Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Heat A

Heat A of Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars was the first of sixteen heats which determined the semi-finalists of Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars. The episode featuring Heat A was originally broadcast on September 22, 2000 on BBC Two.


 * Heat A of Series 4 was the first time that two seeded machines were placed in a heat, the only returning machines from the heat.
 * Heat A brought forward the restructured heats, with two three-way eliminators, rather than four one-on-one matches. As a result, Heat A featured the first occasion of a robot defeating two robots in one match.
 * Heat A featured the second Out of the Arena flip, by Chaos 2 against Indefatigable.
 * Heat A also featured the first time that a robot fought another twice in one heat (Chaos 2 against Atomic).

Chaos 2 (1) vs Indefatigable vs Atomic
Chaos 2 instantly charged at Atomic, but missed before getting around the side of the yellow machine and firing the flipper despite not being underneath. Chaos 2 then rammed Indefatigable before charging at Atomic again and flipping it onto its side, but Atomic righted. Chaos 2 then flipped Indefatigable onto its side, before flipping Atomic, who seemed to have broken down, forwards against the arena wall twice and then over. Meanwhile Indefatigable was being torched by Sergeant Bash as Matilda moved in on Atomic. Chaos 2 charged in on Indefatigable and righted it but then flipped it out of the arena before cease was called.

Qualified: Chaos 2 and Atomic

King B3 (17) vs Attila the Drum vs Medusa 2000
King B3 slammed into Medusa 2000 and pushed it a bit as Attila the Drum started spinning. Medusa then drove underneath King B3, but it just bounced over. King B spun round and drove up to Attila the Drum and stopped before attacking Medusa again. King B3 then moved in on Attila the Drum and pushed it into Sergeant Bash's CPZ, who set the furry side of the wheels on fire but Attila escaped. The three robots stayed away from each other for the remaining ten seconds and the battle went to the judges who went for Medusa 2000 and King B3. Qualified: King B3 and Medusa 2000

Chaos 2 (1) vs Medusa 2000
Chaos 2 drove straight into Medusa 2000 and tried, but failed to flip it. Medusa tried to dodge Chaos 2, but George Francis caught up and threw its opponent over. Chaos 2 then drove below Medusa and raced towards the arena wall and tried to throw it out, but flipped to late and Medusa instead bounced along the arena wall. Medusa drove up onto Chaos 2's flipper and was turned onto its side, but Chaos 2 righted it, flipped it back over and flipped it onto the arena wall, but it managed to stay in. Medusa backed into Sergeant Bash's CPZ, who crumpled one of Medusa's tyres. Shunt then joined in, axing it a few times before Chaos 2 pushed it onto the flipper, which threw it a small distance. The house robots then came back in and Sergeant Bash used it's pincer to crumple another tyre, which fell off. Sir Killalot picked Medusa 2000 up and pushed it into the pit.

Winner: Chaos 2

King B3 (17) vs Atomic
King B3 started off dodging Atomic, before slamming into its flipper. Both of them pushed each other for a bit before Atomic tried to flip King B, but only lifted it. King B rammed Atomic again and again Atomic failed to flip it. King B then got behind Atomic and pushed it into the arena wall. King B went over Atomic and ran away, only to turn around and be flipped. Atomic then tried to flip King B again, but missed completely and hit the arena wall, which ripped off the flipping blade. Atomic made several charges at King B, but nothing came of it until after the third charge, when smoke started coming out of King B and it lost its right drives. Sir Killalot then picked up King B and carried it over and dropped it into the pit of oblivion.

Winner: Atomic

Chaos 2 (1) vs Atomic
Chaos 2 threw Atomic over and then righted it before throwing it back over and righting it again. Chaos 2 then threw it against the arena wall and made several failed attempts to throw it out. Eventually, Chaos 2 righted Atomic, who didn't move and Chaos 2 failed to throw its opponent out again, before flipping it onto Sir Killalot's claw and then over its head. Killalot then turned on Atomic, crumpling the chassis. Killalot dragged the beaten machine onto the floor flipper, which threw it and Chaos 2 turned it onto its side. Chaos 2 made another charge at Atomic, but failed to flip it and cease was called. Heat Winner: Chaos 2

Trials
During the Fourth Wars, alongside the main competition, a Pinball Warrior and Sumo Basho Competition were also held. Unlike the similar competitions of the Third Wars, these trials featured successful qualifiers for Series 4. In between the first and second rounds of each heat, a Pinball run took place, and two sumo attempts took place in between Round 2 and the Heat Final in each of the first eight heats. For Heat A, the Pinball featured 101 and the Sumo featured Spawn of Scutter and Firstorm 2.

Pinball Warrior - 101
Score: 125 points

Sumo Basho

 * Spawn of Scutter - 8.03 seconds
 * Firestorm - 4.21 seconds