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Kaneda' Pinball Podcast Saturday Morning Spectacular April 4

Kaneda Pinball Podcasts YouTube Lives·video·analyzed·Apr 5, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.035

TL;DR

Kaneda livestream covers Pokémon delivery, Stern pipeline (Mountain Dew, Transformers, Fallout), JJP Sonic rumors, and market commentary on remakes.

Summary

Kaneda hosts a livestream on April 4th awaiting delivery of a new Pokémon pinball machine while preparing to sell his Guns N' Roses machine. He discusses upcoming Stern releases (Mountain Dew commission, Transformers, Fallout), Jersey Jack's rumored Sonic the Hedgehog machine expected June 23rd release, boutique manufacturer competition (Barrels of Fun vs Spooky), and reflects on game design, pricing, and market dynamics including remakes' impact on original machine values.

Key Claims

  • Jersey Jack is bringing Sonic the Hedgehog and will release it on June 23rd (Sonic's birthday) with games shipping end of July

    medium confidence · Kaneda speculating based on release strategy, not official confirmation

  • Stern is making Mountain Dew as a commission game with Patrick Lee doing Transformers artwork

    high confidence · Kaneda stated as exclusive information he's breaking on the show

  • Pokémon was revealed end of February and Kaneda is receiving his LE on April 4th, roughly 5 weeks later

    high confidence · Kaneda direct observation and timeline

  • George Gomez held back Pokémon game to review it personally before release

    medium confidence · Kaneda stating this as fact but not independently verified in content

  • Dune pinball will develop a cult following and secondary market demand will make it harder to acquire

    medium confidence · Kaneda's prediction based on collector behavior with limited-run theme-integrated games

  • Stern has manufacturing facilities in Brazil in addition to US production

    high confidence · Kaneda stated as established fact

  • CGC remakes have caused original Williams/Bally machine values to drop, with Medieval Madness overproduction tanking prices

    high confidence · Kaneda's market observation and analysis

  • Guns N' Roses should sell for around $10-11k on secondary market

    medium confidence · Kaneda's pricing estimate based on market listings

  • Brenda (spouse) is losing her job April 13th as FanDuel Network winds down

    high confidence · Kaneda personal disclosure

Notable Quotes

  • “Stern, man. Like look how fast they get you a game. Pokemon was revealed when? Like end of February? Here we are April 4th and LE's going into my house. I mean, that's just that's just crazy.”

    Kaneda@ 13:15 — Highlights Stern's production speed and market dominance in getting new machines out quickly

  • “You can't be one of these people that says we want to get more people in the pinball and then a major brand commissions a pinball machine to to be made and you complain that making a Mountain Dew pinball sucks.”

    Kaneda@ 11:23 — Commentary on community gatekeeping and brand collaborations, reflects broader market tension

  • “I think Dune's a better game than Winchester. It shoots better than Winchester. It's got like way more... the theme is and the integration and the intensity of it.”

    Kaneda@ 19:44 — Direct game quality comparison between boutique manufacturers, part of ongoing Barrels vs Spooky dynamic

  • “I think the Elwin era has really elevated the gameplay... I think we give Elwin sometimes way too much personal credit. Like the whole team he's got is just so good.”

    Kaneda@ 25:21 — Nuanced take on Keith Elwin's dominance and team contribution to Stern's success

  • “I'm a two-pin guy in my household, so this thing's never going to make it back. I'm going to live here for the next 20 years.”

    Kaneda@ 5:59 — Personal constraint explaining why he's selling Guns N' Roses despite owning premium collection

  • “I think Jersey Jack Ghostbusters is just a take my money now thing.”

Entities

KanedapersonFrankpersonKillianpersonBrendapersonKeith ElwinpersonGeorge GomezpersonJack GuarnieripersonDavid Van Esperson

Signals

  • ?

    announcement: Stern confirmed to be making Mountain Dew commission machine with Patrick Lee doing Transformers artwork; Transformers features transforming Optimus Prime mechanic; Fallout Amazon show pinball also upcoming

    high · Kaneda states 'Stern's making Mountain Dew. Patrick Lee on Transformers artwork' as exclusive info, explicitly noting Pinside community hasn't picked up these stories yet

  • ?

