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"A prickly contender"
Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide

Kronic the Wedgehog (often shortened to Kronic) was a series of robots that competed in Series 4-7 of Robot Wars. The original version reached the Heat Final in its debut appearance in Series 4 after helping to knock out the seeded Gravedigger, but its successors lost in the first round in Series 5 and the second in Series 6 and 7. However, Kronic 2 was notable for flipping former series champion Panic Attack over in its first round battle during Series 6 to be the last robot standing.

Series 8 champion Apollo is modelled upon the most recent version of Kronic the Wedgehog, and was built by Kronic's current owners, Team MAD.

Versions of Kronic the Wedgehog[]

All versions of Kronic the Wedgehog shared the same colour scheme of blue, red and yellow, with yellow top-mounted spikes and an angry face printed on the front lifter/flipper, known as the 'Kronic face'.

Kronic the Wedgehog (Series 4)[]

Kronicthewedgehog mag

Front view of Kronic the Wedgehog

The original version of Kronic the Wedgehog was built in a greenhouse, a fact reflected in the team covering the top spikes with flowerpots in the pits. It was a tall box-wedge shaped robot powered by two 12 Volt Sinclair C5 motors giving it a top speed of 10 mph. It had motorcycle gears and was armoured in polycarbonate.

"We're a bit worried about the polycarbonate casing because it's flexible and should be easily pierced."
Julia Reed voices concern
Kronicthewedgehog face s4 arena

Kronic the Wedgehog in Round 2 of its heat

The frame was reused from the original version that failed to qualify, and was made from steel and aluminium, and it had 4 industrial trolley wheels.[1] Kronic the Wedgehog's weapons were a front lifter and a rear-mounted spike, which was reused from the original version that failed to qualify for Series 3, only being moved to the back, whereas it was on the front of the original. The metal part sticking out of Kronic's face was the ram pivot.

"The gearing for the inside of the robot was quite large as we used motorbike gears, so we didn't have much space for a decent weapon."
— Team Kronic website[2]

Strangely, bubble wrap was used in the robot to cushion the two MIG welding bottles used as power for the flipper, and its spikes were made of metal and painted yellow and black in contrast to later versions. The robot appeared to use two types of flipper panels which sported different teeth on the face design. The first panel used in Kronic the Wedgehog's official photograph and first round melee used small sharp teeth resembling those of a shark, while the second panel used in its second round and heat final battles used large fanged teeth that were tipped with blood.

Kronic 2 ... Yeaaahhhh!!! (Series 5)[]

"After a bit of a whipping in series 4, we wanted to re-vamp Kronic so that it had a chance against robots with powerful flippers, like Thermidor. We wanted to keep the original Kronic 'flavour' and go for a more sleaker design which was more nimble and more powerful. ... We chose an aluminium shell as the polycarbonate on Kronic the Wedgehog wasn't very strong."
— Team Kronic website[2]
Kronic 2 S5

Kronic 2's official photo from Series 5

Kronicpits Series5

Kronic 2 in the pits at Series 5

For Series 5, a new model of Kronic the Wedgehog was built, known as Kronic 2 ... Yeaaahhhh!!! for this series only, but referred to on the show simply as Kronic 2. This version was much larger and heavier than the original, with a low angled wedge-shaped chassis, and two flippers; a front flipper similar to that of Prizephita Mach 2 and the top-mounted one being a side flipper like the future weaponry of Lightning. The side flipper was slightly faster and more powerful than the front one, and was designed to act as the robot's srimech. The flippers were powered by CO2, ran at 750psi, and the team got help from George Francis of Team Chaos to help with the exhaust valves. The robot was designed on an Apple Mac using CAD software.

