Killerhurtz

"It kills. It hurts. Get used to it."

- Slogan on the team's shirts for Series 4.

Killerhurtz (written as Killer Hurtz in Series 2) was a competitor robot on Robot Wars. A major pioneer of the spiked axe weapon, Killerhurtz fought in the main competitions of Series 2-4, along with a number of side competitions including The First World Championship where it represented the Czech Republic (due to team member Dominic Parkinson being half-Czech).

Despite its powerful weapon, innovative design, and international pedigree on BattleBots, Killerhurtz had a very low success rate in Robot Wars. It lost all of its one-on-one battles in the UK Championship, including a memorable self-pitting in The Third Wars which became a major point of humour for Jonathan Pearce and Julia Reed. It was far more successful in trials, coming a close third in the Pinball Warrior Tournament in Series 4 and performing strongly in the Skittles Trial in Series 2.

Design
"KillerHurtz is an unusual robot in nearly all design areas: all-plastic chassis, combined differential and pivot steering, computer controlled ESCs, and a pneumatic actuated overhead axe weapon with a chain drive."

- Aaron Joerger

Killerhurtz's featured an arrowhead-shaped body, upon which a battering ram or plough could be affixed for damage output or control on a high speed charge. It was armoured in polycarbonate with a plastic chassis and featured a powerful axe. Killerhurtz was also unique for using car steering instead of tank steering - meaning that the back wheels were powered, whilst the front wheels simply steered. "...which means they've got more precise driving at their target, but once they're in them, the manoeuvrability is worse, so they can't get out of trouble so easily."

- Julia Reed on Killerhurtz's car steering

The first version of Killerhurtz, debuting in Series 2, weighed 77kg and featured a top speed of 15 miles per hour. It ran on two Bosch motors and the axe (which was a bladed axe with a woodsplitter-style head) weighed seven pounds and was powered by chain drive. "The main features on this polycarbonate-protected speed machine; its top lick of 15mph, and its pneumatic 7 poun custom-made steel axe generating 800 kilos of force. Two 24 volt electric motors drive the rear wheels, this is highly thought of down in the Pits, Craig."

- Jonathan Pearce introduces Killerhurtz in Series 2

The axe could generate 800kg of force upon impact. Killerhurtz was powerful - able to demolish the Skittles Trial and cause Dead Metal damage on impact, but had trouble with recoil and its drive, breaking down in both the Trial and in its arena semi-final with Roadblock.

For Series 3, Killerhurtz received a slight redesign, with the most notable difference being the modifications to the axe. The axe swung from a greater distance in order to help the robot self-right, while the bladed axe head was replaced with a set of interchangeable ones, including a custom titanium spiked head which was used in all of Killerhurtz's appearances during this series.

The axe's power was more than sufficient to pierce Cerberus and Chaos 2. It gained six kilograms in weight, which actually placed it over the limit. During the First World Championship, Killerhurtz also had the phrase "Maś Čhlupatÿ Pupîćek" written in red along the side - translating to ""you have a hairy tummy button" in Czech. It took 5 months and £2000 to build. "Look at this object of beauty and destruction. A bird's head, but it's evil."

- Philippa Forrester on Killerhurtz's axe in Series 3

Killerhurtz's original moped wheels were replaced with go-kart wheels for Series 4 to improve traction, while the spiked axe received more modifications including a head made out of hardened steel for improved strength. It reduced its weight to 80kg and had a 4mm ground clearance. The axe weighed 4kg, and was powered by a 100mm, 150psi pneumatic ram which generated 800kg+ of force. The ram was fed from a CO2 fire extinguisher holding either nitrogen at 1000psi or liquefied CO2. The robot had two 1000 Watt, 24 Volt Bosch motors, each driving a rear wheel through a custom built gearbox. The chassis and armour were both made of polycarbonate, and the robot was powered by two Hawker Genesis 13Ah sealed lead-acid batteries, each giving 24Volts.

Qualification
Despite only being finished less than a day before its Series 2 audition on 19th July 1998, Killerhurtz performed well enough to qualify for Series 2. "Only turned a wheel for the first time at 3am. Four hours sleep then off to the rehearsal. Hadn't really driven it until I got there. Worked perfectly out of the box. Left lots of nice black lines on the concrete from the wheelspin! And we're 4kg under-weight with everything onboard, including all armour."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

Killerhurtz attended the Series 3 auditions on the 31st May 1999, and again performed well enough to qualify. "Went very well - KHz performed faultlesly, which is more than can be said for my driving!"

