Quoted from Ollulanus:I'd rather have molded ones if possible, but good backup plan (and lots of stuff that could be handy in that file, thanks)
i just installed the A-3994-9 flipper bats in my Magic Castle and so far (a whole dozen plays in) they work great. from a visual standpoint they look very similar though don't have the upper cap, but only someone who knows what to look for will see the difference. the shafts are also the right length, unlike a standard/modern bat shaft which are slightly too short for the keys to grab on to well (though can be used in a pinch.)
i also have some of the repro bodies i bought from Zaccaria Pinball years ago, as well as his repro shafts. i think whatever he had the shaft material made out of is too hard as the keys can't tighten enough to keep them from slipping on the shaft. i'm going to send him an email and see if he has a solution.
they're effectively the same price from Marco or Pinball Life (whole 4 cent difference); i happened to be doing a Marco order anyway so that's where i got mine from. https://www.marcospecialties.com/pinball-parts/A-3994-9
first pic is the repros which i pulled due to constant slipping, the second are the Bally-style bats from Marco.
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