Thor

"How would I best describe Thor? Relentless, savage, and powerful."

- Jason Marston

Thor was a robot which competed in Series 6-10 of Robot Wars, as well as the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. In its first iterations, it wielded a powerful hammer (as a nod to the weapon of the Norse god from which it took its name), though this was exchanged for a pneumatic axe in Series 8-10. Jason Marston and Lee Cornish dressed in Viking costumes during Series 6 and Extreme 2. Lee Cornish did not return after the end of Series 7.

Thor reached the second round in Series 6 and 7, and finished third in the Extreme 2 New Blood Championship. It had a substantially better performance in the reboot, reaching the heat finals of Series 8-10, which in all three instances gave it the opportunity for a wildcard. It received the wildcard in Series 8, which ultimately allowed it to finish fourth overall. During Series 10, Thor also represented the United Kingdom during Robot Wars: World Series.

Jason Marston appeared as a mentor in Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars, competing alongside football pundit Robbie Savage with their robot, Robo Savage. Together, they managed to finish as runners-up in Episode 2.

Thor (Series 6 and Extreme 2)
The original version of Thor was a large, roughly teardrop-shaped robot armed with a pneumatic spiked hammer and a pair of front horizontal pincers. The hammer head extended to the bottom of the robot, resting along the ground, with the robot also featuring several pieces of cloth on the hammer and fur around its base in keeping in with its theme. Thor's hammer was mounted in a position where it would strike opponents directly ahead of the pincers; it was also capable of self-righting, as well as puncturing 15mm polycarbonate and striking at a speed of 70mph. Thor itself was painted red with its name and lightning bolt motifs in yellow; both of its weapons were finished in gold. The robot’s top speed in this incarnation was 18mph.

For Extreme 2, Thor underwent a slight redesign, with the pincers being removed and the front end reprofiled into a steep wedge. Additionally, the robot’s top armour was altered, concealing more of the hammer mechanism, while the fur and cloth additions were also discarded.

Thor (Series 7)
A substantially altered version of Thor entered Series 7, taking over 300 hours of work. This version featured a shorter and narrower wedge-shaped design, as well as a new hammer which was a foot shorter yet five times more powerful than in Series 6/Extreme 2. The hammer featured three interchangeable heads according to Jonathan Pearce and was powered a rack-and-pinion mechanism similar to that used by Terrorhurtz's axe; it was quoted as being capable of puncturing 18mm polycarbonate. While Thor itself featured a higher top speed of 20mph in this incarnation, the robot's armour was made thinner overall than in its Series 6/Extreme 2 form.

Thor (Series 8)
The Series 8 version of Thor adopted a predominantly bi-wedge design, and exchanged its traditional hammer in favour of a high-speed bladed axe with interchangeable heads. The axe was capable of firing at a force of 1¼ tonnes in less than half a second, according to Jason Marston; interchangeable heads available included a double-headed one modelled on Mjölnir and a head with a spiked tip, used to pierce robots with weaker armour. A larger bladed head was also held by Jason Marston during a link shown prior to Thor's Heat Final, but was not used for this series. Thor's armour consisted of approximately 80% aluminium and 20% HARDOX, while its pneumatics system was refined to allow its axe to fire more often during battles. The robot’s colour scheme was also changed to red and black, with its name, lightning bolt graphics and weapon finished in silver. At 30mph, Thor was the fastest robot in Series 8, while its 8hp drive motors were four times more powerful than those in Series 7. The improvements made to Thor's weapon and drive system for this series made it significantly more successful in combat than previous versions. In addition to the interchangeable axes, Thor also featured a range of interchangeable front wedges, which could be swapped to suit different opponents. These included a pair of small 'floor-hugging' wedges used to get underneath opponents and negate other wedges/scoops, as well as a wide front plate used to protect it against spinning weapons. Thor's axe and wedge configurations resulted in its weight varying between 105kg and 108kg.

Thor (Series 9-10)
Following its destructive loss to Carbide, Jason Marston scrapped the Series 8 version of Thor and built a new version for Series 9, which featured a more spinner-resilient design. The robot's wheels and drive system were moved to the rear, while its front was protected by two new interchangeable wedges – one with a steep profile and smaller wedglets, the other with a flatter, toothed design – giving it a much lower profile. However, Thor's ground clearance around the sides and rear was much higher than that of the wedge, leaving it particularly vulnerable against wedges, flippers and vertical spinners. The robot's CO2 system for the axe also proved susceptible to damage from vertical spinners, as shown in its fights against Concussion and Magnetar.

The Series 9 version of Thor was 20% smaller as a result of this redesign, allowing it to be more heavily-armoured; approximately 90% of the robot was armoured in HARDOX, and 10% in aluminium. Thor’s drive motors were also replaced with a set of new Magmotors, giving it a power output of 32hp, while its interchangeable axe heads included bladed and Mjölnir-style heads.

For Series 10, both of Thor's interchangeable wedges were replaced with a low-profile, toothed scoop to increase the robot's durability, while the firing rate for its axe was doubled according to the official Robot Wars website. The axe was stated to feature five interchangeable heads for this series, also referred to as 'hammers', although only the Mjölnir-style and bladed heads were used in Series 10 and Robot Wars: World Series respectively. For the World Series, Thor's scoop had the Union Jack spray-painted on it to signify the robot's participation as a Team UK representative; it also gained a piece of red and black polka-dot fur from Team Nemesis, which was wrapped around its axe arm.

Series 6
"A mighty hammer-axe, of course - but wait until you see the team!"

- Jonathan Pearce on Thor

Thor made its Robot Wars debut in Heat G of the Sixth Wars. In its first-round battle, it fought series newcomer Revolution 2, the experienced Judge Shred 2½ and Anarchy, a walkerbot from former Tag Team Terror co-champions Team 101. In the opening seconds, Thor turned and backed slightly away, eventually exchanging axe blows with Anarchy before spinning round over the closed pit panel. It attempted to strike Anarchy as the latter attacked Judge Shred 2½, but missed, before reversing and spinning round in the centre of the arena. Thor eventually weaved its way over the Floor Spinner to hit Judge Shred 2½ several times with its hammer, denting one of its armour panels in the process. It retreated before driving into Anarchy, brushing the side of Revolution 2 and hammering Judge Shred 2½ three more times, despite being momentarily lifted off the floor by the latter. "Thor, almost rocking and rolling from Judge Shred’s flipper…"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor attacks – and is lifted by - Judge Shred 2½

As Revolution 2 and Judge Shred 2½ became stuck together, Thor swung its hammer down on the latter once again, and attempted to grab Anarchy, but without success. In return, it was pushed back by Anarchy and lifted off the floor by Judge Shred 2½; the attack causing Thor’s right pincer to bend before it reversed away. Nevertheless, Thor rammed and hammered Judge Shred 2½ yet again, before hammering Anarchy and dodging an attack from the walkerbot. It attempted to hammer Anarchy again as the latter flipped Judge Shred 2½ over, but missed, before driving into and causing more damage to Judge Shred 2½’s armour with its hammer. Thor bumped into Dead Metal as it spun round, before driving away and dodging Anarchy. It bumped into the immobile Revolution 2 before hammering Judge Shred 2½ and Anarchy in quick succession. However, it was flicked onto one side by Judge Shred 2½, landing on the latter and sustaining an axe blow from Anarchy while Revolution 2 was being counted out. ‘Cease’ was called as Thor was lifted by Judge Shred 2½ again, with the battle going to a Judges’ decision. The decision ruled in favour of Thor and Anarchy, owing to their sustained attacks on Judge Shred 2½. In the second round, Thor faced the twelfth seed – and former Series Semi-Finalist – Tornado. "Bring it on, bring it on! We’ll give it our best shot – or several, in fact!"

- Jason Marston expresses confidence as Philippa Forrester reveals Thor’s second-round draw

Straight away, it darted towards Tornado and spun round, its rear end clipping Tornado’s front and allowing the latter to push it sideways around the arena. Thor reversed away from the Flame Pit, its right pincer already buckled, but was collected by Tornado as it tried to turn round, eventually being pushed towards the pit release button. It succeeded in hammering Tornado’s top armour following a head-on collision, but had its left pincer damaged by a side-on ram, and was pushed around before striking Tornado’s chassis. "They certainly have the weaponry to be destructive, but Tornado already coming forward – another attack, nagging, worrying and bending and buckling… one of those pincers, it seemed to be!"

