{"title":"Pathfinders","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"2-3074_leonardo-da-vinci-ornithopter","title":"Leonardo da Vinci Ornithopter","description":"\u003cp\u003eFlying has always been a dream of humans, and Leonardo's fascination with birds and flight was evident in his studies of birds and different human powered flying machines. His ornithopter design has captured the imagination of people for generations, and we have combined his cool flying machine with one of his bevel gear designs to make a neat working model with flapping wings and a pilot with moving arms and legs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile it remains a mystery if his ornithopter design was ever fully made or tested at the time, there are many ideas (hanging in museums around the world!) of what it might have looked like, and we have added our ideas as well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDimensions 17 x 23 x 12 in\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 10 and up\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31760194437193,"sku":"4710409067929","price":34.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/8799f2625deca2ea4bb0875d5fe1b74e_b0e6cdd2-5146-42ec-bb49-5adf140a4030.jpg?v=1743458109"},{"product_id":"100-13995_roman-ballista","title":"Roman Ballista","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe ballista was a powerful weapon - originally invented by the Greeks over 2000 years ago and widely used by the Romans in battles and sieges. Using the stored energy in twisted sinew the ballista helped the Roman Empire take on and conquer countries all over Europe!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBased on drawings and written records (but not here-say - we only use facts in our historical kits!), this Ballista re-creates the way in which torsion powered weapons worked, and can fire the small wooden projectiles over 15 feet!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 10 and up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e27 x 34 x 18cm, 21 x 13 x 16 in.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31760214786121,"sku":"615872472864","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/978cf0d10076e42b01fd8d7bede743a8.jpg?v=1743458107"},{"product_id":"100-13993_trojan-horse","title":"Trojan Horse","description":"\u003cp\u003eAncient Greek legends have many references to the Trojan Horse - a huge wooden horse that was left in Troy - with warriors inside. When it was brought into the walled city, the warriors came out (late at night when everyone was asleep)and took over and opened the doors to the entrances - allowing the the Greek warriors hiding in the area (outside the walls) to overrun the city. Based on drawings and written records, this Trojan Horse model allows you to re-create one of the most epic tales of ancient Troy - although on a much smaller scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 10 and up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e33 x 12 x 32 cm, 21 x 13 x 16 in.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31760222191689,"sku":"615872472871","price":24.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/9277b787bebe27b002626e6615d9cd7c.png?v=1743458106"},{"product_id":"100-8502_trebuchet","title":"Trebuchet","description":"\u003cp\u003eConsidered by many to be the most powerful and destructive of all the siege engines, the trebuchet took many forms throughout the Medieval world, hurling huge rocks, giant fireballs and even diseased animals at (and into) castles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis model, based on the Warwolf, is a tabletop working replica of a trebuchet made in the 13th Century. Standing 24 inches (60 cm) tall by 11 inches (27 cm wide) this model will shoot balls of plasticine (included) over 20 feet! Please be careful of what (or whom) you take aim on, this thing can really let loose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn easy to make and use kit, with the pieces pegged for extra strength, this is a great kit for family learning about counterweights and projectiles, and is a great resource for STEM activites!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 10 and up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e20 x 11 x 24 in\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31760225828937,"sku":"094922617163","price":29.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/69a0666a71be81ec97d863abeef3ca4f.jpg?v=1743458105"},{"product_id":"100-8501_catapult","title":"Catapult","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe catapult has a long and interesting history. It has been around in many forms, evolving since about 400 BC. This model is based on the medieval styles that were used during the middle ages.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStanding 15 cm tall and 12 cm wide, this siege engine can shoot a plasticine ball over 15 feet! Adjustable pads on the crossbar allow you to change the trajectory angle. The rope, strung through the middle gives great power to the swing arm!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 10 and up.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e10 x 5 x 8 in\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31760228679753,"sku":"094922617170","price":16.