jrabbit, when you are 74 you are allowed to have days off.!!  Atached is an png image that I would call a sprite as you mentioned???   If that part is ok, I am lost when trying to follow your shader set ups. I have never seen/used these add mixers applied before--your whole shader set up is thus foreign to me.

Any chance of a an image of your shader tree or even your lightning .car to study please. I tried my ideas and can not get the glow to work--NOT one of my good days!

Brian

bwtr