The Crash & Burn Tournament 4

[shadowflare]

Re: The Crash & Burn Tournament 4

Whee, got an award! Now I'll feel less bad if I don't win!
(who am I kidding, I WANT THAT WIN.)

Errrhm, play defensively, go for places that aren't the front, and either beat the bot up myself in the process, drive it into something else that'll do the job for me, or go for the pit.

Also AJ, if you want my skirts that badly we can get you some, stop going for mine!
Silliness aside, good luck.

[kodster]

Re: The Crash & Burn Tournament 4

Well, it's come down to this. Out of 104 robots entered, 94 have been dismembered horrifically, that or a similar scenario, take your pick. :P Only 5 will stand as champions though, because we're finally at each of the Final Battles! Who'll take the crowns? A rapid-fire succession of battles will tell! It's time to end this once and for all! Here we go, folks!

Antweight Final
Bobcat vs. Stewie

From Pontefract...Bobcat!
(created by Joey McConnell)
A formidable vertical crusher, armoured with polypropylene and a titanium crushing beak. Wedge shaped with a wedge on the rear too, and has the ability to self-right. Control may be an issue, but this 'Cat is as cool as they come.
C&B4 Hit List: Katjuscha & Razzler, MicroForce 3.0

From Carterton in Oxfordshire...Stewie!
(built by David Weston; entered by Martijn Benschop)
This annoying baby has 3mm MDF and 1mm polycarb armour, and a nasty Servo-powered flipper. Solarbotics gear motors and Lipo battery drive this tyrant, so be very careful, or you'll be flat on your back hearing those menacing words: VICTORY IS MINE!
C&B4 Hit List: CombatANT & Anty B, Wedge 3mm

Roboteers, stand by...

Back to the mini-arena for this one...

3...
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ACTIVATE!!!

It may be a final, but they're still antweights for god sakes! And they are funny to watch! Bobcat is trying to get around Stewie, to get at the rear, but is only just passing him, and Stewie mistimes a flip and flips itself! It manages to self-right before Bobcat finally meets it...but not the way Joey intended - head-to-head! Fortunately for Joey the wedge of Bobcat gets underneath Stewie's flipper and...no, not that great of a hold, Stewie escapes. Bobcat hunts him down but misses again. Stewie tries to find the side of Bobcat - oh, and does so! There's the flip! Bobcat is immediately on the self-righting, and...Stewie misses its charge. Bobcat is upright now and trying to find Stewie, but spins around now, trying to re-orient. It exposes its side a bit but that's okay since Stewie again misses. Finally Bobcat gets another go and gets the side of Stewie! I think that may be game, but can Bobcat drag Stewie over to the drop-off area, and drop them in? Bobcat is trying to do just that now, but Stewie appears to have a wheel on the ground and is fighting it! Bobcat pushes with all the might that its KG17 gearmotors can muster! But no - Stewie manages to turn Bobcat completely around! Bobcat tries to turn and manoeuvre Stewie back, because that claw is stuck in Stewie's armour with a capital S... but Stewie is holding its ground...unfortunately, they get nearer and nearer the drop-off area, and one good thrust from Bobcat sees them tumble into the void together sideways!!! Oh dear!!!

CEASE!!!

Well, I think we'll have to see the instant replay here, because I'm not sure which one went down first...

*the mini-arena cameras record the instant both of them fell over the area - and the recording shows that Stewie went down first, by 3mm!!!*

Back to the cradle for Stewie, as his plans for antweight domination end up in the diaper!
BOBCAT WINS THE C&B4 ANTWEIGHT FINAL!!!

Congratulations to Joey McConnell!!! Here's your Antweight trophy, but don't lose it, coolcat!

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Featherweight Final
Innis vs. Little Hitter 2

From Brooks in Alberta, Canada...Innis!
This rounded box has a vicious spinning disc on its rather pointed front end with two tool steel teeth. Mildly nippy, aluminium armoured, and invertible, it'll rip you to shreds! Its weak turning power however may prove it little more than a mirage...of deceit.
C&B4 Hit List: Sith & Small System Shock, Rolling Pin FTW

From Colne in Lancashire...Little Hitter 2!
One of the scariest FWs ever! A axe that can easily dent 3mm steel, a opposite corner 2WD, titanium and polypropylene armour, powerful drive and new front forks ensure this little hitter ain't your common garden variety axebot.
C&B4 Hit List: OverDrive & Bulldozer, Redemption

Roboteers, stand by...

Welcome back, Battlegrounds Arena! We missed you...what's this? Guest house robots without stats? LW BlackRose is filling one of the roles of house robot today, a rambot with 4WD and a pink lifter at the rear. Joining her is...a newly redesigned Scarab! That new egg-beater looks menacing, as do those angled tracks...

3...
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1...
ACTIVATE!!!

