The Golden Age of Speed—Reborn

Speed Kings recreates the Thompson Trophy Cup races held in Cleveland, Ohio, during the early 1930s.

In the game, each player represents a race team that fields one, two, or three race planes. Gameplay involves Speed Cards, Pilot Skills, and Race Plane Attributes. Dice play a minimal role. Speed Kings is a game of skill, calculated action, and careful planning. Challenging, highly strategic, and realistic, to achieve victory, players must plan carefully and manage their engine power as they employ a push-your-luck mechanic to take the lead as their team’s race planes turn the pylons and hammer down the straights.

Gameplay is carried out either on a table or on the floor. Players may create their own racecourse or fly on one of the historic circuits included in the game. Pylons represent turn points on the circuit while the Straights define longer runs where engine power is king. Six race planes are included, ranging from the Gee Bee R-1 Super Speedster to the Hall-Springfield Bulldog, the Howard DGA-5 “Mike”, and the Laird Solution — all dating from the 1931 and 1932 race season. Each plane has unique characteristics that reflect its design and the raw power of its engine.

Which is better?

Should you fly a lighter, more nimble design or a heavier plane with a massive engine at the front? Twelve historic pilots are included, each with varying levels of skill and daring. Famous air racing names include Jimmy Doolittle, Dale “Red” Jackson, Lee Gehlbach, Beeler Blevins, and others. Women pilots are also represented, such as Gladys O’Donnell, Florence Klingensmith, and Pancho Barnes. Players set up the race, compete to choose their planes, recruit the pilots, and they’re off to a flying start. Most races are three laps long, though players may choose how many laps they wish to play.

Generally, it takes about 15 minutes per lap, depending on the length of the race course. The Standard Edition of the game comes with cardboard standees. The Deluxe Edition features miniatures of all six race planes beautifully rendered at 1/100 scale — once painted, they are equally suitable for a modeling shelf as for the game table!

Keep an eye out for this fun fast paced game here

There are going to be some 3D Models that will enhance the gaming experience for Speed Kings.

The 3D aircraft designer is the top guy globally to do these — Roman Vasyliev from Ukraine (pronounced: ROW-maahn VASILL-ee-ev). he is really an extraordinary guy — one of the best aviation miniature developers anywhere, if not actually the very best there is.

Here are some examples of his fine work. Two of the planes are ready: Hall-Springfield Bulldog and the Wedell Williams Model 44