Cavey... you base all your questions why dont they do it the STERN way in mind over many threads... it doesnt matter if JJP dont so things the Stern way... its really not important. Stern are only leaders in the industry cos there is no real industry. I doubt that any of the new pinball manufacturers aspire to be like the Stern model of things, chances are they want to be quite different.
We know you love Stern but in all honesty the company sucks and it is a lonely island you stand on
Need to cut Stern down off their pedestal. Before AC/DC, their releases (other than Spiderman and Ironman) have been mediocre at best. JJP are the new kids on the block, and Jack WAS Sterns biggest distributor before he started JJP. So Jack KNOWS what Stern does badly, and therefore, he will be introducing different methods of manufacturing, licensing, distributing, marketing - Stern are shaking in their boots. That's the most obvious fact since WOZ was introduced into the market.
First of All, Hobbit and LOTR are adult / nerd oriented. It will be as big as any blockbuster. Stern missed this license. They had the opportunity before JJP came along (so the rumor goes).
"Middle Man" - Well Stern used to do this themselves before Gary cracked down on rouge "distributors" 2-3 years ago. My concern with JJP are that their distributors need to be thoroughly checked for technical expertise. They will need to be trained on marketing, distribution and technical. Most distributors / dealers have no clue on 20 year old hardware, so they will need some serious "up-skilling" ! WOZ will be a huge test after one or two months post sales. No decent tech support will ruin all the hard yards JJP have earned so far.
Buying direct from JJP ? I would encourage it - as long as the warranty is still applicable on Aussie Machines. But that is more because I have a technical background.
