It was good of the interviewer to ask the same question to John Trudeau that was posed to Steve Ritchie a few days ago in terms of which machine is designed first - the Pro or Premium/LE and clarify exactly what goes on behind the scenes at Stern HQ as well.

For the record, at the 27 minute mark the question and answer is as follows:

Q: In terms of design for your machines, do you start with the LE and remove features or do you start with the Pro and add features?

A: The first one is true. It is far more easier to take something out later than to design into an existing space. So I design LE's first...ALWAYS (JT's emphasis).

With two current Stern designers now confirming that the LE is designed first and then having features removed for the Pro that this can finally clear up any nagging persistent myths about exactly what goes on with the design of Stern's 3 tiered pinball machines.