Cunning Plan

Cunning Plan was a featherweight wedge-shaped robot with an aluminium and steel shell that exclusively fought in Series 1 of Robot Wars. Cunning Plan's tactics revolved around using its wedge to rush towards its opponents in the hope that they would run up it and flip over, winning its heat in this manner. Cunning Plan was sponsored by the University of Reading and displayed the university shield on the top of the robot.

At just under 12kg in weight, it was the lightest robot ever to reach the Grand Final of any Robot Wars series, which cost it in its Grand Final battle.

The name Cunning Plan possibly comes from the BBC television series Blackadder in which the character Baldrick would often declare that he has a "cunning plan".

In Series 2 and 3, Oliver Steeples, along with Ben Steeples, fought with Griffon, with less success than that of Cunning Plan. Griffon was also entered for the Fourth Wars, but it failed to qualify.

Series 1
Cunning Plan started off by taking the maze route in the Gauntlet. Due to its size it managed to get through it quite quickly. Matilda tried to stop it from reaching the end zone, but actually helped Cunning Plan on. After a brief hold up on the arena spikes Cunning Plan completed the course and almost drove through the arena railings at the same time. Next was the Trial stage, which was Stock Car. Cunning Plan got off to a good start, but around the first corner crashed into SAT'arn and Demolisher. However it got away, but it soon fell behind the much faster Demolisher, who completed two laps, but then flipped itself over. Cunning Plan then managed to complete two laps without much trouble and then it tried to right Demolisher, but it eventually went over the line to come first. For its first arena battle it faced Bugs. After a hesitant start Cunning Plan managed to get under Bugs. Bugs seemed to have some control difficulties and it drove onto a grille and became immobilised. Cunning Plan's next battle was the quickest battle in Series 1; Cunning Plan started slowly with Demolisher reversing away, but Cunning Plan suddenly charged at its small opponent and Demolisher was instantly flipped onto its back and immobilised.

As overwhelming underdogs, Cunning Plan entered the Grand Final, going up against Team Cassius' Recyclopse, Roadblock from the Bodmin Community College, Team Chaos' Chaos, the invertible T.R.A.C.I.E. and Team Cold Fusion's Bodyhammer. Cunning Plan's lightness was an immediate weakness, as Bodyhammer shoved it aside easily in the opening moments of the battle. Cunning Plan fought back gallantly, but T.R.A.C.I.E. then suddenly drove up Cunning Plan's wedge. Due to T.R.A.C.I.E.'s weight, Cunning Plan couldn't reverse away, but neither could T.R.A.C.I.E. as it was beached. Both robots were immobilised, and declared out of the running, and thus ended Cunning Plan's title hopes.

Results

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Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 2
 * Losses: 1

Trivia

 * Cunning Plan is one of 23 robots to have completed The Gauntlet, and one of only 3 featherweights to do so (alongside Demolisher and SAT'arn).
 * Cunning Plan is the one of the few robot without a weapon to reach a Grand Final, or indeed, win a battle. The other weaponless robots to make the Grand Final are Dutch competitors Tyke and Robot the Bruce, which coincidentally fought in the same Grand Final as Cunning Plan.
 * Cunning Plan never had a judge's decision during its career.
 * Cunning Plan's burst of speed to finish the Gauntlet almost caused it to go Out of the Arena and making it the first robot to do so.
 * Cunning Plan broke the record for the shortest battle in its Heat Final battle against Demolisher at 14 seconds. This remained as the shortest battle until Cerberus defeated Cunning Plan's successor Griffon within 10 seconds in the Third Wars.

Similarities with Recyclopse
Several connections have been made between Cunning Plan and Recyclopse.
 * Both robots reached the Grand Final of the First Wars.
 * Both robots had a win/loss record of 2/1 during their only appearance, and completed the Gauntlet.
 * Both robots held the Shortest Battle Record at some point in the First Wars.
 * Both robots' performance in Series 1 was poorly reflected in the seeding of Series 2.
 * Both robots were retired and replaced with a powerful flipping/lifting robot that fought in Series 2 and 3 before the team did not return for the Fourth Wars televised show onwards.

Series Record

 * Series 1: Grand Final
 * Series 2-3: Entered with Griffon
 * Series 4: Failed to qualify with Griffon
 * Series 5-7: Did not enter