Monday 22 February 2016

TREBUCHET CATAPULT (Age of Empires)

This is a TREBUCHET (a specific class of catapult) from the Age of Empires series by a Chinese model company I cannot name (as I do not read Chinese - not because it is a secret) but appears to be http://www.xymxok.com. The scale is uncertain as the plans list 1/72th scale, but the website says it is from 1/40th scale down to 1/72. It seems too large for the smaller scale. The trebuchet was invented in the 12th century and used for over 300 years until after the introduction of gunpowder. This is an all linden wood laminate (plywood) kit with tight-fitting laser-cut parts and metal bolts and nails. The build took eleven hours, and was an fun weekend project. The catapult actually works, and will throw small stones. The wheels at the back are to winch down the throwing arm. Length 221mm, height 240mm, width 156mm. I bought it through mail order at aliexpress.com for about $24.