"This CAD software allowed us to get the sizes right so we knew that all the required bits would fit inside with no problem."
— Team Kronic website

Kronic 2 was the first to feature a set of flammable foam spikes on top of the wedge, which had red tips to give the appearance of being bloodstained. There were two static titanium spikes on the back. The robot was armoured in aluminium and steel, with the team using the aluminium wrapper from a chocolate bar to protect Kronic 2's receiver. Kronic 2 used the same Sinclair C5 Motors, but they now ran at 18 Volts, and the armour was now aluminium. The robot had go-kart wheels, provided by their sponsors Tabor Motors, a gyroscope purchased from PipingHot Networks, and was built using machinery at Ceramtec UK and Axe Vale Engineering.[3]

Kronic 2 (Series 6)[]

"Sleeker this time, with a more powerful flipper and a stronger frame and shell. Two flippers act as self-righting mechanisms, but the bottom panel is missing because it was overweight in the qualifiers."
— Jonathan Pearce
Kronic 2 S6

Side view of Kronic 2 as seen in Series 6

After Series 5, Kronic 2 was rebuilt from scratch, but the new version was mostly the same design as it had been in Series 5.

"A bit of a re-design was required cause our front flipper was not very fast. We could lift quite a bit of weight with the thing but we wanted speed too. We decided to build the robot again from scratch. We chose to use a different type of frame, better pipework, and to have two cylinders for the front flipper instead of one."
— Team Kronic website
Kronic 2 Arena

The rear of Kronic 2 in Series 6, featuring the "I love Beer" sticker

It had a stronger shell, made of 50mm extruded aluminium, but had no base panel, as the team removed it during the qualifiers due to the robot being overweight. The team also changed the pipework for the pneumatics of both flippers. This version had Bosch 24V 750W motors, and two 12V batteries for power. The rear spikes were removed.

"We decided to approach Goodridge hosing (who make hoses for Formula one car racing) to see if they could help us out with our pneumatic hose requirements. They provided us with some awesome hosing which was very strong, very easy to make and very flexible. We managed to get hold of another cylinder to use for the front flipper too. "
— Team Kronic website

Kronic the Wedgehog (Series 7)[]

"Still has the Kronic face and lovely flammable foam spikes, a faster flipper action then, more offensive, better self-righting, but has a mesh bottom and no wheel guards."
— Jonathan Pearce
Kronic the Wedgehog

Kronic the Wedgehog in its Series 7 heat

Kronic the Wedgehog S7

Kronic the Wedgehog during Round 2

For Series 7, the team reverted back to the original name for a revised version of Kronic 2. This version of Kronic the Wedgehog retained the two flippers used by Kronic 2, which were upgraded to be faster and more powerful, and maintained the decorative foam spikes. While largely similar in design to Kronic 2, the Series 7 version had no wheel guards, leaving them partially exposed from above, although Kronic the Wedgehog was now fitted with a mesh bottom to protect the internals from underneath.

Etymology[]

The name Kronic the Wedgehog was a pun based on Sonic the Hedgehog, the protagonist of SEGA's flagship video game series. This combined Sonic the Hedgehog with the word "chronic", with the derivative "Wedgehog" referring to the robot's wedge shape. Its blue, red and white paint scheme and foam spikes were also based on the character. Sonic was Dave Lang's favourite video game character and he thought it would make a good style of robot.[4]

The Series 5 version of the machine was known as Kronic 2 ... Yeaaahhhh!!! by the team, but was simply referred to as Kronic 2 on the show. The team dropped the "... Yeaaahhhh!!!" from the name for Series 6 onwards and dropped the number 2 for Series 7 when reverting to its original name.

"We dropped the "...Yeaaahhhh!!!" in the robot name this year cause it sounded a bit stupid"
— Team Kronic website

The Team[]

Kronic pits

Kronic the Wedgehog with the team in the pits during Series 4

Team Kronic S6

Official photo of the team in Series 6

Throughout its appearances, the team consisted of Dave Lang, his father John, and Mike Gardner, who was a work colleague of John Lang. All three of them were engineers.[5]

Dave Lang was the team captain, who drove the robots and designed the robots electronics. John Lang designed and built all the versions of Kronic the Wedgehog, whilst Mike Gardner was the pneumatic specialist and procured parts for the robots.[6]

Qualification[]

Kronic defaced

Kronic the Wedgehog after its fight with Thermidor 2. Note the Series 3 version of Kronic in the background

Despite the Kronic the Wedgehog series first appearing in Series 4, the original version of the robot (simply named Kronic) was built for Series 3, a barrel-shaped robot armed with a retracting spear. However, it suffered from noticeable build quality issues and was not selected to compete.

