Title Ace of Aces: WWI Air Combat Game, Flying Machines
Product No. 012
Publisher Nova Game Designs, Inc.
Date 1983
Price $14.95 - $16.95
Box 6" x 9 1/4" green cardboard slipcase with painting of an Airco DH2 following a Fokker Eindekker. Shrinkwrapped.
Components: Two green 6"x4 1/2" gamebooks with white print on cover (one German and one Allied booklet.) One 6"x 8 1/2" booklet bound with a single staple
Other Features: Last two pages of booklet are damage allocation charts for DH2 and Eindekker, otherwise appears identical to previous edition. Booklet printed in red and blue.

What I call the paper cover editions were described by Nova designer Dennis Greci as "an unfortunate attempt to produce books less expensively." Instead of being packaged in a slipcase, this edition was wrapped in two sleeves made of stiff paper. This was shrinkwrapped with the front and back slipcase artwork displayed inside the shrinkwrap.

The gamebooks no longer featured the textured leather look of previous editions. Instead, the covers were made of the same stiff paper used for the outer sleeve. Greci passed along a word of warning for owners of the paper cover editions: "Unfortunately, the covers don't hold up well to continued use. They are actually dangerous to inanimate wet objects ... ink tends to bleed out of the covers when they become wet." Take these words to heart and don't accidentally leave the paper cover gamebooks on a wet table!

Also, although the paper cover editions are most commonly found shrinkwrapped as described here, Greci indicated that some were released in the cardboard slipcases used in the original editions.

More Ace of Aces Reference Guide

Introduction
1. Gameshop Edition
2. Initial Nova Edition
3. Early Handy Rotary Slipcase Edition
4. Later Handy Rotary Slipcase Edition
5. Powerhouse Slipcase Edition
6. Flying Machines Slipcase Edition
7. Balloon Buster Edition
8. Flying Machines Paper Cover Edition
9. Balloon Buster Paper Cover Edition
10. Handy Rotary Deluxe Edition, Matte Box
11. Handy Rotary Deluxe Edition, Glossy Box
12. WingLeader (WWII)
13. WingLeader with expansion set
14. Jet Eagles (Post WWII)
15. Jet Eagles, Desert Storm Limited Edition
16. Handy Rotary Richthofen edition
17. Handy Rotary Special Basic Edition
18-21. Overseas Editions
Other Titles and Unreleased Titles
Aircraft Listings
Ace Listings