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Hello,
I've been working on a couple of trebuchets. My first attempt was for the Black
Falcons. It is very mobile and has a hanging counterweight.
Here is the folder: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=64935
Deep Links
Back:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_back.jpg
Front:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_front.jpg
Side:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_front.jpg
The Crusader's Trebuchet is not quite as mobile and features a static
counterweight.
Folder: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=64933
Deep Links
Front:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/CrusaderTrebuchet/crusader_trebuchet_front.jpg
Back:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/CrusaderTrebuchet/crusader_trebuchet_back.jpg
Side duringtransport:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/CrusaderTrebuchet/crusader_trebuchet_transport.jpg
Enjoy!
James
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In lugnet.castle, James Brink wrote:
> Hello,
> I've been working on a couple of trebuchets. My first attempt was for the Black
> Falcons. It is very mobile and has a hanging counterweight.
>
> Here is the folder: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=64935
>
> Deep Links
> Back:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_back.jpg
> Front:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_front.jpg
> Side:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_front.jpg
>
> The Crusader's Trebuchet is not quite as mobile and features a static
> counterweight.
>
> Folder: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=64933
>
> Deep Links
> Front:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/CrusaderTrebuchet/crusader_trebuchet_front.jpg
> Back:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/CrusaderTrebuchet/crusader_trebuchet_back.jpg
> Side duringtransport:
> http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/CrusaderTrebuchet/crusader_trebuchet_transport.jpg
>
> Enjoy!
>
> James
DUDE! Those are TOO AWESOME!
I am DEFINATELY stealing those designs. Actually, I'm going to steal the
Crusader's design with the Falcon's counterweight (I love swinging
counterweights, I just think they look cool when firing).
I also love your solution on a minifig scale sling! I doubt they actually fire,
but they sure give the illusion with grand flare!
Excellent job!
--Anthony
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Thanks for the compliments!
> I also love your solution on a minifig scale sling! I doubt they actually fire,
> but they sure give the illusion with grand flare!
I worked for quite awhile to get the falcon version to work. I can get good
velocity on the sling by adding larger counterweights, but the projectile either
flys out too early or sticks in the pouch. I think with a non-LEGO pouch and a
lot of patience I could make it work.
I could post some pics of the construction if you are interested.
James
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In lugnet.castle, James Brink wrote:
<snip>
>
> I worked for quite awhile to get the falcon version to work. I can get good
> velocity on the sling by adding larger counterweights, but the projectile either
> flys out too early or sticks in the pouch. I think with a non-LEGO pouch and a
> lot of patience I could make it work.
<snip>
I'm not much of a "Castle guy," but I love trebuchets. Yours are definitely
medieval-looking, although kinda small for scale (but isn't most everything in
minifig scale?).
Suggestions for actually getting it to fire:
- your counterweight should be at least 10x projectile weight (hard to achieve
at this scale). You can "cheat" by stuffing the CW elements with lead - go buy
some pellet-gun pellets at Wal Mart and stuff 'em in with a stick; they are soft
enough to pack in there (but won't ever come out...
- you might have better luck fixing a string to the projectile, rather than
using a "real" sling arrangement (keep the sling for display - it's GREAT).
- adjustment of the launching angle requires an adjustable-angle release pin -
something that's very hard to do in Lego, especially in scale. You can
accomplish some adjustment by playing with sling/string length (start with the
length of the "long end" of the arm (axle to end) and make small adjustments.
Again, it will be difficult in scale.
Good luck!
James Wilson
Dallas, TX
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Hi,
I actually got an experimental version to work after my original post. See this
post: http://news.lugnet.com/castle/?n=18739. I had to change the sling and I
used a minifig hand for the release pin :) It had just the right angle. I can
throw a good five feet by adding even more plates to the counterweight.
James
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In lugnet.castle, James Brink wrote:
> Hello,
> I've been working on a couple of trebuchets. My first attempt was for the Black
> Falcons. It is very mobile and has a hanging counterweight.
>
> Here is the folder: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=64935
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/FalconTrebuchet/falcon_trebuchet_front.jpg
The real question is whether it will fire or not.. and how well it will fire.
Really, I'm interested to find out. I've been thinking of making a trebuchet
(cause they are cool), and your designs are very nice.
-Lenny
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> The real question is whether it will fire or not.. and how well it will fire.
It fires, but not very well. I messed around with the black falcon version for
an hour or two. I got the projectile to release early and then not release at
all. I think the key is in the pouch and sling. Minifig hair doesn't really cut
it :) It's pretty easy to get quite a lot of velocity with the sling by adding a
larger counterweight.
Anyway, I think with a lot more testing and patience it could work with a
different pouch.
James
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Alright,
I made some changes to the black falcon trebuchet and got it to fire properly.
It currently will throw a 1x2 round brick about 2 ft ahead. I have an 2 second
(300k) avi if someone wants to host it.
I looked up some info on the sling (http://www.ripcord.ws/ under "how slings
work"). I redesigned the sling using very light thread and made a new pouch from
part of a plastic grocery bag, plus a little tape. I copied the release
mechanism from the site using a minifig hand since it has the right angle. I
also made the counterweight fixed and made it larger. Plates are alot more dense
than bricks :) I also had to change the undertray. It's not as pretty as the
original, but it's just an experiment. Here are some pics:
The
sling:http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/WorkingTrebuchet/trebuchet_sling.jpg
The mechanism:
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/jbrink44/WorkingTrebuchet/trebuchet_mechanism.jpg
Overall pic: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=590236
James
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Hi James,
These are great trebuchets! I really like the counterweights and the sling
using minifig hair - very clever. Both trebuchets look like they could be from
the middle ages. Great job!
Ben
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In lugnet.castle, James Brink wrote:
> Hello,
> I've been working on a couple of trebuchets. My first attempt was for the Black
> Falcons. It is very mobile and has a hanging counterweight.
SNIP!
> The Crusader's Trebuchet is not quite as mobile and features a static
> counterweight.
SNIP!
James I really like both of these - they're incredibly cool. The fact that
they're (mostly/fully) functional is just too perfect for words. Of the two, I
like the BF Treb the best but then I've always been a BF sympathizer. ;) The
pictures you've just posted of the revised pin and sling are great, especially
since using 100% LEGO just won't give the desired result. 99% LEGO still works.
;)
>
> Enjoy!
I did! Thanks for sharing!
JJ
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