- Jonathan Pearce comments on Thor’s inexperience as it weathers attacks from Tornado

The two robots continued to ram each other, with Thor landing a third hammer blow on Tornado before being pushed towards Sergeant Bash. Thor backed away and drove into the pit release button; however, Tornado rammed into its side as it did so, breaking off its right-rear panel and a pipe for its pneumatics system. This caused CO2 to vent from Thor’s side; with its hammer disabled and unable to retract, it was pushed back once again by Tornado; a second head-on collision allowed Thor to steer the latter into a charging Growler. Both competitors pushed each other around in circles, with Thor’s pincers momentarily holding Tornado in place before the twelfth seed broke free. Thor reversed, spinning and almost pitting itself in the process, before sustaining another side-on slam from Tornado and being pushed into an empty CPZ. Growler came in to ram it against the wall with assistance from Sergeant Bash, before clamping down on Thor’s top armour, dragging and spinning it into Tornado’s drum. "…but the Thor team, I think is about to buckle. A team of Formula One and Liverpool football fans… well, their road to Wembley, as it were, is about to end here! Last on the grid!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor is attacked by Growler

Released over the Flame Pit, Thor drove into the side of Growler, before Tornado rammed and pushed it into Sergeant Bash. It survived a near-pitting from the House Robot, reversed, and was pushed further against the wall by Tornado. Thor sustained more damage to its chassis and rear panel from Tornado’s slams, with Sergeant Bash momentarily grabbing hold of its hammer before it drove away. Tornado continued to push and ram Thor around the arena, dislodging another panel from its side as the battle drew to a close. "Well… I’ll tell you what, top marks for Thor… for their competitiveness… and their bravery… and that’s a fairly resolute machine they’ve got out there, as well."

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor survives to a Judges’ decision

With both competitors still mobile, the battle went to a Judges’ decision, which ruled in favour of Tornado. Thor was eliminated from the Sixth Wars as a result; both Craig Charles and Team Tornado commented favourably about its durability in the post-battle interview, while Andrew Marchant revealed that its fur linings had succeeded in disabling Tornado’s drum.

Extreme 2
"From the halls of the Vikings, comes the hammer of the Gods"

- Jonathan Pearce in Extreme 2

A revised Thor returned for the second series of Robot Wars Extreme, where it took part in the New Blood Championship. Competing in Heat B, it faced newcomers Night Raider and Hell’s Teeth in the first round. Straight away, Thor drove towards and attempted to hammer Night Raider four times in the CPZ, but missed, with Night Raider already immobilised on one side due to a broken drive train. It eventually pushed Night Raider back across the arena, but did not attack the latter as both robots momentarily sat motionless near the Floor Spinner. Thor reversed, exposing itself to a side-on attack from Hell’s Teeth before being slowly pushed towards the wall by Night Raider. Seconds later, it finally succeeded in striking Night Raider’s top, damaging its flipper with a second hammer blow. "Never wait with Thor! To me, that hammer… is getting weaker, and weaker – or is it?"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor’s hammer pounds the top of Night Raider

After a third hit, Thor reversed away, before ramming into Night Raider’s side a split-second before Mr. Psycho pounded the latter’s top armour with his own hammer. It proceeded to push Hell’s Teeth sideways across the arena, only to sustain an attack from its opponent’s disc. As Night Raider was counted out, Thor hit the pit release button, before resuming its fight with Hell’s Teeth and eventually getting the latter pinned against the side wall. Nevertheless, both robots survived, and progressed to the second round. There, Thor faced Chip, with Jason Marston confident about its chances of victory after finding out that the latter’s disc motor was developing faults. Marston’s optimism was reinforced when Chip entered the arena with a set of spikes replacing the disc; Thor immediately rammed into Chip, before turning round and striking its top panel near the Drop Zone square. This attack immobilised Chip straight away, with Thor proceeding to ram and push it over the Flame Pit. It proceeded to hammer Chip a few more times – albeit missing most of its hits, before attacking Growler. In retaliation, Growler rammed Thor against the centre entry gate, with the House Robot driving up its side and getting stuck on the tip of its hammer. This pinned Thor against the floor, preventing it from firing its hammer or driving away to escape. "...what damage has been sustained by Thor having rather rashly taken on Growler in a one-on-one?"

- Jonathan Pearce after Thor's run-in with Growler Eventually, the two robots were prised apart when Mr. Psycho pushed Chip into them; Thor was pushed into an empty CPZ by Growler, before escaping and reversing into the pit release button. Growler rammed the immobilised Chip into Thor before pitting the former, although Thor itself emerged victorious.

In the Heat Final, Thor faced fellow Series 6 debutant Edge Hog.

Upon ‘Activate’, it started tentatively, momentarily driving forwards before turning and attempting to hit an approaching Edge Hog twice, but without success. Thor backed away, before brushing the side of Edge Hog and missing several hammer blows; however, it succeeded in hammering Edge Hog’s top panel while ramming into it. The two robots’ weapons interlocked following another successful blow from Thor, but Thor itself sustained a blow from Edge Hog’s axe. "Are they on the horns of a dilemma, the Thor team? Because if they can’t get the hammer to work effectively, Edge Hog could well nag their way to victory…"

- Jonathan Pearce comments on Thor’s lack of accuracy

After another few unsuccessful attacks, Thor drove up Edge Hog’s front, exposing itself to another axe blow from the latter. However, it eventually hammered Edge Hog again, buckling its opponent’s top panel and briefly immobilising it. The two competitors struck each other’s pneumatics systems, with the force of Thor’s hammer causing one of its top panels to open up as it retracted. Thor backed away in the process, but drove back into Edge Hog’s side, again missing with its hammer, and sustained another axe blow from Edge Hog. With Edge Hog immobile on one side, however, Thor proceeded to ram and push Edge Hog into Sir Killalot’s CPZ, and waited in the centre of the arena as Edge Hog was carried, spun and turned on its rear panel by the House Robot. Thor knocked Edge Hog onto its back, which resulted in Edge Hog being pushed into the Floor Spinner button by Refbot as it struggled to self-right. With Edge Hog fully immobile, Thor was declared the winner, and progressed to the New Blood Championship Grand Final; Lee Cornish revealed afterwards that its hammer was suffering from a faulty regulator, resulting in it working at half-power for the whole battle.

In the New Blood Grand Final, Thor faced then-Robot Wars debutant Storm 2.

It immediately drove towards Storm 2, but missed with its hammer, before dodging a charge from the latter. The two competitors hesitated to attack each other for some time, with Storm 2’s speed resulting in Thor being unable to line up an effective attack. They drove past each other again, with Thor being briefly pushed back by Storm 2 before unsuccessfully attempting to hammer the latter. Storm 2 lifted Thor off the floor with a front-on ram, with Thor bumping into and being hammered by a waiting Mr. Psycho as it attempted to drive away. Thor survived, but again struggled to attack, and was eventually rammed into the wall by Storm 2. The impact triggered the pit release button and ruptured Thor’s pneumatics system, causing CO2 to leak as it swung its hammer and was pushed towards the pit. Thor backed away, its hammer unable to retract as a result of the damage sustained, before driving into and getting nudged aside by Storm 2 again. "Thor… is there a problem with the CO2 bottle for the hammer? There is – it’s leaking! The hammer is not working! Listen, you can see - or hear, I should say – the rush of escaping gas… out of the Thor bottle. The team’s bottle won’t have gone; the weaponry bottle has gone."

- Jonathan Pearce spots the leakage from Thor’s pneumatics system

After briefly catching Storm 2 with the hammer, it was eventually rammed into another wall by the latter, momentarily sitting on top of Storm 2 as a result. Thor drove away after being shaken off, before backing close to the pit. As it shuttled back and forth across the arena, Thor was collected by Storm 2, which gingerly attempted to push Thor into the open pit once more. With its rear end suspended over the pit, Thor drove forwards, and escaped once Storm 2 backed away. Again, it met Storm 2 head-on, and was rammed into the wall, before being lifted off the floor by Storm 2 twice more. The two competitors rammed each other twice more in the closing stages; Thor finished the battle by pushing Storm 2 back and into Sergeant Bash’s CPZ as the latter struggled for traction. The battle went to a Judges’ decision, which unanimously went in favour of Storm 2 despite Thor’s strong finish. With this, Thor was relegated to the Playoff, where it faced another Series 6 returnee in Cedric Slammer. It immediately drove into Cedric Slammer, but struggled to line up a hit with its hammer as Cedric Slammer lifted and pushed it into the wall in response. Thor missed several more hammer blows as it tried to outmanoeuvre and met Cedric Slammer head-on, before striking the latter’s top as the two robots bumped into each other once again. This attack appeared to hinder Cedric Slammer’s mobility, with Thor deflecting the latter away with another bump. As Cedric Slammer retreated towards an empty CPZ, Thor fully nudged it in, immediately before Growler slammed into both competitors. The House Robot’s attack immobilised Cedric Slammer, with Thor dodging Growler as he proceeded to grab and pit its defeated opponent. As a result, it finished third in the New Blood Championship – in the subsequent interview, Lee Cornish took off his Viking helmet to reveal his bald head, while Craig Charles proceeded to take and wear the helmet worn by Jason Marston. "Cedric Slammer – slammed into the pit! The victors: the hammer, of the mighty Thor!"