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

Having been seeded for Series 4, Killerhurtz automatically qualified and did not need to go through the qualifiers.

Series 2
"Powerful and quick with John Reid, Dominic Parkinson and Rebecca Reaston-Brown"

- Jonathan Pearce at the start of Killerhurtz's Gauntlet run

Killerhurtz made its Robot Wars début in the Second Wars. Killerhurtz used its formidable speed to its advantage, shooting past the Sentinel in the Gauntlet stage of the heat. It rammed into Dead Metal, dislodging a rear panel as Dead Metal grabbed it, and partially crossed into the end zone before being forced back. "Did they cross the line! Come on judges, I'm sure they were through! Dead Metal pushed them back, and Dead Metal hurt - they're in the pit, look at the damage they caused! But did they do enough? This is controversial!"

- Jonathan Pearce

Caught between Dead Metal and the Sentinel, Killerhurtz was eventually forced into the Pit. Craig Charles and Jonathan Pearce thought that Killerhurtz may have reached the end zone, but ultimately the judges decided it had not sufficiently crossed the end.

10.6 metres was enough to surpass R.O.C.S. and secure Killerhurtz's second round place. "Got blocked by the digger on our first run. Got past the second time and hit Dead Metal head on at full speed. Almost got under it, but the axe counterweight was sticking out the front and got in the way. Nosed into the end zone, briefly, but one of our rear wheels collapsed where I had forgotton to put in a row of bolts! As a result we were pushed back into range of the digger and were swept into the second pit. Couldn't really see what was going on from the control box. Finished fourth."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

This put Killerhurtz through to the Trial stage, which for this heat was Skittles. There, Killerhurtz used its speed to smash into the barrels, with the House Robots barely having a chance to reach it. "Killerhurtz, the Formula One of our robots, oh look at that power and pace!"

- Jonathan Pearce

Killerhurtz ploughed through the Skittles, turning around the triangle and knocking over 64 barrels. "I think they're going to get them all down!"

- Jonathan Pearce

However, the robot's speed controller suddenly malfunctioned and it became stuck in reverse. Leaving the triangle zone, Killerhurtz crashed into the side wall where the House Robots Killalot, Bash and Dead Metal closed in, pinning it against the wall. Despite the late setback, Killerhurtz had knocked down almost every barrel and progressed to the arena in first place. "Got the axe finished and had time for one quick test before going on. Unfortunately I stupidly had the axe trigger foot switch in my pocket when I bent down to switch KHz on and it fired! Fortunately the safety pin held, but the ram pushed the lever out of its bearings, so Rebecca didn't get to play with it. Got the top score of 61 (out of 100) barrels in about 10 seconds, then got stuck in reverse and was promptly assaulted by three house robots. Fortunately KillaLot just missed our axe shaft with his pincers. No significant damage."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

In the Heat Semi-Final, Killerhurtz was placed up against the reigning champions Roadblock. Despite an aggressive first charge, Killerhurtz was scooped up by Roadblock and carried to the PPZ where it seemed to break down. The axe fired, but Killerhurtz could not escape. Roadblock reversed into it, cutting into Killerhurtz with the saw and pushing it to Shunt, who axed it, and Roadblock pushed Killerhurtz into the wall. With Killerhurtz immobile, the House Robots surrounded it, and Dead Metal grabbed it and pulled it to the pit before dropping it in.

Killerhurtz was eliminated from Series 2. "The impact, however, sheared a pin in both the gearboxes - too small (1/8"), too hard, too close to the shaft and not enough of them! We were immobilised, so Dominic vented our frustration on the barriers with the axe. Should look good on TV, as it was only about a foot from one of the cameras. RoadBlock then backed into us with their circular saw, cut through the back panel and cut a neat little slot in the casing of one of the motors. Still works fine, but a close shave!"

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

Killerhurtz later fought Griffon, Corporal Punishment and Bodyhammer in the Internet Insurrection, a Grudge Match held at the end of Series 2 to determine which team had the best website. "Should be good, looking forward to it, should be fun."

- John Reid before the battle

In the battle, most of the aggressive actions from the competitors were being brought out on the house robots, as Griffon quickly flipped over Sergeant Bash. However, Killerhurtz had broken down at the start of the battle, so became stuck on the side wall. The axe was still working, and it managed to break Matilda's chainsaw chain, but it was still immobile, and Shunt used its scoop to pick it up and drag it back to the top of the arena, before using the scoop to push it forward and flip it over. "...The House Robots have seen the Killerhurtz team celebrating the demise of Bash and they want revenge!"

