Robot Wars Arena/Series 2

=Robot Wars Arena/Series 2= The Series 2 Robot Wars Set was the second evolution of the Robot Wars Arena. Designed, as with the first arena, by Steve Clark, the set was located once again in London's docklands. The set featured few changes outside of the battle arena- the large Robot Wars door, neon decoration and balcony configuration all remained in place. The Arena was made of plywood, a fact that could be seen by the sharp front blade of Cassius digging into the arena floor.

General Description
The Arena was a plywood square, surrounded with a small metal wall and metal bars, and with a large Robot Wars logo with a sliding door to give access to the arena. The arena was once again furnished by salvaged scrap metal that lined the arena, and had large metal cones made to resemble metal trees. Notably different however, was the change in lighting, reverting to a rapidly alternating yellow, green and blue ambient light, rather than the constant red and blue of the previous wars. Also changed from the previous wars was that the competitors now only competed from the cherrypickers, which incidentally were now roofed, unlike in the first series, on either side of the balcony. When set up for the Gauntlet, the area in front of the sign was dominated by a steel cage, replacing the rotating turntable of the previous wars, the area was blocked off for the Arena stage.

Battle Arena
The second incarnation of the arena featured many hazards, most were used in the gauntlet, which now changed from heat to heat. This series' arena when in its Gauntlet configuration consisted of a litany of obstacles, most notably the ramrig, flame pits, both static and moving ramps, breezeblock walls, and The Sentinel.

When in its Arena configuration, the set featured new obstacles to replace the hazards that had been retired, specifically the Corner Patrol Zones, below floor-level grilles and the steel bars that lined the arena wall.

The pendulum made its second appearence in this series, although it had been significantly remodlled. The pendulum was now a spiked cube that lay on the outside of the PPZ, and did not swing, but made as little impact as it had in its original incarnation. The pendulum did however make a good atmospheric object, which made up for its poor damage potential. Another cosmetic hazard in the arena were the pyramids that now lined the back of the PPZ, having been more evenly distributed in the previous wars.

Also returning were the flame pits, also positioned in the PPZ. In this series, the introduction of Sir Killalot saw the flame pit play far more of a role, and there was a notably greater effect than in later series, as Robot Wars was still in its infancy at the time, and so the robots were not as advanced. The slow firing arena spikes also returned, but these played a minimal role in the battle, especially compared to their faster successors

The first of two major changes to the arena layout was the Perimiter Patrol Zone or PPZ, which replaced the Corner Patrol Zones of the last series. The PPZ was an area lined with black and yellow markings that outlined the arena, and housed the five house robots. Many matches in the second series became little more than a pushing match, as when one robot strayed into the PPZ, the House Robots tended to attack the unfortunate robot utnil it could no longer move, although robots, for example Roadblock and Inquisitor, did manage to escape on occasion.

The far more famous change to the arena for Series 2 was the introduction of the Pit of Oblivion, an obstacle that would defeat many a robot over the years. The pit was a one-metre cubed hole, large enough to easily fit most competitors, and even Sir Killalot during a Pinball run in the first semi final. When a robot fell into the pit, a smoke machine would activate, engulfing the robot. The pit would go on to become perhaps the most famous arena obstacle of all.

Arena Perimeter
The balcony behind the arena and above the large Robot Wars logo remained virtually unchanged from the first war, the neon metal sculptures and tree-like cones all remained as they were. The most notable change outside of the arena was the cherrypickers, which now had roofs over the top. The other important change was that competitors now competed only from the cheryrpickers, with the notable exception of the Football trial, which required all robots to compete at the same time. During this event, roboteers would be distributed between the cherrypickers and the balcony, as in the last series.

Changes from the Previous Series

 * Cherrypickers now had roofs
 * The ambient light was changed from red and blue to alternating blue, yellow and green
 * The Perimiter Patrol Zone replaced the Corner Patrol Zones
 * The Pit of Oblivion replaced the grills set below floor level
 * The Gauntlet set became more adaptable, and the setup changed between heats