[Arran]

Nothing wrong with RCA sets, or G.E ones for that matter, in Canada they are pretty much the same thing in different cabinets. I have a soft spot for old tube battery sets, and portables, unless they have been stored improperly, or abused, they are usually in better condition then their AC counterparts electrically, low hours, lower voltages, and low heat tend to help. It looks like someone cremated a resistor, I'm guessing that was in the B- circuit.
Regards
Arran