That Philco does make me wonder, just how much more effort would it have taken to centralise the front controls ? Still, all that empty space in the back must have been good for keeping things cool and reliable. Shame about the cabinet but looks like you are progressing with it.
If that Admiral's cabinet finish is original then that is quite astonishing, it looks fantastic. I want one
I don't really have a favourite set in my collection. However, I've always had a soft spot for Etronic - a small manufacturer that invested heavily in TV production after the success of the London and Birmingham transmitters - only to be shafted by the Government who chose the same moment to implement a massive hike in purchase tax that effectively crippled the company. Sadly, this set has a duff LOPT.
Also attached a few pics of my Philips 563A - a mad set with an exposed glass tuning scale. It took me years to get this set, having first seen a picture in a 1947 Wireless World magazine not long after I got into the vintage radio/TV scene, but it was another seven or eight years 'til I saw one in the flesh. Check out the mains transformers - yes, this is one one darn heavy set !
TTFN,
Jon