Trebuchets, Trebuchets, Trebuchets: Geeks with Projectile Weapons, Medieval Artillery Department

October 26, 2002 1:40 AM

Trebuchets, Trebuchets, Trebuchets: where geeks get medieval on thine ass. Some people have a love of history, spare time and an excuse to buy more tools. (His Earth Viewer is cute, too) Also needed are open expanses--like in Australia. Note: Punkin' Chunkin' (©donkeymon 11/03/01) 2002 is coming up in a week. Will Team Banka's Pumpkin Slayer return? Also, there's Gulf Wars XII for y'all next March. And, courtesy Nova, for the shockwave addicted, Play Destroy The Castle! Manual here. Also, here's the Virtual Trebuchet java applet. And last, massive trebuchet linkage.
posted by y2karl (16 comments total)

Haha! They named a medieval weapon after a M$ font! How silly!

^{yeah yeah...}
posted by slater at 2:12 AM on October 26, 2002

Ahh those crazy things, I love em. I built one once (Image, Story. Self links.) with fellow mefites Thunder and EmergencyPenguin. It was just a small one, about nine feet high, made out of scraps, but it worked pretty well. Excellent collection of links, Y2karl.
posted by Nothing at 5:18 AM on October 26, 2002

I'm going to try to make the annual punkin chuckin'. I've been there twice and it's a great time in spite of all of the Smashing Pumpkins jokes. Here are some pics of last year's trebuchets/catapults/generic punkin chuckers. After the festivities I like to go to the factory outlets in Rehoboth (no sales tax - whee!) and buy armloads of stuff that I really don't need, and early Christmas presents that I will immediately regret purchasing. It's a tradition.

Great linkola, as usual, y2karl. An embarrassment of riches. I always look forward to any post with your name under it. And yours too, madamjujujive.
posted by iconomy at 7:25 AM on October 26, 2002

[Goofy] Gawrsh,,, [/Goofy] *blush*
posted by y2karl at 7:55 AM on October 26, 2002

er, '...'
thought I hit preview...
posted by y2karl at 8:07 AM on October 26, 2002

Dang, slater beat me to the font joke.
posted by SoftRain at 9:49 AM on October 26, 2002

More great surfing courtesy of y2karl - thanks! And for those of you who like to conduct your trebuchet field tests with precision, perhaps a themed timepiece is in order?
...and iconomy, thanks for the feedback!
posted by madamjujujive at 11:00 AM on October 26, 2002

Well, I was expecting a waterclock and not a weapon, but, thanks, mjj, it lead me to the The Incredible Rubberband Machine Gun! --and not only that, but! at additional expense! The World's Only 24-SHOT Double Barrel Rubberband Shotgun! --e're I ever a cubicle gain again, productivity shall fall so as to topple the plutocracy.
posted by y2karl at 12:53 PM on October 26, 2002

having also built a 8' lever arm trebuchet (we had a junkyardwars type competition here at tufts), i have to say i have allot of respect for the medevil genious who came up with these beasts. The first site listed sells a funky rolling arm trebuchet which i was very tempted to buy and reproduce as a larger machine, but my girlfriend of the time said she'd leave me and i'd probably end up killing myself/someone else anyway.....maybe next year.
posted by NGnerd at 2:56 PM on October 26, 2002

I have my 7th graders build mangonels as part of a unit on Newton's laws of motion. Theis year's group is nearly ready for firing. Marshmallows, of course.
posted by plinth at 3:22 PM on October 26, 2002

How odd to come across a post on trebuchets within a few hours of reading a short detective story, to be found in here, that features murder by, um, collapsing trebuchet.
posted by thomas j wise at 4:48 PM on October 26, 2002

I wish i had a trebuchet. I saw a niffty potato gun in action a few months back.
posted by clavdivs at 5:29 PM on October 26, 2002

Ahhh, yes, the trebuchet - good times. :-) Lucky for the neighbor's cows, we never got around to putting it on wheels for better aiming! (KIDDING! We'd never fire a trebuchet at a bovine - that just wouldn't be polite!)
posted by thunder at 5:59 PM on October 26, 2002

Gulf wars - I'm in the SCA (the group that runs it) and I really don't suggest anyone show up for it unless you have appropriate costume. You WILL be turned away. We're recreationist, not a ren faire losers. Like the Civil wars folks only with fun stuff like armour and bows.
posted by Dome-O-Rama at 8:46 PM on October 26, 2002

Like the Civil wars folks only with fun stuff like armour and bows.

I rather thought that was how it was. Hmm, the potential for injury must make for quite a liability exposure--What kind of insurance is required? I rather imagine the release forms are quite lenghty and detailed.
posted by y2karl at 11:12 PM on October 26, 2002

Mmm, I love me some siege engines. I've been eyeing that mini trebuchet kit for ages...has anyone built one from a kit before? Is it difficult? I'm not actually that handy...
posted by JoanArkham at 7:12 AM on October 27, 2002