Tweet
The Returners Tournament
Melee 1
We go into the Classic arena for the first melee. Fighting today are:
Tengu VII surely needs no introduction. This mean green fighting machine is one of the most decorated robots around, having won tournaments and made it at least to the semi finals of just about every tournament there is to fight in. The anti-spinner ring renders horizontal spinners useless, and confuses opponents who don€™t understand it. A truly terrifying defence.
Joining it is Tough As Nails, who I believe is a former Dutch Robot Wars champion, and a semi-finalist of the British series, this full body clamp was one of the first real robots to employ completely Hardox armour€¦ So blame them
Last in is Wedginator 6.0, hoping to join team-mate Tira III in round 2. Boasting fast drive, a powerful Nitrogen powered flipper and tough armour, it could well fulfil that ambition but with no real damaging weaponry, this Wedge is no Terminator.
3€¦
2€¦
1€¦..
ACTIVATE!!
All three robots are moving as soon as activate is called, with Tengu backing away to spin up, Wedginator approaching Tough as Nails, who is heading straight for the pit release button. Kody sees this and moves in to intercept, getting under the side claw of TAN and flipping, rolling TAN onto its back. TAN reverses as Wedginator drives in again, before driving forwards and trying to clamp Wedginator, but the arms can€™t get a grip on Wedginator€™s body.
The flipper fires again, and TAN is bounced on top of Wedginator, before toppling off as Tengu finally joins the fray and hits the side of Wedginator! TAN exits the scrum, heading again towards the pit release button. The Dutch team obviously have a plan, and are sticking with it.
Realising his suggested team-up isn€™t going to happen, Kody takes Wedginator towards Tengu and tries to get under it before the spinner reaches too high a speed, but fails as Tengu is deflected away from the wedge. Keeping chase, Kody succeeds in getting under Tengu on the second attempt, and sparks fly as Tengu is flipped while still spinning!
Tengu bounces down onto the floor and is bounced upright, being spun and tipped around by its own gyroscopic forces as Wedginator comes in again. The tooth of Tengu hits directly down on Wedginator, and Tengu is bounced up before the flipper can even fire, and Tengu is bounced away. The flipper is fired a moment too late, flipping Wedginator onto its back. With the spinner now stalled, tengu is once more under Alex€™s control, and he takes Tengu away for a moment.
Meanwhile, TAN has gotten to the pit release button. The first drive fails to connect, as the button fits neatly between the arms. TAN reverses, turns a little and presses the pit release button. The siren wails, and the audience know the TAN team hope to fill it, and the cries of €œPit! Pit! Pit!€ begin. TAN turns around and heads back to where Wedginator is trying to turn around to attack Tengu, but is instead struck on the side and spun away.
Again, Tengu drives in on Wedginator€™s side, bouncing both machines away from each other slightly. Wedginator succeeds in evading the next attack, and wedges under Tengu slightly before Tengu€™s tooth hits the wedge, bouncing Tengu away where it bounces on the spot for a moment, before TAN drives in. Tengu hits the inside of one of the arms, but is deflected straight into the other arm, unable to escape.
The arms close, catching Tengu in a lethal embrace, and TAN begins to reverse towards the pit. Kody and Wedginator follow close behind, but not interfering with what TAN is doing. TAN reverses past the pit and slowly turns, for Alex is furiously waggling the controls in an attempt to free his machine and this is interfering a little with TAN€™s drive.
But the interference is only a little. TAN succeeds in lining Tengu up and drives towards the pit€¦ Nearly in! Tengu is precariously balanced on the corner, TAN turns just a little more€¦ The arms are retracted, and what a shock! One of the favourites has just dropped out of the tournament in a plume of smoke! Kody isn€™t done though, as Wedginator drives in under TAN, carries it to the arena wall and flips it over the fence!
Tough as Nails, out of the arena€¦ But that doesn€™t matter, as Tengu is inside that hole inside the arena!
The winners: Tough as Nails and Wedginator via pitting.
Melee 2
We go to the Moat once more. Fighting this time are:
Flipping Mad 7 is described as just a plain wedge, but underneath that wedge lurks a flipper and a quick drive. It€™s also bright orange, so sunglasses are advised.
Leprosy Infection is Christopher Mason€™s first fighter to step up to the plate in this war. The armour is strong, and its flipping, ripping drum is fast but Chris is concerned that the wheels may be vulnerable to axes€¦ Which isn€™t likely to worry him in this fight, or even the entire heat.
Last in is Drilla Killa 7, a veteran of the highest order, having been around in some form or another since vapourbot-eering began. This is almost a basic ram €˜bot, with the added bonus of being able to use drills to damage the underbelly of robots once they€™re on the wedge.
3€¦
2€¦
1€¦..
ACTIVATE!!
