This Ultimate Explorer looks like the type of grotesque, hard ass radio that Indiana Jones might have taken on one of his adventures!
The large gold face is entirely under-painted!
Ultimate-Ecko (NZ) Co. Ltd can trace its roots back to Radio Ltd formed in Auckland in 1922. Radio Ltd began manufacturing radios branded as Ultimate in 1923.
In 1936 the company changed its name to Radio (1936) Ltd.
By 1938 they were making a dozen different brands for various companies branded as Courier, Rolls, Golden Knight, Madison, Skyscraper, Lewis Eady, National, Luxor, Crusader, Hamilton, Paramount and Ultimate. Many of these radios were simply the same model with a different badge which mirrors what Japanese radio manufacturers were doing in the late 1950’s.
In 1955 they became Ultimate-Ecko (NZ) Co. Ltd, and in 1967 came under the control of PYE (NZ) Ltd.
