claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.039
Stern announces James Bond 007 cornerstone by Gomez; price hikes and design details emerge.
James Bond will be revealed and available for sale on Tuesday, September 13th on SternPinball.com at 10 AM Central
high confidence · Craig Bobby segment confirming official Stern announcement via Nap Arcade and Neil McRae
The James Bond game is based on Sean Connery Bond era, likely a mashup of multiple Connery films including Goldfinger and Thunderball
medium confidence · Craig Bobby reports 'consensus at this point' but acknowledges ongoing rumors about which Connery films
George Gomez is the designer; Steve Ritchie started the design but left for Jersey Jack before whitewood was complete, so Gomez started from scratch
high confidence · Gomez confirmed this on Marco Specialty Stream per Craig Bobby
Christopher Franchi will not be involved in James Bond artwork despite previous patching up with Stern
high confidence · Craig Bobby cites confirmation by Christopher Franchi
Stern may announce another round of price increases with this Bond release, potentially making it one of the most expensive Stern cornerstones
medium confidence · Craig Bobby reports rumors with no confirmation on exact price or affected titles
Stern will offer limited LE units for sale directly on SternPinball.com exclusively to Stern All Access Club members ($40/year subscription)
high confidence · Craig Bobby from official Stern announcement details
James Bond will first appear publicly at IAPA European Trade Show in London September 12-15, then at Chicago Pinball Expo October 20-23
high confidence · Craig Bobby cites Neil McRae/Nap Arcade confirmation
George Gomez referenced a scuba diver action figure as part of the game, suggesting underwater sequences related to Thunderball
medium confidence · Zach and Dennis speculate on screen grab from Marco Specialty Stream; NAP Arcade commenter identified it as scuba diver
“There's another surprise related to James Bond...I did the cornerstones and then stay tuned. Big surprise.”
George Gomez @ Marco Specialty Stream (mentioned in episode but not timestamped in transcript) — Suggests potential additional trim level or unrevealed feature beyond standard Pro/Premium/LE tiers; repeated multiple times during stream
“It's very dear to me, very much like Batman 66 was...my favorite Bond is Sean Connery and his favorite Bond car is the Aston Martin DB5...no surprise, you're going to see it in the game, complete with ejector seat.”
George Gomez @ Marco Specialty Stream — Confirms Sean Connery era, personal design philosophy, and specific mechanical feature (ejector seat); compares to his Batman 66 approach
“Just shoveling stuff in every day, but it's just not going as fast as I'd like.”
George Gomez @ Marco Specialty Stream — Dennis interprets as potential shade at code/rules development; raises questions about timeline pressure given September 13 release
“Shaking soon”
Stern Pinball (official teaser) @ Pre-recorded teaser trailer — Grammatically questioned by hosts (should be 'Shaken Soon' per James Bond 'shaken not stirred' reference); Zach jokes it refers to included shaker motors
“Do we have something else coming out? Do we have another trim level? Is there a Super LE about to come out?”
Dennis Creasel @ ~35:00 — Reflects community speculation about potential 60th anniversary special edition variants not yet revealed
“Well, I've got another new game coming in...Fathom Revisited yes Mermaid Edition”
Zach Minney @ ~04:00 — Reveals Zach's incoming custom build (Haggis Pinball's Fathom remake); indicates active collector activity during episode recording
“I've had Iron Maiden forever. It's the oldest one. You wanted it to be Archer anyway.”
