You did nail it. I just stumbled across this thread, and seeing all the older posts for the first time, I'd have to agree that your final artwork, tweaks, and colors choices look better than the previous iterations. Great choices on mold, color, spots, artwork, and overall progression!
P.S. It now makes much more sense to me why you decided to sell the Casablanca set. Gosh, I hope I never get the customs bug.