Air Race Board Games?

Wow … wonder what a kid who played that in 1934 would think if you shoved a smart phone in his hand?

Me, I’ll take the board game. Any day.

Here is my latest acquisition, a locally Australian made 1934 Air Race Board Game, but using a DC Battery, leads and lights to produce for then a very high tech “Electrical” 1934 Air Race Game.

Thanks, that was a WW2 themed Air Race game, likely released post war?

just fyi this board game was for sale last weekl

https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-catalogues/bosleys-military-…

Official and souvenir documents directly related to the actual race are getting much harder to find, this programme published in the UK for the Race has been sitting on ebay for the best part of 12 months, and is in poor condition compared to one I already have, but I recently decided to buy it given its scarcity

Earlier this week I scored this later version of the 1911 “Around the Commonwealth by Aeroplane” replacing the Wright Flyer with a 1920’s? Radial Bi-Plane?

This is again made by the National Game Company in Ballarat but carries no date or corporate/manufacturers markings.

I think this predates the 1934 Air Race given the game still focuses on circumnavigating Australia – In 1911 the longest cross country flight was by JJ Hammond from Altona to Geelong but perhaps this revised version is related to the 1924 actual circumnavigation by Goble and McIntyre in a Fairey IIID (floatplane) although again if that is the case the artwork is not representative of the actual aircraft?

Equally in those days you couldn’t just google a picture or description of a Fairey IIID up on demand to help an artist draw one?

I more recently acquired the playing board of the “Ahoy” brand “The Great Air Race” game – made by Robert Ross & Co in the UK.

This game also features the actual 1934 race course from London to Melbourne but also the silhouettes of both the DH88 Comet and the DC-2 suggesting it was finalised and released just after the race to capitalise on the publics interest

Much later I purchased a playing board with the same Air Race name and a race course from London to Melbourne that matches the actual 1934 Air Race course – yet the aircraft depicted on the boxes and the board do not reflect any specific types let alone those that competed in the Race. 
 

This board folds and fits snuggly into the larger box and I suspect this game was developed and released when the Race was first announced to capitalise on the expected interest?

I suspect it may be a product of the National Game Company of Ballarat in Victoria who produced the original 1911 “Around the Commonwealth by Aeroplane” game discussed earlier in this thread?

I continue to pick up 1934 Air Race items to add to my collection, in relation to “Air Race” Board games I ended up getting a larger box of the same “The Air Race” board game with 1930’s style aircraft in the art work

Both boxes were devoid of any manufacturer or date markings although one had a small slip of paper printed with the rules to the 1911? “Around the Commonwealth by Aeroplane” game

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Slightly off topic, but I had this air themed board game. You “flew” a plastic aircraft that looked nothing like a DC3 around the map picking up cargo and competing for money, trading off fuel for cargo and jockeying for position on approach. It was less exciting than it sounds… 🙂

Stephen, that’s a great piece, perhaps the invitation to the dinner became his name plate and drink coaster at the table.

In regards to the tray, I have one, you have one, the Museum of Victoria have one (from the same second hand store mine came from), and more recently a 4th one was on Ebay, and there is another shown online from a previous auction house sale, so that makes 5 surviving.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Here’s another related to the race. Looks like he had a few wines on the night!
Stephen.

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Hi Mark, I have one of those air race drinks trays. Very hard to photograph but at an angle shows the embossing shows. I’ve only seen three in the last decade. Yours is one of them and the other two might be the same one seen for sale twice. Good to know there’s others out there.
i don’t have any board games but lots of Aussie golden age stuff in my hoardings.
Regrads, Stephen.

Mark,

I hope you might be able to help. I’m trying to find out more about this medallion. I’m not certain that it is contemporary with the race, but might have been produced later? Do you, or indeed does anyone else, recognise this and know anything about it, ie when and why it was produced? Any information would be much appreciated.

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Only 4+ years late, but better late than never, I only recently obtained one of these medallions myself, – on the reverse side is the clue to its story, “Exibited at Lewis’s 1935”

the following detailed are taken from the following Cached webpage of Chris Balm’s now closed website

http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=dH+…s+1935&d=4 887120597556414&mkt=en-AU&setlang=en-US&w=yudVfFQYBEeuZ8Zdccfbt60FjzXOO-ah

A rare aluminium medal made as a souvenir to mark the occasion of the Dehavilland DH.88 Comet racing plane ‘Grosvenor House’ (G-ACSS) being exhibited at Lewis’s department store in Manchester, England in February 1935

The most interesting aspect of these images from Chris Balms site is that my recent purchase was on ebay from Chris Balm, and the medallion I have received is the specific one in the photos from the cached website, so it seems Chris may have only ever had this one single example.

It is however a different example to the one in your post above – can you advise where that image has come from?

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Yes Scotts Book is a good read and I have a copy plus Jim Mollisons book ‘Playboy of the Air’ as well. My favourite though is Aviation Memoirs by Owen Cathcart Jones which has a great final chapter about flying the Comet in the race. I was fortunate to be given a copy a couple of years ago.

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Interesting stuff.

My Mother’s cousin was CWA Scott, so I have an interest in his exploits, especially before and after the race. “Scott’s Book” is readily available and well worth the read. How many times did he attempt to fly to Australia, in Moths various? Records broken? He opened up the Outback via the Aerial postal service, with many a caper. (Should read it if you haven’t already, Ken)

Pics:

Signed photo of when he was with an aerial Circus touring UK. Flew my mother, brother and sister at Abbotsinch, Renfrew (Glasgow) in an Avro 504 (memory?)

Scott’s Obituary from the Times, 1946.

Keep the thread going!

Mark,

I hope you might be able to help. I’m trying to find out more about this medallion. I’m not certain that it is contemporary with the race, but might have been produced later? Do you, or indeed does anyone else, recognise this and know anything about it, ie when and why it was produced? Any information would be much appreciated.

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Mark and all !

I contacted today the Peliko/Martinex company if they are interested about this game.
For the interest of all readers here I think I switch the playground to be globally interesting. Ie it takes you literally around the world. Hope this turns out to be a success story.

best regards,

Juke

Good luck with that Juke.

I have just added to my collection with a copy of the ABC’s Air Race publication from 1934.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Mark and all !

I contacted today the Peliko/Martinex company if they are interested about this game.
For the interest of all readers here I think I switch the playground to be globally interesting. Ie it takes you literally around the world. Hope this turns out to be a success story.

best regards,

Juke

Hello Mark Pilkington !

I was about to start a thread week ago about a board game that I invented some 30 years ago based on this African Star; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikan_t%C3%A4hti and Monoply rules applied to a game where you ( participants ) buy aeroplanes with certain capabilities and move them according to the planes factor..corcorde went 4 times the dice number etc. Usually the winner was the one who got Boeing 747 first.

Game was called FLY AMERICA and I actually painted it on a backside of a certain plywood pool game ( corona ). It was great fun..and you used monoply money on it. It would be a blast even today if reinvented.

Regards,

Juke