We tested BLACK ARROWS and BALLISTA from The Hobbit!

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#thehobbit #lordoftherings #lotr #ballista

[@ArmourArtist]

Thank you so much I really enjoyed seeing my armour put to the test but against a BALLISTA!!! Not going to lie, I was a bit worried about how it would perform against a siege weapon. It is 1.6mm hot rolled mild steel with the scale left on. So, the scale is a little bit like a thin case hardening or if it was left black from the forge. Im glad you enjoyed it.

[@shadiversity]

Absolutely mate, the armor held up perfectly!

[@sandrosliske]

Your armour looks great. I just hope it survives the shenanigans that Shad has planned for it.

[@matthewcherrington2634]

​@@shadiversityi want to see you make a crossbow with the power of a 50 cal

[@matohibiki]

Congrats on inventing a new quality level for medieval armor; Ballistaproof'd.

[@IncompetentPlayer]

Really impressive how it held together with only dents and sparks.

[@Plus_Escapee]

I knew Tyranth was a tough dude, but he really put in some work in this one. Great job!

[@Geno2021]

He would be a great addition to a rowing / crew team.

[@its_dey_mate]

Yeah, Nate's row reference isn't even accurate, a row is mainly back and thus a very powerful movement, what Tyranth did was basically an upright row, a really shitty exercise for the shoulders (it puts them in a compromised position), but a really tough one. He is upright rowing 60 kgs for reps and for seconds helf at the toughest point.

[@TheSilverShadow17]

​@@its_dey_mateTyranth is the most physically fit out of the trio so it makes sense how some things ended up being easier for him regarding his overall physical strength but even then there were occasions where he was bested from the aftermath.

[@gamermanzeake]

Tyranth is a beast of a man! Not only is he untrained in bow weaponry; he's wearing a full get-up, slinging shots over a hundred yards, all at 130 pounds draw weight! Impressive.

[@florians9949]

Something more inteligent: Using a balista bolt specifically designed to kill dragons - yes. Broken bow put on two broken woden beams - NO! NONONONONO! NO!

[@ASpaceOstrich]

also like, the string is gonna throatpunch his son so hard he'd probably die.

[@plasticfuzzball9962]

​@ASpaceOstrich oh my god i didnt even think of that

[@andreasottohansen7338]

@@ASpaceOstrich Why the fuck he didn't face his back, I don't know

[@picklejho5833]

@@andreasottohansen7338 Because they both would have died if his son panicked and moved. Looking away from the dragon that was charging at them probably was safer.

[@zachhughes9149]

@@ASpaceOstrichlol this is what I was hoping to see touched on

[@charlessapp1835]

"We're professional idiots." Great line Shad! I know when I saw the scene in theaters, my BS meter was dinging. And I know NOTHING about archery. (For example, you were the one who made me realize that the scene in Two Towers where they draw their bows FOREVER was absolute BS).

[@DeanCalaway]

That was some seriously impressive armor to deflect the darts like that, I really thought they were gonna pierce it.

[@benwagner5089]

If it was just a flat plate of steel, it might have penetrated, but probably not since there was their shot that hit dead center. Having the curvature on the armor really helps to deflect and bleed the power of the shot instead of it being a pass-fail armor the flat plate would be.

[@steemlenn8797]

Well, armor is made to not get pierced ;) You would need a lot smaller cal to penetrate deeply anyway. Not that a bow shot arrow could go through good plate armor. Where it can do bad wounds is the parts that are not 1,5mm plate protected - ellbows for example or the shot poor Boromir got right above the plate.

[@audriusfrankonis6862]

Imagine if the original Boromir had had armor like that.

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

If it wasn't curved plate armor, it would definitely have punched through lol. You'd need some serious lamellar or chainmail layering to stop that.

[@vidard9863]

The geometry of old armor is remarkable.

[@Roland3ld]

This is without a doubt my favorite video from you guys. The ingenuity to make it work despite the initial bows not working, risking one of Shad's prized possessions, the banter between you guys, and Boromir being filled with arrows, it was wonderful. Thanks again for making all these great videos guys.

[@f14dbombcat]

Yea it was Awesome to see

[@stephentomsky9576]

Something to consider for the penetration, if you were shooting a charging dragon, you can add the speed of the dragon to the arrow. Boar hunting by planting a spear and letting them run themselves through was a thing.

