Welcome to this NEW AND UPDATED VERSION of the Trojan War Playset, celebrating its 6th Anniversary!
Whether you’re new, or you’ve made the playset before, hopefully you’ll enjoy the new features:
– FULL COLOUR LAYERS FOR PRINTING
– UPDATED CHARACTER DESIGNS
– DETAILS OF EACH CHARACTER’S ROLE AND LOYALTIES ON THE TAB UNDER EACH FIGURE
– 20 NEW CHARACTERS (including PARIS!)
Now your Iliad re-enactments are COLOURED-IN AND READY TO GO!
Build your own Trojan War with this print-your-own kit! Build Homer’s Skaian Gates of Troy, complete with viewing platforms; the Greek camp, including ditch and drawbridge-gate; Achilles’ hut, where he spends most of the Iliad stewing in his anger, including furniture and accessories; and, from elsewhere in the Trojan War story, the fabled Horse (also available separately), the ultimate downfall of Troy.
Enjoyed this? You may also enjoy the Labyrinth and Knossos Palace Throne Room Playsets!
To add to your enjoyment of the playset, 53 73 cut-out characters are also included: the Iliad’s Gods, Greeks, Trojans, and the Women that support them and suffer at their hands, as well as more generic warriors and women to add to your reenactment of The Iliad.
A must for every Homer, Iliad, Troy, Song of Achilles, or Trojan War Podcast fan, student of Classics, or teacher with a classroom to furnish. Just add a printer, paper, scissors and glue!
Build Instructions:
The Playset pieces have been designed so that the construction should be straightforward, but, to get you started, here are step-by-step picture instructions to construct the two most popular pieces: the Horse and the Walls of Troy.
For best results, blow up the pages of the playset from A4 to A3, and mount on card before cutting out for extra stability. If you want to colour your pieces, it is best to do this before construction. You may also like to stick the buildings onto a base if you plan to use them often.
Read the main instructions in the image below before tackling the build (click to enlarge):
The Hut of Achilles
The Horse
The Walls of Troy
The Achaian Camp
Achilles’ Chariot
The Horse
Making the Head:
Cut out the head pieces along the wide black lines, and fold the pieces along the thin black lines. You’ll have two head side-pieces that include the back of the horse’s neck, the top of its head, and its nose.
At this point, also cut out the under-neck piece, and the leg piece (picture 2).
- Stick the two sides of the head to eachother, using the tabs along the top of its head.
- Fold and stick down the horse’s nose,
- then stick the sides of the back of the horse’s neck to eachother.
Making the Platform:
- Cut out the platform pieces along the thick black lines and fold along the thin black lines.
- Stick the pieces together using the tabs, to make a thin, wide box. Careful: this is fiddly.
- Cut out and stick on the wheels. TIP: If you’ve made the platform out of sturdy card, you could pierce holes and thread through a skewer to make axles for the wheels so that they turn!
Making the Legs:
- Take the leg piece you cut out earlier and fold along the thin black lines.
- Use the tabs to turn the piece into two solid leg ‘trunks’ and a mid-section.
Making the Body:
- Cut out the two body pieces along the thick black lines and fold along the thin black lines. Also cut out the tail and the mane pieces to add to the horse later. Also make sure you snip the thick black lines around the sides of the trapdoor at the top (NOTE: You can either stick these pieces together using the tab to make one trapdoor that opens on one side, or snip off the tab to make a double-door that opens from both sides.)
- There are a lot of folds to make these piece 3D – study the pictures carefully (especially picture 3).
- Once you have done the same for both sides of the horse, you can start sticking the pieces together, using the tabs (4, 5, 6). Be careful on the top, around the trap door (7, 8).
- Once the body pieces have been joined, fold out the tabs in the bottom section – this is where you’ll attach the legs (9). Add glue to these (10) before the next step.
Attaching the legs:
Using the glued tabs on the underside of the body, attach the front of the ‘trunk’ legs. This is fiddly as you need to press the section to the tab underneath. You can see how it should look in picture 2.
Attaching the Head to the Body:
- Stick the separate horse front neck section to the front of the horse body. You’ll see how the tabs on the neck section marked A, B, C line up with the underside of the horse head’s neck, also marked A, B, C on the sheet (pictures 1, 2, 3).
- After gluing the tabs, slip them inside the horse’s neck and press together. This is fiddly. You will find it easier if you put your fingers through the open trapdoor on the horse’s back (4, 5, 6).
- Stick the separate horse front neck section to the front of the horse body. You’ll see how the tabs on the neck section marked A, B, C line up with the underside of the horse’s neck, also marked A, B, C on the sheet (pictures 1, 2, 3).
- After gluing the tabs, slip them inside the horse head’s neck and press together. This is fiddly. You will find it easier if you put your fingers through the open trapdoor on the horse’s back (4, 5, 6).
Completing the Horse:
Stick the horse to the platform using the tabs in the trunk legs, then finish off with the tail should you wish, which is made in the same way as the mane. Your horse is complete!
The Walls of Troy
Main instructions:
- Cut out the pieces for the Skaian Gate along the thick black lines (pictures 1, 2 – note that you should also cut along the thick black lines in the middle of the gate to make it open, but do not cut off the tab underneath as it will need this for strength- you may find it easier to use a penknife.) Fold along the thin black lines, and fold the tabs underneath.
- Cut out the pieces for the guard towers (3) and the walls (4) – there are two of each. Make sure to also cut out the crenellations! Fold the tabs underneath (5).
- Now, using the side tabs, follow the instructions on them to stick the pieces together. The order from left to right should go tower, wall, Skaian gates, wall, tower.
- For the viewing platforms, cut out the pieces, fold along the thin black lines then glue the tabs. Insert them into the towers and gate at the top, just below the crenellations. You can see from the pictures (7, 8) how they will look with characters on them.
- You can use the tabs to stick the walls to a base if you wish. TIP: the whole construction should be placed down bent into a semi-circle, not placed in a straight line, in order to both stand up and look more realistic as they ‘encircle’ the city of Troy.
NEW: Achilles’ Chariot
Come back here for a video walkthrough!
Extra characters
coming soon – Paris!
Greek Myth Comix 