Lord of the Rings [2003] Pinball Machine

tmntfreak

New member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
118
Reaction score
0
Location
Connecticut
Just played this with a buddy of mine this past weekend for about an hour waiting for a movie.

Wow. I hadn't played a pinball machine in YEARS...and forgot how absolutely AWESOME they were. How much could I find this pinball for, and would I be better off waiting a couple more years for it to go down in value? Or will it only go up?
 
Think they're going between 3 & 4k right now, and seems like its value has bottomed out and price will be going up. I'd love to have one too, I just can't swing it right now.
Its gonna suck for me if it winds up being a 5k+ pin in a few years, I just can't see spending that much on a single game.
 
You should be able to find nice, non LE, ones for probably mid $3k and up to around $4k depending on location, condition, etc.

It's a great game, I've had mine for about 3 years and still enjoy it.
 
Also with patience you can possibly find a routed one for a good price and with some elbow grease you'll be all set!

Just be on the lookout!
 
Yeah...that's kinda what I was afraid of. 3-4k is def. out of my wheelhouse. LOL

A guy can always dream I guess. hahaha
 
Ive been searching a LONG time. I think unless you get super lucky.. you won't find for under 4,000+. People are trying to sell non-working machings for 3k+.
 
Be patient. I have found it is VERY beneficial to establish good communications and good dealings with people. They way, when they come across something, they think of you.

For this reason I will be getting a LOTR in May. They are out there, but I was very fortunate.

Not sure if the prices will keep going up, so I am not sure how 'patient' you would want to be.



Chris
 
Last edited:
Ive been searching a LONG time. I think unless you get super lucky.. you won't find for under 4,000+. People are trying to sell non-working machings for 3k+.

They're out there....

I'm thinking it was last year, I was at the Chicagoland show and a fella wanted to sell one for $3,200, and I *think* at at the end of the show he dropped it down to $3,100.

I was not in the market for one at that point (and still not), so I passed.

Like everything, timing is the key - might take years, months or days!
 
Given the prices quoted, any idea how much of a premium the LE's command over the earlier/regular versions, if any?

I know that the removal of the figures off the playfield is a bit of a bummer, and I could care less about the gold trim honestly. Having a "real" backglass could be seen as a pro, or a con - which will last longer, and be less likely to get damaged over time?

For me, the only real pro's are the potential for a shaker motor, and the extra coats of clear that the playfield supposedly get.

I buy pinballs to PLAY, not to collect, so although it's nice to have goodies like special plates, signatures, etc., they don't affect the gameplay so I'm just not that excited about them personally...

Otherwise, on a related note - George Gomez was asked at the TPF about a pinball based upon the Hobbit; don't remember his exact words, but he kinda smiled and made a comment that was non-committal, but that certainly didn't rule it out. I'm curious whether a Hobbit pin could cause renewed interest in the LOTR pins if Stern does release something - would be a nice pair of pins to have side-by-side potentially!
 
Last edited:
Given the prices quoted, any idea how much of a premium the LE's command over the earlier/regular versions, if any?

I know that the removal of the figures off the playfield is a bit of a bummer, and I could care less about the gold trim honestly. Having a "real" backglass could be seen as a pro, or a con - which will last longer, and be less likely to get damaged over time?

For me, the only real pro's are the potential for a shaker motor, and the extra coats of clear that the playfield supposedly get.

I buy pinballs to PLAY, not to collect, so although it's nice to have goodies like special plates, signatures, etc., they don't affect the gameplay so I'm just not that excited about them personally...

Otherwise, on a related note - George Gomez was asked at the TPF about a pinball based upon the Hobbit; don't remember his exact words, but he kinda smiled and made a comment that was non-committal, but that certainly didn't rule it out. I'm curious whether a Hobbit pin could cause renewed interest in the LOTR pins if Stern does release something - would be a nice pair of pins to have side-by-side potentially!
FYI, you can add a shaker to the regular version of LOTR.

Also as far as I know, The Hobbit is going to be done by JJP and come out toward the end of 2013.
 
FYI, you can add a shaker to the regular version of LOTR.

Also as far as I know, The Hobbit is going to be done by JJP and come out toward the end of 2013.

I'm so glad JJP stole that license from Stern... or at least took it before Stern could get it.
 
I'm so glad JJP stole that license from Stern... or at least took it before Stern could get it.
Haha, yeah I hear ya. I think the people that made LOTR great are working for JJP anyways. I also like what I'm seeing based on WOZ from JJP and looking forward to see what they do with The Hobbit. Hopefully the price won't be to crazy.
 
I'm so glad JJP stole that license from Stern... or at least took it before Stern could get it.

Thank goodness. It would have been a shame to let Stern make a crappy quality Hobbit. That game could be great, and I'm sure Jack will do it right. It will look great next to my LOTR even though I will have to get rid of my POTC gold to make room for it.
 
Ive been searching a LONG time. I think unless you get super lucky.. you won't find for under 4,000+. People are trying to sell non-working machings for 3k+.

Correct. I had bought a brand new one in 2006 and sold it last fall. I ended up having sellers remorse, and just bought a replacement for it last month. I had to pay $4000 for a dirty HUO game with original dirt and mildew on the playfield and another $200 to ship it. Had to strip the entire top of the playfield and buff it...now it looks like a mirror. The original batteries were in it and dead/leaking, so at least it was a low use game. But the point is that the price of all games has been going up, and LOTR is no exception.
Part of the increase is because the quality of the new games from Stern has been going down, and LOTR is an example of their older higher quality playfields. And of course, Stern's rediculous new pricing is responsible for some of it too. But its a great game and if you can find one affordable you won't be sorry.
 
Back
Top Bottom