- "It's not the most dangerous, but Craig, it looks hardy to me"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Demolition Demon was the name given to two heavyweight robots which appeared in Series 2-3 of Robot Wars. The original robot successfully entered Series 2, where it reached the Heat Final of the first episode in the series, but lost to Napalm on a controversial Judges' decision.
In Series 3, the team entered its successor, Demolition Demon 2, into the Robotic Soccer side competition; however, it quickly lost its qualifier to Velocirippa.
Versions of Demolition Demon[]
Demolition Demon[]
Demolition Demon in Series 2
The original machine was a double-sided wedge-shaped robot, armoured in galvanised materials, with a top speed of 8mph. Its weapon was a rear circular grinding disc, powered by what the show described as a 22 horsepower motor (although this was likely a typo that would read 2.2 horsepower), and a static spike on the front. The grinding saw could be replaced with a long spike, which the team used in the Skittles Trial to help them knock barrels. Three 12V lead acid batteries powered the machine, and its 24 volt electric wheelchair motors were donated by Dorset County Council. All the essential components were kept in a small box for protection.
Demolition Demon 2[]
Demolition Demon 2 was a box-shaped robot, armed with spikes at the front and back. Its colour scheme used black, yellow and red stripes, resembling the Belgian flag, although the robot brandished several Union Jacks. It was built to be internally stronger than the previous version, and was over 12kg heavier than the original, but had a high ground clearance and was slow and not very manoeuvrable during its only appearance.
Qualification[]
Demolition Demon during the Series 2 rehearsals
Demolition Demon appeared at the Series 2 rehearsals with no weaponry or armour, despite this it was still successful in qualifying for the series.
With an upgraded machine, Demolition Demon attempted to qualify for the Third Wars but this time it was unsuccessful, however, it still would go on to appear in the Robotic Soccer side event.
The Team[]
The Demolition Demon in Series 2
The team in Series 3
- "This is a project we've done, it's joint design technology and electronics, and Pete had the idea when he started watching the first Robot Wars series, and it just went from there really! We never really thought we'd get this far, it was a bit of a shock to be honest!"
- — Theo Mauger in Robot Wars Revealed[1]
Demolition Demon was entered by students from The Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, along with their teacher Alan Rowse. Four team members were present in Series 2, with Alan Rowse not being credited on the statistics board, but Adrian South was not present in Series 3.
The team was founded by Peter Harrison, 17 years old at the time of Series 2, who was the team captain and drove the robot in both of its appearances.
Robot History[]
Series 2[]
Demolition Demon completes the Gauntlet
Demolition Demon managed to outmanoeuvre all of the house robots in the Gauntlet (including Sir Killalot) and finished the Gauntlet, easily making it through to the Trial stage, after placing first, completing the Gauntlet in the quickest time in the Heat.
The House Robots unfairly attack Demolition Demon
Demolition Demon continued its streak of placing first, winning the Skittles event by a clear margin, knocking down twenty barrels. Despite this success, the House Robots used Demolition Demon as a target to demonstrate their power, and Sir Killalot picked it up, holding it in place for Matilda to put a large scratch on Demolition Demon, using her chainsaw.
Demolition Demon pushes Victor into the PPZ
In the heat semi-final with Victor, it was able to push Victor around with ease. Demolition Demon pushed Victor into the PPZ, despite it escaping before the House Robots could come in. Just as Victor was moved into the middle of the arena, it broke down. Demolition Demon was then suddenly turned over by Shunt, and the win was initially given to Victor as a result[2], but once attention was brought to Victor's immobility, the decision was reversed and Demolition Demon advanced.
Demolition Demon then fought Napalm in the Heat Final, in what proved to be a another controversial battle.
Demolition Demon is attacked by Napalm's mandibles
Demolition Demon pushes Napalm back
Napalm was able to push Demolition Demon around before driving into the PPZ itself, Demolition Demon was able to nudge Napalm's side a few times before eventually nearly toppling Napalm with its wedge shape, however cease was then called. The judges' decision went in favour of Napalm, which was not a popular outcome.
- "DD was the second robot in RW to become a victim of the dubious decision rule."
- — Oliver Steeples on the roboteers' reception to the Judges' decision[3]
Series 3[]
Matilda accidentally gives the ball away, but Velocirippa gets to the ball before Demolition Demon 2
The re-designed Demolition Demon only competed in the Robotic Soccer competition. Its opponent Velocirippa capitalised on a defensive error by Matilda to dribble the ball halfway across the arena and score past goalkeeper Dead Metal, eliminating Demolition Demon 2 from the competition.
Results[]
| DEMOLITION DEMON - RESULTS | ||
| Series 2 | ||
| The Second Wars - UK Championship Heat Final | ||
| Heat A, Gauntlet | Completed (1st) | Qualified |
| Heat A, Trial (Skittles) | 20 Barrels (1st) | Qualified |
| Heat A, Semi-Final | vs. Victor | Won |
| Heat A, Final | vs. Napalm | Lost |
| DEMOLITION DEMON 2 - RESULTS | ||
| Series 3 | ||
| Robotic Soccer Round 1 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Velocirippa | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 1
NOTE: Demolition Demon's Gauntlet and Trial runs are not included
Series Record[]
| Series | Demolition Demon Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Heat Final |
| The Third Wars | Robotic Soccer |
| 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 |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Demolition Demon is one of six robots to have come first in both The Gauntlet and The Trial in one heat. The other robots in this category are Nemesis, Robot the Bruce, Razer, Corporal Punishment and All Torque.
- Demolition Demon was the only Heavyweight veteran to compete in the Series 3 Robotic Soccer Competition.
- Demolition Demon 2 was one of four Heat Finalists from Series 2 that failed to qualify for the main competition of Series 3, the other three being Inquisitor Mark 2, Ivanhoe 2 and Oblivion 2. Like Inquisitor Mark 2 and Oblivion 2, Demolition Demon 2 was chosen for a side event.
- Demolition Demon was the only robot to lose to Velocirippa, one of the worst performing robots in the show's history, albeit only in the Football.
References[]
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