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SDTM: a pinball Show Episode 17: Metallica Review

Straight Down the Middle·video·34m 20s·analyzed·May 15, 2017
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.037

TL;DR

Straight Down the Middle reviews Stern Metallica: excellent shooter with repetitive rules, A-/B- scores.

Summary

Zach Sharpe and Greg from Straight Down the Middle review the Stern Metallica pinball machine, discussing its art, layout, shots, rules, toys, music, and theme. They assess the game across multiple categories, with Greg scoring it A- overall and Zach scoring it B-, citing excellent shooting mechanics and innovation but repetitive rules that can feel like 'chopping wood.' The episode also includes speculation about which bands deserve pinball machines, with discussions of Led Zeppelin, Motley Crüe, Nirvana, and AC/DC.

Key Claims

  • Metallica is one of Stern's best-shooting games ever made, with perfect shots, metal ramps, and crisp wire forms.

    high confidence · Greg stated he gave Shots and Layout an A+, explicitly comparing it favorably to Star Trek as one of the few Stern games that feels this satisfying.

  • The game's rules are repetitive—essentially 'chopping wood'—requiring the same shot sequences (Sparky, snake, coffin, tombstones) until reaching Crank It Up mode.

    high confidence · Both Zach and Greg acknowledged this criticism, with Zach describing it as feeling like 'Paul Bunyan chopping down a damn tree' and noting he got tired after the third game despite owning it.

  • Sparky is the best bash toy in pinball, and the snake is an innovative mechanical feature that stands out.

    high confidence · Greg stated 'Sparky is the best bash toy in pinball? I think so Easily' and both praised the snake mechanism as 'neat as hell' and 'innovative.'

  • Metallica is an excellent game for new pinball players entering the hobby but less appealing for experienced collectors with multiple machines.

    high confidence · Zach argued it's 'amazing for a new, somebody entering pinball' because they'll learn a lot, but as an experienced player he wouldn't want to own it long-term and prefers it in an arcade setting.

  • Used Metallica machines are difficult to find in stock condition because so many have been modded with color DMDs and aftermarket accessories.

    high confidence · Zach stated 'it's almost hard to find one used now that's not modded' and noted color DMD appears on Metallica more than any other game.

  • Metallica machine prices are coming down, with Pro editions available in the 'mid-fours' ($4,000 range) and Premium editions in the 'sixes' ($6,000 range).

    medium confidence · Greg and Zach discussed pricing trends, with Greg mentioning 'mid-fours for a Stern' and 'sixes for a Premium Edition,' indicating secondary market price drops.

  • John Borg's design integrates metal ramps and mechanical elements that fit the Metallica theme without being clunky or feeling like overkill.

Notable Quotes

  • “I feel like freaking Paul Bunyan chopping down a damn tree every time I play the game. I played it. I picked one up here recently, and on my third game, I was tired of it.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 15:09 — Encapsulates the core criticism of Metallica's repetitive ruleset despite its mechanical excellence.

  • “I think this may be the best shooting Stern game ever made. Everything is crisp, everything the shots are perfect, the metal ramps are perfect, the wire forms on playfield are perfect.”

    Greg@ 12:30 — High praise for Metallica's shot layout and mechanical design, establishing it as a benchmark Stern shooter.

  • “Sparky is the best bash toy in pinball? I think so Easily.”

    Greg@ 18:13 — Validates Sparky as the industry standard for bash toy design.

  • “It's perfect for me to play in an arcade. I can walk away from it and I'll have to go and be like, damn it, I gotta get to crank it up again.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 17:35 — Captures the ideal use case for Metallica—location play rather than home ownership.

  • “Whenever I first got into pinball, I didn't like Metallica. I never owned an album... I started playing it because that's what turned me off the theme, the music... I started listening to it, and I fell in love with Metallica.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 21:04 — Demonstrates how playing Metallica converted a non-fan into a Metallica enthusiast, showing the game's music education potential.

  • “You can't find just a stock. And the color DMD on it... I honestly think that as color DMD goes, I've seen more on that game than any game that they're for.”

Entities

Zach SharpepersonGregpersonMetallicagameStern PinballcompanyJohn BorgpersonLyman SheetspersonDirty Donnieperson

Signals

  • ?

    event_signal: Straight Down the Middle has established a review framework for pinball games covering art, shots/layout, rules, toys/innovation, music/callouts, and theme, enabling comparative analysis across titles.

    high · Hosts systematically score each category: Metallica receives B+ art, A/A+ layout, A- rules, A/A+ toys, A/A+ music, A-/A theme. Comparison to previous Aerosmith review is central to discussion.