And one of the most ominous starts in this series sees Innis spin its black right up to speed with Little Hitter speeding right up to it with its feared hammer on edge! The crowd is on teenterhooks and sure enough we get a massive collision seconds in! SPARKS! Innis actually caught some air there...let's see the replay...Innis directly hit the front of Little Hitter - oh, the hammer blow was far too late. But both of them were spun away and Innis indeed caught some air there while sent away. That left Little Hitter with a scuffed wedge and Innis to spin up again...and indeed Innis does spin up again! LH2 moves back in now, but too late again...but there's another direct hit, with the same result, except Little Hitter didn't bother firing the hammer this time and his front is now dented a bit. This hit also forced Innis near the arena wall and its disc grazed it, slowing down! Little Hitter takes initiative here and plows in on a half-spun-up Innis, throwing into the arena wall and taking a weak shot before slamming the hammer down on Innis at last! The disc actually takes the hammer blow, but that's seemingly done nothing to it. Undeterred, Little Hitter continues to attack Innis' weaponry, hoping to at least unbalance it, but the fourth straight blow knocks Innis aside and frees it! But there's BlackRose nearby in the CPZ and I don't think Tracy wants to be bothandled this early in the match! She gets out of there pronto and begins the spin-up again, but Team Big Nipper are hot on her trail! Not hot enough, however, as Innis turns enough to just get the disc in and this time catches the front corner of Little Hitter, not only separating them again, but tearing off the entire side panel, which lands with a clatter on the arena floor, much to the shock of Mark Lumb and Samuel Park!!! Just proves that the armour is only is as strong as what holds it on, fellas!

Having realized the true power behind Innis' disc, Little Hitter wants it stopped dead in its tracks and now charges in again! Innis catches it with another blow directly to the front and dents it up further, but Little Hitter now recovers faster and wedges the stalled spinner, giving it a smack directly on the main body this time, and shoving it onto the arena saws! WHOA!!! Innis is caught by the saws and sent akilter, spinning through the air like an oddly-shaped boomerang! It lands near the flame pit and Little Hitter chases it down, easily wedging it and slamming it into the arena wall! Team Alt's FW is reeling now! It bounces to the side, and LH2 prepares another blow but Innis manages to escape it in time and miraculously, the disc begins spinning up again! A startling sight to see, but Samuel's not too pleased all the same and Little Hitter crashes into the rear of Innis before the latter can turn...but Innis turns anyway! Innis suffers another hammer hit for its trouble, but the disc catches the other corner of Little Hitter and now the entire front panel, forks and all, evidently loosened from the previous collisions, has just fallen off, completely exposing Little Hitter to attack! All it has for armour now is the left side, the rear, and the top and bottom! However, the corner that is fully exposed is devoid of a wheel, meaning its awkward 2WD is safe for the most part. Meanwhile Innis is struggling to save face, but that last hammer hit has slowed it down, not to mention putting a nice sized hole in the aluminium! It's also struggling to spin up again, but the disc is turning slowly...and NOW it's spinning up, meaning it was just a temporary problem. Little Hitter however has no intention of keeping it only temporary, and moves in. Innis takes the bait and also moves in, the disc now back at full speed.

Little Hitter however stops moving suddenly. Tracy stops her machine too thinking LH2 may turn...but no! The hammer comes down, directly on top of the disc!!! ...no, not on top of it! It went through one of the holes, and got yanked! This sends the robots flying away, and Little Hitter with its hammer extended! It's unable to be pulled back, it seems! And we can see why!! It's bent! Little Hitter tried to jam the disc with its axe, but in doing so sacrificed its own weaponry to do so! But it has done so, see! Innis is now completely unable to spin up, and moving rather sluggishly! Little Hitter seems to still have full drivetrain capabilities, and decides to nip this in the bud right now and opens the pit! Oh this is monstrously not good for Innis. Little Hitter reverses across the arena with its sloped rear, but Innis manages to avoid the initial charge. Not used to charging in reverse, Little Hitter goes back a further than it intended to and Innis decides to just drive straight into Little Hitter's exposed front and see what happens. Samuel is quick at the controls though and gets the rear in, meaning Innis slides up it, but slides down quickly due the steep shape. Not in line with the pit Little Hitter decides to make an extended running start, and with seemingly phenomenal power Little Hitter mashes Innis into the arena wall! Innis lands directly on the arena saws and again is sent for a loop! Tracy cringes at all the abuse, and it's about to get a lot worse as the Team Big Nipper FW comes right back at the spinner! Wanting to avoid being flipped himself with a disabled hammer, Little Hitter does not take Innis to the saws again, nor the arena spikes, but opts for a house robot! And it's our rammer, BlackRose herself! Uh oh! That's the cue for Scarab to leave his CPZ!

Now in frenzied desperation, Innis spins about wildly to escape both BlackRose and Little Hitter, but is completely caught between the two and lifted by the LW HB's lifter. Little Hitter gets out of there lest Scarab crash the party, but Innis falls off the lifter and finally manages to escape! Unable to believe this, Little Hitter goes back into reverse again, but Samuel messes up on the controls again and spins about. Wanting to capitalize on something, Innis moves in and JUST manages to get the disc into the exposed area of Little Hitter! Unfortunately the disc won't spin, so it's not as destructive, but being a side-on attack, it does hinder Little Hitter's mobility! Little Hitter tries to push out of there, but Innis keeps with the hammerbot, and during the shovefest, they venture back into the CPZ! This time BlackRose catches BOTH of them, and lifts the pair over!! Is that it?! Innis splats down, exhausted, but still barely mobile, while Little Hitter...is out! It can't right itself! And thus it seems a hard-fought battle comes to an end, as The Watcher curiously pokes his three heads into the scene, and the last rites are delivered!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

But while Little Hitter has been counted out, BlackRose has a different target - the weakened Innis! There's naught Tracy can do in this situation, as the house robot shoves Innis all the way across the arena, and drops it down into the pit...CRASH?! What was that?! AH!!! Scarab has just attacked Little Hit - HAHA! Out of the arena! Little Hitter's gone! Scarab knocked him out with a cheap shot, and there goes the hammer of Little Hitter, too! So while the house robots have conquered, Innis is still the Featherweight Champion!

