The Live Regulars
This being the first reboot series, a lot of the applicants this year are teams who already have robots and are regulars at live events. If you know anything about the UK live scene, you'll know they're mostly flippers but don't worry, Mentorn are meticulous in their selection (and have already made some really weird choices which I'll get onto later).
First on the list is Ripper, entered by Team Ripper/Roaming Robots who also have the contract to the Robot Wars name for live events. Basically, robot combat isn't just a hobby for these guys - it's a job. Expect them to mean serious business, in more ways than one.
Current UK heavyweight champion Toon Raider 2 is also signed up and I'm expecting the producers to play heavily on the father and son theme if they make it to TV. There's also the current Robot Wars
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| Side-by-side at the 2015 UK championships Source: https://www.facebook.com/fightingrobotsassociation/photos/a.357092187780338.1073741834.193612447461647/546515785504643/?type=3 |
Twice previous UK champions Team Iron-Awe have also applied with both Iron-Awe 5 and Iron-Awe 7. Will the creepy smiles be enough of a gimmick? What about the ones on the robots? (Hah, you see, I insinuated there that the team members themselves have creepy smiles. Humour.)
Team Shock have applied with all three of their heavyweights, one of which is a former UK runner-up and another of which won a winter tour at some point. Their third and newest robot is Shockwave and features an overhead lifting arm. It's also their oldest because it was first built for TechnoGames. Remember TechnoGames? Wish you didn't?
Dantomkia 5.0 may be selected as well and is amongst the most famous robots left in the UK - they got a toy and everything. Not had a lot of success since the old glory days though. They're joined by the ancient Terminal Ferocity, a name that goes way back. This started off as a plastic submarine which, frankly, was no more potent than a microwave and has wound up with a great big flipper on it which leaves it stranded on its side constantly. It does have tracks though, so it's basically a tank, right?
Team Mouse of Mighty Mouse and Meggamouse fame have also applied with... something. Could be Meggamouse but there have been rumours that it will be a new robot. Nothing more to say on that one.
Team ACE are new to the scene with their namesake flipper is1 built from the remains of Turbulence sequel/sister-bot Apocalypse. They have only fought at a couple of live events and, with the best will in the world, look nothing special. Great to see them getting into heavyweights, as ever, but I'm not expecting them to make it onto TV. They're enthusiastic and determined though, so maybe they'll look more impressive next year.
And finally, Thunderchild from Team Ironclads (formerly Team Thundercheese - I guess they're taking themselves seriously now) have applied. Sure, there may be parts of the legendary Envy buried deep inside but they haven't shown themselves to be up to much. Like ACE, I like Thunderchild but with a flipper and without much previous success, I feel their chances aren't great.
Next, lifters. Team Storm and Storm II are virtually guaranteed a place, partly because the company owned by the Team Storm boys (RoboChallenge) is helping out with production and partly because Storm II were enormously impressive in the Seventh Wars, finishing runners-up and Third World Champions. They also update their Twitter regularly with pictures of hard work on Storm II with the hashtag #RobotWars so they're probably in (#NoGuarantees).
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| A new logo is another unsubtle hint Source: https://twitter.com/TeamstormUK/status/702052396491534336 |
I'll stick Big Nipper in here because they're a lifter first and a crusher second. 2012 champions and 5th Wars veterans, it's a unique robot from an experienced team and they ought to get in. Behemoth stands an equally good, if not better, chance. Alright, Team Make Robotic's BattleBots entry wasn't so great (sorry to remind you of it) but Behemoth is still running strong and is very well known.
The German Lucifer (spiritual successor to the impressive Black Hole) is fast, manoeuvrable, tough and has never won a battle. Here's hoping they'll come good with a bigger arena. It's an odd Sewer Snake clone and I want to see if they're just as effective against spinners; they definitely share SS/Killer Bee's weakness to flippers.
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| But Sewer Snake doesn't have flaming skulls, or a paint job as good as this http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/threads/12607-devil-crew-the-new-luzifer/page3?highlight=luzifer |
And back to total speculation with Team Saint's entry. They say it isn't Cherub and it can't be Saint because of the active weapon rule. In fact, it's a bot called Angel with which they failed to qualify for BattleBots. Two things come to mind here. First, an angel is sort of like a bigger, more powerful cherub. Secondly, surely Archangel would have been a cooler name?!
On to the axes. Thor is one of the greatest in Britain and came an impressive second in the Robot Wars World Championships last year. They look good, powerful and experienced. I'd be very surprised if they haven't gotten in.