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Despite critical assessment of repetitive rules, Metallica maintains strong community respect for its mechanical design and is considered essential for new players and arcade locations.

    high · Zach: 'It's still a lot of fun for you for a while... That's perfect [for arcade]. I can walk away from it... I gotta get to crank it up again.' Greg acknowledges it's 'one of Stern's best machines.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Metallica has exceptional aftermarket mod adoption, particularly color DMD and Creeping Death UV mods. Stock machines are difficult to find due to widespread modding.

    high · Zach: 'it's almost hard to find one used now that's not modded... I honestly think that as color DMD goes, I've seen more on that game than any game that they're for.' Identifies Pinball Refinery mods as must-haves.

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Four multiballs in Metallica lack meaningful differentiation, making multiball sequences feel redundant rather than distinct progression moments.

    medium · Zach: 'There's four multiballs in this game, which is cool. They don't really distinguish themselves much from the other for me.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Metallica's music integration successfully converts non-fans into enthusiasts through gameplay exposure. Zach explicitly credits playing the game with converting him from Metallica skeptic to fan and iTunes purchaser.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.103

0:00
What's crackin' everybody? This is Zach and Greg from Straight Down the Middle Pinball. Yeah, another episode. Today, Greg, we are going to review a machine. We're going to review Aerosmith, right? No. What are we going to review? Metallica. So by this time, you guys have probably seen our Aerosmith review, and we really liked it. Yeah. So now, Greg was like, why don't we do a Metallica review? Because I've just recently really got to put a lot of time onto it. Local bar, Rec Bar, it's a barcade. They've got a lot of arcades in Louisville. They just recently got a Metallica in. And so I played the hell out of that thing, man. Like every Friday I played it for like two hours. Really? Yeah, so I'm loving it, man. It's one game that everybody loved and everybody knows. Everybody still loves it. Yeah, everybody still loves it. But I'm behind on many years. So, you know, I've just now got to experience the wrath of Metallica. Coming into your own on Metallica. Yeah. Oh, my God. Cutting your teeth on Metallica. Yes, yes. It's fantastic. So what we're going to do is we'll go to the game here in a minute. we'll play it and different things like that and then greg and i will talk about the different categories we'll start reviewing uh this metallica machine and i think it's going to be interesting to see if metallica is if we rank it higher or lower than the other music pins agreed um so we got aerosmith you guys have seen that hopefully if not go check that out um so what do you think beforehand what do you know what is your feeling before we do the grades and stuff what do you Which music do you like better? Metallica or Aerosmith? Metallica. Do you? Yeah, I do. Aerosmith. I like Aerosmith. I don't know if I'm wrong, but it's a softer, more commercial music now. That's kind of like me. Older. Softer and more commercial. It is. Like older Steven Tyler from the 70s. Yeah. That's good Aerosmith. See, I think he's a character. Give me pink Steven Tyler. I'm fine with that. I agree. I like his performances as good, if not better, than Metallica's performances. But music-wise, if I was just listening, Metallica, hands down. Cool. Let's go to the video. We'll show you the shots and layout, the art package, and then we'll come back and review this bad old thing. Hey, how's it going, guys? This is Zach from Straight Down the Middle Pinball. We are looking at a Metallica. I'm over here at my buddy Jared's house, and he was kind enough to let me get an overview of this. I'll look over the game here real quick with you guys and kind of explain what's going on, and then Greg and I will sit back down, and we will rate this bad boy.

high confidence · Both hosts praised how the metal elements feel 'smooth and slick' rather than just noisy, with Greg noting 'they integrate a lot of metal... usually metal equals clunk. And it doesn't.'

  • The Creeping Death UV mod and color DMD are the most impactful aftermarket upgrades for Metallica.

    high confidence · Zach identified color DMD as 'the best mod' and Pinball Refinery's Creeping Death UV mod as 'a close second,' noting the full package includes side blades, speaker panel, snake fangs, and decals.

    • Zach Sharpe@ 19:13 — Indicates Metallica's high modding adoption rate and the color DMD's popularity on this platform.

  • “There's four multiballs in this game, which is cool. They don't really distinguish themselves much from the other for me.”

    Zach Sharpe@ 16:06 — Points to a specific game design weakness—multiball variety lacks differentiation.

  • “For me, if I was just listening, Metallica, hands down... I like his performances as good, if not better, than Metallica's performances.”

    Greg/Zach (on Aerosmith vs Metallica comparison)@ 2:15 — Sets up the music preference lens for evaluating Metallica's theme and audio design.

  • “If I work up to three machines, I'd take it as my third machine... That way you can keep it off and never play it.”

    Greg@ 17:39 — Suggests Metallica is valuable in a larger collection but risks being shelved due to repetitiveness.

  • “Led Zeppelin. Get the damn license... That would be awesome... That'd be my number one music pin that I'd want.”

    Greg@ 24:11 — Expresses strong desire for a Led Zeppelin pinball machine, reflecting community interest in classic rock IP.

