Gladiator, and its updated version G2, was one of several featherweights from Team BlazerBotics, which competed in the Featherweight Championships from the second series of Robot Wars Extreme and the seventh series of Robot Wars. It reached the final in the Extreme 2 championship, but was eliminated from the heat stage in Series 7 after its batteries were knocked out.
Versions of Gladiator[]
Gladiator[]
Rear view of Gladiator in Extreme 2
Gladiator was a tall box-shaped robot with two large wheels on the outside, and a small pneumatic lifting arm for weaponry, although it was not used in either of its Extreme 2 battles. It demonstrated good pushing power, but could not self-right when stranded on its rear. The original Gladiator boasted a higher top speed than its successor, at 7mph.
G2[]
Gladiator returned in the Seventh Wars as G2. It featured a top speed of 4mph, and possessed thinner wheels and its armour needed to be filled with holes in order to meet the weight limit, but otherwise G2 had a similar design to Gladiator. The TV show erroneously referred to the robot as Cheese 2 due to a scripting error.
The Team[]
- Main article: Team MAD
The full Gladiator team (centre) in Extreme 2
Dave Young at the controls of G2 in Series 7
Gladiator was built by Team BlazerBotics, nowadays Team MAD, consisting of the young brothers Dave and Alan Young. Whilst Alan Young entered the Featherweight Championships of Extreme 2 and Series 7 with separate robots, Gladiator was controlled by the younger brother Dave in both of its appearances. In Extreme 2, older brother Alan also joined the team for the final, after his robot Flybot had already been knocked out in the first round. A female team member, presumed to be a family member, was also present in the booth for this fight. Dave Young also drove the antweight Hades, and would later become a Robot Wars champion, after driving Apollo to success in Series 8.
Robot History[]
Extreme 2[]
In its heat, Gladiator was placed up against Cutlet, Dragon, Kitty, Micro Mute and another robot from Team BlazerBotics: Flybot.
Gladiator activates the pit while Micro Mute comes off an attack from Cutlet
Gladiator began the battle by activating the pit release button, and then attacking Micro Mute. Gladiator's teammate Flybot managed to get itself and Kitty in the pit, before Cutlet shoved in Dragon, putting Gladiator through to the final, as three robots had fallen. Regardless, Gladiator then came in and shoved Team Coyote's machine, but failed to push it into the pit with its first attack. After reversing and charging again, Gladiator pitted Cutlet with its second shove.
Gladiator pushes Cutlet into the pit
Shortly after this, having qualified already, Micro Mute then dived into the pit, and as Gladiator drove behind Refbot near the edge of the pit, Refbot reversed, pushing Gladiator into the pit as well, with the House Robot falling in too, crushing the featherweights. Nevertheless, Gladiator, Cutlet and Micro Mute lasted the longest, so they progressed to the final.
- "How many can we get in that pit? Just about everyone!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Gladiator is pitted by Refbot, who then followed it into the pit
In the final, Gladiator was placed up against Cutlet and Micro Mute again, as well as Argh!, Bernard and Katnip.
- "Early tactic, press the pit release. Just as Gladiator did in its first fight."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Gladiator shoves Katnip into Argh!
Gladiator is attacked by Micro Mute
In this battle, Gladiator was chased by Katnip, but ignored it and activated the pit release button straight away once more. Gladiator then returned to the action and attacked Katnip, pushing it into the side of Argh!, who was subsequently pushed into the spinning Micro Mute. Argh! attacked Gladiator's exposed wheel, and also tore small bits of side armour off it,, before Micro Mute drove under it and Katnip, shoving both robots across the arena floor. After slipping off Micro Mute, Gladiator spun round on the spot, before turning to attack Katnip once more, this time shoving it from the side. After bumping into Argh!, Gladiator was attacked by Katnip, before being pressured into the path of Bernard, who deflected Gladiator away with a spin. At this point, Micro Mute knocked a wheel off of Katnip, and Gladiator continued to target the vulnerable machine, before a attack from Argh! flipped Gladiator up onto its rear. Micro Mute then charged underneath Gladiator once more and pushed it across the arena, before Gladiator hit the Floor Spinner button.
- "Look at the great power of Micro Mute, in underneath Gladiator!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Gladiator is upended by Argh!
Gladiator clashed with Cutlet briefly, with both robots circling each other in an attempt to breach each other's ground clearance. Unsuccessful, Gladiator attacked Bernard, but received a hit to its rear from Argh!. While Bernard was trapped on the lip of the pit by Argh!, Gladiator was attacked by Cutlet, with its opponent's wedge proving lower to the ground than Gladiator's flipper. Cutlet was then separated from Gladiator by Argh!, and Cutlet was immobilised soon after, whilst Micro Mute became caught under an angle grinder.
A wheel is ripped from Gladiator by Argh!
By this point, it became clear that Gladiator's right wheel had seized up, and it could only drive in circles, leaving it vulnerable to Argh! who, having immobilised Bernard and Cutlet, then used its wedge to drive underneath Gladiator, and this push appeared to fully immobilise Team BlazerBotics' machine. Unable to defend itself, Gladiator took damage to its front armour from numerous attacks from Argh!, before Argh!'s final attack tore Gladiator's wheel off.
- "It looks as if it's gonna be Argh!, pressurising Gladiator, are these the only two machines left standing, and left fighting? And a wheel comes off Gladiator!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Despite this, Gladiator was not counted out by Refbot, and it survived to a Judges' decision when cease was called, as did the immobile Bernard, Cutlet and Micro Mute. However, the Judges unanimously voted for Argh!.
Series 7[]
Gladiator returned as G2 for Series 7, where it fought fellow Blazerbotics robot Alpha, successor of AM CVn Cygnus X3, returning competitor Kitty, Mini-Maul, Prince of Awe and Rip, successor of Neoteric.
G2 is thrown over by Rip
G2 began slowly, and was flipped from behind by Prince of Awe, the attack throwing it into the path of Rip. Rip threw G2 back over, and G2 then missed a flip on the already immobile Mini-Maul. After just avoiding another flip from Rip, G2 turned away and attacked Prince of Awe from the side, but once again G2 missed its flip. G2 was then attacked by Kitty, which then retreated away from G2 as it lined up another flip. Rip came in and flipped G2 over, and as G2 attempted to right itself, it was flung back over by Rip again.
- "That's Cheese 2 [G2] being neatly controlled."
- — Jonathan Pearce as G2 rights itself
G2, immobilised after a concerted attack from Prince of Awe and Kitty
After righting itself, G2 nudged into Kitty, before chasing Cygnus X3 into a CPZ and flipping it over, where it could not self-right. It then lifted Rip up from behind slightly, but drove away while Rip was attacked by Mr Psycho. Kitty was later pushed into Gladiator by Alpha, and Team BlazerBotics' machine received a hit to its wheel soon after from Kitty. G2 was then flipped over by Prince of Awe, but as it was righted by another Prince of Awe flip, Kitty came in for another attack, which ripped G2's batteries out, immobilising it instantly. This was an act of vengeance from Extreme 2, where G2's teammate Flybot had pitted Kitty.
G2 is sent flying with Cygnus X3
G2 is left in ruins after being thrown out of the arena
Immobilised, G2 was placed on the Floor Flipper with Cygnus X3, and the flipper threw G2 out of the arena and Cygnus X3 into the pit, just as cease was called. G2 was eliminated, while Prince of Awe and Rip advanced to the final.
- "Look at this! Wahey! One's out of the arena, and the other one landed on the moon I think!"
- — Jonathan Pearce after the floor flipper threw G2 and Cygnus X3
Results[]
| GLADIATOR - RESULTS | ||
| Extreme 2 | ||
| Robot Rampage Featherweight Championship, Final | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Cutlet, Dragon, Flybot, Kitty, Micro Mute | Qualified |
| Final | vs. Argh!, Bernard, Cutlet, Katnip, Micro Mute | Lost |
| G2 - RESULTS | ||
| Series 7 | ||
| Special Events Featherweight Championship, Round 1 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Alpha, Cygnus X3, Kitty, Mini-Maul, Prince of Awe, Rip | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| Main Series | Gladiator Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Featherweight Championship, Round 1 Featherweight Championship with Alpha Withdrew before qualifiers with Merlin |
| Series 8 | Entered with Apollo Entered Pilot with Merlin |
| Series 9 | Entered with Apollo |
| Series 10 | Entered with Apollo |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Did not enter |
| Series 2 | Featherweight Championship Final Entered with Flybot, Chroma and Hades |
NOTE: MONTE, a robot built by Team MAD, was also loaned to Paul Streeter in order to enter the 2016 pilot
Outside Robot Wars[]
G3
During the time Robot Wars was off-air, G2 was succeeded by G3, a wedge-shaped featherweight armed with a much more powerful flipper. It competed at Robots Live! events run by its team.
Trivia[]
G3's cameo appearance in Series 10
- Before Series 8, Gladiator was the only robot from Team MAD to win a battle in the televised show, as it qualified for the Extreme 2 Featherweight Final.
- In both of Gladiator's heats in the Featherweight Championship, it fought against another robot from Team BlazerBotics (Flybot in Extreme 2, and Alpha in Series 7).
- The third version of the Gladiator series, G3, made a cameo appearance in Heat 1 of Series 10, in a family photo of Dave and Alan Young.
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