Scratch-built trebuchet – WIP of a GW-inspired replica

A new crafting challenge!

In the previous entry I mentioned why I wanted another Gondor trebuchet in my collection — from a lore-fan perspective. But as you might have guessed, there’s more to it. 😉

After returning to hobby crafting, I spent the last months working mainly on hedges, trees and stone scatter. All of them are organic, irregular shapes inspired by nature. So this time I wanted something different — more precise, mechanical and man-made. That was another reason why I decided to scratch-build a medieval trebuchet, inspired by both the Lord of the Rings setting and the original Games Workshop trebuchet model.

It felt like the perfect project to push myself a bit: measurements, symmetry, joints, beams, frames… all the things you don’t worry about when shaping a bush or stones. And I really missed that sense of “construction”.

Miniature trebuchet materials – balsa and PVA

With the technical prep work done (see previous post), the next question was simple: what materials should I use for this scratchbuild?

And the answer turned out to be obvious — balsa wood.

Working with balsa at this scale was a new adventure for me. The material is soft and easy to cut, but also fragile and sometimes unpredictable. I had to re-cut several parts more than once, and a few tiny pieces simply crumbled between my fingers. You definitely need to learn how to work with the grain and which direction the cuts should go.

To keep the frame straight, I dry-fitted most beams first and checked the alignment against the printed blueprints. Even a tiny angle error at this stage can throw off the whole structure later, so spending a bit more time here really paid off.

Still, during this work-in-progress phase, shaping each beam and frame piece by piece was really enjoyable. It felt a bit like making your own LEGO elements and assembling them — but without instructions, relying only on your ideas, references, and workflow. And that freedom is exactly what I love about scratchbuilt projects.

Everything is glued with PVA (wood glue), another obvious choice for this kind of build. Some smaller details were made using Milliput and thin cardboard. FYI, I’m also using Milliput for the first time — I wanted to see how it differs from Green Stuff, and the first impressions are promising. The price is promising too. 😉

Final thoughts on the WIP scratch-built trebuchet

There’s still plenty to do: I need to add a chain, a sling with a stone, and then move on to painting and weathering. I’m really curious how the final look will turn out once the wood tones and wear marks are layered in.

It feels refreshing to build something “engineered” rather than organic. Terrain pieces like trees and rocks create atmosphere, but war machines bring a different kind of presence to the tabletop — like something epic and heavy is about to happen and you should be prepared for anything.

💬 Question for fellow makers: do you know any good (and cheaper) substitute for balsa wood? I’d love to hear your ideas!