    • Rec Barorganization
    Jaredperson
    Pinball Refinerycompany
    Aerosmithgame
    Star Trekgame
    Straight Down the Middle: a pinball showorganization
    Motley Crüeperson
    Led Zeppelinperson
    Nirvanaperson
    Lynyrd Skynyrdperson
    AC/DCgame
    Alice Coopergame
    Rushperson
    Black Sabbathperson
    Goo Goo Dollsperson
    Creedperson
    Nickelbackperson

    high · Zach: 'Whenever I first got into pinball, I didn't like Metallica... I started listening to it, and I fell in love with Metallica... And now I still love Metallica because of it.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Metallica succeeds through John Borg's ramp design and mechanical integration that feels smooth despite metal construction, avoiding the typical 'clunk' associated with metal-heavy games. Integration of theme into mechanics is exemplary.

    high · Greg: 'they integrate a lot of metal... usually metal equals clunk. And it doesn't. No, it isn't clunk. This is smooth and slick.' Both hosts praise metal ramps and mechanics as 'Papa Duke cool.'

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Community interest in future music pinball machines is focused on classic/legacy bands (Led Zeppelin, Motley Crüe, Nirvana, AC/DC variants, Rush, Black Sabbath) rather than contemporary acts, suggesting licensing opportunities with established IP.

    medium · Greg identifies Led Zeppelin as #1 desired music pin. Extensive discussion of bands spanning 1970s-1990s rock/metal lineups. Lynyrd Skynyrd mentioned with 'rumors' of license availability.

  • $

    market_signal: Secondary market prices for Metallica machines are dropping, with Pro editions available in mid-$4,000 range and Premium editions in mid-$6,000 range.

    medium · Greg states 'They're coming down... I think if you scoop one up for 43... Mid-fours for a Stern' and discusses Premium editions at 'sixes for a Ben Heck or similar.'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Metallica's Sparky bash toy is positioned as the benchmark for bash toy design in pinball, and the snake mechanism is identified as genuinely innovative mechanical engineering.

    high · Greg: 'Sparky is the best bash toy in pinball? I think so Easily.' Both hosts praise the snake as 'neat as hell' and mechanically impressive, with Zach enjoying the immediate feedback loop of hitting it.

  • ?

    product_strategy: Metallica is positioned as ideal for arcade/location play and for new players entering the hobby, but less suitable for experienced home collectors with multiple machines due to repetitive endgame.

    high · Zach: 'for a new, somebody entering pinball... amazing game... as an avid pinball player... not for a collection... I don't think' and 'perfect game for me to play in an arcade.'

  • ?

    product_concern: Metallica's ruleset is criticized as repetitive and monotonous—players hit the same shots (Sparky, snake, coffin, tombstones) repeatedly until reaching Crank It Up mode. Zach describes feeling like 'Paul Bunyan chopping wood' and tired after 3 games despite owning the machine.

    high · Zach: 'I feel like freaking Paul Bunyan chopping down a damn tree every time I play the game... on my third game, I was tired of it.' Greg: rules are A- because 'it's shooting Sparky, it's shooting the snake, it's shooting the coffin lock, it's shooting the tombstones, and that's basically all there is to it until you do crank it up.'

