseum not being able to lock in the theme of why you hired the guy in the first place? How does this help the image and brand of American Pinball? There sure is a hell of more positive approaches to spending time on a podcast discussing the exciting things coming from your company. The only angle that makes sense here, then, in my opinion, is by creating a narrative to be used in the future. A preventative retaliatory measure, if you will. If I can't have her, then no one will. That's my take. And sure enough, you start hearing throughout the episode phrases pop up by not only American Pinball, but by the host of the podcast, Christopher Franchi, who coincidentally also contracted to do artwork for the company. Things like, man, I'd hate to be the company that tries to come out with a Sonic pinball machine now. Just kind of letting us all know that this homebrew, which most have not even played yet, it's beloved. It's a certified hit. It's everything you would want when combining Sonic the Hedgehog and pinball. And look, that's fine. We can't know that to be a fact, but that's the attempt at the narrative here. Let's rally the troops here, a.k.a. the potential consumer, so that subconsciously you'll have an opinion on an upcoming Sonic Pinball machine that isn't made by American Pinball. Let's plant that seed. It's the only explanation I can think of of why you would spend so much time discussing the company's lack of an ability to secure a license, especially when you're incorporating Roger Sharpen to the mix. It's either that or just sheer ignorance. And I'd like to think that by default that that's just not the case. What other reason is it without trying to create this narrative of I can't have her, so neither can you? It's almost like a you will hate this game when it comes out. You will hate. We want this game, so you will hate it when it comes out. Don't buy into it. They stole it from us. That's what it feels like. And for the life of me, I just don't get why I spend that much time on it. There's one word that I can drop into this mix like a mic that refutes all of that time spent. And that one word is Godzilla. Email us at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com If you think that there's an angle that I'm just missing Dave Fix, Executive Vice President of American Pinball Later states that if the Sonic license is not used up in the term's time period Then their company could actually secure it in the future So that's their hopes And that's a hell of a silver lining there Then again, he makes it sound like Ryan McQuaid's first game at AP Could just be rethemed into a Sonic game that was the original intent And just come out as a quote, vault title Wait, hold up. So whatever Ryan's working on in the future, people should be hesitant with purchasing because it could later be remade into what everyone really wants? Again, how does this messaging help the American Pinball brand? I don't get it. Fix talked about increasing production lines at American Pinball. He just approved a third production line to be started at the factory. And that, congratulations, that's actually awesome. That is huge. That is a major milestone that most every other pinball manufacturer in the history of the industry has never done. What's that? Oh, you want a little more razzle-dazzle, huh? Well, then, um, four. How about four production lines? Yeah, that's right. Day Fix says a fourth line is going to be added next year. This factory's going to be popping out more games than my ass was popping zits in high school. some of you people still watching shows that pop shit like that it's so gross that is nasty oh this one's got an ingrown hair but what are they going to fill these lines with that's my question dave fix indicated that legends of valhalla have been just a great successor flying out of the factory doors he's preparing to announce and start building standard models of love once the deluxe editions are completed how about that he also said that using, quote, hard numbers that they have approximately double the number of interested orders of standard law of games as they have for the original number of limited deluxe models. In other words, American Pinball originally announced 300 limited edition units of Legends of Valhalla before quickly bumping it to 500 limited units once the 300 were sold through to dealers. So the game was announced in September 2021, about 10 months ago. Again, I'm here to clarify some reality for you listeners. I sell American Pinball products. I sell American Pinball games. I like selling American Pinball games, and I like American Pinball games in general. It's a good company, good products, but I have no desire to pull the wool over your heads either. As of this recording, as a dealer, we have received less than 50% of our ordered Deluxe Legends of Valhalla. Technically, 40% when we ordered them 10 months ago. Now, I'm concerned about the statements made from Dave Fix here, and I will encourage everyone just to kind of temper your expectations. I do not see them cranking out the majority of the 500 machines in the next month. Hopefully I'm wrong. And I'm confused about the whole approximate 600 orders of the Legends of Valhalla Standard Editions because, full transparency, orders have not been open to dealers for this model. It's a nonexistent model at this point. We do not know the features of it, the production timelines, the price, and we know nothing. We know what you know. So there have been zero official orders for the non-existent model of Legends of Valhalla. Period. Dave Fix