View-Master Viewer: The Model B
A collection highlight from the 1940s.
I rarely talk about View-Master viewers. I guess I’m not a gearhead? I jokingly say that I don’t collect viewers, I collect reels. If you collect enough reels, you end up getting a fairly solid collection of viewers whether you want anymore or not! For example, the 1950s-era Model C viewer is so ubiquitous — and I’ve had so many over the years — that I considered giving one away to anyone who visited my house.
That said, I do have some favorites among my viewer collection. Among the earliest viewers, my favorite is the Model B. Produced from 1944 to 1947(-ish), it is less common than the Model C and has a very pleasing 1940s aesthetic. Since I happen to have nearly every variant of this style, I thought it would be fun to show you my collection and provide a tour of this charming device.
The Model B was the first viewer made of sturdy bakelite. The Model A was made of Kodak Tenite plastic and is prone to warping. The B debuted in black but was also produced in brown, a vibrant marine blue, and, at the end of the product’s run, combination colors. There’s also a lovely black variant produced in the UK.
The Model B is a clamshell style (like the Model A), which means it opens wide so reels can be placed inside. And it has a little latch on top to hold it together.
The Black Model B View-Master
This style is the most common of the Model Bs.
The Model B was also produced and sold to the military in the late 1940s. View-Master was used to train pilots! These box sets are quite pricey and popular with military collectors.
The Brown Model B View-Master
I think the brown Model B is the least common color variant in the U.S. I picked mine up at the flea market a couple of years ago. I really like the brown color; it’s a rich chocolate. Brown viewers still have black eyepieces. All eyepieces are black across all variants, which is convenient (see note below about the glue problem).
The Blue Model B View-Master
This is among the most sought after viewers by collectors. It’s an unusual and vibrant color and really pops on the shelf.
However, there are two variants to this one — one with half black/half blue and one half black/half brown (by far the rarest of the Model Bs). Of course, my pal Keita at Vintage Viewers has every version (she has all the best toys) (and is a much better photographer than I am).
All of the Model B viewers made in the U.S. share a common problem: The glue that holds the black eye cups — all of which were black regardless of the color of the viewer overall — dried and shrunk over time. It’s common to find viewers missing eye cups because of this. If your eye cups are falling out, I’ve found the least invasive fix is to just wrap some electrical tape around the dried glue and wedge the cups back into place. The electrical tape is just thick enough to hold them in place without adding more glue. This isn’t my innovation, I read about it on a forum a million years ago. Shoutout to whoever first posted this online.
The UK Model B View-Master
I adore this viewer and its delicate little eye cups. They are very comfy!
But I also love that the UK version of the Model B, made by Salford Electrical Instruments Ltd., came with an unusual box. There’s a few variations I’ve seen on this, but I like mine best. And I love this logo that I’ve only ever seen on this box from the UK:
Isn’t it dreamy?
And, as a bonus, here’s the promotional flyer that came standard with a US Model B:
For a complete list of viewers, check out my friends at 20th Century Stereo Viewers.
Do you have a weird or random Model B viewer? Hit me up in the comments with it!
Thanks for reading, friends. Please hit the ❤️ button or leave a comment so I know you’re following along!
Fascinating! Thank you for posting <3
Oddly enough I still don't have a B! Got a "barely any warping at all" A and most others but not a B. Stopped looking for VM stuff when I started collecting other formats but really should rectify that.