As you may know, a few weeks ago I purchased a Getaway Chase Game game from a guy on Facebook Marketplace. He made sure I knew that the cars were shot, but it was such a good deal, I didn't care. When I got it home, I found out just how bad those cars were... Real bad.
They were completely rusted out, which is weird, because the rest of the game (and box) were in near mint condition. I had thought that maybe I could fix them, but when I saw them, my doubts got huge.
Here they are...
They are rusted so badly that the wheels won't turn! Totally shot. If I was going to rebuild them, it would have to be from the ground up. So, I cracked my knuckles, rolled up my sleeves...and went to eBay.
I figured I had so little invested in the game that I could spend a little more for some easier to fix cars and still be way ahead. Soon I found a listing with two very clean looking cars that the seller said weren't running. At fifteen bucks, I couldn't resist. I snatched them up!
I got them about a week later, and boy are they purdy! Here they are next to the old cars... New car on the left, old car on the right. The new cars look smaller because they aren't on their chassis, but they're actually the same size.
And here are the guts. I don't have to tell you which are which...
Now the new cars were clean, but they were missing a few parts (spare tire and side pipes on the gangster car) and a couple of pieces were broken (headlight on the gangster car, windows on the cop car) So I decided to combine the best out of both sets and whip out the super glue to make a really nice set. Here they are!
By the way, the old cars were so rusted that I didn't even see they have an on/off switch! It's there, right in front of the guide pin. Straight (as in this picture) is "on." Sideways is "off."
And now it was time to see if I could get them running. I wasn't exactly holding my breath, since these little motors hadn't spun in about 60 years. Still, you never know until you try, so I dug in. Here's a picture for reference...
The first thing I did was to take a 9 volt battery and a couple of pieces of wire to see if I could get any life at all out of them. The contacts are on the side of the motor where the metal clip is. One motor did nothing. The other jumped slightly and then whirred to life! So I knew I could save one!
I then pulled out my secret weapon: contact cleaner. This stuff is designed to clean electronics and I use it on my stereo and bass amplifiers (and basses, come to think of it) all the time. I sprayed each chassis and whiped them down. Then I sprayed each motor through the little vents. I pulled out my 9 volt and tried again.
Both motors worked! I won the old toy lottery! I went to the store and bought to C Cells (not from Sally at the seashore), and, after more difficulty than there should have been, got them in each car. A little more cleaning, and futzing with the contact points and battery position, and both cars were officially running!
Now I needed to see if they would run on the track. I set it up, and switched both cars "on." They both sprang to life! I set them on the track.... and they bairly moved. Not daunted (ok, maybe a little daunted) I gave them a little push with my finger. The result?
Success!!! They zoomed around the track!
Then I decided to try a switch!
Now I could see how fun this game really is! It's pretty cool to watch them almost touch and then switch them away from each other! Cool stuff!
So there you have it! I now have a completely working DX Getaway Chase Game! I'm a happy camper!
This week we have another game that I picked up at the same time as The Flintstones game. This one is Snoopy, Come Home, from 1973. It was designed to go along with the theatrical release of the same name. Here it is!
The box artwork is pretty straightforward.
The instructions are inside of the box lid. The game is broken down into two parts. There is a "Getting Snoopy" part, and then a "Getting Snoopy Home" part. Snoopy and Woodstock can be stolen along the way home, which seems rather mean.
The inside of the box looks exactly like the cover.
Here is the game board. I can't say that I'm crazy about the art work on this one, although it's fairly close to the simple backgrounds used in the film.
The cards. Nothing too exciting.
I did find the original "tree" that the game pieces were punched out of under the liner in the box...
And those are the game pieces. One without Snoopy and one with (in case you have him).
And finally, here is the game set up to play!
The idea is to be the first person to return home with Snoopy and Woodstock.
So, how is the game? Not bad, I guess. But not great either. Which is kind of like the reception the movie got.
I think the idea behind the whole thing (that Snoopy had a previous owner who wants to see him while she's in the hospital, then decides to keep him but can't because dogs aren't allowed in her building) is a little sad. I'm a sucker for animals.
Interestingly, the movie has a Disney tie-in. You see, Peanuts writer Schultz wanted to make it feel more like a Disney movie, so he decided to not go with Vince Guaraldi for the music, but used The Sherman Brothers instead!
Still, the studio (which was going out of business) didn't push the film and it wasn't a huge hit.
This week we have a kids' game from 1971 that I picked up a few years ago at a thrift store, The Flintstones Messed Up Vacation Game! Actually, I found several character based games that day at that store and I snatched them all up! Unfortunately the store no longer exists, so return visits are out of the question. Still, let's take a look at the game, shall we?
