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DPP #62 "Jurassic mistake? Stranger Things next? Kapow?"

Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)·podcast_episode·35m 8s·analyzed·Aug 21, 2023
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.036

TL;DR

Jurassic Park 30th LE released at $13K; Stranger Things, Kapow, and Elton John rumors reviewed.

Summary

Don's Pinball Podcast episode 62 covers Stern's surprise release of a Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Limited Edition ($12,999), analyzes upcoming Stern titles including Stranger Things speculation, discusses the mysterious 'Kapow' title rumored for November release, and reviews the health of competing manufacturers (American Pinball, Jersey Jack, Spooky Pinball). The host expresses concerns about limited edition inflation and pricing while highlighting positive industry momentum at Spooky Pinball.

Key Claims

  • Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Limited Edition was officially revealed at $12,999 with 500 units, bringing total LE count to 1,000 across both versions

    high confidence · Don (host), directly stating confirmed release and pricing

  • The original 2019 Jurassic Park 500 LE owners paid ~$15,000 on secondary market and are now undercut by the cheaper 30th Anniversary edition

    medium confidence · Don's analysis of market impact on existing LE owners

  • Stern released a major code update for Jurassic Park including a new co-op mode that is free to all Jurassic Park owners, not exclusive to 30th LE

    high confidence · Don confirming code update rollout; host played on new premium but couldn't verify code deployment yet

  • Parts for Stranger Things (drop targets, projectors) have been restocked/re-appeared, suggesting Stern is preparing for a Stranger Things re-run

    medium confidence · Don reporting what he's 'heard tell' from industry sources; acknowledges this has limited positive predictive value

  • A Reddit post by an anonymous user before Venom's release hinted at a game with 'teeth' and a separate boutique title called 'Kapow' arriving in 2024

    low confidence · Don referencing deleted Reddit post and deleted poster account; connects 'teeth' hint to Jurassic Park LE reveal

  • Stern's November production schedule has a notable gap that may be reserved for an unannounced title (Kapow) or additional Venom units

    medium confidence · Don analyzing Stern's published production schedule; speculating on gap purpose

  • American Pinball's Galactic Tank Force has been discounted $500 off MSRP for months at Kingpin without selling, suggesting weak demand

    medium confidence · Don's market observation of secondary availability and pricing

  • Jersey Jack Pinball's Godfather LEs and CEs are available/sitting in inventory; Elton John rumored as next JJP release

    medium confidence · Don reporting on Godfather availability and JJP production roadmap rumors

Notable Quotes

  • “So an issue unto itself. So what do we have here? We have another edition that's called, well, the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park, limited edition, numbered at 500, to bring the total now to 1,000 of some sort of limited version.”

    Don (host) @ early in episode — Identifies the core controversy: Stern doubled LE count 4-5 years after original release, eroding original LE owner value

  • “If you wanted to get one of these, though, and have your coin door and speaker panel match, these are available. They come as a pound of powder for about $25.”

    Don (host) @ mid-episode powder coat discussion — Practical aftermarket solution for matching illusion copper powder coat to machine panels

  • “It would have hurt that Blade would have twisted just slightly less if they included that $189 illuminated amber resin Mosquito shooter rod, which I think is completely awesome for this machine, and a topper.”

    Don (host) @ LE critique section — Highlights perceived value gap: shooter rod and topper exist for Jurassic Park but not included in $13K LE

  • “When you hear a rumor this much and it kind of stays on brand, they all tend to be true, or at least they were true at some point.”

    Don (host) @ Stranger Things speculation section — Don's heuristic for assessing rumor credibility in pinball industry; applied to persistent Stranger Things re-run speculation

  • “So I think we're going to see either pros and premiums if they're doing big numbers or some sort of LE that ties into some facet.”

    Don (host) @ Stranger Things scenario analysis — Outlines two likely paths for Stranger Things re-run based on production volume needs

  • “And Stern seems to operate like this, where they don't release any kind of info until it's imminent.”

    Don (host) @ Kapow speculation section — Characterizes Stern's marketing strategy: late announcements create surprise drops and FOMO

  • “They have three machines on site, which is kind of lame, but they're working to build up.”

Entities

Don (host)personStern PinballcompanyJurassic Park Premium EditiongameJurassic Park 30th Anniversary Limited EditionproductStranger ThingsgameKapowgameVenomgameAmerican Pinballcompany

Signals

  • ?

    product_launch: Stern officially released Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Limited Edition (500 units, $12,999) with new art and illusion copper powder coat; brings total LE variants to 1,000 across two releases

    high · Don confirms official reveal, pricing, and unit count; discusses cabinet art, back glass, and powder coat specifications

  • ?

    code_update: Stern released major code update for Jurassic Park including new co-op mode; update distributed free to all Jurassic Park owners, not exclusive to 30th LE

    high · Don states update is confirmed and rolling out; acknowledges not yet verified on premium machines due to internet connectivity delay

  • ?

    product_concern: Jurassic Park 30th LE priced at $12,999 does not include amber shooter rod ($189) or topper that exist for the game, unlike some competing LE models

    high · Don explicitly critiques omission as hurting perceived value; estimates total cost to $15K with accessories