[@ShinKyuubi]

That's why some hunting spears had little wing looking things on the side to keep it from going too deep and over penetrating...also keeping the boar from just running up the shaft and trying to gore the hunter before it died.

[@smokenchoken1736]

This is mathematically incorrect sadly, if you go back to Mythbusters they tested this via cars

[@Murgoh]

Here in Finland they used to hunt bears the same way. They would have a special bear spear with a long, sturdy shaft with a wooden cross piece so the bear could not reach the hunter with it's claws. They would find the bears's den in the winter when it was hibernating, wake it up and when it charged them they'd brace the spear against a rock or a stump and let the bear impale itself on it. Then you just had to hang on to the spear while the bear was snarling at you trying to claw your head off just out of reach until it bled out. You obviously needed balls of steel to do something like that, bears are fearsome. No wonder bear hunters were considered to be some of the bravest of guys.

[@Earthenfist]

Honestly part of why such a heavy bolt might be helpful- more momentum.

[@Earthenfist]

? Which episode. I think the mathematics on impulse and momentum and energy would work for it. @@smokenchoken1736

[@matthewmuir8884]

I don't know why the black arrow is a ballista bolt in the movie; in the book, it's an arrow and Bard shoots it using his bow. It's a really small detail, but it does make Bard slaying Smaug with it a little less impressive in the movie.

[@reeceemms1643]

I think it was to make it look cooler. Also I think it makes more sense that you would use a Ballista to take down a dragon as they did say that dragon scales are pretty tough in that universe.

[@matthewmuir8884]

@@reeceemms1643 In the book, dragon scales are indeed tough, except on the underside of the dragon; there, the scales are soft. Smaug thought he was invincible because the scales on his underside were covered in gold and jewels, but Bilbo observed that there was a completely bare spot. In the movie, if I remember correctly, the scales on his underside are hard and they omitted the scales being lined with treasure, but they changed the unprotected spot to be one where the scales had been dislodged, so a normal arrow would still have made sense.

[@Avaruusmurkku]

@@matthewmuir8884 The thing is that killing Smaug with a normal sized arrow would have stretched the suspension of disbelief a bit too much. Normal arrow would not have enough penetrating power because it would have to travel several arrow lengths inside the body to reach any internal organs. Hobbit book is much more of a fairytale, but the movies are a bit more grounded in reality aesthetics wise. It would look goofy as hell if someone would down a flying kaiju with a normal sized arrow.

[@keeperofnecronomicon]

Because a tiny arrow being used to kill a massive dragon is ridiculous. It makes since in a Fairy-Tale which the book Hobbit was. But the film Hobbit in meant to match the LoTR films in tone.

[@reeceemms1643]

@@Avaruusmurkku unless it’s Skyrim

[@jimwolford7294]

"Footbow archery" is where the bow is supported by the feet, the shooter lies on their back and the bow string is drawn by both hands. According to Smithsonian Magazine, online, December 2021, a man shot an arrow 1823 yards and 10 inches, or 1667.21 meters using this footbow method.

[@yeffaros8419]

I was thinking the same thing. With an arrow that long and a solid enough bow you could really get some power.

[@EllAntares]

@@yeffaros8419 asian siege bows

[@Hadesof3]

Great video! Also Shad's Naruto run is on point! 😆 14:03

[@ryanmccurdy7630]

Smaug was also flying directly at them when the heavy Black arrow was fired. The arrow wouldn't have needed to fly as fast to do more damage, assuming he could fire it that far. All fun and games though! Love the vids!

[@sakesaurus1706]

well it needed to punch even harder otherwise the smaug might kamikaze bard 😂😂😂

[@paulableman2663]

I don't think I've ever supported a channel more entertaining that y'all. Love the work, guys!

[@PrueferAuge]

this banter about accuracy made me realise, i want to see these 3 recreating a medieval tournament

[@48cxy2]

Did someone say buhurt!?

[@manoz6194]

Yes! Who will win the Joust!?

[@rifleman2c997]

Top gear: Ambitious, but rubbish Shadiversity: Professional idiocy. It reminds me more of a gastrophetes.

[@sr71silver]

I believe there was also a style of archery where you sat down, placed the bow across the soles of your feet and drew it back with both hands similar to what Tyranth is doing with their siege bow thing.

