It is amazing how powerful this little catapult is. All you need is a few items and a mousetrap and you can have this project done in about a minute. And you should be able to get your projectile to fire a good 30 feet or more. I was giving this catapult some test firings and it was hitting a wall 35 feet away so, it would be going at least a good 40 feet.

And the mousetrap I use in this example is just a smaller one. You can get a bigger mouse trap.

Safety Note: A mousetrap is actually a bit dangerous, the snapping of the spring mechanism could possible hurt you or even break a finger. This is what they are designed to do. So please be careful when arming and firing it!

I also have a quick video tutorial showing you how to make this catapult. It's at the bottom of the page.

What you need:

• A MouseTrap
• Pliers
• Plastic Spoon (Or a metal one)
• Electrical tape (or another type of tape)
• A projectile, wadded tape, wadded paper, grape, marshmallow, something soft and not dangerous!

Using a pair of pliers remove the trigger arm and the trigger mechanism from the mousetrap. Leave the big square swing arm and it's spring. The next picture shows what you are left with.

Insert the spoon into the mousetrap as shown. Note that the spoon is facing down.

Tape the spoon to the metal bar using electrical tape if possible. Make sure the spoon isn't lodged under the spring move it forward a little bit if necessary.

Tape the whole thing tight as shown.

Carefully hold it upright so you can tape around it.

Once this is done you are ready to put a soft and safe projectile in the spoon, crank it back and fire it!!!

Ready to Fire!!

Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 3: Build Siege Weapons of the Dark Ages

Utilizing easy-to-find and inexpensive materials, this handy resource teaches desktop warriors how to build a multitude of medieval siege weapons for the modern era. Novice combatants will learn to build 35 defense weapons, including a marshmallow catapult, a chopstick bow, a bottle cap crossbow, and a clothespin ballista. In addition to beefing up their Dark Age arsenal, would-be warriors are provided with a number of targets on which to practice their shooting skills. Clear diagrams, instructions, and safety tips for each project are included, making construction of each of these weapons simple, safe, and fun.