  • $

    market_signal: Original 2019 Jurassic Park LE owners who paid ~$15K on secondary market are now undercut by cheaper 30th Anniversary LE, eroding collector equity

    medium · Don directly addresses impact on early LE buyers; speculates on secondary market absorption based on dealer inventory persistence

  • ?

    collector_signal: Stern released 500-unit LE alongside original 500-unit LE (2019) under 30th Anniversary positioning, doubling LE variant count without equivalent differentiation

    high · Don characterizes decision as aggressive LE multiplication; compares to Venom precedent of no shooter rod/topper at $13K price point

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.105

0:00
Hey there, Camp Caperinos! What's going on? It's Don's Pinball Podcast coming at you for another episode. We are up to number 62 for those of you keeping track at home. We got a stern drop on us, right? I'm following up from the last episode. We got some details to talk about. I got some listener participation questions I'd like to cover and also some homegrown speculation. All that and more coming up for you on episode number 62. sliding into your Sunday. Let's get it done, yo.
0:37
Who doesn't love a good intro? What's going on? How's everybody's Sunday doing? I put that question out to the listeners, and I've gotten some interesting feedback back. So we will, of course, get to that. Let's talk about Jurassic Park's 30th anniversary edition. This thing was dropped and fully revealed now, so now we can talk about it. No more speculation. This $12,999 machine is now available for order and, you know, still available. So what had happened here, right? We had Jurassic Park released back in 2019, I believe it was. 500 limited editions were released with that nice green powder coat and otherwise all the same things you would find on the premium. Sands, Shaker Motor, and Invisiglass and the nice mirrored back glass and all that business. Okay, so it's a game that's a legit hit. I mean, this game is fun to play. It is designed by Elwynn. The GOAT, it contains a GOAT. It's got the LCD screen, fantastic game, and whatever. So here we are now, five years later, four years later, and now Stern is churning out 1,000 limited editions when they do. You know, it's not the $7,500 or whatever it released with five years ago. They're now $13,000 just across the board. No accounting for designer or, you know, desirability, right? So an issue unto itself. So what do we have here? We have another edition that's called, well, the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park, limited edition, numbered at 500, to bring the total now to 1,000 of some sort of limited version. Say what you will about, you know, how this affects the individual market and the individual LE owner. The big losers, I don't want to call them losers because they have an awesome game, But the people that would be most concerned are ones that have paid, you know, $15,000 or so for one of the few 500 initial LEs. And now there's a cheaper option available. That's got to hurt a little bit. To everybody else, there's more pinball out there. It's inflated. It's expensive. Let's look at it, though. Is this thing worth having? So the art is different, right? We can start with the cabinet art graphics. It kind of has more of like a brown hue to it, given the fact that there's, you know, giant lizards on the side of it now and not really that jungle motif that the other ones had. Somebody even commented that one of the thunder lizards on the left side of the cabinet actually wasn't in the original film. It was from one of the more recent ones. So that is interesting. Moving on to the back glass, it also kind of follows that brown kind of look. It's the visitor's center, right? That iconic scene with T-Rex there and the banner drifting down from the top and they ruled the earth or whatever it was. So you got that to look at on the back glass. It's that mirrored back glass, which always looks better in person than it does in art. But if you look at it, there's a border that kind of goes around, you know, maybe about a centimeter from the edge. That will be translucent and mirrored. So I think it'll look good in person. Is it worth $13,000 to you? Well, let's get into that a little bit. Moving on, they did do a powder coat on the armor and legs. They call it Illusion Copper. It looks red in photos. I bet in person it's got probably more of a metallic-y kind of burnt red kind of look is what I'm betting once we see them on location. Prismatic Powders is the one that does these colors. They have a line of illusion powder coats. So the way powder coating works is you've got these little paint powder particles, right, triple P, they call it in the industry, and you electrify or electrostatically bond these things to the metal. So you run a little current from the tip of your powder gun to the metal part, and then as you spray this powder in the air, it gets charged just like, you know, your wool sweater would around pet hair, right? It just comes and clings. So it gives a nice even coat and it's baked in an oven, which then causes the powder to melt and then gel and congeal into one nice tough surface. Much better than just using an acrylic paint wood. This is not going to chip as easy. And it's really good for metal parts. Metal parts on everything from motorbikes to motorcycles to vehicles, brake pads, whatever, can be done this way. A lot of other metal parts you come across, it's kind of easier to put that black wrinkle kind of powder coat finish on there. The illusion takes it a step further with a base coat of color. You put it in the oven long enough for it to start to melt. Then you take it back out and spray it with a clear coat and throw it back in the oven for the finish. When you do that, it kind of combines and this new color emerges. It's almost kind of iridescent. There's some depth to it. So with bright lights, this powder coat really shines. I just did it on my Iron Maiden with an illusion cherry. The same powder coat that's on this, just a little different tone, a little more richer in the reds. And man, in the sunlight, this thing looks bonkers. So I do like it better than like just the plain candy coating that you can get, which is shiny and metallic. This illusion really has more depth of color to it. It's a two-step process. So there's that. If you wanted to get one of these, though, and have your coin door and speaker panel match, these are available. They come as a pound of powder for about $25. I bought those, took them to my local powder coater, and they can put it on for you. So there's that. All right, so we got a cool powder coat. And then you get all the other LE accoutrements, right? You get Stern's HD glass on there. You get your shaker motor. It's conspicuously absent, though, and this is the one issue I did have with this, is you're missing that amber shooter rod and a topper. Now, a $13,000 LE is one thing, especially if it's at the beginning of the run, like let's take Venom. If you buy that $13,000 Venom limited