Copter Doctor, I think Bell figured out that a heavier 412 with the same power was not what the customers wanted. The electrical wizardry for the engines took up quite a bit or room, and added weight, for no appreciable advantage over the old -3DF engine.
Reliability wise...... there wasn't any real change. Not having to change N2 actuators was about the only thing you didn't have to do anymore, but that was offset by the stupid flight idle set up that now had an idle stop on the way up as well as on the way down.
Are you going glass cockpit at the same time? There will be lots of wiring just for the engines, so why not go the whole hog and put screens up front??
