Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U functional without remote?
 

I've been looking for a VHS player with TBC functionality and this is the cheapest one I can find. The downside is that it doesn't seem to come with a remote. From what I can tell the TBC button is on the front, but wanted to see if anyone has experience with this model and if there would be any issues attempting to digitize VHSes without the remote for additional settings.

You are right. The TBC button is out front. You don't need a remote. However, I am pretty sure any Mitsubishi-compatible universal remote would work for you.