edition, you're going to get all the art and the mirrored back glass, but you're not going to get a shooter rod or a topper. But those don't exist yet. but they do now for Jurassic Park. So I think it would have hurt that Blade would have twisted just slightly less if they included that $189 illuminated amber resin Mosquito shooter rod, which I think is completely awesome for this machine, and a topper. It would have been great to have an extra step and have a custom 30th anniversary edition of the topper come out there, maybe with some doors that open and close or some functionality, which would have made it hurt less. because I'm sure these LE buyers are going to go out and get that shooter rod and at least get some kind of topper on there to finish the look of their basement if you want this machine. So there's my review. One thing that did come out that was very positive about this was a giant code update, though, for Jurassic Park. I went out last night. I was in the Morgantown, West Virginia. I'm currently out on the East Coast, and they had a brand-new premium Jurassic Park, but I don't think it's quite been updated with the code, so I haven't gotten a chance to play this. but among other code fixes and things there's a co-op mode that's in this game now as well i like that i think it brings a lot of more functionality to the machine and this is not limited to just this 30th anniversary limited edition now whether that was stern being benevolent to all of us that own their machine um or it was just that there wasn't a way to exclusively release it for the 30th anniversary but not have it go out to everything else i don't know uh i guess there's a one way you could have done that stern and that is by selling or combining it with a topper that had some code locked into it, but they thought not necessary to do that. So if you want to complete the look of your Jurassic Park machine, probably looking at close to $15,000 for this 30th anniversary edition. Otherwise, go ahead and pick yourself up one of the other ones. They're still commanding a pretty high price because it's a pretty good game to begin with. So I think on balance, if you already own this machine, the new code is going to be very welcome and, for now, free, to go ahead and put that upgrade in there. or you can choose to go with the homebrew movie code instead. I would like to do a little bit more of an episode on that at some point because I do have some thoughts on customized code that's from the homebrew community for these machines, really turning the pinball machine into a platform that can be expanded upon by the end user. So that's what we got with Jurassic Park 30th. Is it worth it? It's definitely overpriced. It's definitely expensive. Worth and value, that always comes down to the individual consumer. Is this worthwhile for you? what does this say about the the state of pinball now i don't think it really changes its course at all because we're already at these prices you know if this came out at 14 999 without a top or without a shooter rod i think we would uh bring up more uncle ruckus uh otherwise we see how these do on the secondary market are they sold out yet i know the couple distributors i have talked to have sold through They got customers that these are allocated to now But I have seen some pop up like you know we have one more still available which, I mean, can you ever really trust that one more argument? I guess we'll come to see when they get to the secondary market. This is how we're going to know for sure. If they're for sure sold out and they do pop up secondarily, they'll be commanding higher prices than MSRP. If you see them listed from dealers for MSRP on Pinside in perpetuity, we know they're not sold out. And that's kind of how we're going to be able to figure this out. So there we go. We got Jurassic Park. Surprise dropped on us, right? And, you know, luckily for the end consumers, the people that did buy these, these are already on the line. These are going to be going into boxes and into homes and out to arcades like soon, like this coming week soon. So I love Stern for that. When they do release something, we can raise this ruckus about price and value and all that business. But at least when you buy it, it's probably being put together, and you're going to get the dang thing. So I think if this machine was $1,500 cheaper, we'd all be clapping our hands. So it's $1,500, and you're at least going to get the machine. This isn't something that you're going to put money down on and then wait six months to get. Hello, Pulp Fiction, still waiting on you. I know that was driven by the licensing requirements and all that. So don't at me just yet. Moving on to the other speculated title, though, that we're supposed to see, Stranger Things. I mean, this perennial rumor has been going on all year, and we've heard some sort of soft official confirmations. At least, you know, official people with Stern have been speaking, you know, affirmatively towards this. So I think it's enough to support it. What I've learned with pinball, as long as I've been in it, when you hear a rumor this much and it kind of stays on brand, they all tend to be true, or at least they were true at some point. So I think there is a plan for Stranger Things to be rerun, but what are they going to do? That I really don't know. Are they going to come out with more pro premiums and LEs? I don't think they would do that. I think if anything, they would do a run of premiums with those projectors and UV kits and all that business. I've heard tell that some of the drop targets have showed back up and been restocked, which speaks to the fact that parts are now available. I heard that there was a restock on the projectors as well, and why would they do that? I mean, if they were gearing up to make a game, this is the things that we would see. I guess it has what we would call in science, you know, very good negative predictive value, but not very good positive predictive value because there's other reasons that they could be there. Science nerds, you're welcome. Give you a shout out. But for Stranger Things, are we going to see them do some sort of anniversary limited edition? Let's just say they were going to make an X amount of games, say 500. Would they make 500 premiums at the $97, $99 or $98, $99 or wherever they're going now for premiums? Or would they decide to release something with almost exactly the same build of materials but command this new $12,999 price, a $13,000 price? So does this mean that there would be another run of Stranger Things limited editions? I think probably. I mean, why would you leave money on the table? You're doing all the work to put together a premium machine. I hate to advocate for this, but reality being reality, it wouldn't cost all that much more to take that premium build, slap a back glass in there instead of a trans light, put in the shaker motor and some Invisiglass and call it a limited edition. Now, what edition are you celebrating? Now, it would hurt if you just carbon copied the LE and put it out there.

