- "Ah, but will the German champions disappear into one?"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Black Hole was a German competitor robot that mainly fought in German Robot Wars. It won the first and only German championship after defeating Tsunami in the Grand Final, and represented Germany in the European Championship, which was also broadcast as part of the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. However, it lost in the second round of the European Championship to Belgian representative Philipper 2.
Despite its successes, Black Hole did not return for the Third World Championship, broadcast as part of Series 7 of the UK Robot Wars, leaving Reaper NP2, I Bot One Beta and Ansgar 3 to fight for the chance to represent Germany.
In 2016, Black Hole's new owners, The Devil Crew, applied for the new series of Robot Wars with their new heavyweight, Luzifer, the spiritual successor to Black Hole. Despite this, Team Kaputo and Black Hole have no relation to the new series, and Luzifer failed to qualify.
Design
Black Hole in German Robot Wars
Black Hole was an invertible, reverse-wedge robot painted black and silver, and armed with two 4000rpm, four-toothed vertical spinning discs at the front. These silver and red discs were connected to the same axle, and were very powerful, being able to deal significant damage to its opponents as well as flipping them clean over. The robot was two-wheel drive, one of which was rotor-driven through a 12V electrometer, and its armour was made from steel and aluminium. Black Hole's discs proved especially potent throughout its appearances, especially towards Tsunami and Zeus, but could not work as effectively when the robot was inverted, as they were only designed to spin in one direction. Additionally, the robot could be easily flipped from the front and suffered from poor traction, with all three issues costing it in its European Championship battle against Philipper 2.
Robot History
German Series
Black Hole began its opening battle by attacking Absolut Krankhaft, teaming up with Tsunami to overturn the Dutch machine. Black Hole stayed away whilst Tsunami righted and then re-flipped Absolut Krankhaft. Black Hole then slammed into Absolut Krankhaft, causing damage to the rear. Absolut Krankhaft was then counted out and Black Hole dodged Tsunami until eventually cease was called.
Black Hole pushes Hydrotec
Black Hole next faced Hydrotec. Black Hole disabled Hydrotec’s flipper very early on, severely buckling it. Then, Black Hole turned its attention to the rest of the robot, causing sufficient damage to the internals to cause Hydrotec to break down. Hydrotec was counted out by the Refbot, and left to the House Robots. With this victory, Black Hole had made the Grand Final.
In its first Grand Final battle, Black Hole came up against Son of Armageddon. Black Hole repeatedly attacked the front and sides of its opponent, destroying the supports of the flipping weapon on Son of Armageddon; however this attack stopped the discs from working. Black Hole pushed Son of Armageddon into Dead Metal, and the House Robot attacked Son of Armageddon until cease was called. The judges made the obvious decision to put Black Hole through to the Grand Final.
Black Hole running inverted
In the Grand Final, Black Hole came up against Tsunami. Black Hole was turned over early on in the fight, and was on the back foot early on, being pressured by Tsunami. Eventually, Black Hole was righted, and went on the offensive, securing several major blows and ripping armour panels off Tsunami, particularly on the side and back. The judges were called on to make a decision, which went in Black Hole's favour, making it the first, and only, German Robot Wars champion.
Black Hole flips Zeus over
Black Hole also represented Germany in the European Championship, which was also broadcast as part of the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. It faced Italian representatives Zeus in the first round, immediately ripping off Zeus' flipper plate and rendering it unable to attack. Black Hole proceeded to flip Zeus over with its discs, before tearing shards of Zeus' armour off and leaving it stranded on its flipper. It pushed Zeus back onto its wheels, before throwing it around the arena several more times, eventually leaving Zeus on its back close to a CO2 jet. Zeus was attacked by Dead Metal and Mr. Psycho, counted out and pitted, allowing Black Hole to proceed to the second round.
Philipper 2 shoves Black Hole down the pit
There, Black Hole faced Belgian representatives Philipper 2. It charged straight towards Philipper 2, flicking it up into the air and tearing a shard of its armour off, before both machines circled around each other. Black Hole slammed into Philipper 2's sides a few more times, leaving more gashes in its armour, before steering Philipper 2 into Shunt's CPZ after it pressed the pit release button. After tearing through its opponent's sides again, Black Hole was flipped over by Philipper 2, leaving its discs spinning the wrong way up and causing it to jolt upwards as it continued damaging Philipper 2's armour. In a sudden turn of events, Black Hole drove up Philipper 2's flipper, and was pushed straight into the pit, eliminating it from the European Championship.
Results
| BLACK HOLE - RESULTS | ||
| German Robot Wars | ||
| German Championship Champion | ||
| Heat B, Eliminator | vs. Tsunami, Absolut Krankhaft | Qualified |
| Heat B, Final | vs. Hydrotec | Won |
| Grand Final, Eliminator | vs. Son of Armageddon | Won |
| Grand Final | vs. Tsunami | Won |
| European Championship Representing Germany, Round 2 | ||
| NOTE: This competition was also broadcast during Extreme Series 2 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Zeus (ITA) | Won |
| Round 2 | vs. Philipper 2 (BEL) | Lost |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 5
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| German Series | Black Hole Series Record |
|---|---|
| German Robot Wars | Grand Champion |
Robot Wars Live Events
Team Kaputo and Black Hole have had no involvement with the Robot Wars live events, although its spiritual successor, Luzifer competed in these events in 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Outside Robot Wars
Black Hole 2, prior to its rebuild as Luzifer.
After Black Hole's last appearance on TV, the robot was rebuilt completely as Black Hole 2, forgoing its offensive weaponry for a more Tornado-like approach. Black Hole 2 had few battles before it was sold to The Devil Crew, who would gradually rebuild the robot into Luzifer. Luzifer competed briefly on the live circuit in 2004. In 2012, it was rebuilt to have weaponry like Sewer Snake so it could compete in the RoboGames before being reactivated in 2012, and refurbished in 2013.
References
The Devil Crew website (written in German)
Honours
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