- Jonathan Pearce

The first competitor robot to fall, Shunt pushed Killerhurtz onto the flame pit. "Unfortunately we got stuck in reverse again before the start so weren't much use, though Dominic managed to get Matilda's chainsaw chain with the Axe. Got pushed over the flaming pit, which had me panicking a bit. Fortunately the heat melted an air hose and the blast of Nitrogen at 150psi blew the flames out, so didn't get too toasted."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

Killerhurtz was also nominated for the 'Best Engineered' award in Series 2, but lost out to The Mule.

Series 3
"Heat 14 saw the early demise of the kamikaze Killerhurtz. A veteran of Robot Wars claimed they didn't see the pit. A likely story."

- Jonathan Pearce during the Grand Final recap

In the Third Wars, Killerhurtz fought Cerberus in its first round battle. Killerhurtz started by moving towards its opponent, before waiting and allowing Cerberus to charge at them. As it did, Killerhurtz fired the axe, but it merely glanced off the head and Cerberus continued pushing. As Cerberus pushed Killerhurtz up the arena, Killerhurtz fired the axe again, but the axe failed to puncture. Killerhurtz backed off for another charge, and Cerberus turned away. Killerhurtz charged at Cerberus and fired the axe. This time, the axe punctured the top of Cerberus. "In the pits afterwards we saw how close we had come to defeating them. The spike had gone right into their ally radio box, and knocked it off its mountings, but in a section that was empty. They were lucky!"

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

The two drove around each other, trying to get in a good position, but then Killerhurtz drove away from Cerberus, turned, and drove straight into the open pit.

The reason for doing this was later given as being that the plan was to turn and attack Cerberus again, the team had forgotten that the pit was there, having come back from BattleBots, which did not use a pit in the arena. "One of our front tyres had been ripped off (I had made them too narrow) and I was having real problems steering. I went on a circuit of the arena to get back to face them head-on, and drove across what I thought was a black panel on the floor, when KHz suddenly disappeared! I immediately realised with horror that of course it wasn't a black floor panel, but the dreaded pit! So that was us knocked out of Series 3."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

As well as the main tournament in Series 3, Killerhurtz also entered the Pinball Warrior side competition. Killerhurtz had a very slow start, only moving away from the starting area after ten seconds, when Sir Killalot was closing in. "Par for the course would be to take on the barrels. Par for the course would be ... to take on anything. To move!"

- Jonathan Pearce as Killerhurtz failed to start

It ploughed through the barrels, then bumped into Sergeant Bash, bouncing off him and slammed into the multi-ball release. It rammed the arena wall, then backed away, nudged the bricks and jerkily moved to the car doors, opening it, but then getting briefly caught in the frame. "Spinnning away, Killerhurtz here, madly, as if control is a bit of a problem."

- Jonathan Pearce after Killerhurtz reversed away from the wall

After moving towards Shunt's target, it ran into him, and was then pushed against a side wall. Shunt whacked it with his axe twice, then let it free. Killerhurtz was almost caught by Dead Metal as it reversed, then ran into Shunt again, who pushed it away. Cease was called shortly after, Killerhurtz had only scored 60 points, and finished joint 8th out of 10 overall on the leaderboard. "...and that's a very dissapointing run, for Killerhurtz."

- Jonathan Pearce at the end of Killerhurtz's run

Killerhurtz also entered the First World Championship, representing the Czech Republic, as team member Dominic Parkinson was half-Czech. "Killerhurtz, with Dominic Parkinson on the right and his rather tenuous links with the Czech Republic. In the interests of international relations though, he's flying that flag, with his hairy tummy button."

- Jonathan Pearce

It was drawn against recently crowned UK champions Chaos 2 in the first round. Killerhurtz did not move at the start of the battle and Chaos 2 attempted to take advantage as it got its flipper under its side, but Killerhurtz suddenly sped away before Chaos 2 could flip. Killerhurtz turned back and charged at Chaos 2, but its axe blow narrowly missed. "Ooh, that hammer looks very, very punishing."

- Jonathan Pearce

The two robots then reversed side by side, before Killerhurtz spun around on the spot. Killerhurtz drove at Chaos 2's side and fired its, but missed again. Chaos 2 got under Killerhurtz for a moment, but Killerhurtz reversed, before both robots span around each other for a short period. "This is very, very active, here, at the moment."