Team Mute are on the list with Bonk, complete with a Robot Wars-themed paint job. I do like Bonk and its big hammer, even though they seem to suffer at the hands of flippers. I will be both surprised and hugely disappointed if they haven't made it in.
| Bonus points from the producers for that Robot Wars bevel decor Source: http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/content/142-bonk |
Crushers next, and of the few crusher regulars in the live scene who have been signed up, two are foreign. They are the sleek-looking Alien Destructor, armed with gripping jaws and shiny armour (so we will see every single dent) and veteran axlebot crusher Tough As Nails. Shame the Dutch team were turned down for BattleBots but at least we will hopefully get to see them here.
And finally, a special long paragraph for Team Danby who have entered not one, not two but 3 robots under three different teams. Team Danby itself is running Foxic which is fast, manoeuvrable and has gotten its ass handed to it in every battle it's ever been in. But it's a wedge-lifter and therefore needs to be in a big arena up against spinners to really show itself off and that's not something that's been available in the UK for a long time. The second Danby brother (yes, they are brothers - expect television drama there) has applied with Apex under the name Team Terrafonics. This bot is a descendent of TX-108 which won a New Blood battle against the mighty Hypno-Disc but it was never aired and TX-108 never got its rightful shot in the main competition. Few robots deserve a place as much as Apex, if only for the sake of justice. Team Danby's final entry is Tanto which I'll get on to later.
Out of Retirement
Razer. That's gotten you excited, hasn't it? Yes, they came back for BattleBots with Warhead and they're back for Robot Wars with the legendary Razer. It was retired from combat but is still in working order, having crushed a microwave or two, and is being prepped by the team in a shed somewhere.
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| Part bird, part reptile, the rest machine with some elbow grease thrown in Source: https://www.facebook.com/RazerRobot/photos/pcb.584866301671601/584866208338277/?type=3&theater |
And there are some surprises. Team Roobarb fought live regularly way back in 2004 and 2005. Considering how long it's been since their signature 'bot last battled, I'd expect them to build something brand new.
The obscure Team Anarchic Engineering who built RW Extreme New Blood failure Draven managed not to qualify for two different series and yet Draven remains one of my favourite original entries. It's sleek, menacing and beautifully elegant. They never saw success originally but Draven has been extnsively rebuilt.
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| Beautiful metal bitey thing on six wheels https://www.facebook.com/Dravenrobot/photos/a.1328960663788205.1073741828.1328927507124854/1336793963004875/?type=3&theater |
Another of my all-time favourite teams, Team Forsey (Revenge of Trouble & Strife) are also entering, this time with an all-new spinner! A ring spinner, to be precise, with great big dumper-truck-type wheels. The name, M.R. Speed Squared, is incredibly nerdy and comes from the equation for the amount of energy carried by the 20kg disc.
And finally Sabretooth, whose last battle saw them replace the weapon with a motorbike wheel due to damage, supposedly letting the robot get up to 70mph. Well, that never happened. Nevertheless, Sabretooth looked like it could do damage with the blade fitted. I can imagine a new version being Britain's own VD6.
The following teams have also shown interest, though chances are they won't enter this year:
- Team Atomic
- Team Rotraktor (of Barber-Ous fame, who have hinted at a possible Barber-Ous 3)
- Team Cookie Monsters (who built Iron Maidens champion Chompalot)
- Team Nemesis (yes, the black-and-red polka-dotty Diotoir boys)
- Team Thermonuclear Warfare (I'm hoping they'll keep the team name. They built Suicidal Tendencies)
The Upclassers
Like I've said, a lot of entries are from seasoned live event regulars. Some of these, however, have never fought with a heavyweight. Who, then, are punching above their weight?
Team Ranglebox have applied with something. They also failed to qualify for BattleBots with a robot called Goblin which was essentially a giant version of the team's Sewer Snake-style featherweight lifter Tormenta. Whether that's what they're entering in to Robot Wars is unknown but I'd love to see it happen.
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| Luzifer team, take notes. This is a top-notch Sewer Snake impression Source: https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t31.0-8/12525372_982299908505920_415374957867252248_o.jpg |
Team Carbide is a collaboration between the minds that built 360 & 722 and Hatchet. I'm really hoping for a big, kick-ass spinner here. The Official Robot Wars RA2 mod features a robot called 900 which is a giant version of featherweight 722 and, considering one of these minds worked on that mod, is that a sign of things to come?
