Big Shot

Big Shot
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996
Team Information
Team	Snowhite
Team Members	Bob Schneeveis Brent Harmon
From	Palo Alto, California
Other Entries	Gutrip (1996-1997) Up & Over (1996) Lorena (1996) Yo Mama! (1996) Rex (1996)
Robot Statistics
Weapons	Pneumatic Spear
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Big Shot was a lightweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. One of six robots entered by Bob Schneeveis, it was eliminated in the first round of the Lightweight Face-Off by The Enforcer, after suffering weapon accuracy issues and getting pinned at some stage.

Design

Big Shot featured a compact, box-shaped design with two powered wheels at the rear and a smaller front castor at the front. Its most distinctive feature was a large top-mounted 'cannon', itself containing a powerful pneumatic spike weapon. The 'cannon' could be tilted at multiple angles so that Big Shot could attack opponents of differing heights, although the spike itself ran on a 'single-shot' system. The latter aspect proved one of Big Shot's main weaknesses, as it prevented the robot from causing any damage beyond the spike's 'first shot'. As secondary defense, a metal plate was attached to the back to function as a scoop blade. Andrew Lindsey observes that Big Shot generally had a 'fairly flimsy' construction, along with '[p]oor speed and maneuverability' across the arena.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

In the 1996 Lightweight Face-Off, Big Shot fought The Enforcer in the first round.

Both robots drove around and past each other during the tentative opening moments, with Big Shot frequently adjusting its cannon mechanism as it moved. An equally tentative pushing match followed, with The Enforcer initially shoving Big Shot. Big Shot responded by pushing The Enforcer back, while attempting to line its cannon up against the right-hand side. However, it was slow to dodge an attack from Al Kindle's machine, which pirouetted around and sniped one of its wheels. Big Shot survived without taking damage, only to be clattered by the Ball of Doom as it drove through the arena center.

From that point onwards, Big Shot was pressured by The Enforcer, which pushed and momentarily lifted it up onto one side. More bumping, pushing and chasing followed. During these exchanges, Big Shot lined its cannon up with the front end and front-right wheel of The Enforcer, but could not fire the spike. Both competitors drove close to the lower mousetrap. The descending trap snared Big Shot as it was pushed into the hazard by The Enforcer. Big Shot lifted its cannon upwards to try and break free, while receiving further pressure and pushes from The Enforcer. A head-to-head ram followed, though again Big Shot could not deploy its cannon spike. Turning around, it resorted to scoop up and pin The Enforcer behind the top-left flipper. A 30-second count was started, though match records and contemporary accounts suggest that Big Shot did not successfully complete this pin.

According to the Team Spike website, Big Shot managed to fire its cannon at some stage during the battle. However, its initial shot missed, and the robot was rendered defenseless from that moment due to the weapon's 'single-shot' design. Big Shot eventually lost the match after getting pinned by The Enforcer, and was eliminated from the Lightweight Face-Off as a result.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Series Record

Events	Big Shot Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Lightweight Face-Off, Round 1 Entered with Gutrip Entered with Rex Entered with Up & Over Entered with Lorena Entered with Yo Mama!
1997	Entered with Gut Rip

External Links

• Big Shot on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)