Yeah, kind of like driving around in a 57 Chevy with no front bumper. It works, but .... ewwww yuck.
My #1 500 came to me missing the nose piece. The hinges on the machine body were good. Luckily my LSMG had all the bits I needed to make it whole again. So now after much cleaning, some replacement parts, and some adjusting it sews just fine. I claim it as mine too. My wife took the 410a away from me, so I claim the 500.
So there.
From my perspective, the hinges are only fragile "if" the user abuses the machine. If they treat the machine decently it's a non issue.
Joe