    machine_intel: Jersey Jack Sonic the Hedgehog rumored for June 23rd (Sonic's birthday) release with end-of-July shipping to customers; Southern Fried Gaming Expo expected venue for showcasing

    medium · Kaneda: 'I think they're going to release Sonic on Sonic's birthday June 23rd. I think games are going to start to make their way out end of July and we're going to see it at the Southern Fried Gaming Expo'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern's speed-to-market advantage: Pokémon announced end of February, premium/pro units delivering to collectors by April 4th (~5 weeks), establishing Stern as market leader in rapid production

    high · Kaneda: 'Pokemon was revealed when? Like end of February? Here we are April 4th and LE's going into my house. I mean, that's just that's just crazy. People are getting their premiums, people are getting their pros.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Dune (Barrels) demonstrates successful theme-integrated design; collectors seeking differentiation will pursue limited-run thematic games rather than mass-market standard machines; boutique integration as collector value driver

    medium · Kaneda: 'I think like in a world where everyone's got the same stuff, a lot of these like smaller run theme integrated games are going to be what collectors seek out... why would you want to own something that like everybody has?'

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:01
I don't know what's going on with YouTube. We're live. Okay, there we go. There we go. Let me get my glasses.
0:11
All right, today's going to be like a little bit of a a little bit of like an all over the place Kaneda day cuz we are getting, as you know, we are getting Pokémon in like any minute. So, Frank just called me. Um he's going to call me when they're like 30-something minutes out. We've got Guns N' Roses behind me, few switch problems, just some I don't know. Like end of switch issues. We'll fix that. Not a Not a difficult fix. Um might fix it here. We might fix it uh at Automated, but this is going to be a fun day. So, this game's going out. It's been a good run with GNR. Won't lie, I haven't played the game very much recently. I'll tell you why. It's not just because it's Guns N' Roses, it's because this game is an late-at-night couple whiskeys in pinball machine experience. Late at night in my house with two little kids, pinball never happens. You know what I'm saying? So, like that's the reason why Guns N' Roses doesn't really get a lot of plays in this household. I will say like when I'm home at work and it's middle of the day and the kids are at daycare, I don't want to play it. I just don't want to play It's like I just don't want to rock out to GNR pinball at like 11:00 a.m. You know what I'm saying?
1:50
Charles be there in 10 minutes. Um Charles, I don't need another body in the house. We're going to have four dudes come in to get this thing down the stairs and out the door. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm glad we've got more than just me and Derek. But you know, and and I I get that going down is difficult because of how heavy it is. But um there's going to be a bunch of bunch of dudes from Automated here making this thing happen. So, like I'm not um I'm not going to try to do this with just one or two people. This is going to be um done by the professionals, the dudes who do it all the time. Which is great. Derek was great. There's not a scratch on this thing. Um let me Should I take the topper off or not? I don't really think so, but it is just thin plastic, so I I don't know. Should I just leave it on? It's It'd be a pain to take the topper off to move this thing out.

Kaneda@ 23:09 — Strong demand signal for JJP remakes even of existing titles

  • “Why would anyone want the original over the new one? I mean it's all Bally Williams parts... I think we're going to see Twilight Zone next year.”

    Kaneda@ 30:25 — Prediction of American Pinball following CGC's remake strategy with classic titles

  • “I don't think it'll tank the sales, but I think it will heavily disappoint people if it looks too much cartoonish that doesn't click with the G1 fan base.”

    Kaneda@ 36:21 — Critical assessment of Pat Lee Transformers artwork risk and IP fan expectations

    • Steve Ritchie
    person
    Pat Leeperson
    Zombie Yetiperson
    Derekperson
    Stern Pinballcompany
    Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    Barrels of Funcompany
    American Pinballcompany
    Chicago Gaming Companycompany
    Automatedcompany
    Pokémon (Stern)game
    Guns N' Roses (Stern)game
    Sonic the Hedgehog (Jersey Jack)game
    Transformers (Stern)game
    Fallout (Amazon show) (Stern)game
    Mountain Dew (Stern)game
    $

    market_signal: CGC remakes causing original Williams/Bally machine values to tank; Medieval Madness overproduction (multiple editions) specifically highlighted as destroying collector pricing; original black editions dropped from ~$20k to significantly lower

    high · Kaneda: 'Medieval Madnesses... these black editions were worth like almost 20 grand... they were like 150 of them or 200 of them. And then they just like made another version, another version, another version... it tanked the value of all them'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stern leveraging brand commission deals (Mountain Dew) for B2B marketing/retail exposure; distinct from enthusiast-focused machines; community sentiment mixed on brand collaborations

    high · Kaneda: 'They're not making them for you and I. They're making them so Mountain Dew can bring them to retailers, for executives, for different moments where the brand shows up'

