- "The main feature of the weapon - hardened nose cones. The main feature of the body shell - hardened nose cones. The main feature of the team ... hardened nose cones."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Eye of Newt was a robot that competed solely in the Pinball Competition held during Series 3 of Robot Wars. It failed to qualify for the main series, but finished joint fourth with Crusader in Pinball, scoring ninety points.
Eye of Newt's name was a reference to the famous cauldron scene from the William Shakespeare play, Macbeth. "Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and howlet's wing- for a charm of powerful trouble, like a hell-broth boil and bubble." As a further homage to this, the team dressed up as wizards throughout the robot's only appearance.
Design[]
Originally, Eye of Newt was designed as a two-wheeled robot with a single wedge, painted grey and intended to be invertible. The version that appeared in Series 3 was a double-wedged robot, again invertible and with two-wheel drive. The wedges were designed in such a way that one could get underneath opponents and the other could act as a weapon when the robot spun, and vice versa when it was flipped. Eye of Newt was painted silver with a large picture of a newt printed on its top.
Robot History[]
Series 3[]
- "Eye of Newt, tongue of toad...wing of bat...let's see if it can discover a spell-binding performance!"
- — Jonathan Pearce calls the start of Eye of Newt's Pinball run
While Eye of Newt failed to qualify for Series 3, it was one of ten robots that competed in the Pinball Competition. It began by going straight for one set of barrels, before spinning in circles and getting pinned by Sir Killalot. Eye of Newt escaped, driving straight past Sergeant Bash's target and continuing to evade Sir Killalot as he ran over the ramp. However, it hesitated near the second set of barrels, and was pushed by Sir Killalot before retreating to the set of barrels in an attempt to prepare a run up the ramp. Sergeant Bash pushed the ramp away, compelling Eye of Newt to attack him and hit the 50-point target after getting wedged into the wall. However, Sir Killalot pinned Eye of Newt against the wall, and Eye of Newt missed a charge towards the multi-ball release as time ran out. It scored ninety points during this run, placing it joint fourth overall alongside Crusader.
Eye of Newt was also due to partake in a grudge match following The Third Wars, drawn up to fight Shrapnel[1]. However, due to a serious behind-the-scenes incident, these matches were cancelled. As a result, its performance in the Pinball Tournament marked Eye of Newt's sole appearance in Robot Wars.
Results[]
EYE OF NEWT - RESULTS | ||
Series 3 | ||
Pinball Equal 4th Place (with Crusader) | ||
Pinball | 90 pts | 4th |
Series Record[]
Series | Eye of Newt Series Record |
---|---|
The First Wars | Did not enter |
The Second Wars | Did not enter |
The Third Wars | Pinball Competition |
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 |
Outside Robot Wars[]
Eye of Newt alongside Suicidal Tendencies, Panic Attack, Miss Struts and Dundee fought in a carpark rumble in November 1999 in Plymouth in aid for Children in Need. In one fight it fought against Suicidal Tendencies and lost. It also fought in a rumble against Panic Attack, Suicidal Tendencies and Miss Struts.
Eye of Newt, among other Robot Wars competitors such as Killertron, Wheely Big Cheese, Tor, St. Agro, Rottweiler 2 and Miss Struts, took part in the 2000 Children in Need event which consisted of tug of war, battles and sumo matches [2]
In 2002 Eye of Newt would make a rare appearance at the 2002 Plymouth Village Fete alongside Constrictor and Hellbent. Due to the lack of an arena, Eye of Newt was only there as a static display.
Trivia[]
- The Eye of Newt team went on to use the robot for charity events, raising considerable sums of money for Children in Need.
- Eye of Newt also proved a popular exhibit in South West primary schools, where it was used to encourage children (and their parents) to consider engineering as a career choice.
- Eye of Newt was one of two robots (along with Six Pac) whose team only ever competed in the Series 3 Pinball.
- Six Pac appeared in the episode that aired directly after Eye of Newt's.
- The Eye of Newt team are the only team from Cornwall to appear on the show and never reach the semi-finals.