said that he looks on the marketplace and no one's getting rid of Legends of Valhalla. Nobody's getting rid of them. They love them. As a dealer, I wish that were the case. As of this recording, there are four machines on the used market currently available well below the original asking price. And some dealers are advertising them in stock. Dave Fick's also expressing in the interview wanting people to know that they do not take money from dealers on orders until the games are ready. And I see what he's saying here, but it's not entirely true. I just want to clarify here. American Pinball has several thousands of dollars for myself as a dealer for pre-ordered Houdini's and Oktoberfest. So the statement's not true entirely. Typically, that is their MO, though. They do take dealer orders like for Legends of Valhalla Deluxe, and they did not require any non-refundable deposits on them. But when they recently increased pricing due to parts delays this past spring, they did require dealers to lock in those differences with non-refundable deposits, similar to how JJP does all of their trim levels or CGC. They do that with their higher-end models, non-refundable deposits from dealers, or Stern Pinball. They do that to lock in their LE models, mostly immediate deposits, sometimes a little brief period, but then full payment on LE models. So pretty typical, but they do have a lot of dealers' money, so it's not like he can wash his hands of that. Now, the other production lines, lines two and three, I suppose, and potentially four, production line four in the future, are going to be building Houdini's, Oktoberfest, and Hot Wheels. Then we're going to get a Nordman original unlicensed title this year with Franchion Art as well, all of which Fick says are in high demand. He's saying Houdini, Oktoberfest, Hot Wheel, all still very much in high demand. And you know what? I do love some Houdini.
    34:36
    That's a damn great game. I still want another one. I've owned that game like four or five times. Love that damn game. And I can see demand for them, considering the build quality of those games, what's in them. They're relatively easier to swallow pricing compared to some recent game releases. So I agree. But a high demand, I'm not convinced of. Especially when there's plans to take some of the Macs and toys and features out of them in next year's run. So yeah, I agree that I do think there is still desire for those back-titled games. But I don't think it's crazy high or anything. But it does sound like the demand is high enough to do small little spurts of runs here and there. And I think strategically, that's not a bad idea to have a catalog of games. I think that's what JJP has kind of strived to do in the past and currently into the future. It's what Stern Pinball is doing impeccably. So I don't think that's a horrible idea. And no, I haven't forgotten about you, Super Awesome Pinball Show. No, no, no. In the episode, Franchi was agreeable with Dayfix about their perception that consumers want these unlicensed original game titles over the objectively higher sales returns that we see using licensed properties for products. Yeah, they talk about all the freedom and creative opportunities of original unlicensed themes. Oh, and oh, boy, Dayfix even sprinkled in a teaser. You know, you get T-shirts and swag and and lunchboxes. When you've got unlicensed games, you can have lunchboxes and t-shirts. Oh, and action figures. Franchi proclaimed action figures. T-shirts, lunchboxes, over my already established psychological and emotional investment with many intellectual properties. Oh, sign me up.
    36:23
    Franchi pitched an original theme called Lingerie Store for a pinball machine during this episode. Now, to be fair, maybe those are action figures I wouldn't mind. kind of scene for myself. And as I was hearing this episode, listener, I was thinking of any artist begging for original themes, I would think Christopher Franchi would be the last person to be rallying behind this. To me, it seems like he sure sells a lot more what-it-could-a-pinball translates like Beetlejuice or Caddyshack or Superman, and he does pentastic pinball convention posters. Am I wrong? His art is phenomenal. It pops. It's juicy as fuck, but I can't think of any original artwork that he has marketed that is just knocking my socks off. Even the original playfield art of myself and Greg Bone on the outlanes of the Munsters that was changed to some of the creators of the game, that even required a style guide. So I'm like, Franchi, what are you even talking about, dude? And rant is almost over at this point, but don't get me started on Franchi and Fix throwing shade towards Stern, Pinball, and JJP on how they announced new products. And if you didn't hear that, give it a listen for a chuckle. Saying you support the other manufacturers and everything's fucking kumbaya, but then trying to convince us that Stern and JJP launch videos are not welcomed and are a waste of money and resources? I'm sitting here scratching my head. We want to talk about true vault experiences and bringing something back from the dead. Let's bring back the idea from the 1970s. Let's see here, guys. We can showcase the details of our products and features for a consumer in the highest resolution broadcasting across the world? Now, now, now, that's amateur hour. Now, we need to get our new product into four or five locations split between two whole cities in America with early coded games. Oh, yeah. Just imagine all of those eager iPhone 6 videographers just chomping at the bit.
