Introduction heavyweight

[Dw6345]

Afternoon everyone,

I’ve been interested in fighting robots for many years and always dipped in and out of it but remained really a keen observer.

I now have more time and desire to pursue building a robot and was wondering if anyone had a heavyweight they no longer use for sale or a chassis for sale as a start point so I can learn, gain experience and hopefully compete at some point. I’m willing to travel to collect.

Also, any advice would be great on where others started and and how they progressed.

please feel free to message me with anything you might have for sale I can’t wait to get started.

cheers

Dave

[Ocracoke]

Hi Dave, welcome to the forum!

I do recommend starting in the lighter weight categories for a first attempt at building a fighting robot of any description, such as the Beetleweight or Featherweight classes. Building something like a Heavyweight (or even a Middleweight from hard fought experience) does take up a lot of money that if it goes wrong, can be expensive to fix and even buying the parts for can be inordinately expensive on their own. A motor I just purchased for my Middleweight costs more than my entire Beetleweight, it is that kind of scale for comparison (about £280 for the motor vs about £75-100 for the BW I think).

Similarly, the logistics of moving a big robot around are something to consider. I cannot lift a HW on my own and even lifting my MWs can be a challenge in of itself (I normally roll as a single person team, it'd be a different story with multiple people I think).

I would recommend reading the build threads here, there are plenty floating around (such as mine for example) to see what works, what doesn't and to ask questions about them. I am always happy to chat about the ins and outs of any of my machines, feel free to reply to my build thread or even drop me a PM.

Also, if you haven't already, I would recommend going to a show though of course, at the moment that isn't possible but when it is, I would recommend it (get a VIP pass to go into the pits, see the robots up and close).

[Dw6345]

Hi that’s brilliant. Thank you for the advice and taking the time to get back to me.

i think i will have ago at a smaller one first to get the experience. I will definitely take a look at the build diaries and threads for hints and tips.

I’ve been to a few of thrive shows and have gone VIP before i was in awe of what everyone had created and hugely respect the skills and quality of engineering on show at the events. I Can’t wait for things to get back to normal and start attending again as it’s been a few years since I went to one of the shows.

I will definitely message you once I get started and I may even try keeping a diary or something too.

Thanks again for the advice really appreciated

Dave