This was the reward for completing the Arcade Aid challenge and guessing all 56 video games hidden throughout the city. I managed to get about 47 without help, not too bad. The ENCOM employee badge arrived in about a week and has an employee ID number, scan code and cool holographic sticker. For a give away item, this thing is fantastic. Yes, I’m a Tron fan and will wear this proudly.

Apparently it also gives you a clue to make it farther in the search for Flynn. Scanning the bar code on the ID badge will lead you to THIS website, for employee’s only. The contest/game has been around for awhile so of course you can find most of the answers on Google, but give it a shot first, lots of fun! Visit the official Flynn Lives website, create your login information and get started on your journey. Tron Legacy awaits!

My example of the Willis Tron cpo is missing the cut out where the spinner decal most likely resided. It was probably removed during the die cut process. I’m not 100 percent sure a spinner decal existed, but I’ve seen plenty of those red top spinners to lead me to believe that they did. I checked the Wico catalog on my resources page, but it didn’t have a picture of this particular overlay inside. If you happen to own the cpo and it still has the cutout in place, shoot me a picture, I’d like to see it!

Another more important difference between the Willis and original overlay is the type of ink used in printing. The original art glows under black light and gives the cabinet its famous look. The Willis artwork has none of these effects, which I discovered when I put it to the test under black light. It just looks black. The last picture in the series is of course what the original overlay and spinner insert looks like. This reproduction is produced by Phoenix Arcade as part of the full set of Tron artwork available at the site. The artwork recreates the original black light effects beautifully and my Tron will be getting this complete restoration treatment shortly. The Willis overlay will be put back in the archive.

I ordered two handles on Sunday and received them today via USPS, pretty quick. Do the handles meet collectors exacting standards? How do they compare to an original or a previous reproduction handle? Let’s find out.

The handles arrived in a standard VHS type priority box without any packing material, just the handles and my receipt. They appeared to be undamaged, sealed in a plastic pack. I opened them up and gave them a quick inspection, they were crisp and clean. No messy mold lines, clean through holes for the screws and the brass insert for the top screw. Everything looked great so far.

I took the NoSheeples (RGVAC) hand molded reproduction (far left), an original NOS set (center) and the new GroovyGameGear reproduction (right), and laid them side by side. I used a completely dark room, with one 24″ black light tube approximately 1 foot above the parts. Without any other light in the room I think the difference is obvious.

The NoSheeples reproduction does not glow very well. The BL needs to be closer and direct to get anything at all. It is almost lost in the dark room against the black floor. It also has flash from the mold that needs to be cleaned off and there are slight fit issues between the two halves. The parts have a dull sound when dropped and seem to be made from a very soft plastic.

The NOS piece is at least half good under the BL. I bought this as NOS but only one half glows, not sure what’s up, but it appears to be original. The NOS is much brighter than the hand made repro, with clean mold lines and all the quality you’d expect from an NOS part. It would look good if both halves had the reactive plastic. When carefully dropped it has a dense, molded plastic sound, crisp and sharp.

The GGG piece glows brightly under the black light, as does the included trigger. The plastic has a lighter blue tint to begin with and is stunning when under the BL. Upon close inspection it appears to be identical to the NOS part. Same mold lines, same injection points, identical. I would say it came from the original mold or at least from one of the duplicates floating around as stated by GGG. The trigger also glows brightly and adds a nice touch. It has the same quality appearance with a brighter glow. When carefully dropped it has a sound somewhere between the repro and NOS stick; slightly softer than the NOS piece, but denser than the NoSheeples version.

Installing it was very easy and took just a few minutes. Be careful when attaching the leaf switch for the trigger as the screw post is not pre-threaded. Make sure you use a self tapping screw to cut the threads or you can bind a screw in the plastic. If it breaks off you’ll be screwed (ha!). A final note, the NOS half fit perfectly with the GGG part. The NoSheeples piece didn’t fit well with either. So there you have it. NOS is great, but at $24.95 with a brighter appearance, you can’t go wrong with the new repro.