Cyclo-Kluge was a lightweight robot built by Daniel Russett which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. It reached the second round of the Lightweight Face-Off championship, where it was eliminated by Test Toaster One, and participated in the Lightweight Melee tournament, where it lost its preliminary fight to Flipper and Speed Bump. Cyclo-Kluge would also lose an 'exhibition grudge match' to featherweight Mad Dog, after both robots became stuck to each other mid-battle.[1]
Cyclo-Kluge's Lightweight Melee appearance was highlighted in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, which erroneously referred to it as "Bite Me".
Design[]
Cyclo-Kluge's design incorporated a mostly aluminum construction, including square tubing for the main chassis, and a large circular plate which formed part of an overhead spinning weapon. The disc was fitted with a set of metal blades to cause damage, though the weapon as a whole suffered from a low rotational speed. The robot's main drive wheels comprised of large rubber rollers, with casters also being used at either end to maintain balance. A small rubber alien was fixed above the front caster, serving as Cyclo-Kluge's mascot.[1]
Robot History[]
1996 US Championship[]
Cyclo-Kluge began its 1996 run in the Lightweight Face-Off. In the first round, it was drawn against Jesse Escobedo and Flipper.
Initially, Cyclo-Kluge got its disc up to speed, but was unable to use it to damage Flipper when both robots first met in the arena. A few tentative moments passed, before the two competitors rammed each other directly opposite the upper mousetrap. The mousetrap swatted down on Cyclo-Kluge before it drove away, with Flipper in pursuit. Through two separate attacks, Cyclo-Kluge buffeted Flipper into a spin and pushed it using its single weapon tooth, then swiped it from the side.[1][2]
More ramming and nudging followed, with Cyclo-Kluge being pushed and scooped up by Flipper’s own wedge shape. A few more tentative moments followed once both robots separated. Cyclo-Kluge's spinner had stopped rotating, but it still resisted Flipper's attempts to lift or push it a substantial distance. Some time passed, before Cyclo-Kluge was backed into a flipper paddle. Cyclo-Kluge initially escaped, but drove back into and got itself caught behind the hazard, which also swatted Flipper into the wall. With Flipper lodged under a gap between the wall and arena floor, Cyclo-Kluge eventually managed to move clear of the flipper paddle. Surviving a shove from the nearby wall bumper, it crawled around the inner perimeter and was declared to have won the fight.[1][2]
Advancing to the second round, Cyclo-Kluge next fought the previous year's Lightweight Face-Off champion Test Toaster One.
Keeping its distance in the opening moments, it got its disc up to speed and gradually began attacking Test Toaster One from the side. This, however, allowed Test Toaster One to swing around and hook Cyclo-Kluge with its own arm. A second swing resulted in Cyclo-Kluge being dragged and pushed by its exposed framework; Test Toaster One controlled it into the lower-right flipper, which trapped both robots at once. Cyclo-Kluge, in turn, was gradually pulled off the flipper paddle, and eventually separated following another push and swing from Test Toaster One.[1][3]
Cyclo-Kluge tried to spin its disc up again, though Test Toaster One wasted little time in swatting its side once more. Another tentative phase followed, with Cyclo-Kluge again getting hooked by Test Toaster One, and being pushed into an arena flipper during another pushing match. Cyclo-Kluge was thwacked, hooked and pushed into the wall, but responded by pushing Test Toaster One into the right-hand side wall bumper. After this, it was caught by the frame, and found itself being wedged on the lower-right flipper. Neither robot could separate, with Test Toaster One also struggling to find enough traction to pull itself free. In order to prove its continued functionality, Daniel Russett was instructed to shuffle Cyclo-Kluge back and forth from its position. The situation for both competitors did not improve, resulting in the battle going to an audience vote. Cyclo-Kluge lost out on the subsequent vote, and was eliminated from the Lightweight Face-Off at this stage.[1][3]
Returning for the Lightweight Melee tournament, Cyclo-Kluge was drawn into a six-way battle in the first round. Alongside Face-Off opponent Flipper, it would face Happy Fun Bot, Speed Bump (carrying the doll previously attached to Lorena), SPS3, and recently-crowned Face-Off champion Attiller (the Hun).
- "Attiller (the Hun) got off to a bad start. He got locked into "Bite Me"..."
- — Paul Vallis on Cyclo-Kluge's early tangle with Attiller (the Hun)
Cyclo-Kluge and Attiller (the Hun) are pinned together during their Lightweight Melee clash
Cyclo-Kluge encountered drive issues early on, getting itself caught on an arena flipper in the early moments. It was soon rammed by Attiller (the Hun), whose own spinning blades caught the lower surface of Cyclo-Kluge's disc. The impact tipped Jim Sellers' machine forwards, causing both robots to get pinned together simultaneously. After briefly being wedged by Flipper, Cyclo-Kluge would be eliminated alongside Attiller (the Hun) at this point.[4][5]
Cyclo-Kluge also fought a 'Grudge Match' against featherweight competitor Mad Dog.
At some point, both competitors drove into each other and became locked together. Neither was able to free themselves, with the match going to an audience vote. Cyclo-Kluge lost out on the 'close' vote, which awarded Mad Dog victory.[1]
Results[]
| CYCLO-KLUGE - RESULTS | ||
| 1996 US Championship | ||
| Lightweight Face-Off Round 2 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Flipper | Won |
| Round 2 | vs. Test Toaster One | Lost |
| Lightweight Melee Round 1 | ||
| Melee | vs. Attiller (the Hun), Happy Fun Bot, Speed Bump, SPS3, Flipper | Lost |
| NOTE: Speed Bump was alternatively referred to as "Lorena" throughout the Lightweight Melee event, due to it being modified to feature Lorena's doll. | ||
| Other Battles Grudge Match | ||
| Grudge Match | vs. Mad Dog | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 3
Series Record[]
| Events | Cyclo-Kluge Event Record |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Did not enter |
| 1995 | Did not enter |
| 1996 | Lightweight Face-Off, Round 2 Lightweight Melee, Round 1 |
| 1997 | Did not enter |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 'CYCLO-KLUGE', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Cyclo-Kludge versus Flipper (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Cyclo-Kludge versus Test Toaster One (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1996: Lightweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1996 - Lightweight Melee 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
External Links[]
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