The Desktop Onager

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Price: $39.95    

Product Feature

• This awesome little machine is the perfect desktop item to enforce the peace in your cubicle or dorm room. It really works!
• This all wood and twine machine has no metal parts! Find out how the ancients were able to use nothing but wood and ropes to build machines that could hurl heavy stones great distances.
• Simple and easy to build. This kit includes everything you need except for glue and a few simple tools like scissors, sandpaper, a file (a utility knife would be helpful too) and about two or three hours of your time from start to finish.
• Designed and made in the USA for better quality, better performance!

Product Description

Fiercely Fend Off Office Rivals -- Conveniently sized to sit on your desk, this intimidating little machine is an actual working reproduction of an onager. -- The weapon is all wood and twine with no metal parts, but it packs a big punch. Load it up with the included wooden balls or get creative with marshmallows, coffee creamers, erasers and more to see how many cubicles they can soar above before landing. -- Properly constructed, the onager has a range from 10 to 20 feet. The ancients were able to use nothing but wood and ropes to build machines that could hurl heavy stones great distances, now you can do the same to enforce peace in your office or dorm room. -- Build it yourself in under three hours, because this kit includes everything you need except for glue and a few simple tools like scissors, sandpaper, and a file. Colors may vary. -- Warning: This is a representative model of a real ancient military weapon. Use only with competent adult supervision.

The Desktop Onager Review

I took a small risk and bought this kit for my son's sixth birthday. He loves building with blocks and loves a certain popular, plastic-block building system from Denmark, but I was not sure if he would have the patience for sanding and gluing. The short review is: I was not disappointed. Building it together, despite having to take the lead myself, remained engaging for him - and the encouragement it took was well worth the investment after seeing the amazed look on his face when he first fired it. There's something really neat about getting that kind of "whack" just using a twisted coil of string!

I would say it is pretty much as advertised and the first review is helpful, too. It arrived with all of the wood pieces still attached to a wooden template and needing sprues cut. I was lucky to have all of the tools on hand. Be sure to have some sand paper and a modeling or utility knife at least. The instructions recommend a utility knife, metal flat file, metal round "rat tail" file, sandpaper, glue, and clamps. We used all of those, but I was really particular about having a smooth finish and a well-constructed catapult. You could make due with less. It does appear to be poplar, not red oak. But poplar's a sturdy hardwood, too, so we weren't disappointed.

My son and I built it in about two or three 30 minute sittings, letting the glue dry overnight. I kept it short for him and gave him the sanding and some filing while I used the knife. One night I attached the string and the next morning we attached the arm and trigger. Properly constructed, it is quite durable. It is holding up after several trips outside. He is certainly not handling it with kid gloves (haha).

And now to the best part: The firing. I gave him a quick safety talk, worried as I was that he'd be sending wooden balls down range at 90mph. But actually, it was great. The tighter you wind it, the farther it goes. So while I was firing it at a range of about 20', my son could get about 4-6' - which was perfect for firing at toy soldier fortified encampments. Outside he fires nuts and rocks. Inside, foam balls, recalcitrant soldiers, and the occasional marble.

Educationally speaking, I think this is a great toy for a homeschooling family or just about anyone. In building it, we talked about carpentry and how things are made, about the physics of the firing arm and the impact on the strike plate - softened by a leather pad, about safety and responsibility with tools. But I got this gift in preparation for a trip to Rome, thinking I would incorporate some Roman figures as well. It has also provided ample talking points about ancient and medieval life (not to say warfare).

In a word, this toy has set a trend. Neither of us can wait to try the trebuchet!

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