  • ?

    industry_signal: Healthy boutique competition between Barrels of Fun (David Van Es) and Spooky Pinball (Bug/Luke) driving quality improvements; Kaneda views as positive competitive pressure rather than bitter rivalry

    medium · Kaneda: 'I love the Barrels versus Spooky competition. And it's real and it's healthy and it's not like bitter... everybody can eat, right? It's not a negative thing'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Zombie Yeti (Stern artist) lacks early survey mechanism to test artwork reception; Pat Lee Transformers artwork at risk of disappointing G1 fanbase with manga-influenced illustration style vs. classic toy-box aesthetic

    medium · Kaneda: 'Zombie Yeti's going to get tested... he literally has no way to get the way Stern does it... they have no way to like even survey opinions before it's too late with the art'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: American Pinball positioning as new CGC competitor, remaking classic titles; Circus Voltaire remake will establish template; Twilight Zone predicted as next American Pinball remake target

    medium · Kaneda: 'I think American is going to be a very, very [strong]. I think we're going to see Twilight Zone next year'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Keith Elwin receives outsized credit for Stern's recent success; Kaneda argues supporting team (Rick Nagel et al.) deserves equal recognition but remains unnamed/unheralded in community discourse

    medium · Kaneda: 'I think we give Elwin sometimes way too much personal credit. Like the whole team he's got is just so good... If I asked you like was it Rick Nagel? Like if I we should know all of the Elwin team. Like they should all be household names'

  • ?

    collector_signal: Guns N' Roses secondary market pricing stable at $10-11k range; limited supply on market; collector sell-off due to space constraints and newer machines arriving (Pokémon) rather than quality dissatisfaction

    medium · Kaneda: 'I think I'm going to be able to get for my Guns N' Roses like around 10. Maybe a little bit more... they usually go for around 10, 10 to 11. It's usually like 11 OBO'

  • ?

    manufacturing_signal: Stern maintains manufacturing facilities in both USA and Brazil; Pokémon production distributed globally, not US-centric; rapid scale-up across multiple regions enabling worldwide availability

    high · Kaneda: 'There's a Stern manufacturing facility in in Brazil. You think they're just making them in America? They're making them in Brazil. They will be all over the world'