CEASE!!!

Little Hitter failed to make the hit, and ended up last on the hit list!
INNIS WINS THE C&B4 FEATHERWEIGHT FINAL!!!

Congratulations to Tracy Farber!!! Your victory was no mirage at all, so here is your Featherweight Trophy, cherish it!

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Lightweight Final
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Ground Zero

From Cardiff, Wales...Sergeant Slaughter!
(created by Liam Eliot)
Straight from the slaughterhouse to boot...rather, smash things up. It's got a nasty crusher with *gasp* a tonne of force! Also has some side srimechs on its crusher, ala Razer. Despite good front armour, it's got weak base armour, but if it can keep on its wheels with its decent drivetrain, it'll be A-OK.
C&B4 Hit List: Backlash & Gamma Raptor, Minilith

From the United States...Ground Zero!
(built by Team O-Town Robotics, entered by Samuel Park)
A revered full-bodied spinner that's taken the RFL lightweight title. Has a 7075 aircraft aluminium alloy shell with several attachable titanium teeth (S7 tipped) that run close to the floor, spinning at 1500RPM, and has Dewalts for drive. He's a lot more happening right-side-up, though, that srimech looks iffy.
C&B4 Hit List: Minigig & Tiny Tengu, Ziggo

Roboteers, stand by...

Guest house robots are MW Solstice 3.0 and Junkyard Mawler, our Classic HW.

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

Our Razer-alike moves out, but unfortunately the spinning Ground Zero is faster than he! The RFL LW champ, having triumphed over an already powerful LW spinner in Ziggo, is already a blur and moving around the arena as though it owns the place! Sgt. Slaughter pauses, puzzled at what to do...but doesn't have long to wait because Ground Zero suddenly hurtles right into him, directly into the corner! WHAT A HIT!!! It has dislodged the front wedge almost entirely, not to mention ripping out a good chunk of the polycarb side and sending Sgt. Slaughter quite aways across the arena! This has stopped Ground Zero from spinning, incidentally, and NOW the Sergeant moves in, and manages to grab a hold of Ground Zero before it can shoot off anywhere, even with that buckled wedge...down comes the beak! ...ah! The top of Ground Zero is resisting the beak. Can...is Sgt. Slaughter still able to control this fight? Evidently so because they still have hold of Ground Zero and are now heading towards the pit...release button. Off it goes, and the beak ironically looses its grip now, after the slam into the release button! Well they do call it a RELEASE button, don't they, haha! Just a bit of humour...ah. Never mind. Anyway Ground Zero is spinning again...moving about as he did before. Sgt. Slaughter is trying to keep a lock on him this time, but the RFL LW champion isn't letting himself become too predictable and moves away towards the middle of the arena. Is it just me or does Ground Zero remind you a bit of a silver Typhoon 2, d'you think? Anyway Sgt. Slaughter is after it, the claw, gaping, deadly...but Ground Zero strafes aside. Slaughter follows again, but the spinner is trying hard to outmanoeuvre the crusher and moves aside again. Well everyone enjoys a game of cat and mouse once in a while, but something has to give here, mates!

And it's Sgt. Slaughter, who turns a bit too much again! And oh goodness me, I think that's the beginning of the end! The wedge is gone completely after that corner kick! Along with some more polycarb attached to it! Ground Zero is spinning once again barely a second after the hit, and Sgt. Slaughter barvely rushes forward to get some kind of attack going, but now has part of the chassis ripped away entirely...and we're done, I'd say! If he had any more hopes after having the wedge ripped out, they're gone now as Liam's LW is immobile on its wheels! But Ground Zero isn't feeling particularly generous, and is spinning up again! The Watcher tries to move in and count out the wreck that is Sgt. Slaughter, but Ground Zero moves in and smacks the crusher away, tearing out more of the chassis and one of the DeWalt motors inside of Sgt. Slaughter...please, count him out already. Wa-hey! Ground Zero's last hit bounced him away off of The Watcher, and onto his back! Rather comical, but Ground Zero is trying to self-right! Meanwhile, finally given the chance, The Watcher counts Sgt. Slaughter out and ends this destructive LW Final!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

CEASE!!!

It's back to boot camp for the Sergeant, as its flights of fancy plummet into the slaughterhouse!
GROUND ZERO WINS THE C&B4 LIGHTWEIGHT FINAL!!!

Congratulations to Samuel Park!!! You worked from the ground zero up to win! Please take this Lightweight Trophy.

