Robo Challenge - 2013 FRA UK Featherweight Championships!

[RogueTwoRobots]

Just back in the door after what was another phenomenal championship. Many thanks to James, Grant and all the Robo Challenge team for organising and running the event. Without your efforts we wouldn't have such a great opportunity to crack out the big guns each year and get stuck into some proper robot destruction!

Congratulations to Michael and Adrian for becoming the new featherweight champions with Explosion! Always a consistent performer since its inception so well done for making it all the way. Congrats too to John & Jonno with Beauty 2, proving that there's life in the old bot yet, and to Dave for claiming 3rd spot with 720 in its first champs. Already said it elsewhere but that machine was the robot of the championship for me! And Calum, fantastic job on becoming Annihilator champion; a beautifully made robot and a well deserved win!

Drumroll had mixed fortunes, with strong attacking performances in some battles being out-weighed by repeated electrical and drive-train failures in others. Thanks to Alex and Harry for providing replacement fuses (which I forgot to pack!) and to Shane for helping turn around Drumroll for the losers' meleé and manning my camera.
Carcinus didn't fare too well either, with its lovely new claws being reshaped by LS4, but on the plus side it only ended up in the pit once, during a whiteboard on Sunday

Thanks again to all the roboteers for your company, it's a large part of what makes these events so enjoyable and we're always guaranteed a good laugh

Photos and videos to follow.

[ady]

Great uploads and great viewing, thanks guys looked an exciting competition,

[SamO]

Well done everyone for such a great weekend!

Congrats to Michael for winning the championship (it had to happen someday ) and well done to Callum for winning the annihilator.

I'll go into more detail on our build diary, but all in all, it was a fairly successful event for us!

Again, thanks to everyone for making this such a great weekend, and I hope to see you all soon.

[Eventorizon]

A second awesome event! Thanks to everyone who made it the spectacular spectacle that it was.

In its first year Binky placed 14th out of 46 robots, which is really impressive. Turns out that in our first 2 qualifiers the disc would not spin due to a low voltage lipo and the HV160 kept cutting out. But when it worked... it worked; Cicatrix, LF3 and Satanix can vouch for that!

Conker II was on the back foot from the off after LS4 mangled the Titanium. The gearboxes were all grindy but that didn't stop us beating Night Fury; though it did feel a little hollow without MMM in the arena. Jamie was apparently shocked when he discovered that the back of Conker was just MDF in our final fight, but with the bent Ti it was only a matter of time before Conker ended up on its back; the bent Ti preventing if from driving the wrong way up.

We know what to do for next year on Binky, should make it easier to hit people with the disc rather than relying on the scoop. Conker II might be for sale and I will be replacing it with C3; but I am already planning to redesign the current concept to include what advice and techniques I have gained this event.

Congrats to Michael and Adrian, a well earned place in history! And well done to Dave for getting 720 into 3rd in its first event and beating the ex-champ.

Thanks again to everyone who helped out with all our little issues, and to everyone else for making the 2013 event one of the best yet!

[MudnuK]

Check youtube. MicroGravity100 (haven't yet learned which one of you that is) is uploading all the battles.

[craig_colliass]

How did Predator do, got any videos of it in action?

[teamshock]

Thanks to everyone for a great weekend! Well done to Michael and Adrian for winning with Explosion, John for 2nd with Beauty 2, Dave and 720 and Callum for winning the annihilator with TS3.

Overall we did much better than expected getting 6th with Inertia and 2nd in the annihilator with Heatwave.

Inertia had a terrible start in the first fight breaking off both motor pulleys for the disc and losing the links- we put them back together (thanks to help from Adrian, Dave and Sam) and got it going for the next fights which it won by knockout despite some drive issues which were later put down to a loose gear. We tightened it up and got ready for the finals as we qualified on 9 points. Our first fight with Tormenta was one of my favourite fights and was really close. The rematch was also brilliant and a huge well done to Ellis and co. for getting it back up and running- not an easy job in such a short amount of time! Inertia went on to beat LS4 before being thrown by 720 which bent the scoop which we couldn't straighten properly before the playoff meaning we had little drive and got knocked out.