    • 2:58
    Um there's no way you can use an Escalera on my stairs. There's not enough room to get the Escalera on the outside of the game. Like It It is a tight fit. There is no room for any even a dolly or any Escalera. Like it is basically you got to just shimmy the pin
    3:22
    so that it's perpendicular or like with the staircase and then you just got to lean it. Someone's got to be in the front, someone in the back and you just got to go up slowly. We did one step at a time uh making sure that we um didn't ruin the stairs. And then we made sure that we didn't hit anything on the sides. So, it When we did it. Now, I will say this. You're going to need straps.
    3:52
    Straps for what? Getting GNR down the stairs? I mean, these guys know what they're doing.
    4:10
    Strap What What are we strapping? The game down? Attached to your back like how they move appliances. Okay.
    4:35
    It It's crazy how heavy this damn GNR is. It's going to feel I can do I can guarantee it's going to be a lot more fun bringing Pokémon up the stairs than GNR down the stairs.
    4:51
    So, um you know, it is it is not it it It is not a a fun thing. So, a lot of a lot of fun pinball news this week. I I'm super excited. Killian is out. He's not coming back till like 1:00, so by the time Killian gets home he will walk up the stairs and he will have his Pokémon pinball machine and I of course will record his reaction to it. I do think it's going to be um a lot of fun for me to teach him how to play pinball on Pokémon. Teaching him how to play pinball on Guns N' Roses not so much.
    5:30
    Yeah Yeah, these Stern machines are are pretty empty. So, and I'm I'm most likely I mean, when I think about it, like I'm most likely going to sell Guns N' Roses. I've had my fill of it. And with so much pinball coming out and I'm I'm going to be candid, gang. I'm a
    5:57
    I'm a I'm a two-pin guy in my household, so this thing's never going to make it back. I'm going to live here for the next 20 years. So, it it is what it is. If I had a location, I wouldn't even want to put a CE out, you know? If I had a location, I would just go get a nice LE for five grand.
    6:18
    New pin day. I'll tell you, I'm like a little bit it's a little like I'm excited. I The only thing I'm like writing a check for like 14 grand or something is the part that I'm just like Mhm. Yeah Yeah, it's not that I can't do it. I just like it's just a lot. It's a lot. Like that that's an entire three weeks in Tokyo. I don't think it's going to go up in value. Why pay to store it? Meaning GNR, yeah.
    6:59
    I think I'm going to sell Guns N' Roses. I think I think I will be able to get for my Guns N' Roses like around 10. Maybe a little bit more.
    7:14
    There's really, you know, there's not a ton for sale. They usually go for around 10, 10 to 11. It's usually like 11 OBO is what they're listed for, but again it'll help that it's at Automated and ready to go go to somebody.
    7:33
    Yeah. No, I'm looking forward to it. I'm just looking I'm I'm looking forward to spring. The weather's good. Everyone's moods are getting better. UConn women's basketball got destroyed last night. That was fun to watch. Poor sports. That coach is a loser. What a Like what a bad example to set for his players and his his school and his program. Like don't be a poor sport. You were undefeated. You got your asses kicked. Fair and square. You You had it and then, you know, they fought back to being only down like four or three and then they they they they crapped the bed. Their Their main player didn't score anything and that that's what happens. They got manhandled. And they beat up on South Carolina last year. And that's Yeah, Mike, it was terrible, bro. It's like the Geno looks like a total loser. Like what are you doing? Like And And also like to to stand there screaming at a woman, a female coach. Not just like a poor sport, but also just like not even a gentleman. You You're supposed to lose with grace and and humbleness and and not like throw a hissy fit like a little baby. Bad Bad Bad look on the school.
    9:04
    Um All right. So, you know, this show might not go an hour because when Frank says he's like nearby just going to pop out, move the you know, move the car out of the um the driveway, let them back in. Yeah, dude, Mike. She ripped her own jersey. Like that was the that was the biggest, lamest move I've ever seen. They They tried to pretend like the other team was like that aggressive. They And she ripped her own jersey. They She didn't even get touched. Anyway, Stern's making Mountain Dew. Patrick Lee on Transformers artwork. I don't even see many people taking this information to Pinside. You guys Like you guys used to be good. You used to be like Kaneda said Stern's making Mountain Dew. Is there even a thread that says that? No. In the good old days when Kaneda was dropping these exclusives, you guys would have the guts to go to Pinsound and let everybody know why they should be a member of the Canada Club cuz they're not hearing this thing anywhere else.
    10:10