- Craig Charles announces Thor’s third-place finish in the New Blood Championship

Series 7
Thor made its main UK Championship return in the Seventh Wars, sporting a new design and hammer weapon. Competing in Heat D, it faced Series 6 Heat Finalist and Extreme 2 Tag Team Terror co-runner-up Hydra, Dutch Series 2 Heat Finalist Gravity and newcomer Hodaf the Bad in its first-round melee. Gravity and Hodaf the Bad's teams had agreed to target Thor and Hydra, making Thor the immediate target of Hodaf the Bad. In the opening seconds, Thor drove towards and hammered Hodaf the Bad’s front end, but struggled to line up a hit as the two competitors drove around each other and across the arena. All four robots converged, with Thor driving into Hydra and Gravity, but missing the former, before driving into and attempting to hit Hodaf the Bad again. It stood still, striking the top of Gravity as the Dutch machine pushed and threw Hydra into the air. Very little was seen of Thor after this in the televised broadcast, as the footage subsequently focused on Gravity throwing Hydra onto the wall and out of the arena. ‘Cease’ was called as a result of the wall being damaged by Gravity’s attacks.

However, in a moment which was edited out of the televised heat, Thor was subsequently thrown over Refbot by Gravity, causing Thor's hammer to become stuck in the Refbot, before ‘cease’ was called for a second time. The Judges ruled the battle up until the moment in which Hydra was thrown out of the arena, declaring that Thor would progress along with Gravity. Later on, Lee Cornish revealed to Jayne Middlemiss that one of Thor’s batteries ran flat during the battle, causing it to lose drive. "We had a battery go down inside, so we basically just jammed our way through! We lost drive, but we caught a robot with the hammer, caused damage so we got through luckily."

- Lee Cornish before Round 2

In the second round, Thor faced Extreme 2 Tag Team Terror competitor Lightning, with a replacement battery sourced from the Fluffy team. "Thor, with the hammer… have they got power, Jason and Lee, though?"

- Jonathan Pearce prior to Thor’s second-round battle

Immediately, it darted into the side of Lightning and tried to push it into an empty CPZ, only to veer itself in. Thor escaped to meet Lightning opposite the centre entry gate, hesitating before firing its hammer and being pushed into the gate by Lightning. It reversed and again missed Lightning with its hammer, throwing itself off the floor in the process. The two robots continued driving around and into each other, with Thor pursuing Lightning as the latter drove into and was attacked by Shunt. However, it inadvertently drove itself into Shunt, before weaving around and driving into the side of Lighting again; as before, it fired its hammer, but missed Lightning completely. "Thor missing… smoking a little bit."

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor vents CO2 following another unsuccessful hammer blow on Lightning

Eventually, Thor was shepherded into the wall and Sergeant Bash’s CPZ by Lightning, before being pushed beside the Flame Pit and into another CPZ by the latter. It survived a flip from Lightning before hitting the latter’s flipper as its hammer retracted, but received an axe blow from Shunt as the two competitors became stuck together. This allowed Thor to strike the top of Lightning twice as both House Robots attacked; after both competitors separated and escaped, Thor proceeded to hammer Lightning again, only for Lightning to push it up against Shunt’s scoop.

"…Thor looks the more impressive and the more aggressive, but I’m not too sure how many of those hammer blows are actually striking home against the Lightning team. That one grazed, that one did nothing…"

- Jonathan Pearce questions the accuracy of Thor’s hammer as the battle progresses

Thor drove over the pit just as it was activated by Lightning – seconds later, Lightning reversed over its wedge, causing the two robots to become stuck together once again. This allowed it to hammer and dent Lightning’s top armour several times; a depleted CO2 supply resulted in the hammer moving noticeably slower than before. Both competitors separated after Refbot nudged Thor backwards; Thor struggled to move away following this, allowing Lightning to push, scoop it up and throw it into the open pit. With this, Thor was eliminated from the Seventh Wars.

Series 8
"To win Robot Wars would be a bit of a dream come true, after all these years of building. It would be… it would be special, actually."

- Jason Marston during Thor’s Series 8 VT segment

Following Robot Wars’ revival in 2016, a brand-new version of Thor returned for Series 8, and was the first robot to be revealed as a competitor for the then-new series. Its teaser trailer showed Jason Marston – now its solitary team member – admiring the robot to the tune of Grover Washington Jr’s "Just the Two of Us", before cutting to clips of Thor engaging in battle with Shunt.

Competing in Heat 2, Thor faced Series 7 Semi-Finalist Tough as Nails, newcomer Shockwave and fellow original series competitor DisConstructor in its Group Battle, fitted with the anti-spinner plate. Thor's arena introduction showed the first example of Jason Marston "doing the Thor", a hammering hand gesture which he and other roboteers would perform before and after its battles throughout the reboot. Immediately, it pursued Tough as Nails, eventually driving around the Dutch machine’s side and attempting to strike it, but missing and throwing itself over with the axe. Thor self-righted to recover, before speeding across the arena and straight into Tough as Nails’ pincers, axing it repeatedly while in its grasp. It and Tough as Nails proceeded to push each other around, with Thor axing Tough as Nails several more times even as Shockwave got underneath, prised it from Tough as Nails’ grip and dragged it back on its top. "I don’t think the axe is having any great effect there, it’s - a couple of blows have gone in…"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor struggles to cause external damage to Tough as Nails Thor reversed off the top of Shockwave before the latter and Tough as Nails pushed each other around. It then resumed its duel with Tough as Nails, once again driving itself into Tough as Nails’ pincers and attempting to axe it while the two robots pushed each other back and forth. Shockwave proceeded to get underneath Thor and push both competitors into the wall, with Tough as Nails being propped against the polycarbonate screens. Thor struck the middle of Tough as Nails’ pincers in the process, before pushing it up the wall again and axing its body. It axed Tough as Nails several more times as Shockwave got underneath the latter; the attacks dislodged Tough as Nails’ removable link, immobilising it. Thor almost swerved into the pit while Shockwave pushed the lifeless Tough as Nails away, before it and Shockwave manoeuvred and pitted the defeated Dutch entry. It spun round and threw itself over with the axe in celebration, before ramming Shockwave at high speed just as ‘cease’ was called. Needless to say, both Thor and Shockwave progressed to the Head-to-Head stage, with the latter having pitted DisConstructor earlier on.

In the Head-to-Heads, Thor first faced M.R. Speed Squared, a full-body spinner from fellow original series competitors Team Forsey. Keeping the front plate it used for the Group Battle, it darted towards M.R. Speed Squared in the opening seconds, sliding into an empty CPZ in the process. Thor drove over the Floor Flipper and into M.R. Speed Squared’s spinner, deflecting it into the pit release button before pushing it around the centre of the arena. It continued to pursue M.R. Speed Squared as the latter drove over the Flame Pit, before ramming it into an entry gate and shepherding it towards Dead Metal. With M.R. Speed Squared caught in the House Robot’s pincers, Thor hit its spinning rim and top panel with its axe, momentarily attacking Dead Metal himself while doing so. It rammed M.R. Speed Squared into an entry gate shortly after the latter was released, then into a CPZ, but missed an axe blow as M.R. Speed Squared escaped. "…and look at the power of the drive. Thor has destroyed washing machines, microwaves, loads of household appliances – now destroying M.R. Speed Squared!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor rams and axes M.R. Speed Squared

Thor pushed M.R. Speed Squared into Dead Metal once again, cleaving a hole through its top armour a few seconds later. The two competitors separated, with Thor sustaining a hit to its right wheel pod from M.R. Speed Squared’s spinner before pushing it over the Floor Flipper. As it did so, Thor drove over and was thrown by the Flipper, its front plate catching the edge and leaving it stranded upside-down. It shook itself free and self-righted, before pursuing and pushing the inverted M.R. Speed Squared into Shunt’s CPZ. Shunt axed Thor, albeit without causing significant damage, with the two competitors quickly escaping and Thor pushing M.R. Speed Squared into an entry gate once again. Thor struck the exposed top of M.R. Speed Squared numerous times as it steered and pushed its opponent into a nearby CPZ. It almost drove itself into the open pit, but quickly backed away, as M.R. Speed Squared drove over the edge and toppled in itself while escaping. With this, Thor emerged victorious, securing a knockout victory and three points on the leaderboard. "That went quite well. The start was not as I planned. Missed him on the initial charge, so had to do a quick U-turn and come back after him. But, luckily enough, he hadn’t managed to get the disc up to speed, so… no harm done."

