"Where did you ever get the idea that the new machines were going to be fair as to what order they strikes came out ?"

Where did I get the idea of any machine being fair I was thinking first impressions. You walk up to the machine having never played one before. It displays 6 designs and has 6 tubes. Would be inclined to think you get a different one each go. Why otherwise would they design the thing to look lke that? Why did they change the machines at all. Surely the problem was just with the hopper mechanism jamming too frequently. Why didnt they just deal with that?

"One thing for sure if one plays enough money in a machine with more than one strike design sooner or later you will get all the designs"

Cheaper to pay someone to sit at the machine for you (ie buy from a dealer that already has them)

"if one tube is empty does the machine stop woking until the empty tube is filled or does it seem to bypass the empty tube"

It bypasses, or at least it did where I was playing, although someone mentioned there may be two strikes at the bottom of each tube not visible. I played about 10 of the new machines.