HobbyDr's Game Table: Battering Ram, Pt.2

I bet you thought I was done with the fist. I just had to tweak it a little more (with some Squadron Green Putty), but now it is pretty much what I envisioned.

Some more lead sheathing for the rear of the ram.

OK, the wheels. I didn't like the way the balsa looked, so I glued the thin scribed sheet (from the last post) to both sides. To hide those rather noticeable joints, I 'treaded' the wheels with more lead. (Those studs in them will give great traction in the snow.) I replaced the steel washers with some made out of.......you know. I also fabricated a cotter pin out of brass strip, to compare against the pin. (The pin won.)

A 25mm Uruk-Hai for comparison.

The brass plate that 'holds' the axle bearing. The rivets were embossed by a special press.

Working on the superstructure.

The back struts where the troll will push the ram.

To peg these joints securely took some creative drilling.

Did you think there was something not-quite-right about the wheels? Yeah, me too. The treads were way out of scale, and over-powered the model. I removed them, hammered them even thinner, then trimmed them so there was just a little lip left to burnish over the edge. I think a big improvement.

The fist overhangs the front by a couple of inches. At full extension, it will reach a couple more. Notice the pivot pin, and the sheathing to prevent the shaft from 'splitting.' I also removed the bark.

At rest, the rear of the shaft is flush with the back of the ram.

I'm using an engineer's block to hold the ram assembly level while I work on all the top structure.

The swing mechanism, a trapeze made from rectangular brass tube.

The angled framing that directs the pushing forces correctly. The hole in the shaft is where a post will go to allow the ram to be retracted.

A closer look at the top pivot.

The shaft swings on solid linkages, instead of chains.

As you can see, the shaft is not perfectly straight. To compensate, the trapeze is offset to one side. The brass tube that holds the shaft to the trapeze is removable, as are the two eyelets at the top of the front linkages, allowing the shaft to be slid out.