- Jason Marston

In the second Head-to-Head, Thor faced Shockwave, swapping its front plate for the smaller ground-hugging wedgelets in an attempt to negate the latter’s scoop weapon. "This promises to be a barnstormer!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor and Shockwave’s Head-to-Head commences

Straight away, the two competitors drove towards and past each other, with Thor ramming Shockwave head-on after the latter stopped in the centre of the arena. It pushed Shockwave into Dead Metal, but the Team Shock machine quickly escaped; Thor responded by pushing Shockwave towards the pit release button, opening the pit as Shockwave accidentally reversed into Dead Metal. As soon as Shockwave drove out of the CPZ and up its front, Thor pushed it back into Dead Metal, turning its opponent over onto the House Robot’s saw while simultaneously pushing and axing it twice. The two competitors separated, with Thor getting underneath and hacking one third of Shockwave’s HDPE scoop off as they met at the far side of the arena. Thor pushed Shockwave into an empty CPZ seconds later, steering it into the wall and axing it again. Pushing Shockwave away and reversing past the pit, it charged into Shockwave in the centre of the arena again, getting underneath and eventually pushing it into Matilda’s flywheel. Thor simultaneously axed Shockwave and Matilda, before again pushing Shockwave into Dead Metal and an entry gate. In doing so, it fired its axe several more times, removing another piece from Shockwave’s scoop as the two competitors pushed each other back, forth and towards Matilda’s CPZ. "And off comes another piece! Whatever [Team Shock]’ve put it on with… sticky-back plaster, it looks like to me - it wasn’t good enough! And Thor here… well on top!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor removes the second of Shockwave’s scoop segments

Thor bumped, pushed and chased Shockwave once again, eventually axing one of the latter’s wheels close to an entry gate. It slammed into the frame for Shockwave’s scoop, momentarily enabling Shockwave to push it around from the side, but spun round to break free. The two robots bumped and drove head-on into each other once more; Thor axed Shockwave twice more, bending the latter’s weapon frame, before pushing it into Matilda again. It axed another of Shockwave’s wheels as they met in the centre of the arena yet again, before chasing and ramming Shockwave against the Arena Tyre. Shockwave broke free, with Thor giving chase before knocking the last of Shockwave’s scoop segments off with a powerful slam. However, Shockwave simultaneously manoeuvred Thor into Matilda, resulting in her flywheel ripping a panel from the top of Thor’s left wheel pod. "For me, Thor the most impressive robot so far, but pushed… on there… to Matilda!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor sustains damage from Matilda

Damaged, Thor pushed Shockwave into Dead Metal one more time, with the two competitors weaving and driving each other around until ‘cease’ was called. Jason Marston and Team Shock congratulated each other as the Head-to-Head went to a Judges’ decision – the decision unanimously went in Thor’s favour, giving it two more points and overtaking Shockwave in the results table with a total of five. "As the Judges, we are looking at aggression, damage and control. And Thor’s hammer coming down, hammering [Shockwave] all the time, the aggression – using those criteria, we said Thor would win."

- Dr Lucy Rogers

With its place in the Heat Final comfortably secured, Thor fought Foxic in its final Head-to-Head. Although the latter had already been eliminated through having two consecutive losses, Craig Danby still expressed confidence that Foxic could defeat Thor by cutting its axe off with its raised scoop – a claim which was quickly challenged by Jason Marston. "Well, he hasn’t won anything since he’s been here yet, so I don’t think he’s going to start now."

- Jason Marston responds to Craig Danby’s boast

In the opening seconds, Thor slammed head-on into Foxic, before bumping and pushing it onto the Flame Pit. In turn, it was pushed into the pit release button by Foxic, with both competitors being simultaneously grabbed by Dead Metal. As the House Robot let go, Thor got underneath, pushed and chased Foxic around, momentarily sliding over the fringe of Matilda’s CPZ. Thor escaped, with the two competitors constantly bumping and pushing each other before Thor slammed its axe down on Foxic's top panel. It eventually pushed Foxic over the edge of the Flame Pit, with Foxic becoming immobilised as its removable link lay on the floor and Dead Metal grabbed hold of it with his pincers. Thor fired its axe at Foxic a few more times as Dead Metal attacked the fallen Team Danby machine over the Flame Pit, securing a second knockout victory and three more points to bring its overall tally to eight. "Craig was giving it large - trash-talking, trying to psyche me out and say he’s going to chop the axe off. Hasn’t got the ability to chop the axe off – I’m the only one that got the ability to chop the axe off! So, yeah, that meant nothing – straight over the top of my head!"

- Jason Marston following the Head-to-Head

With this, Thor finished first in the Head-to-Head league table, progressing to the Heat Final along with Shockwave. The two robots rammed each other within the opening seconds, with Thor almost being thrown onto its side upon driving into Shockwave’s wedge scoop. It was steered towards and pushed into the wall by Shockwave, the impact immobilising Thor’s drive system and leaving it vulnerable to another shove from the former. Thor sat in the empty CPZ, firing its axe as Shockwave pushed it towards the pit. It shook itself with the axe in an attempt to avoid being pitted, but was steered towards and balanced over the edge. Thor threw itself off the floor, allowing Shockwave to get underneath and push it fully into the pit.

With this, Thor lost the Heat Final, although its loss resulted in it being eligible for a wildcard and the sixth place in the Grand Final. Shortlisted along with fellow Heat Finalists Behemoth, Dantomkia, Storm 2 and Gabriel, it was given the wildcard by the Judges, effectively progressing to the Grand Final alongside Shockwave.

In its Grand Final Group Battle, Thor faced two more newcomers to the competition - drum spinner Pulsar and 2015 FRA UK Champion TR2. Jason Marston revealed to Angela Scanlon before the battle that he intended to fight Pulsar first, and maintained this strategy as Thor immediately drove towards the Team Ranglebots machine. Thor was pushed back by Pulsar almost immediately, but reversed and drove into the side of TR2, eventually driving up the latter’s flipper and spinning into Shunt’s CPZ. The top panel of its left wheel pod dangled loose as it spun round and sustained a blow from Shunt’s axe, and was completely ripped off by Pulsar as Thor escaped to re-join its opponents. Thor rammed into the back of TR2 before having both of its wedgelets ripped off by Pulsar – it missed an axe blow from Shunt, and proceeded to bump and steer TR2 towards an entry gate. Without its wedglets, Thor was unable to get underneath TR2; as a result, it continued to dodge TR2 as the latter tried to flip it. However, it drove into Shunt again seconds after TR2 flipped itself and self-righted, the House Robot’s axe hooking Thor’s own and holding it in place as TR2 threw Thor into him. Thor self-righted immediately, but was turned over by Shunt seconds later, only to self-right again and axe TR2’s flipper seconds after the latter pressed the pit release button. TR2 got underneath and threw Thor onto its axe head in response, although Thor landed upright and proceeded to axe Pulsar’s underside along with Shunt – seconds after TR2 threw Pulsar over. As it did so, it was thrown over the top of Pulsar by TR2, and was attacked by Shunt while trying to self-right. Thor axed Shunt’s scoop in the process, almost hitting the House Robot’s on-board camera, only to sustain two hits and to be dragged further into the CPZ by his axe. Thor escaped, and attempted to attack Shunt’s side in response, before it and TR2 attacked Pulsar together once more. As a partially-immobile Pulsar struggled to drive away from the entry gate, Thor and TR2 continued attacking each other, with Thor again striking TR2’s flipper before being flipped over against the wall. Thor self-righted, before driving past Shunt and axing Pulsar after it had been completely immobilised. It was flipped over once more by TR2 just as the klaxon sounded, but progressed to the Head-to-Head stage regardless along with the latter. In the Head-to-Head stage, Thor first faced Carbide, now equipped with a 10mm HARDOX ‘anti-Carbide’ plate and the spiked head; the latter with the intention of puncturing Carbide’s plastic top panel. The two competitors charged into each other immediately, with Thor being deflected towards and onto the Floor Flipper. It was thrown onto its back by the Flipper, but self-righted, only to sustain a side-on attack from Carbide as it lingered in the CPZ. A second attack resulted in Thor’s right wheel pod being torn open by Carbide; a pair of head-on collisions with Carbide’s bar resulted in its ‘anti-Carbide’ plate being ripped off and sent flying out of the arena. "Well, they put the buffer on, they have the pointed steel top – they are being absolutely savaged and the buffer didn’t last long!"

- Jonathan Pearce watches on as Carbide rips Thor’s front plate off

Undeterred, Thor lunged at Carbide again, but missed with its axe, and was almost thrown onto its side as Carbide tore a chunk out of its front wedge. Backing away from the Flame Pit, Thor attempted to dodge Carbide, only to sustain another hit and throw itself onto its back near the Flame Pit. It landed on top of Carbide as it self-righted, sustaining more damage to its wheels and armour before spinning round and being left immobilised. Carbide tore into Thor’s back panels while it was being counted out; Thor scored no points as a result of this destructive knockout loss. Upon examining his heavily-damaged machine in The Pits, Jason Marston expressed doubts about its capacity to continue in the Head-to-Heads. "The rear end has been completely taken out, the side pod here which holds the wheel and the drive system for the right-hand side, has been completely destroyed. The plate that I’ve put on the front to stop [Carbide] has been destroyed. The bump stop has been destroyed. That wheel in there has been destroyed. The new speed controller I fitted...that’s been destroyed as well. Pretty much no chance of getting it ready for the next two fights."

