COMIC BOOK WAR GAMES
"TANK TRAP"
A GI BATTLE GAME BY HELEN
OF TOY, CO.
The dual Comic Ad above features both Tank Trap and another Helen of Toy War Game called Task Force (Task Force details can be found on our Main Comic Book War Game Page.) The Ad was found in a "Battlestar Galactica" Marvel Comic from 1979.
Note that these later Helen of Toy Ads offered a "Free Chess Game" premium (actually just a printed piece of paper - you cut the pieces out yourself), promised 48 hours processing time, and claimed to be shipped in "Handsome Simulated Book Form" (actually just a flat, plain white, cardboard box - see image below.)
The images below from top to bottom feature:
- Close up view of some of the GIANT G.I. figures that came with the Tank Trap and the Woods Edge War Games. Note that some are Gray "Germans" and some are Green or Olive "Americans." It seems that the games came with one green army and one gray army.
- Close up top and bottom views of the ever-popular "Exploding Tanks." Tanks consisted of two hard plastic halves which were held together by rubberband tension and were triggered by the slightest touch (see freeze-frame "Action Shot" below of Tank Exploding!)
- A nearly complete Tank Trap Game with Original Box spread out on a table with Helen of Toy Flyer/Catalogs which advertised their other games.
The game below shows 64 COMBAT MEN and 6 TANKS (3 olive green, 3 gray) set up on the 12 1/2" x 25 1/2" BATTLEFIELD Playmat per directions at the start of a game. To the left of the Battlefield are 6 "EXTRA TANKS" (3 light green, 3 gray, not actually used in the game), 1 TANK BARRIER (the long thin wire to left of mat?), 25 TANK MINES (all on a perforated red paper card made up of smaller square "Mines"), the "Simulated Book Form" BOX, and the paper "FREE CHESS GAME." To the right are the H of T catalog flyers which were normally included in game boxes.
Not shown is the Spinner for the game which was called the "HEADQUARTERS COMMANDER."
ORIGINAL DIRECTIONS:
This web site has obtained an original copy of the Tank Trap Directions. Please follow the link below to view the directions.