In what is a totally surprising manoeuvre, both Drilla Killa and Flipping Mad head towards Leprosy Infection with an apparent team up in the works. Leprosy heads after Flipping Mad, but is caught by the wedge. This doesn€™t matter, however as Leprosy is up and over the wedge before Dave can press the fire button, and Flipping Mad flips nothing but air particles, and an errant fly who has now gone to that great dung heap in the sky.
Leprosy reverses against the rear of Flipping Mad, pushing it inexorably towards the moat, but Drilla Killa comes in at the side of Leprosy, and now it€™s Leprosy heading moatwards. Leprosy has its wheels on Drilla Killa€™s wedge though, and is able to slip free before too much ground is lost, and ends up side by side with Drilla Killa. Leprosy wastes no time in heading for the arena centre, Chris obviously trying to form a battle plan to fight two opponents at once, for this melee does appear to be turning into a two on one mugging, a fact made all the more obvious as Flipping Mad eschews attacking Drilla Killa in favour of pursuing Leprosy.
Leprosy turns to meet Flipping Mad, and drives around to the side, but Dave predicted the move, getting Flipping Mad turned around and under Leprosy, flipping it into the air. Leprosy spins like a top as it goes up, landing down on its side, and toppling away from Flipping Mad, possibly the only thing that saves Chris€™ bacon as Flipping Mad moves forwards, missing Leprosy as it falls.
Flipping Mad is stopped in its tracks and reverses, but Leprosy is no longer around as Chris instead tries his luck attacking Drilla Killa. Richard gets the scoop facing the oncoming Leprosy, but Chris doesn€™t care. Leprosy goes straight over the scoop and comes down behind Drilla Killa. Immediately, Chris puts Leprosy into reverse, trying to shunt Drilla Killa towards the moat, but Richard puts his own robot into reverse, and the combination of positioning and reversing puts Drilla Killa on top of Leprosy! This might have been ideal for Chris, but before he can do anything with Drilla Killa, Flipping Mad comes in and flips the two over.
Leprosy rolls away before resting on its wheels dangerously near the moat, while Drilla Killa had just slid off, resting in its scoop for a moment before thudding back onto its wheels in a most ungainly fashion. Flipping Mad charges straight after Leprosy with the intent of finishing this fight once and for all€¦ Dave manages to do this, but not in the manner he intended, as Leprosy reverses at the last second. Caught by surprise, Flipping Mad flies straight over the moat and lands on its wheels.
The winners, by moating: Drilla Killa 7 and Leprosy Infection. Dave, meanwhile is driving Flipping Mad around the moat for a laugh.
Melee 1
We go into the Classic arena for the first melee. Fighting today are:
Tengu VII surely needs no introduction. This mean green fighting machine is one of the most decorated robots around, having won tournaments and made it at least to the semi finals of just about every tournament there is to fight in. The anti-spinner ring renders horizontal spinners useless, and confuses opponents who don€™t understand it. A truly terrifying defence.
Joining it is Tough As Nails, who I believe is a former Dutch Robot Wars champion, and a semi-finalist of the British series, this full body clamp was one of the first real robots to employ completely Hardox armour€¦ So blame them
Last in is Wedginator 6.0, hoping to join team-mate Tira III in round 2. Boasting fast drive, a powerful Nitrogen powered flipper and tough armour, it could well fulfil that ambition but with no real damaging weaponry, this Wedge is no Terminator.
3€¦
2€¦
1€¦..
ACTIVATE!!
All three robots are moving as soon as activate is called, with Tengu backing away to spin up, Wedginator approaching Tough as Nails, who is heading straight for the pit release button. Kody sees this and moves in to intercept, getting under the side claw of TAN and flipping, rolling TAN onto its back. TAN reverses as Wedginator drives in again, before driving forwards and trying to clamp Wedginator, but the arms can€™t get a grip on Wedginator€™s body.
The flipper fires again, and TAN is bounced on top of Wedginator, before toppling off as Tengu finally joins the fray and hits the side of Wedginator! TAN exits the scrum, heading again towards the pit release button. The Dutch team obviously have a plan, and are sticking with it.
Realising his suggested team-up isn€™t going to happen, Kody takes Wedginator towards Tengu and tries to get under it before the spinner reaches too high a speed, but fails as Tengu is deflected away from the wedge. Keeping chase, Kody succeeds in getting under Tengu on the second attempt, and sparks fly as Tengu is flipped while still spinning!
Tengu bounces down onto the floor and is bounced upright, being spun and tipped around by its own gyroscopic forces as Wedginator comes in again. The tooth of Tengu hits directly down on Wedginator, and Tengu is bounced up before the flipper can even fire, and Tengu is bounced away. The flipper is fired a moment too late, flipping Wedginator onto its back. With the spinner now stalled, tengu is once more under Alex€™s control, and he takes Tengu away for a moment.
Meanwhile, TAN has gotten to the pit release button. The first drive fails to connect, as the button fits neatly between the arms. TAN reverses, turns a little and presses the pit release button. The siren wails, and the audience know the TAN team hope to fill it, and the cries of €œPit! Pit! Pit!€ begin. TAN turns around and heads back to where Wedginator is trying to turn around to attack Tengu, but is instead struck on the side and spun away.
