Saw these today. They're still not cheap, but it'll save you a few bucks.
http://www.smallbearelec.com/servlet/Detail?no=1255
(http://www.smallbearelec.com/catalog/MacronCDF.jpg)
Excellent news!
Steve's said pretty often that the NSL-32 is appropriate for VTLC3 applications, too. Hopefully this will stem the bleeding for everyone who likes building optical effects ...
I looking at NSL-32 datasheets yesterday and the specs are pretty varied among them. I haven't tried one of these yet, but it looks to me like the NSL-32SR3 looks like a good candidate.