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Middleweight Final
Heroin vs. Blizzard MW

From Pontefract...Heroin!
(created by Joey McConnell)
Warning: this robot may induce a feeling of...well, whatever feeling it wants you to feel! It's got a nasty-looking spinning blade and a rear lifter as back-up. 4WD helps this thing push, but inferior armour may have it shot up a little more than intended.
C&B4 Hit List: Gamma-Rex & Pack Raptors, The Unnamed Feeling

From Geddinton in Northamponshire...Blizzard MW!
(created by Alex Holt)
A smaller brother of heavyweight Blizzard...quite unusual in that it uses a screw mechanism to drive itself around which, when coupled with 36v Bosch power and 17mph, can prove deadly. The weapons are akin to massive drills but don't look too effective.
C&B4 Hit List: Gamma-Rex & Pack Raptors, T-Minus

Roboteers, stand by...

Asterix Anarchius and guest house robot Wrath of Fangorodrim take center stage here.

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

A cagey start from Heroin as it gets its 10kg triangular flywheel going, but it's gotten to its full speed by the time Blizzard has crashed into it! Unfortunately, the flywheel hits one of the prongs and does very little damage indeed to said prong, while Heroin gets spun backwards and Blizzard's massive traction means it is only buckled a bit. Blizzard continues its push forwards and manages to hit Heroin, though the drilling prongs are completely ineffective at damaging. Nonetheless, Heroin is shoved into the arena wall, and away from the Disc of Death on that wall, towards an empty CPZ. Heroin tries to spin and move out of the charge, but Blizzard adjusts its steering and the strafe of Heroin is cut across by a clever actual strafe of Blizzard. Going back to normal gear, Alex's machine shunts Joey's into the CPZ after that quite pleasing demonstration of the screw mobility. Asterix is first out of his CPZ and Blizzard backs out of there, unwanting the 118kg house robot sending him askew. Heroin tries to follow, but overlate as Asterix crashes into him with the force of a battering ram! YIPE! We nearly had our second robot tossed out of the arena by a ram! But Heroin manages to stay in, although still in the CPZ, and Asterix keeps him there. Meanwhile Blizzard has opened the pit...though the last two fights have had the pit not being the decider here. WoF is lurking outside of the CPZ and now tries to barge in on Asterix and Heroin. Asterix tries to shoo him away! Oho! House robot confrontation! What is this! Fangorodrim has attacked Asterix and shoved him into the wall! Well unfortunately the claw doesn't reach high enough to bite Asterix's top armour, but in this movement he has inadvertently freed Heroin from its peril in the corner! The Team Picus middleweight shows it is just fine by speeding out of the CPZ and spinning its flywheel right up!

Blizzard, idle for the time being, now bores (not literally, mind you!) down on Heroin in like fashion, but Joey isn't keen on eating the front of Blizzard this time and twirls about, going for a side-on assault! The side however, he doesn't get, for Blizzard's nifty strafing ability has come in handy yet again and one of the prongs takes another hit, and this time most likely a piece of it was ripped off, but nothing major. It has however slowed the flywheel of Heroin again, and we are treated to a repeat of the first encounter as Blizzard uses its impeccable torque and traction to shove Heroin directly into the wall this time. The prongs, although they aren't doing anything to the disc, are still looking mighty impressive in the judges' eyes, but more impressive might be that drivetrain...unfortunately Blizzard's turning circle is not the greatest and he can't get around to shove Heroin along the wall, so he tries to strafe and push...a mistake, that is, for it allows Heroin to shoot out from the wall and pass Blizzard! It should be difficult for Blizzard to turn and face his opponent...but, though it takes a couple of seconds, Blizzard is able to swing around and face Heroin just as the latter comes charging in and this time the collision is so massive that a whole prong is ripped away from Blizzard this time! This fully stops Heroin's weaponry, though, and Blizzard is again able to shove Heroin across the arena... towards another empty CPZ! And the house robots, having stopped squabbling, rush over again! YIKES!!! Asterix came over fast, so fast that Blizzard couldn't get away himself and both competitors taste the house robot's wrath! What a pounding! Heroin is again knocked into the corner, while Blizzard is thurst up further onto Asterix's wedge, and off to the side! Now Fangorodrim gets his licks in, picking up Heroin and...Heroin falls off to his side. Fangorodrim tries to reposition, but in doing so Heroin cheats a potential early death and escapes the CPZ for the second time this fight!

He barely dodges an incoming charge from Blizzard, but is unable to counteract the strafing and his disc meets prong again, doing little damage this time and allowing himself to be shoved right back into the CPZ by Blizzard...unfortunately for Alex, Asterix gets a little too jumpy and shoves both robots halfway across the arena! Blizzard's screw rubber helps him not get flung too far, but Heroin slides a few feet and is struck by the arena saws...BZZT! They toss him up a few inches but do little else. Blizzard works on getting his prongs back in Heroin's disc, and Joey works to avoid this...and in doing so, goes all the way past Blizzard for the first time in this match! Blizzard can't strafe now or he'll knock side-on into Heroin, but doesn't have the turning circle to get out of there safely! And finally Heroin gets a direct shot at the sides and CRASH!!! A few pieces of Blizzard go flying! This stops Heroin's flywheel, but Blizzard has to make a wide turn to get himself facing Heroin again, and by the time he's done this, Heroin's flywheel is spun back up! Joey knows what to do now, but Alex is determined not to let that happen again...so let's find out what WILL happen! Heroin backs up, as if to make a running start. Blizzard goes right for him, and Heroin starts to spin. Not blind to this tactic, Alex has Blizzard strafe aside to take the resulting disc blow on the front than on the side, and Joey stops his robot spinning. He tries to move and strike the side, but Blizzard keeps strafing and eventually is completely at Heroin's side. The disc glances off one of the prongs repeatedly, until it's stopped spinning, and Blizzard unceremoniously shoves Heroin all the way across the arena towards the pit of doom! Fortunately for Joey, being side-on he can disrupt Blizzard's traction even then, and so pushe backwards. Blizzard tries to keep in line with the pit but eventually Heroin is able to force Blizzard's path off course...and in course with the nearby CPZ!

