Robot Wars 2016 Review, Episode 4

So time for a very belated review of the latest episode of robot wars!

Good to remember TR2's increbile driving getting them through the 3rd episode.

Group battle 1: Apollo looking very much like a shuttle. Unofficially a "launcher", not a flipper! Sweeney Todd have some unique wheels, those should be interesting to see in the arena! Kan-Opener are a returning robot, who have an incredible crushing ability. PP3D have an odd design, I don't think it will do too much damage despite it's position on the robot primed for hitting wheels. It also has the biggest spinning wheel, AND 3-D parts! 12 tonnes of crushing power for Kan-Opener, surely Kan-Krusher would make more sense? How will the CO2 supply fare for Apollo? So off we go with Sir Killalot in tow. Kan-Opener opens the pit immediately! Apollo has trouble with the floor flipper but quickly get back and assault Kan Opener. PP3D are being slowly crushed by Kan Opener, eventually released after a trip to the floor flipper and Apollo's flipper! PP3D are flying all over the place, their spinner is actually generating uplift if it is sent upwards by a flipper! Kan-Opener are gone in the meantime. Sweenet Todd are now just taking a battering from PP3D and Apollo. How wrong I was about PP3D! It's more of a helicopter than a grasscutter, but what a likeable robot! It moves around so much when the spinner is on the top, not the bottom! So Apollo and PP3D are through. Thoroughly enjoyable. I was smiling when PP3D went spinning around. Kan-Opener taking damage from Apollo, and Apollo losing a wheel from PP3D. Trying to repair that is causing problems for Apollo although that said they could still move quite well after the wheel was ripped off.

Group battle 2: Terror Turtle don't look too competitive with the fibreglass, although a clusterbot might help out here. Storm 2 cost how much? £20,000!! They surely didn't cost that much when they were fighting in the grand final of the 7th series! Sabretooth has some teething problems they can't fix before getting into the .arena. I like the look of team Eruption, even though it is another flipper and I don't like flippers as a rule. Well the fact that the captain was head of Greenpeace for 6 years explains his haircut (and the robot design)! Matilda is looking lovely as ever... and away we go! Terror Turtle sends in its mini cluster bot into the carnage. Eruption is on Sabretooth and Storm 2 is pushing Terror Turtle. And now Sabretooth is flipped over by Eruption! They're not going anywhere without a schrimech. Terror Turtle now being double teamed! But the fight finishes with a bang as Terror turtle is flipped out of the arena by Eruption with an amazing flip! Does that come under animal cruelty? Someone call RSPCA! Dara was a little unfair on Storm 2 there. Sabretooth did try to get some damage to Eruption but it was too little too late.

There is a LOT of tech on Storm 2! That gets the nod of approval from Sethu the judge.

Head to head 1: Apollo v PP3D. These two did a lot to each other, relatively speaking. This could be fight of the series! And Apollo sned PP3D flying without even using the flipper! Good tactics from Apollo, stopping PP3D from getting the spinner from moving at full speed. Apollo managed to flip the wheel off PP3D and now both of the robots have trouble moving! Some retribution... finally Apollo get to flip PP3D and immobilise them completely! Poor PP3D but another great performance from them, some real damage taken. This time Apollo comes off lightly.

Head to head 2: Eruption v Storm 2. Flipper v Ram bot. Previous history shows that the Ram bots are better in this case (think Chaos 2 v Tornado). And the battle start with a lot of pushing, but actually Storm 2 doesn't have that much pushing power! Eruption is putting up a good fight but they've gone onto the floor flipper! By self righting, they've hit the pit release. Sit Killalot nearly get hold of Eruption. Storm 2 have learned how to get underneath Eruption and are now more confidently pushing Eruption, but Storm are still getting flipped by Eruption. Oh my, that's a close one! Were Storm 2 immobilised for long enough? Its definitely going to the judges. Storm 2 surprisingly happy with their performance. Good assessment by the Eruption team of the battle. Storm 2 I think got lucky there. A split decision!! That's a first. Just too little too late for Eruption, a shame really but since I'm not a big fan of flippers, I guess I have to eat my words if I say Eruption deserved it.

