Laser-Cut Basswood Torsion Ballista Kit (Individual Pack)

Assembled, this model ballista is smaller than I thought it would be when purchased online. The quality of the model is excellent. The precision cuts are spot on and the instruction sheet and labeling of the parts excellent as well. You will need a small phillips screw driver, scissors and wood glue, although I was able to forgo the need for the small screw driver. I recommend a good wood glue with a little working time. No sanding required. I'd recommend this as a good model for a beginner to tackle based upon the clear instruction sheet, well-marked pieces and well-cut design.

I am not particularly skilled with small tools. I am firmly of the school of mechanics that says never force it, just use a bigger hammer. With the warnings here in other reviews, I treated this very carefully. I worked slowly and carefully, trying to be gentle. The instructions could have been better, but I did figure it out with careful looking and comparing with the picture. With this prudence and awareness that the wooden parts are not very strong in relation to the possible torsion stresses, IT WORKS!

When I first saw it, I nearly panicked. It looked like I was going to have to carve all the pieces out.It is simply that it is cut that very precisely out of the wood. You can't even see the lines until you are pushing out the pieces.It isn't easy to figure it out, and assemble it, but I liked that about it. It would not have been any fun if it hadn't been a challenge. And it works.

Its a little flimsy. The ball sometimes shoots randomly.

I did like the fact that the boys could learn the concept of Leonrado's gadgets.

This is very poor quality. I returned the one I bought ( it broke during shipping ).I would have returned it either way. It is very small and not sturdy enough to sit on a table fire anything more than a few inches.Interesting concept, just poorly executed.

One of the strings included to make the ballista was too short for it to work properly. One string was correct and the other was not. My son was very disappointed after he had spent his time building this only to have it not work in the end.

of the trebuchet and catapult, this is the favorite among my boy scouts. quick easy build and durable, but you will want to buy more 14mm styrofoam balls than the 2 provided