    38:16
    Street reveal is the way you want to go. I don't agree with you. I can provide actual data to showcase it as a poor business decision. but there just is no need to throw other manufacturers under the bus while doing so. That's my point. These other manufacturers seem to be doing fine with their silly, universally loved pinball themes and their overrated feeling of pride to present their products to the entire world in the best possible way.
    38:42
    And the other, ugh, that makes this whole thing trend down this week is during the interview, so they let go of the AP guys. Okay, thanks Dave. Thanks Ryan for coming on. Thanks, Dave Fix. And then Franchi throws out the go fuck yourself to Dave Fix. So they let these guys go. But then, boom, we get an additional interview that's more current with Dave Fix being phoned again without Ryan McQuaid or the other two Saps hosts. It's Franchi doing an encore questioning with Dave Fix simply, wait for it, to refute statements made by a pinball podcaster.
    39:16
    Setting the record straight. Damn it, guys. We don't need this. Why focus on one media provider? Why enable any of it? American Pinball is a large company, many employees, many creators. They don't need to create special content to refute a podcaster with a meager couple hundred listeners who has the poorest track record for accuracy in the first place.
    39:42
    Why? It's tough, man, because overall I just wanted to hear about American Pinball's goals for the future. I wanted to get excited about possible production updates, about upcoming games from some of the veterans that they have over there. I wanted honesty. I wanted clarity. I wanted transparency. But instead, I just heard people measuring up on how they are the greatest podcasters out there, how Canada's wrong, and why American Pinball is better than the defunct Deep Root Pinball, or why antiquated product launches are better than giving the world all of the details that they need to make a proper pinball purchase I sorry I just don get it and as a hobbyist a dealer a content creator it was embarrassing I sure as hell not going to leave you on a sour note what was not embarrassing this week training up is the NKY pinball open 2022 did you guys check us out this past weekend hosted by Eric Chuck Wirtenberger some really really nice touches on the broadcast coming from that competition exceptional commentators even to the many tutorial breaks that they made before starting a new game i was watching and before they started godzilla boom you get what i'm calling a work to real chuck words producing these mini tutorials for people for when they play in competitions and stuff they broke to that nice quick explanation of of how to play the game and then back to the action even to the fanfare of the winner announcements at the conclusion of the event spectacular listen to just take a listen to this is first nky open this is literally so loud it hurts right that is some bpe right there if i've ever heard it some big pinball energy baby i love it sure it was wrong you know but we bottled that energy up for an over-the-top edited production piece and we then are a couple of more steps in the right direction to get this hobby or sport or whatever the hell you want to call it, properly consumed by the masses. Shout out and much love to the Northern Kentucky Pinball Family and Group as it makes me even more excited for the Pinsonati Convention that will be happening later this year. And many of you have been sitting on them dollars waiting for deals to be made, waiting to save a buck or two, and you can do so in Pinball Market Trends sub-segment, Deals of the Week! Buy, buy, buy! Full transparency here, Flippin' Out Pinball is a sponsor of this wonderful program. and I am going to lean the hell into that sponsorship this very week to save you money. I need to clear out some room, so I'm going to take some games that have been sitting for weeks, and I am going to reduce the hell out of those prices so you guys have no choice but to jump on the phone and email. Contact me at Zach, Z-A-C-H, at flip the letter in out pinball dot com to secure these games quickly. I'm being stupid with them. For example, remember that Revenge from Mars slash Star Wars Episode I combo that I had listed for sale? Pre-owned, but I'm pretty damn sure the Revenge... It's a Revenge from Mars cabinet, so the preferred cabinet. But I'm pretty damn sure that the Revenge from Mars is home use only. The damn thing is beautiful. I had the combo. I already reduced it down to like $57.99. That's stupid. Stupid price. But this week's deal of the week, I'm going to knock that down $4,900. hundred bucks get the shit out of here bam email now hurry hurry text me at 812-457-9711 4900 for a bally williams one of their last games made two and one that's a silly price you can't hate on it that's a silly price you want another one fine remember the corvette i had listed it's as is i think there's two i just don't want to mess with i think there's two optos in the engine that aren't functioning other than that it's a super great example especially the playfield you see them all butchered up this is not that super nice i had it listed and marked down all the way to 49.99 which it's hard to find nice corvettes for under five thousand dollars so i had it at 49.99 deal the week this week i'll throw a thousand dollars off of 4050 bucks come get it bam bye bye bye an editor's note here when i say come get it i do not mean at my house we have an official location at another site that you can come pick this game up been running into silly damn issues lately, so I need to clarify that. You want another one? You greedy little bastards. Okay, fine. How about a Beatles Gold? You guys have said I love that game. I want to buy that game, but I don't want to spend $9,000 on it. I don't even want to spend $8,000 on it. I have one listed, pre-owned, marked it down to $76.99 because the previous owner said the back legs came and they were slightly bent. I can't really see it, but okay. I guess so. It still works and fits fine, but $76.99. Deal of the week this week, that thing is going to be $6,700. Buy, buy, buy! Last time you seen a Beatles gold sell for $6,700.