[@burningcole2538]

@@sr71silver Huh, the Rito method is semi-historic? Cool

[@JanoTuotanto]

The correct term in medieval context is "Vollrüstung" - The Full Kit. (*) This is actually a very common medieval Central European crossbow type. Normally used in castles. In surviving examples the bow is typically massive horn composite longbow, 120cm up to 3 meter long , drawn with windlass. Draw lengths vary from 40cm to 100 cm . Draw weights in half a ton - ton neighborhood. (*) the so called "normal" field crossbow that Shad is talking about was known as "Halbe Rüstung" (Half a Kit) .

[@marcogenovesi8570]

6:49 Tyranth follows Shad's footsteps, also angering the bow people

[@marcogenovesi8570]

4:33 Shad does things that anger the bow people, as is his tradition

[@theromanorder]

4:30 shad exsplaning his firing then fire tests 8:45 prep for the broken bow balista test 9:50 fire test 10:42 makeshift bow balista (semi historically accurate) awkward to sit and you can't brase your feet and pull full force, because of power you need more people to pull it (well siting at least) and to suport the "balista" 12:50 different between crossbow, balista, bow 13:55 more tests, (at full power its strong for tests but i would say not a good wepon for battle feilds, could be optopmised if they spent more time 19:50 test against avrage low grade brest plate ( good, gose right through to other side but mildly blunts the spear tip) 23:35 range test (they go far)

[@Kladex]

You forgot Shad's Naruto run at 14:02

[@justjordan6147]

Wow 🤩 I appreciate people who take time to do this

[@goodguy4611]

​@@Kladexcannot forget shads Naruto run

[@theromanorder]

@@justjordan6147 ive done alot bigger ones, I make time stamps for my own purposes, usaly people get use out of them,

[@jameskirk8274]

14:02 Shad weaboo runs after a bullseye

[@Tylorean]

So we have a mix of javelin, spear and and arrow, so I suggest we name these „Jack Sparrows“.

[@jamescalkins8336]

Or Jack's Spearrows?

[@sevenproxies4255]

I feel that the primary thing missing from this ballista is a triggering mechanism. Accuracy would be improved so much by having a mechanical release

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

Yeah, that is sorta of the point of these things. You have the draw length of the bow, with the draw wieght of an arrow with stiffness of a bolt . Long range high precision. It is mechanically impossible a person to long a bow at draw and shoot as precise because people twitch, we move silently even when sitting still. I hope he doesn’t take this draw wild conclusions about the usefullness of ballista based on his improvised work. It would be a crap show. That said, impressive teamwork shown here.

[@gawainjones7182]

That would also make it illegal in Victoria

[@lukin4u265]

thats strange... in NSW just having a rail makes it a cross bow and illegal... not the release mechanism @@gawainjones7182

[@aaftiyoDkcdicurak]

Yep legal reasons 🫤

[@nahco3994]

@@gawainjones7182 The solution: Get in contact with Tod from Tod's Workshop, who has built a Roman style torsion spring ballista roughly ten years ago. Last year he restored it to working order and even made a video about it.

[@jaytwokay3265]

This video should be the definition of "boys will be boys."

[@Borissh89]

Also, I'd like to congratulate Tyranth on his new rowing machine

[@afinoxi]

Tyranth fighting for his life trying to pull a fucking ballista while Nate and Shad are like 🙂 lmao

[@mansfieldtime]

Not only did the armor protect him by not allowing pentation, it also deflected because of the shape and the lip directed the arrow head away.

[@robertsmith4681]

This kind of makes me wonder how an arrow made out of ridiculously dense stuff like tungsten would fly .....

[@Slye_Fox]

Osmium arrow.

[@violenceandpoetry]

You're describing an APFSDS round; a metal dart launched in a sabot from a tank as an anti-tank round. Stands for Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot.

[@devinhall3286]

In broad terms that's pretty much what a modern APFSDS round is. Sure the round is fired by a cannon, but its pretty much a dart made of tungsten/depleted uranium or other such material to penetrate tanks and other armour.

[@robertsmith4681]

@@devinhall3286 I know.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

like a very heavy arrow. There is a "weight window" depending on poundage and lenght of the bow, if your arrow is too heavy or too light it will fly like garbage

[@Borissh89]

Shad Naruto running in excitement gives me life

[@DH-xw6jp]

Don't forget that Bard's bow was broken, and when it was mounted it had a 4 foot gap between the broken ends (making the wingspan close to 10 foot wide), and he still managed to string it with _it's original bowstring._ In addition to the black arrow being longer than the bow itself. Additionally, footbows were a thing. They were loosed with the same method as a rowing machine (pretty much what you were doing). Plus the crossbows found in the terracotta army, they were standard Chinese bows set in crossbow stocks, so crossbows with full sized bow limbs are not unheard of.