  • Spooky Pinball is building Scooby-Doo at ~800-900 units completed, targeting 1,969 total (year of release), and producing ~24 games per week (doubled from ~10/week initial rate)

    high confidence · Don citing Spooky's live stream data and collector serial numbers observed

  • Scooby-Doo Collector's Edition, priced under $10,000, offers similar loaded content to Jersey Jack top-end editions but at $2,000-$3,000 cheaper, making it more attractive to European buyers

    medium confidence · Don's analysis referencing Gonzo's Flipperama YouTube comparison video and UK pricing dynamics

    • Don (host) @ Levels Arcade Morgantown review — Notes new venue's modest initial inventory but constructive trajectory

  • “I kind of think that if this game was in demand and you were to buy one and some guy said, hey, I got one here you can pick up today or we will come and deliver and save you $500, I kind of think it would have gone and it totally didn't.”

    Don (host) @ American Pinball section — Uses secondary market availability as proxy for demand signal; suggests Galactic Tank Force is underperforming

  • “This is a game that's not going to entertain the hardcore tournament players out there. But for family players and us mediocre pinball folks, it's fun to play a game.”

    Don (host) @ Spooky Pinball section — Acknowledges Scooby-Doo's positioning: casual/family appeal over tournament depth; reflects market segmentation

  • “I think that would be fantastic for this reason. These guys like to make games... rather than have a backlog of games that are done, waiting to be built, but not going to be built for five or six years, maybe get into this kind of rotation where each year they can have, you know, one to two games release.”

    Don (host) @ Spooky manufacturing vision section — Speculates on Spooky's future manufacturing strategy: rotating production portfolio vs. linear release schedule

    • Galactic Tank Force
    game
    Jersey Jack Pinballcompany
    Godfathergame
    Elton Johngame
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    Scooby-Doogame
    Levels Arcade Morgantownvenue
    Elwynperson
    Gonzo (Gonzo's Flipperama)person
    Kingpincompany
    Prismatic Powderscompany
    Total Nuclear Annihilationgame
    Comic-Conevent
    Pinball Expoevent
    Pulp Fictiongame
    Halloweengame
  • ?

    rumor_hype: Stranger Things re-run widely rumored with soft official confirmations from Stern; parts restocked (drop targets, projectors) suggest production preparation

    medium · Don cites restocks as negative predictive value signal; notes rumors have persisted all year; acknowledges official Stern personnel speaking affirmatively

  • ?

    leak_detection: Anonymous Reddit post (now deleted by poster) hinted at unannounced boutique title 'Kapow' and game with 'teeth' before Venom release; Jurassic Park LE 'teeth' hint matches post

    low · Don references deleted Reddit post and deleted poster; speculates Kapow scheduled for November production gap; suggests October Expo reveal timing

  • ?

    manufacturing_signal: Spooky Pinball doubled production rate on Scooby-Doo to ~24 games/week (from ~10/week initially); building new factory to support growth

    high · Don cites Spooky's live stream data on weekly output; observes collector serial number acceleration; speculates on manufacturing efficiency gains

  • $

    market_signal: Galactic Tank Force (American Pinball) discounted $500 off MSRP at Kingpin for months without selling, suggesting weak demand or oversupply

    medium · Don uses secondary market availability and dealer discounting as demand proxy; speculates on American Pinball's business model sustainability

  • $

    market_signal: Godfather LEs and CEs sitting in inventory without strong secondary market movement; JJP production roadmap uncertain pending sales lift

    medium · Don notes availability persistence; speculates on likelihood of LE vs. Premium/Pro runs for next JJP title based on sales demand

  • ?

    business_signal: Scooby-Doo Collector's Edition positioned as value alternative to JJP and American Pinball at <$10K; European buyers reportedly find it $2-3K cheaper than JJP top-end editions with comparable features

    medium · Don analyzes Gonzo's Flipperama YouTube comparison; discusses UK pricing dynamics and VAT impact on European market positioning

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Scooby-Doo intentionally designed for family/casual players rather than tournament competitors; represents market segmentation strategy acknowledging different player personas

    high · Don directly states theme and mechanic design targets non-hardcore players; frames as deliberate positioning vs. 'whipping' difficult games