Two more teams who have so far stuck to featherweights are Team Psyclone and Team Riptide. The former has fought with Twister and Shazam and has been planning a heavyweight flipper or axe called Zerstoren for a while now, whilst the latter competes with Hardwired 2, a wedge/drum bot.
The New Boys
Now, this being the first series, there aren't many new people stepping up to the plate. Why would they, with so little time? Not even Team Tornado, who still have a running robot, applied. In fact, there's only one name here, after another new team have had to put their build on hold.
They are The Harwellians and they have built a strafing robot. This has only really been done successfully by the legendary American robot Alcoholic Stepfather and looks fantastic, although this brings drive and grip issues. Oh well, I guess they'll have to give it an exciting weapon that does damage instead of just pushing things around. Never mind.
The Pilots
These have already come and gone. Thanks to leaks, we know 8 robots fought in the un-televised pilot episode and aren't expected to be seen on TV. Two of these are actually the BattleBots competitors Beta and Chronic who had a quick go at one another as practice for the American show (holy crap, we have two robot combat shows again! When does Robotica get a reboot?).
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| This is Beta, with the lower halves of John Reid and Grant Cooper I guess we'll have to wait for BattleBots 2016 to finally see that hammer fall Source: http://battlebots.com/robot/beta/ |
I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the rest of these bots are reserves. I mean, it makes sense. They're there, ready to battle, so why not make use of them if needed? They're Reaper (the old Grim Reaper from the Seventh Wars with new, shiny innards), Merlin (DNQ'd for the Seventh Wars), Ka-Pow! (built by the Onslaught team) and the 'winners' of the pilot, 2006 UK champs Turbulence. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if at least one of these machines gets brought in to the main competition, given how quick builds and upgrades have needed to be.
All but Reaper also fought in a four-robot rumble alongside Tanto, a solid steel doorstop which flings itself around the arena seemingly at the speed of sound. And guess what? To comply with the active weapon rule, they've gone and stuck a spinning drum on it, which is actually a little confusing. See, there are no other arenas in the UK that can hold heavyweight spinners right now so why build one if you're not going for the televised spinner-friendly competition? If the competing robots were left out of the pilot to avoid damage before the competition, wouldn't that mean Tanto's a reserve at best? Or perhaps the risk of damage was outweighed by the benefits of loaners Team Immersion getting some driving practice and we will see it on the telly screen after all.
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| At least you're seeing it on this screen Source: http://robotwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tanto?file=Tanto_2016.png |
The Rejects
Ok, ok, that's a bit harsh. Many of the rejected robots are great. In fact, the producers have made some really weird choices with participants...
Most shockingly, PulveriseR, the second Dutch robot wars champion, has been rejected. Why though? It's foreign (which makes Robot Wars seem like a bigger, more global deal), it has a sodding great vertical flywheel (!!) and this is paired to an axlebot chassis, making it a really unusual design matched only by S3 to my knowledge.
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| Both versions of the great robot here. And of course the team captain always dressed as Elvis. Obviously. Source: http://robotwars.wikia.com/wiki/PulverizeR?file=PulverizeRx2.jpg |
And sticking with foreign robots, Brutus (which I consider as a modern, faster, bouncier Tornado) has been denied. Sure, it never used to have an active weapon but it never really needed one and anyway, apparently the robot was always built to have something, so presumably the team have given it one (I always figured it would be a drum and we'd end up with a modern, more powerful Tetanus Booster). Team Frogbots' Bullfrog, an invertible flipper, is also out. I'm glad there are fewer flippers but I always had a soft spot for that robot, if only because its name is a bad pun on Bulldog Breed, the more famous British flipper.
And there are many others. I want to keep this section brief so here's a round-up of the rest: Dutch axe TMHWK, snake-headed flipper Rattler, the mad concept of The Big Bamboo (yes, it will have a bamboo chassis and yes, the team are still building it for the live events), Team NI's front-hinge flipper Rybot, as well as Halo which was to be loaned to them from the Ripper team and finally another currently un-built concept in Dino-Saw, a spinner as suggested by the name.
So basically:
There will be fewer flippers and fewer foreign robots than there are at the live events. There will also be a few spinners, which makes a much needed change, as well as the return of some classic famous faces. There should be a great mix of weapons and of original legends fighting alongside the new generation.
However it turns out, the likely line-up looks great! I can only imagine the contest being close, tense and brilliantly entertaining. Bring in on!
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