[@5peciesunkn0wn]

Chinese crossbows are also superior to medieval crossbows due to using a proper trigger instead of a lever. It allows them easily double or triple the draw-distance since the release point is so much further back, which meant they had hand-pulled crossbows that used wooden armed crossbows to achieve similar draw-weights to the steel-armed, windlass-needing crossbows of the late medieval period... several centuries before the steel-armed, windlass-crossbows were a thing. Ouch. ;)

[@LordPendragon273]

As a young man who tries to act adult all the time I must say YAYYYYY LOTR AND ARROWS!!!!

[@marcogenovesi8570]

even old men still try to act adult all the time.

[@josephmath1]

@@marcogenovesi8570 everyone "acts" like an adult, adulting is such a boring and hard thing, that its hard to not just let loose, only the boring or super serious always are an adult

[@gj4312]

I'm 22 and still pretend I'm swinging a sword when I'm alone. I'm an adult 😎

[@alexrobinet7576]

32 here and I can't pick up a broom or anything with a handle without a draw or flourish.

[@dominic6634]

As a middle age man... I say who cares have fun life is short😅

[@silveryphoenix44]

I love how wholesome of thanks Shad gave to Boromir after shooting him. Well, I now knew what is thankful for this thanksgiving

[@winstonsmith8482]

It's a real shame that Pete Jackson and New Line Cinema went off the damn rails with The Hobbit movies (especially 2 and 3), it's one of my favorite books of all time.

[@whitewolf3051]

How would PJ Hobbit movies compare to the 1977 Hobbit cartoon movie? How does the cartoon movie compare to the book?

[@gameragodzilla]

I legit think The Hobbit could’ve been one good movie that was endlessly stretched out to 3.

[@j3i2i2yl7]

​@@gameragodzillaAgreed. The Black Arrow wasn't as the silly padding, like Legolas doing Super Mario jumping, the silly barrel ride down the river, or the elf princes and the horny dwarf love story.

[@gj4312]

​@@j3i2i2yl7 all very good I don't know what you're on about lol

[@nextcaesargaming5469]

Honestly, it's nowhere near as off the rails as it could be. Peter Jackson was working with only five years, insane work hours for the entire cast, and higher ups trying to push crap. By stark contrast, we have the LOTR trilogy, where he had 14 years and quite a lot of freedom to be more faithful within reason. Anyone who complains about the Hobbit should look at Rings of Power to get a better perspective on what an *actually* bad Middle Earth adaptation looks like.

[@richard_n]

This episode is in the running for the best you guys have ever done.

[@marcelkrug6149]

8:27 its wacky and proves the point, love it! The setup got me laughing so hard xD

[@kongilian]

I didn't know I needed to have this tested. Now I have to reevaluate my life.

[@devildogdingman1]

I love the banter between all of you. Still informative but it feels so natural the way you guys converce and have fun with the video.

[@travismurtland3257]

I love how perfectly this video shows the technique required for archery. It's been pretty frequently shown that Tyranth is the physically strongest of the three, but he struggles to fully draw the 100.

[@G2Bryce]

You guys have that "Clarkson, May, Hammond" kinda vibe, which I love. Right down to Shad (Clarkson) annoying Tyranth (May). My only question is, when is the ye olde fashion long distance travel challenge complete with medieval tasks along the way?

[@jeremys8875]

This reminds me of Joerg Sprave's "Instant Legolas". Not the magazine feature necessarily, but the wooden railing that essentially combined the ease of use provided by a crossbow with the superior power transfer of a traditional bow.

[@MayBeSomething]

These guys truly have the mind of an engineer, and the autistic detail-based arguments only add to it! Love your work, Shad, and mad props to the entire team!

[@matthewwriter9539]

"...and mad props to the entire team!" ...mad props are exactly what they are creating here.

[@travisfinx5185]

I'd say it reminds me of a Roman scorpion, a 3 man squad ballista. It's about the right size, just Cruder. Still, cool video, guys. Love it

[@sebastianbronowicki7073]

Yeah, same here. My first thought seeing that contraption was 'Did they just build a bloody scorpion?'

[@f14dbombcat]

Yea it made of think of Gladiator too.

