- "It is armed with experimental grabbing arms that can grip with over 5 times the force of a boa constrictor and an axe that can hit you with the strength of an elephant."
- — The Robot Wars website
Apocalypse was a heavyweight robot which competed in Series 10 of Robot Wars. It was entered by Team Asgard, who had previously won the pilot episode in 2016 with Turbulence. Apocalypse lost the two fights its was in, as it suffered from an internal fire in both of its losses, to Apollo and Sabretooth respectively.
Design[]
- "Apocalypse has a secondary weapon in the form of grabbing arms that operate in addition to its pneumatic axe. Its grabbing arms exert 60kg of force, and operate on around 6-8 bar (87-117psi)"
- — Robot Wars: Build Your Own Robot

Official shot of Apocalypse

Official shot of Apocalypse from a side view
Apocalypse used a low box-shaped design, with a steep front wedge, armed in HARDOX and titanium. It used a weapon system similar to that of Splinter, wielding two horizontal axes, designed to grab and hold robots with a force of 60kg. Alongside these was a larger overhead axe with interchangeable bladed or blunted spiked heads, which doubled as a srimech. The axe heads could also be exchanged for a double-headed hammer head, though the latter was only fitted during testing.[1]
Apocalypse was four-wheel driven, with its wheels being slightly exposed on top, and used powerful AmpFlow A28-A400 24V motors, run using a Wotty 360amp motor controller. Its horizontal grabbers were a new addition to the robot for television, having exclusively used an axe on the live circuit. The grabbers fired quickly, but had a tendency to swing around after being activated, rather than remaining in place or retracting.
The Team[]

Team Asgard with Apocalypse in Series 10
Apocalypse was entered by Team Asgard, captained by 33-year old Ed Wallace, who was previously a member of the production crew for the previous two series of Robot Wars and also entered the pilot episode with Turbulence. Ed Wallace was the sole builder of Apocalypse, and was in charge of its maintenance, also driving the robot in both of its battles. For Series 10, Ed Wallace was joined by his employer, 75-year old Chris Page, the oldest roboteer to appear in the reboot of the show. This created a narrative throughout Apocalypse's campaign, as Ed Wallace's position as team captain allowed him to give instructions to his own employer while Chris Page assisted with the repairs of Apocalypse. 23-year old apprentice engineer Miles Page also joined the team as the weapons operator, controlling Apocalypse's axe and grabbing arms.
- "Team member Chris is the oldest person in the competition, at the age of 75 he has 55 years of experience as an engineer."
- — The Robot Wars website on Chris Page
Robot History[]
Series 10[]
Apocalypse competed in Heat A of Series 10, and faced the Series 8 champion, Apollo, as well as the new entry from Team Big Brother, The Swarm, in its Group Battle.
- Dara Ó Briain: "It's an intriguing role reversal that you've let a junior member of your team take control of this robot."
- Chris Page: "I'm just a slave today - but it's all Ed's idea, so I'm quite happy with the role reversal at the moment!"
- Dara Ó Briain: "And by Monday then he comes in and..."
- Chris Page: "Yeah, we'll just go back to the other way around then."
- — The experienced Chris Page gives his employee control

Apocalypse drives Rubber Duck around
In the opening period, Apocalypse struggled to get into the early pace of the battle, as it followed Pinza, before bumping into the rambot, Skye, and Rubber Duck. While it drove at the latter, it became clear to the team that they were having issues with their weaponry.
- Ed Wallace: "Is the weapon working?"
- Miles Page: "No. I haven't got an axe."
- — Early trouble for Team Asgard

Apocalypse is chucked into Sir Killalot
Apocalypse then reversed Blenda backwards, while withstanding slashes from the clusterbot's weapon, before functioning as a wedge again as it drove Rubber Duck backwards. After this, Apocalypse came under pressure from Apollo, and narrowly missed a flip from the ex-champion. Apocalypse tried to remain aggressive while avoiding Apollo, as it drove Blenda into the arena wall, but Apocalypse was only able to avoid Team MAD for so long, before a massive flip sent Apocalypse cartwheeling towards the arena gate.
- "Apocalypse with the grabbing arms. Apollo comes back, and does the flipping damage there!"
- — Jonathan Pearce

An immobile Apocalypse burns
This was followed up by another strong launch into the CPZ, with Apocalypse sent crashing into Sir Killalot. Apocalypse tried to move away from the House Robot, but only succeeded in getting itself stuck on the Flame Pit, before it started to smoke. Apocalypse was picked up by Sir Killalot and spun around before being dumped back onto the arena hazard, where it was left to burn.
- "We're actually on fire now."
- — Ed Wallace
Apocalypse was immobilised as a result, and after The Swarm were beaten too, cease was called, leaving Apocalypse with a second and final chance at progressing in the Robot Redemption round. First though, repairs were needed after Apollo's damaging flips in the Group Battle.
- "Apollo flipped us and we landed on that corner and it's bent chassis in slightly. So that's caused the drive to lock up. Cause and effect - melted speed controller."
- — Ed Wallace