- Jonathan Pearce

Chaos 2 then drove into the rear of Killerhurtz, before both robots met side by side again, with Killerhurtz missing another axe blow as it reversed away. As Killerhurtz moved away from near Sergeant Bash's CPZ, Chaos 2 found itself caught on a set of arena spikes. Chaos 2 reversed away, with Killerhurtz missing another axe blow. Choas 2 then drifted near Shunt's CPZ, before reversing again, and slamming into the arena wall. "And now, Chaos 2 is between Shunt and Killerhurtz, and again, has to get out of the way of those two mighty axes."

- Jonathan Pearce

Killerhurtz axed into Chaos 2's flipper, holding them there to allow Shunt to carry out further damage. Noticeably, one of Shunt's attacks appeared to pierce Chaos 2's gas bottle, evident from a sudden burst of gas flying from the back of the robot. "The match was immediately halted, and we thought we might have won it, but they then realised that it had only temporarily released some gas, so we carried on."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

However, this did not seem to take any power from the flipper, as demonstrated when Killerhurtz drove away and around in order to prepare another attack, Chaos 2 was finally able to escape the CPZ, get underneath the Czech competitor, and throw it over against Shunt and the arena wall. "Killerhurtz is flipped up on its side! This is amazing stuff! Great stuff!"

- Jonathan Pearce as the battle takes another turn

Normally Killerhurtz had self-righting capabilities, but the chain had broken on its axe when withdrawing it from Chaos 2, causing it to be stuck in the "fired" position. As a result, Killerhurtz was left unable to self-right and cease was called, sending Chaos 2 through to Round 2. "The spike was rather well embedded in Chaos and in the struggle to release it, the axe chain tensioner gave up and the chain slipped, rendering the axe useless. Chaos then managed to flip us and we couldn't self-right without the axe."

- John Reid on the Killerhurtz website

Series 4
Despite its disappointing performances in the UK series, Killerhurtz was seeded 16th for the Fourth Wars. In its first round battle, it faced Eric and newcomers Destruct-A-Bubble. Twice Eric's speed and three times Destruct-A-Bubble, Killerhurtz was able to outpace both opponents. At the start of the battle, Killerhurtz rammed into Eric's side before ramming into Destruct-A-Bubble. Dodging the spike of Destruct-A-Bubble, Killerhurtz reversed into Eric, before driving away for another charge. As Eric attempted to lift Destruct-A-Bubble, Killerhurtz charged into Eric again and after reversing for another charge, drove over its top. Killerhurtz charged into Destruct-A-Bubble, but did not use the axe, and Eric lifted Killerhurtz up but not over. Killerhurtz drove around Destruct-A-Bubble before driving down the arena for another charge. As Eric tried to get under Destruct-A-Bubble, Killerhurtz slammed into the rear of Destruct-A-Bubble, pushing the two robots towards Shunt's CPZ. Killerhurtz reversed for another charge, slamming into Destruct-A-Bubble and chasing after it as it tried to get away, pushing it into the arena wall. However, whilst Killerhurtz was pinning Destruct-A-Bubble against the arena wall, Eric took advantage and lifted the vulnerable Killerhurtz again, nearly toppling it. "Here comes Eric with a little shunt! Ooh, Killerhurtz - well it rocked and it rolled and it came back down."

- Jonathan Pearce

Killerhurtz forced Destruct-A-Bubble against a spike on the arena wall again before piercing Eric with its axe. The axe was stuck in Eric, and Killerhurtz used this to pull and push Eric, as Destruct-A-Bubble tried using its spike on each of them in turn, doing no damage. Eventually, Shunt came out to help separate Killerhurtz and Eric, and after being pushed, Killerhurtz retracted its axe. Killerhurtz continued to cause damage with its axe, this time penetrating Destruct-A-Bubble's carbon fibre shell. "And the bubble is punctured by Killerhurtz!"

- Jonathan Pearce

It started pushing Destruct-A-Bubble back, but Eric got under its side and lifted it, so Killerhurtz withdrew its axe. Destruct-A-Bubble forced Killerhurtz against the arena wall while Eric lifted Killerhurtz again. Killerhurtz got another axe blow in on Destruct-A-Bubble before time ran out. The judges unanimously voted Destruct-A-Bubble out, putting Eric and Killerhurtz through. "Killerhurtz certainly was aggressive, and Eric too, and quite often they combined in a pincer attack, you could call that a double against the Bubble."