    • 2:49
    So Metallica by Stern. Let's see, John Borg Design. Lyman Sheets is the coder for this one. So as we're looking over the play field here, you'll see the inserts down here. The object to get through Metallica is to line up these inserts right here. The cross insert, the electrocution insert, the coffin insert, and the snake insert. You do these by hitting objects. So for the cross, you hit those stand in line drop targets right there. You hit those enough and you'll keep that cross lit. The execution right up top Sparky the bash toy in here. One of the best bash toys in pinball. You hit him enough times, you'll see the three inserts below him light up, and then you'll go into a multi-ball there. Once the multi-ball is complete or whatnot, you hit him enough, you will light that insert. coffin the third one there right there coffin is that captive ball right there hit that enough that'll light up and you will lock in that coffin insert the snake somewhat self-explanatory but right there that snake will catch that ball and shoot it back at you and you like that enough and that will insert you light all four inserts at a constant and you will enable crank it up mode Crank It Up mode is a mini wizard mode. You hit the scoop to start it. You will get four options, four different songs, mini wizard modes on the DMD. Each of them have their own set of rules and they are pretty, pretty tough but very satisfying to play. If you are a professional or if you're really damn lucky, you can start all four of those mini wizard modes and get to the final grand wizard mode. Alright, so let's look at the play field here. To the left we've got an out lane with a special on it. We've got two in lanes. Moving on up we have the fuel targets right there. If you light all those up and go right up that alley you get double scoring on multi ball and a couple of different other things. You've got your left orbit here. Left orbit goes all the way around and there's the right orbit. There is a diverter up top there that can stop the ball during certain modes to put it into the pops. One of the coolest features of Metallica are these in-lane drop targets. Just like the old school games. 8 ball deluxe or whatever. But you knock all those down there's a magnet out there. You bash that cross and you can start a multi ball. ramps on this are phenomenal they're metal ramps john board really really knows how to do ramps on a pinball machine that left ramp shot will feed the left flipper that right ramp shot while we're here will safely feed the right flipper what's nice about those you can go left and right to those ramps and if you hit those ramps enough you will start up lady justice mode lady justice mode is a kind of a mini mini mode that you can really crank up some points by hitting combos on the ramps like i said in the center there is sparky you hit him enough i think those will light up i think they're in like thirds i think there's a magnet right there to catch the ball. You got your pops up top there and rollovers. Coming down here again, captive ball for coffin, snake shot, right orbit. Stand up targets, depict the, depict, I'm going to use the words, will depict your picks, right down here.
    6:44
    For the bayonet members. Now I do think that during a multi-ball, if you can lock off four those picks and hit the snake you'll add a ball. Here's a crank it up scoop that is to start crank it crank it up mode as well as mystery shot as well as getting your extra ball. And then to finish it out you've got a special in the right out lane and one in lane. Alright now this particular machine has custom cards. it's got colored rubbers it has plastic protectors orange they're really nice I think those are from pin bits it's got the creeping death side blades which is a great great feature it's got the electrocution mod this is full LED by myself on my dad we've got the snake fangs the snake tongue the snake decal that wraps all the way around there the Standing Cross is mod right in back this thing is loaded down in a blast to play and I'm probably missing a lot more all right guys so we will shoot it back to myself and to Greg to talk about the art the layout the rules all of the things that make metallica wonderful so you guys seen the machine itself the metallica what do you guys think about it do you like it by this time you guys probably played a crapload of metallica and jam to it let start with some art Buddy where are you at on Metallica art Now before everything else came out before Ghostbusters came out before Aerosmith came out this was the art package. It was the game to beat. This was Dirty Donnie's first crack at pinball. He did a good job. I think he did a really good job. So what's your score now? my score for Metallica art was a B+. And that's because whenever I was just getting into pinball I was looking into Metallica and my first reaction was not strong. I didn't really care for the band much.
    9:13
    It's a weird like caricatures of them which I don't feel like is very visually appealing to me. I like that it was hand drawn art. But that theme, kind of that theming of the art doesn't really do anything for me. The reason that I did do a B-plus on it is because I like the side art. I really think that's really nice and the colors pop.
    9:36
    And I can appreciate the art. I always told people that when I was a super newbie. I'd be like, no, I get it. Like I respect and I appreciate that art, but it just doesn't really do much for me. Well, and I myself gave it a B-plus as well. It was for that same reason sort of. I mean, I think it's really good art. I think it's cool. But it's like you said, the caricature, it's just, it's not, I don't know. Like, I like the Aerosmith back glass a little better where it's not a photorealistic rendition, but it's also not way out there. But, I mean, Metallica's that edge, that sort of band.
    10:09