    • 12:09
    You know, with Jurassic Park, they kind of got away with this. It's a 30th anniversary edition. It's different than what was offered before. It's just a second LE. It's not the same LE, which is technically true, although in the spirit of things, they've added more LEs. So would they do some sort of anniversary edition with Stranger Things? Well, Stranger Things came out in 2016, so we're not quite at the time yet for a 10th year anniversary version of Stranger Things. They could go back to, you know, within the last year, Season 4 came out. So could you call it a Season 4, you know, limited edition or special edition celebrating the magic and mystery of Season 4 of Stranger Things with Season 5 on the horizon? Maybe, but that would entail them, you know, updating art to add, you know, characters and things from these further seasons. That may mean going back to the licensor and getting that approved, not that it's an insurmountable thing. But if you were going to go and do that, that would cost even more money. Maybe you'd want to increase your yield. Maybe just 500 machines is a little limited. If you want to build 1,000 machines or 1,500 machines or even an open-ended edition and just renew the license for the next five years, maybe the premiums is what we would see. So I don't know. That would kind of favor going for more pros and premiums if they're looking at dumping big numbers like making 1,500, 2,000 machines over the next three years. I think we would see pros and premiums get run in alternate fashion. If they wanted to just do a one and done, maybe, you know, they've extended the license for one year. They just kind of want to go out and cash grab. We would see LEs. So I guess we'll wait and we'll see what comes out. But those are the two scenarios that seem most likely to me. I don't think they would do a run of all three. It's very easy for them to reuse the art that they already have because it's already been approved by the licensor. So that doesn't have to go back for more approvals. And then, you know, maybe changes need to be made. and then we miss deadlines and things because of that. If you have what you already have and rerun it, then it's much quicker, much easier. So I think we're going to see either pros and premiums if they're doing big numbers or some sort of LE that ties into some facet. The 8th Anniversary Edition sounds really super weird, so I don't know if they would do that. I hope they keep that great powder coat armor because I love that. I would love it if it came with the shooter rod and the topper and all that business. We'll wait and see. When are we going to see this? Well, there's still a big gaping hole in November, and the build schedule was stern. Don't forget that.
    14:27
    Let's bring back Mr. Reddit Guide. Do you remember this? Before the Venom release, when it was still rumored, there was this post that showed up by some rando on Reddit that said, No, no, Venom is not next. I know what's coming next, but I'm not going to tell you, but it's got teeth or whatever. And then we end up with this Jurassic Park 30th Anniversary Edition, Big T Rex. That all makes sense now. Maybe the plan was to release this at Comic-Con or some sort and then bump Venom, and then that got switched around for reasons. But it looks like, looking back now, with what we know, a game featuring teeth did come out right around and adjacent to the Venom launch. So maybe there was something with that. Going back to that original post, which has now been deleted and so has the poster, he claimed that there was going to be a Kapow title, a boutique title, released also this year. And there's that gap in November that the production schedule has been moving things around to accommodate, right? The Star Wars that was supposed to run there, I think a Deadpool was supposed to run there, and they were kicked out and moved around to open up space for this unreleased game. And we already know Venom has a production schedule coming up. So, you know, conservatively, this gap is for more Venoms, should they be needed. But this could be for another mystery drop. And Stern seems to operate like this, where they don't release any kind of info until it's imminent. So I think we would look at that coming up here soon. What kapowta? Could be anything, really. uh you know could be harry potter for all i know but we'll see we'll wait and we'll watch i think if it was for a november build october around the time of expo which is you know mid to late october may be a good time to announce it so let's just put a pin in that as they speak around the office and let's wait till expo and see if anything gets released around there because if something is going to be made and it's going to be a brand new skew for stern i would expect to see it around October with a November build date. What else do we got? So I went to this new arcade, Levels Arcade, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Collegetown, WVU was located there, Big Ten Game or Machines Team and all that business. So that was an arcade called Starport. It closed down, reopened at this new place. They have three machines on site, which is kind of lame, but they're working to build up. They just opened last week. They are all premiums. They are all sterns, and they are Foo Fighters, Godzilla, and Jurassic Park. So I was able to go there last night and play for a couple hours.
    16:45
    I could tell that it's a brand-new game because every game I was playing, I was getting replays, and I was setting high scores and things. Also, the tilt bob is not installed yet, and they have a nice polished concrete floor. So this thing was sliding more than Tokyo Drift, let me tell you that. I was putting up some good scores, getting deep into the game, wasn't quite making it to the visitor's center. It was not connected to the internet even yet So there was no insider achievements And there wasn't that new code so I could try out the co-op play or anything But I'm encouraged about this place Go check it out if you're in the northern West Virginia area It's adjacent to Pittsburgh and Washington, PA Not too far from there But I had a good time there I'm hoping to hit up Helicon again It would be Tuesday, it would be around 2pm It would be for around 45 minutes on my way to the airport If anyone in the Pittsburgh area And listening to this and wants to tolerate me in person There a good chance that I would be there around 2 p at Helicon We will see how my work schedule farms out All right, quick recap on what else is going on. What's going on with American Pinball? Who knows? How's the Galactic Tank Force? Probably not selling. I can say that because there's been a discounted one from Kingpin, and it's been there for months. They've been advertising it. They have