Fangorodrim is there and wedges Heroin, now directly clamping the Team Picus MW and crushing through the armour! Asterix remains where he is, since they're pretty much on the edge there. Blizzard also waits for Fangorodrim, who releases Heroin after that clamp, but Heroin seems okay. Not okay enough to avoid another ram from Blizzard, though, it's only into the wall, and Heroin escapes. Blizzard is in hot pursuit when Heroin makes a sudden turn and Blizzard is going too fast to notice it! Heroin just dodges the charge and inserts his flywheel into the other side of Blizzard...and ripping off a large chunk of rubber in the process!! That's got to hurt! Blizzard tries to turn again, but Heroin spins up and gets another direct shot at the sides, tearing into it this time before Blizzard can get re-oriented. Heroin backs away to spin up, but an infuriated Alex has had enough of Heroin's survival run and Blizzard rams into Heroin with full force! Another prong gets ripped off leaving the left side with just one remaining prong, but now Heroin is in a direct line with the pit and Alex pushes hard on the gas, while Joey tries to get out of there! And a few seconds later, we have a result - it's Heroin, in the bottom of the pit, and the winner, Blizzard MW!

CEASE!!!

Joey shot himself up a bit too much, as Heroin gets 'drugged' back to rehab!
BLIZZARD MW WINS THE C&B4 MIDDLEWEIGHT FINAL!!!

Congratulations to Alex Holt!!! Take good care of this Middleweight Trophy, and stay frosty.

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Superheavyweight Final
Omega-Rex vs. Toro

From Cardiff, Wales...Omega-Rex!
(created by Liam Eliot)
Huge flipping power! 6mm Hardox monocoque! ETEK drive! Lots of batteries! What's not to like? From the looks of it, I'd say the yawning ground clearance at the sides and rear.
C&B4 Hit List: The Judge & Red Knight, Ziggy

From the United States of America...Toro!
(built by Reason Bradley and Alexander Rose; entered by Martijn Benschop)
This Battlebots Season 4 champion is no bull; it's got a wickedly powerful flipping arm and a heavy one at that. Steel and polycarbonate armour are the main defensive materials on the Inertia Labs robot, and it can push you around all day with its massive rear end. However it's known to have reliability problems.
C&B4 Hit List: Drive & Revolver, UberForce 2.0

Roboteers, stand by...

House robots? King Leer and Mr. Psycho, if you please!

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

Two superheavyweight similarly-shaped flippers, but one winner! Here come both robots - oh dear! They crashed snout-on into each other and bounced away, that was rather amusing. Here they come again though, and it's Omega-Rex with its flipper underneath Toro! Up it goes, and up Toro goes...way, WAY up, actually! The Battlebot flies nearly 10 feet into the air and comes right back onto its rear end! It falls back onto its wheels, but it doesn't have any time to enjoy being back on them because here comes Omega-Rex with another toss! And...that was the quickest final ever! Toro has sailed directly over the fence...which is low for the superheavyweights, so maybe we should get that checked for next season. In any case, though, Omega-Rex is the winner, but rather than celebrate quietly in the control booth, Liam has other plans! Oh, and the house robots know it! Omega-Rex crashes directly into Mr. Psycho! Can 8kg worth of nitrogen at 2400psi be enough to topple Mr. Psycho? The answer is a resounding YES, as Mr. Psycho is neatly tipped onto his rear and falls over, but this leaves King Leer to wedge the Team Welsh Warlords robot and shunt it hard into the wall! Down come the crescents, but do little more than tick Liam off, and by the time King Leer has to release him, Liam looks ready for payback! Underneath the front wedge goes the flipper of Omega-Rex on the first attempt, and with a huge flick of the pneumatics, King Leer is thrust up, and then falls onto his head! And now Omega-Rex is chasing the Watcher around, the latter smartly using Mr. Psycho's fallen chassis to hide behind! Duck under the covers, ref!

CEASE!!!

Toro gets bull-dozed aside! Andale andale, Mr. Benschop! :wink:
OMEGA-REX WINS THE C&B4 SUPERHEAVYWEIGHT FINAL!!!

Congratulations to Liam Eliot! Take the Superheavyweight trophy, but don't break your back now!

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And finally, the one you've all been waiting for. From 64 to 2, we bring you...

The Crash & Burn Tournament 4 Final Battle
Mobile Failure vs. Ge5orce (4)


From Brooks in Alberta, Canada...MOBILE FAILURE!!!
(created by Tracy Farber)
I daresay, is this reverse psychology in the works? Boxy, angly, LEM130 powering a 4WD, side skirts, has a powerful axe that can self-right the machine, and reasonably tough armour. It'll run out of axe power as with all pneumatic axes, but that won't hinder its pushing ability one bit. This newcomer has not at all lived up to its name, trashing many-a veteran and even both previous champs to get here! Can it go a step further?!