Apocalypse connects with its axe
Apocalypse faced Sabretooth in its Robot Redemption battle. Apocalypse immediately attacked an initially sluggish Sabretooth and rammed into it - although it failed to connect with two swings of the axe. Apocalypse's next rally of attacks with its axe proved more effective though, connecting with blows in and around the drum of Sabretooth, as it drove the yellow and black machine towards the arena wall. Sabretooth backed into space, but Apocalypse continued to pursue, and forced Sabretooth to retreat dangerously close to Shunt.

Apocalypse strikes Sabretooth's wheel
- "Apocalypse, very experienced out there. Chris is the oldest person in the competition at 75 - 55 years of experience as an engineer. Sabretooth using their experience to dodge away from the House Robot."
- — Jonathan Pearce

Apocalypse pushes Sabretooth onto the flame pit
Apocalypse then got close to the House Robot itself in attempting to carry out a follow-up attack, but it moved away quickly as it darted over the Arena Spikes. Sabretooth then decided to activate The Fog of War for the first time in Robot Wars, which Apocalypse dealt with by remaining stationary during the time the new arena hazard was active. Once vision was clear again, Apocalypse charged into Sabretooth again, and got another hit in with its axe as it drove Sabretooth over the Flame Pit.
- "Is the vision clear through to the Semi-Final. For whom though?"
- — Jonathan Pearce as both machines continued to tussle

A strong drive leaves Apocalypse immobilised
Suddenly though, Apocalypse started to spin around inside its own circumference, with a drive chain dropping onto the arena floor soon after. Apocalypse continued to attack Sabretooth with its axe, but a strong Sabretooth drive left Apocalypse crippled and on fire against the arena gate. With two defeats in a row, Apocalypse was eliminated from the competition.
- "That was a good fight, actually!"
- — Ed Wallace, polite in defeat
Results[]
APOCALYPSE - RESULTS | ||
Series 10 | ||
Series 10 - UK Championship Robot Redemption Knockouts | ||
Heat A, Group Battle | vs. Apollo, The Swarm | Lost |
Heat A, Robot Redemption | vs. Sabretooth | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
Series | Apocalypse Series Record |
---|---|
Series 1-7 | Did not enter |
Series 8 | Pilot only with Turbulence |
Series 9 | Did not enter |
Series 10 | Heat, Round 1 |
NOTE: Ed Wallace was present at the filming of Series 8-9 as event staff
Gallery[]
Outside Robot Wars[]
Apocalypse[]

Turbulence Mk2, later Apocalypse, at a Roaming Robots Event at Stoke-on-Trent 2008
Prior to its conversion into an axe-wielding robot, Apocalypse first debuted on the live circuit as a rebuilt version of Turbulence mk2, the successor to Ed Wallace’s former UK champion Turbulence. This version of Apocalypse was a flipper, but it did not enjoy a great deal of success, and was eventually sold to Alex Shakespeare who renamed it AAK (An Adorable Kitten) and entered the 2015 Robot Wars World Championship with it. AAK lost its first round and a six-way melee there due to various mechanical problems, and was later sold to Team ACE.

Apocalypse as it appeared on the live events circuit, circa 2016
The current version of Apocalypse was initially armed with the axe only, and has fought exclusively at Robots Live! events. It made its competition debut at their Stevenage event in October 2016, participating in the FRA UK Heavyweight Championship as well as various whiteboard battles. In one particular battle, Apocalypse’s top panel was damaged by Gabriel, so Ed Wallace donated this piece to Alex Brown's charity auction in 2017.

Apocalypse at Robots Live! in 2018
A brand-new version of Apocalypse was completed in April 2018, using a rounded body which abandoned the Series 10 incarnation's grabbing arms. The robot now weighed 99kg, and was scheduled to appear at the Robots Live! event in Burgess Hill, but withdrew from its intended battle as the robot from suffered unexpected difficulties. It instead competed at the following event in Grantham, in a melee against Bullfrog and Toxic 2. In September 2018, Apocalypse reappeared at the Robots Live! event in Stevenage, competing in the FRA UK Heavyweight Championship. There, it reached the first 'Redemption' round after losing an earlier battle; however, Apocalypse was eliminated from the championship after getting flipped over by Behemoth and left with its axe stuck through the wall.

