Death Jester was a super heavyweight competitor robot that appeared in Series 2 of Robot Wars. It fought exclusively in the Super Heavyweight Championship, also known as the Super Showdown, but lost its qualifier battle after getting turned over by Berserk.
Design[]
Death Jester was a tall, silver trapezoid-shaped robot with two-wheel drive and front and rear wedges, housing a central pneumatic piston weapon. The version that appeared on television was the replacement for an earlier wedge-shaped robot with two outside wheels that the team rejected for not being battle-worthy. However, Death Jester's lack of major offensive weapons and self-righting mechanism proved to be its main weaknesses, as its only televised battle showed.
- "OK, we now have some kit ready to go. I've acquired two quarter horse power electric boat thruster ( Thanks Rick, you know who you are. ) with integral gearboxes. They will require further gearing down though. We have also got the 10" gas pipe section ( Thanks Mick, you know who you are too. ) for the main housing. We now need to find a speed controller meaty enough for the thrusters as they draw about 15A with no load. We also have the the pneumatic piston and the gas reservoir. Serious building can now get underway. PS. A thank you to the DERA guys ( builders of REALI-T ) for the offer of picking their brains."
- — The team's build diary on their early progress and weaponry[1]
The Team[]
- "The X Co-Operation is a potential team entry into the 1998 UK Robot Wars competition sponsored by Mentorn. The team consists of four members, who are all ex-engineering apprentices with differing disciplines and backgrounds."
- — The X Co-Operation intro on the team's website[2]
Death Jester was built by a team of ex-engineering apprentices named The X Co-Operation. The team captain was Iain Bowker, and he was joined by Andy Travis, Neil Edney and Steve Yardley. The team's website frequently referred to Neil Edney as 'Ed', to Andy Travis as 'Trapper', and to Steve Yardley as 'Yards'. During the build progress, Yardley was sent to work in France.
- "I have been out a bought a shinny new 40Mhz radio set from my own pocket. Another £160 down. I decided to go for new as I got fed up looking for a six channel second hand one. COMAX have agreed to sponsor us to the tune of £400 so we can buy a decent pair of speed controllers and get the motor repaired. ( Many thanks. ) Yards has been called out to work in France for a month so he is out of the frame at the mo. The wheels are all built. ( Trappers own special alloy laminate formula. ) I plan to get the polaroid off to Mentorn, and up on this site at the weekend."
- — The team's website on sponsors and team responsibilities
Qualification[]
- "The steel pipe used for our main trunk has had to be reduced in thickness from 9mm to 6mm for weight reasons, but I don't see that being a major problem. We have had to burn a large hole in one side for the motors to petrude. With the money from COMAX, we have purchased some recon wheel chair motors and speed controllers from Fleinns Medicare. ( Who were very helpful. ) Trapper has the motor mounts all sorted and made from 4" x 1/2" steel. A big thanks to Mike Parkin for band sawing out the tail ramps and saving us a lot of time and elbow grease. The photos show the basic design is well under way. These photos have be sent to Mary-Jane at Mentorn, and in reply, yes she is very sexy. The RC control system is all working nicely on the work bench and we aim to have her driving around the garden within a week or so. We have decided to call her Death Jester and hope to give her a decent paint job if time permits."
- — The final build diary update on the Death Jester website, dated July 1998[3]
The original version of Death Jester at the Series 2 rehearsals
The original version of Death Jester that did not compete
Death Jester attempted to qualify with their original cylindrical design for the main competition by attending the Series 2 rehearsals. Although it was tough, the robot did not qualify for the main series. Death Jester would later be seen in the Super Heavyweight Championship with a new design, although it is unknown if the robot's weight was significantly increased for the occasion.
Robot History[]
Series 2[]
Death Jester about to be lifted over by Berserk
Death Jester competed in the Super Heavyweight Championship, facing Berserk and Rumble in its qualifier. It initially slammed into the considerably slower Rumble, but the collision forced its bodyshell to come loose as Rumble pushed back. As Death Jester bumped Rumble again, Berserk came in and lifted it from the side, eventually toppling it over with its forklift. Berserk would proceed to win the qualifier and advance to the Super Showdown, while both Death Jester and Rumble were eliminated from the Super Heavyweight Championship.
Results[]
| DEATH JESTER - RESULTS | ||
| Series 2 | ||
| Super Heavyweight Championship Round 1 | ||
| Qualifier | vs. Berserk, Rumble | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | Death Jester Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Super Showdown, Qualifier |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
External Links[]
- Death Jester website (archived)
References[]
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