The Windup Warrior on a light oak desk beside a black keyboard and a white mug, sword held out to his side, a plant in the sunny window behind

Windup Warrior

Wind the crown on his helmet, let go, and he swings his sword in a wide arc.

Where the swing comes from.

Start at the crown.

The small red crown on his helmet is where you wind him. There is no key to lose and no switch to find: you hold the crown and turn it.

Everything above the belt turns.

Helmet, wings, chest, both arms and the sword are one upper body. It turns about a single upright shaft in his waist while his hips, legs and boots stay planted.

The shaft winds a flat coil.

Around the shaft sits a flat coil spring 1.5 in across. Its inner end turns with the shaft and its outer end is held in the cup on his hips, so every degree you turn draws it tighter.

Until a tab meets the stop.

A small tab on the waist rotor runs in a slot in the waist lid. At 60° it reaches the end of the slot and the crown stops turning: he is fully wound.

Let go.

The coil unwinds and drives the shaft back, and the shaft carries the whole upper body with it until the tab lands against the other end of the slot.

The sword does the travelling.

Its tip sits 5.1 in out from his waist, so a 60° turn sends it 5.4 in through the air. Wind the crown again for the next swing.

A hand reaches down and pinches the small red crown on his helmet between thumb and forefinger, about to turn it; he stands on a sunlit wooden desk
Thumb and forefinger on the crown: that is the whole winding.

Up close

He stands 8.3 in tall and 7.8 in from sword tip to wing tip: big enough to read from across the room, small enough for the corner of a desk or a shelf at eye level.

His helmet and chest close up: the red crown, gold eyes, a shield striped blue, gold and green
The crown is small enough to pinch, and the only thing you ever turn.
From behind: orange-edged wings over a dark back, the belt and waist band, a yellow boot and a blue boot
From behind: orange-edged wings and the band at his waist where the upper body turns.
On a wooden shelf in lamplight, standing beside four cloth-bound books, a potted plant on his other side
On the shelf he keeps his guard up between swings.
The sword hand close up: a straight grey blade, a gold guard and the red forearm holding it
A straight grey blade with a gold guard, held in a red forearm.

60 degrees, stop to stop.

Seen from above, his legs never move. Everything else swings about the shaft in his waist, and the slot in the waist lid decides how far: 60° from rest to fully wound.

Drag the crown below and watch where the sword tip goes. It covers 5.4 in of arc each time you let go, close enough to his body that a desk is all the room he needs.

The warrior seen from above, front at the bottom, with the arc the sword tip sweeps
Seen from above, front at the bottom. Hips and legs in grey stay put; the coloured upper body turns.
Fully wound on a desk beside a white mug and a pencil: his legs face forward while his upper body has turned and the sword points out towards the camera
Fully wound on my desk. Let go from here and he swings back to face the front.

Windup Warrior

One warrior, one sword, one spring in the box.

1
armoured warrior, 8.3 in tall
1
sword, held in his hand
1
flat coil spring, inside his waist
Height
8.3 in
Overall
7.8 × 3.9 × 8.3 in, sword tip to wing tip, front to back, base to crown
Power
A coil spring you wind at the crown
Batteries
None, and no electronics
Swing
60° of the upper body, stop to stop
Sword tip
5.1 in from the waist, 5.4 in of travel a swing
The warrior straight on: sword out to one side, red and green shoulders, blue and yellow boots

Good to know

Does he need batteries?

No. There are no batteries and no electronics in him. The only power is the coil spring in his waist, and you wind it yourself at the crown.

How do I make him swing?

Hold the crown on his helmet and turn it until it stops, 60° round. Let go and the spring swings his upper body and sword back. Wind the crown again for the next swing.

Does he walk?

No. His hips, legs and boots stay planted. What moves is everything above the belt: helmet, wings, arms and the sword turn together about the shaft in his waist.

How much room does he need?

He is 8.3 in tall and 7.8 in across from sword tip to wing tip. The sword tip sits 5.1 in from his waist, so a desk corner gives him room to swing.