101

"Tracks are more fun with 101"

- Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide

101 was a tracked robot that competed in Series 3-5 of Robot Wars as well as the first series of Robot Wars Extreme. Its best performance came in Series 3, where it reached the second round of the Semi-Finals and lost to Hypno-Disc on a very tight judges' decision. It also won the Series 4 Tag Team Terror with long-time rivals King Buxton and reached the Heat Final in Series 4, although it lost in the first round of Series 5 to newcomers Fluffy.

101 was the best performing tracked robot to compete in the UK series, as well as being one of the least expensive robots to compete as it was built using parts salvaged from Team 101's previous entry, Robo Doc. It was rumoured to have been named from its remarkably cheap build price of a pound and a penny (£1.01). The real origin of the name was from the robot's length - 101 centimetres - and Amy Franklin's then-favourite film, 101 Dalmatians. 101 in truth cost somewhere around a still-remarkable twelve pounds.

Team 101 also took part in Series 2 with Robo Doc, and in Series 6 with the walkerbot Anarchy.

Design
101 was a tracked robot with a zero turning circle and a pneumatic spike that would automatically fire at 200 mph when an opponent was in range. The spike was capable of punching through ⅛ inch steel plating, and was activated by an EPCS (Extraperceptive Central System) which enabled it to fire automatically. The robot was originally made from HE30 alloy, which was later upgraded to aircraft-grade aluminium from Series 4 onwards, while the tracks were made out of an old milk bottle washing machine. The tracks also featured tiny screws protruding from them to increase traction, and were powered by two 750W (later 800W) motors, giving 101 superb traction, excellent pushing power and the ability to maintain contact with the arena floor even when it was lifted. This was especially useful in allowing 101 to drive itself away from opponents as it was being pitted, as its battles against Panic Attack and Overkill demonstrated. 101's colour scheme remained consistent throughout its main UK series appearances, with grey top and bottom armour and side plates with yellow and black chevrons down the side. However, variations on this scheme were present throughout its appearances in side tournaments. Plain black side panels were used in the The First World Championship, while panels with white spots on a black background were used for 101's participation in the Series 4 Tag Team Terror and Pinball Warrior competitions. For the Series 4 Tag Team Terror, Series 5 and Extreme 1, a pair of guiding wedges, similar to Hydra's flanges, were added to the front of 101 in order to allow it to get underneath opponents.

Most of 101's parts were salvaged from its predecessor Robo Doc, contributing towards its low budget.

Series 3
"101, built for under a fiver soon proved money was no match for good engineering."

- Jonathan Pearce on 101's progress in the heats Overkill got under 101 at the start and both robots drove around each other. Overkill pushed 101 near the pit, but 101 steered out of the way. Both robots nearly went in the pit but Overkill got under 101 and pushed it into Sir Killalot. The plan backfired, and Overkill was immobilised and flipped by Sir Killalot. 101 and Centurion were drawn against each other in the second round, with Centurion lifting 101, but failing to flip it. Centurion was put out of the battle when an arena spike broke one of its chains. 101 was through to the Heat Final, and they faced King Buxton, who had beaten the team's previous entry Robo Doc in the last wars. In this battle, both robots got under each other, before 101 was pushed into Matilda by King Buxton. 101 pushed King Buxton with its auto-firing spike over the flame pit. 101 escaped King Buxton's blows and pushed it into Shunt, who axed King Buxton. King Buxton got stuck on one of 101's tracks but managed to escape. Buxton started smoking at the end, and the fight went to a judge's decision, which put 101 through to the Semi-Finals. In the Semi-Finals, 101 faced off against Scutter's Revenge.Both robots pushed and shoved each other around the arena until 101 drove over Scutter's Revenge, catching its opponent's aerial in the process. Scutter's Revenge began to slow down, finally breaking down completely. 101 pushed it into Shunt, and the House Robots finished them off. This put 101 up against Hypno-Disc to decide who would reach the Grand Final. 101 drove onto Hypno-Disc, stopping the disc. Both robots were pressured by Dead Metal, until the two of them matched each other in blows until cease. The judges left their booth and examined the damage up close; 101 had managed to withstand much of the blows they sustained from Hypno-Disc's disc. After a close inspection and careful deliberation, the judges ruled Hypno-Disc through to the Grand Final.

101 also participated in The First World Championship. In its first round battle against Panic Attack, it was lifted a few times by the Welsh machine - at one point being flipped onto its back - and carried over to the pit, only to turn itself and steer Panic Attack into the pit. 101 went through to the second round, where it met Weld-Dor. Although its tracks briefly got stuck in the Northern Irish robot's forklift, 101 was easily able to push its opponent around the arena - almost driving them into the pit at one point - and won the judges' decision. In the Semi-Finals, 101 faced a tough draw against the crushing beak of Razer. If 101's motors were pierced, Mike Franklin claimed that he would be unable to bring 101 back for Series 4, so he marked parts of 101's armour with a felt pen that Razer would be able to pierce without damaging its motors, also filling the robot with wood. Amy Franklin wrote 'Don't hurt me Razer.' on the top of the robot. Receiving puncture after puncture, 101 was still moving by the end of the match, as Team Razer agreed not to damage any vital components inside 101. However, as 101 had been on the defensive throughout the battle, it lost the judges' decision to Razer.

