I want to build a medieval war machine scaled down to be about 6 feet tall as a fun project, and I'm wondering if I should go with a trebuchet or a catapult design. I'm leaning toward catapult because I don't think trebuchets would scale down as well because the counterweight would be limited, but I think catapults are likely to be more complex in terms of proper building materials and maybe more dangerous if the shitty modern lumber fails under tension and explodes. Anyone here have any valuable insights?
My friend built a one to two foot trebuchet and it worked reasonably well, although he had to use lead weights to make the counterweight powerful enough, so your concern is not invalid.