    So, I mean, it fit them quite well. Lars and all that, I mean, it fit that very well. But still, I mean, it was beautiful. for the time, I mean, probably would have been given an A+. If I'm looking at my Aerosmith and my Metallica, even the printing process on the play field is not as crisp as the newer Spike machine. I guess because of comparison nowadays, it's a B+. If you were to ask me eight months ago, it would have probably been an A.
    10:42
    So, I'm going to B+. So, what's our next category? Shots and layout. I like this one. I do too, buddy. I love it. What's your favorite shot in the whole game? Oh, man.
    10:56
    This is odd, but I like the tombstones. I like the drop target. The in-lane drop target. I like that. For whatever reason, it's challenging. It's very satisfying. It's not super brutal, but it's a lot harder than Sparky. It's a lot harder than the Snake. I like that shot the best. Sparky's a fun shot. It never gets old. No, it don't. It really doesn't. I would rather hit Sparky than I would attack from Mars UFO.
    11:28
    Yeah, maybe. It's just a nice, nice shot. Because you're not as scared with Sparky. That UFO shot, man. You hit that and you're just like, God. You're going to be here. Yeah, it's going to drain. I think my favorite shot, I was going to say the in-lane drop targets. Those are really fun. But since you said that, I'll say the snake, actually. What I like about the snake is it works so well. And then after I hit it, it's going to shoot it right at my flipper. And I'm not patient when I'm playing like these competitors. So I'm going to hit that son of a bitch right back. I'm going to try to hit that snake again. And that's just very satisfying.
    12:07
    Well, it's just neat. It was a neat innovation, man. It's pretty cool. The snake spit out the ball at you. Yeah, the snake's mouth is in it. It eats it. And even the mechanism itself where it holds the ball, it looks like the snake's jaw is moving around in there. Yeah, it's sick, man. It's good stuff. I'd agree with that, too. I like all the shots. So what did you give it? What did I give it? I gave it an A+. I think this may be the best shooting stern game ever made.
    12:36
    Everything is crisp. everything the shots are perfect the metal ramps are perfect the habit trails are perfect everything is laid out everywhere it needs to be the pops don't get in the way the orbits are nice and clean the crank it up shot the scoop to the right um is a nice scoop shot even the fuel in lane there uh fuel in lane it's pretty cool i could play this game play this game play this game and that's what we'll get to i think is a downside of this game but man it feels good to play. I agree. I gave an A. I wasn't as generous, but an A is an A. It's still good. A plus, man, you guys find a stern that shoots like this. I'm trying to think right off-cuff another stern that really just feels like a good shooter. Star Trek is the only other. That's a perfect example. That's the only other one I can think of that feels that satisfying with your shots. And it does. It's got a little more flow. Star Trek has a little more flow than Metallica. It does. But equally satisfying. If Metallica might be a little more satisfying because there's more sheer. But what I love about this is they integrate Borg or whoever put it in there, integrated a lot of metal. Yes. I mean, a fitting of the theme, right? Yeah. So you feel and you hear those metal rams. You feel the captive ball when you hit it. All of that stuff is very metal. But usually metal equals clunk. And it doesn't. No, it isn't clunk. This is smooth and slick. I agree. I love it. Very much so. Let's move to rules. Rules, rules, rules. Where are you at on rules, Gregory? Rules and A-minus are mine. Like, I don't mind them. And Zach sort of just mentioned some of the downfall of the game.
    14:15
    He talks about it being like chopping wood. Yeah. I sort of agree to a sense, just because it's shooting Sparky, it's shooting the snake, it's shooting the coffin lock, it's shooting the tombstones, and that's basically all there is to it until you do crank it up. That's when the game becomes fun. Yes. But I don't mind the repetitive shots. I don't really mind that because it's still a lot to shoot at. And you're not necessarily going to have to shoot it sparky because if you've got the target lit on an orbit or something, you can hit that and that will count. I like that. So you have some variance in there and everything. So, I mean, I myself, like I said, man, I'm in the A- on it. That's sweet. Good for you. That's precious. I don't think it's that bad. A lot of people knock the rules, but I think it's coming pretty well. I know I think a lot of people love the rules. Really? Oh, my gosh, yeah. I don't know. Yeah, every turn that came out after, people were like, no, that sucks. The rules just aren't there like it is with Metallica. Here's my thing. I feel like freaking Paul Bunyan chopping down a damn tree every time I play the game. I played it. I picked one up here recently, and on my third game, I was tired of it. Yeah. That's mean. But, I mean, you owned it for a while before. And I got tired of it. Yeah. And saying that, we were just talking the other day, because like I said, man, I've been every Friday to Rec Bar playing a hell of a lot of Metallica. Probably for about two hours each time I'm there. Take a check of this weirdo playing Metallica. Non-stop. Where's your tattoo, weirdo? Yeah. But I was telling Zach that. I was like, man, I've gotten quite a bit better at it. Yeah. And so I can sort of understand where that comes in and where the, yeah, you know, it's kind of fun.
    15:54