- Jason Marston assesses the damage done to Thor

However, with assistance from other roboteers, Thor was repaired in time for its next battle, against TR2. Equipped with the Mjölnir-style head and the wedgelets, it drove towards and up TR2’s flipper straight away, getting thrown onto its back as a result. Thor self-righted and backed away from Matilda, before being lifted off the floor by a side-on slam from TR2. It drove away from TR2, which chased Thor through an empty CPZ, but was eventually flipped by the Team Toon machine twice more – the second flip leaving Thor in a CPZ. Thor attempted to axe TR2 as the latter briefly threw itself onto its rear, but missed, and was flipped over twice more, its axe going through the gap between the wall and the nearby entry gate as it self-righted the second time. Seconds later, Thor was scooped up, pushed and thrown into Dead Metal by TR2, self-righting over the Flame Pit, only to be pushed and thrown across the arena a few more times before driving into Matilda. "And don’t forget that Jason earlier on said they’d been destroyed, destroyed, destroyed, destroyed and err – ooh – destroyed. But, they’ve come back to fight – but they’re fighting Matilda there! They hit Matilda, but got an absolute… tusk trip, and over they went!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor incurs Matilda’s wrath

It sustained more damage from Matilda’s flywheel before being thrown over by her tusks, but self-righted yet again and escaped to meet TR2 once more. Driving up TR2’s flipper, Thor dodged a flip before being pushed into the wall close to Matilda’s CPZ, where it was thrown onto its back again. Thor self-righted and hit one of the arena spikes as it drove away, only to be pushed and flipped against the wall by TR2 a few moments later. CO2 vented from Thor’s axe mechanism as it self-righted, with Thor striking the top of TR2’s flipper as it was pushed and thrown into an entry gate. It spun upside-down as its axe retracted and caught the gate, and sustained a side-on blow from Matilda’s flywheel seconds after re-righting itself once more. The hit damaged Thor’s right wheel pod, severely hampering its mobility as it was left unable to drive forwards. Thor shook itself using the axe, spinning around in circles before being flipped a few more times by TR2 and Matilda. "Poor old Thor! Thor’s hammer, to no avail, and heading for Thor’s Valhalla, the hall of the fallen heroes."

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor is simultaneously flipped by TR2 and Matilda

Left by the Floor Flipper, Thor attempted to self-right, but threw itself completely upside-down. The cold temperatures of the arena caused its axe mechanism to seize, resulting in CO2 leaking as the weapon initially failed to retract. Thor threw itself back upright seconds later, only to be bumped, pushed and flipped into Matilda as it failed to move again. Matilda threw Thor out of the arena, instantly eliminating it. Once again, Thor was left with no points and even more damage. "We spent a lot of time upside-down, which the pneumatic system doesn't like. When it's upside-down a lot, it starts to freeze up, the valve stops working and then you can see the gas being vented out."

- Jason Marston

Yet more repairs were carried out before Thor’s final Head-to-Head, against Apollo. Although it had already been eliminated beforehand, a potential victory would enable it to deny Apollo a place in the Grand Final; the latter having scored fewer points than TR2 by this stage. "Thor as we knew him died many fights ago. This… is now ‘Zombie Thor’."

- Dara Ó Briain introduces a battered and decidedly patchwork Thor

The two competitors drove into and away from each other in the opening moments, with Thor driving itself onto the Floor Flipper while avoiding Apollo. This threw it across the arena and onto its back; Thor struggled to self-right, allowing Apollo to push it back onto its wheels and throw it back towards the Flipper. Thor’s rear end detached as it fired its axe, severing its electronics and disabling the entire robot as it was thrown into the air by the Floor Flipper once more. Landing upside-down, Thor was counted out, having lost the use of its axe as a result of losing the rear end. Following this third knockout loss, it scored no points by the end of the Head-to-Head round, ultimately finishing Series 8 in fourth place; however, Thor’s defeat also prevented TR2 from reaching the final and improving on its own third-place finish. "Yeah, that fight didn’t go too well. Erm… the back end of the robot completely disintegrated and shot off. All the electronics are there, it died, but to come fourth in the competition of Robot Wars? Spot on!"

- Jason Marston as Thor finishes fourth overall in Series 8

Series 9
As a returning Grand Finalist, a new build of Thor competed in Series 9, appearing in Heat 3. In its Group Battle, it faced the returning Chimera2 as well as newcomers Concussion and Tauron. It used its new single-headed axe blade, and the steeper of its two wedges.

Immediately, Thor charged towards Tauron, chasing it through a CPZ before attempting to push it round from the side. Tauron’s spinning bar hit Thor's side, sending sparks flying, before Thor spun round and was briefly immobilised after getting squeezed between the wall and Tauron by a slam from Concussion. Thor fired its axe several times as Shunt approached, before suddenly kicking back into life and pushing the immobile Tauron aside. It proceeded to attack Chimera2, axing it a few times while pushing it into an empty CPZ, before briefly bumping into Concussion as the latter attacked Chimera2. After some time staying out of the action, Thor pushed both robots around inside the CPZ before forcefully separating them, with Chimera2 being left immobilised as a result. Thor slammed into Concussion, sustaining two hits from the latter's drum, but seemingly taking out half of Concussion's drive. Thor nudged Tauron again and hit the lip of the pit just as 'cease' was called. Both Thor and Concussion progressed to the Head-to-Head stage regardless.

Jason Marston explained afterwards that Thor's brief immobilisation was caused by cold temperatures affecting its batteries, and a loosened wire which was replaced in the pits. He also discovered that the force of Thor's axe was causing it to bend upon contact with the rear bump stop, leading to concerns about the axe sustaining fatigue and potentially breaking off. In the Head-to-Heads, Thor first faced Concussion. Both robots slammed into each other in the opening seconds, with Thor pressing the Arena Tyre and allowing Dead Metal to leave his CPZ as 'Rogue House Robot' mode was triggered. Thor was pushed into another CPZ by Concussion, which was promptly caught by Dead Metal, allowing Thor to escape. It hesitated to attack any further until Concussion left the CPZ, with both robots bumping and driving around each other a few times. CO2 vented from Thor as Concussion hit its side twice in rapid succession, before Thor drove away and launched Concussion over its front wedge as the two robots met again. "Oh, that's not smoke, that is CO2 venting!"

- Jonathan Pearce spots Thor’s gas leak after mistaking it for smoke

Thor drove into Concussion's drum several more times, and was buffeted away as Concussion was left unable to drive off the slightly lowered pit panel. Both robots became stuck on the pit as Thor charged in again, with Concussion briefly lifting Thor off the panel with its drum and shearing a small belt from underneath it. Eventually, Thor reversed away after firing its axe a few times, leaving Concussion stranded on the panel as it tried to activate the pit. However, Rogue House Robot was triggered again, with Thor axing Matilda as she rammed into – and got herself pinned on top of – Concussion. As it did so, Dead Metal came in to free Thor, allowing it to circle around the pit and back up for another charge on Concussion. As it drove towards Concussion, Thor was flipped over as Concussion's drum hit its left-hand wheel-guard. With its axe out of CO2 and leaving Thor unable to self-right, it lost the battle to Concussion and scored no points for this knock-out loss. "Stupid Jay."

- Jason Marston rues his driving error in the Head-to-Head against Concussion

Afterwards, Jason Marston expressed his frustration at having misjudged Thor's final charge, and later discovered that one of its wheels had also seized up. This required more repairs prior to its next battle against M.R. Speed Squared, a rematch of their Head-to-Head from Series 8. In the battle, Thor started by driving around, axing and pushing M.R. Speed Squared into the wall, the latter unable to get its spinning weapon up to speed due to damage sustained in previous battles. It dragged M.R. Speed Squared back as the latter got stranded on its wedge, before axing it again, freeing both robots and leaving M.R. Speed Squared immobile near the arena spikes. Thor hit M.R. Speed Squared a few more times before pushing it into Sir Killalot, and drove away before 'cease' was called. Thor scored its first three points through this knock-out victory, putting it joint-second on the leaderboard along with its next – and last – opponent, Heavy Metal. For this battle, Thor equipped its double-headed axe and flatter front wedge, and started by charging into Heavy Metal head-on, almost flipping it over. It pushed and axed Heavy Metal into and around a CPZ, the rubber treads for Heavy Metal's wheels coming off and scattering all over the arena floor as it did so. Thor skirted past the Flame Pit as it made another run at Heavy Metal, eventually slamming into it again. It was briefly pushed sideways by Heavy Metal, before driving away and nudging Heavy Metal as the latter lost traction and drive to one side. Thor capitalised on this by axing and pushing Heavy Metal into the wall, before catching the pit panel as it attempted to shove it across the arena. It recovered to push Heavy Metal over the arena spikes, where Heavy Metal was flipped over and was immobilised by contact with Matilda's flywheel. As Heavy Metal sat immobile, Thor pushed it into Matilda, before knocking its right-hand wheel off and pushing it into the arena tyre. Dead Metal came out to attack Thor, but Thor escaped to spin in victory as 'cease' was called, with Matilda later sending Heavy Metal's wheel flying across the arena with her flywheel. With three more points scored as a result, Thor finished the Head-to-Head round with six points, putting it second on the leaderboard along with Concussion. "Concussion's a drum spinner, and with the front end that I've got, I think I can go straight underneath it, and then it's just a case of bludgeoning him to death."

