Eighty-five years ago this month, the April 1941 issue of Radio News showed the Motorola model 3A5 “Playboy.” The four tube (plus rectifier) portable radio was said to play anywhere, and the manufacturer backed up that promise: The set would play where other personal portables failed, or the customer’s money would be refunded.

The set measured 6-1/4 x 4-5/8 x 3-1/2 inches, and weighed in at 4-1/4 pounds. It started playing automatically when the lid was snapped open, and shut off when closed. It was “encased in a crackle finish metal case of modern design with shimmering chrome trim and a front cover of Polystyrene, the new plastic.”