Flamethrowers were a type of projectile weapon used exclusively by House Robots in Robot Wars. Most notably used by Sergeant Bash and also briefly used by Growler, flamethrowers were never legal weapon types available for competitors to use.
Despite this, many competitor robots in other robot combat events such as RoboGames and BattleBots, and even fictional competitors from video game releases make frequent use of flamethrowers.
Definition[]
The flamethrower of Sergeant Bash in Series 1
A flamethrower is a gas-powered device mounted on a robot, capable of shooting a stream of fire forwards. Short bursts of fire proved capable of setting alight flammable materials such as the fur of Diotoir or the material of Granny's Revenge. Prolonged contact from the heat of a flamethrower can also gradually burn out the internal components of a competitor. By virtue of shooting fire forwards, flamethrowers were the only projectile weapon type seen on Robot Wars.
By the rules of Robot Wars, competitor robots could not use flamethrower weapons, with only House Robots and various arena hazards being equipped with flamethrowers. No clear reason was given for the illegality of flamethrowers in the classic series, although it is presumed to be a safety concern. Regarding the reboot, Team Legion (who planned to use a rear flamethrower on Sabretooth) claim that flamethrowers were not legal weapon types due to a lack of relevant insurance[1].
List of Robots with Flamethrowers[]
Robots are listed alphabetically.
DESKTOP MODE ONLY: House Robots are listed with a gold background.
| Robot | Series Appearances with Flamethrowers | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growler | Extreme 2 | House Robot. Only for the second series of Extreme was Growler equipped with a rear-mounted "tail" flamethrower - weapon was not present in Series 6 or 7. Flames tended to rise vertically and were rarely used. | |
| Sergeant Bash | Series 1-7, Extreme 1-2, US Seasons 1-2, Nickelodeon, Dutch Series 1-2, German Series | House Robot. Flamethrower was mounted on a rotating turret, for 360 degrees of range. Sergeant Bash was also equipped with a gripping claw to hold robots in place for flamethrower attacks, and in Series 1 only, a rear saw. |
Trivia[]
Sabretooth in Series 9 with its rear exhaust
- The Series 9 version of Sabretooth contained some of the internal components required to run a flamethrower, with the decorative exhaust seen on the back of the machine being a planned flamethrower weapon, which would have been completed if the weapon type was legal for the series.
- The exhaust aesthetic was retained for the Series 10 rebuild, and Team Legion pledged to complete the flamethrower irrespective of weapon rules ahead of a prospective eleventh series - however the cancellation of the show ultimately stopped this plan.
References[]
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