C&B1: Didn't compete.
C&B2: Didn't compete.
C&B3: Didn't compete.
C&B4 Hit List: Y5, STAT, Disco 5 (1), The Crashing Bore 2, Sheer Heart Attack 2 (14)


From Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England, 4th seed...GE5ORCE!!!
(created by Andrew Jackson)
GeFiveOrce...what a mouthful! And what a flipperful if you get stuck on that wedge, for you'll get sent flying ala Axe Awe vs. Wheely Big Cheese! Hardox body and titanium wheel guards help keep away nasty spinners from the internals and it has decent 16mph speed, but may prove a bit uncontrollable. It has average pushing power, too. This isn't the first it reached the semis, though, but it is the first time he's made the Final Battle! Once belonging to famed vapourboteer Aaron Knight, can the GeForce series make its previous owner proud?!

C&B1: Didn't compete.
C&B2: Didn't compete.
C&B3: Reached the second round of the semis, only to fall to Disco 5, the current reigning champion.
C&B4 Hit List: Nidhogg³, LockJaw v3, The May Tracks Has You (13), Achilles (2), Wedge Devolution (10)

Roboteers, stand by!



We have four house robots here! King Leer, Exa-Gore-Ic Evo, Count Bleck, and Hexadecimal are all here to oversee this epic contest!

3!
2!
1!
ACTIVATE!!!!!!!!!!!

Fasten yer seatbelts, gents: the finals have begun!!!

It's not the fastest start, but it is ominous as both robots begin moving and, at the same time, carefully manoeuvre around the arena, neither willing to compromise their positions and expose themselves to their opponent's proven weaponry! A cagey commencing to be sure, but nobody's taking any chances...yet! But before long, Mobile Failure grows tired of laying in her idle state and suddenly makes a dash for the sides of Ge5orce! The movement is so sudden that a stricken Andy doesn't have time to use his more manoeuvrable 2WD to get his flipper into play, and before he knows what's happened the front wedge of the Failure sneaks under the side of Ge5orce, heaving it off the ground, as the Canadian robot's axe slams down onto the flipper, but only puts a minor dent into the 3.2mm Hardox! The situation is proven very minor as Andy, or AJ as he's known internationally, shakes off the slight shock and manages to drive straight off of the wedge of Mobile Failure as the second blow JUST grazes the 6mm Titanium wheelpod and is repelled off the arena floor! Tracy tries to turn and follow her foe, but Andy is not going to give her a chance as Ge5orce swings around, the flipper failing to get underneath the skirts but preventing Mobile Failure from wheeling to face it! Andy starts to give 'er as Ge5orce slowly shoves Mobile Failure towards the arena centre, but as they reach the arena killsaws, an evil grin flickers across Tracy's gameface; Mobile Failure backs straight out of trouble and Ge5orce ends up throwing itself onto the saws instead! Many a spark is lighted, but there's no sign of hurt, apparently. The real threat resides in Mobile Failure as it has successfully stunned the 4th seed long enough to get straight under the rear end! Unable to push it anywhere though, with the saws just ahead, Mobile Failure gives Ge5orce another smack on the wedge, giving the aforementioned dent a comrade-in-arms! It then shoves Ge5orce back onto the saws, but Andy is able to dodge the saws a second time and get out of trouble!



Tracy is pleased so far, but Andy is rethinking his game plan here, and decides to play the round as aggressive as can be! Ge5orce twists around and bears down suddenly on Mobile Failure! Tracy waits for him to come near, but expecting Andy to turn makes a move off to the right...while Andy moved Ge5orce also to the right! They nearly end up side-by-side, but another twirl sees Ge5orce again at Mobile Failure's skirts! And this time he makes no mistake as Ge5orce casually slips straight under them and the main body! Tracy's surprise, the smirk written all over Andy's face and the hollering from the crowd explain it all as Ge5orce heaves Mobile Failure through the air in a CO2 explosion of power! There is little time for Tracy to react as her creation spins aimlessly through the air and then smacks splat down onto his back; Ge5orce gets right back under and heads for the arena wall! Both roboteers' hearts are in their throats right now as Ge5orce goes for the OOTA and major tournament victory, while Mobile Failure tries to self-right out of trouble and save itself!! ...and Tracy saves herself! The self-right came in time and pushed Mobile Failure out of death's grasp; Ge5orce hits the wall snout-first and flips itself over! But as Mobile Failure moves back in to go and pay Andy back for that paramount toss, Ge5orce turns and we've gone wedge-to-wedge suddenly, something neither Tracy or Andy wanted. Mobile Failure backs away from Ge5orce and from the wall, but the Shropshire flipper's top speed matches the Albertian axebot's own! Mobile Failure, playing it safe, stops and waits for Ge5orce to crash into it...which it does! But Ge5orce again manages to slide underneath Mobile Failure - from the front of all places!! There is massive surprise in the Team Alt camp, as even with their tactics of avoiding the flipper, they didn't know Ge5orce had the wedge advantage! Andy seems momentarily stunned as well, and only an axe blow from Mobile Failure snaps him back to reality - there now dwell three small dents on the Hardox flipper! Before it can ramp up to make a fourth dent, Mobile Failure is abruptly thrust up and backwards onto its rearside, and eventually the back, by the dented flipper!



