top20logo20eye20100-3113739

This sinister Toshiba 7TP-303A was manufactured in Japan in 1961. It is a fascinating design that is alive with religious symbology. Flip it upside down and it could easily grace the dark altar at a secret assembly of the Freemasons…! The big ‘V’ is an ancient sign that was a symbol of Satanic benediction during Masonic rituals, or so says some religious fanatic on the web… Oh you bad bad radio!!

It is nicknamed the ‘Cats Eye’ for obvious reasons….

  eye201-5102969

 toshiba20cats20eye20collage-2146722 

020cats20eye206-1-3007630

 

top20logo20eye20100-3113739

This crazy Toshiba 7TP-303A is simply out of this world! It looks almost alien and would be right at home on Mars or wrapped in the slimy green tentacles of some menacing space creature from a 60’s B grade movie. Speaking of movies, you might have seen it recently blazing atop Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings…

 eye20in20the20sky-5954449

 toshiba20cats20collage2020-1374243

 cats20eye20100-2616899

top20logo20eye20100-3113739

This Toshiba 7TP-303A is certainly unique looking and from a design aspect it has a lot going on! Check out the impressive reverse painted face featuring a malevolent cats’ eye tuning dial! It also features a large silver chevron on the speaker grill framing the ‘7’ which stands for ‘7 transistors’ of course. Or is that ‘Transistor 7’? Well that’s how it reads on the face of the radio….

 020cats20eye2010-1-9803661020cats20eye209-1-5677376

 020cats20eye204-2821484

020cats20eye2015-1-3166558

 

top20logo20eye20100-3113739

This Toshiba Cats Eye is bonkers! It has a manufacturing date of February 1961. The date of manufacture was obtained from the serial number code! The EVIL serial number code….

To learn more about dating Japanese transistor radios refer to Alan Kastner’s excellent site ‘Radio Wallah’!

    superimposed20eye201-6097034

 216_1658-3-5975878

    216_1658-5-5943954