Here we have the box! At first glance, it looks fine. Even fun. However, I've looked at it for a while and I have...questions. For example, why is Barney wearing a helmet? Why is Dino a sea monster? Why is Wilma's dress black instead of white? In fact, why are a lot of the clothes the wrong colors? The world may never know...
On the inside of the box, we get this not so helpful back story...
And here's the board! Now despite some glaring incorrect color choices, I really like it. It seems like some thought went into designing the alternate paths and places where only one person can stand (little stones) and two people can pass (big stones). A weird detail is the symbols on the "fall down the cliff) tiles in the upper right corner. They mean...well....nothing that I can figure out. It seems they had an idea for them and then completely neglected to let the rule writers know.
Speaking of the rules, here they are!
The bolder cards can effect the game quite a bit.
And here is the whole setup!
Note that the moves are generated by a spinner. I'm not a huge spinner fan, as they can be manipulated a little too easily by talented kids.
And here is a close up of the pawns on the board. If these pawns seem a little out of place, it's because they don't go with this game. The game didn't have any original pawns, so I dug through my misc. parts box and came up with these vintage wooden Clue pawns.
Here's a close up of Barney, aka Colonel Mustard.
I wondered what the original pawns looked like, and with a bit of interweb digging, I found this image. The pawns were originally these guys! If you think you've seen them before, you probably have. They were included in Which Witch, which (see what I did there?) came out in 1970!
So, how about play? Well, for a kids' game, it's not bad. The path choices and the ability to pass on some paths and not others is a nice touch. On the other hand, the cards can really turn the whole game over to chance, even if you are a great spinner manipulator. Still, for about a buck (which is what I remember paying for it) it's not bad at all!
Next week we'll have another find from that store.
Well this week I'm sharing what I was going to share last week if the post office hadn't been quite so slow. May I introduce Mattel Electronics Dungeons and Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game!
Yes, that's certainly a mouthfull. But it's also a fairly good description of this cutting edge 1980 game. You see, in the late 70s (around the time I was a hip and cool teen) Dungeons and Dragons was huge! All the cool (nerdy) kids were rolling their 20 sided dice to score hits on their imaginary foes in a world completely created by the Dungeon Master.
Now, I may have spent an hour (or a hundred) wandering these imaginary lands searching for riches, or, better yet, creating these worlds for my friends to explore. Time was plentiful, pizza was cheap, and the world was our oyster.
However, there was another ripple starting in the gaming pool. Electronic games, an offshoot of the birth of home computers and video arcades, began to appear. They were crude and simple, but to kids who had never seen the likes of them, they were exciting! It was only a (short) matter of time before the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons and electronics collided.
The first (and most sought after) mashup was...Dark Tower! My friend Chris had it. It's really cool. This post is not about it at all.
The second, and largely forgotten game was this one! (Insert fanfair). Let's take a look, shall we?
The box is colorful and, weirdly, features an Asian dragon. Most Dungeons and Dragons worlds were based on medieval Europe. Still, it's eye catching and colorful. My box is in fairly rough shape, but it still serves it's purpose.
A father and son searching for treasure!
The back lays out the stuff you get. Plus, it lets you know a little about what to expect.
And here we have the gameboard. Each square represents a bit of a dungeon to explore (say 10' by 10' area, for example). The thing that makes this game particularly challenging is that all information is given by sound alone. There is a sound when you walk into a wall. There is a sound when you wake the dragon up. There is a sound when you discover the treasure. And there is a sound when the dragon eats you.
Yes, eats you.
The point of it all is to simply grab the loot and make it back to your "secret room" before becoming a dragon Hot Pocket. (Dragons breathe fire, you know).
Now, to keep up with all that information the game is giving you, you have a drawer filled with props. There are red "wall" sections, and metal tokens for the dragon, treasure, and two brave knights. (Note: my game was missing the metal tokens, so I ordered new off eBay. They are the reason this post is a week late)
By the way, you can "test listen" to all the game sounds by playing them on this row of buttons.
The bottom of the game holds a pretty good rundown of how everything works.
Here is a typical setup. You only know where the walls are by running into them. You only know where the dragon is by waking him up (and then you only know approximately). You only know where the treasure is by tripping over it. In other words, it's as if the whole game is played in the dark!
The goal...
The baddie...
Sword Guy...
Mace Guy...
So how is the game? Actually, it's pretty good! The more you move, the higher the stress and when you hear the dragon wake up, it gets really exciting! It's not an easy game, which makes it repeatable.
