Pussycat

Pussycat was an unusual "pyramid" shaped robot with four wheels at the bottom and a cutting four-toothed (sometimes two and eight) blade at the top. The robot was given its name due to its ability to always land on its feet. Pussycat could drive any way up: often it would enter the arena upright, then flip down horizontally to bring the blade into action. "The Erazer!"

- On the side of Extreme 1 Pussycat, next to a crossed out picture of Razer

The Pussycat robot is also notably the only robot that truly defeated Razer by KO, and has also won all three of the major side competitions in the UK Series; an Annihilator, a Tag Team Terror and an All-Stars Tournament. Pussycat also briefly competed in the American version of Robot Wars - Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors - where it won the War of Independence event.

There were three Pussycat chassis; one for Series 3, 4 and 5. The Series 3 and 4 chassis now reside, alongside both Bodyhammers, in Alan Gribble's garden workshop, stripped of motors and wheels. The Series 5 chassis was upgraded for Series 7, but has since been retired, going on display at some live Roaming Robots Shows, and like many Robot Wars competitors, the team entered Techno Games. They entered a weaponless Pussycat in the football in the team known as "Pink", but lost to Typhoon Rover.

Unfortunately, David Gribble, the driver of Pussycat died in a road accident, between Series 5 and 6, this being the main reason of their Series 6 absence.

Pussycat still competes in certain live events today, and Stuart Barnwell operates the Roaming Robots website.

Appearances in Merchandise

 * Pussycat/Pullback
 * Minibots

Series 3
Pussycat's first appearance was in this wars, after Team Cold Fusion retired Bodyhammer. It started a very promising run, pitting Hammerhead convincingly, and was put against the previous years runner-up, Cassius 2. Cassius 2 started quickly and smashed into Pussycat, knocking it over. Pussycat attacked and bounced over Cassius 2, Cassius 2 then used its long spike, knocking Pussycat over a short distance. Lining Pussycat up with the pit, Cassius reversed strongly, but Pussycat drove out of the way, and Cassius fell in the pit itself. The huge shock put Pussycat through to the heat final, against Scutter's Revenge. This was a controversial battle. Scutter's Revenge pushed Pussycat into the wall, before it was driven over by Pussycat. Pussycat then hit the arena wall and its blade shattered. Meanwhile Scutter's Revenge was attacked by the house robots. Pussycat was declared the winner of the battle, but due to the rules stating that "hardened blades that may shatter are prohibited", Pussycat was disqualified, and Scutter's Revenge was through to the Semi-Finals instead. "Gutted!! That is the only way to describe it. I think the decision was harsh. Nobody was hurt, we gained no advantage from using the blade, and in the end we beat Scutters Revenge without a weapon at all. Ya Boo Sucks!"

