Iron-Awe

Iron-Awe was a series of robots that participated in Series 4, 6 and 7 of Robot Wars. The team also entered Series 5 with Axe-Awe.

Iron-Awe 2.1 was the most successful of the team's machines in UK Robot Wars, reaching the Heat Final after flipping the seeded Bigger Brother out of the arena in its second round battle. It was then outclassed by Typhoon 2 in the Heat Final and immobilised after several hard blows from the future champion. However, it was later repaired in time to compete in a special Axe Attack battle against Hydra and Kat 3, which it won.

Its name was a pun on "Iron Ore", a mineral used to make Iron.

The team tried to enter two new versions of Iron-Awe, Iron-Awe 5 and Iron-Awe 7, into the 2016 series of Robot Wars, but they were not chosen to compete.

Iron-Awe
The original Iron-Awe that entered Series 4 was an aluminium box-wedge shaped robot made mostly from packaging metal. The main axe support and motor shell were made of steel, but with weight being a problem, Iron-Awe ended up much shorter than intended, and holes were drilled everywhere. It featured tracks, which were powered by Bosch motors, and were chosen in order to create more traction and a zero turning circle. Iron-Awe's weapon was a 3kg felling axe on a wooden handle, powered by CO2 at 175PSI. It also had an additional cylinder behind the axe head. The power behind the axe led to it being the first robot to self-right by using an axe.

However, the robot moved fairly sluggishly due to its poor choice of batteries. "The batteries, 2 Hawker SBS15’s, were the items that ultimately led to our demise in the wars. The fact that they were 5 years old probably didn’t help combined with the huge amount of power needed just to turn the tracks."

- Iron-Awe website

Iron-Awe 2
After competing in Series 5 with Axe-Awe, the team returned to Series 6 with Iron-Awe 2. It retained the weapon combination of Axe-Awe, albeit with drastic improvements. "After Robot Wars 5 we carried out some modifications to the plumbing on the axe circuit and managed to achieve a significant performance improvement. However, it became clear after this that the axe on Iron-Awe 2 would have to have a counterbalance weight, as without it the robot leaps about 8" in the air on firing!!"

- Iron-Awe website

Iron-Awe was built on a 40mm square aluminium box section frame, originally part of a workshop table and was sourced from a local scrap yard. Kart wheels were chosen to carry the robot, because of the size:weight ratio. The flipper could lift a ton, the robot was manoeuvrable and had self-righting capabilities but was easily flippable.

Iron-Awe 2.1
The Series 7 entry Iron-Awe 2.1 had improved manoeuvrability and a lower ground clearance, as the team had abandoned the kart wheels of Iron-Awe 2 in favour of small aluminium wheels. Both weapons now operated at approximately one-tenth of a second, and also featured rear spikes to prevent Iron-Awe from getting stranded on its flat rear panel, as it had been in the Series 6 qualifiers.

Qualification
"When they tested this machine for the qualifiers, right was going left, and left was going right, so fingers crossed."

- Julia Reed

Despite having control problems in its Series 4 qualifier, Iron-Awe managed to defeat Bolt from the Blue, and qualified for the series. Iron-Awe 2 had lost it qualifier for Series 6 after Dantomkia managed to stand Iron-Awe 2.0 up on its back with its axe hanging over the perimeter barrier of the arena, leaving it unable to self right. Despite losing, the team was given a discretionary place to qualify, unlike fellow losing competitors Maximus and Destruct-A-Bubble.

In its Series 7 qualifer, Iron-Awe 2.1 fought three robots, including Mute. Of the four, only Iron-Awe 2.1 and Mute qualified for the series.

Series 4
"Could this be the grim reaper of the competition?"

- Jonathan Pearce

Iron-Awe had a very slow and ponderous first fight in the Fourth Wars against the 23rd seeds Mortis and fellow newcomers Mazakari, being pushed around by Mortis a few times. In actual fact, a lot of the action involving Iron-Awe was edited out, instead focusing on Mortis pushing Mazakari around the arena. Iron-Awe appeared to be immobilised near the end of the battle and was picked up and nearly pitted by Sir Killalot. In the end, the judges ruled that Mazakari had been eliminated. "Will it be Iron all washed up?"

- Jonathan Pearce

In the second round Iron-Awe was drawn against the 7th seeds Steg 2. Iron-Awe started slowly again and was flipped numerous times by Steg 2. Although it righted each time, the House Robots eventually closed in and Sir Killalot cut its axe off. The judges ruled Iron-Awe out and the seventh seeds through. Iron-Awe returned to fight in the Celebrity Special, where it was driven by actress Natalie Cassidy. In Round 1 against Pussycat, recent runners-up for the main competition, Iron-Awe moved very slowly at the start, firing its axe, but failing to hit Pussycat. After Pussycat rammed it and drove up its wedge, Iron-Awe got a few axe blows in, but failed to do any damage, apart from knocking off Pussycat's decorations. After Pussycat slammed into Iron-Awe, breaking Natalie's vanity plate, Iron-Awe appeared to stop moving. Thought it regained mobility after an attack from Dead Metal, it did not matter; the rest of the house robots joined in, with Matilda flipping it over. Iron-Awe tried to self-right, but just ended up on the flame pit, where its decorations burned off while Sir Killalot snapped off its axe. Finally, Sir Killalot picked up Iron-Awe and finished it off by lowering it into the pit. Natalie Cassidy then later joined her Eastenders co-star Adam Woodyatt with the Cold Fusion Team and Pussycat, coming out as the eventual winners.