"Fortunately it never made it on, as it wasn't very well built, and the shell actually wobbled if you touched it, and the only weapon was a spike which fired out of the nose! It would have been severely wrecked."
— Team Kronic website[2]

The Series 4 Kronic the Wedgehog attended the 2000 Robot Mayhem live event serving as the official series qualifiers. Here, it picked up its first win against an unidentified opponent, before facing returning Series 3 competitor S.M.I.D.S.Y. in a second head-to-head match. Following an evenly-fought scrap, Kronic the Wedgehog won both the audience vote and Judges' decision, securing direct qualification for the series alongside the losing S.M.I.D.S.Y.

"This is another slugging match. Wedgehog has the same turn of speed as us, we chase them around the ring trying to get spikes or jaws to bear. They are too tight to the ground for us to get under and eventually while we're pushing them from the front they activate the flipper. We are held vertical on their front armour, they flip again, a third time and we're over. Robin hits the arena floor full forward throttle selected and SMIDSY charges straight back in to the fray. We bash and push for a while and then are flipped back the right way up, once more we land and hit out unscathed. This happens a couple more times, we have had some good hits on Wedgehog, they have almost carried us out of the arena. They can't pin us, we can't do serious damage to them. Finally after five minutes of stand up battle cease is called. The crowd are consulted and Wedgehog gets a better response. Sure enough the judges follow suit and the vote goes against us. "
— The S.M.I.D.S.Y. website on the qualifier[7]
Kronic2S5qualifiers

Kronic 2 at the Series 5 qualifiers

To qualify for Series 5, Kronic 2 fought at the Cardiff leg of the 2001 Live Event tour, having had very little testing beforehand. It first fought Mini Morg, winning the battle. Kronic 2 also fought two battles against the already-seeded Panic Attack. During the first encounter against the Series 2 champion, it impressed the showrunners with its top flipper, resulting in a rematch taking place. Following these performances, Kronic 2 qualified for the televised Fifth Wars, although unlike Mini Morg, it was not awarded a seed.[2]

Kronic 2 qualified for Series 6 by taking part in a qualifier battle against Spam, Mega-Hurts and Present Danger at the qualifiers. Mega-Hurts got caught in the arena wall soon into the battle, and Present Danger became stuck on the Flame Pit. Kronic 2 flipped Spam repeatedly, causing the steel bars on the back to bend, and the prong to bend. Eventually, Kronic 2 flipped Spam up against the arena side wall, leaving Spam trapped on its side, and flipped it out of the arena. Kronic 2 automatically qualified as the winner of the battle, and Spam received a discretionary place[8].

Kronic the Wedgehog also qualified for Series 7, though which robots it fought in its qualifier battle, and whether or not it won the fight, is currently unknown.

Robot History[]

Series 4[]

"It's not Sonic, but Kronic is not moronic, so beware!"
Jonathan Pearce in Series 4

Newcomer Kronic the Wedgehog met two veterans in the first round of the Fourth Wars; Thermidor 2 and the number 13 seed Gravedigger.

Gravedigger vs kronic

Kronic the Wedgehog mistimes a flip and is wedged by Gravedigger

Thermidor2 vs gravedigger vs kronic

Gravedigger slides under Thermidor 2

Gravedigger vs thermidor 2 vs kronic 1

Kronic the Wedgehog pushes Thermidor 2, who is on top of it, in the side wall

Thermidorclaw2

Kronic the Wedgehog rips a claw from Thermidor 2

Before the fight, the Gravedigger team conceded that their flipper wasn't working. Thermidor 2 and Kronic the Wedgehog met in the centre of the arena and both fired their flippers simultaneously, with Kronic the Wedgehog gaining enough purchase to lift Thermidor 2 up by one of its claws. Gravedigger ran its wedge underneath Kronic the Wedgehog, but only managed to push it a little before reversing away. Kronic the Wedgehog was then able to shove Thermidor 2 towards the arena wall near Shunt's CPZ, helped by Gravedigger ramming it from behind. Thermidor 2 spun away and tried to flip Kronic the Wedgehog again, but its large claws got in the way. After a little bit of avoiding each other, Kronic the Wedgehog stopped on top of the Pit of Oblivion, which had dropped slightly.