- Alan Gribble in answer to the disqualification from Series 3

Series 4
As number 19 seed, Pussycat returned, equipped with a new blade. It began its redemption by facing off Reptirron and Milly-Ann Bug in the melee. Pussycat smashed into Reptirron twice, and managed to sever Reptirron's fuel line to its circular saw. Fuel was leaking out of Reptirron, and it was set on fire by Sgt Bash. Pussycat then attacked Milly-Ann Bug, and ripped off one of the hubcaps, while the new Refbot extinguished burning Reptirron. In the next round Pussycat met Robochicken, and after weathering some attacks from the flipper, Pussycat cut one of Robochicken's eyes off, and ripped off some of its armour. Pussycat rammed Robochicken into the wall, and attacked it from behind, while Sir Killalot attacked the front. It then met the World Champions, Razer, in the Heat Final. When the battle started, the two robots hit each other, and Pussycat escaped Razer's grip. One of Razer's components then got damaged, leaving it stuck in forward drive and wedged against the arena wall. Pussycat then attacked the rear of Razer, ripping its rear half apart. In the meantime Ian Lewis, Razer's driver, had turned his back on the battle in disgust. Shunt attacked Razer, and Dead Metal put it into the pit. Pussycat met the lobster Thermidor 2 in the first round of the Semi-Finals. Thermidor 2 flipped Pussycat many times at the start of the battle, tossing it into the air. It also managed to avoid the invertible Pussycat's blade. However, Pussycat recovered and attacked, slicing through the top armour of Thermidor 2. It chased Thermidor 2 at the end and attacked the rear, before the judges' decision put Pussycat through. Next they faced another promising newcomer, Dominator 2. Pussycat attacked Dominator 2's weakness - its wheels. Dominator 2 then chased Pussycat, but its wheels were attacked again. Dominator 2 then attacked with its axe and pushed Pussycat into Matilda's CPZ. Pussycat then rammed into Dominator 2's side, and Dominator 2's body shell started to come off. Once again, the judges decided on the winner, putting Pussycat into the Grand Final. Pussycat now faced off the most destructive robot, and the previous runner-up, Hypno-Disc. Pussycat drove into Hypno-Disc's rear and put a dent in one of its wheel guards. This stopped the wheel from moving properly, causing Hypno-Disc severe control problems. Pussycat pushed it into Shunt's CPZ, who slammed its axe down into Hypno-Disc's disc. This damage disabled the blade, eliminating Hypno-Disc and also meaning that Hypno-Disc could not play in the third-place playoff. In the Grand Final, Pussycat met their biggest challenge yet; the reigning champions Chaos 2. Pussycat drove into Chaos 2's side, and Chaos 2 used its flipper. It dodged Pussycat and flipped Pussycat onto its side. Chaos 2 tossed Pussycat around the arena, until Pussycat retaliated by driving into Chaos 2's front and rear, ripping the rear cover off. Chaos 2 seemed to be going slowly at the end, but Pussycat was also having grip problems and got stuck on its side. Chaos 2 nearly flipped Pussycat out of the arena at the end, but again the judges decided the winner, ruling Pussycat as the runner-up.

The team entered into the Celebrity Special with Eastender's actor Adam Woodyatt, who was later joined by fellow Eastender's actress Natalie Casidy after Pussycat beat Iron Awe. The then went on to win the Special episode to become the only Celebrity Special Champions.

Extreme 1
Pussycat competed in six separate events during Extreme Series 1, more than any other robot. Like several other robots, such as Behemoth, X-Terminator and Napalm, two different models were used - The Series 5 model (in the Vengeance, Annihilator and Challenge Belt) and a slightly slimmer model with a two toothed blade (Mayhem, All-Stars and Tag Team Terror).

Its first appearance was in a Mayhem with S.M.I.D.S.Y. and Sumpthing, the latter being a robot Team Cold Fusion had always wanted to fight. Pussycat was able to cause significant damage to both robots, damaging S.M.I.D.S.Y.'s drive and Sumpthing's weapon chain and won on a judges decision after pitting S.M.I.D.S.Y., putting it through to the annihilator later in the series.

Pussycat's next appearance was in a Vengeance battle against Razer, after it had been severely damaged by the pyramid shaped robot in Series 4 after it had broken down. The battle started with Razer easily piercing Pussycat and carrying it over the flame pit. Pussycat, however, fell off and attacked Razer's side twice, the second of which took out a wheel, rendering Razer immobile. Pussycat activated the pit and continued to attack Razer, just like in Series 4, although it caused less damage this time, before Shunt finally pitted the beaten Razer.

In the Annihilator that Pussycat had earlier qualified for, it found itself up against two robots it had beaten in Series 4 - Thermidor 2 and Hypno-Disc. It largely stayed out of the action for the first two rounds, but started to show more activity in the third round, when it pushed Hypno-Disc down the pit (although not without being pushed in itself by Splinter). In the fourth round, Pussycat was bullied by both Splinter and Arnold A. Terminegger, but came through getting behind Splinter and cutting its aerial off. However, Arnold A. then pushed Pussycat onto its side and its blade broke off. Luckily, Pussycat had already qualified and met Arnold A. in the final. A long, drawn out battle ensured, with neither robot really able to cause much damage to the other. However, as the fight drew on, Pussycat was able to get a few slices in with its blade, and Arnold A. seemed to lose mobility. The battle went to the judges decision and Pussycat was given the victory on damage.