    Here's the thing. I like long playing games. I'm fine with long ball times. But give me a journey to play. Like the Hobbit, I'll play that damn thing for 45 minutes. But at least I'm completing different modes and I'm starting different multiballs. There's four multiballs in this game, which is cool. They don't really distinguish themselves much from the other for me. Now I'll be playing this thing for 20 minutes and I'm like, shit, is the ball ever going to drain? Because I know I'm going to have to hit that damn snake target 25 times just to get to the second crank it up. I still think it's an amazing game. It is. I think as an avid pinball player, it's not for a small collection, like one or two games, I don't think. But for a new, somebody entering pinball, I think Metallica is an amazing game because I think that they're going to learn a lot on it. Well, wait a minute. That's a contradiction. If you're saying somebody's going to buy the damn thing new, they're not going to have a lot of pins.
    16:46
    No, I'm just, what do you, yeah. But it's just starting out. Us being fairly good pinball players. Yeah, yeah. But it's more fairly good. Are we fairly good? We're okay. We're better than most, but a lot worse than most. Okay. We're fairly good. I hope nobody ever watches our gameplay videos No we not good No we not good But we good enough to get bored bored with it Whereas if you were just entering pinball you starting out you just like to play, I think that you can have that for that one machine, and it's going to be a lot of fun for you for a while. It's a fun game, guys. I just, I don't want one. Oh, I do. Do you? Yeah, I do. Not for my, I thought for my next game. I really, really was leaning towards it, but that's a perfect game for me to play in an arcade. Yeah, I'll agree. That's perfect. I can walk away from it and I'll have to go and be like, damn it, I gotta get to crank it up again. If I work up to three machines, I'd take it as my third machine. That's fair enough. Easily, because then I've got two others. That way you can keep it off and never play it. That's good. They're rough.
    17:51
    No, but that's the difference though. Walking Dead for me, I don't play that all the time. I don't know why. I just don't play it all the time, but when I do, I really enjoy it. But Horde's so hard to get to and everything. There's always that challenge Different wizard modes Alright let's go to Toys and Innovation A plus I'm going to A I think Sparky is The best bash toy In pinball? I think so Easily Name something else I'm just trying to think All the others are kind of stagnant I mean he's stagnant I guess to a sense He's just a stand-up target is all he is with the coil that knocks around his head. Yeah. But boy, oh boy. There's something special about it. And then again, back to the snake. The snake. Yeah. That's just neat as hell, man. The inline drop targets aren't really a toy, but there's a cross in the back and there's a magnet. Yeah. So that's innovation. You have to hit the cross after. I mean, it's sort of a bash toy in itself. Yeah. So, you know, once you get those targets down, you've got to hit that cross. That's very true. To start that multi-ball. So, I mean, it's sort of a toy. I would consider it a toy. And this is one of my favorite games to mod. Oh, yeah. I think it's a lot of people. It's almost hard to find one used now that's not modded. Oh, yeah. You can't find just a stock. And the color DMD on it. For those of you who have a Metallica, you've got to get that color DMD because it really sets it up. I honestly think that as color DMD goes, I've seen more on that game than any game that they're for. Indiana Jones is another nice color DMD game. Yeah, agreed. So, toys and innovation, you've got an A+. I've got an A. Oh, just A? You win an A? I thought you won an A+. Well, I won an A. That's fine. It's not like the it's not full of toys where I'd have to rate it an A+. But it's a solid A. Yeah. I think it's awesome. Let's talk about music and call-outs. So this is a music pen. So this is automatically an A+, then, right? No, I give an A. I give an A+. Yeah. I don't know why I give an A instead of an A+. It's just... You can walk away from it and think, Oh my God, I love hearing that machine. Yeah, yeah, I agree. I mean, I love listening to music, obviously. I could have probably done an A because I find that the sound system on, I guess it's the SAM system for Stern, doesn't sound quite as good as the newer. Oh, yeah, but I mean, see, I kind of let that go. Well, I give it an A+. I think the music kicks ass. Agreed. Here's what I love about Metallica. This is me being transparent here. Whenever I first got into pinball, I didn't like Metallica. I've never owned an album. No, I just, I was like, it's weird music. Like, I wasn't into it. He listens to Nickelback.
    20:40
    That's why you don't like Metallica. You know what? Yeah, but you were a big Creed fan back in the day, too. I owned a Nickelback. I bet he's gone to a concert, too. Look in his drawer. I bet you there's like a concert tee in there. I've got the lead singer's poster. 2006 Nickelback Tour.
    20:57
    He likes that shit. That's so sad. You're so right, though. But I don't like Nickelback. For the record, I do not like the Nickelback. But what I was getting to is I started playing it because that's what turned me off the theme, the music. I was like. Because it wasn't Nickelback.
    21:12
    We're making Nickelback. All right. So I started listening to it, and I fell in love with Metallica. I started buying all the iTunes stuff. Oh yeah, I can understand that. I loved Metallica. And now I still love Metallica because of it. And in addition to that, the call-outs from Sparky, The Snake are really cool. And the band members. Yeah, they give some call-outs. It's not bad. Cussing, cursing. Yeah, it's a good, it's a great band all around. The music and call-outs for me, A+. I love listening to that. So that sort of rolls into our next one, theme. Okay. So what did you think about theme? The theme has grown on me. Yeah. I like having a Metallica machine in my collection when it's in my collection. I don't necessarily play. It's just, you know, there's some machines that you have in your collection that are just kind of cool, like an Addams Family. A lot of you guys have an Addams Family, but you guys probably don't play it a whole lot. It's kind of like that. I like having it in there because it is one of Stern's best machines. Yeah, I agree. So the theme itself, Metallica, I dig them now a lot. I gave it an A-. That was an A. Yeah, it's cool. Okay, so I want to ask you this. Ask away, my friend, while I drink my flavored nectarine peach nectarine water. I mean, are you really surprised that he didn't know Metallica?