Series 6
Team Iron-Awe entered Series 6 with Iron-Awe 2 and came up against the 5th seeds Chaos 2, newcomers Destructosaur and veterans Mighty Mouse in the first round. Iron-Awe 2 started fairly well, axing a hole in Destructosaur's armour just as Chaos 2 flipped Destructosaur. However it then moved too close to the arena wall, and began spinning in delight. This allowed Chaos 2 to get underneath Iron-Awe before they could get away, push it against the arena wall, and toss it out of the arena, eliminating it from the competition.

Extreme 2
Iron-Awe 2 took part in the Challenge Belt competition in Extreme Series 2. In the first round against Barber-Ous 2, Vader, both recent Heat finalists, and reigning fourth place Terrorhurtz, it started by attempting to flip over Terrorhurtz, but Terrorhurtz toppled back onto its wheels. Iron-Awe 2 was then attacked by Barber-Ous 2, the impact turning it over, but it was able to self-right. After being attacked by Vader, Iron-Awe 2 was able to axe through the shell of Barber-Ous 2, and then pulled itself over while the axe was still dug in, which turned Iron-Awe 2 itself upside-down, and could not self-right. Luckily for the team, Vader was counted out and the Judges ruled that Barber-Ous 2, which was also pitted by Terrorhurtz, had been immobilised first, so Iron-Awe 2 survived. In the second round against series semi-finalist Dantomkia, Iron-Awe entered with a lowered ground clearance, in an effort to breach Dantomkia's wedge. However, this did not work favourably for Iron-Awe, and it drove underneath the Disc of Doom, where it became stuck, offering Dantomkia an opportunity to attack. Iron-Awe resorted to fleeing, and only had two chances to fire its axe before being caught broadside by Dantomkia, which threw it into the arena entry gate, and out of the arena.

Series 7
"Due to the lack of time available we were unable to build a completely new robot for Series 7. Instead we opted to make a few minor changes to Iron-Awe 2..."

- Team Iron-Awe

The team returned for Series 7 with Iron-Awe 2.1, and started against three newcomers to the UK wars Disconstructor, Xenomorph and Hammerhead 2 in the first round. It opened up by ramming straight into Refbot, before using its flipper to toss Hammerhead 2 and Xenomorph around. After Disconstructor drove into the pit, Iron-Awe 2.1 used its axe and flipper to attack its remaining opponents, doing enough damage to progress to the next round on a judges' decision.

In the second round, it met the 4th seeds Bigger Brother, which was by far the favourite. Bigger Brother started stronger, flipping Iron-Awe over, then pushed it towards the arena side wall and flipped it over, this time onto its wheels. Iron-Awe 2.1 spun around, got underneath Bigger Brother, and launched it over the arena wall. This was one of the biggest shocks of the Seventh Wars.

Iron-Awe 2.1 met the incredibly destructive Typhoon 2 in the Heat Final. Iron-Awe faced immediate difficulty, as a slippery substance covered the arena floor for Sir Killalot's benefit, and Iron-Awe could not gain traction. As a result, it failed to catch Typhoon 2, which was constantly increasing its spinning speed. Upon contact, Typhoon 2 buckled Iron-Awe's flipper after a few blows. Iron-Awe 2.1 tried to hit Typhoon 2 with the axe, but failed. Typhoon 2 then sent Iron-Awe 2.1 flying towards Shunt's CPZ, where it was counted out. Sir Killalot picked it up and carried it to the drop zone, where a gas cooker was dropped on it. The team put the robot back together to take part in the Axe Attack battle against Hydra and Kat 3. Iron-Awe 2.1 was attacked repeatedly early on by the axe of Hydra and was pushed into the arena wall. Meanwhile, Kat 3 had become immobilised and was counted out. Iron-Awe 2.1 was pushed into the CPZ by Shunt, but escaped. From then on, both robots began to attack the house robots. Hydra flipped over Shunt and Iron-Awe 2.1 attempted to flip over Cassius Chrome, but was unsuccessful. Refbot then activated the pit release button, and Hydra drove onto the pit just as it began to descend and was eliminated, leaving Iron-Awe 2.1 as the winner.

Results

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Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 5
 * Losses: 5

Robot Wars Live Events
The latest versions of the robot, Iron-Awe 5 and Iron-Awe 6, made their first appearances at the new Robot Wars live events in Colchester in April 2013. Both also fought at Widnes in May 2013 where Iron-Awe 6 got to the semi-final only to be beaten by the team's fellow robot Iron-Awe 5, which went on to win the event. Iron-Awe 6 was later retired, as its components became used in the new version of Ripper. Iron-Awe 7 was built to replace Iron-Awe 6, and now competes alongside Iron-Awe 5 at live events.