Being runner-up in the last UK series, Pussycat competed in the All-Stars and found itself against the 3rd placing Stinger. The battle started evenly, with both robots trading blows. Eventually, Pussycat struck Stinger's tyre, ripping out some protective foam. Pussycat continued to land attacks on Stinger's tyres, tearing out more foam, but was unable to immobilise Stinger. Nevertheless, it won the judges decision, and went through to meet Tornado. Instantly, Tornado pushed it into the arena wall, ripping bits of polycarbonate off. Pussycat was then pushed onto the side grinders, which managed to rip a wheel off. This left Pussycat at a severe disadvantage for the rest of the competition and it was pushed all around the arena and into the CPZs before being pushed onto its side, where it was unable to get back up due to a tyre being dislodged. Unable to move, Pussycat was pushed onto the flame pit. It managed the consolation of forcing Sir Killalot to be set alight, but still lost.

The next appearance of Pussycat was in an event it had not intended to enter - the Tag Team Terror. Diotoir and Mega Morg were due to face Comengetorix and Spawn Again, but Mega Morg broke down irrepairably before the fight started, so Pussycat was bought in as a substitute partner. It started off against Spawn Again and ran into trouble after being pushed into Matilda's CPZ. It managed to come back strongly, attacking both Comengetorix and Spawn Again before the latter broke down and was pitted. This put the two into the final against The Steel Avenger and Suicidal Tendencies. This ended up as two one-on-one battles, with Pussycat fighting Suicidal Tendencies and Diotoir fighting Steel Avenger all the way through. Although Suicidal Tendencies was able to crush into Pussycat's armour several times, the judges felt that throughout the whole battle, Diotoir and Pussycat had been the more dominant, and awarded them victory on a very close judges decision.

Pussycat made one last appearance in Extreme, to take on Tornado again, this time for the Challenge Belt. Although it stayed largely in one piece this time, it was still pushed around the arena and into Matilda's CPZ. It eventually lost drive close to the pit, which allowed Tornado to push it in.

Series 5
The second seed Pussycat used its destructive capabilities to wear newcomers The Executioner down, slicing off the weapon tip and pushing it into the pit. It then caused major damage to Clawed Hopper, burying its blade in the side spinning drums and breaking them off. The glory of being the first main competition walker to pass round one wore off as Clawed Hopper fell to pieces at the cease. In the Heat Final, it was a major scare for the 2nd seed, as Fluffy ripped off Pussycat's blade and castor leaving the robot with impaired mobility and no weapon. Pussycat was on the ropes and close enough to taste defeat when its opponent conked out, sending Pussycat through to the Semi-Finals.

Pussycat savaged Panic Attack in the first round of the Semi-Finals with much less difficulty, with the Welsh former champs unable to return any damage. Pussycat slashed at its fork mechanism, before crumpling one of its side skirts and winning on a judges decision. Pussycat faced Firestorm 3 in the next round. Firestorm continually got underneath Pussycat's massive ground clearance and threw it around the arena for the majority of the fight. Pussycat started to come back in the dying seconds of the fight and cause minor damage to Firestorm but it was too little, too late and it lost on a judges decision.

This was the final series David Gribble drove the robot before his untimely death.

Extreme 2
This was the first appearance of Pussycat since the death of David Gribble. Pussycat and Diotoir didn't put up much of a defence of their Tag Team Title. Pussycat was flipped of out the arena almost instantly by Bulldog Breed, who then flipped Diotoir over.