- Jason Marston

As the two highest-scoring robots in the Head-to-Head stage, Thor and Concussion faced each other for a third time in the Heat Final, with Thor reverting to the larger axe head and wedge used for their previous encounter. Thor began by slamming into Concussion, before driving away and being lifted up by Concussion's drum as the two robots clashed again. It struggled to get underneath Concussion as the two robots drove around and hit each other a few more times, before almost being flung onto its back after another blow from Concussion. Thor continued driving away from Concussion before slamming head-on into it again, before eventually withstanding a few more blows and dodging Concussion in an attempt to lure it into Dead Metal. As before, CO2 vented copiously from Thor's axe mechanism as it deflected more blows from Concussion and steered it into the Arena Tyre. This activated the pit, with Thor sustaining damage a few seconds later as Concussion hit its side. After spending more time dodging and deflecting Concussion, Thor was flipped over by Concussion, but self-righted immediately in spite of its gas leak. "...and he did have enough power to self-right! He was holding it back! Brilliant stuff from Jason!"

- Jonathan Pearce after Thor re-rights itself

Thor slammed into Concussion a few more times, the repeated attacks buckling its front wedge as it made contact with Concussion's drum. The two robots attempted to push each other along the floor, with Thor missing an axe blow on Concussion's tyres as they spun round together and separated. Thor's axe got stuck in the half-way position in the process, and Thor itself momentarily stopped moving as Concussion attempted to nudge it. However, Thor regained mobility seconds later, and survived to a Judges' decision as it pushed Concussion over the Flame Pit. "Good machine, very, very good machine. I was trying to get hold – it was like getting hold of a bar of soap, it was. I was trying to push them towards the House Robots or in the pit and I just couldn't do it."

- Jason Marston praises Concussion and explains Thor's difficulty in attacking it during the Heat Final

While the battle was closely-fought, Thor ultimately lost the decision - and the Heat Final - to Concussion. Its status as a Heat Finalist meant that it remained in contention for a wildcard place in the Grand Final, but this was ultimately awarded to the reigning champion Apollo, fully eliminating Thor.

Series 10
Thor returned in Heat 5 of Series 10, now sporting a revised front wedge. In its Group Battle, it fought Series 9 returnees Expulsion and Coyote, and immediately pursued Coyote as the latter pushed and knocked Expulsion off-balance. It dodged Dead Metal in the process, before chasing Coyote and almost getting stuck on the pit. Thor reversed, turned round and pressed the Arena Tyre, triggering ‘Rogue House Robot’ and continuing its pursuit at Coyote while being attacked by Dead Metal. This resulted in Thor momentarily driving itself up the wall, but it quickly escaped, eventually driving head-on into Coyote and striking the latter’s jaw with its axe. Again, Thor rammed Coyote, eventually chasing and pushing it onto the Flame Pit, where Expulsion and its minibot Detention sat immobile. It axed Coyote twice more, before chasing and pushing it across the arena again.

Thor landed one more axe blow, but was momentarily pinned against the wall and dragged around by Coyote. It used its axe to shake itself free, before driving through an empty CPZ and continuing to ram, chase and axe Coyote. Thor lured a speeding Coyote across the arena, the two robots slamming head-on into each other once again. Again, Thor scooped Coyote up and pushed it onto the Flame Pit, knocking Expulsion onto its side and getting pushed into the Arena Tyre by Coyote in return. Again, ‘Rogue House Robot’ was enabled, with both competitors dodging Dead Metal before attacking the House Robot together. Again, they slammed into each other, the impact breaking Coyote’s jaw and allowing Thor to again push it towards the Flame Pit. Thor clipped the Floor Flipper as it threw Coyote off-balance, but continued ramming and axing Coyote, hitting the latter’s now-disabled jaw and tearing off some of its pipework. "Oh, right in the neck!"

- Angela Scanlon as Thor axes Coyote’s clamping jaw

It slammed Coyote into the wall and over the arena spikes in the closing seconds, with the battle going to a Judges’ decision. The decision went unanimously in Thor’s favour. "…we had seen you kind of sit on your laurels a little bit last series, but the aggression that we recognised in [Series 8] was back with a vengeance!"

- Angela Scanlon discusses Thor’s Group Battle performance with Jason Marston

The Heat Semi-Finals saw Thor and Coyote fight each other for the second time, with Jason Marston confident about his chances of repeating its Group Battle performance. "So, er, yeah, Coyote next, and they’re feverishly working away, repairing damage, still, from the first fight, I think, that they took from Thor. So, I’m just going to make Coyote ugly."

- Jason Marston

In the opening moments, the two competitors drove towards and dodged each other numerous times, before Thor slammed into Coyote, axed its scoop and pushed it over the spark jets and pit. Thor axed Coyote’s top panel as it manoeuvred the latter away from Matilda, before pursuing, axing and pushing Coyote against the wall. After momentarily driving up the wall itself, Thor retreated to the centre of the arena, only to slam into Coyote again and inflict several more axe blows on its opponent. In doing so, it manoeuvred Coyote towards Dead Metal, only to get caught in her pincers and allow Coyote to press the Arena Tyre. ‘Rogue House Robot’ was enabled again; Thor quickly reversed away from Dead Metal, only to get thrown by the Floor Flipper as it spun round. After self-righting, it drove at high speed across the arena just as Matilda reversed towards and clipped its side with her flywheel; the impact ruptured Thor’s pneumatics system and sent it skidding into an entry gate. "Thor, a little bit of naivety onto the flipper! Matilda is closing in, as well – watch out, Thor! OH, THOR! His weapon taken out by Matilda!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Matilda ruptures Thor’s pneumatics system

With CO2 leaking and its axe disabled, Thor drove into Coyote a few more times, manoeuvring it into the CPZs and knocking parts of its pipework off. It momentarily pushed Coyote into Matilda’s tusks, then near the Floor Flipper, with neither competitor getting a purchase on each other until Thor pushed and pinned Coyote against an entry gate. Thor once again pushed Coyote towards the arena spikes, then towards Dead Metal’s CPZ, and continued to push and bump its opponent around until ‘cease’ was called. As before, the battle went to a Judges’ decision, which unanimously went in Thor’s favour; Sethu Vijayakumar particularly noted Thor’s earlier usage of its axe as a factor in his verdict.

In the Heat Final, Thor faced Magnetar, the successor to Series 8 Grand Finalist Pulsar. For this battle, Jason Marston added several steel ropes to the front of the robot, with the intention of snagging Magnetar’s drum and snapping the latter’s weapon belt.

At the start, Thor drove towards and pursued Magnetar, but hesitated as the latter drove through an empty CPZ. It was soon thrown over by a powerful charge from Magnetar, but self-righted quickly, only for Magnetar to slip underneath, launch Thor into the air again and carry it forwards. Thor slipped off Magnetar’s top, before repeatedly axing the Team Ranglebots machine while pushing it into an entry gate. Magnetar pushed Thor away in response; seconds later, Thor drove itself over the Floor Flipper, which threw it over close to the Flame Pit.

It self-righted once again, but had one of its ropes partially torn off by Magnetar’s drum, and sustained damage to its left wheel pod by a rear-on slam from Magnetar. Thor drove away, but was thrown into a somersault as Magnetar clipped its front wedge. It sustained another hit to its wedge, and was thrown by the Floor Flipper again – this time landing on Magnetar’s drum. The impact sent Thor rolling onto its back and ruptured its pneumatics system, the robot engulfed in leaking CO2 and left unable to self-right. "No... man! Oh that was... dammit!"

- Jason Marston as Thor is knocked out by Magnetar

‘Cease’ was called, with Jason Marston congratulating the Ware family on their victory. Thor had lost the Heat Final, although its defeat resulted in it later qualifying for the 10 Robot Rumble, for a chance to be reinstated as the sixth Grand Finalist. There, it faced the flippers Apollo, Eruption and Iron-Awe 6, fellow axe Terrorhurtz, drum spinners Sabretooth and Concussion, newcomer Track-tion, and veteran Big Nipper, also fighting Expulsion for the second time in the series. After losing to Concussion twice in Series 9, Jason Marston was keen to achieve vengeance over the drum spinner, and placed a large Concussion sticker on his robot as a sign of which robot it planned to target. "It'll just look like a complete warzone."