"There's the descending Pit - you don't want to stay there too long, Kronic."
— Jonathan Pearce
KronicLiftsGravedigger

Kronic the Wedgehog lifts Gravedigger onto the wall

A combined attack from Thermidor 2 and Gravedigger moved Kronic the Wedgehog off the pit which hadn't descended any further. The robots met in the centre of the arena again and Kronic the Wedgehog was almost flipped onto its side by Thermidor 2 but survived. Kronic the Wedgehog then shoved Thermidor 2 into the arena wall again and buckled the right claw. Following this, Kronic the Wedgehog lifted the front of Gravedigger onto the arena side wall before it was flipped over by Thermidor 2. Sir Killalot moved in and picked Gravedigger up, spinning it around and throwing it across the arena, where it landed on its wheels. Gravedigger then proceeded to race towards Thermidor 2 and Kronic the Wedgehog who were still battling next to Matilda. Cease was called and the seeded Gravedigger was eliminated.

"Best Moment: Winning the first round battle in the Fourth Wars with Kronic the Wedgehog. The team expected to be knocked out"
Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide on Team Kronic's favourite moment of the series
Darke destroyer vs kronic

Darke Destroyer rams and attacks Kronic with its wagglers

Kronic overturns

Kronic the Wedgehog overturns Darke Destroyer 2

In the second round, Kronic the Wedgehog fought Darke Destroyer 2, a Heat Finalist in the last war. The two robots began the battle circling each other, with Darke Destroyer 2 barging into Kronic the Wedgehog head on. Kronic the Wedgehog responded by lifting Darke Destroyer 2 up, but not over. Darke Destroyer 2 then shoved Kronic the Wedgehog across the arena floor and began to use its 'waggling blades', but they were no use. Kronic the Wedgehog eventually spun away from Darke Destroyer 2 and was able to immediately place its flipper underneath Darke Destroyer 2, toppling it over. It was unable to self-right, so the House Robots closed in for the kill, putting it on the Floor Flipper, then pitting it.

"Well, Kronic the Wedgehog makes it across the road without being squashed! You took no damage, you wouldn't even have to charge your batteries after that, you just flipped them over and retired, let the House Robots do the rest!"
— Craig Charles to the Kronic the Wedgehog team

Kronic the Wedgehog was through to the Heat Final, where it fought Thermidor 2 again, and Jonathan Pearce declared it the 'surprise' of the heat. Before the fight, the Thermidor 2 team were concerned that its flipper wouldn't work. Its claws had also broken, and it was being put back together just beforehand.

"Is Kronic the Wedgehog the better prepared of the two Heat Finalists?"
— Jonathan Pearce just before the battle starts
Kronic vs thermidor2

Thermidor 2 flips through Kronic's flipper

Kronic flips thermidor

Kronic the Wedgehog lifts Thermidor 2 up

Kronic vs thermidor2 vs shunt

Kronic rams Thermidor 2 into the axe of Shunt

Both robots started cautiously, ambling around each other, before Kronic the Wedgehog tried an attack with its flipper but missed. Kronic the Wedgehog fired its flipper again, with Thermidor 2 showing that their flipper was working as well by flicking Kronic the Wedgehog up. Kronic the Wedgehog then lifted Thermidor 2 up by one of its claws, before Thermidor 2 fired its weapon, which penetrated Kronic the Wedgehog's flipper, causing both robots to be momentarily locked together. Kronic lifted Thermidor up by one of its claws, but only pushed it a little before it dropped off. Kronic the Wedgehog lifted Thermidor 2 again and pushed it into Shunt's CPZ. Thermidor 2 escaped and responded by charging at Kronic the Wedgehog, which caused its flipper to come off, which meant that Kronic the Wedgehog was now weaponless and exposed.

