- "The name Crank-E was a step on the evolutionary ladder towards Kill-E-Crank-E, so while the robot design evolved forwards, the name evolved backwards."
- — Robin Herrick on the etymology of Crank-E
Crank-E was a heavyweight robot which competed in Series 9 of Robot Wars. It was the successor to Kill-E-Crank-E, built by Robin Herrick of the Cold Fusion Team. However, after challenging Aftershock in its Group Battle, it was quickly immobilised and eliminated.
Design
Crank-E's turntable shot
Built over two months, Crank-E was constructed from high-performance structural steel and wear plate, and runs on a two-wheel drive, which makes the robot invertible. Its weapon was a 22kg vertical asymmetric spinner consisting of four hardened steel bars. The weapon rotated at 6000rpm to deliver a tip speed of 223mph. Its front armour was curved inwards to form a front shield, designed to make the robot 'spinner proof'. Crank-E was decorated with googly eyes.
The insides of Crank-E were lined with aluminium foil tape, to protect the robot from the flame pit. Crank-E's wheels were the same type as use in Pussycat, following on from Kill-E-Crank-E's wheels reusing material from Bodyhammer.
Robot History
Series 9
Crank-E competed in Episode 1, facing a new machine from a Grand Finalist team, Aftershock, as well as Sabretooth and TMHWK in their group battle. It was going to face against Carbide, Crackers 'n' Smash and Meggamouse in Episode 5 but it was not finished in time and swapped episodes with Trolley Rage.
Crank-E is tossed up high by Aftershock
However, when the battle started, Crank-E made a fatal mistake straight away by targeting Aftershock before its spinner had reached high speeds, and with TMHWK blocking its escape route, Aftershock threw Crank-E into the air, causing shards to fly from the machine as it landed directly on its face. This gave Aftershock the chance to launch a barrage of hits, buffeting Crank-E towards Shunt, where the two robots dealt the killer blows, taking Crank-E out of the running straight away. Panels of Crank-E were torn away from the body, and the robot was left dormant after a flip from Shunt.
- "Pincered between the two, and Crank-E, very much in trouble."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Shunt damages the immobile Crank-E
Aftershock pushed the immobile Crank-E over the arena spikes, where it was axed by Shunt, held aloft by a spike. There, Crank-E was joined by the beaten TMHWK, and cease was called. Humorously, the arena spike next to Crank-E fell out of its position, but Aftershock and Sabretooth progressed, while Crank-E was eliminated.
Results
| CRANK-E - RESULTS | ||
| Series 9 | ||
| Series 9 - UK Championship Round 1 | ||
| Episode 1, Group Battle | vs. Aftershock, Sabretooth, TMHWK | Lost |
Series Record
Crank-E with its team
| Series | Crank-E Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Entered with Bodyhammer |
| The Second Wars | Entered with Bodyhammer |
| The Third Wars | Entered with Pussycat |
| The Fourth Wars | Entered with Pussycat |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Entered with Kill-E-Crank-E |
| Series 9 | Heat, Round 1 |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
NOTE: This refers to the performance record of Robin Herrick alone
Trivia
Crank-E in How to Build a Robot
- Crank-E's VT, which would go unused on television, saw Robin and Matthew Herrick, and Isaac Potts, playing musical instruments on the beach[1].
- Footage of repairing Crank-E was also used during How to Build a Robot.
References
External Links
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