[@shinrailp1416]

This was really fun to watch. Except that one shot through Boromirs shoulder, that one hurt to look at. Imagine getting hit like that with a beast of an "Arrow" like this. But i loved seeing this work out much better than anticipated.

[@jonathanwessner3456]

Bard did not have "just a hunting bow" he was an archer trained in the use of a heavy warbow "as were the archers of dale in olden times" His father trained him to be a warrior archer. Black Arrows of Dale were technically magic arrows, using black mithril, created by the dwarves. The archers of Dale were famed as being stronger than regular war archers. Which was why they thought their arrows might harm the dragon. So, Bard of Dale would have had a 160lb + weight bow.

[@DakotaActually]

Weren't the arms of his makeshift ballista also just the arms of the broken ballista?

[@robertlewis6915]

I'm going to assume that the black mithril is a movie thing, because I don't remember that from the book. (and those arrows would be ridiculously valuable, given Gandalf's valuation of the mithril chainmail).

[@jonathanwessner3456]

@@robertlewis6915 the point I was trying to make is that they were not just ordinary arrows. Also, it could be impure mithril, or mithril mixed with other metals. Also, yes, they would be, very expensive, which is why they weren't common or used to drop Smaug when he first attacked

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

@robertlewis6915 it might not be mithril, we don't know. What we do know is it was an heirloom even before the fall of Dale, a lord's heirloom is not going to be ordinary especially one forged by dwarves. It is also implied to be magical. Also it links to another black weapon that slayed a dragon in Tolkien's stories, Gurthang, a black sword which was more explicatly magical that slayed the first dragon.

[@sakesaurus1706]

director be like: bro we gotta add Legolas Lars Andersen action to the movie advisor: "wait there's already a super cool archer, we could have scenes with Bard" director: "MY MONEY IS CRYING YOU SUGGESTED THAT I CHANGE THE SUCCESS FORMULA TO SOMETHING ORIGINAL THIS IS SO RISKY THE MARKET EXPERTS WILL ARRIVE SHORTLY AND REPLACE YOU!!!!!!"

[@onepunchmantolkienfan5383]

14:02 seeing Shad do a Naruto run had me in giggles 😂

[@EksaStelmere]

Shad flexing his STR Archer build on the CON and DEX builds.

[@whitewolf3051]

Well, Shad did say bows do actually require strength rather than dexterity, so he’s *not* doing anything wrong. In fact, he should flex him being a STR archer more often.

[@EksaStelmere]

@@whitewolf3051 I was trying to lean more emphasis on how the three of them are all clearly different stat builds, but that's also relevant too. xD

[@whitewolf3051]

@@EksaStelmere Okay, as archers, Shad is obviously STR build, but who's the CON and who's the DEX? I know that as swordsmen, Shad is the DEX, Tyranth is STR, and Nate is CON...maybe? But it'd be nice how to quantify them as archers.

[@EksaStelmere]

@@whitewolf3051 Nah, Tyranth is CON and Nate is DEX. At least that's my opinion.

[@whitewolf3051]

@@EksaStelmere Is that archery build wise, or swordsmen build wise?

[@takisk.7698]

One of your best testing videos, that was good fun shooting mates xD

[@BIONICforge_Studios]

Okay, hear me out. In the REDWALL book by Brian Jaqcues, this ballista was made with a table, and I fondly remember both the books being read to me by my father before bed as a child, and the animated series that was made. In BOTH stories, the arrow flew through a tent and impaled the rat within. Suddenly, this seems WAY MORE possible than I ever considered in my youth. Maybe read the book and try that? Words cannot describe how happy this video made me today.

[@Cwronaga216]

You guys definitely have to try and replicate the Dwarven windlance itself as it's shown in the film. I would love to see a four-armed Ballista even on a smaller scale like the one you made with a to scale replica of The Black Arrow

[@ronnyshama]

Honestly i think this is my favorite of the weapon test videos on this channel. More than giant, flaming, reverse grip swords etc.

[@Ancientreapers]

Peter Jackson kept the description of the black arrow but not the size. In the book, Bard always recovered that one black arrow.

[@JCOwens-zq6fd]

I bow hunt & i use a 90lb cherokee flatbow. Though the laws here in the US they have rules on draw weights which say usually nothing less than 65lbs. Also in certain parts of the middle ages one had to prove their bow was 110lbs or so in order to participate in a hunt.