Dennis Creasel @ ~10:00 — References Bowen Kerins' original Archer homebrew that Jersey Jack later commercialized as Iron Maiden; highlights designer lineage awareness
business_signal: American Pinball's strategic focus on sponsoring 'failed' Magic Girl remake rather than building momentum for Galactic Tank Force future release
medium · Craig Bobby critiques company positioning as head-scratching given competitor releases (Stern/JJP momentum) and Magic Girl's five-year-old failures
community_signal: Debate over 'Shaking Soon' vs 'Shaken Soon' teaser wording; Zach jokes it indicates included shaker motors for all models
low · Hosts acknowledge grammatical concern; Zach's shaker motor theory lacks confirmation but reflects community speculation
design_philosophy: George Gomez comparing James Bond approach to Batman 66; emphasizing Sean Connery era with Aston Martin DB5 and ejector seat feature; potential underwater sequences based on Thunderball scuba diver imagery
high · Gomez quoted directly on stream; scuba diver action figure visible in screengrab; hosts speculate underwater ball physics implications
market_signal: Speculation about unrevealed Super LE or special 60th Anniversary edition variants (possibly 60 units) beyond standard Pro/Premium/LE tiers
medium · Gomez repeatedly hinted at 'surprises' on stream; hosts note Stern has never done Super LE on cornerstone previously; concern about collector backlash if not revealed simultaneously
licensing_signal: Sean Connery Bond era confirmed as theme basis; consensus suggests mashup of multiple Connery films with Goldfinger and Thunderball as top candidates
high · Craig Bobby reports consensus; Gomez quoted stating Sean Connery as favorite Bond and DB5 will appear; scuba diver/Thunderball underwater elements suggested
groq_whisper · $0.273
George Gomez stated the game will include the Aston Martin DB5 'complete with ejector seat'
high confidence · Gomez quoted directly in Marco Specialty Stream interview discussed by hosts
Pinball Brothers Queen machine will not appear at Super Awesome Tailgate Party on September 24 due to supply chain and production delays
high confidence · Craig Bobby reports Pinball Brothers sent regrets to organizers
“Why is this company seemingly more concerned in trying to associate themselves with a failed game and designer from five years ago versus the future of American Pinball?”
Craig Bobby @ Craig Bobby segment — Criticizes American Pinball's focus on Magic Girl sponsorship as poor business strategy relative to competitor momentum
“Don't piss off the whales.”
Zach Minney @ ~31:00 — Colloquial reference to high-end collector/investor segment; emphasizes need for transparent reveal of all trim levels simultaneously
“If you have Scrooge McDuck bins of money...and you have one of your hallmark top three themes of all time, don't you think that somehow, somewhere...you're included somehow.”
Dennis Creasel (discussing Joe Kamikaze) @ ~32:00 — Expresses expectation that prominent designer/businessman would be involved in major Bond theme; notes Kamikaze historically handles special runs not cornerstones
market_signal: Direct-to-consumer sales model: Stern offering limited LE units on SternPinball.com exclusively to $40/year All Access Club members on release day
high · Craig Bobby confirms September 13 at 10 AM Central release details; notes units expected to sell out within '007 minutes'
community_signal: Christopher Franchi explicitly excluded from James Bond artwork despite recent reconciliation with Stern; represents shift away from his involvement
high · Craig Bobby cites confirmation by Christopher Franchi directly that he will not be involved
personnel_signal: Steve Ritchie's departure from Stern to Jersey Jack forced George Gomez to restart James Bond design from scratch despite Ritchie's prior work
high · Gomez confirmed on Marco Specialty Stream that whitewood was incomplete and design restarted; Ritchie already at JJP
market_signal: Stern announcing another round of price increases with Bond release, potentially making it most expensive cornerstone to date; retroactive application to previous titles suspected
medium · Craig Bobby reports rumors but no official amount confirmed; speculates Godzilla Premium may increase retroactively
announcement: Stern officially announcing James Bond 007 cornerstone on September 13, 2022; first public appearance at IAPA London September 12-15
high · Craig Bobby confirms via Nap Arcade/Neil McRae; official teaser released; SternPinball.com direct sales planned
product_strategy: Pinball Brothers' Queen machine will not appear at Super Awesome Tailgate September 24 due to supply chain and production delays
high · Craig Bobby reports Pinball Brothers sent formal regrets to event organizers citing delays
technology_signal: George Gomez suggesting code development pressure despite September 13 physical release deadline; 'not going as fast as I'd like' on unspecified element
medium · Gomez quoted; Dennis interprets as potential shade at code/rules team; raises questions about final quality given timeline pressure