Elmo GS-1200 Xenon

[Steve Keays]

I happened to score a Xenon too as part of a huge camera/projector collection here in Canada . My name is Steve too, so maybe that helped .Im very surprised people are pricing it here at only 600-800. I know that the regular Gs 1200s sell for about $1000 on average,and close to $2000 for ones that are like new and serviced ! Therefore since the Xenon is so much more rare and in demand than the regular one is, I would have thought it would be worth at least double. I found one only on Worthpoint which shows one that sold in the UK and this is it !

[Patrick Steemers]

I paid about $65.

Ain’t that AWESOME!!!

[Alan Rik]

Past tense.. enjoyed. The item sold so we probably will not be seeing this member post any longer. Unless he of course finds another.

[Steven J. Kirk]

You have THE BEST super 8mm projector ever made. It was a gift level price and 'projector operated flawlessly first try!.' Mark this down as one of the best days of your life. Life doesn't give too many of these. Make sure you enjoy it. Well done!

[Steve Rollinson]

I bought a short Sci-fi reel in its original box, seeled. It arrived today! It was so much fun to watch! The projector operated flawlessly first try! I projected the movie onto my neighbor's house about 40 yards away! Too much fun!

[Steve Rollinson]

Jason! Thanks so much! I ordered an old SiFi movie in like new condition and when it arrives I'll take another long look at what exactly is going on with the projector. Again thanks!

[Jason Smith]

Steve, congrats on your score. That is a bargain to find a projector like that here in Japan. I have never seen a GS-1200 that came with a case like that. That is cool to see.

As Alan stated, your listed price is too high. You would not be able to sell that for more than $600 here in Japan. If you want to sell the projector for top dollar you would need to add more detail to the item description. At the very least, the projector should be tested with an optical and magnetic sound film and confirm that you have sound. A description of how well the lamp ignites and confiriming that play/forward/reverse/ and high speed rewind work would also be important to potential buyers. This is a great machine that could be suffering from several different issues.

You should keep the machine and explore the world of Super 8 with us on this forum. Once you have a good understanding of the machine and any different issues it is having, you could use this forum to help solve those issues and later flip the machine on eBay for a good amount of money. Shipping overseas from Japan would be around $300 or more.

If you plan on running any valuable film through the projector, I would recommend checking the lower film tensioner and lower film guide.
The plastic in the middle of the film tensioner has probably worn away and the ridges that develop can leave wear lines on your precious films. You could reshape the tensioner with a soldering iron or replace it with a roller.
http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bi...c;f=1;t=008762

The lower film guide is another area in the film path that you will want to inspect before running any valuable films through the projector.
http://8mmforum.film-tech.com/cgi-bi...c;f=1;t=010985

[Lee Mannering]

Yes that's about the time I think you'll probably see they were offering the 800 with the 1.0 lens as well. My new 800 didn't work when it arrived and the engineer came to the phone asking if I was any good with a soldering iron. They had problems with dry joints on the Sankyo 800's so he phoned back to talk me thru where to look. A good firm.

[Maurice Leakey]

Lee

Just looking at Movie Maker February 1982. Vic Odden was offering a brand new Sankyo 702 for (only) £144.95. His comment was "This is better than the best 'grey' price we have seen at the time of going to press! Buy while stocks last".

In the same issue, Rank Video Library were advertising films for hire on VHS tape, such as "Cabaret" and "The Wild Geese".


Maurice

[Lee Mannering]

Says something about the value of projectors today to the outside world.
I found a new Sankyo in a Kent charity shop a couple of years ago in its plastic internal wrapping £25. Gave them 50 for it worth every penny and hopefully did a bit of good for someone. Was a nice find as it had the Vic Oddens sticker over the top as when I purchased my Sank 800 new.
Going a bit off topic some UK old hands may remember when Vic decided to leave cine dealership with the onslaught of video and those Sankyo projectors were heavily discounted 40 years ago. It was a golden time for anyone into cine wanted a pop machine at a lower price. I got a phone call before they sent the projector offering me a Sankyo 620 camera to go with it 'We only have 2 left' the chap said. Memories...

[Steven J. Kirk]

Steve Rollinson, you have won the lottery! The xenon bulb alone is worth more than you paid. The person that disposed of this did not know its value and you have averted the tragedy of it being destroyed. In Europe on eBay this would achieve anything above $1500 US dollars even if it has issues. Good luck with using it and have fun and if you want to move it on, put it on eBay!

[Steve Rollinson]

Melvin, Dominique, Alan, Thank you for your kind responses! What an interesting passion you all have!

[Alan Rik]

Congrats. That is one nice machine and even nicer is the price paid. So selling it in Japan, I think the price is too high. When they sell over there they can sell anywhere from $200 to around $700. That price that you listed it at is the price people were paying for it a few years back in the USA. Japan never had high sales on Super 8 even the Xenon, the best version of the Elmo GS1200. There is a flipper over in Japan who buys standard GS1200's and things for around $200-400 and then tries to sell them here in the US for $2300! https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Mint-i...AAAOSwlTBdwAME
But he probably won't bid on your machine since there is no room for profit.
That machine even when looking in new condition as that one is, will still need some maintenance. There are gears in the arms that always fail eventually-they crack so that will need to be done at some point. The electronics don't like to sit for some time and since it was about to be donated for scrap, most likely the machine has not been used in years, so the switches need to be cleaned, its a lot of work to check it out to be asking top dollar.
And then of course you have to make sure the Xenon bulb is working properly. Generally when the lamp is switched on, if it strikes immediately then the lamp is probably good. But if there is a clicking sound or it takes a few strikes to light, then the lamp is about to go. One thing about the machine is that the Xenon machine is designed so that once the bulb is lit, you should keep it on till the show is over. Do not turn it off in between reels and then put another reel on and then turn the lamp on. It will shorten the life of the lamp and they are not cheap and are hard to find.
If you aren't a collector and don't like to get under the 'hood' of Super 8 projectors,( its not fun), you should sell it so someone who loves film and can handle the repairs that might come their way with this great machine. As far as price, let the auction run, you never know! It could sell but if it doesn't you should try to sell it on Ebay but unless you can tell the purchasing party that it is working 100% as far as you can tell, you might not get the price you want for it. But you will definitely get more than $65 no matter which platform you sell on! Good luck!

[Steve Rollinson]

Trade me an old guitar for it!

[Steve Rollinson]

I understand this is an extraordinary piece of kit and I'm in no way set up to understand or to enjoy it so I came here in hope that someone here could buy it or talk some sense into me about it.