I doubt the color was ever as dark as the purple on the back glass, but certainly may have matched that of the plastics. Look under the posts when you get it. You will see it is 'somewhat' darker, but yes, this color always fades. As for the comment about build quality, Things certainly changed in 76 when sold to Columbia pictures. The addition of particle board on the back (bottom when taken apart!) in 1975, was a bad idea. Often this gets wet during storage and falls apart, or gets chipped/broken during moving. Inserts in 1976 have a history of being really loose and go missing often. (see Bank Shot/Sure Shot) I recommend anyone with this era game, check them and reset them with super glue if found to be the least bit suspect.

Hey Dan,
I've had several games with the aluminum trim that had some idiot get into them with a screwdriver.....
What I do is take the whole thing out of the game, seperate doP2130051.JPGor from trim, (I know you already had it that way) and carefully file the offending mangled metal. I use a fine file and then various sandpaper as well to remove as much damage as possible, always sanding with the length of the frame. They always look much better when done. This Super Spin door frame was pretty bad, and as you can see, only a few small divots remain. You have to take a little extra off sometimes, but the overall effect is good, yes?