- Jason Marston

In the opening seconds, Thor immediately drove into Iron-Awe 6 and axed Sir Killalot; it backed away, but seemingly unable to retract its axe as it pushed Big Nipper and Expulsion aside. Thor sustained a side-on hit from Sabretooth which sent it skidding into an empty CPZ, and backed into the Arena Tyre, activating the pit and nearly causing Concussion to pit itself. Still unable to get its axe working, it weaved its way around the arena as most of its opponents attacked each other, before pushing Track-tion into the pit with assistance from Terrorhurtz. Thor dodged Sabretooth, driving behind Sir Killalot and into Iron-Awe 6 as the latter was thrown across the arena by Apollo. It rammed Iron-Awe 6 head-on close to the pit, before being pushed from the side by Concussion in return and pushing Terrorhurtz into a CPZ. Driving away from the CPZ and around the pit, Thor met, was pursued by and thrown into the wall by Apollo, but landed on its wheels and escaped. It narrowly avoided driving into the pit itself as it collided head-on with Concussion, before pushing the orange drum spinner around and driving into Eruption. Thor avoided a flip as Eruption threw itself over and was attacked by Big Nipper, before driving into Shunt and getting scooped up by Iron-Awe 6. Iron-Awe 6 pushed Thor before pressing the Arena Tyre, allowing Thor to escape and briefly push Eruption from the rear as ‘Fog of War’ was activated again. It was almost flipped over by a charge from Iron-Awe 6, but survived once again, ramming Eruption’s side and causing its own axe to partially retract. Thor pushed Terrorhurtz into the wall and Sir Killalot, before clamping Concussion’s drum with the axe and pushing it into the wall. After breaking free, it bumped into Terrorhurtz and pushed Concussion over the edge of the pit, causing the latter to slide in and avenging its Series 9 losses. Thor drove away to meet Sir Killalot on the other side on the arena, before reversing and momentarily getting underneath Apollo. It proceeded to push Big Nipper into Sir Killalot, before being pursued by the former as it bumped into Sabretooth, Eruption and the inverted Terrorhurtz. Thor pushed Terrorhurtz around, whose axe lifted it off the floor as it self-righted. It continued to pursue Terrorhurtz before driving around and into the side of it; as ‘Rogue House Robot’ mode was enabled again, Thor dodged Shunt as the latter axed, rammed and turned Apollo over against the wall. Big Nipper rammed into the rear of Thor before Thor drove away, and slammed into the Arena Tyre again, triggering ‘Rogue House Robot’ yet again. Thor proceeded to push Big Nipper towards the pit; however, its left wheel dropped over the edge, causing Thor to slide in itself, much to Jason Marston’s amusement. "Oh, and it’s late on for Thor, as well! It’s all come to an end – he’s down the pit!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Thor pits itself

With this, Thor lost the 10 Robot Rumble, and was eliminated from the main competition of Series 10 entirely.

In addition to its main series appearance, Thor also represented the United Kingdom during Robot Wars: World Series. Competing in Episode 2, it was paired with former long-term rival Concussion for its Tag Team battle, which saw the UK pair fight United States representative Cathadh and Canadian machine Terror Turtle. For this battle, Thor was fitted with the bladed axe head and a pair of hoop-like extensions at the front, each containing steel cables intended to snag Cathadh’s bar spinner. "In my opinion, the UK robots are the best in the world. They’re the best in the world because of raw power and good old British engineering."

- Jason Marston in Robot Wars: World Series

As Concussion and Terror Turtle started first, Thor remained out of the action in the opening moments, only joining in after Concussion flipped Terror Turtle over and tagged it. With Cathadh also leaving its corner, Thor drove towards and into the Team Toad-controlled machine, getting underneath, axing and deflecting Cathadh away while withstanding blows from its spinner. These attacks were sufficient to dislodge Cathadh’s weapon belt, with Thor proceeding to bump into it while attempting to land another axe blow. At this point, Concussion left its corner and flipped Cathadh over with a violent slam, leaving it inverted and with limited mobility. With the Rest of the World team seemingly defeated, Thor bumped and pushed the immobile Terror Turtle onto the Flame Pit, before proceeding to turn round and briefly push Shunt aside. After nudging underneath Cathadh again, Thor attempted to attack Shunt again, this time getting lifted and pushed back by the House Robot’s scoop. It self-righted mid-shove, before manoeuvring around the arena until the klaxon sounded.

Although both of the Rest of the World robots had become immobilised, Concussion’s attack on Cathadh was considered illegal by Dara Ó Briain, Angela Scanlon, and Michael Mauldin of Team Toad. As a result, Michael Oates agreed to forfeit Team UK’s victory, with three points being awarded to the Rest of the World team instead.

In the Head-to-Head stage, Thor was initially planned to fight Dutch representative THE BASH. However, the latter was forced to withdraw due to damage sustained in its own Tag Team battle, and was substituted with Team KODOX’s former UK and Dutch Series competitor Tough as Nails. With the battle essentially becoming a rematch of their Series 8 Group Battle, Jason Marston remained cautiously optimistic about Thor's chances of victory when interviewed by Angela Scanlon.

Upon ‘Activate’, Thor turned and reversed onto the Flame Pit, setting fire to the fur wrapped around its axe head. Speeding away, it turned round sharply before meeting Tough as Nails near Matilda’s CPZ and driving in between its pincers. Thor simultaneously axed and pushed Tough as Nails into an empty CPZ, throwing the piece of burning fur off its axe in the process. It was pushed back by Tough as Nails, but turned round and broke free from the Dutch machine’s grip as the latter triggered the ‘Fog of War’. The two competitors met once again in the centre of the arena, with Thor pushing and axing Tough as Nails back once again as the latter tried to grasp it with its pincers. It proceeded to push Tough as Nails into Matilda, who flipped Tough as Nails against the wall. Thor pursued the escaping Tough as Nails, getting underneath and attempting to axe it several more times, but without causing any lasting damage and while momentarily clipping Tough as Nails’ pincers. Both robots continued to dodge each other for some time before Thor got underneath and hit one of Tough as Nails’ pincers. Thor proceeded to drive head-on into and exchange axe blows with Shunt as its opponent activated ‘Rogue House Robot’, before scooping Tough as Nails up as the House Robot turned on both competitors. It was quickly turned over by Shunt’s scoop, but self-righted using the axe and reversed away. Thor instantly resumed its attacks on Tough as Nails, constantly ramming into, pushing and axing the Team KODOX’s machine’s pincers. It dodged a lunge from Tough as Nails as the two robots veered into an empty CPZ, only to be grabbed by the latter as they met in the centre of the arena again. Thor swung its axe, but again without causing damage to Tough as Nails’ pincers, before driving Tough as Nails around and finally breaking free from its grasp. Again, it lured the Dutch entry across the arena, before pushing it into and alongside an entry gate while axing it twice more. Thor landed a few more axe blows on Tough as Nails before time ran out, with the battle going to a Judges’ decision. The decision ruled in favour of Thor and Team UK, scoring two points which contributed towards their overall victory in the second episode of the World Series.

Results

 * }

Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 18
 * Losses: 11

NOTE: Thor and Concussion's battle with Cathadh and Terror Turtle is listed as a win.

Series Record
NOTE: Jason Marston also competed in Battle of the Stars as the mentor of Robo Savage

Outside Robot Wars
For much of Robot Wars '  hiatus, Team Thor captain Jason Marston teamed up with Shane Swan from Team S.Tek to form Team Bud, who competed in various robot combat events across the country. Their robots included an extensively modified version of Thor and Swan's Envy, a front-hinged flipper with a design largely resembling that of Firestorm. Team Bud disbanded in 2013, with Marston continuing to own, rebuild and enter Thor into later events under his own team. Thor made its live events debut in 2004 in its Series 7 guise; it reached the Semi-Finals of the Enginuity Robot Crusade event at Ironbridge, but lost in the qualifier stages at the 2004 UK Winter Tour. After a three-year absence from competition, a brand-new version - still painted red - returned for the 2007 UK Championships; although Thor lost both of its fights to Kan-Opener and Das Gepäck by being pitted, it would finish second in the Annihilator.

Thor returned to the 2008 UK Championships with a new black colour scheme, but lost to Dantomkia; it also competed in that year's Winter Tour, only to lose to Terrorhurtz in the first round. In the year-long 2009 UK Championships, it reached the finals at Wigan after winning the Barnsley leg, where it fought And His Army and Terrorhurtz in the first round. There, Thor had a smashing contest with Terrorhurtz, which it lost due to losing drive on one side. Thor also reached the finals of the 2010 UK Championships, despite losing its first battle to Merlin after damaging its own weapon following a rebuild and being left unable to self-right.

