Overview

Construct an arsenal of mini-models of large launchers, based on siege weapons used throughout history. All you need are everyday items and some adult help. Wheel them out as you conduct a siege and load your catapults with raisins or marshmallows. Bite-sized facts explain how these siege weapons were used in history too!

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9781512411720

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Reviews

"""[B]ooks about warfare tend to fly off the shelf, and this series is worth a good look. . . . Perseverance is key with these high-interest crafts.""--School Library Journal, Series Made Simple -- (11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM) ""Readers interested in models, warfare, and construction will find lots to love in this volume. . . . An excellent resource that will spark the imaginations of many readers.""--Kirkus Reviews -- (9/15/2016 12:00:00 AM)"

Everything you need to know to create your own tabletop medieval battlefields. Readers interested in models, warfare, and construction will find lots to love in this volume, an instructional tome dedicated to helping readers build the best tabletop siege engines. Readers will learn how to build trebuchets, spring-armed catapults, blasting ballistas, and more. Young tinkerers will delight in poking through their recycling bins and junk drawers to find materials to build weaponry of all sorts. The materials are not exotic: paperclips, produce-bag netting, the occasional spork. The instructions are clean and clear, charmingly illustrated with a diverse array of child warriors, and smartly paced. Bits of history involving these war machines pop up here and there ('The balls [early catapults] fired could fell ranks of soldiers at a range of 1,300 feet (400 m)'), but the primary focus here is model-building technique. Readers are encouraged to use what they've learned and design their own weapons, with modifications as desired. For those delighted by the concept of tabletop warfare, three other titles offering instructions on how to develop the battlefield are concurrently published: Castle Attack, Ready, Aim, Launch!, and Surprise the Enemy. All three detail their subjects in similar fashion. An excellent resource that will spark the imaginations of many readers. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal Let's be honest, books about warfare tend to fly off the shelf, and this series is worth a good look. Craft enthusiasts will use rubber bands, craft sticks, paper tubes, and pencils to fling paper wads and marshmallows across the room or set up a battlefield for warriors made of plastic eggs. Most of the projects are tricky to make, and though each one is explained via multiple illustrated steps, even confident crafters might benefit from photos instead of drawings. Materials are culled from the recycle bin or the office, sometimes creating more work than necessary (instead of being told to use dowels, students are instructed to cut the point and eraser off of pencils). Illustrated sidebars give historical anecdotes for each project. VERDICT: Perseverance is key with these high-interest crafts. --School Library Journal, Series Made Simple --Journal

Author Information

Rob Ives is a former math and science teacher and now a designer and paper engineer living in Cumbria, UK. He creates science- and project-based children's books, including Paper Models that Rock! and Paper Automata. He specializes in character-based paper animations and all kinds of fun and fascinating science projects, and often visits schools to talk about design technology and demonstrate his models. John Paul de Quay has a BS in biology from the University of Sussex, UK, and a graduate certificate in animation from the University of the West of England. He lives in the UK.

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