Sixty years ago this month, the April 1960 issue of Electronics Illustrated carried a review of the Lafayette Sunflex radio kit (model KT-132). It derived its name from the fact that the two transistors did the work of three, thanks to reflexing, and that the set could be powered by the sun, using an optional solar battery. The set was said to be very sensitive, and also ran off two penlite batteries. Power switching was done by plugging the earphone into the appropriate jack–one for the internal battery, and the other for the solar battery.

The kit retailed for $11.95, with the solar battery selling for $7.75.  According to the magazine, the kit took about six hours to put together.