- Jonathan Pearce whilst reviewing the highlights.

This put it through to the second round of the Heat, where they went up against Team Ivanhoe's new machine Splinter. Splinter immediately turned away as Killerhurtz charged at it, driving up the arena and turning to face Killerhurtz as it closed in. Splinter caught Killerhurtz side and on grabbed it with the arms, moving it around the arena for a short period. Killerhurtz escaped, but Splinter was in hot pursuit and once again was able to grab hold of Killerhurtz. "...Killerhurtz just the quicker of the two, but can't get any momentum to come in on a drive to get the axe working. And at the moment, it's Splinter doing all the work, here."

- Jonathan Pearce

Splinter drove Killerhurtz around the arena, before Killerhurtz wriggled free and then slammed into the front of Splinter, damaging the front slightly. Killerhurtz then drove straight into Shunt and was axed. It escaped, but was now stuck in forward drive, which saw it drive across the arena and into the arena wall. "Killerhurtz slammed against the arena wall! Are they dead? Are they immobilised?"

- Jonathan Pearce

Killerhurtz began to vent smoke from its tyres wearing down, so Sir Killalot came in and picked up Killerhurtz. Killerhurtz came loose from the grip of the House Robot, but could only drive into the arena wall inside of the CPZ. Sir Killalot picked Killerhurtz up again - this time by the axe - and spun it around in circles. After it landed, Killerhurtz drove at Sergeant Bash, and proceeded to attack its flamethrower, before charging into the bottom arena wall, bouncing away and into Refbot. However, it had technically been immobile too long, so Splinter was given the win.

Killerhurtz participated in the Pinball Warrior Tournament for this series as well, where it did much better than in Series 3. It was the last robot to run the course. Killerhurtz first drove at Sergeant Bash's target, but Sergeant Bash blocke it, so Killerhurtz quickly turned away, knocking over both sets of barrels, before driving at Matilda's target. It managed to get past Matilda and hit the target, but was caught by Sir Killalot, and became trapped between Matilda and Sir Killalot. Killerhurtz managed to escape and hit Dead Metal's target. Dead Metal grabbed it and turned it away, before letting it go, and Killerhurtz quickly hit the multiball release and drove at Sergeant Bash. Bash blocked it, but then reversed, however Killerhurtz seemed to stop. As Sir Killalot closed in, Killerhurtz hit the target. Sir Killalot blocked its escape at first, but Killerhurtz escaped and drove to the other side of the arena, charging at Matilda. Matilda pushed it, flipped it away, and Sir Killalot came in, holding it in the claw as time ran out. "It's been a marvellous, brave, battling run here by Killerhurtz"

- Jonathan Pearce towards the end of Killerhurtz's run

Killerhurtz had scored an impressive 235 points, which placed it third out of sixteen overall on the leaderboard. "I think they are are going to go close, very close. ... How close? Not close enough! 20 points off the leaders!"

- Jonathan Pearce reviewing the run, then seeing Killerhurtz's score

Killerhurtz also participated in the Northern Annihilator which took place during the Christmas season of the Fourth Wars. Killerhurtz went up against Stinger, Dominator 2, Spikasaurus, the reigning champions Chaos 2 and Suicidal Tendencies.

Killerhurtz started by attacking the robot closest to it, Spikasaurus, driving at it and firing the axe, but Spikasaurus dodged. Meanwhile, Chaos 2 charged at Killerhurtz, but missed and crashed into the wall. All six robots met near the top CPZ, with Spikasaurus driving out of danger. Chaos 2 reversed, intending to attack Killerhurtz, but reversed into Dominator 2, and Killerhurtz escaped. Killerhurtz caught up with Spikasaurus on the other side of the arena and axed it, then pushed it up the arena as it tried to get away. Spikasaurus turned to face Killerhurtz, Killerhurtz fired the axe, but Spikasaurus drove away so Killerhurtz missed. Dominator 2 and Chaos 2 closed in, and Killerhurtz quickly fled down the arena. It chased after Spikasaurus, catching up with it as it fought Suicidal Tendencies and axed its front again. This time, Killerhurtz held the axe in Spikasaurus, and prevented it from escaping until Chaos 2 came in and flipped the two. Killerhurtz quickly withdrew the axe and reversed away. Spikasaurus went after it, and Killerhurtz gave it another axe blow. Again, it kept the axe in Spikasaurus and pushed it. Chaos 2 flipped Spikasaurus, but this time Killerhurtz did not pull the axe back. "Spikasaurus in major trouble. It seems to me that Killerhurtz is holding on"

