What is the scoop on Personal Reel Mount production?
The machine used to make the reels is the same one that
made them in 1952 and as far back as 10 years ago it was
reported to be wearing out.
For quite some time it's future has been in question but it kept going
and may have kept going at the plant if it had stayed in Oregon
Now that the Oregon plant that has been the reel
making facility for the last 50 years was shut down in August 2000 and
the normal reel production moved to Mexico, they made a decision
not to include it in the plant move. The
Personal Reel Machine was instead shipped to Fisher-Price HQ in NYC for
storage.
They saw a dramatic increase in blank reel production before the move
(because the word had gotten out) and are
re-evaluating the situation regarding production. It's future however is in limbo.
Many of the resellers made big orders of Personal
Reel Mounts during that last run, but it appears enthusiasts have been
purchasing large amounts to ensure they can continue their hobby even
if they are never produced again. This quickly depleted their stock.
The main resellers are:
3DStereo.com
Reel3D
(2/11/03) In a surprise to everyone, a new personal
reel mount has emerged from another source and is
selling on ebay. Made by a company in California called
Fresa
Volante.
3D Stereo.com
said on September 21st 2001 that reel blanks should be available very
soon!
3D Stereo.com announced on June 19th 2001 that they
would soon be producing View-Master Reel Blanks! For complete announcement click this text.
For all of those concerned about the
status of personal reels manufactured by Fisher Price, send me some
email and I will add you to the list. I hear from
good authority that something like a petition would be
fruitless, but you never know when we may need to come
together to save the format.
If your curious about what makes a personal reel
different than a normal production reel see: Anatomy of a Personal Reel
If you are interested in creating View-Master reels
without a Personal Stereo camera, see: Making
custom View-Master Reels using a 35mm or Realist
camera
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