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/956086c1a60d4d82a538ecb121c877a7.jpg?v=1743458104"},{"product_id":"100-13992_sky-surfer-airplane-launcher","title":"Sky Surfer Airplane Launcher","description":"\u003cp style=\"font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: 400; color: #777777; outline-width: 0px; font-style: normal; outline-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 21px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; letter-spacing: normal; outline-color: invert; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#777777\" size=\"3\" style=\"color: #777777; font-size: medium;\"\u003eThe new Sky Surfer launches planes in a predictable and repeatable way - for testing your airplane designs so you can figure out the best way to make planes for long flights, returning flights and those fancy trick flights like loop-de-loops, and landing in the cat bowl.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: 400; color: #777777; outline-width: 0px; font-style: normal; outline-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 21px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; letter-spacing: normal; outline-color: invert; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#777777\" size=\"3\" style=\"color: #777777; font-size: medium;\"\u003eAn easy to make and use kit with foam pads, extra elastics and a world of great individual and family fun - learning about and testing the myriad of airplane designs that can be made.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: 400; color: #777777; outline-width: 0px; font-style: normal; outline-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 21px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; letter-spacing: normal; outline-color: invert; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#777777\" size=\"3\" style=\"color: #777777; font-size: medium;\"\u003eSky Surfer launches straw, styrofoam, cardboard and balsa wood - or combinations of all of those! For sure you can throw a paper airplane farther, but with this you can have a perfectly repeatable launches to test the changes in designs that you make - and you can change the launch power by adding elastics.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: 400; color: #777777; outline-width: 0px; font-style: normal; outline-style: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; letter-spacing: normal; outline-color: invert; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#777777\" size=\"3\" style=\"color: #777777; font-size: medium;\"\u003eCan be used indoors and outside.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: 400; color: #777777; outline-width: 0px; font-style: normal; outline-style: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; letter-spacing: normal; outline-color: invert; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-transform: none; font-weight: 400; color: #777777; outline-width: 0px; font-style: normal; outline-style: none; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; letter-spacing: normal; outline-color: invert; background-color: #ffffff; text-indent: 0px; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; border: 0px; padding: 0px;\"\u003e\u003cspan color=\"#777777\" size=\"3\" style=\"color: #777777; font-size: medium;\"\u003eAges 14 and up\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31774711414857,"sku":"644216855308","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/30e0906fd5928fac35fb7196e889d4fc.jpg?v=1743458027"},{"product_id":"leonardodavincihelicopter","title":"Leonardo da Vinci Helicopter","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of Leonardo’s most iconic images, the Aerial Screw (also known as the Helicopter) illustrates the ingenuity of da Vinci, and indicates (along with many other drawings!) his obsession with flying. While this idea may never have got off the ground, for some basic technical reasons, it gave us an insight into the different ways in which Leonardo considered the challenge of human powered flying, and defines him as an inventor well ahead of his time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile it is often referred to as a helicopter, the premise of the lift to make it rise is more like Archimedes’ screw than the rotors of a helicopter. Our model uses one of the bevel gears he drew in his codices and creates a nice 2 to 1 increase in speed of the crankshaft, so the mast spins quickly, illustrating the manner in which this machine would have worked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA great kit for beginner to advanced model makers, this is a great way to learn about gears, flight and brings Leonardo’s iconic drawing to life. Takes between 1 and 3 hours to make. (Glue has to dry!) This is a great project that works well and looks really cool on the shelf!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge Rating: 9+ While this kit can be made by youngsters starting around 9 years old (and younger), we like that it is both interesting and compelling for kids of all ages – right up to those in their 90’s! They can be made by beginner model makers, but having some skills in model making would be good.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":31905189986377,"sku":"718122199518","price":21.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/48412a526790434fb9d4891f6bd81c36110ac36e.jpg?v=1743457392"},{"product_id":"ancient-battering-ram","title":"Ancient Battering Ram","description":"\u003cp\u003eBattering Rams over the millennia had to evolve as the fortress defenders improved their techniques to repel the attackers. Starting with simple huge logs held by many attackers, to the fully enclosed battering ram houses and siege towers with battering rams at the bottom, each battering ram was made specifically for the siege at hand.  