Catapults were first invented in Ancient Greek and Roman times, however our common idea of them is based on drawings we have from the Medieval Ages. Leonardo redesigned the catapult around 1485, and used the springlike energy stored in bent wood to give power to the swing arm. The catapult and crossbow in Greece are closely intertwined. Primitive catapults were essentially “the product of relatively straightforward attempts to increase the range and penetrating power of missiles by strengthening the bow which propelled them”. The historian Diodorus Siculus (fl. 1st century BC), described the invention of a mechanical arrow-firing catapult (katapeltikon) by a Greek task force in 399 BC.
The weapon was soon after employed against Motya (397 BC), a key Carthaginian stronghold in Sicily. Diodorus is assumed to have drawn his description from the highly rated history of Philistus, a contemporary of the events then. The introduction of crossbows however, can be dated further back: according to the inventor Hero of Alexandria (fl. 1st century AD), who referred to the now lost works of the 3rd-century BC engineer Ctesibius, this weapon was inspired by an earlier foot-held crossbow, called the gastraphetes, which could store more energy than the Greek bows.
- Comes complete with all pieces pre-cut and ready to assemble
- Glue included
- Suitable for beginner model makers
- Easy to follow instructions
- Item model number FD-17
- Manufacturer recommended age 14 years and up
- Street Price: Approx: $19.99 USD
We received this Leonardo da Vinci Catapault wooden model kit straight from Taipei, Taiwan and directly from SabMatt. I had the pleasure to build it and the whole build went very smooth. As a model kit of the famous catapult, the design is simple as Da Vinci himself would have liked it.
The entire catapult model is made out of wood, but some are made out of bamboo. You can tell because they are strong and flexible.
It comes ready to assemble. You would probably need a small hammer to drive the pegs. They are very well identified and the supplied instructions are very straightforward. Â The kit comes with a small tube of carpenters glue which in my estimate should be enough for the entire project. I decided instead to use Aileen’s Tacky Glue from the craft store.
The kit supplies enough material to build 3 small ”boulders” or at least 2 larger ones. We always have modelling clay in our shop available, so we decided to make a few more. The grey one were made in the studio and the red ones are with the supplied clay. The catapult it fully operational and can launch this miniature boulders up to 10-12′ feet (3 to 3.5 meters) away.
Absolutely recommended!
My sincere thanks to Penny Chen from SabMatt for the review sample. If you wish to distribute this line of kits please contact Penny at:
penny (at) sabmatt.com
Tel: 886-2-2720-8668
