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Sentinel Model 284 |
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| The 1945 Sentinel model 284
series is certainly one of the more unusual radio designs, and a very
attractive one, according to taste. Known to collectors as
"wavy grill" Sentinels, the designers surely drew inspiration
from the automotive world.
The chassis is mounted upside down, and slides into channels cast into the Catalin case. Unfortunately, the designers didn't account for Catalin's inevitable shrinkage and, if you are lucky, the chassis is merely stuck, and can be removed with some effort. If not, as with the red example shown here, I actually had to cut the chassis apart to remove it. Because of the Catalin vs. metal conflict, many of these cases will be found with serious cracks. The yellow example shown is also one of the few Catalins that started out as a yellow (often called "sand") radio. These are usually heavily marbleized; the ones that were originally white have very little marbleization. All of the grills were, presumably, originally white. The radio was also made in blue. There was also a Catalin version that didn't have the grill piece, but substituted a flat piece that surrounded the opening. These are considerably rarer, but less attractive. Last, and most definitely least, there were Bakelite versions, that had one of the ugliest cabinet designs ever conceived. They are good only for their chassis and dial glasses, which are the same as in the Catalin versions. |
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