    45:08
    Low play is good to go. I know. I just need the space so it's all good as gold for you guys. Fine. One more. I will give you another one.
    45:16
    Right now, Nicole's like, what are you doing? Sorry, hon. I need the space, man. So let's see the last one. Oh, this is cool. So a lot of you guys have seen Greg Bones. The ultimate toy in his collection is that Jurassic Park sit-down arcade. So he's got one of them. We gifted him for being the best friend in the world. We have one that's pre-owned right now. We have it listed at $89.99. Less than a pinball machine. It's the ultimate conversational piece. Ultimate arcade size-wise. It's large, but it's not going to take up more than two spots in a pinball collection. and it's just kind of cool to have as an add piece to your collection. Everybody will play it more than they even play pinball when they come over. These things are $10,395 new. Deal of the week this week, I almost want to whisper it because I don't want Nicole getting mad.
    46:07
    $7,500. Buy, buy, buy! Come get it. $7,500 for the coolest freaking toy out there. And see, you guys cannot claim that I'm only using it to make money. I'm not making money. I'm losing money. I paid more than $7,500 for the damn thing. And as always, I'm just here to report the facts. I'm here to save you some money. And friends don't lie, neither do I, and certainly neither does Numbers on Pinball Market Trends.
    46:39
    All right, let's close out the show. Episode 104. Ooh, that was a hoot. That was a holler. I like that one. You guys like it? You can reach out to me at thepinballnetwork at gmail.com. We're going to be back with 105 featuring Dennis Creasel and myself. He's been kind of prickly lately towards me, so 105 should be pretty good. Go listen to the Eclectic Gamers podcast with him and Tony. I think they have a new episode this week as well. But use that email. Let us know what you would like to hear Dennis and I articulate, discuss, banter, argue about. Let us know what topics. And another friendly reminder, if you guys are ready for a brand new pinball machine, a used pinball machine, pinball accessories, arcade games, VIP white glove deliveries by myself and or by Greg Bone in person across the country. Oh, coming soon. You can have all of it from Flippin' Out Pinball. It's FlippinOutPinball.com. That's F-L-I-P, the letter N, out, pinball.com. Or email me at Zach, Z-A-C-H, at FlippinOutPinball.com. Or you can text me, 812-457-9711. And for all of our customers that are having any issues with their games or need a warranty submitted, our main man, Greg Bone, is there to help you with flipping out tech. That's Greg, G-R-E-G, at flip, the letter N, outpinball.com. Email him, and he's got like a 100% satisfaction rating. The guy's killing it, slaying it. Love that man. Product showcase this week for flipping out pinball is Rush Pro. We've got him now in stock by Stern Pinball. That is a game that's starting to get a lot of love, a lot of love. And listen to Nick Lane over at Buffalo Pinball. He'll express his love for Rush Pinball. He just got a Rush Pinball machine premium and a Mandalorian premium. He's loving life right now. Greg Bone's been loving the Rush Pro he's got too. We also continue to have Toy Story 4 games rolling in, so get your pre-order in on those. But if you're wanting something in stock right now from JJP, we've got Guns N' Roses LE with the Art Blades, Toppers, Banners. We have Mandalorian Pros and Premiums in stock ready to go. I don't know if I have an Avengers. I might have an Avengers Pro display model or used model. May have one of those. Cactus Canyon remake SCs. As of this recording, I've got some of those in stock, believe it or not. Ready to go. $8,000 plus shipping. Bam. Insider Connected kits. We've got Pro kits ready to go. Alien pre-orders. Batman 66 LE. I still have that pre-owned one. I do have Rush Pro pre-owned. I have an Elvira 40th anniversary. The coveted number 40 to go. That includes the topper as well and the banner. Star Wars