[@justjordan6147]

🤔 why do pounds matter

[@rachdarastrix5251]

Well that is good, because I plan to work my way up to having a 155 pound short recurve bow. This will allow me to pierce the armor of any target at point blank that isn't a vehicle.

[@mr44mag]

@@justjordan6147 Because we're talking about bows. Leave the metric system out of this one, no one does weapons better than Americans or Europeans back in the day. 😁

[@narutouzumaki4710]

​@@mr44magI very much doubt that's what he meant so stop being a child. Besides, Europe uses the metric system, Mr "who won ww2"

[@ryanhoule4415]

I've got a suggestion for weapons to explore from a certain entry in a venerated long-running anime franchise: Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. If you haven't seen this particular series, I highly recommend you do. While many of the entries in the franchise has numerous laser weapons, Iron-Blooded Orphans (IBO) does not, barring one exception but that's not relevant to this. IBO, while still having guns, took a lot of cues from medieval combat and focuses more on CQC with traditional weapons such as Axes, Swords, Spears, etc. It also has its share of unique weapons, most notable of them is the main robot's signature weapon: Gundam Barbatos' Mace. It's built like a polearm with a rather large head and a built in pile bunker to give spear-like qualities.

[@veritasmod7013]

16:10 Shad casually holding the arrow and then the camera panning to a tired and disheveled Tyranth is peak comedy. Shad: It's time to make a new video! Tyranth: Yes, Shad.

[@Giantpenguin]

16:35 "We don't have a dragon.." The look on his face as he says it. Staring off in the distance.

[@danyelpaladintheimpetuous1438]

Cant wait to see what you guys are going to do with the armor ❤

[@card4510]

Ok adding that armor was badass!

[@caseymauldin8396]

Man, I lost it when you guys pulled out the ballista. Freaking awesome.

[@inputfunny]

I really enjoyed this video. I don't usually sit down and watch longer videos like this, but I made the exception.

[@VidelxSpopovich]

I don’t event like LOTR that much but it’s so fun to watch you guys having so much fun and building stuff. It’s like the backyard stuff I did as a kid.

[@shiftnative]

... don't like LOTR that much..?? 'SCUSE ME???

[@VidelxSpopovich]

@@shiftnative Yeah, I just never found it to be especially interesting. I had the books as a kid and I remember reading through them once and then seeing the movies and I just never got into it. I think by the point the 90s rolled around there were just a billion other stories like LOTR and so it really came off as a generic fantasy adventure even if it did come before the others. I genuinely like Arthurian lord better. It was just way more interesting.

[@josuesepulveda6850]

I love your content Shad,it's really entertaining and when it comes to the"mistery"guest that fits in the brestplate armor,his name starts with K and ends in r,just saying!keep up the good work.

[@Tommy_The_Gun]

Now you need to figure out how "realistic" was that scene in GOT when they shoot down a Dragon with the use of "Medieval Ballista" and it works like some kind of WW2 AA Heavy Machine Gun lol.... and if it is not realistic then what would need to happen for this to be possible to shoot down a Dragon from such a distance using medieval tech.

[@Maninawig]

18:37 Boys and their Toys... I love it!!! Also, I was kinda expecting someone to use the foot method on the first try... a foot bracing the bow on each side of the arrow, then pull back like the balista

[@iivin4233]

You want your ballista seat to be made like one that you would find on a rowing machine. Although, you might get just as powerful a draw from lying on the round and pushing against a stirrup attached to the front end of the stock, as was done historically with some crossbows.

[@Colt1775]

If you ever decide to use the ballista for another video maybe use a wind up system like a fixed drill to pull it back with? It would save everyone's hands.

[@jediritterger]

No matter in what kind of world you live. Fantasy, Sci-Fi or whatever. Even with the best Armor that can withstand everything. Getting shot at with friking Javelins from a bow/crossbow would freak you out and hurt a lot even if it does not penetrate your protection. And even IF you manage to close the distance, that person can still toss those javelins at you and use them as weapons for melee.

[@produde33]

Best channel ever for mid evil content ! This is my kinda stuff 😂😂. These are just a couple of dudes having fun and that’s beautiful

[@mcwild11]

Cool and bit crazy... MAKE A BIGGER ONE (seems like good fun) 😋

[@Cast-Carnival]

he is now morally obligated via signing of a conscious agreement. (or in other words, he hearted this comment.)

