ini-Marshmallow
Crossbows
Another unique Rogue Haven product is the Mini-Marshmallow Crossbow. This miniature crossbow fires mini-marshmallows, using a lightweight spring-steel prod. Its body is hardwood with brass fittings and can fire a mini-marshmallow a maximum of 40'. Because the prod is so lightweight, any attempt to fire anything heavier than a marshmallow (like a marble or small rock) results in a misfire, with the tumbling harmlessly off the bow, making it relatively safe for children, and when its proper ammunition is used (mini-marshmallows) it is quite safe to use indoors since it will not break windows or knock anything over. The bow comes with instructions as well as some educational material:
The "Mark-2" 1/3rd scale Replica Crossbow
The Mark-2 is a very detailed replica of a 16th century, western European crossbow, complete with a hand forged steel tickler (trigger), a significantly stronger, German Spring Steel prod bound in traditional manner to the stock with period lashings, brass fittings, a hand-made bow-string made in traditional fashion with artificial sinew and windings of waxed thread, and a working rolling nut release mechanism. The stock is fashioned from Red Oak, and only the groove and spring clip are not to the correct scale in order to allow it to fire min-marshmallows instead of bolts.
Alternative Ammunition for Mini-Marshmallow Crossbows
What we have found with the Mark-2 is that mini-marshmallows generally do not survive firing more than once with this bow because of its significantly higher power, as a result, we suggest an alternative ammunition which can easily be fashion by the user. Simply cut a 1" wide strip from a single sheet of standard paper-towel (the commercial variety like Bounty for example). Then roll this up tightly to form a small cylinder (as in the image above) and then wrap a short piece of scotch tape around it to keep it from unraveling. It turns out that this is a highly reusable ammunition which has approximately the same density as marshmallows and is therefore an excellent replacement for them.