Armadrillo

For the featherweight from Adam Clark, see Armadillo.

Armadrillo
Armadrillo with its original spelling
Participation Information
UK Series	6
Team Information
Team Members	Mick Stock Glen Doherty Keith Jackson
From	Sheerness, Kent
Robot Statistics
Weight	95kg
Dimensions	0.20m x 1.06m x 0.86m
Power	24V electric motor
Weapons	Spike & cutting blades
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Has high-velocity frontal spinning blades and rear 12-inch spike weaponry, but in the jungle that is the arena, and weighing in as the lightest in the heat, this Armadrillo can be flipped easily."

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Armadrillo

Armadrillo was a competitor robot that fought exclusively in Series 6 of Robot Wars. It lost its first round battle on a judges' decision after almost being counted out by Refbot, and did not appear in any other series thereafter.

Its name is an obvious pun on an Armadillo, a small mammal known for its leathery armoured shell.

Interestingly, the name written on Armadrillo's sides and top panel was originally spelt as Armardrillo. However, the second 'r' was removed from the robot before filming took place, leaving a gap where the 'r' was during its original spelling.

Design

Armadrillo in the pits

Armadrillo in the arena

Armadrillo was an invertible, roughly hexagonal-shaped robot with a compact chassis and armed with two sets of weapons: a pair of bludgeoner-style cutting blades at the front, and a 12-inch spike on the back. It was considerably smaller and lighter than most other heavyweights - at least three kilos lighter that its opponents from its first round melee - and was thus susceptible to being flipped and pushed. When informed of Armadrillo's first-round draw, team captain Mick Stock described the robot as 'cannon fodder' upon hearing S3's name, a statement which was confirmed by Armadrillo's relative lack of dominance during the battle. Additionally, its low ground clearance almost saw it counted out after getting stuck over a piece of debris during its only appearance.

Qualification

Armadrillo had previously attempted to qualify for the Fourth Wars, failing to qualify.

Armadrillo at the Fifth Wars qualifiers

In the Fifth Wars it faced Frightmare in the qualifiers. Four minutes into their qualifier battle, Armadrillo broke down, leaving Frightmare the winner after a slow and dull battle. Both robots subsequently failed to qualify. Nonetheless, Armadrillo successfully qualified for Series 6.

Armadrillo also attempted to qualify for Series 7, facing Major Tom 3 and Thor. It lost and failed to qualify for the Seventh Wars after Thor's hammer penetrated its internals, causing the machine to catch fire.

"Thor's pointed hammer head went all the way through Armordrillo and it caught fire"

— Jason Marston in 2019

Robot History

Series 6

"Oh, so we're cannon fodder then!"

— The team after learning that they would be fighting S3

Armadrillo and Roobarb (right) clash as S3 rips one of Shredder's discs off

Armadrillo competed in Heat D, and fought Roobarb, Shredder and the seventh seed S3 in its first round battle. It began by bumping into and being lifted by Roobarb as S3 ripped one of Shredder's flywheels off, but later sustained damage from S3 itself as it attempted to push Roobarb into a CPZ. Armadrillo stayed out of the action, driving towards the Flame Pit at one point, before helping Shredder to pin S3 against the wall after the latter tore one of the wall sections out. After this, it appeared to lose much of its speed and struggle to remain mobile, eventually stopping in the middle of the arena and prompting Refbot to count it out. However, Armadrillo turned slowly away onto a flame jet approximately four seconds into the countdown, before driving around and away from Refbot and being pushed into a CPZ by Shredder in the closing seconds. The battle went to a judges' decision, which unanimously eliminated Armadrillo and the already-immobilised Roobarb from the Sixth Wars.

Armadrillo is freed by Refbot

"...and Armadrillo proves, that you can't get any points for playing dead in Robot Wars!"

— Craig Charles announces Armadrillo's elimination from the Sixth Wars

In the post-battle interview, it was revealed that Armadrillo had actually beached itself due to its low ground clearance, presumably on top of a piece of debris. The team stated that this was the cause for the robot to stop moving properly, and Refbot's intervention allowed him to dislodge Armadrillo from the debris and enable it to move again.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Series Record

Series	Armadrillo Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Did not enter
The Fourth Wars	Failed to qualify
The Fifth Wars	Failed to qualify
The Sixth Wars	Heat, Round 1
The Seventh Wars	Failed to qualify
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter

Trivia

• Armadrillo was one of four robots to regain mobility while being counted out by Refbot.
• Armadrillo was the only robot in Heat D of Series 6 not to appear in any other episodes.