This Battering Ram was a widely used style that allowed protection for the attackers, mobility, and pretty good results (depending of course on which side of the wall you were on).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e    Moats eventually made battering rams ineffective in many situations, and in the later Middle Ages as Trebuchets and (even later) cannons using gunpowder could launch large projectiles to break apart walls, Battering Rams were no longer used.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39395534995529,"sku":"644216855605","price":25.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/644216855605.jpg?v=1743455905"},{"product_id":"lift-bridge","title":"Lift Bridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne of the most common types of bridges for freight trains, this Truss Design Lift Bridge is a working replica of the many lift bridges that have been made over the last 100 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLift bridges became the workhorses of the freight railroads for many years as rail lines expanded over the rivers and ports of the world. The design was particularly useful in areas where there was no room for a bridge to swing, such as a busy industrial port. This bridge uses a small handle and crankshaft to lift the center span to the top of the truss structure, allowing trolls and other vehicles to safely pass between the two ends. The kit can be mostly made without glue and taken apart for storage. Snug slot construction and accurate cutting makes this possible!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge Rating: 7+ The bridge kits can be made by youngsters starting around 7 years old, however we like that it is both interesting and compelling for kids of all ages – right up to those in their 90’s! They are working re-creations so are great for school bridge projects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize 15 x 3 x 10 inches\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 7 and up\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40222109892681,"sku":"11997","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/lift-bridge.jpg?v=1743441619"},{"product_id":"swing-bridge","title":"Swing Bridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eBased on the classic design at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the UK, this elegant design has been used for hundreds years around the world. In fact, Leonardo da Vinci invented a swing bridge in the 1400’s! Swing bridges are still used widely around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing a wooden bevel gear, this bridge swings open and closed, just like a real swing bridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGreat for wooden trains and car sets, kids can learn about gears and have the neatest bridge on the block. Sir Topham Hatt and Thomas would be very impressed, as this bridge works to get trains there and back (in a hurry!), and has room for a Lego or other bridge keepers in the control center over the bridge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge Rating: 7+ The bridge kits can be made by youngsters starting around 7 years old, however we like that it is both interesting and compelling for kids of all ages – right up to those in their 90’s! They are working re-creations so are great for school bridge projects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize 21 x 3.5 x 8 inches\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 7 and up\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40222116806729,"sku":"11998","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/swing-bridge.jpg?v=1743441618"},{"product_id":"strauss-bridge","title":"Strauss Bridge","description":"\u003cp\u003eProbably the coolest bridge in this line, this is a replica of the Joseph Strauss design that was made all over North America in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Well known bridges of this type are the Johnston Street (Blue Bridge) in Victoria, B.C., Wishka River bridge in Washington, the Ashtaula Bridge in Ohio, the Cherry Street bridge in Toronto and the Third Street Bridge in San Francisco.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSized to fit wooden train sets, this bridge is an elegant reminder of the cool truss bridges that used to be built years ago and are still in use! Great to use for school bridge studies and to learn more about interesting linkages, this kit will bring a new level of sophistication to playing with wooden cars and trains. Graffiti is not included, but that gives you the chance to be creative!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge Rating: 7+ The bridge kits can be made by youngsters starting around 7 years old, however we like that it is both interesting and compelling for kids of all ages – right up to those in their 90’s! They are working re-creations so are great for school bridge projects.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize 21 x 3 x 10 inches\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAges 7 and up\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pathfinders","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40222119657545,"sku":"11999","price":19.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0272\/8701\/products\/truss-bridge.jpg?v=1743441617"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.toysoupcanada.com\/collections\/pathfinders-1.oembed","provider":"Toy Soup","version":"1.0","type":"link"}