    So, the thing is we have Mountain Dew, we've got Fallout the Amazon show, we've got Pat Lee Transformers artist, we've got a transforming Optimus Prime. We've got Jersey Jack bringing Sonic the Hedgehog. I I am going to tell you right now I think they're going to release Sonic on Sonic's birthday June 23rd. I think they're going to release it on June 23rd. I think games are going to start to make their way out end of July and we're going to see it at the Southern Fried Gaming Expo. Got Halo? Does anyone care about Mountain Dew though? No, Mountain Dew is a commission game by Mountain Dew the company. It's not like anyone really asked for that game. Going to open up this window, get some air in here. Ah, it's nice out. Ah, man. Mountain don't I don't care about these commission games, man. It's like, you know, they're not making them for you and I. They're they're making them so Mountain Dew can bring them to retailers, for executives, for different moments where the [snorts] brand shows up. Here's the thing, gang. You can't be one of these people that says we want to get more people in the pinball and then a major brand commissions a pinball machine to to be made and you complain that making a Mountain Dew pinball sucks. Isn't the whole reason we're here is the more people that are in the pinball the better? Right? We don't own this hobby. We're not here to we're not here to like like shame companies that would also love to have a pinball machine. I I always found that to be really weird. Like, oh man, this sucks. Like this Mountain Dew stupid. Nobody wants that. Like they're not making it so you know, pin pin pinball enthusiasts will buy it. They're making it for their own marketing purposes.
    12:07
    Oh, really? Is it next to the Brave Stadium? It's in Atlanta Southern Fried Gaming Expo. I need to go there, man. That what I don't know if you stayed in that hotel. I think it's the Omni Hotel. I literally had a suite there where my balcony overlooked Brave Stadium like center field. It was the coolest thing I've ever seen in a hotel. You literally could sit on your balcony with a bottle of champagne and watch a baseball game.
    12:40
    Well, I don't know, man. I don't know. I'm feeling like I'm feeling like people
    12:51
    are going to are going to have a lot to choose from this year.
    12:59
    A lot to choose from this year and and I think it's going to be an exciting time. I think the um You know, what's so impressive is Stern, man. Like look how fast they get you a game. Pokemon was revealed when? Like end of February? Here we are April 4th and LE's going into my house. I mean, that's just that's just crazy. People are getting their premiums, people are getting their pros. Before we know it in just a few months, thousands of people will be enjoying Pokemon pinball around the world. Around the world, not just here, around the world. You know, people forget there's a Stern manufacturing facility in in Brazil. You think they're just making them in America? They're making them in Brazil. They will be all over the world. People will be united playing this game. So, I'm excited. I'm just excited to have a game to where it shoots it shoots good. And and I I can just tell but I I hopefully fingers crossed there's nothing wrong with the game. I know the man himself, Mr. George Gomez held back this game just to go over it. I'm really excited. I'm glad that George did that.
    14:12
    Yeah, Raymond, I think it's a great year for pinball. I I feel like the vibes, the positivity, the energy, the enthusiasm for this hobby is is is at a really great place and I think almost like the more the real world is on fire, the more we really get more involved with our our hobbies and the our communities and our friends and the times we spend with with people we care about. I mean, it it's really nice. I'm just looking outside, neighbors are walking in the sunshine. Man, this this village Rowayton just and Charles knows this. Rowayton just comes to life when the weather's great. I feel so blessed to be here. I feel just like watching the kids play outside, watching them wake up with the backyard and to be out of New York City, man. I have friends with kids in New York City. I'm like, what are you doing? And I mean this when I say this, like you're like a bad parent. Like raising little kids who want to run around in New York City. No. No.
    15:17
    I was born in New York City and my parents got the heck out the moment they three they three boys, we moved out into a townhouse. Into a townhouse. Yeah, my parents couldn't afford a house so we moved they moved us into a townhouse into a nice town uh because of the school system. And um now they live in a 1920s bank. It is like so cool. So proud of my parents. They didn't come from any money. They worked really hard. They made so many sacrifices. They always saved for tomorrow and they um they educated us and you know, we all did we did all all right. None of us did better than my dad but we all did all right. That's that's what makes them proud, you know? My dad never asked he never he never guided us into finance. I have three Pokemon at different locations and they are crushing. Yeah, dude, of course they are, Karam. Let's hear some Sonic stuff. There is no Sonic stuff, man. I don't know. It's Like I don't I can tell you right now. It's going to have loop-de-loop, it's going to have Like what I think Sonic is going to have a lot of is like vux. I think there's going to be vux. I think there's going to be like charging up of the ball. I think I think we're going to see You got to remember like who's making this game, right? Steve Ritchie, a dude who put like you know, has used magnets to create insane speed in games like High Speed and um you know, games like Star Wars with the hyperdrive. Like I I think Steve Ritchie's going to like and and I know that Jack told him, dude, just put everything in this. Pintastic New England is next weekend. Gabe, thank you for joining the show. I'm trying to see Gabe if I can make it up there. I The reason why I can't confirm is I am smack-dab in the middle of World Cup marketing ideas for Michelob Ultra and I I just don't know if I can take that day off.