[@casey1441]

I bet you could somewhat easily turn that ballista thing (mounted bow?) into a joergsparve type of repeating bow; if you know what I am talking about. That would be some serious firepower. Great job as always guys, I’m excited for the OTR from this video 😄

[@MrPablosek]

Quite possibly one of the best videos you guys have put out in a while. Also love the insane coincidence, I have just been to a marathon of hobbit + lotr all extended editions a few days ago, so I'm still in the middle-earth "vibe"

[@brotherkhrayn3525]

14:03 Shad just Naruto running towards the target 🤣

[@IxionAC]

I really wish I could support you guys because this stuff is amazing! The only thing that might have been a cherry on top is getting an actual iron/steel bolt of similar size and seeing if that would work at all.

[@leonharkth]

shad unexpected naruto run is funny af 🤣

[@bensutton2533]

Fun video. The weirdest thing for me was that they set up that there they had a Dwarven Windlance in Laketown in the second film. But we never got a shot of it being destroyed or Bard seeing it burned. Admittedly he didn't have much time to retrieve the Black Arrow and thought he only had the Longbow to go with. But still, that's another thing that always bugged me. Love PJ's work but he did go well over the top with the gags and "Yeah, but what if THIS!!"

[@naxmorvigatore4168]

14:00 Look at him go! Last time I saw Shad this happy was with the machete-falchion, the amount of energy he's exploding with and the look on his face fills my heart to the brim

[@kristopherscholefield1723]

Excellent video. I've been watching your channel since year one. It's been fantastic to watch you, the content, and the quality grow. Love your takes on Knights watch as well. Keep up the good fight, sir.

[@killgriffinnow]

The Hobbit is INCREDIBLY underrated. Sure, they added a lot of weird stuff in, but the things that were actually from the book were amazing. We got to see Mirkwood, Erebor, Lake Town and SMAUG in film, these are some of the coolest locations in Middle Earth, especially in IMAX. And bear in mind, Peter Jackson did all of this with only a few years to patch it all together (The Hobbit took around 5 years whereas LOTR took over 14 years!). As someone who grew up reading The Hobbit and came up with all these ideas for what a film of it might look like, I can say that this trilogy was easily the best cinematic experience I have ever had in my life. With absolute mind rot like "The Rings of Power" as evidence to what a TRULY atrocious Tolkien "adaptation" looks like, (to the point where the writers were wickedly and underhandedly deconstruction everything Tolkien stood for) I think the fandom owes Jackson a MASSIVE apology. Whether you think he did a great job or not, his heart being in the right place has to count for something, especially when you consider the fact that all modern writers want to destroy and deconstruct in a few years what it took literal DECADES of the original writer's lives to create. (This applies to LOTR, but also to other stories like "Star Wars")

[@matthewmuir8884]

I still maintain that the early part of the first movie, from Gandalf meeting Bilbo to Bilbo leaving his home for the adventure, was pretty much perfect in terms of adapting the book, right down to including the bit about Bilbo's ancestor defeating a goblin general and inventing golf at the same time by having Gandalf mention it to encourage Bilbo (when in the book, it was just a bit of exposition mentioned by the narrator). However, I disagree about Mirkwood having been done well in the films. In the book, rescuing the dwarves from the giant spiders was Bilbo's big moment: the first time he couldn't rely on Gandalf to save everyone and had to step up as a hero, and the moment that he finally gets the respect of the dwarves. In the movie, he spends most of it searching for the ring while the wood-elves do most of the work.

[@nextcaesargaming5469]

My thoughts exactly. I thought The Hobbit was an incredible trilogy, and even if it wasn't a perfect adaptation, it was still respectful of the source material.

[@jaytwokay3265]

It's like the Star Wars prequels. Not very good but the newer garbage makes the older garbage look amazing.

[@jacktheomnithere2127]

agreed. besides, PJ never had time to prepare like he did with the LotR trilogy: it was suddenly dumped on him when Guillermo Del Toro wouldn't do it (i forgot why, though). i know The Hobbit trilogy broke the lore *several* times in pretty big ways (and that's coming from me: i like The Hobbit more than LotR!), but SHEESH guys, cut it some slack! especially since RoP is even worse.

[@jaytwokay3265]

I think the hate is warranted.

[@SergioLeonardoCornejo]

Many things I believed entirely impossible result actually more logical than expected.

[@jacobfoster9185]

You're not taking into account the Dragons speed and momentum. Like a child with a sharp stick planted with a foot and the boar runs into it.

