Heat B of Robot Wars: Series 8, (also titled Episode 2, Heat 2, or Thor's Fury in US airings), was the second of five heats which determined the finalists of Robot Wars: Series 8. The episode featuring Heat B was originally broadcast on 31 July 2016 on BBC Two.
The episode's original broadcast on BBC Two managed to attract 2.34 million viewers in the first week, a decrease of 240,000 viewers when compared with the previous episode. By twenty-eight days, it reached 2.42 million viewers, a decrease of 340,000 viewers when compared with Heat A. According to BARB, this meant it ranked fifth in the top thirty highest rated BBC Two broadcasts during 25-31 July, between Full Steam Ahead and Inside the Factory: How our Favourite Foods are Made.
Competing robots[]
Newcomers[]
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chimera | ||
| Weight | 72kg | |
| Weapons | Steel spikes | |
| Defence | Gas bottle chassis | |
| From | Bolton | |
| Team: Jordan Mann, Mark Rollins, Phil Mann, Phillip Mann | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Draven | ||
| Weight | 110kg | |
| Weapons | Hydraulic crusher | |
| Defence | Kevlar composite | |
| From | Melksham, Wiltshire | |
| Team: Martin Gutkowski, Richard Johnstone, Alex May, Roy Harris | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Foxic | ||
| Weight | 97kg | |
| Weapons | Electric lifter | |
| Defence | Armour plate steel | |
| From | Bristol | |
| Team: Craig Danby, Chris Danby, Sam Price | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shockwave | ||
| Weight | 110kg | |
| Weapons | Armoured scoop | |
| Defence | Steel Sheet | |
| From | Reading | |
| Team: Will Thomas, Ian Thomas | ||
Veterans[]
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| DisConstructor | ||
| Weight | 102kg | |
| Weapons | Spinning disk | |
| Defence | Titanium shell | |
| From | Redhill, Surrey | |
| Team: Mike Phillipson, James Phillipson, Laurie Phillipson, Albert Phillipson | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| M.R. Speed Squared | ||
| Weight | 109kg | |
| Weapons | 360° spinner | |
| Defence | Aluminium armour | |
| From | Belbroughton, Worcestershire | |
| Team: Peter Forsey, Jake Forsey, Sam Forsey | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Thor | ||
| Weight | 110kg | |
| Weapons | Pneumatic axe | |
| Defence | Hardened steel | |
| From | Northampton | |
| Team: Jason Marston | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tough as Nails | ||
| Weight | 107kg | |
| Weapons | 12T crushing pincers | |
| Defence | Steel chassis | |
| From | Helvoirt, the Netherlands | |
| Team: Jeroen van der Loo, Maria Gliniak, Tim Bouwens, Jeroen van Lieverloo | ||
Round 1[]
DisConstructor vs Shockwave vs Thor vs Tough as Nails[]
House Robot: Shunt
DisConstructor's disc throws sparks off Tough as Nails
DisConstructor is launched by the floor flipper as Shockwave and Thor gang up on Tough as Nails
In an attempt to stop the spinning disc from accelerating, Tough as Nails charged into DisConstructor, throwing sparks. Thor chased after the Dutch machine, but missed with its axe blow, and flipped itself over, while Shockwave pressed the pit release. DisConstructor reversed over the floor flipper to avoid Shunt, and was tossed through the air, right in front of Shockwave which barged it into the arena wall, the recoil throwing DisConstructor towards the lip of the pit, and Shockwave pushed it down, eliminating the first machine.
- "Oh, look at the power of the flipper! Lifting 103 kilos of DisConstructor as if it was a feather! And they must have been affected, because they're gone, they're out!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as DisConstructor is eliminated from the competition
DisConstructor is pitted by Shockwave
Tough as Nails pushes Shockwave and Thor together
Tough as Nails had grabbed the central body of Thor, and the two pushed each other back and forth until Shockwave became involved, ramming into the back of Thor to assist with its push. Thor's axe was too short to make contact with Tough as Nails, and the pincers grabbed Shockwave with Thor on top of it, and pushed both robots at once, although Shockwave entered a private pushing battle with Tough as Nails, mostly edited out of the final cut. Tough as Nails grabbed Thor again, but Shockwave wedged underneath Thor and pushed both machines into the arena wall, putting Tough as Nails at an angle where Thor could finally land a blow.
Tough as Nails is teamed up on by Thor and Shockwave
Tough as Nails is pitted
Shockwave wedged under the side of Tough as Nails, making it an easy target for Thor, which rained down axe blows until Tough as Nails had lost its removable link.
- "It's not Dutch delight, that's for sure. It's not working."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Tough as Nails is slammed into submission by Thor
The two allies rolled the defeated Tough as Nails around the arena, until Thor put Tough as Nails on the edge of the pit, and knocked it down with 11 seconds left on the clock.
Qualified: Shockwave & Thor
Chimera vs Draven vs Foxic vs M.R. Speed Squared[]
House Robot: Dead Metal
Draven drives over the non moving Foxic
M.R. Speed Squared rips a wheel from Chimera
Draven made the first move in the battle, driving towards Foxic, but due to Foxic's low ground clearance, rode straight up the top of the fox. M.R. Speed Squared started accelerating its rim, while Chimera kept out of the action. Draven rammed the back of Foxic, while M.R. Speed Squared tore into one of Chimera's tyres, ripping it off its axle.
- "Stay away from that one!"
- — Too late for Team Chimera
M.R. Speed Squared hits Draven
Draven targets Foxic
Draven followed the limping Chimera, and M.R. Speed Squared ripped its tyre off completely, eliminating Chimera from the battle. Foxic continued to limp around the side of the arena, unable to turn due to a loose gear. Some members of the audience called for Foxic to be counted out, but M.R. Speed Squared made contact with Draven, sending it spinning away, loosing pieces of armour. Draven continued to focus on Foxic, but M.R. Speed Squared caught Draven from behind, and immobilised it with a strong blow.
- "M.R. Speed Squared's OK, and would, I imagine, go through with Foxic which just stayed out of trouble all the way!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
M.R. Speed Squared delivers a KO blow to Draven
The remains of Chimera
It was revealed after the battle that Draven was suffering from control glitches, stopping the team from controlling it properly, while Foxic was impacted by its loose gear.
- "Possibly the least-impressive robot that has ever qualified through the group battle!"
- — A harsh critique from Dara Ó Briain
Qualified: Foxic & M.R. Speed Squared
Head-to-Heads[]
M.R. Speed Squared vs Thor[]
House Robots: Shunt & Dead Metal
Thor holds its prey over the flame pit
M.R. Speed Squared fled to spin up its rim, but the 30mph Thor was quick enough to catch up, and darted towards the full-body spinner, but narrowly missed and performed a U-turn, and collided with the now spinning robot, which rebounded into the pit release button. M.R Speed Squared could not spin its rim back up, and Thor pushed it over the flame pit, into the saw of Dead Metal, where Thor dented the top of M.R. Speed Squared.
- "It's the baby of Robot Wars, five weeks old, bye-bye, baby, baby, bye-bye!"
- — Jonathan Pearce on M.R. Speed Squared
Thor creates a lasting gash in aluminium
Thor and M.R. Speed Squared are flipped by the Floor Flipper
Thor pushed M.R. Speed Squared into the arena walls and back into Dead Metal, using the axe to put a huge gash in the aluminium armour. M.R. Speed Squared finally got its rim spinning again, deflecting Thor, but both robots drove over the floor flipper, which activated. Thor was thrown over, from which it self-righted, but M.R. Speed Squared's vulnerable underside was left exposed after being overturned.
- "Were they getting too arrogant and cocky, and lost sight of the floor flipper?"
- — Jonathan Pearce on Thor's tactics
Thor axes the exposed underbelly of M.R. Speed Squared
M.R. Speed Squared drives itself into the pit
M.R. Speed Squared spun up its weapon, striking the front of Thor, which pushed its opponent into Shunt's CPZ, but received Shunt's axe blow itself. Thor pushed M.R. Speed Squared into a trench wall, axing its halted rim, and in a CPZ, Thor struck its exposed chassis and internals. Either by mistake, or to avoid further damage, M.R. Speed Squared drove into the pit, awarding the win to Thor.
Winner: Thor via KO (3 points)
Foxic vs Shockwave[]
House Robots: Dead Metal & Matilda
Shockwave rides up the front of Foxic
Shockwave went on the offence straight away, but Foxic's wedge was lower to the ground, and pushed Shockwave backwards when it rode on top. Fleeing, Shockwave headed for the pit release button, and pressed it while Foxic appeared to come to a standstill, so Shockwave pushed it into Dead Metal's CPZ. Surprisingly, when Dead Metal tried to attack, Foxic shunted it across the arena. Shockwave saw this as an opportunity, and drove underneath Foxic, allowing Dead Metal to cut into Foxic with its saw.
Foxic is caught pushing Dead Metal
- "Foxic caught in the claws, but look at this power! That is not Dead Metal dragging Foxic, that is Foxic pushing Dead Metal, so it looks to me as if they have corrected the drive system!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Shockwave overturns Foxic at the arena wall
Shockwave pushes Foxic into the pit
Foxic was left near the pit, where Shockwave rammed it into the arena wall, overturning it with the lifting scoop. Foxic freed itself from the arena wall using its own lifter, but this left it with an open ground clearance upon landing, so Shockwave easily got underneath, and pushed it into the pit.
Winner: Shockwave via KO (3 points)
Shockwave vs Thor[]
House Robots: Dead Metal & Matilda
Shockwave's HDPE scoop
For this battle, Shockwave swapped its HARDOX scoop for a tubular one made of HDPE plastic, in an effort to deflect Thor's axe, and also offer extra weight to apply armour on top of the robot.
- "Thor can smack this all day long!"
- — Will Thomas
Thor knocks a piece of Shockwave's scoop away
Shockwave raised its scoop high as protection from Thor's axe, but Thor did not fire its weapon, instead exposing Shockwave's front ground clearance, and pushed it into Dead Metal. Shockwave pressed the pit release button, but was pushed back into Dead Metal which cut through one of its go-kart wheels. Shockwave returned to Thor, but an axe blow sent a third of its scoop flying off the robot, partially because the team were unable to acquire suitable screws near the studio. Shockwave barely missed the pit, and was pushed towards Matilda and Dead Metal, sustaining another axe blow.
- "Look at that! Part of the bucket literally flew away!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Shockwave's scoop works as intended
Thor, pushing Shockwave into the trench wall, repeatedly axed Shockwave, which deflected several blows with its raised bucket, but a strong blow removed another third of the scoop. Shockwave kept its scoop grounded, opting for a more offensive blows, but was struck by the axe more times, visibly bending the lifting mechanism.
Thor strikes Shockwave in the wheels
When Shockwave next rammed into its opponent, Thor landed a huge axe blow into the wheel reservation of Shockwave, and a slam from across the arena knocked the remains of Shockwave's scoop away, although Shockwave retaliated, pushing Thor into Matilda's flywheel, which ripped a wheel guard from Thor. The two robots circled around the arena until cease was called.
Matilda removes Thor's wheel guard
- "Thor dominating, but Shockwave still in there!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
The Judges gave the unanimous decision to Thor, awarding it two points, and Jason Marston did "the Thor" in celebration of the victory, at Dara Ó Briain's request.
- "Thor's hammer coming down, hammering it all the time, the aggression, using those criteria, we said Thor would win"
- — Dr Lucy Rogers
Winner: Thor via Judges' decision (2 points)
Foxic vs M.R. Speed Squared[]
House Robots: Dead Metal & Sir Killalot
Foxic's attack on the house robots backfires
M.R. Speed Squared opens the pit
Although M.R. Speed Squared's weapon began rotating in the opening seconds, it quickly stopped working, so resorted to avoiding Foxic, which was stopped in its approach by the floor flipper. Having already lost to Shockwave, Team Danby declared that they wanted to focus on attacking the House Robots, so Foxic drove into the claws of Dead Metal, where it was attacked for an extended period of time, with assistance from Sir Killalot, although Foxic's lifter allowed it to avoid most attacks before eventually touching Dead Metal's saw, creating sparks, while M.R. Speed Squared pressed the pit release button.
- "Well in all my years, I think this has been one of the dullest Robot Wars contests I think I've ever seen."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Foxic attacks, too little too late
The two robots finally made contact in the centre of the arena, but could not push each other. Foxic approached M.R. Speed Squared but missed with its lifter, wedging underneath at the end of the battle. Cease was called on an uneventful match, and the Judges were called on to choose a winner.
- "You know this is called Robot Wars, not Robot Wimps!"
- — Angela Scanlon
Although Professor Sethu Vijayakumar voted in favour of Foxic, a 2-1 split decision was awarded to M.R. Speed Squared, on the basis of Foxic's time wasted attacking Dead Metal, giving two points to M.R. Speed Squared.
- "That might be one of the worst fights, it might even be the worst fight I've seen in the whole of Robot Wars, just complete rubbish"
- — Professor Noel Sharkey
Winner: M.R. Speed Squared via Judges' decision (2 points)
Foxic vs Thor[]
House Robots: Dead Metal & Matilda
Foxic raises its scoop to bait an axe attack from Thor
- "I'm gonna drive in with this [the blade] upright and I'm gonna cut his bloody axe off"
- — Craig Danby before the battle
- "Well, he hasn’t won anything since he’s been here yet, so I don’t think he’s gonna start now.”"
- — Jason Marston’s response to Craig Danby’s pantomimic boast
The knockout blow from Thor
Foxic entered the Arena with its front scoop raised up and pointed at Thor, in an attempt to deflect Thor's axe blows and potentially cause damage to it. Thor moved in, choosing not to use its axe, but pushed Foxic around the arena and onto the Flame Pit.
- "Hit me!"
- — Craig Danby taunts Jason Marston and Thor
The immobile Foxic burns
Foxic retaliated, pushing Thor back and pinning it against the pit release button, where Dead Metal closed in and grabbed hold of Foxic. The House Robot sliced through one of Foxic's wheels as both robots escaped. Thor got in under Foxic, but Foxic escaped as Thor slammed into the wall, still keeping its scoop blade pointing at its opponent's axe.
Dead Metal slices into Foxic
The two robots met in the middle a few more times. Thor was able to push Foxic around, but still didn't fire their axe, as they were unable to get into a position to attack the sides. While locked in a tussle around the Flame Pit, Thor managed to turn Foxic, and fired its axe straight onto the top of Foxic.
- "There goes the axe! They've finally manoeuvred themselves into a position to have a crack with the axe."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Thor spent some time manoeuvring Foxic into the claws of Dead Metal, causing Foxic's removable link to fall out near the Flame Pit, before retreating and letting the House Robot attack Foxic. Foxic was stuck on the flames as a result of losing its link, allowing Thor and Dead Metal to come in and attack it again. Dead Metal finished Foxic off by cutting through its raised scoop blade, causing massive sparks to fly.
Foxic is flipped into the pit
After 'cease' was called, Matilda cemented Foxic's zero points tally by unceremoniously flipping it into the pit.
- "And now… Oh, no, no, no! We don’t need this, Matilda. Oh, Matilda, that’s… Matilda, you’re a bully! You’re just a bully! Beautiful, but a bully."
- — Jonathan Pearce watches in dismay as Matilda flicks Foxic into the pit
Winner: Thor via KO (3 points)
M.R. Speed Squared vs Shockwave[]
House Robots: Dead Metal & Sir Killalot
Will Thomas' injury
Whichever robot won this match would qualify for the Heat Final. Team Shock entered the match with a physical detriment, as Will Thomas had dropped Shockwave onto his hand after their last battle, and spent time in A&E. Although his fingers were banged, his thumbs were unaffected, so his driving skills were largely unaffected.
- Dara Ó Briain: "Can you drive with two fingers immobilised?"
- Will Thomas: "Yeah, the thumbs are OK, that's the main bit!"
- — The importance of Will's injury
M.R. Speed Squared is pinned on the wall and begins to smoke
Shockwave holds M.R. Speed Squared aloft
Shockwave, complete with a slightly battered scoop, drove straight at M.R. Speed Squared to try and disrupt the spinner as it accelerated its disc. While M.R. Speed Squared was trapped in a corner by Sir Killalot, Shockwave opened the pit. Shockwave got to grips with M.R. Speed Squared again and pushed them around the Arena, into the grips of Dead Metal. M.R. Speed Squared tried to start spinning their disc up, but it spun halfheartedly. At this point, a drive chain was ejected from one of Shockwave's wheels, but it carried on seemingly unimpeded, driving M.R. Speed Squared into the Arena side wall, pinning it on its side.
- "The blade cannot cause any damage, it would seem, to the Shockwave front bucket, which can lift up to 200 kilos in weight; and slammed it in a body press against the arena side gate there."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Shockwave stacks M.R. Speed Squared on its side
Both robots barely miss the pit
Shockwave pits a third robot
M.R. Speed Squared started smoking as it tried to escape. Shockwave hit M.R. Speed Squared and they dropped back onto their wheels, but were shoved into Sir Killalot. They skirted around the Arena, but Shockwave managed to keep the disc's speed in check. Shockwave rammed M.R. Speed Squared into the wall, buckling their scoop but only causing minimal damage. Shockwave again chased M.R. Speed Squared around before pushing them towards the pit. Their aim was slightly off, and M.R. Speed Squared skated around the side, while Shockwave had to quickly turn and avoid falling in the pit themselves, and only just survived. They escaped, turned around and took two attempts to finally shove M.R. Speed Squared into the pit.
Winner: Shockwave via KO (3 points)
Final Table[]
| Robot | Points |
|---|---|
| Thor | 8 |
| Shockwave | 6 |
| M.R. Speed Squared | 2 |
| Foxic | 0 |
Heat Final[]
Shockwave vs Thor[]
House Robots: Dead Metal & Sir Killalot
Thor recoils off Shockwave's scoop
Shockwave's knockout charge
Shockwave changed tactics from its previous battle and reverted to the metal ramp, rather than the plastic scoop of their previous battle with Thor. The two robots met in the centre of the Arena, and Thor was almost flipped over as it ran up the ramp. Thor tried to back up, but Shockwave drove it into the nearest wall and then across to another.
- "And immediately, it's a good start by Shockwave."
- — Jonathan Pearce
The immobile Thor is pitted
Thor didn't seem to have much control at that time, so Shockwave opened the pit and drove Thor across the Arena. Thor was balanced on the edge of the pit, and after firing the axe in a last vain hope of showing movement, it was dumped out by Shockwave.
- "What a shocker! Shockwave!"
- — Noel Sharkey's surprise as Shockwave take the heat victory.
Heat Winner: Shockwave
Trivia[]
- Despite the lack of seedings or reference to the previous series, all five heats of Series 8 featured a semi-finalist from the Seventh Wars. In Heat B, it was Tough as Nails.
- This episode's newcomers to Robot Wars were Chimera and Shockwave. However, neither Draven or Foxic had previously competed with a heavyweight outside of Robot Wars Extreme.
- This episode provided two cameo appearances by withdrawing/non-qualifying robots:
- During the VT with Team Shock before Shockwave's second battle, the team's non-qualifier Manta made a cameo appearance in the background.
- During a conversation between Dara Ó Briain and Professor Sethu Vijayakumar, withdrawn qualifier Armakillo can clearly be seen.
- Thor's statistics board listed its weight as 110kg. This is an error, as Thor's weight varies between 105kg and 108kg, depending on its choice of axe head.
- Thor fought every robot in this heat except Draven at some point in the reboot.
- On the day of airing the episode in the USA, Science Channel posted a clip of the entire Heat Final between Thor and Shockwave, also stating the winner of the battle, in a tweet.[1] This essentially revealed the outcome of the entire episode shortly before it aired in that territory.
References[]
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