WM-F38

The WM-F38 is a budget AM/FM stereo radio Walkman that shared its mechanism family with the WM-38 playback model, combining low-cost cassette playback with manual radio tuning in a colorful plastic body. One of its more unusual design details was the tuner arrangement behind the cassette door, which also doubled as part of the radio handling logic. It runs on two AA batteries and kept the overall machine mechanically simple.

Sony had a habit of building radio functionality into low-end platforms with surprisingly little fuss. Instead of making the tuner branch feel separate or prestigious, Sony was already treating it as something everyday enough to graft onto proven playback hardware.