    17:23
    I am very happy for Killian. He is um he he knows he's getting a surprise today. You know when you tell a kid something like they just it they just hang on to it. Like, Daddy, where's my surprise? Daddy, where's my surprise? Daddy You know, yesterday he's like, Daddy, what's my surprise? I'm like, well, then it wouldn't be a surprise. If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise. He's like, is it He's so cute. He's like, is it bigger than this? Yes. Is it bigger than that? He's like, is it bigger than a giant? I'm like, how big is a giant? He's like, a giant can touch the sky. Gosh. The beauty of how a 5-year-old's a 5-year-old brain, the beauty of of how they think, how direct, how much imagination they have, how creative they are, how emotional and passionate. Because, you know, you got to remember when you're five, like you can only feel being in the present. It's like you're in the present or you're like dreaming of like the future in in a good way.
    18:23
    And it's just it's so beautiful to watch. So, Dune pinball, what do you guys think? Do you think I was accurate in my assessment that Dune is going to have a little bit of a second life and a cult following and and might be hard to get one moving forward?
    18:46
    I mean, I don't know, man. I don't know. I I think like I think in a world where everyone's got the same stuff, a lot of these like smaller run theme integrated games are going to be what collectors seek out.
    19:13
    Just think about it. It's like if you're a collector, why would you want to own something that like everybody has?
    19:26
    Yeah, it's See, it it it's hard to get a Dune now. I think Dune's a better game than Winchester. I've been saying that since I played both. I I think Dune's a better game than Winchester. I absolutely do.
    19:44
    It shoots better than Winchester. It's it's got like way more like it like the theme is and the integration and the intensity of it. Like they're both good games, don't get me wrong, but I just think Dune is a better shooter than Winchester. You know, I haven't heard from my friends at Barrels. I I you know, I sometimes I think they they feel I I unfairly attacked them. I don't think so. I think I call it like I see it. I think um
    20:14
    You know, I look, I just wish I liked Dune more. What what excites me about Dune and Winchester is that I know these guys are going to one day make a theme I love.
    20:24
    I That's what excites me. Is that one day David Van Es is going to make a theme I love and I will just be all over it. And I'm happy to wait until that day happens. I'm I'm not really going to buy a Dune because I don't really care about the Dune movies. I'll see them. I'll enjoy them and then I'll never think about them again. But I think they're going to make big trouble. I think they're going to make People keep saying maybe Muppets. I know Jersey Jack had the Muppets for a long time but never made it.
    21:00
    I think that was a mistake. I think if Jersey Jack had made the Muppets instead of Godfather, they'd sell a lot more Muppets. The Muppets instead of Avatar, a lot more Muppets. I think the Muppets as we can see with these cross-generational sort of adorable themes, they they do pretty well. I I I I think it was um I you know, look. Everyone's saying don't make NeverEnding Story. Don't make NeverEnding I don't know, man. I think I think they're going to make it.
    21:31
    I I think David grew up on some of these movies, man, and like I I it's you know,
    21:39
    it's it's like um I will say though, like what what's nice about where Barrels is at is they've established their company as a company that makes you know, really high-quality pinball machines. And there's a lot of nice polish and detail and and and and and um and mechanical engineering ingenuity that I think is really impressive at Barrels. I do.
    22:10
    I think I love the Barrels versus Spooky competition. And it's real and it's healthy and it's not like bitter, but it's it's it is enjoyable for me to see like David versus Bug and Luke. And who's going to What What do you got? Here's what we got. What do you got? Because everybody can eat, right? It's not a negative thing. Everybody can eat, but I think having those two boutiques really trying to be better than the other is only going to make both of those companies better. So, Jersey Jack Ghostbusters is a very very interesting rumor. It's a very very interesting rumor. I know Jack said on my live, like why would you make a game that was already made and you know, he made Guns N' Roses, he made Hobbit. He's made All he's done is half his games have have been remakes of other games.
    23:09
    Um I think a Jersey Jack Ghostbusters is just a take my money now thing.
    23:24
