The lucky young man shown here, now about 90 years old, is putting the finishing touches on an electronic project, courtesy of his miniature radio laboratory kit, as shown in the September 1939 issue of Popular Science.

The kit was packed compactly in a cardboard box with full instructions for making a radio receiver, a code practice set, a relay for turning on and off lights, and other projects. Included in the set was a soldering iron and spool of solder, allowing the set to teach a skill that “every amateur radio fan should learn to use.”

While such kits were arguably a lot cooler in 1939 when they came with a soldering iron and tubes, many such electronic project kits are still available, as shown by these Amazon links.  (These are affiliate links, meaning that this site gets a small commission if you buy after clicking on them.)