Again, Tengu drives in on Wedginator€™s side, bouncing both machines away from each other slightly. Wedginator succeeds in evading the next attack, and wedges under Tengu slightly before Tengu€™s tooth hits the wedge, bouncing Tengu away where it bounces on the spot for a moment, before TAN drives in. Tengu hits the inside of one of the arms, but is deflected straight into the other arm, unable to escape.
The arms close, catching Tengu in a lethal embrace, and TAN begins to reverse towards the pit. Kody and Wedginator follow close behind, but not interfering with what TAN is doing. TAN reverses past the pit and slowly turns, for Alex is furiously waggling the controls in an attempt to free his machine and this is interfering a little with TAN€™s drive.
But the interference is only a little. TAN succeeds in lining Tengu up and drives towards the pit€¦ Nearly in! Tengu is precariously balanced on the corner, TAN turns just a little more€¦ The arms are retracted, and what a shock! One of the favourites has just dropped out of the tournament in a plume of smoke! Kody isn€™t done though, as Wedginator drives in under TAN, carries it to the arena wall and flips it over the fence!
Tough as Nails, out of the arena€¦ But that doesn€™t matter, as Tengu is inside that hole inside the arena!
The winners: Tough as Nails and Wedginator via pitting.
Melee 2
We go to the Moat once more. Fighting this time are:
Flipping Mad 7 is described as just a plain wedge, but underneath that wedge lurks a flipper and a quick drive. It€™s also bright orange, so sunglasses are advised.
Leprosy Infection is Christopher Mason€™s first fighter to step up to the plate in this war. The armour is strong, and its flipping, ripping drum is fast but Chris is concerned that the wheels may be vulnerable to axes€¦ Which isn€™t likely to worry him in this fight, or even the entire heat.
Last in is Drilla Killa 7, a veteran of the highest order, having been around in some form or another since vapourbot-eering began. This is almost a basic ram €˜bot, with the added bonus of being able to use drills to damage the underbelly of robots once they€™re on the wedge.
3€¦
2€¦
1€¦..
ACTIVATE!!
In what is a totally surprising manoeuvre, both Drilla Killa and Flipping Mad head towards Leprosy Infection with an apparent team up in the works. Leprosy heads after Flipping Mad, but is caught by the wedge. This doesn€™t matter, however as Leprosy is up and over the wedge before Dave can press the fire button, and Flipping Mad flips nothing but air particles, and an errant fly who has now gone to that great dung heap in the sky.
Leprosy reverses against the rear of Flipping Mad, pushing it inexorably towards the moat, but Drilla Killa comes in at the side of Leprosy, and now it€™s Leprosy heading moatwards. Leprosy has its wheels on Drilla Killa€™s wedge though, and is able to slip free before too much ground is lost, and ends up side by side with Drilla Killa. Leprosy wastes no time in heading for the arena centre, Chris obviously trying to form a battle plan to fight two opponents at once, for this melee does appear to be turning into a two on one mugging, a fact made all the more obvious as Flipping Mad eschews attacking Drilla Killa in favour of pursuing Leprosy.
Leprosy turns to meet Flipping Mad, and drives around to the side, but Dave predicted the move, getting Flipping Mad turned around and under Leprosy, flipping it into the air. Leprosy spins like a top as it goes up, landing down on its side, and toppling away from Flipping Mad, possibly the only thing that saves Chris€™ bacon as Flipping Mad moves forwards, missing Leprosy as it falls.
Flipping Mad is stopped in its tracks and reverses, but Leprosy is no longer around as Chris instead tries his luck attacking Drilla Killa. Richard gets the scoop facing the oncoming Leprosy, but Chris doesn€™t care. Leprosy goes straight over the scoop and comes down behind Drilla Killa. Immediately, Chris puts Leprosy into reverse, trying to shunt Drilla Killa towards the moat, but Richard puts his own robot into reverse, and the combination of positioning and reversing puts Drilla Killa on top of Leprosy! This might have been ideal for Chris, but before he can do anything with Drilla Killa, Flipping Mad comes in and flips the two over.
Leprosy rolls away before resting on its wheels dangerously near the moat, while Drilla Killa had just slid off, resting in its scoop for a moment before thudding back onto its wheels in a most ungainly fashion. Flipping Mad charges straight after Leprosy with the intent of finishing this fight once and for all€¦ Dave manages to do this, but not in the manner he intended, as Leprosy reverses at the last second. Caught by surprise, Flipping Mad flies straight over the moat and lands on its wheels.
The winners, by moating: Drilla Killa 7 and Leprosy Infection. Dave, meanwhile is driving Flipping Mad around the moat for a laugh.
Wedginator in an enclosed arena with nothing but a powerful drum. Beautiful.
Comment