    I will say I actually really wish I don't think Stern is like Ghostbusters is such a weird game when I think about the Stern Ghostbusters. There's so much about the game I love and so much I hate.
    23:39
    There's so you know, starting with the pedophile, but but I hate the gap, the flipper gap. I hate the like like there's just like one too many shots in the game. It's It's just the whole game has beautiful Zombie Yeti's finest art package. But what I hate about Ghostbusters is just the way it makes you feel while you play it. It It It's a It's just like you're just holding on for dear life. And And you know what I'm saying? It just feels like you are never fully comfortable in that game. And it it's got fun speed, it's got fun mechs, it's got I love the Slimer, like it's got all the elements. The code was a little interesting. It's very linear the way they did it. I don't mind that. I think the magnetic slings, they never really utilized them the right way. Like they should have had the game sort of feeling like it's possessed by a ghost at times. And they never does that that game.
    25:00
    I think, you know, when we look at like Stern's best games and you got Ghostbusters, Batman '66, you know, everything like they had some really fun games before the Elwin era. I think the Elwin era has really elevated the gameplay and and the just you know, I think we give Elwin sometimes way too much personal credit. Like the whole team he's got is just so good. Like they're making so much good pinball. And if I asked you like was it Rick Nagel? Like if I we should know all of the Elwin team. Like they should all be household names the way Keith Elwin is. And he That's why he doesn't leave Stern. For those of you who are like, well, why doesn't he leave Stern? Because he he knows he's only as good as that team around him. He knows that. And he's smart. And also like he's a prolific designer and if he went anywhere else, he would only he'd be at the back of the line and if you went to JJP, he'd have to wait like every 3 years to get a game out. That's not what he wants.
    26:12
    Yeah. I really like Zombie Yeti's Ghostbusters art. I feel like he he really like you know, he he drew it like a work of art.
    26:23
    And it's not like overly cluttered and it's it's beautiful. I think Zombie Yeti's two best art packages are Deadpool and Ghostbusters.
    26:38
    I think his worst art package is probably playfield-wise is Iron Maiden. And then I would say after Iron Maiden probably
    26:53
    like either like Avengers or Ninja Turtles. I like I like Foo Fighters. I like X-Men a lot.
    27:06
    Yeah, I I actually, you know, I forgot about it. I think X-Men and Deadpool are probably tied for the second best Yeti packages.
    27:19
    King Kong, Mike. I know you're being facetious. He didn't do the King Kong playfield. He didn't do the King Kong playfield. So, I I I can't, you know,
    27:30
    Where's sad boy? Where's all our guys? We've got no donations. We've got no Aussie. We've got no money. We've made no money.
    27:39
    I'm super excited to see where Frank is at. I'm super nervous about moving this GNR down the stairs. I'm not going to lie. I've been having nightmares about it.
    27:54
    Well, the thing about Dune gang is like I don't think people ever really like ragged on Dune as a game. I just don't think the theme is what people want. I think that's and that's fair. I think that's a very fair assessment. You know, I I've never heard people be like I played Dune and it sucks. It's not There's not that kind of response to it. It's just it's just not a theme that grabs a lot of people.
    28:20
    Didn't Ninja Turtles art work suffer from like being like really pixelated? I remember like there was like an issue with the quality of that playfield.
    28:38
    I'm very um I'm in a very like calm mood today. I Maybe it's a mixture of like I'm usually very overly excited and then it's the um the anxiety of moving a pin.
    28:52
    Do you know how much the new Circus Voltaires are? Do you think the originals will drop in value? Um 100% the originals will drop in value. 100%. Because you're going to have like the nicer screen, you're going to have like some new code and better code, better sound. I I think I think American Pinball is going to make this an an establish their remakes like the way the way that CGC made the original games lose value, I think we're going to see the same thing with Circus.
    29:33
    Original Medieval Madnesses Well, Wayne, they don't really hold as much as they used to, Wayne. I There I I I think everybody would rather have a CGC Medieval Madness over a original. Well, the originals don't hold as strong as the CGC ones. No way. No way.
    29:58
    Yeah, it's going to be interesting when Twilight Zone hits. It's going to be really interesting when this stuff happens. Just want to make sure on Facebook here that Frank's not like texting me. I'm like just want to make sure I didn't miss anything. See. Nope. Still good. Still good. The kids are still all right. I well I didn't say they're going to crash, Wayne, but I'm just just saying like why would anyone want the original over the new one? I mean it's all Bally Williams parts.
    30:33
    I think we're going to see Twilight Zone next year. Is American the new CGC?
    30:41