Interestingly enough, Mattel Electronics released a version with a screen right after this one. I've never played it, so I don't know how it stacks up. I think that one kind of phased this one out, so this one is fairly rare.
All in all, it's a solid game that I recommend. Oh, and how about a period commercial? Here ya go!
Blogging can be a tough game. Sometimes things you plan just don't work. Sometimes it's because you just suddenly realize the material isn't that interesting (I always run with it anyway), and sometimes logistics get in the way.
For example, I ordered a part to complete a game off of eBay for this week, and although it was promised Thursday (a little later than I like to write it, but acceptable) here we are on Saturday with no stinkin' parts. So, what do you do?
You punt. You look around the house and grab something sorta interesting and go for it!
So, this week I give you...Kevin!
A bit of backstory is in order, I suppose. I found a little bendy alien on the ground outside of a middle school that the wife and I were voting at. He looked lonely, so I snatched him up and took him home. Somehow he ended up in my gig bag that I take with me when I play bass with various bands, so I started sticking him on top of my amp.
At some point, someone asked me his name and I said "Kevin." This was mainly becsuse Kevin was just about the least alien name I could think of on the spot.
As time went by, I noticed that Kevin was hard to spot on top of my amp, so I dug out an old broken toy flying saucer I had picked up at Good Will years ago, and plunked ol' Kev inside. He looked pretty good. But he needed...more....
A quick trip to my Amazon ap to buy some LEDs and an afternoon aimlessly soldering wires together until they worked gave us...Kevin's Ride!
Now you can actually see him!
A few notes on the saucer: It's from the movie Mars Attacks and didn't work when I got it. It had a bubble on top, but Keven wouldn't fit in with it on there. I gutted all the old electronics and put in my Frankenstein creation. The on/off switch is one I ordered for something else, but it wouldn't fit. It's powered by a standard 9 volt battery.
Interestingly, one of my bands, Off the Grid, has really taken to Kevin and made him the official mascot. Here's our logo...
So there you have the story of Kevin. A little bendy alien that went from lost to the mascot of a multi-hundred dollar empire!
This week's post is about a game I literally picked up on the side of the road. You see, there were some free antique doors that my wife wanted for craft projects in front of a house that was being remodeled, and there was a small pile of games and puzzles next to them. She got the doors and I got the games.
Now, these weren't really exciting games. They were more like brain teasers by unknown (to me) companies. Today I'm sharing what is probably the most interesting, Scarne's Challenge.
The box is in poor to terrible shape. In fact, it barely works as a box. The graphics are still there, though. Here they are...
Unfortunately, I didn't see $25,000 in the box, but I did see this...
Here is the board set up to play. Note that the numbers on a few of the tiles have worn off. It's easy to figure out what they're supposed to be, though.
Ah, the rules! Before we look at them, let me tell you a little about what I found out about the game's creator, John Scarne. He is, after all, probably the most interesting thing about the game.
John Scarne wasn't just some bumpkin game designer. In fact, as a magician, he was one of the best card manipulators and mathematical geniuses around. During World War II, the military hired him to instruct the troops on how to avoid being cheated at cards and dice. He even played Paul Newman's hands in the 1973 movie, The Sting while he manipulated cards. This guy was good. Really good. In fact, he is considered by many to be the best ever.
He also spent much of his career disproving various "card counting" methods, and coming up with his own. He wrote about a dozen books on cards, magic, dice, and probability. He passed away in 1985 leaving quite a legacy behind. He's one of those people that is not generally well known, but in certain circles is very well known. He also created two games. One of which, published in 1947, is this one.
Now that I've set the stage, let's look at the instructions. You know a guy like Starne isn't going to create some historical simulation or fantasy adventure. Nope, this guy liked numbers. And numbers is what we get!
The closest thing this game reminds me of is the little peg jumping game that's on the tables in Cracker Barrel restaurants. But it's actually much more involved. Here you go...
The key is the setting youself up with your "jump moves" so that after your five you can manipulate the rest with "line moves." There are 20 preset games to choose from, each with scores for "par," "good," "fair," and "poor" games. I'm really good at "poor" and "incomplete" games. Especially "incomplete."
And here we have rules for group play, if you want to torture your friends...
All in all, it's not a bad game. But it's also not a great game. I can see how if you stick with it, you will improve your score. Still, I'm not sure I have that level of commitment.
Starne's Challenge really is a challenge to get good at, and a fairly good game overall. It leans a little heavy into the puzzle side of gaming, having taken away all chance (no dice! No spinner!) which puts the full responsibility of how you do on your brain. My brain didn't like that.
Still, for a "found on the side of the road" game, I guess it's not bad.
