At the end of the day, I could play any one of Fizgig's machines just as well as I could an "Original" in "restored" but not "reproduced" shape. However, I can be sure Fizgig's would look a lot better. So I would be totally fine and very happy with having an arcade room full of Fizgig "reproductions."
And you know what? I guarantee...I GUARANTEE...that if I said nothing about it, invited several local collectors over for a party, and then while they were playing the games, told them they were...ohmygosh..."Fizgig Reproductions", I know exactly what they'd do!
They'd let go of the joysticks and stop playing!
....
Hah, fooled ya. F' that! They would keep on playing. Not everyone is so anal about mdf/plywood/particle board boxes. I know I am not.
Hell, Fizgig would save me a lot of time restoring cabinets if took over my collection for me. Time I could spend with my family, hiking, actually playing the games, etc. I'd name my arcade "Fizgig's Arcade Extreme 5000 Times Better Than You" if he wanted. I'd pay for the sign lol.
I really just don't care anymore. I "restore" a game because of 3 reasons: 1) I don't have a CNC nor good enough tools, 2) I'm a cheap bastard, and 3) I don't have the time or skill to do a total overhaul from the floor up. If I could/wanted to, I would.
I'm getting to the point where if I go over another collector's house I don't care if they're all mint or what's not original or whether they used a new cab. I just care that they're working. That's all. I'm there to play them. Nothing more. Nothing less.
That's my take on the whole deal.
Now to contribute a bit more, I've seen the word asshole and dick thrown around in this thread so I think it's about time this was posted: