Bladed axes

Bladed axes
Terrorhurtz immobilises Diotoir with its axe
Weapon Category	Overhead weapons
Robots
Pioneer(s)	Mash-N-Go (1997 US competition) Killerhurtz (Series 2) (televised series)
Notable Robots	The Steel Avenger, Terrorhurtz, Thor (Series 8-10)
House Robots	Shunt

"We hated it [Killerhurtz's spiked axe]. We decided to add this broad blade axe so it wouldn't get stuck, it would just keep digging at them..."

— John Reid after defeating Panic Attack

Bladed axes are a type of overhead weapon found in Robot Wars.

The first robot to feature this weapon in televised series was House Robot Shunt in Series 1, who would earn fame for his diamond-edged (later titanium) axe in later series. Prior to this, heavyweight competitor Mash-N-Go used an off-the-shelf fire axe in the 1997 US event, albeit with little success.

The first televised competitor to feature a bladed axe was Killerhurtz in Series 2, although the weapon itself was later updated to use a more famous spiked head. Other notable robots with this weapon type include its successor, Terrorhurtz, The Steel Avenger, and Thor from Series 8-10. Both Terrorhurtz and Thor are also the most successful, each reaching the Grand Final and finishing fourth overall in Series 6 and 8 respectively.

Definition

Tomahawk's bladed axe in Series 7

Bladed axes typically feature an axe head with a blade featuring a much larger surface area than a spiked axe, which aim to provide a larger area of attack. They are specialised to chop, pound, bend, hack and shake components and armour loose rather than pierce through them, and are among some of the most common types seen in everyday usage - for example, fireaxes which are used to chop wood. Bladed axes come in various shapes and sizes, from fireaxe-style chopping blades, as originally used by Killerhurtz, to curved blades with a spiked tip, as seen on The Steel Avenger, and even double-headed blades as used by Terrorhurtz and the Series 3 competitor Shell Shock.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Thor pierces M.R. Speed Squared's armour

The Steel Avenger scored over Shredder Evolution by striking and dragging it with its axe

Terrorhurtz drags Reptirron the Second onto the Flame Pit in Series 6

• A powerful bladed axe can serve as an efficient cross between a spiked axe and a hammer, being able to cause both external and internal damage with equal efficiency. Terrorhurtz demonstrated this effectively in its Series 6 Semi-Final fight against Spawn Again, while Thor punched holes through M.R. Speed Squared's armour and hacked off Shockwave's scoop in their Series 8 Head-to-Heads.
• With their large surface area, bladed axes are the most effective type of overhead weapons for use as a self-righting mechanism, providing that there is sufficient power behind the axe to achieve this. Terrorhurtz and Thor demonstrated this capability quite effectively several times.
• Successful axe blows tend to score well on control and aggression, in the event of a Judges' decision. This is perhaps best shown in Steel Avenger's victory over Shredder Evolution in Series 7, and in Thor's victory over Shockwave in their Head-to-Head battle in Series 8.
• As with spiked axes, the leverage offered by a bladed axe can allow robots equipped with them to drag and push opponents around if the axe head becomes embedded in them. Both Terrorhurtz and The Steel Avenger demonstrated this tactic at various moments across both of the show's runs.
• Alongside hammers, bladed axes were more readily available than most other types of weapons, as they could be purchased rather than manufactured, although purchased weapons proved ineffective in later series.

Disadvantages

The 'pillow' used by Vulture to counter blows from Terrorhurtz's axe, comprising of HDPE blocks and other materials

Thor vents CO₂ as its pneumatics system malfunctions against TR2

Thor's CO₂ billows out following a direct hit from Magnetar

During its World Series battle against Terrorhurtz, TMHWK's axe arm snapped in half as a result of metal fatigue and a powerful flip from Matilda's tusks

• Opposing teams were welcome to modify their designs before a battle in an attempt to nullify axes, by applying additional armour to the top of their robot. For example, in Series 10, both Vulture and Rapid gained extra layers of armour for their head-to-head battles against Terrorhurtz, in order to protect vital components from getting damaged.
• Most bladed axes only functioned in one specific direction - usually forwards - compounding the accuracy issues present in this and all other overhead weapon types. Terrorhurtz's axe is a notable exception, as it was designed to be double-headed in order to strike from both the front and back of the machine.
• If pneumatically-powered, bladed axes can also fail to operate if the weapon is low on CO₂, or if the pneumatics system is damaged or malfunctioning. This would also remove the robot's ability to self-right, which was apparent in the defeats of Terrorhurtz, GlitterBomb and Thor throughout Series 8 and 9, with all of them not being able to self-right at various stages due to problems with their pneumatics systems.
• Pneumatic axes may have their mechanisms exposed to attacks from crushers, or vertical spinners if upside-down. This was most notably shown in Thor's battle with Magnetar in Series 10, where a well-timed attack from Magnetar ruptured Thor's CO₂ supply.
• The shaft of a bladed axe may often get damaged or even bent. This was best shown by Thor in Series 9, where Jason Marston had to turn the shaft around to try and bend it the right way, however he did note that continued attempts at this would cause the axe to break due to metal fatigue.
  • The effects of metal fatigue were vividly demonstrated by TMHWK's axe arm during the first episode of Robot Wars: World Series, which bent and snapped in half in its Head-to-Head following attacks from Terrorhurtz and Matilda.
• In some cases, a bladed axe head can cause the wielder and its opponent to become stuck together, requiring separation if the axe is embedded in an opponent and cannot retract on its own. In both of its encounters with Vulture in Series 10, Terrorhurtz was unable to separate itself from the former, requiring the House Robots to prise both competitors apart. Unsuccessful attempts to retract an axe can also use up a limited CO₂ supply, reducing the effectiveness of the axe once the robots are separated.