    22:32
    You can't be surprised. Okay, so this is why I want to ask you this question. So, and this is a lot of... I'm not even ready for this. I know. You're not prepped. This is kind of a hot thing. Okay. What other bands are deserving of a new pin? Like if a pin comes out, again, for a band pin, what's it going to be? Because I've got two things that I think are super solid. I bet my band names are better than your effing band names. Let's hear yours first. You want me to give you one? Yeah. A biscuit pin or something? That's what you want. I have owned those. too. It's so terrible. That Faith song is kicking ass. It was good back in the day. When I was in eighth grade. Alright, I'm going to name a band that is so deserving of a pin that you will not this is the Trump card here and I hate using that word now. I think I can guess this one. No, I'm going first. I'm going to write it down and then see if I'm right. Sorry guys, bear with us on this. This is more us talking. Is that alright? That's some scribble. I don't even know what that, no, because you hate them. I did hate them. Okay, okay. Then I was wrong. Led frickin' Zeppelin. I would give you that one. That is a pinball machine. I would give you Led Zeppelin. There's rumors that Leonard Skinner. Come on, man. Yeah. Led Zeppelin. Get the damn license. I'm pretty sorry. Leonard Skinner is.
    24:00
    I could agree with that. I could agree with that just because of popularity. Good music. But I would. It's better than Alice Cooper. I would much rather have.
    24:10
    Led Zeppelin. That would be awesome. But see, I'm going to go. That'd be my number one music pin that I'd want. I would want it. I would like it a lot. Hell yeah. That'd be so awesome. But I'm going to go with this. Okay. I think. You're not going to trump that. I've got two. Okay. Listen. This one I've just heard a lot of people say. And I think it'd be a decent pin. It's an Aussie pin.
    24:28
    I think an Aussie pin would be decent. The music is pretty hard. Where are these bands coming from? No, no. They crawl out of the sewer. These grungy ass bands. Okay. But I would go with Aussie just because I've heard a few people discuss it. Actually, I've had quite a few people. Okay. I've heard say it to me. My number one is, not because I necessarily... The Aussie pin would be cool. Yes. Not because I necessarily love the band, but the music is so adrenaline pumping. It's so fantastic for a pin. The theme could go all over the place. I want to know what this is. What is it? Motley Crue.
    25:01
    Screw some Motley Crue. No, listen to it. I mean, you seriously, you have Dr. Field. Did you have... Imagine that. It's like Guns N' Roses and shit. No, but no. No, not at all, man. Because not at all. It sounds just like them. No, no, no, no, no, no. because they were all you guys are like typing right now this dipshit doesn't know you think Metallica gets you going? can you imagine that? it would just be the whole time just intense beating the hell out of the book you got Dr. Phil good imagine the LCD the animations that you could do for that you know just all of man smoking in the boys room you could do so many cool ass graphics and they were such a what I saying I like the crew a lot but it not like oh that my favorite band and I want to see a pin made of it. I'm just saying they have some wicked, crazy concerts. They are wild guys themselves. So you could manifest that into a pin that could be fantastic. It'd sell a lot. I think so. You want to know one better? What's that? If you guys want all these damn grungy ass, why not have the grunge band? Nobody talks about it. Freaking Nirvana. Can't do a Nirvana band. What? No. I mean, that's too laid back. No. What? That's too laid back. Nirvana. I want to smoke a doobie. I love Nirvana. Don't get me wrong. No. Nirvana would be the most kick. Man. Teen Spirit. Smoke a doobie. That is slamming ass music. It is really good music. And they have actually 10 songs that people want to listen to. But that's like alternative. To me. Nirvana all the way. All the way. See, when I think of pin, I want rock. I want hard. That's Nirvana.
    26:45
    Nirvana's not hard rock. To me, it is. Because you listen to Nickelback. Everything's hard compared to Nickelback. You guys, come on. Nirvana is badass, banging ass rock. They're screaming.
    26:58
    No? No, it's good. That's rock. But for a pin, it's still just too emo and too a little bit. The crew, man. You just. What? I mean, this one at The Crew. You should call a drumstick. I love that you call them The Crew.
    27:12
    You a roadie? What a mess. The Crew. What other? To wrap up. The Crew. I'm going to listen to The Crew in Santa Fe, man. I bet you went to a Goo Goo Dolls concert, too. No, I didn't. I had that wrong.
    27:26
    That's the guy that tries to start a mosh pit at Goo Goo Dolls. Dude, stop being an asshole. Like you're hitting a little too close to home, I think.
    27:36
    He's going to go burn all of his music. My music collection sucks. Oh, man. I'm a failure. I've always been a little soft. I'm so cool with pins. What other? Rush? Rush would be bad. Oh, Rush is cool as hell, yeah. Oh, but they're so much more rock than Nirvana.
    27:53
    Yeah. Or Motley Crue. I like good quality bands. That's what I'm saying. Rush, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin. But that's what I'm saying. I love Nirvana. I love Motley Crue. I love Black Sabbath. I mean, but they'd make cool pins.
