Huh. I've generally had OK luck with Matsushita top-load VHS machines. The main problem is the high number of rubber belts and wheels in those things-- you'll quite likely end up having to replace them all at this point. Also, I've found at least 2 or 3 Matsushita top-loaders with worn-out heads. Oh, another common mechanical issue I've seen with early Matsushita VCRs is that the "brake pads" on the tape reel brakes are often falling off/missing-- you can just glue them back on (if they're still there) or replace the "pads" with a scrap of cloth cut to size. These VCRs do seem to be quite sound from an electronic standpoint though-- the problems I see are almost always mechanical/wear things.
Fortunately, Matsushita-made machines are certainly the most common top-load VHS decks, so it's easy enough to find another machine to cannabalize parts from if necessary. In addition to selling their own VCRs under the Panasonic and Quasar names in the USA, Matsushita made a lot of machines for various other companies on an OEM basis-- they made all GE and most RCA VCRs (RCA VCRs made from about 1982 - 1985 were made by Hitachi though), as well as many N.A.P. brands like Magnavox, Sylvania, and Philco, as well as a variety of department store house brands. Long ago, when used VCRs were still fairly vaulable, I had obtained two well-used broken top-load VHS decks for the then-bargain price of five bucks apiece-- an RCA and a Quasar. Both had identical chassis-- they differed only in the shapes of the control buttons, cabinet colors, and some trim pieces. I swapped around the 'bad' parts of each and made one nice working "frankenstein" VCR out of the two. Since the cassette lid was cracked on the Quasar deck I was using as the main host, I put the RCA lid in its place-- which resulted in the front of the machine having the "Quasar" logo, but if you looked at it from the top, you'd think it was an RCA.
