Robot Wars Series 3 Episode Four Review

We are just over the halfway point of Robot Wars and our current finalists are Behemoth, Carbide and Rapid.  Let's see who will be number four.

LET THE WARS BEGIN

Group battle 1 The Kegs (Clusterbot) vs Tauron vs Iron Awe 6

The Kegs are a cluster-bot with a body shell fashioned out of steel beer kegs.  Their team captain is veteran of the original series, John Frizell, who looks like your quintessential mad scientist.

If that name doesn't sound familiar, you've probably forgotten about Terror Turtle.  If you have forgotten it, I don't blame you.  Made by John Frizell, it was turtle-shaped robot, which always fared terribly.  But the Kegs were armed with horizontal spinnng bars, but, as we've seen before, clusterbots have never done well on Robot Wars.

Tauron looked more impressive.  With a sleek black finish, they had a vertical spinning hammer, rotating at 3000RPM.  Their final opponent was another veteran of the original series: Iron Awe 6. While Iron-Awe always fared poorly in the original series, they did win subsequent untelevised competitions.  They were armed with a flipper and an entanglement weapon.

3...2...1...ACTIVATE

One thing I've noticed this series is that the new entanglement weapons are useless.  They do nothing to tangle up a robot's spinning weapon.  Iron Awe was no exception with the Kegs ripping their entanglement weapon to shreds.  To make matters worse, their flipper wasn't working either.

However, one weapon that was working was Tauron's lethal spinning hammer.  it was so powerful that just one hit ripped off the Keg's spinning bar, sending it flying across the arena.

Sensing they werein trouble, The Keys hit the Dial of Doom, letting the House Robots out on the loose.  Tuaron took advantage of this by veritably disembowlleing the Kegs.  Unsurprisingly, the kegs were immobilised shortly after.  meanwhile, Tauron and Iron Awe smashed together, which seemed to immobilise both machines.  The decision went to the judges who awarded the fight to iron Awe, believing that Tauron was immobilised first.  This wasn't the last controversial decision of the heat.

Group Battle 2 Concussion vs Androme 4000 vs Nuts 2

Concussions were finalists last year and so we already knew that they were ones to watch out for.  This meant that Androme 4000, armed with a crushing arm, and the full-body spinner, Nuts 2 were complete underdogs.

Nuts has always been regarded as the joke machine of Robot Wars, not unlike Diotoir.  But will the Nuts machine with their flailing, weighted arms have the last laugh?

3...2...1...ACTIVATE

Short answer? yes? Nuts' flailing arms smashed into Concussion's exposed wheels, buckling the hub.

The former finalists were in trouble here, as they were then flipped over by the floor flipper.  Androma 4000, which hitherto had done nothing, came in for the killing, pinning Concussion down, but then Androma broke down.

Concussion couldn't escape from them and were declared immobilised too.  Nuts were the unlikely winners.

Robot Redemption 1 Concussion vs the Kegs

Time for our first loser's melee. If anybody had counted the former finalists down and out, then that was a sincere mistake.

They were on top form here.  Their first collision with one of the Kegs led to the latter's bodyshell being torn straight off.

This left the vulnerable insides exposed and Concussion were merciless.  They tore one of the Kegs apart.  Wires were torn out and circuit boards were reduced to smithereens.  Once Concussion had finished here, they brutalised the other Keg machine.  The former finalists shoved that they were still a force to be reckoned with.

Robot Redemption 2 Tauron vs Androme 4000

Androme began this fight strongly.  They chased Tauron around the arena and pushed them into Sir Killalot.  While Tauron hit Sir Killalot, they were unable to get any hits in on Androme.

That was until Androme let their guard down and got too close to Tauron.  They paid their price for their recklessness by having their front armour torn away.  Androme tried recovering by pushing Tauron into Dead Metal, but they escaped and had their revenge.  Tauron's spinning hammer powered up to top speed and smahed through Androme's armour, as well as disabling their wheel.

However, at the end of the fight, both robots were still mobile and so it went to the judges who awarded it to Androme.  Considering how badly damaged they were, I didn't understand this decision and I don't agree with it.  But as Craig Charles used to say, controversy is never far away on Robot Wars.

Round 2 Battle 1 Concussion vs Iron Awe 6

Concussion continued to be on top form, as they smashed into Iron Awe, stopping them from getting any flips in.  And then Concussion buckled Iron Awe's flipper and managed to flip them over, with another wicked hit by their awesome spinning drum.  As Iron Awe's flipper still wasn't working, they couldn't self-right and Concussion were through to the heat final.

Round 2 Battle 2 Nuts vs Androme 4000

This was another fight that was over very quickly.  Androme went straight on a foolhardy attack and resulting had Nuts tear away their hydraulic tubing, which powered their weaponry.  Hydraulic fluid squirted all over the arena.

Stunned by this attack, they drove onto the floor-flipper and were flipped over.  With their hydraulic fluid leaking everywhere, they were unable to self-right and were out.  Nuts 2, the supposed joke machine were in the heat final.

Play off Androme 4000 vs Iron Awe 6

Time to see who will join Apollo, Sabretooth, Eruption, Big Nipper, Terrorhurtz and Tracktion in the ten robot rumble.  This was perhaps the cagiest, and one of the most boring, fights in Robot Wars.  To quote Craig Charles, it wasn't relly a fight, but pushing and shoving and calling names.

Neither Iron Awe or Androme's weapons were working properly, and thus this became a war of attrition.  Instead, the robots chased and pushed each other around the arena.

Iron-Awe showed better control, pushing Androme into Matilda's flywheel and eventually the pit.  Iron-Awe were through to the robot rubmle, all without a working flipper.

Heat final Concussion vs Nuts 2

Time for the lethal Concussion to face off against the supposed joke machine: Nuts 2.  To protect their vulnerable wheels, Concussion installed plastic wheel guards.

The battle began explosively with both robots smashing into each other.  And then Concussion stupidly drove onto the floor flipper.

Taking advantage of this, Nuts whacked into them, and while Concussion were recovering, they drove onto the floor flipper again, but this time they were flipped over.  This was a poor demonstration of control.

Usually, Concussion can run either way up and this wouldn't be a problem.  However, because of the newly added wheelguards, they couldn't properly drive across the floor.  Nuts continued smashing into them, while Concussion desparetly tried using Shunt and the arena spikes to flip them back to their whees, but to no avail.

As Concussion were no longer fully mobile, they were counted out and Nuts 2 will be joining Behemoth, Carbide and Rapid in the final.  Nuts 2 are certainly no laughing matter.  Not anymore.

Dim the lights
cue your applause
Nuts 2 is our fourth finalist
on Robot Wars