    28:08
    Screw making good pins. I want to listen to this shit, too. I mean, I love Nirvana. Hell yeah. But I mean... I think Nirvana would be so awesome. I don't know if it would make a good pin. Hell yeah. Because I think the old school guys right now who are loving the ACDC and some of the... I think our generation, I think Nirvana would be perfect for that. But... Just like Metallica. That's more of a contemporary rock. But again, it's Grimes. Like, Cruz and Grimes. None of that. We can put the whole cabinet in flannel. Yeah, awesome, man. That is so cool. That's crazy. That's so cool. What's wrong with you? Are we missing any bands? Don't make a Jimi Hendrix band. No, yeah. I don't want anything like that. I mean, just because they're a good musician doesn't mean it's going to make a good band. I think that's the point I'm getting at. It's just because it's super good music, crazy cool band, it doesn't mean it's going to make a good band. It's going to be dark as hell. You want to kill yourself after a while. Well, the way you play on the Aerosmith a couple minutes ago made me want to kill myself. He's like, me, it's kind of clunky. I was like, hit the effing shot, maybe. Still getting used to it. Yeah, we got you. All right, so overall, once we compile those, Greg is at an A-, and I am at a B- for Metallica. Pretty good scores. Yeah, that's where we're at on them. All right. I agree. So pros and cons, we've kind of talked about those. I feel like it just plays forever, plays forever. What about price?
    29:33
    Use price. They're coming down. I do feel they're coming down. I agree with you on that. Here they come. I think if you scoop one up for 43. Mid-fours for a pro. Mid-fours? Fantastic. I think low sixes for a premium. I think it's a bang for your buck, man. Would you go pro or premium? I'm fine with a pro. We talked about that in there. This was that. Yeah, yeah. I'm fine with a pro. I'm good with a pro, too. For sure. Some of the mods. Oh, you don't mean to talk about the hammer, though, and toys and innovation, because we're kind of focusing on the pros. Yeah, but the hammer, another one, just throw it out there. It's neat. I heard it don't work a lot. Really? Yeah, I've heard some complaints. I think it's cool. Just so you didn't think we left it out. What is it? Penny Vinny or Spinny Vinny? Minnie? Guinea? On pin side, he's making new hammers. Oh, they look awesome. Yeah, I've heard that. I've seen it on there all the time. I'm a big mod guy, so real quick before we end up the video, I want to talk about some of the mods. The best mod, of course, is the color DMD. A close second for me is Pinball Refinery's Creeping Death UV Mod with the UV side blades. That's pretty cool. Not the UV speaker panel. The Creeping Death speaker panel. It's like a whole package that you really need to get. The snake fangs, the tongue decal, the snake plastic. They're coming out with a 3D one that's really cool too. Sparky's, like his EL wire electrocution thing is really awesome. And I love the custom painted Sparky's. There's a few guys that do it. I can't remember a man who got it. I'm thinking about getting Jackie. For Aerosmith? Yeah, for Aerosmith maybe painted. But there's some really good. Dang, I'm blanking on the name. I know. That's locked in the Canada. I wish it was. Sorry, buddy, but he does phenomenal work on it. My father does some custom painting.
    31:19
    I think a girl by the name of Bree. If you're a dude, I'm sorry, man. But out in St. Louis or Midwestern area does them too for a good price. All right. So A-, I'm going to B+, take it or leave it, price. We talked about that. Are you going to buy a Metallica at some point? I will. Yeah, definitely. I think so. I think the family would like it. I know it seems weird for a family pin. Their family's kind of weird. I think they are very weird. I love them. They're giant. They're badass. My family's kind of soft. Yeah, mine are like crazy. my family would want the Nicolette I guess they could get her in turn 7 no 8 and 5 but they're like horror themed yeah they love horror themes oh Danny let us watch Nightmare every year for Halloween my kids have never dressed up like princesses or anything except when they were toddlers and they didn't have any choice and my wife gets so mad now because they're either like Jason your girls are so badass they would bust my balls about my band choices oh yeah they're pretty rad Alright guys, until next week this is Zach and Gray from Straight Down the Middle. Keep rocking out, play you some Metallica and then once you realize Aerosmith is a little better pin go play that instead. And thanks for watching guys and don't forget to subscribe. Yeah, subscribe. Look us up on Facebook. Rock on! Woo! I can't even look cool and do this. Whatever, see you guys.
    33:00
    It's so early. I had a fucking bird. I swear to God. I'm on a bird. I don't know. I'm driving. I can't fucking. Where's the head? The National Audubon Society over here. Robin.
    33:13
    I was like, I just started on the road too, dude, and hit like a swarm of bugs. My windshield was perfectly clear. And it was just like. And then like two minutes later, I see this bird. You know how normally they still. No.
    33:27
    I was like, oh, my God. That's horrible. And I've never seen so much roadkill in my life on the way here. Like splattered roadkill too. People didn't dodge it Like these country folk don't care They're just like fucking possum Let's kill it again That's too big I was like god man I'm going to have chunks of meat all over my car That's what I eat Filming days I got to go to the car wash afterwards Wash the death off At least it's not a strawberry Oh Because peach nectarine Is so much more manly I'm going to hang a picture of you drinking the strawberry water in your Abercrombie jacket. Peach Nicotine. No, he means like one of them beaded hip necklaces.
    34:15
    Like a choker.