COMIC BOOK WAR GAMES
"FIGHTING SHIPS"
A NAVAL WAR GAME BY HELEN
OF TOY, CO.
The image above shows the full-page 1964 version of the Ad which has a black & white illustration. It was found on the inside front cover of a DC comic book called ADVENTURE COMICS, featuring Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.
By 1984, a full color dual version of the Fighting Ships Ad was still being seen in comic books. The color version also featured the Helen of Toy "Task Force" war game.
It is believed that Helen of Toy's Fighting Ships was possibly the exact same game as Five Star Toy's earlier "Convoy Terror." (In fact, Five Star Toy's may actually have been an early ancestor of Helen of Toy, Co.)
A contributor got in touch to tell us that he had Convoy Terror and the game included the identical playmat and ships that Fighting Ships used. He said the only difference was the early Convoy Terror playmat was made of paper where as Fighting Ships utilized a plastic playmat.
In the image below, the Fighting Ships 12"x24" plastic playmat is shown along with enlarged image samples of the Fighting Ships game pieces in the "metallic" Gray and Green colors (except the tiny "Mines" are not shown.) To the lower left are three later Helen of Toy ships in non-metallic gray. These were used in games like Task Force and Supreme Command.
For scale reference, a typical US Quarter coin is included in the image. The large Aircraft Carriers are 5" long. The tiny planes that went on them are just under 1/4" long.
Also shown below are two "Gyroscopic Indicators" (top-like Spinners), which were evidently used like dice to determine how many moves each player would have per turn.
A great contributor sent us the original Fighting Ships Directions. They offer a good indication of what the game included and also exactly how it was played. Follow link below to view directions.
