radio11: Magic-Tone 504

Does anyone know of a source for reproduction labels for the RDR Magic-Tone 504 "Whiskey Bottle Radio"?

I have seen them for sale on eBay years ago, but cannot seem to locate any now.

Thank you,

Bob Isaac

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

An interesting speculation about the Radio Development & Research Corporation (RDR) is that the company worked for the OSS designing "spy" radios during WW2, such as the SSTR-1.  After the war in 1946, they ventured into this commercial venue to produce several novelty and some "normal" tabletop radios. The company literally vanished from the radio manufacturing field a short while later in 1948.  Urban legend says that they went back to the "spy" radio game under the CIA.  ALthough I have seen some componets from the 1950's (transistors, etc) bearing the name Radio Development & Research Corporation.

 

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

Having no success in locating a reproduction label, I set out to make my own.  Right up front I must tell you that my attempt is NOT an exact duplicate of the original.  The fonts, while similar, are not a match, nor is the wreath, nor the color.  It is however, in my opinion, better than no label at all and will suffice until I can locate an actual duplicate label.

Thank you,

Bob

 

Attachments:

• USA_RDR_Magictone504_label (48 KB)

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

Bob,  Great job on the label.  May I ask what fonts you did use, and what type of media you intend to print it onto?  Many of the labels and decals I purchase nowadays do not match the originals well.  Again, great job!

Best Regards,

Howard

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.

Hello Howard,

Thank you.  First off, I used Power Point, since I do not own a copy of Visio.  Using the fonts available in PP, I scrolled through various fonts and settled upon those I found to be closest to the original.  In no instances did I find and exact match.

I will list them from the top of the label to the bottom:

"100% PROOF PERFORMANCE"   - Mistral 9

"RADIO DEVELOPMENT & RESEARCH CORPORATION"  - Calibri 5

"Magic - Tone"  - Palace Script MT 34 with Bold

"RADIO" - Gisha 7 with Bold

"RDR" - Gisha 7 with Bold

"the Radio that Soothes your Spirits" - Freestyle Script 16

"PRODUCED, BOTTLED and BLENDED by

RADIO DEVELOPMENT and RESEARCH Corporation

Jersey City 4, N.J." - Gisha 7.5 with Bold

"MADE  IN  U.S.A" - Gisha 6 with Bold

"PAT.  APPLIED  FOR" - Gisha 6 with Bold

"AGLOW    WITH    MELLOW    MUSIC" - Mistral 9

 

For the Neck Label - dial scale, I used: Calibri 9

For the colors: the shade of blue: (RGB 0 0 102) for both the background and blue text

The gold: (RGB 204 153 0)

I modified the wreath from an image I found on the Internet, and re-colored it with the proper shade of gold using Photo Shop. 

 

I printed it on simple copy/printer stock, for now.  And adhered it to the glass using a glue stick.  This will allow me to easily peel it off if and when I either find a replacement or create a better one.  The next time I will print it on a matt finish transparency, as I think this will closer resemble the original decal.  Or perhaps I'll use the complex and painstaking method I use to recreate glass dial scales using the ProFX decal system.  It depends on how motivated I become.  At this particular moment, I'm happy enough with what I have. 

Kind Regards,

Bob Isaac

 

To thank the Author because you find the post helpful or well done.