Series 4
101 was granted the number 9 seed in this series. The first round battle with Henry 2 and Dominator 2 was very quick; all it took was a single axe blow from Dominator 2 on Henry 2 before it broke down. 101 rammed Henry 2 a little but Shunt took over from there, bulldozing Henry 2 into the Pit. In the next round, 101 shoved newcomers Major Tom around, slamming it into the side wall and immobilising Major Tom. Matilda's chainsaw sliced Major Tom's head, before Shunt's axe obliterated it completely. Shunt axed the headless Major Tom again, and then slowly nudged it into the Pit of Oblivion. 101 was through to the Heat Final, where it met Dominator 2 again. 101's spike failed to work, allowing Dominator 2 to axe it several times and push 101 across the arena until cease was called. 101 lost the subsequent judges' decision. "101's lack of weaponry proved telling."

- Jonathan Pearce reflects on 101's defeat during the Grand Final series recap

101 later returned for the Tag Team Terror, pairing up with former rivals King B3. In the first round, the two robots easily shoved around X-Terminator 2 and Inverterbrat, immobilising the latter, which left X-Terminator at a crucial disadvantage on the judges' decision. This put 101 and King B3 into the final against Firestorm 2 and Scorpion. However, as Firestorm had suffered a serious mechanical problem, Scorpion was forced to fight much of the battle on its own, and was eventually rammed to a stand-still by 101 and King B3, who celebrated their victory by fighting each other. "You are team members! Come together? Friends? You're having a laugh! You're still enemies, I'm sure......I repeat! You are supposed to be teammates, 101 and King B3"

- Jonathan Pearce, as the winning tag team reprise their rivalry

101 also competed in the Pinball Warrior Tournament, finishing ninth with a score of 125 points after knocking down one set of barrels, pressing the multi-ball release and hitting Dead Metal's 75-point target.

Extreme 1
101 fought in the first series of Extreme, as reigning Tag Team Terror Champions alongside King B Powerworks. However, after a tentative start, it ran straight into the hefty Mega Morg, who held off 101's normally formidable pushing power. After tagging out, 101 was flipped by Diotoir. King B apparently lost all control, going berserk. With 101 mysteriously losing drive to one of its tracks, both it and King B Powerworks lost the resulting judges' decision, and the champions were eliminated. The former teammates rekindled their rivalry in a subsequent Vengeance battle, with both sides blaming each other for their Tag Team loss. Both robots started tentatively, with King B Powerworks pushing 101 around the arena before getting wedged under an angle grinder. This allowed 101 to shove it into a CPZ, where Shunt came in to attack King B Powerworks as it tried to escape. However, King B Powerworks began spinning around and running into the walls and House Robots, where it became clear that it had lost control and gone berserk again. Eventually, Shunt and Sergeant Bash cornered King B Powerworks in another CPZ, with Sergeant Bash grabbing hold of King B with his pincers and pitting it, but not without falling in himself. 101 emerged victorious in the last fight between the two machines.

101 was also due to compete in a Mayhem qualifier for one of the two Annihilators, but it withdrew before the competition began, due to unknown reasons.

Series 5
101 returned as the 23rd seed. Drawn up against newcomers Fluffy, it ran into problems immediately when the double-headed spinning axe of Fluffy ripped one of its tracks off. Several more attacks by the newcomer tore a panel of armour away and damaged the other track. 101 lost the resulting judges' decision, and was retired after this brutal loss.

Results

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Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 11
 * Losses: 5

Series Record

 * Series 1: Did not enter
 * Series 2: Entered with Robo Doc
 * Series 3: Semi-Finals, Round 2
 * Series 4: Heat Final
 * Series 5: Heat, Round 1
 * Series 6: Entered with Anarchy
 * Series 7: Did not enter
 * 2016 Series: Did not enter

Outside Robot Wars
A largely unchanged 101, named Transpower also competed in Techno Games, in the Assault Course. It won its heat against Mighty Mouse, but was disqualified in the quarter-finals after impeding the progress of Bugs Buggy.

Appearances in Merchandise

 * 101/Robot Wars: Advanced Destruction
 * 101/Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (GBA)
 * 101/Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (PC/Xbox)

Trivia

 * According to the official guide for Robot Wars Extreme, 101 had a desire to fight against fellow-tracked robot Suicidal Tendencies, although ultimately they would never do so.
 * Despite taking track damage and fighting powerful opponents such as Hypno-Disc, Razer, Dominator 2 and Fluffy, none of 101's five losses were by knockout, holding onto a judges decision each time.
 * 101 was the first robot to reach the semi-finals by winning a grudge match with a former semi-finalist who in the past had reached the semi-finals by defeating that robot in the heats. Raging Knightmare later repeated the pattern.
 * Along with Razer, Tornado, Storm 2, Behemoth, and Manta, 101 is one of only six robots to finish in the top four of a World Championship and the top eight of a domestic championship.