In 2011, Thor earned considerably more success at live events, notably finishing fourth at the UK Championships held in the O2 Arena, winning the Robots: Extreme Wars Live! event in Portsmouth and reaching the finals of the Maidstone event. In September that year, it also appeared alongside Ripper in the BBC One game show Epic Win, which challenged them to break two of four items in a caravan and then break out of it. The two robots started well, destroyed all four items, but after Thor got its axe stuck in the cupboard, the team were forced to give up.

Thor remains a consistent and recurring competitor on the live events circuit, having undergone numerous rebuilds and competed in various events held by Robots Live! and Roaming Robots. At the first Extreme Robots event in Manchester - held by the latter - Thor had an opportunity to repeatedly batter the immobile Donald Thump with its axe, but was later defeated by Eruption, and had to leave the event early due to damage sustained.

In September 2017 at Extreme Robots Colchester, Thor sported a new body shape, with its wheels moved further to the centre of the robot as with the Series 8 version. However, it had an unsuccessful event, losing various battles to Eruption, also losing to TR3, Cyclone, and a tag team match to ThunderChild and Weird mAlice while partnered with Behemoth. During one of the former battles with Eruption, Thor's axe experienced the metal fatigue that Jason Marston alluded towards in Series 9, and snapped in half during battle. In Gloucester, it immobilised TR3 to win a battle which also contained Beast.

In October 2017, Thor made its most recent UK appearance at the Robots Live! event in Stevenage, where it fought numerous whiteboard battles and competed in the Tag Team competition. Partnered with Gabriel in the latter, it immobilised Iron-Awe 6 with its axe to win a split judges' decision and progress to the final, despite getting thrown out of the arena by Iron-Awe 7. In January 2018, Thor competed at an event hosted by Mechatrons in Dublin. In its first battle, it defeated Dozer, but then became immobile in a battle with Iron-Awe 6. Thor later defeated ThunderChild, but then lost to Iron-Awe 7 on a Judges' decision after its axe became bent. It fought Iron-Awe 6 with no axe head and lost, before also losing to Iron-Awe 5, having fought with a novelty axe head. In the second day of competition, Thor used a new axe head which proved more durable, but Thor still lost its competition battles to Iron-Awe 6 and Iron-Awe 5, respectively. At the Extreme Robots event in Portsmouth during May 2018, Thor fought BattleBots competitor Parallax and lost. Thor also competed at the Extreme Robots event held in Colchester (September 2018), and Maidstone (October 2018), where in the latter it smashed open the polycarbonate of Ill-Tempered Mutt.

In the Chinese TV show Clash Bots, Jason Marston collaborated with Tim Rackley to build AU Thumper, a golden robot armed with a steep wedge and an electrically powered axe with square blade, capitalising on Marston's speciality. In its first battle, it fought Spicy Newt, an invertible drum spinner from America, and consistently resisted the spinning weapon to control the pace of the battle. In the second round, it fought the Chinese vertical spinner Toxic Fangs, and lost its hammer head after a direct blow from the spinner, but overturned Toxic Fangs with a direct ram, and battered the underside of its opponent with the headless axe for the remainder of the match. AU Thumper comfortably won the Judges' decision, and also earned the confidence of presenter Angelababy, who chose AU Thumper to represent her in a three-way battle aside from the main competition. There, AU Thumper fought the Indian Eggbeater and the Chinese Brain Storm, where a strong blow from Eggbeater threw AU Thumper over, and it lost the ability to self-right. AU Thumper lost, billowing smoke, while Brain Storm won the battle. AU Thumper also collaborated with Egg Beast alongside Atomic Bomb to destroy a structure while avoiding House Robot-like machines, Crocodile and Dominator. Although the axe of AU Thumper did not work, Egg Beater lost the use of its weapon, and Atomic Bomb also broke down, AU Thumper still destroyed the structure and earned a victory. AU Thumper then fought Fire Kylin in the main competition, and repeatedly axed it for the opening minute of the battle, but suddenly lost its axe from the fatigue of its repeated strikes. Regardless, AU Thumper had done enough to win the Judges' decision, and AU Thumper defeated a fellow electric axe, Battle Ax, on another Judges' decision after overturning it twice and stranding it on the Grinder. On a team with the Brazilian Dark Wolf, AU Thumper challenged Sparta and Smasher, driven by John Findlay and Peter Redmond. After Dark Wolf immobilised Sparta, AU Thumper buried its axe into the wheel housing of Smasher and did not let go, dragging it around the arena. This allowed the vertical spinner of Dark Wolf to strike the back of Smasher and set its lithium polymer batteries ablaze, awarding a knockout win to AU Thumper and Dark Wolf. It also fought in a three-on-three battle with the objective of destroying the opposing team's tower, and after buffeting Dark Wolf over, AU Thumper successfully disabled the tower, winning the battle. AU Thumper fought Dark Wolf again in a three-way melee which also contained Soul Reaper, and was initially thrown over by the Brazilian vertical spinner of Dark Wolf, but won the battle after Dark Wolf was flipped over by the arena saws, awarding AU Thumper more points in the Judges' decision than Soul Reaper, advancing AU Thumper to the top four. Prior to the Top 4, AU Thumper was required to face Soul Reaper again to see if the latter could claim the final place in the Top 4, but AU Thumper comfortably won the battle by knockout. Under the same circumstances, both robots fought again, and AU Thumper won even more quickly, pinning Soul Reaper on the arena hazards. In the semi-final, AU Thumper fought Toxic Fangs and landed various hits that were edited out of the televised broadcast, but it was ultimately immobilised and eliminated by the vertical spinners. However, AU Thumper was able to claim third place in Clash Bots after defeating Spicy Newt once again in the third place playoff, pinning the weaponless machine on the arena grinder. In addition to third place in the tournament, Jason Marston was presented with the Best Driver Award.

"Delivering 24 Karat Pain!"

- AU Thumper - Combat Robot Facebook page

Robot Wars Live Events
Thor was one of numerous competitors to regularly participate in the Robot Wars Live Events, run by John Findlay. Throughout the events' run, it fought in several friendly and competitive fights, with a good amount of success. Thor took part in its first event in Barnsley in February 2013, where it reached the final of the competition, which it lost to Maelstrom after getting its hammer stuck in the arena wall. In June that year, it would win the Guildford event outright, while also proceeding to reach the Semi-Finals at Widnes and the Quarter-Finals of the Robot Wars Championships.

Thor found great success at the Robot Wars World Championships in 2015. It qualified through Round 1 alongside Tiberius, after Tanto was thrown out of the arena by Iron-Awe 5, which lost the Judges' decision due to damage inflicted by Thor and Tiberius. Thor then won its second-round qualifier when TR2 could not self-right from a flip, while Thor won its second Judges' decision by hammering Eruption. In the quarter-finals, Thor immobilised Nuts with repeated blows before pitting it; it won its Semi-Final through a third Judges' decision, after a close fight with Gabriel. Thor eventually finished runner-up in the World Championships, after it was thrown out of the arena by Toxic 2 in the Grand Final.

Following the damage caused by Carbide, the Series 8 version of Thor was scrapped, and a new version was built for Series 9 and live events held around that series' filming dates. This version made its Live Event debut at the Colchester 2016 event, but its performance there was affected by reliability problems caused by a lack of testing. These issues would be fixed in time for a very successful run at Maidstone 2016, the last Robot Wars Live Event to be held before the events' rebranding to Extreme Robots.

Trivia

 * When Robot Wars returned in 2016, Thor was the first competitor to be officially revealed for the rebooted Series 8.
 * Thor was the fastest robot in Series 8, at 30mph.
 * Thor's recent success has inspired many more hammer-wielding robots to be built, such as Asgard, a featherweight which greatly resembles Thor, built by Team Asgard.
 * Thor was the first robot in the rebooted series to have gone undefeated in the Head-to-Head league table.
 * Subsequently though, Thor became the first, and so far only, robot to win the Head-to-Heads outright but fail to win the Heat Final.
 * However, Thor also owns the dubious honour of losing the most fights in Series 8, with four.
 * Thor is also the first Grand Finalist to have reached the UK Grand Final despite having lost its heat, having been awarded the Series 8 wildcard.
 * Jason Marston was also the only one-man team in Series 8.
 * Both times Thor reached a podium position in Robot Wars, it featured in Heat B (New Blood Championship and Series 8)
 * As of Series 10, Thor is the only robot so far to have found itself in a wildcard position 3 times.
 * Thor is also the only grand finalist of the rebooted series never to have won its heat.
 * Thor was one of eight competitors from Series 6 to enter the Extreme 2 New Blood Championship, alongside Doctor Fist, Mr Nasty, Revolution 2, Cedric Slammer, ICU, Edge Hog and Roobarb.