Bladed axes vs Spiked axes

• While a spiked axe focuses on piercing armour, bladed axes focus on causing internal damage by shaking components loose. For example, when the axes of Terrorhurtz and Iron-Awe 2 struck the full-bodied drum of Barber-Ous 2, the spiked axe of Iron-Awe 2 created external damage by piercing the plastic armour covering. Meanwhile, the bladed axe of Terrorhurtz caused significant internal damage to directly immobilise Barber-Ous 2.
• Although bladed axes are not immune to getting stuck in a robot's armour (e.g. Terrorhurtz vs Vulture, Series 10) or the arena floor, they are far less likely to do so than a spiked axe because of their more rounded and generally larger tips. This would also allow the axe weapon to strike multiple times more quickly, if it can more easily retract from a robot.
• Bladed axe heads suffer less recoil damage when striking impenetrable armour, as spiked axe heads may blunt or break when failing to pierce armour. For this reason, bladed axes were far more prominent in the Revival Series, where hardened steel materials proved difficult to break through.

List of Robots with Bladed Axes

Robots are listed in alphabetical order.

DESKTOP MODE ONLY: House Robots are listed with a gold background. Robots from the 1994-1997 US competitions are listed with a purple background.

Robot	Series appearances with Bladed axes	Notes	Image
Apocalypse	Series 10	Red bladed head used in official photos, but exchanged for blunted spiked heads in each of its televised battles. The overhead axe was used in tandem with a pair of horizontal grabbing arms.
Bonk	Series 8	Interchangeable with a hammer-type head.
Comengetorix	Series 6	The robot only used a bladed axe in Series 6, using a spiked axe in Extreme 1.
Crippler	Series 3
GlitterBomb	Series 8-9	Uses the axe mechanism from Edge Hog. Returned for Series 9 with twin axes, but was withdrawn.
Hydrotec	German Series	The axe was placed at the back to attack other robots from behind.
Ivanhoe	Series 2	UK Heat Finalist.
Killerhurtz	Series 2	Pioneer of the bladed axe, although replaced with a spiked axe in subsequent appearances.
Mash-N-Go	1997 US Championship	A single fire axe armed the robot from the back, used alongside two forward-firing pickaxes. All axes were powered by a coil spring mechanism.
MechaDroid	US Season 2	A double-headed axe using both bladed and spiked pick heads.
Oblivion 2	Series 3-4	Competed only in the Pinball Competition during Series 3.
Pathetica	Dutch Series 1	First robot from live circuit veterans Team RCC.
Pressure	Extreme Series 2	Axe was scarcely seen in combat after being damaged in its first fight, with the robot mainly relying on its lifting scoops.
Project One	Dutch Series 1
Sgt. Meikle	Series 3
Shell Shock	Series 3
Shunt	Series 1	House Robot. Weapon was later replaced by a spiked pickaxe, and then the more famous 'diamond-edged' axe.
Storm Force	Series 5
Teddybot	2001 Live Events	Sacrificial robot built by Derek Foxwell, used exclusively in the 2001 Live Events serving as the qualifiers for Series 5. Was dismantled in combat by Sir Killalot each time. Had previously appeared in the Robot Mayhem events with a different design.
Terrorhurtz	Series 5-10, Extreme 2	Among the most famous and destructive of bladed axes. Only double-sided axe that was capable of striking opponents in front of and behind the robot. Fourth place in Series 6.
The Steel Avenger	Series 3-5, 7, Extreme 1-2	Only featured a bladed axe during one of its battles in Series 3, the other featuring a pick. Series 4 and 7 Heat Finalist; Extreme 1 Tag Team Terror runner-up, paired with Suicidal Tendencies.
Thor	Series 8-10	Replaced the hammer used in Series 6 and 7. Interchangeable axe heads include a pointed head and a Mjölnir-inspired head. Series 8 Grand Finalist. Five interchangeable heads in Series 10, some of which are referred to as 'hammers' on the official Robot Wars website.
Tiger Cat	US Season 1	Axe failed to work in both of its appearances.
Tomahawk	Series 7, 9-10	Rebuilt and renamed TMHWK in Series 9. Its bladed axe head is spiked on the back end, and the axe head can voluntarily be inverted to change its purpose.
Trolley Rage	Series 9
Undertaker	Series 3