Hey, so...about the three cabinets thing. A cousin of mine used to date a someone whose dad had worked at Stern. I got to go over to their house one time while she was babysitting me, and they had a bunch of pinball machines in their game room. I don't remember seeing THE machine there, but they definitely had ones I'd never seen before, and I remember the boyfriend proudly telling an awed younger me how they were able to get ones that never went for sale because his dad worked at the company. I don't know the specifics, but I'd guess it was some kind of company perk that you could buy any of the designs they had on file if you specifically requested them? Just thought it was worth mentioning, in case anyone at the company knew about the Ito machine, and had one made for their personal collection.
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Thanks ! My plane arrived late, I'll rent a car to go to Illinois after a power nap. I don't think Hideki's house would be a good lead, so many thing happens inbetween, I'm pretty sure his family doesn't have a clue where the machine could be now (especially if they are constantly moved from a place to another)