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Defiant (also referred to as The Defiant) was a lightweight robot built by James Underwood for the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. Featuring a powerful four-bar flipper and six-wheel drive system, it enjoyed undefeated runs to take both the Lightweight Face-Off and Lightweight Melee championships in its solitary appearance. In doing so, Defiant became one of three 1997 competitors - alongside heavyweight BioHazard and featherweight Wedge of Doom - to win both of the major championships in its weight class.

Design[]

Defiant was a low, box-shaped robot with a lightweight construction and six semi-exposed drive wheels. Its chassis and armor panels utilized graphite laminate composite materials (carbon fiber according to the Team Spike website), which offered as much durability as aluminum at half of the weight. A 4mm section formed Defiant's baseplate, with the chassis also incorporating 'structural bars' made from aluminum.[1][4]

As its weapon, Defiant was equipped with a pneumatic four-bar flipper - a variation of the electrically-powered lifting arm design introduced by BioHazard the year prior. Operating on a CO2-powered system regulated at 150psi (from a 900psi canister), the arm proved especially powerful for its era, capable of throwing opponents over and off the arena floor. A 'flat metal scoop' was attached to the front of the arm to breach ground clearances, flanked by a pair of static shovel-type blades attached to the chassis.[1][4]

Defiant's internals included two Sullivan starter motors (offering 1hp each) and two off-the-shelf Tekin Titan speed controllers, all running at a maximum of 12V and 80 amps. These components drove all six wheels through a belt reduction system, a 7:1 gear ratio and chain/sprocket drives, with power being directed into the center pair. To provide optimal cooling, the drive motors and speed controllers were all positioned near the back, directly opposite the flipper's gas canister and 'expansion chamber'. The resulting 'heat exchange' also allowed the motors to warm up Defiant's CO2 supply, preventing it from running too cold during battles. The heat generated increased the supply's expansion rate and - in turn - the flipper's efficiency.[1][4]

Robot History[]

1997 US Championship[]

Defiant's 1997 run began in the Lightweight Face-Off. In the opening round of the main bracket, it faced Scrappy: an invertible wedge-shaped machine built by Steven Schware.

Defiant immediately rushed towards and rammed its opponent a few times from the front and right-hand side. Having missed with its four-bar flipper each time, it darted behind and pushed Scrappy and along as the latter tried to evade. During this push, Defiant flicked Scrappy over into the lower-right corner, then proceeded to lift it twice more as Scrappy was unable to get away. Defiant propped Scrappy up on the lower wall; it spun and paraded across the arena as Michael Meehan confirmed its first-ever knockout win.[5][6]

In the second round, Defiant fought Robot Action League and their two-part clusterbot X7; a development of Mike Winter's 1996 Featherweight Melee champion The X-2.

Early on, it sped towards and separated both X7 parts, clashing with the lifter-wielding X3 in the process. Defiant followed up by throwing the invertible X4 onto its back, then twice flicking X3 onto its teammate. The second flip happened within close range of a spike hazard; Defiant briefly clamped X4 in place before darting backwards across the arena. Again, it machine threw X3 to the side, but without flipping it completely over.[7][8]

More flipper attacks followed from Defiant, including one where it sent X3 cartwheeling and balancing on its side. With X3 from landing on its wheels, the three robots proceeded to dodge each other for a few moments. A few rams by Defiant were followed by another powerful flick on X3. Defiant smashed into an arena flipper during the latter attack, however, while also narrowly avoiding the roaming Cambot. It then rammed and again nearly flipped X3 onto its side, while driving straight into the wall.[7][8]

The force of the drive left Defiant pinned with its flipper partially open, and vulnerable to pins and pressure from both segments of X7. It remained stuck in place for over a minute while raising its flipper a few times, with X3 pushing it as the crowd began booing at the resulting lack of action. While surrounding, Defiant shuffled, finally breaking free while Michael Meehan announced an impending match pause.[7][8]

As soon as Defiant tried to back away, X3 pushed, lifted and trapped it against the wall once more, with attempted assistance by X4. This pattern was sustained over the next minute, during which Defiant was released from X3's hold. Defiant, attempting to make up for its struggles, flung and pushed X4 into the opposite corner, though X4 drove out with assistance from the moving wall section. It continued to flip and exchange rams with both X7 segments until time ran out, re-righting X4 in the process. Defiant spun and fired its flipper one last time in front of the cheering audience.[7][8]

In their subsequent decision, the Judges considered both competitors to be 'too evenly matched'. A tie was thus declared, allowing Defiant and X7 to progress to the Face-Off Semi-Finals together.[7][8]

Defiant's Quarter-Final saw it face Christian Carlberg's walker Pretty Hate Machine.

During the opening moments, it circled around, hooked and lifted its opponent from the right-hand side. Both competitors were locked together as a result, prompting Defiant to keep lifting and dragging Pretty Hate Machine until it broke loose. Defiant rammed and flicked Pretty Hate Machine upwards again shortly after, though not without being clipped by the latter's sawblades. A head-to-head exchange saw Defiant again struggling to flip and taking further damage from Pretty Hate Machine. It circled across the arena and into the side of the purple and green walker once more, missing with its next few lifting attempts.[9][10]

These sustained rams, however, lead to Defiant driving underneath and prising one side of Pretty Hate Machine off the floor. The rams also succeeded in flexing the latter's chassis and dislodging one of its weapon belts, incapacitating half of Pretty Hate Machine's saws. Defiant carried Pretty Hate Machine on its top for a few seconds, while Pretty Hate Machine briefly churned into its armor as it broke free. James Underwood's machine shot forwards towards the center, then proceeded to ram Pretty Hate Machine twice more.[9][10]

Defiant's front end was grazed further by Pretty Hate Machine's remaining saws, a small cloud of dust kicking up into the air on contact. Defiant itself repeated its initial tactic, lifting Pretty Hate Machine upwards and tipping itself forwards in the process. The resulting struggle was enough to cause Pretty Hate Machine's remaining saws to stop turning. Defiant proceeded to shove and lift Pretty Hate Machine further during the final minute, removing one of the latter's racquet ball 'feet' in the process.[9][10]

While pushing its opponent towards a spike trap, Defiant jammed its front flipper blade under the wall surrounding the hazard. It remained motionless as Pretty Hate Machine shuffled slowly nearby. With just seventeen seconds left on the clock, the match was paused to allow Defiant to be unstuck. Once Defiant was pulled away and turned around, it resumed by ramming, lifting and controlling Pretty Hate Machine under the spike. Defiant kept pushing and attempting to lift Pretty Hate Machine until time ran out, while preventing Pretty Hate Machine from escaping as it got impaled and damaged by the spike. The subsequent Judges' decision ruled Defiant the winner on points, after a dominant, if occasionally troubled performance.[9][10]

In the Semi-Finals, Defiant fought a rematch against X7.

Defiantvsx7

Defiant flips one of the clusters of X7 over

The battle began with it approaching both of the clusterbot's segments, pressuring X3 as the duo split up. Defiant next rammed X4, before pushing and tossing it over the wall bumper in the lower-left corner. Pushing Cambot aside, it then interrupted X3's attempts to free its teammate by pushing the latter against the flipper. Defiant proceeded to flick X3 onto its back panel, though this did not stop X3 from re-righting itself on its rear-most wheels. A strategic duel between Defiant and X3 followed, disrupted only by a ram from the recovering X4. Defiant proceeded to scoop up and flick X4 away, then nearly turn X3 over against the upper-left wall with a similar attack.[11]

Having again failed to turn X3 completely over, Defiant again concentrated on X4, pushing it into the upper-right wall with its rear end shape. However, it would then be attacked by both halves of X7; a lift from the front-right corner by X3, and a ram from X4. Defiant threw X3 over against the upper-right flipper in response, though X3 was able to land on its wheels through contact with the paddle. Defiant, subjected to more pinning attempts by X4, flicked both Robot Action League clusterbots away as it was driven into the flipper itself. A few more flipper attacks allowed Defiant to toss X4 onto the wall in the upper-left corner, then flip X3 over onto its back. Defiant pushed the inverted X3 into the recovering X4, but crashed into the wall near the upper spike as X3 levered itself back onto its wheels.[11]

Defiant proceeded to push X3 directly under the spike itself, which speared, pinned and tried to lift Mike Winter's half. As the battle entered its final minute, it sped away and continued to flick both of the X7 clusters with its larger pneumatic weapon. One attack turned X4 back upright; another pitched X3 vertically and forced it to drive back onto its wheels once again. Further rams were exchanged between all three robots, until Defiant flipped X3 over against the spike trap wall. With X3 struggling to self-right, Defiant smashed into both X4 segments one last time, while sending X3 cartwheeling into the wall.[11]

After an energetic and close battle, both competitors survived to a Judges' decision. The decision ruled in favor of Defiant, allowing it to secure a place in the overall Lightweight Face-Off Final.[11]

In the Final, Defiant faced The Ominous Brick of Havoc, a last-minute entry by 1996 Middleweight champions Team Delta.

Defiant vs brickofhavoc

Defiant flips The Ominous Brick of Havoc over a flipper paddle

Both robots met in the center. Defiant turned right, exposing itself to a damaging early attack from The Ominous Brick of Havoc's front blades. Circling around, it flicked the red machine into the lower-right corner, where both robots drove into the nearby flipper. A ram from Defiant caused it to be speared again by The Ominous Brick of Havoc, as both competitors engaged in a back-and-forth pushing match.[12][13]

Defiant, gaining the upper hand, thrust The Ominous Brick of Havoc off the floor, before continuing to chase it once both competitors were separated. Avoiding a spike trap, it shoved The Ominous Brick of Havoc from the side and flung it onto the upper wall, leaving it beached on the 'curb' for several seconds. Once Team Delta's entry slipped back onto the floor, Defiant rushed back in, throwing and lifting The Ominous Brick of Havoc against the walls several more times.[12][13]

The Ominous Brick of Havoc survived, but veered close to the upper-left flipper. Defiant capitalized by flipping it over against the 'curb' immediately behind the flipper, where The Ominous Brick of Havoc was left wedged on a support for the upper Plexiglass layer. With its opponent stranded, it paraded across the arena, emerging as the 1997 Lightweight Face-Off Champion.[12][13]

Defiant later returned for the Lightweight Melee tournament, reuniting with Face-Off opponents Pretty Hate Machine and X7 in its preliminary round. The trio fought Australian entry Black Widow, alongside Penelope and Webster.

Early on, Defiant threw Black Widow and Penelope with separate attacks, the latter onto a wall 'curb'. A second flip on Philip Hoskins' machine turned it completely over. Defiant proceeded to catch, lift and push the spinning Webster, steering it towards the battling X7 and Pretty Hate Machine. There, it next lifted Pretty Hate Machine up from one end, and pressured X3 while X4 kept ramming Christian Carlberg's walker. After this, Defiant flicked Black Widow back onto its wheels, though Black Widow remained largely immobilized in the lower-left corner.[14][15]

Defiant attacked Webster again, turning it over against one of Pretty Hate Machine's legs. Webster landed upside-down on a retreating X4 and was unable to self-right. Defiant next collected and pushed X3 as it shuttled back and forth from Pretty Hate Machine. A chase enabled it to pressure X3 into driving over the inverted Webster, which Defiant threw on top of Pretty Hate Machine's saws. Defiant repeated this attack on Webster, before throwing X3 onto its side against the purple and green walker as well.[14][15]

Following an unsuccessful attempt to pressure X4, Defiant persisted in flicking both of the X7 segments along with the barely mobile Black Widow. A further attack on X4 saw the latter being thrown onto the top of the 'curb' next to the lower spike trap. Having beached X4 as a result, Defiant interrupted X3's attempt to free its teammate, pushing and throwing it into a sideways roll. While X3 landed on its wheels, Defiant had successfully incapacitated one half of X7, which would prove pivotal in the clusterbot's elimination.[14][15]

Defiant pushed and turned Black Widow over into Pretty Hate Machine, whose saws began cutting into the immobile Australian entry. It then turned X3 over against the nearby wall, with X3 unable to self-right immediately. Similarly to its Face-Off Semi-Final, Defiant lifted Pretty Hate Machine multiple times, delighting the crowd while taking minor cuts from its opponent's saws. Both robots fought on as the Melee entered its final minute, with the tip of Defiant briefly caught one of Pretty Hate Machine's legs.[14][15]

