Third there is only ONE reason licenced parts are hard to get for some titles and that is the manufacturer DID NOT BOTHER to negotiate properly with the rights owners in the first place. My licence agreement with ITV for Thunderbirds Pinball stipulates that ALL and ANY artwork - toys etc will be available "for the life of the machine". I can assure you this was a sticking point but one I would not budge from as I am well aware of the problems people have with some items for some machines. This point alone is one reason negotiations took longer than they might have and I am certain it was of no interest to Bally/Williams/Gottlieb back in the day.
At the risk of maintaining the off topic direction, to be fair Bally/Williams/Gottlieb were in the business of selling to commercial operators, so longevity (past 3 or 4 years) was not a great concern to either the seller or the buyer. New product would come to replace the worn out old one from several different manufacturers.
The landscape has of course changed, and it's good to hear Homepin is designing for the hobbyist/home user to enable maintaining a machine for many years.