Head to head 3: Apollo v Storm 2. Apollo now running on full power! I think Storm should've gone for the spinning disc really. Storm 2 is finding it easy to get underneath Apollo but WOW that floor flipper is really powerful! Now we can see Storm 2's schrimech in action. Apollo seem to be without some drive but WHO CARES THEY'VE JUST FLIPPED DEAD METAL!! The hairs are standing on their ends on my back and arms (and pretty much everywhere)! Apollo clearly still working well, they've flipped Storm 2. AND NOW APOLLO HAVE RIPPED THE ARMOUR OFF MATLIDA WHILE SHE'S TRYING TO SELF RIGHT DEAD METAL AND FLIPPED HER OVER!! This is the battle of the series, even without considering that Storm almost had Apollo in the pit at the end but were just about ok! It goes the judges, while the technical team inspect Matilda. Will she fight again?? The winner is Apollo!! Well deserved. Even the judges approve of flipping the house robots!!

Head to head 4: Eruption v PP3D. A hard act to follow then. Both teams know this. Eruption trying to go in hard. JP making a subtle pun about tyres there. Huge hits from PP3D! Bits flying off everywhere! The side plates are shattered on Eruption!! And a wheel is broken inside Eruption. But so it one wheel on PP3D! Now they're both circling around themselves like broken hooverbots. A shame really but that fight demonstrates how powerful these robots can be. JP got a bit bored at the end. Definitely one for the judges. Control to Eruption, damage to PP3D, aggression...??? The winner is PP3D! Sounds like a lot of work for Eruption. Meanwhile less work and more a need for a need for a new motor!! Nice to see the roboteers sharing parts on the sly...

Dr Lucy Rogers almost interrupted by the sounds of hammers on metal!!! She discusses about the usefulness of internet interactions to crowdsharing, including the use of Raspberry Pi and sensors.

Head to head 5: Apollo v Eruption. The 2 flippers here and Eruption need the points. Eruption is struggling to get underneath until Apollo hit the floor flipper and Eruption hits them hard with several hits! And they've been immobilised here by Eruption. Surely they've got all 3 points. A lot of dancing from Eruption, shame they can't qualify, Angela leading the tributes after that lovely pirouette. Apollo now need some repairs.

Head to head 6: Storm 2 v PP3D. Can PP3D overcome the technical prowess and ramming speed of Storm 2?  Who dares wins... Good plan by Storm but every hit from Storm 2 is sending PP3D into the and allowing them to power up! Even Shunt's scoop is damaged! from the hit! I think PP3D are unable to move off the pit and Storm 2 hit the pit release, good tactics there. They nearly flew out of the pit! Storm 2 not being too nice to the opposition there, I'm not liking that.

Heat final: Apollo v Storm 2. Can Apollo follow up from their incredible run against the house robots? Storm 2 using their front to stop Apollo from flipping the and now shunt has Apollo.... BUT OH WAIT, THERE GOES SHUNT!!! Storm 2 has the pit released and are getting underneath Storm 2 but WHAT a flip! Storm 2 are unable to self right but can keep going. Apollo flip them over while Matilda selfs right Shunt. Oh my goodness, Storm 2 are flipped OUT of the arena! Poor positioning from Storm 2, they can only blame themselve there. A few more inches backwards and they could hav hit the side wall, not the thin air they went through. These guys, the "boy band" of the pits, have a real chance of winning the final with flipping power like that... Dara is taking apart Storm 2 here (verbally), maybe going a bit too aggressive on the captain but possibly deserved?

Easily the best fight of the series goes to Apollo and Storm 2's first fight, with both Dead Metal and Matilda being flipped over! Very enjoyable episode, although PP3D will never be forgotten. Maybe next series for them? That is one heck of a spinning disc!!