In the background, X3 had finally managed to self-right, and again tried to free X4 from the wall. Defiant briefly resumed its attacks on the X7 segments, throwing and lifting X3 twice while again disrupting the latter's unstick attempts. It would then ram and take more damage from Pretty Hate Machine's saws until the end bell rang. Defiant and Pretty Hate Machine emerged as joint winners, being the only two competitors from this battle to qualify for the Lightweight Melee Final.[14][15]

For overall Melee honors, the pair would fight five qualifying robots from the other preliminary round: Cooks, Finagler, Scrappy, The Ominous Brick of Havoc and Ziggy. Incidentally, this marked the second match in which Scrappy and The Ominous Brick of Havoc had faced Defiant in the arena.

Defiant vs prettyhatemachine melee

Defiant lifts Pretty Hate Machine

At the start, Defiant and Cooks rammed and pushed each other, the pair soon being joined and pinned against the lower-right flipper by The Ominous Brick of Havoc. Defiant, recovering, tossed Scrappy end-over-end, before using its arm to flick The Ominous Brick of Havoc and Ziggy away. It would next team up with Cooks to nearly turn Ziggy - running without an active abrasive cutter - completely over. The two competitors turned against each other, however, once Defiant closed in on and flipped The Ominous Brick of Havoc over, and Cooks briefly sandwiched it against the Team Delta machine.[16][17]

Defiant vs cooks vs fingaler

Defiant flips Finagler as Cooks gets between them

Defiant found itself being pushed towards the left wall. The Ominous Brick of Havoc pushed it and Cooks simultaneously, prompting the former to retreat. Relieved of this pressure, Defiant flipped Finagler, only to be forced away from it by an aggressive Ominous Brick of Havoc. This, however, gave it the opportunity to flick and pin the latter against the lower-left flipper. As Ziggy closed in, Defiant threw The Ominous Brick of Havoc on top of the flipper, where it remained stuck for some time.[16][17]

Defiant vs fingaler brick

Defiant flips both Finagler and The Ominous Brick of Havoc

Defiant nudged Cooks, helping Paul Bell's machine to break free from Scrappy, before proceeding to lift and flick Ziggy around with more flipper attacks. Following a brief interruption by Cooks, it eventually threw Ziggy onto its back, with Jonathan Ridder's machine being left unable to self-right. Defiant continued attacking Scrappy and a retreating Cooks, with Cooks bumping and chasing it in response before ramming Pretty Hate Machine.[16][17]

Next, Defiant lifted Finagler and The Ominous Brick of Havoc simultaneously against the upper-left flipper. Follow-up attacks on Scrappy turned the Brooklyn entry back over, then wedged it under the lower wall. Defiant avoided a lunge by The Ominous Brick of Havoc, which had the effect of causing the latter to spear itself into the wall. Initially freeing the Team Delta machine with a lift, it proceeded to turn The Ominous Brick of Havoc against the wall once again following a collision with with Scrappy. Defiant then collected and flipped Scrappy against the wall. Scrappy, wedged between the floor and sponsor banners, was eliminated as a result.[16][17]

Defiant reengaged in battle with The Ominous Brick of Havoc and Cooks, which pinned it with a forceful ram. After several moments, both were separated by a ram from The Ominous Brick of Havoc. Defiant turned The Ominous Brick of Havoc over, and proceeded to stack it against the lower-right wall with a second flip. Again, it machine engaged in a head-to-head duel with Cooks, but encountered problems as it wedged itself into the upper wall. Defiant remained stuck as the Melee entered its final minute, but was freed during a brief pause.[16][17]

With Finagler driving around in the lower-left corner, the remaining four machines battled on and met each other. Defiant, having been unable to breach Cooks' ground clearance, instead teamed up with Paul Bell's machine to ram Finagler simultaneously. It would use this opportunity to carry Finagler around on its low box-shaped body, until Cooks rammed and got stuck underneath the former. Defiant was left to chase, ram and lift The Ominous Brick of Havoc against the left wall bumper. However, its CO2 supply had greatly depleted by this point, rendering the flipper significantly less effective.[16][17]

