This most basic motorized compact w. flash is extraordinary, not only due its colour-sheme, but, at least at my sample, also due to its hinge-seal.
The camera is designed in a way common for these cameras: cassette on the left , drum-style take-up spool on the right, leader-tip mark at the right and a bent, springy steel sheet at the back-door, at closing pushing the leader end onto the drum.
At the hinge, where one would expect a velvelt- or labyrinth-seal, there is nothing.
Instead there is black foil glued into the take-up chamber, protruding outside!
And a strip of velvet is glued onto that protruding part of the foil, ending flush with it.
My first idea was that the velvet hinge-seal got loose and somehow moved around the edge into the take-up chamber, partially protruding outside.
However that all seemed carefully been mounted this way. The result of this construction though is that the springy sheet no longer pushes the leader-end, but instead that protruding foil and velvet glued together. Thus the velvet pushing the leader-end.
As the protruding foil still has got its sticky backing, there is the chance that if the leader-end has been positioned too far right (at the mark actually) it will stick between foil and springy sheet. And thus the camera will not load...
Furthermore there is a added piece of foam next to foam seal-ring at the cassette window.
This all gives the impression that after start of manufacture make-shift design corrections were done.
I found on the net only one photograph of the opened camera and it got that weird seal. Have you got the same at your samples?
The camera is designed in a way common for these cameras: cassette on the left , drum-style take-up spool on the right, leader-tip mark at the right and a bent, springy steel sheet at the back-door, at closing pushing the leader end onto the drum.
At the hinge, where one would expect a velvelt- or labyrinth-seal, there is nothing.
Instead there is black foil glued into the take-up chamber, protruding outside!
And a strip of velvet is glued onto that protruding part of the foil, ending flush with it.
My first idea was that the velvet hinge-seal got loose and somehow moved around the edge into the take-up chamber, partially protruding outside.
However that all seemed carefully been mounted this way. The result of this construction though is that the springy sheet no longer pushes the leader-end, but instead that protruding foil and velvet glued together. Thus the velvet pushing the leader-end.
As the protruding foil still has got its sticky backing, there is the chance that if the leader-end has been positioned too far right (at the mark actually) it will stick between foil and springy sheet. And thus the camera will not load...
Furthermore there is a added piece of foam next to foam seal-ring at the cassette window.
This all gives the impression that after start of manufacture make-shift design corrections were done.
I found on the net only one photograph of the opened camera and it got that weird seal. Have you got the same at your samples?