It all still works and will be back next year good as new also huge thanks to everyone that helped keep it going and in the competition!

[Ellis]

All of the above! Fantastic weekend with way more success than I could have possibly expected. We have to bodge the robot back together for Yeovil and Colchester, somehow, and after that decide if it's worth rebuilding Tormenta 2 or moving on. Several things became even more clear this year, issues-wise, but I'll write about those in the build thread eventually.

I'll do some more specific thanking in the build thread too, once the next two events are through, somehow I don't think we've seen the last of other people's favours! You all know you you are anyway, so thank you very much.

Two major high points off the top of my head are getting Ripoff out of the arena, is that the first OOTA with an electric lifter/weapon? Another is getting full points with NST in the arena, after 720's wrecked us I expected NST would be fatal. Finally going the full 3 minutes with Inertia XL, to the point where the judges decided a rematch was the only way to decide who won, it was too close to call. Proud of that!

Well done to Michael, it was only a matter of time! Very well deserved. Commiserations to the rest in the main comp, though we saw some amazing new competitors, and congratulations TS3 for taking the annihilator win.

See some of you in the next week or two, and to the rest, until next year.

[Eventorizon]

We have all the fights after Binky was knocked out and some before. Jamie and Ellis also had cameras for most of the last day too.

[PJ-27]

Had an awesome weekend! Thanks to the RoboChallenge guys for hosting and everyone else for some awesome fights.

The Disc exploding, Drumroll ripping the lid off and going in with 360 had to be personal highlights. Didn't get any videos though so looking forward to seeing other people's.

@Kane, when you get a chance do you mind sending me over the Go Pro vids you got and I'll edit them together with 'Bot-Cam'. Also anyone else who got some good external angles and doesn't mind me using your recordings, PM me please. Thanks.

[Revsmin]

A fantastic 3 days at the GSL, had awesome fun and was surprised at how effective Ricochet was!
Congrats to Michael, it's been far to long and torturing; second twice, can't imagine the feeling! But that doesn't matter now they're the champ, but new Skyfall will give you a run for your title next year!
Also congratulations to:
Jonno & John for a well deserved second, just goes to show how good Beauty 2 is and how good a driver Jonno is.
Mouldy for an explosive third place, the drum'll buff out I'm sure
TS3 for the Annihilator, I though you'd go further in the main comp after what you did to Project X at the open day last year though!
Haz and Massacre and Ellis and Tormenta 2 (or is it 3?) for making it to round 2 for the first time, just gutted I couldn't join you . There's always next year though!
And finally Lenny (my friend) for driving Ricochet for the first time and still being able to take out the 7th seed and, more importantly, the 1st!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR3N0R0QeQ8
5 points in total, missed one fight entirely cos the ESC needed recalibrating
Skyfall.
Swanny, you may think that Ironconkers was a fail, but with a total of 2 points over all, I think only one robot came lower, Cobalt, and it didn't even turn up. That seals the deal. This incarnation of Skyfall is dead. It's wheels were donated to Inertia XL and it's motors to Ricochet. Time to get started on the new one!
Videos uploading now, some will be up tomorrow morning, the rest will take time.

[beast]

Beauty2 v 720 semi final
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PGGG2hdDvo

[harry hills]

Very enjoyable event, thanks to robochallange for putting it on, and thanks to all who helped me fix my robot.
Congrats to Michael, well deserved win.
Sorry for taking off so quickly and not saying goodbye to everyone, but we really needed to be off.
Harry.

[beast]

Well thanks to all that were involved and well done to robochallenge so very good machines and fights

well done to Michael good win against us (that hurt to say)

Beauty 2 is fully working still so IT will get the Trophy back one day

Dave said to us "I am going to hit Beauty 2 that hard Beauty 8 will feel it " Better luck next year Dave !!!

thanks to Johnno and Alan for great driving

Beauty 2 built in 2007 and back from the dead

[MudnuK]

A nice event. Very exciting and absorbing. Well done to Michael and it was nice to finally meet some of you properly. I took a few photos and videos today so I'll upload the nice ones on photobucket and youtube.