Iron-Awe 5 and Iron-Awe 7 both fought at the Robot Wars World Championship, held at Colchester in 2015. Iron-Awe 5 threw Tanto out of the arena in the first round, but still lost the resulting Judges' decision to Thor and Tiberius. Iron-Awe 7 performed better, throwing Weird mAlice out of the arena in the first round, a battle from which it qualified alongside Nuts when Meggamouse drove into the pit. Iron-Awe 7 lost in the second round via Judges' decision, as the winner of the battle, Manta, threw Dystopia out of the arena.

Both versions made their 2016 debuts in Manchester, where Iron-Awe 5 won a melee, flipping Cherub out of the arena, while Iron-Awe 7 competed in a tag team match, immobilising Ceros before breaking down itself, Iron-Awe's team losing the battle altogether due to Crushtacean breaking down. In the last ever Robot Wars live event, Iron-Awe 5 defeated Beast and Iron Heart 88, fighting Iron Heart 88 again later on, in a battle with Mangler, but was defeated by Ripper. Iron-Awe 7 managed to throw Behemoth out of the arena.

Outside Robot Wars
Although the earlier incarnations had relatively little success, the team's later robots, most notably Iron-Awe 5, have risen to UK fame, winning the 2008 and 2010 UK Championships.

Iron-Awe models after Robot Wars
While it was initially meant to have a front-hinged flipper, Iron-Awe 3 was then hastily revised to have a rear-hinged flipper after the front-hinged flipper was found to be not powerful enough. Built in 2004, it featured rolled edges on the flipper. Team Iron-Awe 3 did well with this version finishing runner-up in the Roaming Robots 2006 Winter Tour to Behemoth and also winning the Robot Rumble 2007. It was sold to Team Wind Power in 2007, under Team Wind Power, it was renamed L and then White Knight. In April 2016, White Knight was sold again, this time to Team Shock who have renamed it Earthquake and competed with it at live Robot Wars and Robots Live! events, throwing Behemoth out of the arena in one battle.
 * Iron-Awe 3

In 2005, Iron-Awe 2.1 was deemed pretty worn out and was rebuilt into Iron-Awe 4. Iron-Awe 4 was smaller than Iron-Awe 2.1 but still armed with a flipper and an axe. It was sold to Team Orr and renamed Orrion in 2009 to replace Team Orr's retired heavyweight, Golden Eye. It competed in two events in 2009- Robots Live! and the UK Championship of that year, but has not competed since.
 * Iron-Awe 4

Iron-Awe 5 was built in 2006 following the success of Iron-Awe 3. Iron-Awe 5 featured a modular construction to make it easy to repair, and became notable for using its powerful flipper to throw five robots out of the arena in a single battle. Iron-Awe 5 won the 2008 and 2010 UK Championships, becoming the third robot to reclaim the UK title after Chaos 2 and Terrorhurtz, as well as receiving a spot in The Combat Robot Hall of Fame in 2009.
 * Iron-Awe 5

After the success of Iron-Awe 5 in 2007/8, the team built Iron-Awe 6. It featured the same modular construction as before and had rolled edges like the ones on Iron-Awe 3 for extra strength. Iron Awe 6 was originally painted yellow like its predecessor, but was soon re-painted red like Axe-Awe, presumably to avoid confusion with its predeccesor. In the five years since being built, Iron-Awe 6's flipper never ran out of CO2 in a battle. It managed to flip itself out of the arena during the 2011 UK Championship at the O2 Arena. In June 2013, Iron-Awe 6 was retired, and its internal components were used for the new Ripper.
 * Iron-Awe 6

Iron-Awe 7 made its debut in July 2013 at the Robot Wars Live! Newport UK Championship. Iron-Awe 7 has a wide flipper, much like the new version of Ripper. Like all the other models of Iron-Awe, Iron-Awe 7 has a toothy grin and eyes decoration. It and Iron-Awe 5 usually compete at the same events.
 * Iron-Awe 7

Trivia

 * Of all of the out of the arena flips, Iron-Awe's was against the highest seed ever to go out, Bigger Brother (4).
 * Iron-Awe is one of only fifteen robots whose final appearance on the show before the hiatus was a win.
 * The Iron-Awe 2 version of the machine is the only robot that went out of the arena in every episode of its career.
 * Alongside Firestorm, Iron-Awe is the only machine to have been thrown out of the arena, and then gone on to perform the action itself later.
 * Iron-Awe 2 was the last robot to be flipped out of the arena by Chaos 2, the first robot to do so.
 * Barber-Ous 2'n a Bit, Iron-Awe 2.1, Sub-Version 1.1, Malc 1.5 and Judge Shred 2½ are the only robots to name a robot part-sequentially.
 * Iron-Awe was the first robot to successfully self-right with an axe.