a game that was at a show. They have it available for $500 off MSRP. It was probably played for a weekend or something. and still available. I kind of think that if this game was in demand and you were to buy one and some guy said, hey, I got one here you can pick up today or we will come and deliver and save you $500, I kind of think it would have gone and it totally didn't. So my guess is that these games, if they are being made, they're not coming out very quickly. Who knows what's going on at AP? I know they've got big, rich backers, so their future isn't hanging on the sales of this game, but maybe they kind of are. If they're not moving units, how long are these big budget backers going to be backing this company. Maybe they're using it as a debt shield, and it doesn't matter how this company does, because they can shift their conglomerate debt, you know, financially onto this company, and then just let it deal with it, or, you know, fail on its own. We shall see, but I think we need another hit game. There's still a rumor of Masters of the Universe out there. I think that American Pinball makes a solidly built game, especially from what I've heard from operators with Hot Wheels. Man, that thing is a tank. So, you know, I do appreciate that they make good games. What they don't have for me is good themes or adequately playing games that have a compelling gameplay to them for me. But I think He-Man would change that. So give me some battle damage drop targets or something, AP. I'd like to hear something from you. All right, moving on. What's going on with JJP? Kind of similar situation. Godfathers are sitting. The LEs are sitting. They're all available. The CEs are being delivered. We haven't had them out there long enough to see them show up on secondary markets, but we'll be watching Pinside going into the fall to see where they're at there. But if LEs aren't selling, I can't imagine they would waste time building more LEs. And once the CEs are sold and done, they're done. And so, again, we're kind of at the same spot. Like, are they going to let the line be idle? Or are we going to see a new game come out to combat Stern's November release? And I think that's what's going to go on. So the rumors, Elton John, we'll see what they bring. I think for the rainbow puke lights that JJP puts out, puke is a pejorative term, but I use it as a term of endearment because I do love the light show that is on there. I think it works way better with Elton John and way better with a Guns N' Roses than it does with a Godfather, kind of seedy New York City vibes. So I'm encouraged for that. This game could legitimately be awesome. It's not a theme that's got me running to go and secure one or put my name on a list, but I am waiting and seeing. And this is the cop-out. I can't wait to go play this game on location or at an expo. So we'll wait for the reveal, and you'll hear everything I have to say about it and whatnot. Now, you know, not to just drag them, I can't wait to play their new game, but, you know, I also don't own a Jurassic Park, so I have something to play when it's out on location. That's a legitimately good game, so I don't have to buy everything.
    20:35
    And, you know, if you go out and buy everything, when you go to the arcade, you end up having a better arcade at home than you do outside, so you don't end up playing on location as much. So it's good to skip some things so you have something new to play when you go out on the location. Who else we got? Spooky Pinball. These guys, champions, man. I mean, they've been hitting the ground and running. I know they've got some feedback in Flack with the play layout quality of Halloween and how it does on location. It does get beat up a bit. I think these guys are learning from their mistakes, licking their wounds, and they put out their best game to date, Scooby-Doo. This is a game that's not going to entertain the hardcore tournament players out there. But for family players and us mediocre pinball folks, it's fun to play a game. It's not totally whipping our butt nonstop, right? There's a space for those games. But, you know, I'm encouraged and encouraged. I'm looking forward to bringing my Scooby-Doo in, unboxing that buddy. I'll do it on the live stream. And then my whole family, we're just going to play through this game and enjoy it. We love the theme. I love what I've played of it so far. I can't wait for it. They are around number 800 or 900 in their build. Their build total was 1969 to coincide with the year of release. So they have to be, I would imagine, about halfway through their build. Now, Scooby-Doos are still available brand new. So they didn't all sell out or sell through to distributors. So I don't think we're going to look at an initial build hitting that $1,969 cap. So conservatively, $1,500 to $1,800, maybe that's how many they sold. So if they are at around $800 to $900 right now, they're probably right in the middle of the build. And what I heard from the live stream is that they're making about 24 games or so per week now, which is double that initial $10 that they were doing. So I would like to check back in with Spooky Pinball now, kind of at the half point throughout the Scooby build, and just see, like, how things are going, you know. As they put these things together, they'll find ways to improve their systems and become more efficient and churn out more of these games, and I think that's what we're seeing. The numbers that people are posting that they're getting of this collector's edition number seem to be accelerating, you know. I think as we go on, they're going to hit to, you know, game 1,000 and beyond pretty soon. So when will they be done building Scooby-Doos? Well, I will tell you, they'll be done building Scooby-Doo when they're ready to build their next game. Or I should say they'll be ready to build, they'll have another game ready as soon as they're done building all of these. Now, since they haven't announced the edition number, but probably not hit that yet, is it possible, due to the license, could they put this on a back burner for a couple of years and then bring out and run those last 200 or so Scooby-Doos that are right now not made? Possibly. That'd be interesting to see Spooky kind of switch it up. I know they did that with Total Nuclear Annihilation, which is an open edition game. So it'll be nice to see them be able to pivot to another game to keep their lines moving. I think the next step for them in building and growing is to have that pivotability that Stern enjoys right now, where they can go ahead and run their production line, and then as sales maybe in order soften for what they're building, they could pivot to another game that they already have in the bunker and put out some of those, build up some demand