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Isengard army pt. 3: Siege Assault Ballista

The next addition to my Isengard army is this ballista with crew. Last time I remarked that the troll kit was showing its age a little. Well, this resin kit is infinitely worse! There wasn’t a single section to this kit that wasn't warped. I’ve tried putting the parts in hot water and bending them straight. This helped a little, but it’s still pretty awful. The ballista sort of looks alright when looking from the side, but from the front it’s still wonky AF.

Isengard ballista

The instructions are also very minimal and with the dozens and dozens of casting channels it’s not always clear which bits need to be cut and which should not. I realised too late that the two spiky bits on the front of the bow arm were part of the design... I also accidently snapped off the end of the bow arm. I managed to stick it back on again and reinforced the bond with some thread soaked in super glue. For symmetry I also added some thread to the other side. I think it actually fits with the rough-hewn aesthetic of the Uruk-hai.

The oval base does not come with the kit, but I think it really adds to the look and helps turn this pretty simple looking kit into a real centrepiece for your army. It also adds some much-needed strength to this very fragile resin kit.

For the painting, I’ve stuck to the same basic colour palette that I used on my Uruk-hai and troll:

Wood: Leather Brown 70.871 and mixed with White 70.951 for the highlights.

Metal: Black 70.950 heavily drybrushed with Gunmetal Grey 70.863. Then oil wash Quickshade Light Tone. After min. 24 hours highlight with Silver 72.052.

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Comments

  1. Anonymous7 February 2026 at 15:10

    Hi, Iknow this is a long shot but do you still have the instructions to build the batista and if so could you share? Thank you

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    Replies
    1. littletanksandtinypeople24 February 2026 at 20:29

      Thanks for leaving a comment! I'm really sorry, but I no longer have the box or the instructions. To be honest, I don't even remember if it came with instructions. Many of the GW 'finecast' don't.

      Delete

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