Not to be confused with an unnamed heavyweight robot from the separate Team Binky.
- "Well, don't "blinky", you might miss Binky! Powered by a scooter engine, cost £400 to build with a nose axe and battle sled as weaponry and a Kevlar body shell."
- — Jonathan Pearce summarises Binky's features
Binky was a heavyweight robot which appeared exclusively in Robot Wars: The Third Wars. It was drafted into the main competition as a substitute for Daisy, which pulled out due to technical issues. Binky took Daisy's place in its intended Round 1 battle against Aggrobot, which it lost after becoming immobilised.
Design[]
- "It's a 80cc scooter motor, stuck into the simplest design we could make, to make it into a robot. It does 360 degrees around the turret and it does 50mph."
- — Phillip Saville
Binky in the arena
Binky's unusual design incorporated a tall, but narrow Kevlar bodyshell on a circular base. The sloped shell was painted yellow and black with red-eyed white skulls on each side. A unique 'battle sled' was mounted to the top of the shell via a 360-degree turret; the scoop blade was painted red and yellow with a skull and crossbone motif in the centre. Supported by pairs of unpowered wheels under each side of the blade, the 'sled' provided Binky with a large surface to ram and defend against opponents from all angles. The weapon frame also contributed to the robot's overall length of 1.74m. Onscreen statistics also referred to a 'Nose Axe' as a primary weapon, though further details on this are unknown, and an adjustable ground clearance.
Internally, Binky was powered by an 80cc scooter motor, driving a pair of large centrally-mounted wheels. According to Phillip Saville, the motor gave it a supposed top speed of 50mph. Binky itself demonstrated occasional bursts of speed in combat, but could not achieve the 50mph figure in the arena. The robot was also hampered by slow turning capabilities, limiting its manoeuvrability, and the free-swinging turret mechanism, which inhibited the 'battle sled's accuracy. Jonathan Pearce stated that Binky as a whole cost £400 to build.
Robot History[]
Series 3[]
- "Next up, Daisy against Aggrobot, but news from The Pits - Daisy, mechanical failures, ruled out! Binky has been brought in from the substitute's bench, with plenty of time to prepare."
- — Jonathan Pearce announces Binky's entry
Though not having been selected to compete in The Third Wars, Binky was still present at filming as a reserve. In this capacity, it was called up to replace Daisy in Heat C, when the latter pulled out due to 'mechanical failures'. Binky faced Daisy's intended opponent - Aggrobot - in the first round.
- "Immediately, Binky with a tentative assault on Aggro."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Binky and Aggrobot clash
Binky is speared by Aggrobot
Binky, the faster of the two newcomers to start, headed across the centre to meet a shuffling Aggrobot. Turning to the right, its 'battle sled' began to drift towards and momentarily succeeded in breaching Aggrobot's ground clearance. Binky clattered against the left-rear corner of Aggrobot, smoke pouring from its exhaust as it raced towards the Pit. Stopping short of the hazard, it slowly turned around to line the front of its body up with its 'sled'.
With Aggrobot approaching, Binky accelerated across the left perimeter. Having missed the blue Dorking machine, it encountered further problems with the 'battle sled' drifting and catching the side wall. Binky again spun to the left, close to the border of Sergeant Bash's CPZ, and stopped directly over the Arena Spikes. The Spikes twice lifted Binky while it was in the process of turning its body around once more. Aggrobot capitalised by firing its rear spike against Binky's shell, piercing holes through the left side. Though Binky was again seen to turn its shell around on the spot, it became evident that it was no longer able to drive forwards or backwards.
- "Binky on the drive... fifteen mile-an-hour drive and impaled... on the arena bed spikes! There, the death head skull... and it could be... dead and buried Binky in a minute!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Binky succumbs to the Arena and Aggrobot spikes
Aggrobot nudged Binky along the left perimeter and towards Sergeant Bash. Both competitors got caught on the Arena Spikes as the House Robot tried to prise them apart. Binky's shell shuffled again momentarily, as Aggrobot rammed again tried to pierce it with its own spike. As Sergeant Bash proceeded to grab the base of the shell with his pincers, it was soon deemed to be fully immobile.
- "Well... Binky trying to create something of a stinky in the arena. But at the moment... in real problems as Killalot comes in! There's Bash to the right, Matilda revolving! There goes the... front 'battle sled' of Binky, tossed in the air by Killalot... they've got hold of Binky, the House Robots!"
- — Jonathan Pearce, as Sir Killalot leads the House Robots' attacks on Binky
Binky is attacked by the House Robots
Binky was promptly rammed by Matilda and Sir Killalot, who proceeded to hook, drag and spin it around by its 'battle sled'. Dangling vertically from his lance, it was rammed by Dead Metal, and eventually turned over completely. Matilda and Dead Metal returned to deal further punishment; the latter cutting into Binky's baseplate. While focusing on Dead Metal's attacks, televised footage showed that both of Binky's drive wheels had regained functionality and were spinning quickly. By the time 'Cease' was called, Binky had been dragged back to the top-right corner by Sir Killalot, still inverted and hooked on his lance. Needless to say, it was eliminated from The Third Wars.
- "Binky was made to look dinky, with a severe case of "aggrophobia!" Aggrobot goes through."
- — Craig Charles confirms Binky's loss
Results[]
| BINKY - RESULTS | ||
| Series 3 | ||
| The Third Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat C, Round 1 | vs. Aggrobot | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | Binky Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Binky was the only robot in Series 3 to be acknowledged to substitute a broken down robot.
- In 2024, Philip Marks was contacted on Facebook about Binky, where he said that it isn't around anymore and that they also tried to apply to Series 4 with a sequel but life got too busy for them.Citation?