c.1955 Motorola Pixie 45P2, chassis HS-479
Small portable tube radio, thermoplastic cabinet
Three subminiature tubes (1AH4, 1AJ5, 1AG4),
One mini tube (1R5), superheterodyne circuit
6 1/2 x 3 13/16 x 2 1/8 inches / 165 x 97 x 54 mm
One 1.5-volt "A" cell, one 45-volt battery
Manufactured by Motorola Inc., Chicago
The Pixie is a circa 1955 tube radio employing one mini tube and three subminiature tubes. It came in five cabinet colors, each with its own model number: 45P1 (Black), 45P2 (Brown), 45P3 (Cream), 45P4 (Red) and 45P5 (Teal).
The Pixie is just too bulky to be called a coat pocket radio, so I'm calling it a small portable. As with so many Motorola radios, whether 1940s or '50s tube tabletop sets or tube portables or transistor radios, this Pixie has what I'd call a strange design. Some of Motorola's strange designs, such as the 7X23E 'Jet Wing' transistor, are cool and memorable, but most are not so much -- I'd put the Pixie in the "not so much" column.
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