Ge5orce wades in, not laying back to admire its handywork, and gets underneath Mobile Failure yet again. Another flip is given; Andy curses, not having meant to do that, but Mobile Failure goes into a 360 and goes onto its back again! NOW Mobile Failure self-rights, and manages to get the wedge in before Ge5orce can stroll in for another frenzy of flipping! This time, Ge5orce again fails to get underneaht Mobile Failure, but the same can be said vice-versa! Ge5orce puts the brakes on and backs the hell up as Mobile Failure barely misses another smack with the axe, but as the audience screams Pit! Pit! Pit!! Andy simply shakes his head - he's not going to give Tracy an added means to take him down! But the chanting has stirred the thought in our Canadian's head, and Mobile Failure makes a gangway for the pit release button! The only problem is, Ge5orce is partially blocking it, and squeaks in from the side, ramming into his adversary and forcing its path askew! Again failing to breach the skirt, Andy nonetheless commences another big push, this time towards Exa-Gore-Ic's CPZ! Before it can do that, however, the Failure reverses away out of trouble, so nae danger there. :wink: Now wholly thwarted from opening the pit, Mobile Failure tries to get around the side of Ge5orce, as before! But the manoeuvrability advantage comes to aid Ge5orce as it simply turns aside and smacks the corner of its flipper into Mobile Failure's front side, just in front of the side skirt! Clearly espying the opening, Andy pushes forward and gets Ge5orce's flipper under Mobile Failure, and tips the purple predator onto its back yet again! It presses forward, not waiting for Mobile Failure to right itself, and that's exactly what Mobile Failure is doing - Ge5orce slides in, but is along the arena wall now and can't try for an OOTA at that angle. Instead, Andy opts for a much more damaging afterthought - the Battlegrounds Discs of Death!

CRAAAAAAASH!!!!

Now that's an anguished face! Poor Tracy. Mobile Failure's armour, identical to the Ge5orce wheel pods, is slashed wide open from the rear corner, exposing the chassis! It does kind of hurt Andy however as Mobile Failure is flung halfway across the arena by the sheer might of the hazard, but could the damage also be internal? We'll have to wait and see...Ge5orce is back on the attack again, and the 2-wheel-drive is helping the wedgebot here, but in this contest Tracy manages to outdo Andy and get Mobile Failure's wedge in, underneath the wheelpod! Oh dear! The axe has fallen...right down into the tire of Ge5orce! The look of anguish is transferred to Andy's face now, mingled with shock, as Tracy now has a laugh. Ge5orce flails about, trying to dislodge the axe from its wheel, but it's stuck there with a capital S! The match seemingly flipped on its back Mobile Failure takes the damaged 4th seed all the way to Hexadecimal's CPZ, and the insane viral entity lifts the blades to expose the spinning ones, as the competitors near the zone! Ge5orce squirms and wiggles, but the house robot's impatience peaks, and Hex flies out! Its blades only nick the flipper of Ge5orce...until they catch the side edge and suddenly Hex flies back into the CPZ in a shower of sparks, while Ge5orce goes sailing away, its tire ripped out of Mobile Failure's grasp and looking pretty bad, while the flipper's Hardox edge isn't looking too good either! Feeling the moment suspended, Mobile Failure takes an uninterrupted run at the pit release button! Ge5orce gives chase, but while as fast as before, there's an arc to its path of travel now, and it is unable to prevent Tracy's hammering terror from opening the pit! For the final time this series, the pit floor gives away and the abyss of doom is waiting for a robot to enter it and ease its consuming hunger!

Neither robot wants to be the final tally of the pit's gruesome killing spree; Mobile Failure whisks its body about, but as Ge5orce crashes into it, Andy is delighted to find the flipper still defeats Mobile Failure's own wedge, as it slides under as smooth as fresh buttah! Without second or third thoughts, Ge5orce gives Mobile Failure one more hell of an airlift; the axed machine lands on the tip of its wedge and lands upside-down...right near the pit!! But as Ge5orce turns quickly, the Failure self-rights away from the pit and scuttles off before the Shrewsbury flipper can bite upon the golden opportunity! But Mobile Failure doesn't wander far - Tracy manoeuvres it right around the pit to land a surprise attack...unfortunately Andy has Ge5orce drive right off towards the middle of the arena before the axe'ing and pitting can begin! Irate, Tracy follows after the black'n'silver machine, but is met with a counterattack as Ge5orce manoeuvres about, its drivetrain still slicker than Mobile Failure's despite the mobility injury! But the bad news here is that it can't get under that side skirt of Mobile Failure's, and as it begins to push, Mobile Failure backs away again. Ge5orce turns about to follow his opponent's movement, but now its injury catches up with it and Ge5orce doesn't quite turn fast enough, allowing Mobile Failure to scoop it up and smack the axe down upon the battered flipper...alongside the rip in the side, and the three dents previous, a fourth dent joins the mix! But it doesn't stop there - currently devoid of an area with a pit, Mobile Failure shoves Ge5orce straight into the waiting jaws of Exa-Gore-Ic! The said jaws clamp immediately around the wheelpod of Ge5orce...and the spike spikes! With extreme prejudice! But Tracy isn't being left out of the fun, and begins peppering the flipper of Ge5orce with its mighty axe blows! Andy is stuck between a rock and a hard place here, as one would say, but doesn't have too long to wait as Exa-Gore-Ic releases him after several seconds...which could not be more welcome to the British flipper! Mobile Failure attempts to wedge and force him back in, but Ge5orce is able to drive away neatly, even with all that sustained damage! But let's take a look at that again...caught indeed. Yikes.



