Crossbows and Catapults is a 1980s game toy involving rubber-band powered weapons using plastic discs to destroy your opponents castle.
Wow – just spotted some of these for sale on amazon. Remember playing this with my brother in the mid 1980s classic toy.
For those who don’t remember:
Crossbows and Catapults, is a game of physical skill first released in 1983. It has since been published by several different game publishers including Lakeside, Alga (Brio), Base Toys, Tomy and currently Moose (under the name Battlegrounds Crossbows and Catapults). In the game two sides, originally Vikings and Barbarians but later other names were used, build fortifications from plastic bricks then opposing players attempt to destroy each other’s castle with rubber-band powered crossbows (similar to ballistae) and catapults firing plastic disks. In the most recent version launched in 2007, the two sides were Orcs and Knights.
In the Tomy version, the two armies are called the Impalers of the Clannic Shelf and the Doomlords of Gulch. The Impalers inhabit the Clannic Shelf, a large floating rock island 500 metres above the surface of Otherworld. The shelf has a gravitational affect on the Doomlords, causing them to have a shorter, squatter frame than the Impalers.
So it looks like Crossbows and Catapults were back in production (from Austrailian toy company Moose) for a short period anyway. It would be great to see this fantastic toy enjoyed again. I am sure there are health and safety reasons that lead to their initial demise, rather than just a passing 1980s fad, fashion.
So basically, why was I not informed that these had come back to shops? I needed some good ideas for my brothers Birthday and Christmas present last December!
Current products available are:
WAR CHEST
KNIGHT BATTERING RAM VS ORC TRIPLE CATAPULT
KNIGHT TREBUCHET VS ORC MORTAR
KNIGHT GATTLING GUN VS ORC TWIN CROSSBOW
Some are available from amazon HERE – will post updates when I have them