Pussycat redeemed itself slightly in the Iron Maidens, with Ann Gribble at the controls. It played a minor role in the first battle, hooking Chompalot with its blade and dragging it around, before slicing Spin Doctor slightly. It was then attacked by Chompalot, who nudged it onto its side, before biting it and dragging it around. Breaking free, Pussycat darted around the arena, before slamming the immobile Spin Doctor repeatedly. With Spin Doctor out, Pussycat fought Kat 3. It was a tentative and slow battle between nervous drivers, with Kat 3 only landing a single axe blow and Pussycat flailing around more than attacking. Pussycat managed to buckle the front wedge and dislodge parts of the armour, before ripping side panels clean off. With Kat 3's armour hanging off in pieces and relatively little damage done to Pussycat, it unanimously won the judges decision and proceeded to fight Chompalot again in the final. Despite Chompalot skewering its lower beak on the floor flipper, it was on top the entire battle, biting around Pussycat's neck and dumping it in the pit.

Series 7
Pussycat returned to the main competition for the first time after the tragic death of David Gribble. Its first round melee put it against Brutus Maximus, the Dutch robot Twister, and Roobarb. It shot on the offensive, doing severe damage to both Twister and Brutus Maximus, the circular blades cutting into the latter's wooden armour easily. Both of these robots were eliminated, and Pussycat fought M2 in the second round. However, M2's tough shell prevented Pussycat's weapon from doing any damage, and this cost them severely on the judges decision. M2 threw Pussycat around the arena, and Pussycat's blade inflicted only superficial damage. Pussycat was eliminated on the judges decision.

Pussycat returned to fight in the All-Stars. The team equipped Pussycat with the double blade, hoping to tear off the armour of King B Powerworks. However, little was seen of Pussycat in the first round, as Dantomkia tossed out Behemoth, before stealing King B Powerworks away. King B resisted, until Pussycat landed blows on both robots with its blade. Dantomkia shrugged off the blow, but King B Powerworks' resistance slackened, and Dantomkia tossed King B Powerworks out of the arena. A battle against Kat 3 followed, but the design of both robots made it difficult for either robot to damage each other; both weapons were uni-directional, and when side-by-side, neither weapon could make contact. However, Pussycat carved long slashes in Kat 3's armour, which put it through to the Final. Dantomkia was the favourite, but one of Pussycat's blows caused it to become immobilised, and Pussycat - after fending off some vicious attacks from House Robots - pitted Dantomkia to claim the title of All-Stars Champion, the only robot to win besides Razer.

US Series
Pussycat entered the War of Independence of the first season of Extreme Warriors. By the time it got to fight, it was the only UK representative left. Its first fight was against $6 Million Mouse and, after hitting each other several times, Pussycat bent the rotor blade of $6 Million Mouse. Another attack rendered the American robot immobile and Refbot counted it out. Despite $6 Million Mouse starting up again after being counted out, the House Robots attacked and pitted it. This sent Pussycat through to face Rosie the Riveter. At the beginning, Rosie the Riveter pushed Pussycat all around the arena and seemed to show high resilience to the weapon of the British machine. However, after dominating the fight, Rosie slowly began to lose power. Pussycat hit Rosie a few times with its blade, damaging its frame and knocking several ornaments off. By now, Rosie was only able to move slowly forwards and backwards, and Pussycat hit the pit release. Finally, it shoved the now immobile Rosie into the pit, but not without going in itself. In the final against General Chompsalot, Pussycat was pushed into the CPZ, but both robots were attacked by Shunt. After struggling to get out, Pussycat escaped and attacked General Chompsalot's mouth. Eventually, it damaged both of Chompsalot's eyes. General Chompsalot tried to push it onto the flame pit, but then drove too close to the CPZ, where Matilda tore some of its teeth out.

"Looks like he's been demoted from General to Buck Private....buck teeth, but no more teeth in this case"

- Stefan Frank on the state of General Chompsalot's jaws

Pussycat pushed General Chompsalot onto the flame pit, but it escaped and held on for the judges decision. Based on damage, Pussycat was declared the War of Independence champion.

Results

 * }

Wins/Losses

 * UK Wins: 31
 * UK Losses: 8
 * US Wins: 3
 * US Losses: 0

Series Record

 * Series 1-2: Entered with Bodyhammer
 * Series 3: Heat Final
 * Series 4: Runner-up
 * Series 5: Semi Finals, Round 2
 * Series 6: Did not enter
 * Series 7: Heat, Round 2