All of those Jap import machines had a redundant aftermarket metal Taito badge screwed into the side of the headbox so could hardly be classified as "great condition".
I'd take the $8k Jap version as a discount price just for the fact that the original direct printed artwork is now ruined.
Well done to anyone who bought a repro MM though. It was a great way to get hold of what is the holy grail pin (19 years at number one) for nearly all collectors and since prices of originals had surpassed $20kUS for immaculate original examples it made sense for a lot of people to choose that option and to pickup a reasonably close to original remake version.
