Realistic Autothreading tape - Anyone with info

[mrfoxboy]

I got this reel as part of a pack with various other reels. It's not a pre-record reel, and seems late 60's or 70's. It's a Realistic "Autothread" tape. Anyone with information on it gets a cookie!
BTW, I only have one of these, and there is no box for it...

[Jay Pemberton]

Lemme see....first appeared in the 1970 catalogue--5" reel, 79 cents, 7" reel, 99 cents. Last seen in the 1973 catalogue....the 7" reel sold for $1.19 but the 5" was still 79 cents.

[mrfoxboy]

aaaaaaand Jay gets the cookie! Thanx.

[Kent T]

The Realistic Autothread reel was sold as a take up reel. Benefit was easier to thread for many. 1973 vintage. Good looking too. *reelspin*

[vinyldavid]

The tape on there could be anything.

and what kent said.

IMHo the most easily threaded reel are those cheap Scotch plastic ones, but I recently found an Ampex reel with 3 holes that might take that honor now...it's not like any other Ampex reel I have seen. also I like the Maxell plastic takeup reel.

[toddbailey]

Ah Deja Vu all over again.

I had one of these a long long time ago.

It even worked, most of the time, you simply drape the end of the tape over the reel and hit play.
Down by the hub were small pieces of foam that would grab the tape and pull it in while the reel spins.
After a few layers of tape got wound up the tape would be fully tensioned. But it was hell on leader and a few times after the leader was crumpled, the reel would quit working.
After getting frustrated with it, it was used as a frisby and the first time it hit a brick wall it shattered and it was game over.. bye bye...