- "Drive chains from a car, teeth chains from a hospital hoist, the main frame's a physio's couch. The bodywork comes from freezers. They've plundered everything from here to Dundee, enough to drive anyone Loco...!"
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Dundee
Dundee was a competitor robot that fought in Series 3 of Robot Wars. It failed to progress beyond the first round in its only appearance, after getting flipped over by Cassius 2.
The team had also competed in Series 2 with Loco, which reached the Heat Final.
Design[]
Dundee's weapon setup
Dundee was a box wedge-shaped robot designed to resemble a crocodile, and armed with a novel and versatile set of weapons. These consisted of upper and lower crushing rams forming the crocodile's 'mouth', with sets of metal 'teeth', themselves driven on chains designed to snag and bite down on opponents. Mounted underneath the upper ram was an electric-driven cutting disc, its most damaging feature. Dundee's upper ram was also capable of acting as a lifter when lowered, with the intention of getting underneath opponents and tipping them over.
Dundee in the arena
The robot itself was mostly built out of scrap and salvaged materials. Both its drivetrain and weapons used drive chains from a car, the 'teeth' in its rams were made from chains from a hospital hoist, while the chassis was built out of the framework from a physiotherapist's couch. Dundee's armour was also salvaged from the metal found in freezers. While having an interesting design and weapon configuration, and being relatively quick by Series 3 standards, Dundee's high ground clearance, slow turning speed and lack of self-righting mechanism proved to be its key weaknesses during its only battle.
The robot was fairly inexpensive at a build cost of £200, suggesting it reused some components from predecessor Loco.
Etymology[]
Dundee was named after Michael "Crocodile" Dundee, the main character in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee. Its crocodile-inspired design, in turn, is also a visual pun on said character.
The Team[]
Dundee was entered by a Bristol-based team captained by Richard Manion. He was joined by his family member Eric Manion, and both had previously competed in the Second Wars with Heat Finalist Loco. The new third team member Charles Humphries filled the role of David Iles from the previous series.
Robot History[]
Series 3[]
Cassius rams Dundee into the clutches of Sir Killalot
Cassius 2 flips Dundee over
Dundee fought in Heat M, and was drawn against Series 2 runner-up Cassius 2 in its first round battle. In what was effectively a rematch of Loco's Series 2 Heat Final against Cassius, it started quickly, charging towards Cassius 2 and dodging its first flip while the latter was caught and pinned against the wall by Sir Killalot. Cassius 2 escaped, and both robots circled and hit each other before Dundee was pushed into Sir Killalot by Cassius 2. Dundee bumped into the wall before backing away and turning to attack Cassius 2 again, only to be nudged away and flipped onto its back after a charge from Cassius 2.
- "Good battle this, and Dundee, already doing better than Loco DID, IN THE LAST SERIES UNTIL THEN!"
- — Jonathan Pearce observes Dundee's change in fortune
With Dundee unable to self-right, 'cease' was promptly called, and Cassius 2 celebrated its victory by attacking the House Robots. This eliminated Dundee from the Third Wars.
Results[]
| DUNDEE - RESULTS | ||
| Series 3 | ||
| The Third Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat M, Round 1 | vs. Cassius 2 | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | Dundee Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Entered with Loco |
| The Third Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| 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[]
Outside Robot Wars[]
Dundee at the November 1999 charity event
Dundee alongside Suicidal Tendencies, Panic Attack, Miss Struts and Eye of Newt fought in a car park rumble in November 1999 in Plymouth in aid for Children in Need. In one fight it fought against Suicidal Tendencies and lost.
Appearances in Merchandise[]
Trivia[]
- Both of the crocodile-inspired machines in Series 3 would face past or future Grand Finalist flippers, with Dundee falling to Cassius 2 whilst Crocodilotron lost to the Series 3 champion Chaos 2.