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Ancient Engineering SeriesMANGONEL.com
Ballistic Technologies of Antiquity

X-treme Onager

Siege the day!


Designed and made in the USA for
better quality, better performance!


Modeled after the Roman Onager, this torsion-based machine can hurl golf balls and tennis balls over 50 feet!



This modern design for an Onager uses the exact same principles as the ancient Roman war machines. It is capable of hurling small stones, golf balls, walnuts, eggs, tennis balls and even potatoes from 20 feet to more than 50 feet! It all depends on how much power you build into it and the weight of your projectiles. Precision crafted of high quality hard wood, the kit contains everything you need to build a working model in one evening.*

The advantages of this new design are:
  • Double cross-grain frame for added strength.
  • Higher skein and arm rest allows for longer slings.
  • The arm can travel farther, well beyond the vertical limit of a traditional onager.
  • A soft arm arrestor eliminates hard impacts between the arm and the frame.


The ONAGER (also called a Mangonel) uses a bundle of twisted ropes (called a skein) for real torsion power. This torsion engine is so powerful, a full-sized machine can hurl a bowling ball almost 1/4 of a mile!

The finished model stands 17" long, 14" high and 12" wide. The kit is precision crafted from high quality hardwood and includes a working winch and real leather sling-pouch.

The detailed instructions are complete with diagrams, photos and tuning tips so you can get the most out of this fun project. All parts are pre-cut, pre-drilled and can be assembled to a finished model in one evening.

We've put a lot of time and effort into making this kit as easy and complete as possible. It's a fun way to learn about history and engineering!


* Golf ball and tennis ball missiles are not included.
* Can throw over 50 feet when properly constructed and tuned. Your performance may vary.

WARNING! This is a representative model of a real ancient military weapon. It contains a fast moving arm that can cause injury if you make contact when firing. Use only under adult supervision.



Tools required:
Scissors, Glue, Ruler, and a utility knife. Sandpaper is optional.

Assembly time:
For a Master carpenter doing a sloppy job: about 2 hours.
A person with no kit building experience being extremely meticulous: about 10 hours.
The model in these photos was built by Ron Toms in about four hours.

Assembled Size:
- Height: 14"
- Length: 17"
- Width: 12"


Range:
- 20 to 50 feet with golf balls as projectiles, about half that with tennis balls. (Optimal range assumes a well built and well tuned machine)

Shipping weight: 5 lbs.
Box dimensions: 24" x 12" x 4"



Quantity pricing info:
0 to 4 kits, standard price.
5 to 9 kits, 10% off
10 or more kits, 15% off
Bulk priced kits are not individually packaged. All parts, components, instructions and hardware for each kit are combined into one box.

Orders of $200 or more get FREE ground shipping!

For more discount pricing info, please visit www.RLT.com/wholesale

WARNING! This is a representative model of a real ancient military weapon. It contains a fast moving arm that can cause injury if you make contact when firing. Use only under strict adult supervision.


* Can throw 50 feet when properly constructed and tuned. Your performance may vary.

* Golf ball and tennis ball missiles are not included.

* X-treme Onager is a trademark of RLT Industries.



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Interesting Notes

What is a Mangonel?


The term "mangonel" literlally means "engine of war." It is a ballistic device, usually some type of artillery. In other words, a catapult. But "catapult" is a more general word that includes a broad range of things that use mechanical means to shoot a projectile, including slingshots and aircraft carrier launch systems. So a mangonel is a unique type of catapult.

The word Mangonel derives from the ancient Greek word "Manganon", literally meaning "engine of war". The Romans called it a Manganum. In pre-medieval French the word Manganum was changed to Manganeau, and the English changed that to Mangonel in the 1300s.

The history gets a little sketchy in the middle ages, but some historians believe that "mangonel" was shortened to the word "gonnel" about the same time that cannons were being developed, and later still, "gonnel" was shortened to "gun." And to this day, in the military a gun is strictly big artillery. (Rifles and pistols are referred to as "weapons", NOT "guns".)

The three most common types of ancient mangonels are the Greek Ballista, The Roman Onager, and the Trebuchet.

In France, the word Mangonel is used for a Trebuchet that uses a fixed counterweight for power. (The other kind of trebuchet, the hanging counterweight type, is called a "Trebuchet". Go figure!)

The English use the term Mangonel and Onager interchangeably for the Roman single-arm torsion machine.

The Greek catapult, probably the first machine to be called a mangonel, was also known as the Ballista and is where we get the word "ballistic".