    I think American is going to be a very, very Look at this. Thank you, man. Operators don't want to deal with the large circuit board on CGC games. Mhm. That might be true.
    30:55
    Well, the reason why Medieval Madness prices are starting to tank overall is they just made too many of them. I'm I'm very um I'm very disappointed in the continuing to rerun that game. Right? I mean if if anything make a few more Monster Bashes or Attack from Marses, but like how many of these Medieval Madnesses do we need? All these different editions. It's it's it's it sucks, but it tanked the value of all them. Like you had these there was a nice period where those black I always forget the name of the black editions. The royal, right? Was it the royal edition?
    31:40
    Um they were worth like almost 20 grand. And there was like 150 of them or 200 of them. And then they just like made another version, another version, another version.
    31:49
    Automated is going to move down the stairs, the game for the stairs. Did you go over Transformers and I missed it next turn release? Yes, it's Transformers and Fallout. Do you guys like the Pat Lee artwork? Like is that is that Transformers to you? I mean let's pull it up. Let's pull something up here.
    32:13
    Cuz I would have done this. Optimus Prime. This is where like Frenchy would have been perfect, but I would have wanted
    32:50
    I would have wanted like it would have been cool to maybe see if this would look good as like a you know, do the do the artwork on the on the pinball game to reflect what the original Transformer toy boxes were with this gradient. I think it would have been really cool to like explore cuz like there's that there's that one thing like hold on the Transformers. Let me let me get this. It's like Transformers um G1 toy poster that was in every
    33:23
    Yeah, it was like this to me is like this is like the Transformers artwork. Like Oh, wait. Where did it go?
    33:47
    But like this is the artwork I would have I want This is the art style that I would have wanted for Transformers. You know what I'm saying? Like if you're going to do Transformers G1, this is the art style. I there's no if, ands, or buts.
    34:06
    Yeah, you got to stop letting the strippers go, man. Um let me show you what Pat Lee looks like.
    34:33
    And again, like this just doesn't this just doesn't to me scream Transformers and I think they're going to make a mistake. I think they're going to go this like I just don't like this as much. I think this looks For those of you on Facebook, we're looking at the art I just don't think this is like
    34:59
    it's just not G1. I mean it is G1, but like but even like cuz the way he illustrates like look at Optimus's legs and his hand like everything just feels so much more manga and not like the iconic look and feel of Transformers.
    35:24
    It's definitely the direction they went in. I still like the original like G1 look and feel.
    35:36
    you know, Zombie Yeti's going to get tested. He um he did a great job laying out Pokémon, but this is Zombie Yeti's moment, man. He's got The thing I feel bad about Yeti is like he literally has no way to get the way Stern does it. And we know Look, here's the thing. We know it's Transformers, we know it's Fallout. But they have no way to like even survey opinions before it's too late with the art. You think the artwork will tank the TF sales? I'm going to tell you right now, Alex.
    36:16
    I don't think it'll tank the sales, but I think it will heavily disappoint people if it looks too much cartoonish that doesn't click with the G1 fan base. Look at Aussie, man. Love you, Aussie. Every week Aussie in with Brenda's bottle of sake and sad sad boy, man. Aussie's running circles around you, bro. Driving right now I'm on my way to the gym, but I'm always good to keep Brenda happy. Dude, you are the man. You know, by the way, speaking of keeping Brenda happy, I mean I've got a I've got a nice surprise for Brenda. This year is her 40th birthday. 40. I'm going to be 50 just a few weeks later. And I am I'm very excited because I'm already planning what I'm going to get her. Um she Brenda loses her job in 9 days. April 13th, her entire company is winding down. So, it's not just Brenda losing her job, everybody is. She was at like Bally Sports, then it became FanDuel Network, and they were just like a sports streaming company that was just clearly like hemorrhaging money and and now it's all winding down. And you know, I feel like if there's ever a time to lose your job, it's it's it's [snorts] springtime's a good time cuz like recalibrate, I tell her. Recalibrate, reset.
    37:42
    There is while we're definitely going to feel losing that dual income, there is nothing that there's nothing of value we have that people that anyone will take from from us now. And now that we've got these two beautiful kids and this beautiful house and this beautiful village and I've got beautiful friendships and family and you guys. Like again, like money will come will go. Like I'm I'm not worried about Brenda finding another job. I absolutely am not worried about that. If any of you need somebody, let me know. You know, I mean Brenda just can do anything.
    38:25
    Um oh, he's here. They're here. You're here. Do you want me to move the car? All right, I got to go get Frank and guys, they're here. Let's uh let's let's we'll be back.