- Jonathan Pearce

Spikasaurus tried to get away, but Killerhurtz still kept the axe in, which meant Spikasaurus was pulling Killerhurtz around. Spikasaurus pulled Killerhurtz around in circles, but Killerhurtz would not let go, until it was pulled into Dominator 2. Killerhurtz was pulled up and over the wedge of Dominator 2, causing it to be flipped over. Dominator 2 got in position to attack, but before it could use the axe, Spikasaurus reversed into it and Killerhurtz, knocking the two back and causing Dominator 2 to miss its axe strike. Killerhurtz attempted to self-right, but Dominator 2's axe, despite missing the body, hit the axe, so Killerhurtz's attempt to right itself failed. Spikasaurus rammed into it, pushing it against Dominator 2 and Suicidal Tendencies. Dominator 2 moved away, Suicidal Tendencies briefly reversed against Killerhurtz. but drove away as Spikasaurus charged at Killerhurtz. As Spikasaurus rammed Killerhurtz, Killerhurtz finally righted itself. "Axe to axe, metal to metal, bash and crash! Smash! What is happening out there? The hopes and dreams about to be scuppered of one in the annihilator!"

- Jonathan Pearce comments on the frantic action

Killerhurtz was attacking Spikasaurus, and Dominator 2 went in and tried to axe Killerhurtz, but missed. Chaos 2 got under Killerhurtz and flipped it up. Killerhurtz did not go over, but landed on Chaos 2's flipper. "They think Killerhurtz is the vulnerable machine."

- Jonathan Pearce on Chaos 2

Chaos 2 flipped it again, but Killerhurtz went over its top, landing on its wheels. Killerhurtz sped away as Dominator 2 came in. Chaos 2 drove into the wall trying to avoid Dominator 2's axe, and Dominator 2 axed it and pushed it into an empty CPZ. Chaos 2 reversed out, straight into Killerhurtz, which had driven back. Killerhurtz missed its axe blow, and Chaos 2 pushed it back in reverse. Dominator 2 axed Chaos 2, and Chaos 2 attacked Dominator 2 instead of Killerhurtz, flipping it back to the arena wall. Killerhurtz appeared to stop briefly, but soon started moving, attacking Chaos 2 as Dominator 2 moved away, pinning it against the wall. Chaos 2 avoided Killerhurtz's axe blow, and turned around, getting the flipper under Killerhurtz and flipping it over. Chaos 2 retreated as Suicidal Tendencies closed in, but Suicidal Tendencies did not attack Killerhurtz, turning away, allowing Killerhurtz to self-right. However, its first atttempt failed, leaving it on its back. "...so far, for me, Killerhurtz has been the most punished robot. It's in the CPZ, it's stuck in there."

- Jonathan Pearce

It tried to self-right again, but merely bounced off the wall, still on its back. Chaos 2 had come in, flicking it against the wall, then ramming it against the wall as it tried to right itself again. Chaos 2 cornered Killerhurtz as it tried to self-right again, getting its flipper under it, but the flipper appeared to have lost power, as it only slightly lifted. Killerhurtz righted itself, but was stuck up on the wall. Chaos 2 flipped it lightly, which freed it from the wall. "Was it immobilised for 30 seconds or more?"

- Jonathan Pearce

However, its axe was hanging over the side, trapping it until it swung the axe. Killerhurtz stopped for a moment, but soon moved away, driving to the top of the arena, away from the others, before turning around and charging at Stinger. Stinger bounced away, and Killerhurtz drove at the front of Chaos 2, pushing it back to the arena wall, with the help of Dominator 2. Killerhurtz pinned Chaos 2 againt the wall and axed it a couple of times, puncturing the flipper, but was axed by Dominator. Killerhurtz kept its axe in Chaos 2's flipper, and Dominator 2 axed Chaos 2 as well. Stinger hit Chaos 2 as all six robots came into the bottom corner. However, Killerhurtz and Chaos 2 both seemed to not be moving, and Sergeant Bash and Shunt came in, with Shunt axing Killerhurtz. Killerhurtz started moving again, pushing Chaos 2 into Domiator 2 as it axed Spikasaurus in the CPZ. "Killerhurtz, I thought they were out, but they're back and really in the thick of it."