Wheel damage notwithstanding, Tracy is very impressed with her foe's machine's durability, but isn't going to let this match carry on for much longer! But even now, barely two minutes remain on the clock! Ge5orce attempts to make up for lost time here by faking another aggressive movement, but failing to get Tracy to fall for it, taking another axe blow to the flipper but managing to not get wedged, and escapes. However, it's barely escaped because now the hurts that Ge5orce have suffered are kicking in fully - he's slowing down! This does not go unnoticed by Tracy or the audience, who resume the fanatical screaming of PIT!! PIT!! PIT!! Tracy looks to give them their wish, and moves her machine towards Ge5orce. Ge5orce manages to get the wedge in, but only forces a head-to-head meeting again...when all of a sudden Mobile Failure fires its axe and the resultant shunt, while now tearing a clean hole into Ge5orce's flipper, knocks Mobile Failure onto Ge5orce's wedge! And the flipper responds with wrath, upending the Canadian bruiser with barely any effort again! Mobile Failure, its axe extended, can only self-right forwards...onto the flipper of Ge5orce, who is now slowly shoving Mobile Failure towards the arena wall! We've reached an all-or-nothing moment in the C&B tournaments again, but Tracy decides to self-right immediately before they even get to the wall! Up goes the robot...onto Ge5orce's flipper, and Ge5orce flips it right back over! Axe now retracted, Mobile Failure self-rights again...onto the arena wall!! It's stuck! Both roboteers are alarmed and Andy's face contorted with the effort to get Ge5orce over there, while Tracy fires MF's axe in a panic, but that doesn't free it from the wall! Ge5orce manages to get to Mobile Failure's front end, and flip it...OVER THE ARENA WALL!!! Mobile Failure crashes out of the 4th Crash & Burn Tournament after putting up one of the most valiant efforts we have ever seen! But it has left its mark nonetheless - look at the damage to Ge5orce!! GE5ORCE SLOWLY MAKES ITS WAY BACK TO THE ARENA CENTRE AND SPINS ABOUT, FIRING ITS FLIPPER...HAVING JUST MADE ITSELF CHAMPION!!!!!!!

CEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ultimately, Mobile Failure failed to live up to its bizarre name. The newcomer blazed a path through other newcomer and veteran alike, and gained respect from many. In its final battle, it caused so much damage almost the legendary Mass Disctruction Ultimate would be envious. A gallant effort, yes indeed. But the final words that spell it out here are tough luck. The silver medal is all Mobile Failure gets!
GE5ORCE WINS THE CRASH & BURN TOURNAMENT 4!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Standings
Wedge Devolution (Steven McGregor)
Mobile Failure (Tracy Farber)
Ge5orce (Andrew Jackson)



WHHHHHEEEEW!!! Now that was a long post!

Massive congrats to Mr. Andrew James Jackson on his win! Defeating a previous champion last series...and going on to win this series has got to be quite an achievement, eh? :wink: Keep it up, Team AJRobotics!
But we can't leave out the other three finalists, an enormous bravo to Tracy, Steve, and Martijn for their performances this season...AND to the other-weight winners and runner-ups...aw who am I kidding? Thanks to EVERYONE who entered, and for not giving up on this tournmament, though it spanned out to be nearly more than 3 years! If not for you awesome people, the ship would have sank long ago! And mind you, I do believe this season has me at my peak writing ability.

Yes. Before you ask, there WILL be a Crash & Burn 5. This is official. And I'm even going to start sign-ups for it very soon. But I'm still working on all the arenas for it, so the actual tournament won't be for a while yet. And I can't promise there will be a Crash & Burn 6. But don't lose faith! There are hopefully still mini-tournaments that will open up and need a seeing-to! And like hell I'm done with FRA, even if writing won't be my forte anymore, you'll still have the company of myself and my vapourbots. :wink:

So...how did I do, really? Was the tournament up to standard? Curiosity killed the cat, but criticism won't kill me. Please, your thoughts gentlemen. :wink:

And, like Frank has said before, don't say anything about needing a new keyboard. It hasn't been said on C&B IIRC, but I believe it's rather old all the same.

And with that, I bid all you merry folk adieu. Until next time...crash & burn. :twisted:

[andrewj]

Re: The Crash & Burn Tournament 4



Bad luck, Tracy, I thought you had that one.

Thank you to Kody for taking on and completing a tournament of such epic proportions - to win the heavyweight division of such an iconic tournament is an honour, and I am really pleased that you have decided to do another series.

I was actually intending to retire the GeForce series after this tournament - now I need to decide whether to send it out on a high note or bring it back for C&B5...