for that primary game, and then drop it again. maybe get to the point that they have two to three games in production that they can pivot to and sell. I think that would be fantastic for this reason. These guys like to make games. I kind of get the impression that they probably have their next three or four games already designed or picked out or in late stages of design. And so, you know, rather than have a backlog of games that are done, waiting to be built, but not going to be built for five or six years, maybe get into this kind of rotation where each year they can have, you know, one to two games release and, you know, pivot and put games back on the line. I see that as the next evolution for them, especially given the fact that they're building a new factory. So this is all speculation. I haven't heard it from the guys themselves, but this is just kind of the sense that I get according to the boss tones, right? This is the feeling that I get. You know, I'm not a coward. I've just never been tested. I like to think that if I was, I would pass, right? So for your Ska fans out there, you old guys that know what Ska is, there you go. So there was another video staying on the Scooby topic. Gonzo's Flipperama, this dude in the UK, this old chap, this mate of mine, who I don't think I've ever really speaking to. He just did a video like a this or that on YouTube on his YouTube channel with Scooby-Doo versus Foo Fighters. And it was very compelling watching this guy kind of go through it, especially from the lens of somebody in the UK. So, you know, we talked about it before pinball machines from the US cost a lot more money in the UK than they do in the US, not just shipping, but value added taxes that the European union forces and other European countries do. Even the ones that aren't in the EU, like the UK, come on, Guys, why'd you leave? Anyway, so for him, looking at a Scooby-Doo collector's edition and how loaded it is with mechanisms and sculpts and ramps and flippers and finishes and powder coat and lights and all of that, a topper included, it kind of compares in the U.K. with a Jersey Jack top and edition as far as everything that it comes with. But the price is still substantially cheaper for the U.K. folks versus a collector's edition JJP. like a top-end Godfather, like to the tune of like $2,000 cheaper. So for us over here, you know, Scooby-Doo's under $10,000, which is fantastic, you know, especially compared to everything else. Jurassic Park came out without even a topper for $13,000. It'll be $15,000 for a topper game with the top-end finish from Jersey Jack. So, you know, add like $3,000 to $4,000 to both of those to get to the U.K., and then even then you're looking at Spooky Pinball as a much more viable option for Europe. And wouldn't that be great for our folks, our hometown heroes from Benton, Wisconsin, to open up a brand new market all throughout Europe for their titles with a population that's hungry for what they have to offer, especially at their price. So that's another area I've looked for expansion here. I think we getting to the point that like you know if there was a big four pinball companies Stern JJP let say American Pinball slash CGC and Spooky would be in that group and actually surpassing and maybe doing better than a lot of the other boutiques for sure Even to the point, and I've heard this said before, that they may even not be a boutique manufacturer anymore. What? Way to go, Spooky. I mean, that's fantastic. They're learning from each game that they make, and they said that their next one that they're working on, they feel even better about it than they felt about Scooby when they were making Halloween. So I can't wait to see what's next. The rumors are all over the place. It's been discussed. But that's what I think Spooky's at. The halfway point was Scooby-Doo. The other company, this other dark horse contender, and don't at me again yet, but I think it may be Pinball Adventures. I don't get to that. I know they're early, right? And I know there's a sort of past online with Andrew McBain that I don't fully comprehend and haven't really wanted to dive into something about a book, and it was just melting my brain. But what I can say for sure is this is a brand-new company. This company has designed a machine, and if you order it, you're going to get it fairly quickly. And this guy is doing live streams. He's doing tours of his factory. He's interacting with, you know, email the guy. He gets right back to you. He's reached out to me with giving me samples of other things, other product lines that he has. I think the pinball paws, that magnetic little finger that goes on the side of your cabinet there to hold your button down when you have a ball cradled so you can go and run to the bathroom, grab a drink, deal with the dog running around your legs, you know, shut the door so your wife can't hear you or something, and then continue with your game. It's fantastic. I love these little devices. He sent me some. I'd like to do some for a giveaway. I believe in it that much. So this guy's got six games already pretty much designed and planned, and he's got another new game. Even though the 150 Punny Factories haven't sold out, Elements will be dropping and releasing at Expo, and it's going to have a topper. That's an LCD screen with extra speakers. We're talking about a five- or six-speaker machine coming here. And if you order one, you're going to get one. That's a lot better than I can say for some other companies, even more major ones. So I think, you know, it's too early to call them, you know, a rising success. But, I mean, this is a company to watch, and I will see what they do. If they're churning out games and these games are of decent quality and getting better, I think they have a bright future of being another contender. There are a fair sight past where HomePin is. I'm not even going to discuss any of that business because I have heard enough to just kind of write that completely off. But there's my quick update and upcap information. Is that even a word? While I saw and looked through Facebook to get to my listener comments of what's going on with the major companies here. You know, there's Tilt Bob is out there. Turner Pinball is out there somewhere. We'll see if anything ever comes from them. You know, they're really just kind of still in the rumor phase now until they release something. But how did my account change here, man? I got to flip back. Okay, back on me.
    29:08
