Gabriel

Gabriel
Participation Information
UK Series	8, 10
Robot Wars Live Circuit	2014-16
Other Names	Gabriel 2 (Series 10)
Team Information
Team	Team Gabriel
Team Members	Craig Colliass Toby Colliass Zack Colliass (Series 8) Mark Colliass (Series 8) Sarah Colliass (Series 10) Rosie Colliass (Series 10)
From	Grove, Oxfordshire
Robot Statistics
Weight	110kg
Top Speed	17.5-20mph
Power	LiPo 8s, 29.6V or 9s 33.3V
Drive	4” AmpFlow motors
Weapons	Thwackbot with interchangeable blades
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"My robot is a lot different to most others in as much that it’s got really, really big wheels and an even bigger sword."

— Craig Colliass

Gabriel (referred to as Gabriel 2 in Series 10) is a heavyweight robot from Team Saint which competed in Series 8 and 10 of Robot Wars. Noteworthy for its large size - the largest in the show's history - and predominantly HDPE construction, it reached the Heat Final in Series 8 by defeating Chompalot and Beast, losing to eventual Grand Finalist Pulsar on a Judges' decision.

Despite going winless in Series 10, the reworked Gabriel 2 would achieve fame in its brief run, courtesy of a Group Battle performance where it partially immobilised Big Nipper, and brought reigning champion Carbide to a close Judges' decision. Gabriel 2 would also demonstrate its newly-implemented entanglement devices against former Grand Finalist Aftershock, though this was not enough to ensure its survival and progression from the Robot Redemption rounds. Later on, this incarnation represented the United Kingdom during Robot Wars: World Series, contributing towards the overall victory of Team UK in the first episode.

Team Saint entered Series 9 with Cherub, while Gabriel remained an unused reserve, only competing in a whiteboard match with Behemoth for that series.

Versions of Gabriel

Gabriel was the successor to a smaller barrel-shaped thwackbot called The Saint, from which the team derived their name and the naming scheme for their robots. The Saint is armed with a narrower swinging sword, and remained active for several years of Gabriel's competitive lifespan.

Gabriel (Series 8)

"I think it's fair to say that Gabriel is the biggest that we've seen on the show so far!"

— Angela Scanlon

Gabriel was the largest robot in the history of the TV series. It was a two-wheeled thwackbot armed with a variety of interchangeable blades and weapons, which it swung overhead by overturning the robot. Like most torque-reaction thwackbots, it was an axlebot. Its weapons include the team’s signature sword, a pickaxe, a battleaxe, and a sledgehammer, though only the sword and battleaxe were used in the televised show. In Series 9, Gabriel also used a new mace weapon on the end of its polearm with eight-point stars, which it used in a whiteboard match.

Gabriel in Series 8

Gabriel and its team enter the arena in Series 8

All of Gabriel's interchangeable weapons in 2016

Gabriel was capable of operating its weapon from a standstill, independently of its drive system, satisfying the active weapon rule for the TV series. Nevertheless, Gabriel's weapon was most potent with the momentum of a drive, relying on torque reaction for maximum impact.

"This innovative robot has four interchangeable weapons - sword, battle axe, pickaxe and sledge hammer. At 90cm, each of Gabriel's wheels is as tall as a washing machine."

— Robot Wars: Build Your Own Robot

The robot was armoured in 25mm of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), with a 6.2mm steel armour plate. Gabriel's large wheels - claimed to be as tall as washing machines - wide body and exceptionally high ground clearance also made it very difficult for other robots to push, grab or flip it. Its thick HDPE armour makes the robot's wheels flexible and fairly resilient to spinning weapons (as seen in its fight with Ironside3), while angled sections on each wheel helped prevent Gabriel from getting stranded when it was knocked onto its side.

Gabriel 2 (Series 10)

"The most successful thwackbot in Robot Wars history!"

— Jonathan Pearce in the World Series

Gabriel 2 was similar to the original Gabriel, but gained structural upgrades, including its conversion to 2in AmpFlow motors, which raised the robot's top speed from 11mph to a significantly higher range of 17.5mph to 20mph. The gaps in Gabriel 2's tyre tread sections were more pronounced than those of the original Gabriel.

Gabriel 2 on the statistics board

Gabriel 2 in the pits with its entanglement weapon

Gabriel 2 with its entanglement devices

Gabriel 2's flexible nature is demonstrated during its battle with Aftershock

Gabriel 2 in the World Series. Note the robot's name printed across its wheels

Gabriel 2 with its team in the World Series

"We've got five weapons in total. We've got the double-hit hammer, the bent mace, the straight mace, the smaller sword, and the bigger sword."

— Toby Colliass

Gabriel 2 brought with it an array of new weapons, including the robot's previous weapons (the team's signature sword and sledgehammer) and a new, smaller sword, designed for greater accuracy. The eight-point star mace was also a key addition to Gabriel 2's armament, as various ropes are now attached to the weapon, designed to entangle spinning weapons. Toby Colliass also alluded to a 'bent mace' weapon. In the World Series Gabriel 2 also featured the robot's name printed across its wheels and axle repeatedly.

"Practically indestructible, with its enormous HDPE wheels!"

— Jonathan Pearce in the World Series

Etymology

"The team have chosen to name their robot after the angel, Gabriel, as they wanted to be one of the ‘good guys instead of a bad guy.’"

— The Robot Wars website on the name Gabriel

Gabriel's name was derived from the angel Gabriel, sent by God as a messenger to other biblical figures. This is reflected in the robot's white colour scheme and Craig Colliass' reluctance to attack defeated robots, and the team's motive to be seen as positive characters in the show, rather than being one of the 'bad guys'.

It is likely that the decision to use the name Gabriel 2 in Series 10 was made to enhance the robot's chances of being selected, with the integer 2 suggesting improvements to the machine that would justify its return to the competition.

The Team

Main article: Team Saint

Team Saint in Series 8

Team Saint in Series 10

Gabriel was entered into Robot Wars by Team Saint, an Oxfordshire-based family team, referred to simply as Team Gabriel on Robot Wars. The team was captained by 56-year old gas engineer Craig Colliass. In Series 8, he was joined by his three sons, Zack, Mark and Toby, with 18-year old Zack Colliass taking up the role of driver. In Series 10, Craig and Toby Colliass returned, with the 14-year old Toby now being the driver of Gabriel 2, while the Colliass family daughters Sarah and Rosie completed the line-up, having previously competed in Series 9 with Cherub.

Robot History

Series 8

Gabriel debuted in Heat E of Series 8, where it fought Hodaf The Bad's successor: Crazy Coupe 88, Infernal Contraption and Beast in its initial Group Battle.

Gabriel strikes Infernal Contraption

Gabriel hits Infernal Contraption again

Gabriel initially attacked Crazy Coupe 88, but after it was flipped by Beast, Gabriel switched its attention towards Infernal Contraption, striking at the exposed wheels. Gabriel missed an attack on Beast while Crazy Coupe 88 was immobilised, but successfully swung onto Infernal Contraption again. Gabriel qualified for the next round with Beast when Infernal Contraption drove into the pit.

"You got beaten by a robot built by the dad from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"

— Dara Ó Briain to Crazy Coupe 88's team, describing Craig Colliass

In its first Head-to-Head battle, Gabriel faced Iron Maidens champion Chompalot. The team were confident going into the battle, believing that Chompalot's jaw would not reach the body of Gabriel, and considered switching their weapon to a pickaxe, but kept the sword in the end.

"We believe that Chompalot is fairly weak on the upper panels, and we're fairly confident that he can't actually get the beak high enough up to actually crush us at all, so we can get up close and personal, and really whack it good and hard!"

— Craig Colliass

Gabriel attacks Chompalot straight away

Gabriel hangs back whilst Chompalot drives onto the floor flipper

When the battle started, Gabriel landed a blow with the sword, but the team's confidence that Chompalot could not grab Gabriel's body proved to be misplaced, and Chompalot grabbed hold of Gabriel's body. However, this also meant that Chompalot's wheels were off the ground, and Gabriel pushed it into Dead Metal, where it was overturned. The House Robot inflicted damage, but Team Saint did not want their opponent to sustain severe damage, and Gabriel caused major damage to Dead Metal in order to cease the punishment, which was cut from television. Gabriel struck the side of Chompalot, where armour was missing, and this immobilised Chompalot on one side. Gabriel landed further blows onto the top of Chompalot, and when the dragon was thrown by the floor flipper, Gabriel had won the battle by knockout. Despite Gabriel's best attempts, however, Chompalot suffered severe damage after its batteries ignited, forcing it to withdraw from the competition.

"We and everyone felt for Debs and Simon when their robot went up in flames. It certainly wasn't what we wanted, people didn't see but Gabriel had stopped hitting Chompy and was bludgeoning Dead Metal to try and take the fight away from them. We really did do damage to DM and after that we were politely asked not to attack the house robots in the Beast fight!"

— Craig Colliass

Gabriel's next opponent was the powerful bar spinner of Ironside3, entered by Team Outlaw.

Gabriel fails to land a blow on Ironside3

Gabriel is thrown through the air

Gabriel was equipped with its battleaxe weapon, in order to try and jam up the spinning bar. Gabriel started the battle tentatively, hoping to clash battleaxe-to-bar, but sustained damage itself. Gabriel sustained three blows to its large wheels, and was caught by Sir Killalot, which burnt it over the flame pit. When freed, Gabriel's axe pole was bent by Ironside3, and still failed to land a single hit on Team Outlaw's machine, sustaining more damage as it was pushed back into the grip of Sir Killalot, although it buried its axe into the House Robot. Reflecting away from another Ironside3 blow, Gabriel's axe became stuck in the grid of the flame pit, and could not pull itself out without assistance from Sir Killalot.

"And suddenly it looks like a giant, white, dying swan!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Gabriel is stuck on the flame pit

The battleaxe pole is bent

Gabriel still lingered over the flame pit, and took another huge hit from Ironside3. Gabriel had lost pieces of rubber from its wheels, and the damage sustained throughout meant that the unanimous Judges' decision was given to Ironside3. Craig Colliass revealed after the battle that Gabriel's weapon was rendered useless, as a blow from Ironside3 broke one of Gabriel's torque limiters, preventing the robot from gaining the speed to flip itself over.

Due to Pulsar's position on six points and Ironside3's five points, Gabriel needed to defeat Beast via knockout in order to qualify for the Heat Final, which was unclear on television due to the order of the Ironside3 vs Pulsar and Beast vs Gabriel battles being switched, despite Dara Ó Briain and Jonathan Pearce stating that Gabriel required a knockout win to progress, and could not go to a Judges' decision. Gabriel reverted to its signature sword.

Dara Ó Briain: "Why do you think the sword will work well here?"

Craig Colliass: "I think the sword should work well, because the robot we're fighting has got exposed tyres, and we're hoping to actually, sort of do a bit of sushi on them!"

— Tactics to score the necessary knockout

Gabriel immobilises Beast very quickly

Beast had already entered the battle without a functional weapon, and Gabriel immediately rained blows down onto the top of it. These repeated attacks had immobilised Beast on one side, so Gabriel pressed the pit release, and launched more gentle attacks onto Beast. Team Saint sensed that they had already won the battle by knockout, and held back, Gabriel posing by holding its sword aloft.

Craig Colliass: "Do you want us to hit your robot?"

Team BEAST: "Yes, hit it!"

— Team Saint are encouraged to cause more damage

Gabriel attacks Beast despite its reservation

Gabriel launched a few more attacks, but then held off once again, not wanting to inflict further damage onto Beast. Gabriel nudged Beast towards the pit, but could not push it in, so spun in circles as cease was called. Although the match had lasted the full three minutes, the Judges declared that Beast was immobile during the fight, and Gabriel was awarded the full three points, awarding it a place in the Heat Final.

"We felt that Beast had actually been immobilised, and it didn't seem proper for us to continue any gratuitous violence!"

— Craig Colliass

In the Heat Final, Gabriel fought an opponent which it had not faced in the head-to-heads, Pulsar, which had been reinstated after Gabriel's attacks forced Chompalot to withdraw.

Gabriel is tipped over

Gabriel attacks a briefly immobile Pulsar

Gabriel is tossed by the Floor Flipper

The damage to Gabriel's wheel

Gabriel struggled to land a blow on the compact drum spinner, and Pulsar struck the sword of Gabriel to throw it over. Gabriel took control of the fight after this, missing with most attacks, but landed two blows on Pulsar, one of which directly striking the wheels. However, Pulsar caused damage to the wheels of Gabriel, and threw it over again. One wedge attack turned Gabriel onto its side, which caused Gabriel to miss its chance to attack a briefly immobile Pulsar. Gabriel was spun into Sir Killalot, where it also pressed the pit release button inadvertently, also striking the House Robot. Pulsar suddenly stopped moving, at which point Gabriel hammered it repeatedly. Although Pulsar regained movement, Gabriel took advantage of the same situation straight afterwards. In the late stages of the battle, Gabriel sustained damage to its wheels from the mobile Pulsar, and part of it was thrown towards a camera. Gabriel drove over the floor flipper and was thrown backwards by it, when cease was called.

The Judges' decision was unanimously called in favour of Pulsar, but Gabriel remained in contention for a wildcard position in the Grand Final along with Behemoth, Thor, Dantomkia and Storm 2. When the Judges chose Thor, Gabriel was eliminated from the competition.

To entertain the crowd in an untelevised fight, Gabriel fought a whiteboard match against Behemoth, driven by Team Saint's youngest member, Toby Colliass, future driver of Team Saint's machines in Series 9 and 10.

Gabriel is flipped by Behemoth during a whiteboard battle

During the battle, Gabriel was launched onto its side by the flipping scoop of Behemoth - an attack which was broadcast in some opening sequences of the show. Over the course of the fight, Gabriel lost power to one of its wheels entirely, and was forced to fight with only half of its drive working. Nevertheless, Gabriel persisted for the remainder of the three minutes, landing attacks on Behemoth. At the end of the battle, the audience in attendance at filming were called upon to decide the winner of the battle, and after Gabriel received more cheers than Behemoth, it was declared the victor. Despite this victory, Gabriel had sustained too much damage in this fight to participate in any further whiteboard battles.

Series 9

Gabriel's cameo in Series 9, Heat B

As an unused reserve, Gabriel never fought on television during Series 9, with Craig Colliass dedicating his time to repairing Cherub. However, the huge axlebot was still clearly visible in the background of every episode, making many cameo appearances in The Pits throughout the series. One such cameo was in Heat B, where it appeared next to Terrorhurtz.

Gabriel would also take to the arena to fight another whiteboard match against Behemoth, where it used its new mace weapon.

Gabriel drives under Behemoth's bucket

It immediately brought this weapon into play on the top of Behemoth, although the bulldozer pushed back, and lightly flipped Gabriel after sustaining another blow. Gabriel continued its assault while Behemoth mostly missed with its scoop, only managing to cast Gabriel's weapon aside. Gabriel turned itself onto its side and was flipped into the arena wall. The two fought in the corner, then battled in the centre of the arena, only landing light attacks on each other. When Behemoth missed with a flip, Gabriel drove under the scoop, and pushed Behemoth back.

Behemoth drives Gabriel and itself into the pit

After this attack, Behemoth flipped itself over and was forced to self-right. Gabriel continued to fight while Behemoth struggled to exit the flame pit. Later into the battle, Behemoth used its scoop to catch the weapon of Gabriel mid-attack, and turn the robot over, almost toppling over itself. In response, Gabriel used its fairly crooked weapon to sneak under the weapon of Behemoth, and push back. Behemoth lifted Gabriel and pushed it into the Arena Tyre, causing the pit to descend, as no House Robots were present. Behemoth capitalised immediately and charged Gabriel into the pit, although Behemoth fell in at the same time.

As the two robots fell into the pit at the same time, it is unknown whether Behemoth could be considered the victor, so the battle has no official winner. After 'cease' was called, Gabriel used its large wheels to drive out of the raising pit prematurely, and it pushed Behemoth back onto its wheels.

Series 10

"A team that featured last series with Cherub, if team captain and driver, Toby, can keep up the tactical aggression he showed but with a robot with a vastly stronger weapon in Gabriel 2, they could be very effective this series."

— Dr. Lucy Rogers

The updated Gabriel 2 competed in Heat B of Series 10, where it faced a challenging Group Battle draw against reigning champion Carbide and Classic Series veteran Big Nipper, the latter equipped with its vertical spinner arm. However, Team Saint had prepared for battling both spinners, electing to use a complete version of their mace weapon with entanglement devices to counter these.

Gabriel 2's mace and entanglement device

Dara Ó Briain: "These things, however, have a very specific purpose, what do they do?"

Toby Colliass: "They're meant to entangle spinning bars."

Dara Ó Briain: "Are you fighting a big spinner any time very soon?"

Toby Colliass: "Yep, we are."

Dara Ó Briain: "Are you fighting Carbide very soon?"

Toby Colliass: "Yep!"

Dara Ó Briain: "Is that the whole purpose of this?"

Toby Colliass: "Yep!"

Dara Ó Briain: "Nicely worked out, very good!"

— Toby Colliass on the choice of weapon

Gabriel 2 immobilises Big Nipper in a shower of sparks

On activate, Gabriel 2 began moving towards Carbide, before spinning away and colliding with Big Nipper, slamming the mace down on Big Nipper's body, jamming loose bolts into the latter's wheel mechanism and disabling its drive on one side. Sparks flew off Gabriel 2's mace as it connected with Big Nipper's still-mobile disc. Gabriel 2 fled from Carbide, but suffered an attack to one of its wheels from the spinner, which tore chunks of rubber out of the affected wheel.

Gabriel 2 is hit by Big Nipper

Gabriel 2 landed a hit with its mace on Carbide's right wheel, but was spun across the arena by Carbide's weapon in reply, and into Shunt. Gabriel missed several blows with the mace near Shunt's CPZ, before sustaining more damage to the wheels from Carbide's blade. Another attack from Carbide flipped Gabriel 2's mace into the air. Gabriel 2 then absorbed a hit from Big Nipper, causing it to bounce into the Pit Release button, activating 'Rogue House Robot' in the process. Gabriel 2 rode over Big Nipper as Shunt slammed into it, axing Gabriel 2's body without causing damage. Gabriel 2 hammered Big Nipper twice more, rendering Big Nipper completely immobile.

"How can Gabriel 2 take this damage?"

— Jonathan Pearce

Gabriel 2 absorbs a massive attack from Carbide

Gabriel 2 stays away from Carbide, which is beached on its own tyre

Gabriel 2 and Carbide charged at each other, and the resulting collision caused Gabriel 2 to bounce into the air. Gabriel 2 lost more rubber on its wheels as Carbide slammed into it again. Carbide's next attack sent Gabriel 2 spinning into a CPZ. Gabriel 2 avoided Carbide for several seconds before going for a full-frontal slam on the champions, colliding with Carbide's blade and spinning the larger machine away again.

"And Gabriel 2 has created damage and flips Carbide over! Look at those wheels buckling, they're like a zombie! Gabriel can keep going, they can absorb that impact! And the reigning champion is in trouble here now! Gabriel 2 have never performed anything like this! Carbide have never had to work anything like this! This is sensational stuff! This is the 91st Wonder of the World!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Gabriel 2's wheels buckle, but hold under pressure from Carbide...

...leading to Carbide being flipped over and Gabriel 2 being spun away

Gabriel 2 landed another hit on Carbide, but it didn't appear to cause any real damage. Carbide inflicted more damage to Gabriel 2 with three successive attacks on the battered wheels. Gabriel 2's mace bounced off Carbide's spinning bar, and while it began to spin in circles, part of Carbide's right tyre came off. Gabriel 2 backed away, biding its time, before crashing into Carbide. Gabriel 2's wheels buckled immensely under contact with Carbide's spinner, the impact flipping Carbide over and bouncing Gabriel 2 over onto one wheel. Gabriel 2 waited while Carbide was attacked by Shunt, but was spun over the Flame Pit, before absorbing another huge attack from its opponent.

"Gabriel 2 is still going. Heavens to Betsy, Gabriel, you can take some punishment."

— Jonathan Pearce

Gabriel 2 lands a hit on Carbide

By this point, most of the rubber on one of Gabriel 2's wheels was gone, reducing its traction dramatically, and the entanglement device had been completely torn off. Gabriel 2 drove straight into Shunt and over the Flame Pit, just missing the House Robot's axe blow and crashing into the spinning Carbide. Gabriel 2 persisted, driving into Carbide's blade again, bouncing across the arena floor next to the immobile Big Nipper. Gabriel 2 then activated the Pit Release button for a second time, this time opening the Pit. Gabriel 2 was spun onto one wheel via another slice from Carbide, and into Shunt, who axed Gabriel 2. Gabriel 2 quickly escaped, but drove straight into Carbide, which sent it flying into the air yet again and tore a chunk out of one of its wheels. The crowd began audibly cheering for Gabriel 2 as it suffered another blow from Carbide. Gabriel 2 drove away, sliding across the arena as it tried to turn around due to the lack of rubber on the tattered wheels.

"It's like a cartoon character, like its little legs are moving but it's not going anywhere."

— Dara Ó Briain

Gabriel 2 takes further damage from Carbide

Gabriel 2's loss of traction meant it had slowed down considerably. It drove over Carbide's half-destroyed tyre, bobbling along the arena, before turning and receiving another attack from Carbide, causing its opponent to recoil close to the pit. Gabriel 2 then absorbed one final blow from Carbide before 'cease' was called - Team Saint and Team Carbide congratulated each other almost immediately as the battle went to a Judges' decision.

"Torn, battered, bruised, brilliant. They're still in there. Who's going to brush up the arena floor? Six, five - it's going to go to the Judges, is it? This is unbelievable! This is one of the greatest fights ever in Robot Wars history!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Gabriel 2 and Team Saint receive a Guard of Honour from their fellow Roboteers

Although the battle was close, Carbide was declared the winner, despite Gabriel 2 immobilising Big Nipper early on. As Gabriel 2 and its team returned to the Pits, they were given a 'Guard of Honour' by the rest of the roboteers.

"Not many people can actually say they go three minutes with Carbide, hitting them, and still drive out of the arena, so we're really really pleased with that."

— Craig Colliass

In the Robot Redemption round, Gabriel 2 faced Aftershock, Team Saint opted to use the mace with entanglement device again, hoping to disable the vertical spinner of Aftershock.

Gabriel 2 is sent spinning away by Aftershock's disc

Gabriel 2 is tossed into the air

Gabriel 2 began cautiously on activate, where both it and Aftershock edged towards each other, before Aftershock hit the bottom of Gabriel 2's body, flinging the thwackbot away. Gabriel 2's entanglement device was partially torn off by a second attack from Aftershock, before Aftershock landed a hit on one of Gabriel 2's wheels, sending Gabriel 2 spinning across the arena floor on one wheel. Gabriel 2 bounced onto the Flame Pit, before absorbing another hit from Aftershock which threw it high into the air.

"That high density polyethylene plastic is designed to take on those powerful spinners. It's working. The tyres took the punishment as it bounced down, took the shock of the landing..."

— Jonathan Pearce

Gabriel 2's entanglement device is sucked up by Aftershock's disc

Gabriel 2 has its internals targeted

Gabriel 2 suffered more minor damage to the body and wheels as Aftershock drove under it. It was unable to land any hits on Aftershock with the mace, although some of its entanglement ropes were caught up in Aftershock's spinner, seizing the latter's weapon motor and ripping some of its internal wiring out. This didn't appear to affect Aftershock's spinner too much, however, and Gabriel 2 avoided Aftershock for a while, before charging in towards the spinner. After sustaining another blow to its body, Gabriel 2 was flung into the air again by Aftershock, and was immobilised by the impact.

Gabriel 2 is left over the Flame Pit

Gabriel 2 is left weaponless and beaten

"Gabriel 2 is in the claws of Sir Killalot. oh, Killalot! No, not the - oh no not the mace. Oh dear, oh dear, how cruel is that?"

— Jonathan Pearce

As Gabriel 2 was counted out, Sir Killalot came in and easily chopped off its mace with his claw. Weaponless and immobile, Gabriel 2 was eliminated from the competition as a result.

World Series

Gabriel 2 also represented the United Kingdom in Robot Wars: World Series, competing in Episode 1. In the Tag Team round, it was paired alongside fellow Team UK co-patriot and Series 8 champion Apollo; together, they fought two European returnees from Series 9 – Cobra from Belgium and TMHWK from the Netherlands.

Gabriel 2's sword locks together with TMHWK's axe

Equipped with its longer sword, Gabriel 2 spent the early moments out of the fray, waiting in its CPZ as Apollo and Cobra fought each other first. Eventually, it was tagged by Apollo as the ‘Fog of War’ was activated by TMHWK, charging through the fog and passing the Dutch machine. Gabriel 2 repeatedly swung its sword and hit the floor as its international opponents evaded, but slammed down on TMHWK’s axe arm and top armour several times while simultaneously manoeuvring it towards the Flame Pit.

"Looks awkward, doesn’t it? Looks a little bit wobbly! Don’t let looks deceive you…that is a huge, powerful…sledgehammer-type weapon, and they are battering TMHWK!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Gabriel 2 batters and locks together with TMHWK

Gabriel 2 is pushed onto the flame pit by Cobra and TMHWK

The two robots locked together, with Gabriel 2 driving forwards and tipping itself over onto one wheel as its sword hooked underneath TMHWK’s axe head. This allowed it to push TMHWK forwards and spin it round over the Flame Pit; as it did so, Gabriel 2 pirouetted around, causing the competitors to separate. Gabriel 2 resumed its attacks on TMHWK seconds later, before retreating to its corner as Apollo and Cobra resumed their duel. It rejoined the fight shortly after Apollo sustained damage from Dead Metal, with Craig Colliass instructing Toby to attack the House Robot. Bumping into Apollo, it was thrown by the Floor Flipper while escaping Dead Metal’s CPZ, only to attack TMHWK again and receive a shove from Cobra in retaliation.

"And now, this is a free-for-all! Oh, this is madness! They’re all in there now!"

— Jonathan Pearce as all four competitors and Dead Metal attack at once

Gabriel 2 strikes the top of TMHWK

The four competitors converged in the centre of the arena, with Gabriel 2 shepherding TMHWK towards Apollo and allowing the latter to flip it. In doing so, Gabriel 2 drove over the top of TMHWK and tipped itself over; it, Cobra and Apollo were pushed over the floor spikes by Dead Metal. Gabriel 2 escaped after being tipped onto one side and driving into an entry gate, only to be rammed into the wall by a reversing Dead Metal. It escaped the CPZ to attack TMHWK once again in the centre of the arena, just as Apollo flipped Dead Metal over. With seconds to go, Gabriel 2 hit TMHWK one last time before driving towards the pit – however, it accidentally hooked itself over the edge with its sword. Lifting its sword to break free, Gabriel 2 reversed away from the pit, just before TMHWK reversed itself in. ‘Cease’ was called, with Gabriel 2 landing a blow on Dead Metal’s underside before swinging its sword in celebration. The battle went to a Judges’ decision, which went in favour of Team UK, giving them two points.

"It was a good battle, actually. We felt a little bit rusty with regards to the driving…Toby’s accuracy wasn’t as good as it usually is. We got plenty of good hits on TMHWK, which was great, and those ladies are so gracious. And they had such good fun, it was really, really good. And we’re really pleased to actually get a win."

— Craig Colliass

Having noticed that Gabriel 2 was lacking the speed and power it displayed in Series 10, Team Saint replaced its batteries ahead of its Head-to-Head battle, against Portuguese entrant, and loanerbot Rabid M8. A potential victory at this stage could have enabled Team UK to win the competition before the final battle.

Dave Young: "Main tactic is, though, don’t listen to your dad."

Toby Colliass: "Okay."

Dave Young: "He’s soft. We know you’re angry, you can get angry and aggressive. Go in there, smash them, we can get them. They can’t cause any damage to us, can they?"

Toby Colliass: "No."

Dave Young: "Team UK all the way. Yeah! Come on!"

— Team UK discuss tactics ahead of Gabriel 2’s Head-to-Head

Immediately, the two thwackbots charged into each other, with Gabriel 2 slamming its sword down on the floor as it tried to hit the faster and more nimble Rabid M8. It succeeded in hammering Rabid M8’s top armour as the latter spun on the spike area, before dodging Shunt and flailing around as both competitors tried to attack each other again.

"And the whack-a-mole begins!"

— Sarah Colliass as the Head-to-Head begins

Gabriel 2's tyre is hit by Rabid M8

Gabriel 2 slams Rabid M8 from above

Gabriel 2 turned away from the spikes, and sustained a number of light hits from Rabid M8 as it met the latter in the centre of the arena. In doing so, it struck the top of Rabid M8 once again, but without causing damage to its chassis or tyres, and repeatedly hit the arena floor before pursuing the Portuguese entry around. However, it spun round before it could land another hit, and missed as the two robots drove head-on into each other once more. After being lifted by Rabid M8, Gabriel 2 chased it into Dead Metal’s CPZ before hitting the space between Rabid M8’s chassis and left wheel. However, it was slammed by Dead Metal, swinging wildly as it drove over Rabid M8 and was pushed out by the House Robot along with the latter.

Gabriel 2 is lifted onto one side by Rabid M8

Gabriel 2 is caught by the Floor Flipper

Trundling into Rabid M8 once again, Gabriel 2 kept hitting the floor as it struggled to land an effective hit. One of its wheels drove over the edge of the Floor Flipper, resulting in it being thrown over and sent it skidding into the wall. Gabriel 2 hit the top of Rabid M8 again before driving towards and over the Flame Pit; spinning around, it whacked Rabid M8 once again, with the two thwackbots hitting the floor simultaneously with their weapons.

"It’s the National Floor-Hitting Championships!"

— Dara Ó Briain as Gabriel 2 and Rabid M8 simultaneously hit the arena floor

Gabriel 2, immobile on one side, is axed by Shunt

Gabriel 2 stands upright and motionless as time runs out

At this point, one of Gabriel 2’s driveshaft keys had sheared, leaving it without drive on one side. With the affected wheel still being able to move freely, it spun around and swung several more times as it attempted to move across the arena. Gabriel 2 struggled to do so as Rabid M8 pressed the Arena Tyre, triggering Rogue House Robot mode and allowing Shunt to ram and axe it against the wall. Despite breaking off Shunt’s top horns, Gabriel 2 was left pinned against the wall, and sustained more rams and axe blows from the House Robot as it became apparent it could not drive out of the CPZ on its own. Gabriel 2 was eventually pushed out by Shunt, but began losing mobility in the other wheel as the only remaining drive motor overheated. It weathered more hits from Rabid M8 as it kept hitting the floor and spinning round. As the battle drew to a close, Gabriel 2 suddenly stopped spinning and raised its sword; it lost mobility altogether with seconds to go, remaining motionless until the klaxon sounded.

"What’s Gabriel 2 doing here? Well, we salute you, those who are about to die – have they died? Will the countdown start? Oh, ‘cease’ I think has just rescued them!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Gabriel 2 loses mobility just before ‘cease’

Both competitors survived to a Judges’ decision; the split decision went against Gabriel 2, leaving it with no points. However, with Apollo subsequently winning the final Head-to-Head against Diotoir, the points scored in the earlier Tag Team battle were still enough to help Team UK win the first episode of Robot Wars: World Series.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 5

NOTE: Whiteboard matches are not included

Series Record

Gabriel after its Heat Final in Series 8

Series	Gabriel Series Record
Series 1-7	Did not enter
Series 8	Heat Final
Series 9	Unused reserve Entered with Cherub
Series 10	Heat, Round 1

Outside Robot Wars

Gabriel wins the 2016 UK Championship

Following its televised appearance in Series 8, Gabriel fought at the 2016 FRA UK Championships in Stevenage, which took place in October 2016. Despite losing in the quarter-final stages to Toxic 2 on a Judges' decision, it won its losers' melee against Nuts and Dystopia before proceeding to win the 2016 UK Championship outright, beating Manta.

Gabriel was very successful at the first Extreme Robots event, held in Manchester in April 2017. Of its seven battles, it won six, including a tag team match where it was partnered with TR3. Along the way, it battered Eric again, and immobilised HIGH-5, all the while driven by Toby Colliass. Its only loss was a close Judges' decision to Big Nipper, although Gabriel avenged this loss later into the event. At the Gloucester event in 2017, Gabriel won a head-to-head battle against Donald Thump within seconds, and caused major damage to newcomers Griffalo and 2Point0. At the final event of the year in Maidstone, Gabriel used its entanglement device to defeat Tauron, but was pitted in a later fight by Iron-Awe 7, and was trapped under the floor flipper by Eruption.

In October 2017, Gabriel appeared at the Robots Live! Stevenage event to defend its FRA UK Championship title; however, it ultimately finished the championship eighth overall after being defeated in the quarter-finals by Toxic 2. At the same event, Gabriel also fought in various whiteboard matches and the Tag Team competition; the latter alongside Thor.

Gabriel 2 on display with Wheely Big Cheese at Extreme Robots in 2019

Gabriel was largely absent from the live circuit in 2018, but returned to combat in November 2018 at the Extreme Robots event in Cheltenham. There, it dominated and pitted ACE in its first battle, and then defeated another robot from the same team in the next round, HIGH-5. It then defeated Beast before finally losing to Aftershock in the final round, finishing as the runner-up. Gabriel was also in attendance for the May 2019 event in Portsmouth, defeating Earthquake in one of its battles, as well as the FRA UK Championship in Stevenage in late September. In the latter, it reached the second round of the main competition, pushing Iron-Awe 5 into the pit in the first round before being thrown out of the arena by YOTON to finish twelfth overall, and won two whiteboard melees.

In April 2020, Craig Colliass posted pictures of Gabriel 2's drive system being upgraded from a brushed system to a new brushless configuration. Whilst Gabriel 2 previously used Ampflow A40-300 motors and Roboteq electronic speed controllers, it now uses Maytech 8085 160kv sensored motors and V1 Maytech 200a VESC6.6 (Vedder Electronic Speed Controllers for electric mountainboards) for enhanced performance.

During 2022, parts of the robot used in the Robot Wars reboot - including an armour panel and a wheel used in its Series 8 Heat Final - were put up for sale by Craig Colliass.

As of September 2023, the brushless-driven Gabriel 2 continues to fight at Robots Live! and Extreme Robots events, alongside The Saint and the team's newest heavyweights - Uriel and Zadkiel. Ahead of Team Saint's appearance at the inaugural Extreme Robots Brentwood event on 27-28 May, the robot underwent a rebuild for additional performance and reliability gains. In spite of this, Gabriel 2's appearance was hampered by recurring instances of the robot losing drive on one side. During a Heavyweight Championship challenge against Eruption, Gabriel 2 lost mobility completely, resulting in it being thrown out of the arena.

Gabriel 2 would enjoy improved fortunes at subsequent 2023 events; at Extreme Robots Newcastle (22-23 July), it would win the opening melee of the weekend over Ignition, Thor and Meggamouse. Though generally struggling to earn victories at the Colchester leg (16-17 September), it was nominated as Team Divinity's representative for the Sunday show final, the team having won the show on an audience vote after tying Team Quake on twelve points. Against Gladiator winner Iron-Awe 5, Gabriel 2 capitalised on the former's depleted CO₂ reserves, hammering it multiple times to win the Judges' decision - and the Sunday show - for Team Divinity.

At Maidstone (21-22 October), Gabriel 2 started strong with a win over Manta, effectively repeating its 2016 FRA title victory. On this occasion, an over-flip by Manta left it stranded with its flipper open and unable to retract, giving Gabriel 2 the knockout. From that point on, however, Gabriel 2 would endure another tough weekend, including two losses to Implosion and recurring drive issues. Improved reliability allowed Gabriel 2 to perform consistently at the season-ending Cheltenham event, often surviving to a judges' decision. During the first Saturday show, it qualified for the final against Meggamouse after winning the Gladiator in this manner against Eruption and Tectonic. Gabriel 2, however, would end up losing the final after getting flipped out of the arena during the first twenty seconds.

Gabriel, the team's featherweight

Excalibur at Clash Bots

The team also competed with a featherweight robot using the Gabriel name. A heavyweight robot built by Team Saint, Excalibur also competed in the Chinese TV show Clash Bots using a design extremely similar to the heavyweight Gabriel. According to Team Gabriel, this was intended to form the basis for a proposed Gabriel 3 before its identity was changed for Clash Bots. For more information on Team Saint's other robots, such as Excalibur, Uriel and The Saint itself, see Team Saint.

Robot Wars Live Events

Gabriel, equipped with the sledgehammer

Gabriel, along with Team Saint's earlier heavyweights The Saint and Cherub, were regular competitors at the 2013-2016 Robot Wars-branded live events run by Roaming Robots. Team Saint attended every event during this period, with The Saint having earnt the Tag Team co-championship in 2014.

Gabriel proved to be the most successful of Team Saint's entries, its biggest success being a third-place finish at the 2015 Robot Wars World Championship. To achieve this position, it initially progressed from the first round over Luzifer on a Judges' decision, qualifying on aggression alongside Dystopia, which pitted Toon Raider to take the other place. Most of Gabriel's subsequent battles would end in a similar fashion; in the second round, it would win the decision on aggression and damage caused to Tough as Nails after the latter had already pitted Beast. A close quarter-final against Series 7 Semi-Finalist Gravity followed, where it balanced out the Dutch machine's flips with its own sword attacks. Gravity flipped itself over, and did not have enough power to fully self-right. This occurred late enough for Gravity to avoid a full count-out, though Gabriel still won via the Judges yet again.

Gabriel faced Thor in the semi-finals, but sustained more damage during a close battle, resulting in it being eliminated on a Judges' decision. Relegated to the playoff, Gabriel fought another close scrap against Manta, where its large size allowed it to narrowly escape being pitted. Manta, having also backed over the edge of the pit, fell in completely while trying to throw itself free, allowing Gabriel to claim third place overall.

At the 2016 Manchester event - its first appearance in that year's Robot Wars tour - Gabriel was thrown out of the arena by Behemoth and Ripper in two of its battles. An additional head-to-head fight saw it cause significant damage to the original Series 3-4 incarnation of Eric, battering and bending its chassis and armour panels out of shape.

Trivia

• Gabriel and Gabriel 2 were the largest robots in their respective series, and Robot Wars as a whole.
• Gabriel 2 was the only robot to lose to Carbide on a Judges' decision.
• Gabriel 2 was the only UK representative in the World Series which did not participate in the 10 Robot Rumble.
  • Gabriel 2 was the only UK representative in the World Series not to feature the UK flag on its body, instead featuring stickers of its name for unknown reasons.
• Matilda is the only house robot Gabriel never met.

External Links

• Team Gabriel Facebook page
• Team Saint Facebook page
• Gabriel (Series 8) on the Robot Wars website
• Gabriel 2 (Series 10) on the Robot Wars website
• Team Gabriel interview on YouTube