Rear view of Apocalypse in June 2019

Apocalypse at Robonerd in August 2019
Apocalypse also competed at the Robots Live! events in 2019, testing a new brushless drive system at Grantham despite not using it in battle. At this event, Apocalypse lost its only competition fight to Eruption, but exchanged axe blows with Thor in a whiteboard battle, where it was ultimately pitted. This version of Apocalypse also appeared at RoboNerd in 2018 and 2019 as a static display piece, and at the Robots Live! Crawley event in 2021 where its axe sustained damage in combat from resident house robot Goliath.[2]

Apocalypse in May 2022
In late 2021, Apocalypse travelled to Saudi Arabia to compete in a number of daily Robots Live! battles alongside eight other robots. Apocalypse collected the occasional win, but finished in the lower half of the competition. This series of fights would inspire a change from four-wheel drive to two-wheel drive. The revised Apocalypse debuted in May 2022 at its next Robots Live! appearance at Makers Central in Birmingham. At the event, Apocalypse fought robots such as Immersion, Capers!, Tectonic and Vulcan.
Apocalypse made multiple public appearances in autumn 2023, beginning with a static display at RoboNerd, Wolverhampton, on 2 September alongside DB12. Both would then participate as active competitors at Robots Live! Crawley on 9-10 September. Apocalypse finished fourth overall in the main competition, losing to Behemoth in the semi-finals and Toxic 2 in the playoff.[3][4] At the following Robots Live! event in Grantham (14-15 October), Apocalypse fought Implosion, Switch and returning Robot Wars/FRA veteran Terrorhurtz in an axe-only melee. For this battle, it was fitted with shock-absorbent top panels to cushion the blows of its opponents' weaponry.[5] The same armour configuration would also be employed at Apocalypse's next appearance in Stoke-on-Trent (28 October), though it ended up backing into the pit early into its first-round melee of the main competition.[6]
MechMania[]
This section contains SPOILERS about recently broadcasted shows such as MechMania and BattleBots. If you are unaffected by potential spoilers, please keep reading. Otherwise, this page/section should not be read before watching the relevant episodes. |
On 25 June 2024, Apocalypse was confirmed to participate in the inaugural MechMania tour, represented by its most up-to-date build.[7] Upgrades introduced by Ed Wallace included a 'completely new drive module', though this would be untested ahead of its first appearance of the year at Grantham on 13-14 July.
Apocalypse's Grantham run included a competition match against Implosion, where it again employed its shock-mounted anti-axe armour. An initial head-to-head ram by the two axe robots ruptured its pneumatic system during the first five seconds, rendering Apocalypse's weapon completely inactive. After surviving further rams and axe attacks from its opponent, Apocalypse activated the pit to try and lure Implosion in. In doing so, however, it ended up wedging itself on the lip of the hazard, compelling Implosion to push it fully in. Aside from the MechMania tournament, Apocalypse also took part in whiteboard matches held as part of the Robots Live! shows, one of which being a six-way rumble on 14 July against Apollo, Eruption, Tectonic, TR4 and Leviathan.
At the second leg in Crawley (7-8 September), Apocalypse reverted to its standard armour configuration for its competition fight against ThunderChild. To bring the robot's overall weight down, Ed Wallace also cut out small sections of its rear armour, shedding a 'few grams'. A close, but largely tentative pushing match saw Apocalypse land axe blows on ThunderChild's armour and flipping arm, while also peeling the latter's top-left panel upwards through head-to-head collisions. Ed Wallace's machine was declared victorious on a 22-18 judges' decision. Apocalypse followed this up with another tentative and closely-fought three-minute battle, against Mako at Stoke-on-Trent (26-27 October). Surviving multiple flips from Laurie Calvert and Carol Ovenden's machine, while inflicting axe blows and delivering it into the Thunder Drum hazard in return, it was declared the winner on a split decision.
Apocalypse's performances allowed it to secure a place in and the eighth seed for the Grand Final in Llandudno, Wales (23-24 November). It fought ThunderChild and Mako once more in its first-round Group Battle, alongside the surprise first seed Jasper. Attacks by all three opponents left Apocalypse on the back foot in the opening moments, with Jasper turning it over completely with its electric lifting arm. Laying inverted with its axe in the fired position, Apocalypse encountered self-righting issues at that point, and was ultimately eliminated alongside Mako.
Featherweight Robots[]
Team Captain Ed Wallace has also fought on the live event circuit with a few featherweights, some of which had multiple versions with the same name. They are listed below:
- C.B.F.: While it is unknown what the first version looked like, all four versions were completely different machines. The second version was a pointed triangular wedge-shaped robot, the third version was a two-wheel drive, wedged box-shaped robot with two ramming spikes, and the fourth version was a four-wheeled pushing robot.
- DB5: A series of four-wheel driven box-shaped robots, some armed with spinning drums or egg beaters.
- Secret Weapon: A two-wheel driven, octagonal-shaped featherweight with a front vertical spinning drum.
- DB10: The successor to DB5, with a powerful vertical spinning disc.
- Asgard: A featherweight armed with a pneumatic axe and with a strong resemblance to heavyweight Thor.
- DB12: The newest version of Ed Wallace's featherweight vertical spinner, with an improved wedge, painted red.

