What Flip Clock appeared in the movie, Back To The Future? - The answer may be complicated

What Flip Clock appeared in the movie, Back To The Future? - The answer may be more complicated than once thought.

Discussion of the "RC-6015/6010 Error Clock."

In the movie classic, Back To The Future, Marty McFly wakes to the alarm of a simulated wood cabinet, Panasonic Digital FM-AM Clock Radio (a type of vintage clock, now typically referred to as a "flip clock"). Without fail, collectors assert that the model number of this clock is the RC-6015. Could it be possible that this is not completely true? In buying and selling this particular flip clock a few interesting facts have come to light. To explain, it's important to be aware of other variants of this particular clock radio. The white cabinet version of this clock is the model RC-6010. Besides the color, this flip clock is nearly identical to the simulated wood cabinet model RC-6015 ... usually, that is.

There are two variants of the RC-6010. The first essentially is identical to the RC-6015 except, of course, for the color. This clock has a base that besides being white and having the model number RC-6010 molded into the bottom, has the same shape as that of the RC-6015. In fact, the internals of these clocks can be swapped without difficulty. However, a variant of the RC-6010 exists which holds a speaker inside with a different shaped base. To accommodate this, the clock's plastic base internally has a higher post where the speaker rests. Without taking the clock apart, this is evident on the underside of the base. A circular depression on the bottom is deeper on this clock variant. If you have an RC-6015 and this particular version of the RC-6010 side by side, the difference in the depth of this impression is clearly evident.

The remainder of this discussion concerns the first type of RC-6010 which has the same speaker style (that is, the bases are identical except for the color). The importance of the distinction between the two variants of the RC-6010 concerns a glaring manufacture error made when producing some of the RC-6015 clocks, what we are calling here the "RC-6015/6010 Error Clock." When producing these simulated wood clocks, the brown base was erroneously made using the RC-6010 mold of the similar configuration. This cannot be disputed because not only does the model number read "RC-6010" on the bottom, the mold impressions on the white RC-6010 are identical to the brown based, simulated wood cabinet clock with the model number RC-6010. These mold impressions are like finger prints, clearly identifying the mold used in production. To illustrate, returning to the speaker base indentation on the bottom of the clocks, and paying particular attention to the bottom of this circular indentation or, well, the tooling marks (swirls) are identical. Strangely, they actually look sort of like fingerprints.  In addition, inside the clock, under the clock mechanism, the mold serial numbers are the same. To explain: on the clocks examined for this article, the mold serial number had been corrected twice by the mold maker (two letters being lined out then replaced on twice). Molds for plastic injection are cut from blocks of steel, not molded themselves. These markings were etched into the steel of the mold. This confirms that the bases were, without doubt, created from the exact same mold.

Anyone familiar with plastic injection molding shops would confirm that it would not be unusual for one press to be loaded with a mold, then that press pushing out parts, one at a time, for a particular application. Obviously, it would have been an easy mistake to mount the mold that looked right for the clock. The press would then have run for hours (possibly all night ... maybe for days) pressing out these parts. It wouldn't be unusual for the assembly department to be waiting on these parts. The temptation to overlook a mistake that would backlog production would be there for sure. Or, perhaps the mistake was not noted immediately. In any event, this is all supposition, but human nature being what it is, the former would seem a reasonable guess on what happened.

It should be emphasized that a brown clock marked as a RC-6010 should not be referred to as a "simulated wood RC-6010", since the Panasonic literature clearly differentiates the white clock and simulated wood clocks as the RC-6010 and RC-6015 respectively. These clocks must be classified as RC-6015s with a manufacture error. A suggested collector name for these clocks would be the "RC-6015/6010 Error Clock."

Another clue that this was a manufacture error became evident when one of these clocks was found to have black glue covering the area on the bottom of the base where the model number resides. Removing these glue revealed the RC-6010 designation. It seems probable that a plate (subsequently removed) with the correct model number was glued over this area once the mistake was discovered in Singapore (where these clocks were made) or in the country where they were shipped. It is suspected that the correction was made at the factory since the black glue used is also found inside the clock (when gluing down the electrical connectors of the power supply and when gluing a reflective screen for the clock's light to the base).

More investigation would be required to determine the number of these "RC-6015/6010 Error Clocks" shipped. It can be certain that some made it to Canada (as a Canadian paper label is affixed to one model found (No glue was noted over the model number on this model).

So, the question remains: Exactly what kind of clock was used in the making of the movie, Back To The Future? Unless you can find the owner of the actual prop used or go back in time yourself, the world may never know.