Revell Da Vinci Giant Crossbow (00517) 1:100

[Mike]

Da Vinci Giant Crossbow (00517)

1:100 Revell

 

 

Leonardo Da Vinci was a genius in no uncertain terms and his creations still provoke interest and admiration even today some 500 years later.  He is primarily known as an artist of the high renaissance, although he often wasn't too keen on finishing his works so much of his output remained as sketches, which are just as amazing as his finished work such as the Mona Lisa.  He was also intrigued by the human anatomy and a keen engineer and inventor, with quite a few amazing designs to his name, some of which bear a striking resemblance to surprisingly modern technology.  His sketches were highly inventive, and although unlikely to have worked using technology of the day in some cases, they are still impressive even when viewed through modern eyes.

 

 

The Kit

Designed as a tribute to his original drawings and as a multimedia construction kit that can be built reasonably quickly by anyone from child upward, although with young ones a parent's supervision will hopefully result in a much better model.  The set arrives in a black box with the finished model and a drawing of Leonardo on the front.  Inside is a double-layer plastic tray that is supported by a card frame inside which the instruction booklet, information booklet, a themed A4 print, a sheet showing the numbers of each of the 39 parts and a bag containing glue, cord and a small piece of sandpaper are held.  The tray holds the laser-cut wooden parts in depressions and the two layers stick together using friction fit pegs moulded into them.  Take care when you open the tray however, as it has a habit of trying to launch the parts into space or the jaws of the carpet monster as I found out with the Aerial Screw.

 

 

 

The instructions and the information booklet have been designed to resemble an ancient document, and are written in Italian, English, German, French and Spanish, although you won't need a mirror to be able to read them as the designers weren't as security conscious as the great painter.  The larger of the two booklets contains the instructions, which have a multi-lingual inside page and the rest is pictorial so no special language skills are required. 

 

Construction begins with the three axles which are then added to the chassis and an outer rail that sits outside of the wheels.  The chassis is bulked out with three parts and then mounted on the base with a trapezoid part locking it in place, then the release mechanism is built up and on the back section of the chassis with a length of cord joining the latch before it is locked in place by a grooved top cover.  The limbs of the bow are flexible on the real thing, and laminated to achieve additional strength.  This is imitated by burned lines along the limbs, but it is unwise to try to fire the bow as it is likely it will snap.  The string notches at the ends of the limbs are separate parts and several lengths of cord are used to bind the limbs in a similar manner as would have been used on the real thing.  The completed bow is then attached to the front of the chassis, and this too is attached with glue so wouldn't stand up to the pressure of the bow being drawn.  At the back of the chassis are the winding handles and a simulation of a portion of the cog used to tension it, plus a pair of flat panels and what looks to be a self-entrenching tool at the rear.  The limbs are finally linked with another length of cord that runs through the latch, and a plaque is attached to the front of the base.

 

 

 

Conclusion

These wooden models are great fun and this one builds up to an impressive size.  I'd have loved it more if it was functional, but that would have required some serious upgrading of the parts and probably a substantial price rise and more safety warnings about eye protection and not doing anything silly with it.  Enjoy it for what it is – an impressive look into the mind of one of the world's great artists.

 

Highly recommended.

 

 

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