PATHFINDERS STEM Leonardo da Vinci Catapult Kit

I bought this for my finace's son and I to put together (he is 13). It took us about an hour total, and here is how we did it: First, we laid everything out according to the chart. This was to help keep his interest in the product, as he gets distracted very easily. The pieces are all made of wood, and well-cut. No splinters, no broken pieces or anything. Then, we assembled the catapult according to the instructions BEFORE we glued anything together. This is the smart thing to do, as some of the pieces do not fit perfectly together (the kit comes with a small bit of sandpaper to file down the pieces so they fit snugly). At this point I did NOT tie the strings in place yet. Next, I disassembled the catapult and he watched me glue it together (I used this as a teaching tool for him). There isnt enough glue for the entire model, in my opinion. So, next model I will make a trip to the hobby store and purchase a bit more, just to insure the model is tight all around. Just my preference. Thirdly, after gluing all the pieces in the appropriate place, i tied the strings in place after carefully ensuring the correct way was obvious. Fourthly, We used Pill Pockets (dog medicine treats) as ammunition after our little Tiki tried to eat one of the clay projectiles we made. Little rat. So, we figured we would make treats the dogs would chase and make it fun for them as well. As you can see in this video, it works wonderfully! Very stable, easy to operate. We probably fired stuff of it for about an hour, and it is still in excellent shape. This was a great Saturday afternoon project for he and I, and I am looking forward to purchasing more of Leonardo's stuff for future projects. Hey- at least he got off the Minecraft.

My son had a school assignment where he had to build a catapult for class (4th grade). The rules of the assignment did allow for kits to be used. Fair warning: almost every kid in class bought this exact model, all without talking or planning that. It was the cheapest one that looked decent, and was very popular. This is not to say it is bad in any way, but it was an obvious choice for most. If you are doingnthis for an assignment, then there is a very good chance someone else will also buy this model, if that is somethingnthat matters to you. It does work decently well though. In that class, they tried using some pretty slippery metal bolts to launch, and that did not work out as well. The clay balls that come with it are better as they grip the wood better. Some slippery things may not launch as well potentially. Also, it is wood that bends. I did not have any problems with this breaking. It still now is in one piece and works well. If I was going to use it a ton, I would think about something where wood is not being used as the spring to launch it though. Who knows, maybe I am wrong about that, but it always makes me nervous it will wear out or break, though it never did give me problems. It is a decent product for a decent price. Certainly not for everyone, but it works for what we needed, and made for a good experience that my kid enjoyed.

I bought this for my 9yo for Christmas. No missing parts. Replacement parts were included in a separate bag, as a few parts were originally manufactured out of spec, which I thought was a good solution. Instructions are not the greatest, might require some deciphering for kids. The fits on a lot of the parts are pretty tight, especially toward the end of the build. A fair a mount of hand strength is required, making it difficult for a lot of kids. The string-tying might also be a challenge. Once it was assembled, though, everything worked like a charm! We're ready to repel the miniature Barbarian hordes!

Son wanted a catapult but we did not want the rubber band ones. 7 year old required help with assembly, especially with tying the knots on the strings (dexterity), but if you set aside an hour or 2 TOPS you can have a nice, fun time assembling it with your child. I was worried from reviews that it was a persnickety model and required some hardy engineering skills, but we bravely glued as we went and the finished product was flawless. Just double or triple check your pictures as you go/glue so you don't get the barrel on backwards or something like that. We ended up using stronger glue for the the little pad that your moment arm falls onto because it wouldn't stay with the "elmer" type glue that was included (this is a minor deal that you can see at the end). He wants to mount it on a board (which should make it easier to operate with a single set of hands) and it is fun to toss different types of projectiles. It's great quality and can be recycled (no plastic). Company it shipped from did a nice job.

I had fun with this little toy. The parts were well machined and fit together well and even came with glue. Be careful, some of the parts are very similar and easily confused and if you glue them together its not coming undone. Oddly the parts are all inch and fraction dimensioned and all the instructions call them by their metric values. - like it was designed and made in the US but with instructions written for metric users. I didn't use the clay - I was afraid it might leave greasy marks around. I found the best "ammo" to be some aluminum foil balls crumpled up tight to be about 1" in diameter or a little larger. It shot about 15-20 feet. good for a family room or long hallway. Grandkids 2 and 5 played with it some. It was accurate so I could hit them square in the chest repeatedly and they loved that, They had trouble shooting it because the unit is light and you have to hold it down while pulling the release.

This kit is great for older kids who enjoy building things but still like the fun of a toy. After it is assembled, you have a great toy to play with ! It is great value for a purchase that is appreciated by older kids who need something different . My grandson loved it - I was running out of ideas and this was perfect!

I purchased this to make with my grandchild. He loved it and it was a great task to do together. It was great to use for taking them through each step. I do recommend going through before hand though and labeling each piece. The parts do not come marked for each step. This would be a good item to add to the production

Ordered this kit for my son. Came in, well packaged. The instructions are decent, but not a beginner kit instructions. The pieces are made well enough, but not a perfect fit as I have seen in other kits by different manufacturers. Everything fit well enough, but a more skilled hand would be required for a well functioning DaVinci catapult. I like the overall size of the final product. It is far larger than depicted. This kit needs some experienced assistance for the person who is assembling the kit. The instructions are not as clear as they could be. There are a few fitting points that require a more experienced hand. Otherwise this is a really good kit for a parent and child to assemble.

L'ho acquistata per mio figlio di sei anni, dopo che l'abbiamo vista in un negozio presso il castello di Amboise in Francia, a più del doppio del prezzo. Solo dopo che l'ha montata ho letto che l'età è dai 12 anni ed ho anche capito il perché. Non tanto per la difficoltà di montaggio, quanto per il fatto che quando è azionato, il braccio dà un bel colpo, che ho preso (due volte) sulla mano. Mio figlio però è stato più avveduto di me e non si è ancora fatto male. Il montaggio è abbastanza facile, mio figlio ha fatto quasi tutto da solo. L'importante è, secondo me, attendere un giorno che la colla si asciughi prima di usarla, altrimenti qualche pezzo potrebbe staccarsi all'atto del lancio e fare danni. Bello, lo ricomprerei.

Vraiment bien, très rapide a monter. Faire bien attention au sens de montage de la roue crantée, on l'a monté a l'envers et c'est galère. Mais après quelques bidouilles elle marche très bien, et peut être utilisée en intérieur avec son boulet en pate a modeler. Une fois collée elle est nickel cette catapulte.

A 6 year old will probably need some help from an adult. Concept really appeals to kids. High quality parts

Für meinen sechsjährigen Sohn ein toller Bausatz. Sehr gute Abwechslung zu Lego.

La compré para un proyecto y es genial. Funciona, lanza la pelota más fuerte de lo que me imaginaba y fue entretenido montarla. Las instrucciones están en alemán pero se pueden seguir perfectamente siguiendo los dibujos.