Black and Blue

Black and Blue
Participation Information
UK Series	7
Team Information
Team	TeamMouseTrap
Team Members	Stan Launchbury Jason Launchbury
From	Fishponds, Bristol
Robot Statistics
Weight	99kg
Dimensions	0.13m x 0.47m x 0.65m
Drive	2x 1kW electric motors
Weapons	Spinning drums
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"A new robot and a clusterbot too, that means double trouble!"

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Black and Blue

Black and Blue was a clusterbot built by TeamMouseTrap, and their entry for Series 7 of Robot Wars. It was eliminated in the first round in its only appearance, after one half was immobilised by Daisy-Cutter and the other was pitted by Firestorm 5.

Design

Official Series 7 photo

Black on its own

Blue on its own

Black and Blue was a clusterbot consisting of a pair of identical two-wheeled, invertible box-shaped robots. Each half was armed with a 20kg, 6000rpm spinning drum, and as their names implied were painted black and blue respectively. While Black and Blue's drums had plenty of destructive potential, both halves were considerably smaller than their opponents and had a high ground clearance, which Firestorm 5 easily exploited during the robot's only battle.

Etymology

The robot's name was derived from the expression 'beaten black and blue'. Individually, each clusterbot was named Black and Blue respectively, with the colour-scheme to match.

The Team

Main article: Team MouseTrap

Black and Blue was entered by Team MouseTrap, best-known for their heat-winning robot MouseTrap, and the team still wore vermin killer costumes to match their team name, despite the lack of a vermin theme in their new robot. The father-and-son duo of Stan and Jason Launchbury each drove half of their machine in battle.

Robot History

Series 7

"One twenty kilo 6000rpm rotating drum in each cluster robot. Duel attached capability. Easy to push around though, and when one half has gone, as he [Jason Launchbury] says, the whole lot's gone."

— Jonathan Pearce giving his summary on Black and Blue

Black and Blue competed in Heat P of Series 7, and faced newcomers Daisy-Cutter, former Dutch Grand Finalist Bamm Bamm and the second seed Firestorm 5 in its first round battle.

Firestorm 5 flips Blue and Bamm Bamm together

Black is attacked by Daisy-Cutter

Both halves separated almost immediately and attempted to attack Firestorm 5, with Black being thrown over by the latter's flipper. Blue was then simultaneously axed by Bamm Bamm and flipped by Firestorm 5, with Bamm Bamm also being flipped over at the same time. Black continued to be flipped around by Firestorm 5, with Blue getting wedged against an angle grinder and both halves lingering close to the wall as Daisy-Cutter slammed into Black, immobilising it.

Blue is slid down into the pit

"Look, it looks a minnow, doesn't it? Altogether, Black and Blue weighs ninety-nine kilos. Altogether though... don't forget that. There they are... two little 'uns, against the spinning machine that is Daisy-Cutter. Now that looks a good machine."

— Jonathan Pearce observes Black and Blue's small size as they sustain attacks from Firestorm 5 and Daisy Cutter

Blue and Daisy-Cutter proceeded to hit each other with their spinning weapons, with Blue appearing to lose mobility as well before Firestorm 5 got underneath and gingerly pushed it into the pit. With one half officially pitted and the other immobilised, Black and Blue was eliminated from the Seventh Wars, along with Bamm Bamm.

"One goes. Both go. All together, over and out. Black and Blue."

— Jonathan Pearce

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Series Record

Main Series	Black and Blue Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Entered with Triterobot
The Fourth Wars	Entered with MouseTrap
The Fifth Wars	Entered with MouseTrap
The Sixth Wars	Failed to qualify with Mutant MouseTrap
The Seventh Wars	Heat, Round 1
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter
Robot Wars Extreme	Appearances
Series 1	Entered with MouseTrap
Series 2	Did not enter

Trivia

• Black and Blue was one of only four heavyweight clusterbots to appear in any version of the original Robot Wars. The others were Gemini, Psycho Chicken and √3.
• Black and Blue is one of only four clusterbots to never win a televised battle, the others being the antweight Legion, the Series 8 version of Terror Turtle and Meggamouse.
  • As of Series 9, Black and Blue is one of three clusterbots not to have at least survived to a judges' decision.
• Both halves of Black and Blue share a slight resemblance to the American robot Death Drum.
• When considering MouseTrap's previous series performance, Black and Blue was one of two former UK Semi-Finalists to enter Series 7 unseeded, along with King B Powerworks. Both teams had failed to qualify for Series 6.
• When Black and Blue entered the arena for its first round melee, Jonathan Pearce stated it was a new robot despite it being from a veteran which he mentioned during the battle itself.
• The Blue clusterbot had no relation to the Dutch Series 1 competitor of the same name and the Black cluster bot had no relation to 13 Black.
• Black and Blue was a bit similar to Crackers 'n' Smash in that they were smaller than their opponents they fought and both lost to a robot with a flipper that won an international event - Firestorm won the Extreme 2 Commonwealth Carnage and Apollo and Eruption both won the two World Series specials.
• Black and Blue was the only robot from Team MouseTrap not to fight Evil Weevil, as that robot did not appear after Series 4, though its captain Kevin Pritchard rejoined the Panic Attack team.