Regardless, Defiant kept controlling The Ominous Brick of Havoc into the walls and other already-defeated competitors. With less than thirty seconds remaining, the bell rang, signalling the abrupt end of the Melee Final. In the subsequent audience vote, Defiant received the loudest cheer of the remaining survivors, becoming the 1997 Lightweight Melee Champion on this basis. Combined with its earlier Face-Off triumph, this marked the end of its short, but highly successful US Robot Wars career.[16][17]

Results[]

DEFIANT - RESULTS
1997 US Championship
Lightweight Face-Off
Champion
Round 1 vs. Scrappy Won
Round 2 vs. X7 Draw
NOTE: After the Judges declared a tie, Defiant and X7 progressed to the Quarter-Finals together.
Quarter-Final vs. Pretty Hate Machine Won
Semi-Final vs. X7 Won
Final vs. The Ominous Brick of Havoc Won
Lightweight Melee
Champion
Melee vs. Black Widow, Penelope, Pretty Hate Machine, Webster, X7 Qualified
Melee Final vs. Cooks, Finagler, Pretty Hate Machine, Scrappy, The Ominous Brick of Havoc, Ziggy Won

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 6
  • Losses: 0
  • Draws: 1

NOTE: Defiant's draw in the Lightweight Face-Off, in which it progressed alongside X7, is not considered an outright win.

Series Record[]

Events Defiant Event Record
1994 Did not enter
1995 Did not enter
1996 Did not enter
1997 Lightweight Champion (Face-Off & Melee)

Outside Robot Wars[]

Defiant BB 99

Defiant at BattleBots Long Beach (1999)

Following a year-long hiatus, Defiant later competed in the inaugural BattleBots Long Beach event on August 14-15 1999. While maintaining the same weapon and six-wheel drive layout, it featured multiple updates over the original 1997 incarnation. Among the most visible changes included additional checker-plated wedge plates, large spiked beams on each side, and a new lifting plate with three sharpened box section forks.

Defiant, as in Robot Wars, enjoyed a dominant run in the main Kilobot Duel division. A run of four consecutive knockout wins against Endotherm, Rasta, Crusher and Tentoumushi allowed it to reach the overall finals against Ziggo, both of which ended in an audience vote. While initially winning the first encounter against Jonathan Ridder's full-body spinner, Defiant would lose the second, finishing as the Kilobot championship runner-up. The robot, having taken extensive damage during its run, also fought in the end-of-event Kilobot Rumble, but lost to HammerHead.[18][19]

Honours[]


See Also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Interview: James Underwood with The Defiant', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 24 2021
  2. 'LIGHTWEIGHT INDEX', Team Spike website (archived)
  3. 'Contestants: Lightweight Class', 4th Annual Robot Wars (1997) souvenir programme, pp.2-3
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 'DEFIANT', Team Spike website (archived)
  5. 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: Scrappy versus The Defiant', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded |April 16 2021
  6. 'MATCH: THE DEFIANT VS SCRAPPY', Team Spike website (archived)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: X7 versus The Defiant', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 20 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 'MATCH: THE DEFIANT VS X7', Team Spike website (archived)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: The Defiant versus Pretty Hate Machine', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 7 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 'MATCH: THE DEFIANT VS PRETTY HATE MACHINE', Team Spike website (archived)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: The Defiant versus X7', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 8 2021
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight finals: The Defiant versus The Ominous Brick of Havoc', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 9 May 2021
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 'MATCH: THE DEFIANT VS THE OMINOUS BRICK OF HAVOC', Team Spike website (archived)
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 10 2021
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 'LIGHTWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 1', Team Spike website (archived)
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 'Robot Wars 1997 Final Lightweight Melee', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 11 2021
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 'LIGHTWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 3', Team Spike website (archived)
  18. '1999 BattleBots Long Beach-Kilobots', Robotcombat.com
  19. 'Tournament Trees - BattleBots Long Beach 1999 - Full Results', Team Run Amok website

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