Demolition Man was the name given to two robots that entered Series 6 and 7 of Robot Wars. Both robots were drastically different in design, but shared the same name. Demolition Man lost in the first round of both series it entered, falling to a double-KO with Kan-Opener in Series 6, and to the combined flippers of Judge Shred 3 and Mute in Series 7.
Versions of Demolition Man[]
Demolition Man (Series 6)[]
Demolition Man in the arena during Series 6
The version entered in Series 6 was a tall robot with numerous weapons, including lifting forks capable of lifting 250 kg with ease, a fully rotational axe with a downforce of 750 kg at two hits a second, a snowplough that could lift 120 degrees and saw blades that functioned as wheels. The latter of these were those used on the team's previous entry, Saw Point, as they were some of the few things that could have been salvaged from the robot after Series 4. This version, however, was slow, had poor ground clearance and a high centre of gravity. Demolition Man lost in its first match after being pierced by Kan-Opener's pincers.
Demolition Man (Series 7)[]
Demolition Man in Series 7
A new version of Demolition Man marked the robot's return in Series 7, featuring a completely different chassis shape, drivetrain and weapon. It was now armed with a 600mm diameter, four-toothed horizontal spinning disc, weighing 11kg and spinning at 2,000rpm - the team claimed that it could strike opponents at a rate of 63 hits per second. The Series 7 Demolition Man featured a four-wheel drive system with individual motors for each wheel, and was armoured in 6mm polished aluminium. Both the disc and the robot's middle top panel were mounted on a hydraulic actuator that could be raised and lowered to serve as a srimech, thus making the Series 7 Demolition Man one of the few robots of its kind not to run either way up. This system, referred to as a 'variable-angle bed' by Jonathan Pearce, also incorporated a rear lifter, and allowed the disc to be positioned at different angles to reach opponents of various heights. However, Demolition Man was not able to demonstrate the capabilities of its 'variable angle bed' in televised combat.
Etymology[]
The name Demolition Man was likely derived from either the 1993 film or the Marvel Comic character, and regardless of origin, resembled an everyday demolition man.
Qualification[]
Demolition Man and Barber-Ous 2 getting ready for its qualifier battle
At the Series 6 qualifiers, Demolition Man fought Barber-Ous 2 and ICU. It was also scheduled to face Killer Carrot 2 in the same battle, although that robot would be removed from the melee. The winner of the battle is unknown, but all three robots qualified[1]. Demolition Man then successfully qualified for Series 7, the following year.
Robot History[]
Series 6[]
- "Big, brutal and butch-ered."
- — Jonathan Pearce on Demolition Man's chances
Demolition Man in action along with its three opponents
Demolition Man in Kan-Opener's clutches
Demolition Man is hit by the dustbin under the Drop Zone
Demolition Man made its televised appearance in Heat F of the Sixth Wars. Team captain Steven Thomas claimed that it was powerful enough to pick up any of the robots in the arena before the battle, but it never proved that as it did very little in its first battle against Fluffy, Kan-Opener and Team Challenge's new robot Double Trouble, all of which had appeared in another series before. In the battle, Kan-Opener sank its jaws into Demolition Man's armour and then Kan-Opener became immobilised, but the damage caused by Kan-Opener was also enough to immobilise Demolition Man as well. Demolition Man was counted out by Refbot, after Kan-Opener was, eliminating it from the competition. Demolition Man was then turned on its side by Sir Killalot, before being taken to The Drop Zone, where it had a dustbin dropped on it.
- "All the work, all the energy, all the cost, and now the Drop Zone! We think you're rubbish Demolition Man, now get the garbage can"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Demolition Man is placed on the Drop Zone
Series 7[]
A brand new incarnation of Demolition Man was entered into the Seventh Wars, and was drawn up against New Blood runner-up Mute, veteran Judge Shred 3 and former Heat finalist Corkscrew Two in the first round of its heat.
Mute forces Demolition Man into Shunt's CPZ straight away
Judge Shred 3 throws Demolition Man over onto its back
Shunt axes the immobile Demolition Man
Demolition Man is counted out
Hardly moving from the outset, Demolition Man was immediately rammed by Mute. Caught in Shunt's CPZ, Demolition Man fell by a combination of Judge Shred 3 and Mute, who flipped it on its side, then pushed it onto its back. The self-righting mechanism was too slow to activate before it was counted out by Refbot and Demolition Man was eliminated from the competition, just as Judge Shred 3 threw Corkscrew Two out of the arena. The srimech only properly activated after Demolition Man was dumped into the pit by the House Robots.
- "Again, they've gone early. Hard hats and all."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Demolition Man is pitted
Results[]
| DEMOLITION MAN - RESULTS | ||
| Series 6 | ||
| The Sixth Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat F, Round 1 | vs. Double Trouble, Fluffy, Kan-Opener | Eliminated |
| Series 7 | ||
| The Seventh Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat L, Round 1 | vs. Corkscrew Two, Judge Shred 3, Mute | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| Series | Demolition Man Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Entered with Saw Point |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| The Seventh Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Trivia[]
Official Series 7 photo
- Demolition Man's official photo in Series 7 portrayed the robot from the rear, and did not showcase its spinning disc.
- Both of Demolition Man's losses saw it go out along with another robot that lost in the first round of the previous series (Kan-Opener and Corkscrew Two respectively).
- All of Demolition Man's opponents had appeared on Robot Wars before. The same went for its predecessor Saw Point whose opponents had also appeared in another series.
References[]
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