Thanks for the offer but I was concerned if it was cost effective to send it out for repair.
I got lucky and found the exact same Noritake display on ebay and picked it up for $12.99!!
All is working beatifully now.
BTW, I found the problem with the old VFD. The vacuum tip was broken. I wasn't sure if it was always like that or not but now that I can compare the two side by side, the damage was evident.
Thanks for all the help. I hope it wasn't too exhaustive.
Cheers,
trode