Shredder

Shredder was an invertible two-wheel driven robot that competed in the fifth through seventh series of Robot Wars. It could travel at 10 mph initially and was "built like a brick", according to Jonathan Pearce in Series 7. It featured twin 10 kg counter-rotating mild steel discs, spinning at up to 2500RPM (1500RPM on Shredder Evolution) and capable of cutting through 4mm mild steel and car doors and providing better maneuverability for the robot. The discs would spin inward, hoping to snare parts of robots and pull them in towards the discs for more punishment and also had different cutting heights. However, the robot had exposed tyres, a 2 cm ground clearance and was quite flammable.

Shredder fell into the pit by mistake against Mousetrap in its first appearance, but made the Heat Final in Series 6, despite losing one of its discs in a first-round clash with S3. The robot was named Shredder Evolution for Series 7, losing in the first round. However, it did win the 'Battle of the Spinners' special event.

Whilst the speed was originally 10 mph in Series 5, it rose to 12 mph in Series 6, and then to 25 mph in Series 7. "Oh look, look at the speed of it!"

- Jonathan Pearce in Series 7

The Shredder team also competed in Robot Wars with Manic Mutant in Series 3, with less success.

A successor to Shredder Evolution, Shredder REVolutionS was planned, which would feature four spinning discs. The team had been working towards this for four years prior to Series 7. It is unknown if Shredder REVolutionS was finished.

"When we started the build, some four years ago for Shredder and two years ago for Shredder Evolution, I don't think any of us realised quite how much skill we'd need to solve the design, mechanical and electrical problems."

- Team Shredder

Series 5
"We have an...out of this world battle here!"

- Jonathan Pearce

Shredder participated in Heat C of the Fifth Wars, and was placed up against the 20th seeds Mousetrap 2 in the first round of the heat. In the battle, Shredder's discs were whacked by Mousetrap 2's guillotine in the first event of the battle, but it returned the favour by grinding into the side of its foe. Shredder pursued Mousetrap 2, eventually catching up to it and narrowly avoiding a blow from its guillotine. Shredder then began attacking the side of Mousetrap 2, causing little damage however but rammed Mousetrap 2 into the pit release button. Just as Shredder began to turn the tide of the battle, it accidently drove into the pit, eliminating it from the competition. "Shredder are shredded!"

- Craig Charles

Series 6
Shredder came back for Series 6 facing Armadrillo, Roobarb and seventh seed S3 in the first round. Shredder looked in a bit of trouble at the start of the fight when it had one of its discs ripped off by S3 and took a bit of damage from it but managed to win the judges' decision at the end of the fight, along with S3, after Roobarb broke down and Armadrillo was believed to be "playing dead."

The Heat Semi-Final saw it being drawn up against The Alien. The two avoided each other at the start, getting each other on the flame pit and giving each other bashes. The Alien was pushed into Shunt but escaped and both Shredder and The Alien continued dancing near the flame pit. After The Alien pressed the pit release button, Shredder was pushed into the CPZ where both robots were attacked by Shunt but then both managed to escape. After more pushing and shoving between the two of them, Shredder pushed The Alien into the CPZ with Shunt again and The Alien this time took more axe-blows from Shunt than Shredder did. The fight went to the judges and Shredder was awarded the win and a place in the Heat Final against seventh seed S3.

"Shredder is a bit more maneuvarble, but I don't think it has the power of S3. So it's a really interesting match for us, it's a good test case of the different types of disc."

- Noel Sharkey's before the HEat Final

The fight started with both robots using their weapons on each other but Shredder was hit harder by S3 than S3 was hit by their weaponry. Shredder then proceeded to shove S3 into the Floor Spinner-release button, Shredder then started taking more hits from S3 buckling its disc and having bits of metal getting ripped off (one of which ended up caught in the ceiling) but Shredder continued to fight on. Shredder then spun round in circles and was flipped over by S3 and despite having the ability to run either-way up, didn't run afterwards. Refbot then counted Shredder out. Shredder then managed to run again but it was too late to save it from being defeated and was pressurised into the pit, eliminated from the Sixth Wars.

Series 7
Shredder Evolution came back into the Seventh Wars, into the "Heat of Doom", as named by the Willoughbys of The Steel Avenger. It managed to dodge having to fight Supernova and Storm 2, and was placed against relative newcomers Trax and Sub-Version 1.1, alongside The Steel Avenger. It started nervously in its first battle, being shoved into a CPZ. It caused some damage to the front of Sub-Version 1.1 before being caught by The Steel Avenger's axe on the tires. The exposed tires proved to be its downfall as although it showed quick-thinking, The Steel Avenger guided it onto the flame pit and kept it there for much of the battle. Shredder Evolution put up some resistance throughout, and caused more damage to Sub-Version 1.1, before The Steel Avenger caught it again with the deadly axe. It escaped again before hitting Steel Avenger with its discs. Cease was called, with three robots still mobile after Sub-Version was pitted at the last second. The damage caused by Steel Avenger to Shredder Evolution ultimately caused it to be eliminated on a judges' decision.

Shredder Evolution also competed in the Battle of the Spinners (also known as Spin City), against Barber-Ous 2'n a Bit and Infernal Contraption. Shredder attacked Infernal Contraption, sending it flying into the arena wall, before exchanging blows with Barber-Ous. Shredder Evolution hit the pit release button, and met the other two competing robots in a CPZ. Mr. Psycho came out to attack Barber-Ous, and Barber-Ous was pushed into the pit whilst trying to escape the House Robot. Shredder's attacks on Infernal Contraption had taken their toll- it now had impaired mobility since one of its wheels had been damaged. It wasn't long before it was counted out and pitted by Mr. Psycho, leaving Shredder Evolution as the winner of the Battle of the Spinners.

Results

 * }


 * }

Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 3
 * Losses: 3

Series Record

 * Series 1-2: Did not enter
 * Series 3: Entered with Manic Mutant
 * Series 4: Did not enter
 * Series 5: Heat, Round 1
 * Series 6: Heat Final
 * Series 7: Heat, Round 1

Outside Robot Wars
A black, weaponless Shredder also entered in Techno Games under the name Shred. Team captain Paul Hunt described the colour scheme as making the robot "hard to see". Shred competed in the Assault Course, but lost in the first round to Technomoth.

Trivia

 * Shredder once attended a live event, where it was responsible for a "No Spinning Weapons Rule" at the event, after it attacked Judge Mech and shards of armour went flying. The event organisers were asked for this rule by Team Tornado.
 * When introducing Shredder in Series 6, Jonathan Pearce incorrectly claimed "This has beaten good machines like Mousetrap in the past." Not only did Shredder lose to Mousetrap, but at that point the machine and the team had yet to win a battle.