[@justjordan6147]

😢 but DRAGONS scales

[@solanumtinkr8280]

The closest equivalent is JoergeSprave's Instant Legolas on a warbow, but for war darts. Not so dumb at all :P You may be able to take a few ques from that to make a more mobile version, the locking trigger should allow you to have footrest on one end so you can use you full body strenght to draw it to full power (locking it at full draw) so you can then load the bolt.?

[@Tikuros]

I love the cheeky looks on your faces, whenever you mention some upcoming content :D So much heart in what you do, you just can't not love it all :D

[@JamesHawken]

Well, whatever you changed, or did in the background, I am getting recommendations of your older content now! And glad to see it too!

[@TheShakermaker0]

That bullseye at 14:00 was very satisfying to watch

[@michaelpriestley1304]

Solid work guys! I'm glad you pointed out the difference between your device and a ballista.

[@quintonfoster8284]

When they brought boromir, I was thinking that would be cool if they tested some armor then they did. Yall are the best

[@MotherBiscuitLover]

If you watch all the special features in the appendices of the Hobbit movies, it's pretty clear that Peter Jackson think's Bard's Bow is a war bow.

[@coenraadsnyman5229]

I started studying history. After 7 years of watching Shadiversity, I am finally learning history!!!! Some of my classes are online videos......on KZbin. The same format I have been interacting with history in anyway.

[@RiderofRiddermark]

This is probably my favourite Functional Fandom video to date. Turning a heavy warbow into a genuine siege weapon is just too amazing. It also relly impressively demonstrates just how much draw weight the heaviest longbows did possess.

[@miguelsuarez-solis5027]

This definitely feels like the noble who wants to be a badass the lovable squire and the humble warrior.... I'll let you decide which is which

[@pe8268]

While the matter at hand is really intersting, my true highlight of the video has to be the dynamics and the banter between Shad, Nate and Ty, just absolutely hilarious🤣

[@blisgrabowiecki]

Y'all are a blast to listen to in the background. The child-like bickering between you is fun and lighthearted and makes me wish I could physically bask in the friendly chaos XD And learn me a thing or two for the sake of curiosity and novel writing, but that's besides the point.

[@Papadragon18]

About the rate of fire: I don't think you'd need to be able to reload the windlance that fast in a "real life" situation against an actual dragon. I recall both the book and the movie making the point that the dragons' undersides are their weak spot. Which means you'd be waiting for the dragon to pass more or less above you before you take your shot, and will only have a second or so to do so. You won't have the time to draw, loose, and repeat the procedure. A windlass or a goat foot lever would be perfectly adequate to cock the windlance, particularly if it can already be cocked by hand.

[@4hedgesfamily]

I love how Shad taps the armor, then casually tosses the hammer off screen. I would love to see you 3 make an actual ballista and test it out. At the very least, a notch for the dart and a trigger system would make things easier on Nate and Ty.

[@xSkye629x]

I can hear the neighbors panicked screaming from overseas

[@oddlycuriousdeer]

in the hobbit the eagles say the men have "bows of yew" so the ballista makes sense

[@snubbles9991]

"The mightiest Man maybe felled by a single Ballista Bolt... Boromir was pierced by many".

[@wolter2031]

We need shad as a meme templete while doing that ,,wooooooo loooook at thaat"

[@koljaleffek7290]

23:35 thanks for the picture in my head of rows of rowers getting enlistet in the army to fire sitting-balista-crossbows that are transported on wheels to be mobile and used to defend elevated positions. i might encorporare this in my fantasy world for nations that use ships to transport their troups. already the guards got goedendags 🧐

[@Ethan-if6hz]

I love your practical testing of medieval fantasy videos.

[@unncommonsense]

This was such fun to watch. Looks like you guys had a great time filming it.

[@RauMins]

If you can put some kind of rail under the drawing area of the crossbow/ballista thing, you could make a place where someone could draw the bow using their legs instead of back and arms. But it would be interesting to see you develop that further. Very entertaining video thank you lads ♥

[@Schunn]

It kind of reminds me of some ancient Chinese siege crossbows where the shooter would have to sit and use their legs to draw the bow. The jet li movie Hero featured them.

[@Proj76y]

chinese movie called "The Hero" from 2002. scene of the shelling of the fortress by an army of archers

[@CrowMaann]

I love how much fun you guys are having with this.