Team Ranglebots

Team Ranglebots
Participation Information
UK Series	8-10
Team Information
Team Members	Ellis Ware Peter Ware Tara Ware
Home Town	Madeley, Shropshire

"I've been called a boy genius, and I really don't like that at all, I'm just building robots as well as I can."

— Ellis Ware

Team Ranglebots, known on television as Team Pulsar, is a roboteering team captained by Ellis Ware. A family team of mother, father and son, the team competed for the first time in Series 8 of Robot Wars, where they reached the Grand Final with their robot Pulsar, which also competed in Series 9. Team Ranglebots then reached their second Grand Final in Series 10 with a new build, Magnetar.

The team name "Ranglebots" is derived from the name of Ellis Ware's company, Ranglebox, which supplies robotics parts.

The Team

Ellis Ware

Ellis Ware with Magnetar

Ellis Ware is the captain of Team Ranglebots, and the builder, designer and driver of Pulsar and Magnetar. An experienced roboteer from the live circuit in lower weight classes, and a pioneer of brushless technology, Ellis Ware is the foundation of the team, and was aged only 19 at the time of Series 8, already the owner of online robotics business Ranglebox. Ellis Ware uses Robot Wars as a platform to show that robotics can be self-taught, as his knowledge came from the Internet, having not progressed to higher education. As a result of his expansive build diary on Pulsar for Series 9, Josh Valman decided to employ Ellis Ware at RPD International, and his proficiency at creating computer-aided designs allowed Pulsar and Magnetar to qualify for their respective series before even being constructed.

Ellis Ware with Kadeena and Joah Cox

Based on his success with Pulsar in Series 8, Ellis Ware was selected as a mentor in Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars. He joined Paralympian Kadeena Cox and her brother Joah to compete with Kadeena Machina, a vertical spinner. Ellis Ware maintained Kadeena Machina and made small repairs when necessary, and eventually the team won their episode without losing a single battle.

Peter Ware

Team Ranglebots in Series 8

Peter Ware is a music producer by trade, and is Ellis Ware's father, husband to Tara Ware. In Series 8, his team role was described as 'Project Overview, Logistics, Odd Building Jobs & Soldering', and he was seen directly making repairs to Pulsar in Series 9, although he proved to be responsible for one of Pulsar's batteries shorting out during its heat. His role in Series 9, according to the Robot Wars website, was 'team transport and build assistance', and then 'electronics' in Series 10.

Tara Ware

Tara Ware is a copywriter by trade, and is Ellis Ware's mother, wife to Peter Ware. Although not directly involved with the maintenance of Pulsar, Tara Ware was responsible for the team's attire, and her role was referred to as 'project overview' in Series 9, and 'logistics' in Series 10.

The umbrella used by Team RPD during Rapid's hero shot in Series 9 was Tara Ware's property, and Team RPD borrowed it from her.

Robots

Name	Weight Class	Series
Pulsar	Heavyweight	Series 8-9
Magnetar	Heavyweight	Series 10

Pulsar (Series 8)

Pulsar (Series 9)

Magnetar (Series 10)

Kadeena Machina (Battle of the Stars)

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 9
• Losses: 5
• Draws: 1

NOTE: This wins/losses ratio excludes the wins achieved by Kadeena Machina

Series Record

Series	Team Ranglebots Series Record
Series 1-7	Did not enter
Series 8	Grand Final, Round 1 with Pulsar
Series 9	Heat Final with Pulsar Battle of the Stars Champion with Kadeena Machina
Series 10	Grand Final, Round 1 with Magnetar Not selected with Pulsar

NOTE: Ellis Ware also competed in Battle of the Stars as mentor for Episode 2 champion Kadeena Machina.

Outside Robot Wars

Live Events

2012-2016

Prior to competing on Robot Wars, Ellis Ware achieved initial success with a variety of machines in lower weight class events.

In 2012, he debuted the Tormenta series of featherweights, each being four-wheel drive with electric lifters. The original machine featured a four-bar lifting mechanism and competed in Robo Challenge events under the Team Expat team name, collecting second-place finishes in all three of its 2012 FRA Featherweight Championship qualifiers. Tormenta 2 followed a year later with a completely revised design, switching to a double-hinged lifter/flipper with a flatter box-shaped design and a predominantly HDPE construction. This incarnation would finish the championship in the top 16 - collecting two knockout wins in the process - and receive the "Most Innovative Machine" award for its lifter and use of 'minimal resources' in its construction.

Tormenta 3

The Tormenta 2 design was further overhauled for Tormenta 3, which now incorporated brushless drive, interchangeable front wedges and lifting arms, wheel pods similar in style to those of the Series 8 Pulsar, and the use of watercut steel components. Sporting a copper (later white) and black aesthetic, it finished sixth overall in the 2015 FRA Featherweight International Championships^Citation? and won an event outright in Germany.

At the 2016 FRA International Championships - taking place between 31 March and 3 April 2016 - Tormenta 3 started strongly by throwing both Legion and Hatchet out of the arena in its opening qualifier. It would proceed to do the same to Twisted Sister and No Toy in even more ferocious fashion, but was in turn ejected from the arena in its third melee by Beauty 8. Two further losses against Pendulum and Dutch entrant Omega would eliminate Tormenta 3 from the main championship, though it would later recover with a whiteboard victory over vertical spinners Binky and Fissure.

For the 2014 FRA Featherweight Championship, Ellis Ware completed his first 'solo' build, the four-wheeled drum spinner Rango. Despite encountering major teething issues throughout, it would reach the semi-finals before being defeated by Beauty 2. Rango redeemed itself by winning the play-off against Defector, finishing the 2014 championship third overall. Rango was later sold to Team Legion and renamed Django. Under this identity, it finished runner-up to Explosion in the 2016 FRA International Featherweight Championships.

At the 2014 Robots Live! event in Stevenage, Ware also debuted two machines in the beetleweight category event - the wedged rammer Gonzales and the horizontal disc spinner Newton. Newton would go on to achieve major success in 2015 at competitions run by Kinematic Events, finishing runner-up to Limpet XS at Wolverhampton.

2017-2019

Neon in 2017

Leading up to the FRA Featherweight International Championships in 2017, Ellis Ware made use of his spare components, intended for use in heavyweight robots, to build the featherweight Neon in just two days. Featuring a powerful undercutting bar spinner and a top speed of 26mph, Neon finished ninth out of fifty robots at the championship.

Neon returned for the King of Bots UK International Championships in August 2018, sporting a new pink blade. Despite again proving to be a powerful competitor, it lost its opening melee after sustaining severe damage from Straddle 2, before winning a three-way melee against Red Hot Tilly Pecker and The Claw. In its third battle, Neon knocked out Mini ACE, but then recoiled out of the arena completely after colliding with the latter's wedge shape, losing the battle to Binky as a result. Neon was relegated to the eight-way qualifier for the Top 20, and once again recoiled out of the arena, eliminating it from the competition. Neon redeemed this by winning the event's Annihilator, throwing BANE out of the arena before winning the final against Naughty Snake.

In September 2018, the team's This is Fighting Robots heavyweight Sandstorm (see King of Bots/This is Fighting Robots) made its UK debut at Robots Live! Stevenage. Competing in various battles, it notably defeated Robot Wars Series 8 champion Apollo in the first round of the 2018 FRA UK Heavyweight Championship, though it would end up losing its next fight to Switch. A further loss in its Losers' Melee - at the hands of long-time Robot Wars veteran Behemoth - eliminated Sandstorm from the championship, though it would later pick up victory in a whiteboard also involving Vulcan.

Alongside Magnetar, Neon attended the Extreme Robots Maidstone event in 2019, competing in featherweight melees throughout the weekend.

2021-present

Following refurbishment, Neon returned to combat with Ellis Ware in late 2021 at the Labman FightFest Winter Challenge, sporting an updated black and orange colour scheme. Initially participating in the Annihilator competition, it was eliminated in the second round within its group, when the gyroscopic forces of Neon's bar caused it to throw itself out of the arena boundaries once again. Neon also took part in a House Robot Rebellion, comprising of two head-to-head battles against Jamie McHarg's replica of Shunt. While being pitted early into the first clash, Neon redeemed itself by inflicting damage to Shunt and the arena wall in the second, only for both to become immobilised on one side.

2022 saw Neon once again competing alongside Magnetar at Extreme Robots Portsmouth, collecting a trophy from its featherweight rumbles. A more significant achievement followed at Labman FightFest, where it finished runner-up in the Pro Championship to Team Immersion and Amnesia. A 1.5kg beetleweight variant, Glow, debuted earlier the same year at the BBB: Beetle Brawl in February, reaching the Round of 32 stage.

In early 2023, Ellis Ware debuted a second modern beetleweight in the form of the drum spinner Gizmo. Utilising a single-piece 3D-printed chassis, four-wheel drive and a twin disc-style weapon, it was completed for and entered into the BBB Beetle Brawl in late February. Despite an early setback - where it was flipped over and immobilised in its debut melee - Gizmo recovered to win six battles and become the overall event champion. Another championship triumph for Gizmo followed in early July, when it won the Robot Rebellion Beetle Belt at the Rapture Gaming Festival, Chatham. On November 4, it again reached the final round of a BBB event - the 2023 Beetle Champs - but settled for a runner-up finish after getting turned over and sent recoiling into the flip-out zone by Luchador.

Ellis Ware also returned for Labman FightFest 2023 with Killi Pepper, a conventional two-wheel drive vertical spinner derived from the version competing in BattleBots (see BattleBots). With a 6kg flywheel, a top speed of 25mph and a maximum voltage of 50 volts, Killi Pepper reached the overall competition final, but finished runner-up to Andy Russell's Nitro after becoming flipped over and immobilised.

King of Bots/This is Fighting Robots

Ellis Ware (left) with Great White at King of Bots

In October 2017, Ellis Ware entered the Chinese TV show King of Bots with Great White, a clusterbot co-developed with Team DeathRoll, the Australian builders of ABC/Discovery BattleBots competitor DeathRoll. The clusterbot consisted of a four-wheel drive heavyweight armed with an serrated vertical spinner modelled on a shark's tooth, as well as a modified version of Neon named Remora, using a large saw blade interchangeably alongside the bar spinner. Named after the eponymous shark, Great White continues Team DeathRoll's theme of basing their robots' designs on dangerous aquatic creatures.

In the first round, Great White faced a dangerous draw against Spin Doctor, built by the founder of RoboGames, but snatched a last-minute knockout to earn a highly credible victory. Two more knockout wins against Hunting Wind and Tánshè followed, the latter after causing extensive damage to the British entry's flipper and sides. Great White, now in the Top 8, maintained a similarly destructive form against the Chinese drum spinner Chiyung Jinlun, ripping into its drum, wheels and armour. However, after getting itself continuously pushed into the hazards, it was ultimately eliminated on a Judges' decision, its team also being penalised for using their floor flipper on Chiyung Jinlun too early. Within the same competition, Great White competed alongside Spin Doctor in a 2v2 battle against Wild Beast and Rust Boar. The Anglo-Australian and American effort won after the battle was aborted early, when Rust Boar's batteries caught fire.

Sandstorm, This is Fighting Robots competitor

For the spin-off show This is Fighting Robots, Ellis Ware formed his own team alongside Giles Ruscoe, - Team Relentless - to compete with Sandstorm, a heavyweight inspired by Tormenta 3. As with Tormenta 3, it was a four-wheel drive machine armed with a combined lifting wedge and front-hinged lifting arms. Sandstorm's brushless drive offered it a top speed of 24mph, and the robot is protected by thick HARDOX armour.

Initially, Sandstorm was not selected by the celebrity team managers, requiring it to fight in a four-way group battle against fellow UK entry Bonfire, American ring spinner Chronos and Mexican competitor Blue Demon. Its initial charge on Chronos was enough to impress Zheng Shuang, resulting in her selecting Sandstorm to become part of her team in the main competition. Under Shuang's captaincy, Sandstorm fought Chronos once again in a head-to-head Freestyle battle, charging it around the arena to win the Judges' decision. In the Alliance War 2v2 stage, it single-handedly challenged the Portuguese Zen Oh and Chinese Golden Hoops to win for itself and White Tiger Guardian, which became immobilised early on by the Team REC entry.

After gaining an automatic place in the Quarter-Final Qualification Race, Sandstorm was then immobilised by Red River Hong, whose first attack was enough to leave it stranded on its own damaged chain. Despite this loss, it was chosen by Zheng Shuang as one of her representatives in the Top 8. A quarter-final loss to Xiake - involving further damage and pinning on its own front wedge - eliminated Sandstorm altogether following a generally strong performance.

Great White in This is Fighting Robots, with a different version of Remora

Great White also competed in This is Fighting Robots as a 'Challenger', which joined the competition later into the series. Although Ellis Ware was not a member of the team, the minibot Remora was still represented by a different machine, sharing a similar set of undercutter spinners to Ware's version. This version of Remora was able to cause damage to White Tiger Guardian, before the main body of Great White earned a very quick knockout. However, Remora sustained damage in Great White's loss to Cat King, where the vertical spinner of the American machine threw Great White out of the arena.

The Hounds at King of Bots II

The Hounds with Ellis Ware

Team Relentless returned for King of Bots II, captained by Ellis Ware in collaboration with Andy Hibberd and Letitia Steer of Team RPD. They competed with The Hounds, a multibot consisting of two invertible drum spinners, driven by Ware and Hibberd. The Hounds impressed the celebrity captains at filming, and Ellis Ware joined Zhu Zheng Ting's team for the competition. The Hounds got off to a good start, defeating Yesaji and Warrior in back-to-back knockouts to win the 'attrition battle' for its celebrity team. However, The Hounds participated in no further fights and were automatically eliminated after Zhu Zheng Ting's team lost too many battles.

BattleBots

Ellis Ware (left) with Big Dill

Ellis Ware would make his first appearance on BattleBots in the 2022-2023 season World Championship VII where he was a member of the Big Dill team, captained by Emmanuel Carillo and also featuring members of the Hobgoblin and Lightning Tracks teams. For this, he built a new featherweight vertical spinner - Killi Pepper - which could compete alongside the heavyweight Big Dill and later enter UK competitions in its own weight class.

Originally an alternate for the season, Big Dill was chosen to compete in the main Fight Night stages as a last-minute substitute for newcomer DOOM. However, it endured a tough run, losing its first battle of the season to HiJinx after catching fire and becoming immobilised. A second knockout loss followed against Skorpios, despite Big Dill landing a couple of powerful blows with its vertical flywheel. Big Dill put on its strongest showing against MadCatter, surviving to the judges' decision and exchanging several attacks with the latter. However, Team Bad Kitty's machine prevailed in the subsequent decision, after out-pushing and inflicting severe drivetrain damage to Big Dill during the final minute. Big Dill maintained its improving form with a knockout win over Free Shipping, though it would ultimately not be selected to compete in the main championship bracket.

Big Dill also competed in the spin-off BattleBots: Champions II, filmed during the same October 2022 blocks as World Championship VII. Appearing in the penultimate Sin City Slugfest bracket, it was eliminated in the first round by JackPot on a judges' decision, despite putting up a strong performance against the Las Vegas local. Killi Pepper, however, was not used in this battle, nor in Big Dill's subsequent exhibition match against Bloodsport, which the main heavyweight won on a judges' decision.

Trivia

• Team Ranglebots are the only Grand Finalists across the three revived series that never battled Carbide at some point.

External Links

• Ranglebox - Team Pulsar Facebook page (current)
• Magnetar & Pulsar - Robot Wars Facebook page
• Magnetar & Pulsar - Robot Wars Twitter page
• Ranglebox website