DB12 in August 2018
DB12 debuted at the King of Bots UK featherweight championship, held at the Insomnia gaming festival in August 2018. It comfortably won its first battle against Meow and Vega, using its spinner to throw the latter out of the arena, but lost to Rocket in its next two fights; the second round after losing the use of its disc while inverted, and the third after getting thrown out of the arena by the Team MAD machine. Despite scoring enough points to reach the knockout round, DB12 also lost to Barróg there after suffering drive problems and becoming immobilised. DB12 redeemed itself in its five-way losers melee, defeating Hell's Angel, Furious George, Utopia and Saber-X by knockout. DB12 lost its next fight in the round of 12 after being pushed into the pit by Barróg during a rematch, but once again qualified through a losers melee, defeating Aegis and Blunt Force Trauma Remix to reach the Top 8. DB12 would earn revenge on Barróg by throwing it onto its side during their Quarter-Final battle, reaching the Semi-Finals as a result. There, it lost to Calabash Bros after becoming immobilised and pitted, and DB12 lost its play-off battle to Rocket, finishing in fourth place overall.

DB12 in May 2022
Although this remains the most recent appearance of DB12 at a competitive event to date, DB12 occasionally competes in Robots Live! melee fights without the use of its spinner, such as the Makers Central event in May 2022, and the Crawley event on 9-10 September 2023.
Other heavyweight robots[]

Ed Wallace (right) and Vulcan at King of Bots
Ed Wallace also collaborated with Alan Young and Kevin Cleasby to compete in the Chinese TV show King of Bots with a heavyweight robot named Vulcan. The robot was black, and was armed with a large bladed axe. In the first round, it fought the Chinese flipper, Saber. However, after being flipped in the early stages, Vulcan struggled to land axe blows. Vulcan was turned over by the floor flipper, and later lost the use of a wheel. Towards the end of the second minute, Excalibur flipped Vulcan over, and after struggling to self-right, its axe became stuck in a flame jet, leaving it stuck. Thus, Vulcan lost in the first round. Regardless, it still fought alongside Tánshè in a Tag Team battle against Saber and Greedy Snake, winning the battle on a Judges' decision due to Tánshè immobilising Saber. Although Vulcan returned for the related show This is Fighting Robots, Ed Wallace was unable to attend filming, despite assisting with the upgrades of the machine.

Ed Wallace (left) with Vulcan 2
Ed Wallace rejoined Team MAD to compete in King of Bots II with the brand-new Vulcan 2, which used a flipper design heavily inspired by Apollo. After an undefeated run of seven consecutive victories, Vulcan won the series outright on behalf of its team, having defeated Drift in the competition final. Ed Wallace and Miles Page were also set to rejoin Alan Young in competing at BattleBots in 2020 with Orion, prior to the series' postponement and the team's withdrawal due to the restrictions of the pandemic.
Trivia[]
- Team member Chris Page was the oldest competitor in Series 10, and the rebooted Robot Wars as a whole, at the age of 75.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.teamtauron.co.uk/galleries/rw10otherbots/index.html#/view/ID15285
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/ApocalypseRW/posts/984838392068253
- ↑ 'Robots Live K2 Crawley 2023: Behemoth Vs Apocalypse', TEAM IRONCLADS(YouTube), uploaded 10 September 2023
- ↑ 'Robots Live K2 Crawley 2023 3rd Place Playoff: Apocalypse Vs Toxic 2', TEAM IRONCLADS (YouTube), uploaded 10 September 2023
- ↑ Facebook video of Implosion vs Terrorhurtz vs Apocalypse vs Switch, Robots Live! Grantham, 15 October 2023, Eruption - Robot Wars
- ↑ 'Robots Live Stoke 2023: Terrorhurtz Vs Thunderbolt Vs Leviathan Vs Apocalypse ', TEAM IRONCLADS (YouTube), uploaded 29 October 2023
- ↑ https://x.com/Mech_Plus/status/1805647146173051146
External Links[]
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