limited edition. I don't know how that thing's still here. Y'all are nuts for not picking up that thing. That's a beauty. Plenty of mods on it. I even have a comic pro Star Wars pre-owned. A TMNT premium pre-owned. A Deadpool LE plus topper pre-owned. A Monsters Pro pre-owned. We talked about that Corvette. I've got a Batman Forever pre-owned. A Tommy pre-owned. Maybe pending sale. I don't know. I think I have a Godzilla premium pre-owned. I think I do. Come pick that up. Mandalore. A lot of these games I have pre-owned, ready to go. We have a lot of inventory right now. We're also taking pre-orders for all the Stern games. So your Godzilla's of the world, your pros premiums, your L virus, probably well into 2023. But if you want to get on the list, you can no guarantees on that thing. Who knows what they're doing? The upcoming game, the rumored games. We're taking lists for those rush. They've got to have those damn accessories released at some point or other, whether it's topper, the armor, when we're taking lists for those, we do have some toppers in stock, Deadpool in stock, turtles in stock, stranger things in stock, Led Zeppelin in stock. I even have one more Indiana Jones topper from Elite. We've got armor in stock. We've got banners. I have Golden Tee 2021s in stock, ready to go. Talk about an addictive game. Golden Tee is where it's at. Merchandise, Shaker Motors. If it's pinball, if it's arcade, if it's fun, it's flipping out pinball. TPN last week is Triple Dream Pinball Podcast, episode 19, Big Woody. That was a good episode. I was screaming at it and yelling at Travis and Tom the whole time, but it was still entertaining they're so wrong so wrong my biggest gripe is travis was saying how his unborn fetus of a child can get to the wizard mode on the game because it's so easy but then he talks about how impossible the skill shot was what could have been somebody else was saying it some podcaster was it tom i don't know who it was somebody's like this game is so easy and then they're like but the skill shot is impossible it's too hard check out triple drain They're on fire right now. That is a trending podcast if I've ever heard one. The Aussie Pinball Podcast had episodes five and six this last week with Distributor Wayne over there and Mr. Pinball is his name, as well as the Pinheads Pinball Podcast, the old school podcast from Australia. He had a reunion with those guys on episode six. Check that out. A couple of great Iron Battles over the last week or two with Don't Panic Flip. Last one was with David Dennis' Silver Ball Chronicles playing Tron against him. Hub Challenge has been streaming Toy Story 4, which has been a hoot. I've been loving watching those guys. I love watching them do anything, but Toy Story 4 has been a blast. Pinballers hosted the Summer Classic on July 9th. Go back and check out that video on demand. That was good stuff. And last but not least, I told it to you earlier, you owe it to yourself to watch that video podcast stream on demand of Joel Engelberth's podcast video cast stream with Craig Bobby, Mike Castleman, and George Fisher. Coming up this week on the Pinball Network, final round pinball podcast will probably have a brand new episode and i wanted to tell you guys that fox city's got a three strike tournament coming up on july 17th make sure to enter into that and a whole hell of a lot of other stuff coming soon from the pinball network and specifically from the pinball show i'm your host of the pinball show zach many and always remember people always practice safe airline travel and if you're the guy or gal who uses the overhead storage compartment in the cabin, be a decent human being, and sit your ass down until all of the smart people have exited the aircraft.
    52:37
    Thank you, and enjoy your stay. I want a letter. You got two cars coming two different ways. Bang up, bang up. Bang up, Terry. What it refer, Terry? What it refer? Oh Lord, Lord, Jesus. Oh Lord. Oh Jesus.
    53:22
    What the, what you doing, Terry? Terry, what you doing? Oh my god!