- Jonathan Pearce

Sergeant Bash tried to pinch Killerhurtz, and Dominator 2 missed an axe blow on it. Chaos 2 managed to weakly open the flipper, which loosened the axe's grip, whilst Dominator 2 axed its rear panel, ripping it off. Shunt came in behind Killerhurtz and axed it. Chaos 2 limply fired the flipper again, and Shunt and Sergeant Bash pushed Killerhurtz from behind, separating the two. Chaos 2 was on top of Killerhurtz, which drove into the wall. Shunt axed and lifted Killerhurtz, but it became clear that Chaos 2 was immobile, so Shunt began attacking it. Killerhurtz escaped up the arena, and whilst Chaos 2 was being pushed by Shunt, drove into the arena wall, with its axe hanging over the wall. Killerhurtz was not moving, but it did not matter as Chaos 2 was immobile longer. "...we are vulnerable to axes and we got hit by just about every axe in the house!"

- George Francis after the first round

Killerhurtz was through to Round 2, "Killerhurtz, slightly vulnerable but the axe came into play."

- Jonathan Pearce before Round 2

Killerhurtz immediately rammed into Stinger, ramming it towards the wall, and Stinger was knocked into a CPZ as it tried to get away. Killerhurtz drove up the arena, but soon came back, ramming into Suicidal Tendencies. It pushed against Killerhurtz, before reversing away to the top of the arena. Spikasaurus charged at it, but Killerhurtz turned as it closed in, so Spikasaurus bounced off the front. Killerhurtz pushed against Stinger, before being rammed from behind by Spikasaurus. It chased after Spikasaurus, but Spikasaurus turned away, and Killerhurtz was forced to escape as Dominator 2 chased after it, trying to axe it. It soon caught up with Spikasaurus, but after knocking into it, Spikasaurus drove away, and Dominator 2 closed in on Killerhurtz, narrowly missing with its axe. Kilerhurtz sped away from Dominator 2 and chased after Spikasaurus, axing it and slamming it into the arena wall. Killlerhurtz dragged Spikasaurus back, and Dominator 2 came in and axed it. Suicidal Tendencies came in and tried to get its forks under Killerhurtz, but Dominator 2 pulled Killerhurtz away. Killerhurtz and Dominator 2 both withdrew their axes. "Killerhurtz freeing itself with its own axe, not the first time we've seen that in the annihilator. It's dogged and determined, to say the least"

- Jonathan Pearce on Killerhurtz Suicidal Tendencies tried to get its forks under Killerhurtz again, and Killerhurtz drove against Dominator 2, firing the axe but failing to puncture it. Killerhurtz pushed against Dominator 2's wheel, and as it tried to pull its axe back, it became caught with the axe of Dominator 2. The two robots seperated, and Killerhurtz away from Suicidal Tendencies, but Spikasaurus followed it, getting the spikes in Killerhurtz's rear and pushing it into a CPZ. However, Spikasaurus drove into Sergeant Bash, so it drove away from danger, leaving Kilerhurtz. Killerhurtz appeared to stop, and Sergeant Bash pushed it into the corner and fired the flamethrower. After firing its axe at the wall, Killerhurtz started moving again, pushing against the House Robot and axing its flamethrower. Killerhurtz then axed the shell of Sergeant Bash and pushed it back, whilst Dominator 2 axed it again. Killerhurtz pushed Bash onto the flame pit, but Matilda came in, pushing against Killerhurtz. Sergeant Bash took advantage, pushing Killerhurtz onto the flame pit. Killerhurtz kept its axe in Sergeant Bash, even when Matilda lifted it with her tusks. Eventually, Matilda pushed the two off the flame pit, and Kilerhurtz pulled its axe back as Matilda flipped it over. Killerhurtz managed to self-right, but drove into the wall as time ran out. "Up, up, up and over! And that could be crucial, Killerhurtz could just have survived right at the end!"

- Jonathan Pearce in delight as Killerhurtz rights itself

Stinger was eliminated in the judges' decision, having been running only on one wheel after a spike in one of the tires took out one of the wheels by damaging the aerial inside.

In the third round, things were much of the same, Dominator 2 and Killerhurtz spent much time chasing and axing each other with Spikasaurus in hot pursuit of them. However, a few bashes and attacks from these three machines were enough for Suicidal Tendencies to become immobilised with relative ease. By the end of the round, Suicidal Tendencies started to emit smoke.

