[Jeffhs]

The control panel on that set is rather unusual, especially for a console. I've never seen one like that before. The last time I saw anything even remotely resembling this layout was when I saw a pic, some years ago, of the pop-up control panel of a certain model of RCA solid-state b&w 12" portable from the '70s or so (can't recall the model number offhand, but it could also be operated from batteries, IIRC).

The eight-track system definitely looks like an add-on, as it isn't built into the hutch or the TV console itself.

Craig was a Japanese electronics import company, its heyday being in the '60s and '70s. I note, however, that the company must be making a comeback of sorts, as I occasionally see CD/MP3 players with the Craig name on them being advertised in Circuit City and Best Buy ad flyers in our Sunday newspaper.

Craig also made car stereos for awhile. Don't know if they are still in that facet of the business, but I do recall seeing ads for AM/FM/cassette auto receivers from them a few years ago. It wouldn't surprise me, however, if they are in fact still in the mobile audio business, these days turning out AM/FM/CD or CD/satellite radio systems.

I just took a second look at the CM console being discussed here. The control hutch, IMO, really isn't that ugly--just unique. The hutch has two sliding doors that can hide everything in there, including the aftermarket 8-track deck in this one, so the controls and everything else behind them won't be an eyesore when the set is not being used.

BTW, speaking of eyesores, have you ever noticed how unattractive the front control panels are on many old TVs? The manufacturers try to make up for it by using fancy badges and things on the panels, but the controls are still in full view on most sets. (When the lettering starts wearing off the knobs after a few years, it just makes the problem worse.) The cleanest-looking front panels I've seen on older sets have been the tilt-out control clusters in '70s-vintage RCA color TVs, and a similar design used by Zenith in the '60s and possibly early '70s for their b&w and color consoles, not to mention a line of Admiral color consoles in the '60s with tilt-out control panels as well. I had a 23" Zenith B&W console with such an arrangement; the secondary controls were behind a swing-down door below the CRT. The only two controls visible on the front of the set were the channel selector and on-off/volume control.

New TVs are being manufactured with fewer front-panel adjustments, so we may be seeing a comeback of this sort of design. Almost all TVs, VCRs, and DVD players today are being made with on-screen menus and controls, with only a row of push buttons on the front panel, generally below the CRT in the case of TV sets. My own RCA CTC185 has such a control panel; at night, when my living room is almost dark (except for one lamp in a corner of the room behind the TV), the front control buttons are nearly invisible, as they are black, the same color as the TV cabinet. This is also a big reason I don't want to get rid of this set any time soon, or at least as long as it works (I have an extended service contract on it that runs through 2006)--the newer RCA table sets are in high-tech silver-color cabinets, with the front controls plainly visible.

New Philips Magnavox TVs are available these days only in that color cabinet (silver), but I wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot clip lead because of the flimsy contruction of these sets; I've heard it is possible to push the set off any table it is set on (because of the lightweight construction) without half trying, even when simply pressing one of the front-panel control buttons.

I wonder, as I write this, how many new "Magnavox" TVs have appeared in repair shops for replacement of smashed CRTs or other problems caused when the set fell off the table or stand while the owner was simply turning on the thing or changing channels, invoking menu options or trying to perform other control commands by using the front panel controls. Personally, if I had a set like that, I'd stick to invoking the menus and their options, not to mention volume-on/off and channel selection, via the remote, and would leave the front panel buttons for use only in emergencies, such as when the remote batteries eventually expire (this often happens right when you're all set to watch a favorite show) and you can't find new ones immediately. I rarely use the front buttons on my RCA, preferring instead to operate my entire entertainment system (not just the TV) with an aftermarket RCA universal home-theater remote (RCU-800B). It works well for me, and saves wear and tear on the front controls (almost all of which are pushbuttons) of my entertainment gear.