Memoirs of a veteran roboteer

[team death]

I thought I might revive this thread mainly because it seems to have come full circle
on my original post regarding a visit to a large salvage yard.
The work on team deaths robot is well underway -we allready have a name for it
and it will be disclosed at a later date, the chassis is more or less finished and
work on the weapon mechanism and drive systems are underway.

So after a disscussion with Adam my team mate, we are planning another trip
to the large salvage yard that I visited perhaps fifteen years ago now for parts
for Immortalis.
The salvage yard in barnsley is called PVS and is mainly a bus dismantlers
and I recall it been rather interesting clambering aboard vintage buses from the
1970s and earlier I think.
Note: thier website states that the yard is not a tourist site and only bonifide
customers are allowed to enter the site.
The parts we require are available on E bay at around £100 but because we
need to get a few sundries as well we think its worth a visit and we can maybe
put on the build diary- includes Parts from a number 9 bus ?.

[team death]

It's back after 20 years! PIECE DE RESISTANCE
Well in spirit anyway-I have made a homage to my original creation in the
Form of a featherweight with bulging eyes and a robot driver in the cockpit
As before.
It will be interesting to see how it fairs against seasoned feathers and
Will make it's debut at robodojo in March 2019.
What would be good is to see other replicas at said event for nolstagic
face off 👀😃😁.

[Roboteernat]

Awsome, would love to see some older bots in featherweight format. I think there was a FW Road Block in Cheltenham?

[team death]

The missing chapter-Mean Machine
Following the re boot of Robot wars in 2016, Team Death set about building
yet another robot to take part in the show, Ref :Team Death New Heavyweight.

Speaking for myself, there is nothing better than Robot Wars for showing
off your creation to a wider audience, although a good live event with a
large audience gives you that being there feeling.

So series 8 had been aired and Adam and myself were starting to build
the Mean Machine mainly in a four hour slot on Sunday afternoon.
I remember telling Adam that it was quite important to crack on with
the Robot because we didn't know how long the current series of
the Robot Wars series might run for.
Series 9 of Robot Wars came and went and we were not quite ready for
series 10 either.....then the news I was dreading Robot Wars cancelled.

Disappointment was an understatement but Team Death had a unusual
new heavyweight and it needed to be seen.

I discussed going to a live event with Adam and we decided that Robots
Live would be good due to the no spinner policy.

The Mean Machine performed really quite well and it had 3 good battles
including one against Apollo which managed to flick our Robot at least
5 feet in the air.
Adam got to drive in the last fight and was on cloud nine at the end.

The VIP ticket holders came to look around the pits and I was over
the moon to get a crowd around our Robot with Adam telling them
all about it-priceless

[Redirect Left]

Adam got to drive in the last fight and was on cloud nine at the end.

The VIP ticket holders acme to look around the pits and i was over the moon to get a crowd and around Robot with Adam telling all about it - priceless

This was definitely one of the highest points for me in that year! Hopefully they'll be many more opportunities to be a part of that again at a live event.

I fully recall going full throttle straight into the middle of the arena, not wanting to be that guy who timidly stays at the edge. We learnt that Mean Machine can go toe to toe with two Robot Wars winners (Eruption & Apollo), be flipped by both, and still be in one piece. All that welding and metal sure paid off.

Hopefully I'll be there again with Colin & Mean Machine, or another contraption!

[team death]

After 22 years Piece de resistance is now an Icon .
For some roboteers it's all about having a winning robot and for others it's about the fun of taking
part and I have always been in the later category-though it's nice to get a win occasionally.
A recent video on You Tube shows the top 100 icons from Robot Wars and Piece de Resistance
makes the grade at number 92 !.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvAf2XQ_Z0w&t=144s
Yes I know there are other videos for Sh**Bots of Robot Wars and it makes the number one spot but
I say there is no such thing as bad publicity and where some drool over a wedge bot others see them as
a bit of a bore so it's just an individual opinion after all is said and done.
This has been the year of Covid 19 and general disruption of normal life but it does not mean life should
be at a standstill.
After getting the symptoms of Corona virus early in the year and self isolating for two weeks I have
generally been busy with work since and in my spare time I have got my featherweights up to spec
and half finished the re vamp of the Mean Machine.

I have a notion to sponsor an featherweight Robot event for Robots made from recycled materials
where 50% of the bodywork should be recognisable as an everyday object with prize money for
1st 2nd and 3rd places.