Ep 139: Soft Ball Accessories

We're talking about Jaws' new accessories and catching up on the news from the past couple of weeks

[@hummingbirdhomestead3757]

Glad yall weren't talking about me the Pinball Nerds Podcast On The Poormans Pinball Network is ALWAYS 100% positive!

[@slinger2112]

I'm new to the hobby, so maybe I'm a little of an 'outsider view'. I appreciate that you asked Mr. Gomez about the BK:SoR topper being a viable product at $500, but then re-releasing at $1500. I believe his response that small order quantity negatively affects the price (didn't realize it was that small a batch re-run), but it also feels like his comment that 'demand pricing' affecting the price is playing a bigger role. In the context of the pandemic, I recognize supply chain and labor issues drove the scarcity which drove high demand/price. In that case, I'd rather Stern get the increase instead of scalpers joining the party to artificially worsen scarcity and prices for longer terms. I was hoping that the end of the supply issues (or at least reduction of issues?) and increased factory capacity (and hopefully end of labor issues?) would allow the scarcity component of the high prices would fall off and we could get closer to the 'older' pricing levels. Inflation is worse, and minimum wage prices are up, but it doesn't feel like 3x up. As said in the show, this is without any backing of numbers... other than $500 for a pretty complex topper worked about 4 years ago and inflation has been about +20%. I'd love to get a Foo Fighters topper, but would rather put that amount of money towards a Rush game at this point... Thanks for the insight!

[@nick-8013]

Finally making expo this year!

[@slinger2112]

For the 'heavyweight' shooter rods, would it help to have the kit include the heavier strength 'color' spring? Stern colors (according to PinballLife product page): Blue < Green < Standard < Orange < Purple < Gray/Silver < Red. Rush and Foo Fighters defaults to orange, for example. Does the Rush shooter rod accessory assembly come with a stronger spring? If not, maybe buy the 3 stronger springs for a buck a pop and dial it in?

[@loserkidpinball]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing while Scott was saying that this episode. I wonder why they don't send different spring strengths with their shooter rods

[@slinger2112]

@@loserkidpinball Those have to be sold as an assembly, right? They'd have the shooter housing with the holes in the decal for the LEDs. Although... when I full plunge Rush, it feels like it wants to miss the pops and fly right between the flippers... and then repeat on the re-launch :) ... so maybe weakened plunge is a feature and not a bug...