    Oh, man, I just had that thing up. You know, Facebook, it refreshes. Okay, here we go. All right, all right, all right. So listeners, what did you have to say to me? I put out a post just saying it was Sunday. What's everybody up to? Let's go read and see what the pinball listeners are doing. Brian Cosner wants to hear what my wife has to say about pinball. Well, that would be fantastic. I'll see if I can bring her on the next episode. It'll be much better when she's in person and we can both be on microphones rather than have her call in right now. And nobody wants to listen to anything but nagging. But we'll get to it. So open invite, Monica, if you're out there listening. come and join me on the next episode of Don's Pinball Podcast where you say, oh, Jengez posted man, this guy was having so much fun with this Wrestlemania, like I had never heard anybody so aggressively enthusiastic like, irrational exuberance is what he was having with this Wrestlemania and it was rubbing off on me, so he just did a live stream of his gameplay he's got himself a Wrestlemania over there in Denmark and you know, he had some good points particularly with the music Now, I'm a wrestling fan as well, so this hits nostalgia. The Rock is in this. Brock Lesnar is in this. The gameplay is weird. I get it. And that's probably why it's not rated even mediocrely high, right? But it does have some interesting gameplay. But the music is pretty dang good because it's all ring music. It's all licensed stuff from the WWE, which if you're in the right mindset for it, is awesome. And when I've played this game in an arcade, I mean, you can't really hear the music that's there. So I think playing this game at home could kind of be kind of awesome. This game had two versions released. They did do a limited edition version, and the limited version had art with the more classic wrestlers, like the Hulk Hogan era. So like, you know, Ultimate Warriors on the side of the cabinet back box. If you like wrestling at all, I want to take another look at WrestleMania here. So he wants me to do a show where I go through all the Stern Spike 2 pins. Great idea. You could put them in the different tiers. I've got to figure out how to do that. I think that would work more for a YouTube video, and I would like to do that. but also breaking down differences between pros and premium, which I love to do because I've always valued constant shopping. All right, Sterling Martin has his Sunday tournament going on today. He's made up some T-shirts. I hope he's sending me one. Sterling's a cool guy. I believe he's down in Georgia. Don't hate me if I got that wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct there. My buddy, Brian Farrell, he flies planes. He's got just like – he's got Dennis Creasel-level sarcastic humor, and I just love the guy, and he wants me to do a three-hour-long episode on his favorite band, Mr. Bungle. For Mr. Bungle fans out there, man, they are fierce and they are loyal. And there is actually a pinball connection here. So Not Comet, Hurricane, has a sample. I think it's Hurricane and Not Comet, but there's a sample. Ride the Ferris Wheel that was taken and put into a Mr. Bungle song, and I don't remember the name of the song. I think it's something about a carousel. But, yeah, fantastic. Listen to that song if you can find it. But I'm not going to talk for three hours about Mr. Bungle because I think I have now elapsed all of my information about Mr. Bungle, except I also know Mike Van Patten was the lead singer. Something, something, faith no more. Okay, now I've gone through all of my information stored in my brain about Mr. Bungle. So there you go. I do like the band. He comes over and plays them. All right, Doug Peralta. Doug Puerta. Sorry, Mr. Puerta. What are you talking about? Talk about upcoming shows and expo. Let's go to a happy hour. Absolutely, sir. I will be at Pinball Expo. I will be there probably the entire time. I'm staying at the Renaissance. And I'm going to be social butterflying myself all over the place. I've got tons of events already planned and a bunch of harebrained schemes that I want to see if I can pull off. So it's going to be a good time. I'm not going to be bored. I'm going to be like pinballs to the wall the whole entire time. So, yes, I will be there. If you're having an event, if you're having a happy hour, if you're having dinner and have a slice of pizza left over, let me know, and I'll come join you if you're down there in Expo. I want to do giveaways, all this stuff, man. I've got so many ideas. It's all got to come together. It's going to be great. Brad Ellison is out in South Dakota. He's cleaning his soffit vents on his house, grinding concrete sidewalks, and trying to suffer through 100-degree heat. I'd love to come by and help you out. I do love home improvement projects. What's Don Hoskins doing besides trying to repair his punny factory play field? He wants to, let's see, when reviewers do a list of their top pinball games, they don't say which model they're referring to, Pro Premium LE. What's the big difference? I love that. I almost sound like Genghis. I love that. I want to do a video. I think that will work in video format. It'll be fantastic. I'll get to that. My homie Brad Hunter with the big brain on Brad. Who will be the first pinball location to install a paramotor landing strip? I guess whichever one has a cornfield across the street from it, because I can land my paramotor in an agricultural field, especially depending on the height of the corn, plus or minus one of those irrigation radials. So I guess it would be a rural location with a cornfield next door I can come and land and take off from. Would love to do a video about that. Will CGC ever do any new remakes again? I don't know. didn't they kind of like lose their license or something, and now it's just off to the wind or off to the Pedretti or something? He did mention, though, how about having a homebrew topper contest? Why not, Expo? I mean, that seems pretty easy. Set up a couple of folding tables. We'll bring out the toppers. Heck, I'll even finish my dang Elvira topper and bring that out. And that would be fun. That would be a fun Twippy category, too. Homebrew toppers. Just to encourage, you know, the creativity that exists out there within the pinball sphere. and that my friends is all the comments that I got in the last four hours on Facebook thank you for joining me for another fantastic episode of Don's Pinball Podcast where my air horns I need to get a Vuvuzela soundbite that I can drop in there hit me with the hip-hop as always bring me your comments donspinballpodcast.gmail.com if you want something on the live stream email me and give me your address so I can send your stuff out bruh you know who you are. Otherwise, I do a live stream every Friday, 8 p.m. Central Time, and I do giveaways because I'm all about the people. I'm going to be at Expo for sure and then Texas also for sure. So let's celebrate, have fun with pinball, and go buy yourself a Jurassic Park if you've got a bunch of money and don't know what to do with it.