This saw Killerhurtz through to the fourth round, where it finally faced off Dominator 2 and Spikasaurus, where the first few attacks from the former ruptured its CO2 bottle, rendering the axe inoperable, and damaging its drive. Unable to get away fast enough, it was rammed by Spikasaurus, whilst Dominator continued to attack it. When Killerhurtz eventually got away, it drove across the arena and ran into the arena side wall on the other side of the arena, rendering itself immobile, and eliminating it from the competition. This would be Killerhurtz's final appearance in Robot Wars as it was replaced by Terrorhurtz the following Wars.

Results

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Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 4
 * Losses: 6

NOTE: Killerhurtz's Gauntlet and Trial runs are not included

Series Record
NOTE: John Reid also competed in Battle of the Stars as the mentor of Dee

Outside Robot Wars
Killerhurtz competed for many years in the American robot combat series BattleBots. It competed in the first six BattleBots contests (Long Beach, Las Vegas and Season 1.0 to 4.0). The robot had a lot of success on the show, finishing second to BioHazard in the first ever BattleBots tournament at Long Beach in 1999, despite having to rely solely on its front ramming spike as its weapon as the pneumatic ram for its axe had been left behind in England. Killerhurtz also picked up the Best Driver award whilst it was on BattleBots and reached the quarter finals on four separate occasions. During Season 4.0, it defeated fellow British robot Little Sister from Team Big Brother, the only time two British robots fought each other on the original BattleBots series. However, it lost its next battle to Surgeon General.

John Reid made an axe specially for BattleBots, and buried it in the Las Vegas desert after the competition to avoid the hassle with customs. The axe was buried underneath a stone located at the side of a road. He retrieved and reburied it each subsequent appearance, but did not recover it after burying it following Season 4.0. It was, however, recovered on a later trip.

Killerhurtz was retired after BattleBots Season 4.0 and was to be replaced by Team Hurtz's new robot Beta for future competitions, which also fought in the Robot Wars pilot for 2016 as Basher.

Killerhurtz was confirmed by Team Hurtz members Grant Cooper and John Reid in an interview on Reddit to be still relatively intact as of 2016, and currently residing in Reid's garage. However, it is presently not in running condition due to its retirement from robot combat, and because of it having a significant portion of its internal parts removed for use in the team's other projects over the years.

Trivia

 * When Killerhurtz made its first appearance in Series 2 during the robot introductions of Heat G, it drove into a fence.
 * Killerhurtz was the first Robot Wars competitor to feature a Japanese anime/video game character as a mascot, with a figure of Charmander from the Pokémon franchise accompanying the robot during its First World Championship appearance. The other robots that followed were Pika, with Pikachu (also from Pokémon) and Destructosaur, with Greymon from the Digimon franchise.
 * Killerhurtz was also notable for being one of a few robots other than the House Robots to feature an on-board camera system, to improve the accuracy of its attacks. Other competitors with on-board cameras have included Facet, Behemoth and one of the minibots accompanying Nuts 2.
 * Killerhurtz is one of only seven robots to achieve a score higher than 200 points in Pinball. The others are Spawn of Scutter, Panic Attack, Gemini, Roadblock, King B3 and Razer.
 * In anticipation of fighting Razer in the First World Championship, John Reid prepared a wall of polycarbonate panels to affix above Killerhurtz and prevent Razer from being able to crush it. As it did not face Razer, however, this modification was never seen.
 * Despite not being used, Killerhurtz's successor, Terrorhurtz utilised a similar modification in Series 6, as well as featuring taller armour sections from Extreme 2 onwards to prevent attacks from crushers and other overhead weapons.
 * Killerhurtz made a cameo appearance during Heat 3 of Series 10, in a photograph shown during Terrorhurtz's VT.
 * Team Hurtz are the only team to represent the Czech Republic on Robot Wars.
 * Killerhurtz in Series 4 was one of only three robots to be seeded despite having never won a main-series battle. The others were Stinger, also in Series 4, and Storm 2, who qualified for Series 7 as the sixteenth seed after winning the Extreme 2 New Blood Championship.
 * Incidentally, Killerhurtz was the only one of the three not to reach the Grand Final that same series.
 * In 2003, Killerhurtz was inducted into The Combat Robot Hall of Fame as an inaugural member in recognition of its successes in BattleBots, as well as its control systems and axe weapon.
 * With Killerhurtz and Terrorhurtz, Team Hurtz are one of two teams to have built two robots that feature in or have honourable mentions in the Combat Robot Hall of Fame. The other is Team Razer, with Razer and their BattleBots competitor Warhead.

Honours
Nominations
 * Best Engineered Award - Robot Wars: The Second Wars