In June 1938, Philco introduced its new 1939 model line. For the first time, the company not only had its regular line for the USA market, but also a specialized lineup designed specifically for export to the tropical regions of the world.

Philco called the new line Philco-Tropic Radio. Philco described the special construction of the Tropic models in their 1939 Philco RMS Yearbook as follows:

Philco continued to describe its Tropic line of radios in its 1940 RMS Yearbook in a similar fashion. But by the 1941 season, Philco had ceased mentioning any sort of “special treatment” having been given to its Tropic radios.

All Philco-Tropic radios were built for operation on either 115 or 230 volt lines. Some small Tropics operate on either AC or DC, while larger Tropic models were designed for use on AC only.

Philco-Tropic radios are noted for their emphasis on short wave coverage. Some of the better Tropic models include several short wave bands, designed for easy tuning of short wave stations.

Philco-Tropic models were built in the USA through the 1953 season. After the end of World War II, Philco gradually began to switch production of Tropic radios to Mexico, then to Philco’s subsidiaries in Great Britain and Argentina. UK Tropic models also read “PHILCO TROPIC” on front, and state “MADE IN ENGLAND” on the back cover. Argentine Tropic models will have the “PHILCO TROPIC” name in front along with “INDUSTRIA ARGENTINA” in much smaller letters. Tropic radios continued to be built in the UK well into the latter half of the 1950s.

For a time in the 1950s, there was also a line of Philco-Tropic TV sets available in South America.

One Philco model was built and marketed in the USA which could be considered part of the Tropic line – the 1953 model 53-960, a very large table model set with multiple short wave bands. Its lineage can be traced back to the 42-760, and it is very similar to the latter. It is not known why Philco chose to market this set to USA customers. Perhaps, as Philco phased out production of Tropic models in its Philadelphia and Sandusky plants, they had some Tropic chassis left over and chose to sell them in the USA to get rid of excess stock. If so, it would not be the first time Philco put together limited run or unusual models for the USA market.

Considering the low production numbers of many Tropic models, it is surprising that Philco continued to produce this specialized line of radios for so many years.

Philco-Tropic radios have been found in Central and South America, Africa, Europe, and Australasia. A few exist in the USA as well. Some of these may have returned when their owners emigrated to the USA and brought their Philco-Tropics with them. Others may have been originally sold in the USA, notwithstanding the tags on the back which state (in French) that these were “built expressly for export.”
I own one 1939 Tropic model. While the cabinet appears to have a heavier coating of lacquer than other 1939 Philco models, nothing remarkable was noted regarding chassis construction. A little corrosion has set in over the decades. On the other hand, a 1942 Tropic model owned by me has a fair amount of rust on the chassis, helped to no small degree by rodents which were obviously not repelled by any special treatment inside the radio. If there had been any special rodent and insect-repellant wax inside this Tropic, it obviously lost its effectiveness at some point over the decades.

A 1941 ad for Philco-Tropic radios. The main text reads: