Judge Shred

Judge Shred
Participation Information
UK Series	3-4, 6-7, Extreme 1
German Series	1
Other Names	Judge Shred 2 (Series 4) Judge Shred 2½ (Extreme 1, Series 6) Judge Shred 3 (Series 7)
Team Information
Team	Team Judge Shred
Team Members	Alan Blakeman Paul Blakeman Dave Cluley (Series 4, 6, Extreme 1) Michael Blakeman (Series 7)
From	Leicestershire (Series 3) Coalville, Leicestershire (Series 4-Extreme 1) Ellistown, Leicestershire (Series 6-7)
Robot Statistics
Weight	100kg
Dimensions	0.57m x 1.11m x 0.92m
Top Speed	12mph
Drive	2x 800W electric motors
Weapons	Full pressure flipper
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Clever use of golf cart batteries, a wheelchair speed controller, 22mm tubular steel and aluminium shielding. The weapon: a flipper, and a cutter. But will Judge Shred condemn its opponents to execution?"

— Jonathan Pearce in Series 3

Judge Shred (also referred to as Judgeshred) was the name given to a series of robots that competed in Series 3, 4, 6 and 7 of Robot Wars, plus the first series of Robot Wars Extreme. It was a reasonably consistent performer at the start of its career, reaching the second round of Series 3 and 4, but fell in the first round of the Sixth Wars on a close Judges' decision. Judge Shred 3 was the most successful of the machines, reaching the Heat Final in Series 7 where it controversially lost to Mute.

Versions of Judge Shred

Judge Shred

"Looks like a head-on collision between a food mixer and the surface of Mars."

— Robot Wars Magazine on the original Judge Shred

The original Judge Shred

The original Judge Shred was a roughly box-shaped red robot running off golf cart batteries, with two lifting pincers at the front with hardened edges to crush, and a spike at the back for extra grip. Both of the weapons were powered by 150 PSI gas canisters.

"The back one is a spike, which is variable, so we've got extra grip at the back if we get pushed off."

— Alan Blakeman on the rear weapon

The robot was powered by two 12 volt batteries, driving two 24 volt, 250 Watt wheelchair motors and a wheelchair speed controller, but had a low top speed of 4mph and a large turning circle of 2 metres. This version had an aluminium and tubular steel chassis with a 2" weld mesh cover covered in fibreglass. It took 8 weeks to build.

"Judgeshred 1 was a unique design at the time, with front lifting claws at the front and a stabbing spike at the back. Everything ran on 150p.s.i. CO2, which we now know was never going to be powerful enough. Drive was from two 12 volt wheelchair motors and power was of the 24 volt variety."

— Judge Shred website on the original Judge Shred

Judge Shred 2

"We liked the lifting aspect of the first robot, but the claws were pretty ineffective (even if they did look good), so we went for a full flipper weapon. The rear stabbing weapon on the first 'bot was also pretty useless, but again we liked the idea and so decided to design a proper axe for the back. We also wanted to get the top surface of the new robot a lot lower, hoping to make other axes ineffective and so we had the new design - along with some Bosch 750w motors and new batteries."

— Judge Shred website on Judge Shred 2

Judge Shred 2

In Series 4, the team entered Judge Shred 2, which was a low conventional box shape made from polycarbonate and alloy steel, armed with a 3-bar flipper on the front and an axe on the back, both powered by CO₂, at 15 p.s.i. like the original robot. It was coloured silver and orange, with flames painted on the sides. However, due to the robot having come in over the weight limit, two motors had to be removed, which stripped its rear axe of the right amount of power to self-right. Judge Shred 2 was only slightly faster than the original, with a top speed of 6mph, whilst the turning circle was 1 metre. The robot was powered by two 12 Volt batteries, driving by four 250 Watt wheelchair motors (2 on each wheel). The robot still had a steel chassis, 1 inch thick square steel, but the armour was improved to 6mm polycarbonate and 4mm aluminium. According to Jonathan Pearce, the team "begged, stole and borrowed" for parts.

Judge Shred 2½

"Heavy weaponry with which the judge can meet out punishment; a 180 degree axe, front flipper, and the body shell acts as a srimech too."

— Jonathan Pearce in Extreme 1

Judge Shred 2½ in the arena during Extreme

Side view of Judge Shred 2½ in Extreme

In Extreme Series 1 and Series 6, the team entered Judge Shred 2½, which was a low, aerodynamic dome-shaped robot with multiple body panels for damage limitation, a mixture of 3mm aluminium chequer plate & 3mm polycarbonate. It was armed with a flipper on the front and a lifting arm used as a self-righting mechanism (incorrectly stated as a 180 degree axe) on the back. It was powered by two 12 Volt batteries, driving two Bosch 750w electric motors, giving a top speed of 12mph in Extreme 1, and the robot could now turn on the spot.

"We started to design yet another robot after series 4, with the intention of taking our time over it. However, a new series was being filmed in between series 4 and 5 called Extreme Robots and as we were invited, we decided to try to get Judgeshred 2 ½ ready for it - not a very wise decision. We were nowhere near ready, due to Extreme being 4 months before we'd intended to be finished. We went into the arena out of courtesy to the crew. Even after they'd given us all day to get it working, still nothing worked properly, and to be honest it was a bit of a disaster. Due to our poor performance in Extreme, we didn't get into series 5, but we'd be back for series 6."

— Judge Shred website on Judge Shred 2½'s Extreme 1 performance

Judge Shred 2½ in Series 6

Judge Shred 2½ in the UK vs Germany Special

After failing to qualify for Series 5, Judge Shred 2½ was improved for Series 6, keeping the same design, but having many internal improvements. The weight had been increased to 96kg, as opposed to 91kg in Extreme 1. The flipper power was increased to 1000 p.s.i, with Paul Blakeman claiming the flipper could throw roughly 130kg. The robot still had two 12 Volt batteries, driving two Bosch 750w electric motors, but the top speed was reduced to 8mph However, this incarnation of Judge Shred lost all three of the battles it fought in and failed to qualify for Series 5, despite showing some competence in all of its battles.

"We have continued with Judgeshred 2½ for series 6 and had our best robot yet, after months of testing and trying to get it right. We now had a fully working self-righter, which looks pretty cool if we do say so ourselves and it did come in very useful in our first battle. However, this was still not to be our year."

— Judge Shred website on improving Judge Shred 2½'s for Series 6

Judge Shred 3

"A lot more armour, new motors, speed controllers, we've made the flipper so it self rights, which helps, and there's a lot more power in the flipper. But the main thing is: running it, running it and running it all year, and getting the weak points out."

— Alan Blakeman listing the improvements to Judge Shred

Judge Shred 3

The team's final robot, Judge Shred 3 (alternatively Judgeshred 3), was entered in Series 7 and was an upgraded version of its predecessor with better armour and a more powerful flipper at 1000psi, capable of throwing a robot out of the arena, which it managed in its first round fight against Corkscrew Two, but suffered from reliability issues. The flipper could now function as a self-righting mechanism, allowing the team to remove the rear lifting arm.

"We have now up-rated our motive power to 36 volts, which makes the robot extremely fast. It now has a single flipper which travels twice as high as the last one - as we believe that the limited travel of the flipper was our downfall in series 6. At one point or another we had every robot in the arena up in the air, but didn't have quite enough height to follow through."

— Judge Shred website on Judge Shred 3

The robot was now powered by three 12 Volt batteries, driving 800 Watt Bosch motors, giving a much higher top speed of 15mph. The robot retained the 1 inch square steel chassis, but the armour was now aluminium chequer plate, with a solid steel flipper.

"Dome-shaped, with the high power, 1000psi flipper/srimech, aluminium and steel body, speed, manoeuvrability, but questionable reliability still."

— Jonathan Pearce describes Judge Shred 3

Etymology

The name Judge Shred is derived from the fictional character Judge Dredd, from the 2000 AD comic book series of the same name. The derivative "Shred" is based upon the cutting nature of the original robot's weaponry, and the team would later reinforce the judge theme of their robot by wearing judges' wigs on the show. The robot's name was always spelt Judge Shred on television, but the team's website spells it as "Judgeshred"

The Team

"Alan and Paul are sitting watching a certain programme on BBC2, just minding their own business. Alan suddenly pipes up, "this Robot Wars stuff looks good, doesn't it? I think we should build one!!!" "Hmmm" mumbles Paul, looking quizzically at Alan. And so it all begins!!! It was series 2 that we were watching at the time, and after some contemplation we decided that we could probably do almost as good a job as the 'bots that we were were watching at that very moment. Weeks went by before we settled on a first design and then the work started in earnest."

— Judge Shred website on entering Robot Wars

The team in Series 3

Team Judge Shred consisted of captain Alan Blakeman and his relative Paul Blakeman in all of Judge Shred's appearances. Alan Blakeman designed and built the team's robots, and had an interest in model engineering and designing and constructing stage sets. Paul Blakeman drove the robot in most of the team's appearance, having had a hobby of driving remote control cars and helicopters, and also did the welding and bodywork on the robots, having had a hobby of modifying cars

In Series 4 and 6, as well as Robot Wars Extreme, Dave Cluley completed the three-man team, while his position was filled by Michael Blakeman in Series 7. Dave Cluley was an IT and Technology teacher, who designed and built the robot's electronics, whilst Michael Blakeman had been a "3rd hand when needed". Both of them were described as "gophers" on the team's website, meaning a low-level employee that who is made to do the bidding of their superiors.

From Series 4 onwards, the team would match their namesake by wearing judges' wigs, and briefly allowed Craig Charles to wear one of these head items in Series 7.

The team in Extreme 1

The team in Series 6

The team in Series 7

Robot History

Series 3

Judge Shred started its first Robot Wars appearance in Heat K of the Third Wars. In the first round, it was placed up against fellow newcomer to the wars Mr Punch.

Judge Shred rams Mr Punch

Judge Shred lifts Mr Punch

Judge Shred started by slowly moving towards its opponent, which was only spinning on the spot. Judge Shred managed to get the claws under Mr Punch and lift it up. It dropped Mr Punch and reversed, then pushed it towards the Flame Pit and into the arena wall. Judge Shred reversed, allowing Mr Punch to reverse away from the wall. However, it reversed onto the Flame Pit, and struggled to move off. Judge Shred rammed into it, but Mr Punch turned so the two robots were side-by-side. Mr Punch drove itself off the Flame Pit, but could not move away as Judge Shred turned around for another attack. Judge Shred tried to push Mr Punch, but drove at its opponent at the wrong angle, so it drove along the side. The two turned together, and as Judge Shred reversed to line up another attack, Mr Punch did not move away.

"This is all a battle of brains, not brawn so far."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred lifts Mr Punch as Shunt axes it

Judge Shred got its lifter under Mr Punch and tried to push it back onto the Flame Pit, but Mr Punch turned off the lifter. It turned away from Judge Shred, but in doing so, turned straight into Shunt, which axed into its top and lifted it with the scoop. Shunt drew the axe back, but Mr Punch did not get away, instead spinning on the spot. Shunt axed it again, puncturing the top and lifting it with the scoop again. Judge Shred came in and lifted Mr Punch, holding it still as Shunt axed it again. Judge Shred then pulled Mr Punch away from Shunt, but light smoke could be seen rising from Judge Shred. Mr Punch spun on the spot, as Judge Shred drove around it and pushed it down the arena, into the arena wall, then pulled it back. Mr Punch was still spinning, and Judge Shred got side on at it and pushed it around in the last few seconds.

"I think they're on top so far. They've been the more aggressive robot."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred backed off as Mr Punch spun around on the spot, and time ran out. The battle went a Judges' decision, and the Judges decided that Judge Shred had been the more aggressive and better-controlled combatant, and had suffered less damage than Mr Punch, so they were sent through.

Philippa Forrester: "It's smouldering, apparently! It's a bit smouldering from underneath, why's that?"

Paul Blakeman: "It's fibreglass, it's just the flames caught it a little, it didn't actually set on fire."

Alan Blakeman: "We've got our under-CO₂ to stop it."

— The team explain the smoke in the post-battle interview

In the second round of the heat, Judge Shred was placed up against another newcomer, X-Terminator.

Philippa Forrester: "You feel nice and confident?"

Paul Blakeman: "We think so."

Alan Blakeman: "We've got the right kind of weapon. "Ex-Terminator"!"

— Pre-battle interview

Judge Shred holds X-Terminator back with the lifting arms

Judge Shred started slower, as X-Terminator charged across the arena at it, but missed it and crashed into the wall. It quickly recovered, getting behind Judge Shred, axing it and pushing it into the centre of the arena. X-Terminator pushed Judge Shred in a circle in the arena centre, and continued axing it. However, as X-Terminator raised the axe and backed off for another attack, Judge Shred turned around, and managed to block X-Terminator as it charged back using the lifting arms. Judge Shred used the lifting arms to hold X-Terminator back and push it, and X-Terminators axe blow did not reach its opponent because of the arms. However, X-Terminator then got the scoop under Judge Shred and pushed it down the arena, and pushed it into the Pit of Oblivion after a brief struggle where Judge Shred was stuck on the front.

Judge Shred on the edge of the Pit

"Judge Shred, looking to get those pincers in action, with the great PSI value powered by CO2. But it's...exterminate, exterminate! Judge Shred, pushed towards the Pit! Judge Shred! PSI, CO2...KO! TTFN, Ta Ta For Now!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Judge Shred is pitted.

Instead of fully going in however, its weapons got caught on the edges and suspended it just over the edge, where it attempted to use its claws to escape, but was unable to do so and was deemed immobilised. Sir Killalot and Matilda came in and attacked the polycarbonate outer shell just before 'cease' was called.

Philippa Forrester: "Oh, it was a valiant struggle to the end, wasn't it?"

Alan Blakeman: "We tried, but we didn't realise how quick their robot was."

Paul Blakeman: "We hadn't seen them go before, we didn't realise that they were that quick, whizzed just straight across the arena!"

— Post-battle interview

Judge Shred was therefore eliminated from the Third Wars.

" In the first round we beat Mr Punch, which we were pretty proud of and then in the second round we came up against Xterminator. It all ended in tears, but was very enjoyable and a great lesson in what worked and what didn't."

— Judge Shred website on Series 3

Series 4

"Back to pass judgement again, with the short-sharp-shock treatment from the pneumatic axe. It has a wedge to flip and a srimech to self-right. The shell's polycarbonate and alloy."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2 participated in Heat N of the Fourth Wars. In the first round of the heat, Judge Shred 2 was placed up against walkerbot Millennium Bug and had a grudge match, as its other opponent was the number 22 seed X-Terminator 2.

"For one of these three, there is a death sentence waiting!"

— Julia Reed after doing her walk around the pits. This was accompanied by a drum roll, and the Judge Shred team putting on black caps

Judge Shred 2 flips away part of Millennium Bug's leg

Judge Shred 2 started slowly, as X-Terminator 2 went straight for it. Judge Shred 2 tried to avoid X-Terminator 2, but X-Terminator 2 soon caught up with it, axed it and rammed it into the top arena wall. X-Terminator 2 then left Judge Shred 2 and went to attack Millennium Bug. Judge Shred 2 drove after X-Terminator 2, but X-Terminator 2 sped away before Judge Shred 2 could attack. Instead, Judge Shred 2 attacked Millennium Bug, getting its flipper at its side and ripping off one of the metal leg guards with its flipper. X-Terminator 2 came in and axed the side of Millennium Bug as Judge Shred attempted to get under the rear of Millennium Bug, but did not flip it because of the rear bludgeoner, and moved away. It turned around, and drove back at Millennium Bug, trying to use its rear axe. It missed its first blow, as it was at the wrong angle, and X-Terminator 2 started axing it, and pulled it away from Millennium Bug with the axe. X-Terminator 2 then drove behind Judge Shred 2 and continued to axe it, but the axe did no damage.

"Well, the axe of X-Terminator making no impression whatsoever there, on the shell of Judge Shred 2. The shell polycarbonate and alloy, and at the moment, in this particular battle, I'd say Judge Shred 2 is the most impressive."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2 is pushed into the wall by X-Terminator 2

X-Terminator 2 axes Judge Shred 2

X-Terminator 2 rammed Judge Shred 2 into the arena wall, and Judge Shred 2 tried to axe its opponent, but the axe merely went into the hole for X-Terminator 2's axe. X-Terminator 2 went back on the attack of Millennium Bug, and Judge Shred 2 got behind the rear of the walking machine, but again did not flip and backed off. X-Terminator 2 continued axing Millennium Bug, and suddenly Judge Shred charged at the walker's front, getting under it and flipping it up.

"They came in with a pincer movement, to roll Millennium Bug over!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2 flips Millennium Bug over

Millennium Bug was left stuck on its bludgeoner, its legs moving helplessly in the air. As Dead Metal came out of his CPZ to attack Millennium Bug, Judge Shred 2 got under X-Terminator 2, but both robots were on the flame jet. Both robots got off as the House Robots attacked Millennium Bug, and eventually Judge Shred 2 got under the seeded robot again, lifting it up. Millennium Bug was thrown by the Floor Flipper, and both Judge Shred and X-Terminator 2 were through.

Julia Reed: "Your'e quite pleased with yourselves after that melee, aren't you? Why?"

Paul Blakeman: "Extremely!"

Alan Blakeman: "We lifted that walking robot, which was 160 kilos."

Julia Reed: "And you didn't know you could do that"

Paul Blakeman: "Straight on its back!"

— Before Round 2

In the second round of the heat, Judge Shred 2 was drawn up against the number 6 seed Behemoth.

Julia Reed: "...I believe that there's a quarter of a centimetre difference between your ground clearance and theirs for the flippers at the front, so how are you feeling?"

Paul Blakeman: "Great ours is lower than theirs is, so that's all that matters"

Julia Reed: "Yeah, but there's more area for them to come in at you, you've got a bigger surface area of actual bot."

Paul Blakeman: "Yeah, we'll just have to try and spin it around on itself, stop them getting in at the side, that's the main thing."

— Pre-battle interview

Behemoth flips Judge Shred 2 over

Judge Shred 2 started by driving at Behemoth's side, but Behemoth moved away before Judge Shred 2 could get under the side. Judge Shred 2 followed Behemoth as it crossed the arena and drove close to the CPZ, and got the flipper under the seeded robot. Behemoth drove off the flipper, but in doing so, drove into the claws of Dead Metal. Dead Metal grabbed Behemoth and turned it into the CPZ. Behemoth used its scoop to hold Dead Metal up, and the House Robot let Behemoth free. Behemoth got out of the CPZ and got under the side of Judge Shred 2, lifting it up on its side and holding it on the flame jet. Judge Shred moved off the flame jet, but Behemoth still had it pinned down using the scoop. Behemoth let Judge Shred 2 escape, but soon caught up with it, got under the side and flipping it over. Judge Shred 2 tried to use the flipper and the axe to self-right, but the weapons were not powerful enough.

"Well, they promised they had a srimech, and I don't think it's an effective one! And we are about to pass sentence on the judges!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2 is pitted by the House Robots

The House Robots came in, with Sergeant Bash pinching Judge Shred 2 by the wheel hub, which knocked Judge Shred flat onto its back. It continued firing the axe to right itself, but was unsuccessful, and Sir Killalot and Sergeant Bash both pierced Judge Shred 2 with their claws. Sir Killalot passed Judge Shred 2 to dead Metal, which sliced into it.

"And all of a sudden, Judge Shred 2 looks minuscule doesn't it? Weak and puny, in the presence of the House Robots."

— Jonathan Pearce

Sir Killalot picked Judge Shred 2 up and spun it around. Shunt then charged at Judge Shred 2 and axed the base. Shunt dragged the beaten machine back and axed it again, this time lifting it up with the scoop as the axe had pierced it. After Shunt axed another hole in Judge Shred 2's base, Dead Metal pitted Judge Shred 2 with the help of Shunt.

"We want to go to a court appeal!"

— Paul Blakeman to Craig Charles after the battle

After the battle, the team mentioned how the robot had initially been overweight when the robot had four motors, and so two had had to be removed which took away a lot of Judge Shred's pushing power. It was also revealed by the team back in the Pits that after Judge Shred 2 was flipped, whilst it was trying to right itself, the kill switch fell out so the machine lost power.

Extreme 1

Judge Shred's only appearance of the first series of Extreme was in a Mayhem qualifier battle, where it was placed up against Bulldog Breed 3 and Spirit of Knightmare.

"We have a lot of power in the front flipper, new rear flipper. We're gonna do some serious damage!"

— Paul Blakeman during the team's introduction

Spirit of Knightmare rams into Judge Shred 2½

Judge Shred 2½ appeared to be quite sluggish as it entered the arena for the battle. In the battle, as it drove forwards, Spirit of Knightmare drove towards it. Judge Shred 2½ swerved to avoid Team Knightmare's machine, driving around it and driving at Bulldog Breed 3. It tried to get under Bulldog Breed 3, but it turned past Judge Shred 2½ and drove away. As Judge Shred 2½ paused, Bulldog Breed 3 turned and sped past it, and Spirit of Knightmare quickly got under Judge Shred 2½, but Judge Shred 2½ quickly got off the wedge. As Judge Shred 2½ moved away from the others, Spirit of Knightmare turned around and rammed into it in reverse. Judge Shred 2½ was unaffected by the spikes, and tried to get under the side of Bulldog Breed 3. Bulldog Breed 3 turned away from Judge Shred 2½'s flipper, and tried to get under Judge Shred 2½, only for Judge Shred 2½ to turn away from the flipper. Judge Shred 2½ tried getting its flipper under Bulldog Breed 3 again, but missed as the flipper was not under Bulldog Breed 3.

"This is a bit of a sluggish battle so far."

— Jonathan Pearce

Bulldog Breed 3 flips Judge Shred 2½

Spirit of Knightmare slid under Bulldog Breed 3 and pushed it towards the side wall, with Judge Shred 2½ driving along with it to block its path, but in doing so drove into the arena wall. Its flipper seemed to be stuck under an angle grinder, but it moved away after a push from Bulldog Breed 3. Spirit of Knightmare rammed Bulldog Breed 3 into the angle grinder, then fired the flipper, allowing it to escape. Meanwhile, Judge Shred 2½ drove down the arena, and soon Bulldog Breed 3 reversed after it. Judge Shred 2½ pushed at its side, but Bulldog Breed turned off the flipper before it could fire. Judge Shred 2½ drove over a CO2 vent, then paused on it, before dodging Bulldog Breed 3. Whilst Spirit of Knightmare stopped moving, Bulldog Breed 3 chased Judge Shred 2½, pinning it against the immobile Spirit of Knightmare. Judge Shred 2½ managed to move away before Bulldog Breed 3 could flip, but drove into the arena wall. Bulldog Breed 3 chased Judge Shred 2½ to the top of the arena. After Spirit of Knightmare was counted out by the Refbot, Bulldog Breed 3 finally got under Judge Shred 2½ and flipped it over. Judge Shred 2½ was unable to self-right, and was quickly counted out by Refbot.

"And again, the Refbot starts the count! And this time, it is the judges who will be sent down for a long, long time!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2½ pitted by Shunt

Shunt axed into its base, and after being righted off-camera between shots, Shunt pushed it towards the Pit and axed it again. Judge Shred's srimech was firing, but it could not move and Shunt pushed it into the Pit.

"The judges, we have passed sentence on you - you are going down!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Judge Shred is pitted

However, Bulldog Breed 3 was unable to fight in the Annihilator due to the damage it took in its Series 5 Heat Final against Hypno-Disc. Unfortunately for Judge Shred, despite technically going out of the fight first, Spirit of Knightmare was chosen to replace Bulldog Breed 3.

Series 6

"And if there is any justice, deserves to go far."

— Jonathan Pearce finishing Judge Shred's intro

After failing to qualify for the Fifth Wars, Judge Shred 2½ returned for the Sixth Wars. Judge Shred 2½ competed in Heat G of the main competition, and was drawn up against Team 101's walkerbot Anarchy, and newcomers Revolution 2 and Thor.

Philippa Forrester: "Why are you most worried about them [Anarchy]?"

Paul Blakeman: "It's just heavy!"

Philippa Forrester: "Ahh, ok. But surely you can just nip on under there?"

Paul Blakeman: "That's what we're hoping, yeah."

Philippa Forrester: "'Cause you got a nice dome-wedge shape going on."

Paul Blakeman: "Yeah, I don't think it'll be a problem, keep getting into him, it's just turning him over I think, the other two aren't a problem."

— Pre-battle interview - Anarchy was heavier than Judge Shred's maximum flip, 130 kilos

Judge Shred 2½ bears the brunt of everyone's attacks

Judge Shred 2½ started by driving towards Revolution 2, but the spinning blades got caught in its side on the first impact. Judge Shred 2½ moved back and forth, but the blades were still stuck in the side. Revolution 2 pushed against Judge Shred 2½, but could not free itself. Anarchy came over to Judge Shred 2½, and axed the top, but Judge Shred 2½ flicked it up with the flipper. Anarchy continued pushing against Judge Shred 2½, which flicked it up again. Anarchy turned its attentions to Revolution 2 and axed it, which gave Judge Shred 2½ a chance to flip Anarchy, flicking it up and getting the flipper under it, holding it up. However, Thor got behind Judge Shred 2½ and hit it with the hammer, and Judge Shred 2½ closed the flipper. Revolution 2 managed to get its blades free from Judge Shred 2½, and Thor hammered Judge Shred 2½ again. Anarchy got at the other side of Judge Shred 2½ and also axed it. After another hammer blow from Thor, Judge Shred 2½ managed to turn itself away.

"They're all having a go at the judge."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2½ got under Revolution 2 and flipped it up, but Revolution 2 fell back unharmed. Anarchy got at the side of Judge Shred 2½ and axed it again, but Judge Shred 2½ pushed back and tried to get the flipper under its side. Thor rammed into Judge Shred 2½ and hammered it. Judge Shred 2½ managed to flick Thor up by one of the pincers, but before it could escape, Revolution 2 got behind Judge Shred 2½ and hit it with the spinner, with one of the blades getting caught in the armour again. As Revolution 2 pulled Judge Shred 2½ back, Thor landed another hammer blow. Judge Shred 2½ drove forwards, pulling Revolution 2 with it, but could get the blade out of it, and Thor continued hitting it with the hammer, leaving a notable dent in the top armour. As Revolution 2 and Judge Shred 2½ were still stuck together, Anarchy got its flipper under Judge Shred 2½ and flipped it, throwing it down the arena, but it was still stuck in Revolution 2's blade. Anarchy pushed against Revolution 2 and flipped it, but it was still stuck in Judge Shred 2½.

"Judge Shred 2½ is bearing the brunt of all this."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2½ between its three opponents

Despite still being caught in Revolution 2's blade, Judge Shred 2½ was able to get under Thor and flip it up, holding it up with the flipper until it fell off. Judge Shred 2½ found itself caught between Anarchy and Thor, who performed a pincer movement on it. Revolution 2 finally managed to get itself free, and reversed away, whilst Judge Shred was hammered by Thor and pushed by Anarchy. Revolution 2 chased after Judge Shred 2½, and hit the rear, only for one of the blades to get caught in its opponent again. Dead Metal charged in, ramming into Revolution 2 and cutting into it with the saw. Anarchy managed to get under Judge Shred 2½ and flip it against the arena wall. It tried to self-right, but the srimech merely flipped it away from the wall. Judge Shred 2½ managed to right itself, but Thor was behind it and hammered it a couple of times.

"They bashed down using the srimech, the self-righting mechanism, but it hasn't been a great display by Judge Shred 2½."

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2½ lifts Anarchy up

Judge Shred 2½ got under Revolution 2, but Revolution 2 turned itself off the flipper before its opponent could flip it. Judge Shred 2½ reversed into Dead Metal, and chased after Revolution 2, missing a flip. Off-camera, Revolution 2 was flipped over, and because the top castors had been removed to reduce weight, its blades were stuck on the floor. Judge Shred 2½ drove after Thor, but Anarchy got in the way as it flipped Revolution 2, so backed off, but Thor soon drove at it and hammered it. Judge Shred 2½ flicked Thor up using the flipper, and Thor reversed. Judge Shred 2½ also flipped Anarchy, but only flicked it up a little. Judge Shred 2½ drove away from its opponents as Thor attacked Anarchy, then got under Thor's side and flipped it up. Thor landed on top of Judge Shred 2½, whilst Anarchy axed Judge Shred 2½, then Thor. Revolution 2 was counted out, and in the last few seconds, Judge Shred 2½ got under Thor as it fought with Anarchy and held it up with the flipper. 'Cease' was called, and the judges were required to decide which robot would be eliminated. The Judges decided to put Anarchy and Thor through, eliminating Judge Shred 2½.

Philippa Forrester: "You know we talked earlier about that shape, you know that lovely aerodynamic shape."

Paul Blakeman: "The ex-aerodynamic!"

Philippa Forrester: "What it actually did was just enable everyone to roll on top of you, didn't it?"

Paul Blakeman: "Basically, yeah!"

— Post-battle interview

Judge Shred 2½ also participated in the UK vs Germany Special at the end of the Sixth Wars. This competition was also broadcast during German Robot Wars. Unfortunately, it was drawn up against the very destructive 259 in the first round.

Philippa Forrester: "You're up against 259. He's horrible. Are you horrible enough to cope?"

Alan Blakeman: "No, I don't think so, we're too weak and feeble."

— Self-deprecating from Team Judge Shred

Judge Shred makes a brave attack on 259's front

259 hurls Judge Shred 2½ against the side wall

Judge Shred 2½ started quicker, aiming to get under 259's side, but 259 charged at it, and on the first impact, a piece of Judge Shred 2½'s armour was ripped off and thrown away by 259's flywheel. Judge Shred 2½ briefly got beneath the front of the disc and flicked 259 up, only for 259 to smash through and buckle its flipper as it landed, rendering it useless. 259 followed this up quickly by ramming into Judge Shred 2½ three more times, tossing it ahead of it and buckling the side armour. One of the right-hand armour plates was torn off, exposing the wheel, which 259 promptly destroyed, leaving Judge Shred 2½ only able to drive in circles. Sgt. Bash and Growler both came out to attack Judge Shred 2½, with Growler clamping down on it.

"I'm afraid, the scales of justice are tipping against you!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 2½ goes flying

Growler puts Judge Shred 2½ out of its misery

However, they backed off and allowed 259 to continue attacking, and Judge Shred 2½ was knocked upwards the left balancing against 259's flywheel. Not wanting his robot to be damaged, Adam Clark stopped 259 and waited until Refbot knocked Judge Shred 2½ free. However, 259 had stopped moving by now, and Growler pushed 259 into the Pit release. Growler switched back to Judge Shred 2½ and pulled it out from the arena wall, holding it in front of Refbot, who counted it out.

"Out goes Judge Shred! Not fit to fly the flag!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Growler seized Judge Shred 2½ by its mangled flipper and pushed it onto the Floor Flipper, where it was thrown through the air and onto its back. Growler then grabbed Judge Shred 2½, holding it over the Flame Pit, before finally pitting it. In the German version, 259 was shown to be pitted as well, but still qualified as Judge Shred 2½ had been immobilised first.

Philippa Forrester: "Some warping, panels missing, I mean there is nowhere on this robot that hasn't been hit. That was hard, wasn't it?"

Alan Blakeman: "Very difficult, we hadn't had a spinner before."

Philippa Forrester: "But that wasn't any old spinner?"

Alan Blakeman: "No! We had a couple of chances to flip him in the first place, but we couldn't get the flipper right under the side of him, because of the low skirts on it."

Philippa Forrester: "You said you didn't know what you were up against when I talked to you before, are you shocked, were you in shock?"

Alan Blakeman: "Yeah, really am, after how much damage it can do."

— Post-battle interview

Series 7

A brand new Judge Shred machine, Judge Shred 3, participated in Heat L of the Seventh Wars. In Judge Shred 3’s first televised battle, it was drawn against New Blood runner-up Mute, and redesigned versions of Demolition Man and Corkscrew Two.

"For previous experience, look out for Judge Shred 3."

— Jonathan Pearce notes the most experienced competitor

Judge Shred 3 flips Corkscrew Two over

Judge Shred 3 throws Demolition Man over

Judge Shred 3 started by staying away from the others, as Mute pushed Demolition Man into Shunt's CPZ, before driving up the arena and flipping Corkscrew Two over. Mute drove under it, and Corkscrew Two drove over to the other side of the arena, bumping into the arena wall. Judge Shred 3 followed it as it moved down the arena, getting under it again and flipping it over, Corkscrew Two doing a forward somersault as it was flipped. Corkscrew Two dodged Mute, then charged at it, driving into Refbot as it did. Mute flipped Corkscrew Two over, and it reversed into Judge Shred 3, which flipped it over again. These flips did nothing to stop the invertible Corkscrew Two, which drove away from the others. Judge Shred 3 drove over to Demolition Man, which was still in the CPZ, having not been able to move out, and flipped it over. Whilst Demolition Man was counted out, Mute and Judge Shred 3 chased after Corkscrew Two, pursuing it towards the arena wall, where Judge Shred 3 flipped it over the fence.

"Good drive here, by Judge Shred. Got in underneath, and there, the scales of justice weigh heavily against Corkscrew Two!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 3 flips Corkscrew Two out of the arena

Shunt was mysteriously far out of its CPZ, which obstructed Mute, as Judge Shred 3 pressed the Pit release. With Demolition Man and Corkscrew Two eliminated, Judge Shred 3 and Mute had both qualified, but the two continued to push against each other regardless. Dead Metal was pushing the beaten Demolition Man around the arena, and as Dead Metal tried to spin Demolition Man into the Pit, Judge Shred 3 came in and flipped Demolition Man all the way onto the other side. Dead Metal was then able to revolve Demolition Man into the Pit, and 'cease' was called.

"Well, the big day dawned and we were quietly confident that we had the best robot that we've built so far and were expecting great things. With new batteries and T-shirts from our sponsors, we were ready to rock. ... Our new flipper worked a treat with all of the extra work that we'd done, throwing Corkscrew 2 out of the arena and Demolition Man down the pit - it was almost too easy."

— Judge Shred website on Round 1 of Series 7

In the second round of the heat, Judge Shred 3 was drawn up against a new version of UFO, whose flipper was now functioning after failing to work in the first round.

"We all get nervous, yeah. Even after four or five Robot Wars, you sill get nervous!"

— Alan Blakeman before the battle

Judge Shred 3 flips UFO

Both robots charged, but they merely grazed each other's sides as they passed each other. The two turned into each other, and Judge Shred 3 tried to get under UFO and flip it, but UFO bounced off the flipper as Judge Shred 3 tried getting under it. UFO tentatively drove around Judge Shred 3, before finally driving onto the flipper. However, Judge Shred 3 missed this opportunity, and fired the flipper too late, after UFO reversed off.

"This is tentative stuff. When I say tentative... it's boring! Get in there! Flip! Toss 'em out! Chuck 'em out! Bash and crash!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Judge Shred 3 prepares to throw UFO towards the arena wall

Judge Shred 3 turned around to fight UFO head-on, but neither robot seemed able to get underneath the other. UFO started to push Judge Shred 3, but Judge Shred 3 fired its flipper, and UFO was fully overturned. UFO, however, was able to self-right quickly. Judge Shred 3 chased UFO as it drove to the side of the arena, with the two fighting by a flame jet, with Judge Shred 3 flipping UFO once more after a delay. UFO was dangerously near to the arena side wall, but Judge Shred 3 could not flip UFO out of the arena. UFO was instead righted after Judge Shred flipped it into the arena wall, and it drove away from Judge Shred 3.

"Judge Shred 3 has got them in on the arena side, oh! Came in for the drive, and that would've been curtains for the UFO, they would've been out to space again, quite literally."

— Jonathan Pearce

UFO presses Judge Shred 3 against the arena wall

UFO got under the side of Judge Shred 3, and pushed it up to the arena side wall, where UFO could then flip it and hold it against the arena side wall. Judge Shred 3 tried to fire its flipper to get free, but UFO still held it up against the wall.

"Judge Shred 3 now has to worry, as UFO is in underneath their ground clearance, only 10mm, nonetheless it has exposed by the UFO."

— Jonathan Pearce

UFO tried pushing Judge Shred 3 against the wall in an attempt to overturn it, but this was not successful, and Judge Shred 3 eventually dropped back onto the arena floor after UFO turned away. UFO got around the back of Judge Shred 3, pushing with its own rear end, pushing Judge Shred 3 into the centre of the arena. Judge Shred 3 was eventually, however, able to angle itself at the side of UFO, where it could flip UFO onto its side. Even when firing its flipper, UFO simply could not knock itself back over again, and Judge Shred 3 backed away, leaving the stranded UFO idle. Refbot counted out UFO, as Judge Shred 3 pressed the Pit release, and then spun in celebration. Mr. Psycho closed in on UFO, and picked it up, holding it over the Flame Pit, before finally dropping UFO into the Pit of Oblivion.

"You've finally done it...first time in the heat final!"

— Craig Charles

Judge Shred 3 was subsequently through, the first time they had made it past Round 2.

"Drawn against UFO, we went into the arena and found that we had massive doses of radio interference. It was too late to do anything about it as we limped across to the start position - just what we needed!!! It was all we could do to just get the 'bot across the arena on activate. After a couple of flips we managed to get a lucky one in, which found our opponents on their side with no way of righting themselves. Due to our running state we left them there for the house robots to deal with, as we didn't want to turn them back over and then break down. So we won that one by the skin of our teeth."

— Judge Shred website on Round 2 of Series 7

In the Heat Final, Judge Shred 3 was drawn up against Mute again.

"We've fought them twice before, we won one and they won one. It's closely matched. ... We've just got to keep flipping each other and wait 'til one breaks down, I think. ... They've got more push behind them, we've got a more powerful flipper."

— Paul Blakeman to Jayne Middlemiss before the battle

Judge Shred 3 throws Mute up and over

At the start of the battle, the two robots spun around each other, until they eventually reached each other face-to-face. Judge Shred 3 fired its flipper, but missed as the flipper was not underneath Mute. Judge Shred 3 got a side-on opportunity to flip Mute, but only flicked it up a little. The two robots skittered around the flame pit, and Mute attacked with another frontal charge, pushing against Judge Shred 3.

"I know they may have fought before, sparred in practice and training. They've not met head to head, really, in our warzone. They fought together in the first round tonight, and came through that first round together."

— Jonathan Pearce

Mute flicks Judge Shred 3 up with its rear flipper

Eventually, as the two robots pushed against each other face-on again, Judge Shred 3 got its flipper underneath Mute and flipped it completely over. Mute fired its flipper to self-right, but rather than landing on its wheels, it instead did a complete somersault, and landed inverted again. Judge Shred 3 pushed against Mute, and Mute managed to self-right using Judge Shred 3 as a platform. Mute backed away, then spun around again. As Judge Shred 3 closed in for another attack, Mute was showing its back to Judge Shred 3, and was able to get underneath Judge Shred 3 and raise Judge Shred 3 up with its rear lifter. Mute continued to circle around Judge Shred 3. Judge Shred 3 eventually caught Mute, but could not overturn it with the flipper. Mute then made another ramming attack.

"Judge Shred is chasing them down, and certainly, the eyes of the law have Mute in their sight."

— Jonathan Pearce

Mute is sent flying by Judge Shred 3

Judge Shred 3 and Mute made yet another frontal meeting, and Judge Shred 3 was able to overturn Mute again. Just as before, Mute's attempts at self-righting only resulted in it completely flipping itself over and landing inverted again. After two failed attempts, Mute righted itself, but landed on Judge Shred 3's flipper, which flipped Mute once again. Mute remained on its wheels after this flip.

While this next attack was not shown on the televised edit, Mute was afterwards able to get another attack on Judge Shred 3 with its rear flipper. Judge Shred 3 was then shown to have reached Mute side-on, and Judge Shred 3 then flipped Mute over again. Mute's attempt at self-righting saw it land straight on top of Judge Shred 3, before making another failed attempt at self-righting. After this, Mute was able to successfully self-right.

Judge Shred 3 is rolled across the arena

Mute and Judge Shred 3 met head-on again, and Judge Shred 3 fired its flipper. Judge Shred 3 was not underneath Mute, so it bounced into the air, allowing Mute to get under and flip it. This flip rolled Judge Shred 3 across the arena wall, leaving it reeling.

"This time it's flipped Judge Shred 3, it was a meaningful flip by Mute! I would have had Judge Shred as the favourites here."

— Jonathan Pearce

Sir Killalot came out of his CPZ to press the Pit release. As Sir Killalot backed away, Judge Shred 3 was only moving on one wheel, merely turning in a circle, unable to drive forwards.

Judge Shred 3 immobile on one wheel, at the end of the battle

Mute circled around Judge Shred 3, trying to find an opportunity to flip with its rear lifter, but Mute's attack missed, and resulted in Judge Shred 3 being able to flip Mute again, but Mute quickly self-righted. Mute kept its distance, and cease was called.

"The Judges have made their decision. Based on style, control, damage, and aggression. It's a bit controversial, not sure I agree with it, then again, I'm not a judge. You three are. THEY'VE GONE FOR MUTE!!!!"

— Craig Charles breaks the news to the Judge Shred team

On the basis of Judge Shred 3 being limited in its movement at the end, and Mute getting attacks throughout, the Judges' Decision was awarded to Mute. This decision was considered highly controversial by some viewers, though this could be partially down to the fact that attacks of Mute's had been edited out of the fight.

Craig Charles: "How do you feel about the decision? Disappointed?"

Paul Blakeman: "Disappointed, but what can you do? We'll come back next year and try again"

Craig Charles: "You might even be seeded next year, mightn't yeah?"

Paul Blakeman: "One would hope so."

— The team after the Heat Final

Judge Shred 3 was eliminated after its best run ever.

"The heat finals for the first time ever!!! We were well chuffed, so anything from hereon in was a bonus. Drawn against Mute, we new it'd be a tough one. Luckily, we'd managed to sort out the interference to an almost satisfactory level and made our way into the arena. What a battle it was. Flip, flip, flip, we had them over many times and they had us up in the air a few times but never actually managed to turn us over. We were convinced we'd won it and so were most of the other competitors watching the TV in the pits. To our dismay, the fight continued for about 7 minutes and the batteries went flat slightly before Mutes did. Cease was called and we waited with trepidation for the judges decision. We were gutted that they gave it to Mute, even they thought we'd won it. Oh well, guess we'll have to whip them next year. Moral of the story is that we now know that the producer may decide to run the fight for as long as he deems necessary, if there's no clear winner. So it looks like robots now need to be able to run for 10 minutes to be sure of victory in this situation. Obviously more powerful batteries are going to weigh more if we are to keep the same motor power or increase it. Looks like we'll need to build another robot to save weight, so we need to start thinking about Judgeshred 4 - if we have time."

— Judge Shred website on the Heat Final of Series 7

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 6

Series Record

Main Series	Judge Shred Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Heat, Round 2 as Judge Shred
The Fourth Wars	Heat, Round 2 as Judge Shred 2
The Fifth Wars	Failed to qualify as Judge Shred 2½
The Sixth Wars	Heat, Round 1 as Judge Shred 2½
The Seventh Wars	Heat Final as Judge Shred 3
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter
Robot Wars Extreme	Appearances
Series 1	Entered as Judge Shred 2½
Series 2	Did not enter

Gallery

Official image of Judge Shred in Series 3

Judge Shred 2½ in the pits during Extreme 1

The Extreme Judge Shred 2½ at an event

Team Judge Shred logo

A closeup of the Judge Shred 2½ logo

Judge Shred 2½ without its armour at a live event

Judge Shred 3 being created

Judge Shred 3 with its team at a Robot Crusade event in 2003

Judge Shred 3 with rear brackets on the flipper

Outside Robot Wars

Gold Fusion, the team's Techno Games entry

The team also entered the spin-off show Techno Games, entering a Shot Putt robot called Gold Fusion, designed to throw a shot putt with its arm. Gold Fusion lost in its heat.

The team were also seasoned competitors on the live circuit throughout the lifespan of Robot Wars in its original run. Judge Shred 3 continued to compete at live events following the filming of Series 7, later adding structural framework atop its flipper to aid with the robot's self-righting. In one particular battle, Judge Shred 3 faced Mute in a rematch, alongside M2, but was quickly pitted.

Judge Shred 4 at Roaming Robots Northampton 2004

Judge Shred 4 flipped over at Roaming Robots Northampton 2004

In 2004, a new version of Judge Shred known as Judge Shred 4, briefly competed. It featured stronger armour, a raised profile, and a powerful flipper. The robot was primarily built for the cancelled FRA World Championship 2004 in Northampton, where its first opponent was to be Übervolt. When the event was cancelled, Judge Shred 4 attended the stand-in Roaming Robots event in Northampton.

Trivia

Official Series 7 photo

• Judge Shred is the only robot to throw a robot out of the arena, and record more losses than wins.
• Apart from Adam Clark, all of the teams that defeated Judge Shred went past the Heats at some point.
• Judge Shred was the only robot to use a ½ in its sequential numbering.
• Judge Shred was the only robot who appeared in the same show as a walkerbot four times (its heats in Series 4 (Millennium Bug), 6 (Anarchy), and 7 (Ansgar 3) and the UK vs Germany special (Ansgar's Revenge)) - Because of this, it is also the only robot to have faced more than one walkerbot in the UK Championship, facing Millennium Bug in Series 4 and Anarchy in Series 6.
• Every time Judge Shred fought in the main competition and didn't go out in the first round, they were in the same Heat as either X-Terminator or Behemoth, or both.
• Barber-Ous 2'n a bit, Iron-Awe 2.1, Sub-Version 1.1, Malc 1.5 and Judge Shred 2½ are the only robots to name a robot part sequentially.
• In 2016, when BBC news reported the return of Robot Wars, the Series 3 version of Judge Shred was included amongst pictures of classic competitors.
• Out of all the robots that beat Judge Shred, Anarchy was the only one that did not lose its next battle or have to withdraw from competition.

External Links

• Judge Shred website (Archived)