"So all they can do now, I think, is buffet the Thermidor towards a pit, towards an arena spike, towards one of the House Robots."
— Jonathan Pearce
Kronic flipper

Kronic the Wedgehog loses its flipper

Kronic vs house robots

Kronic the Wedgehog is attacked by the House Robots before its pitting

Kronic pitted

Kronic the Wedgehog is pitted

Kronic the Wedgehog managed to force Thermidor 2 around the arena for a short period, before Thermidor 2 came back onto the attack and flipped it up, but not over. Kronic the Wedgehog then seemed to lose power on one side. The House Robots closed in, with Dead Metal slicing into its side and Shunt axing down. Dead Metal then left Kronic the Wedgehog precariously balanced over the Pit, before Sir Killalot nudged the beaten robot down.

"And we need now a spiky performance by the Wedgehog, and I don't think we're going to get it, I think the Wedgehog is headed for hibernation in the Pit of the Robot Wars arena floor."
— Jonathan Pearce as Kronic the Wedgehog is attacked by the House Robots

Series 5[]

"Kronic 2, was a rookie last year but managed to reach its Heat Final. Back with an improved design, could this be the one to watch?"
Philippa Forrester at the start of the Heat

Returning unseeded, Kronic 2 went up against the greatly experienced King B Powerworks in its first round eliminator battle.

King b vs kronic

King B Powerworks rams into Kronic 2

King b powerworks kronic

King B Powerworks slams Kronic 2 into an angle grinder

King b vs kronic flamepit

Kronic 2 burns on the flame pit after an attack from King B Powerworks

Kronic 2 started well, getting under and flicking King B Powerworks into the air. King B Powerworks recovered from the attack and drove up the side of Kronic 2, sitting there until Kronic 2 fired its flipper, upon which King B Powerworks drove off. King B Powerworks attempted a charge, disc first, at Kronic 2, but the flipper negated the attack and tossed King B Powerworks off to Kronic 2's right. The second charge was much more successful, as it struck Kronic 2's rear and allowed King B Powerworks to slam it into the side wall at a tremendous speed. Kronic 2 successfully retreated across the flames, but slowed down significantly, and King B Powerworks rammed it into Sgt. Bash's CPZ.

King b powerworks kronic 2

Skewering Kronic 2, King B Powerworks carries it towards Sgt. Bash

King B Powerworks' spikes had pierced the side armour of Kronic 2 by now, and, after Kronic 2 trundled slowly out of Sgt. Bash's reach, King B Powerworks used the spikes to pierce and lift Kronic 2 slightly, driving it back into Sgt. Bash's CPZ. Shunt intercepted and separated the pair with its axe, but King B Powerworks nudged Kronic 2 back onto the flames. Kronic 2's spikes caught fire, and time expired on the match, which was sent to a Judges' decision in order to determine the winner.

David Lang: "I think we've got a slight problem with it."
Craig Charles: "Well, what went wrong?"
David Lang: "The electrics, it doesn't work very well."
Craig Charles: "Never a good thing in Robot Wars."
— After the battle

The Judges unanimously voted in favour of King B Powerworks, and Kronic 2 was therefore eliminated in the first round of the series.

"King B were just too powerful for us, and through a design error (we chose the wrong batteries) our robot stopped working after about 4 minutes, so we never made it past heat 1."
— Team Kronic website, summing up their Series 5 performance

Series 6[]

Kronic 2 vs Panic Attack vs ROCS vs Corkscrew

R.O.C.S. grabs hold of Kronic 2

ROCS vs Kronic 2

R.O.C.S. crushes the flipper of Kronic 2

"Twice beaten in the Heats, very animated, lovely looker!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Kronic 2 enters the arena

Kronic 2 was placed up against the redesigned R.O.C.S., the eighth seed Panic Attack and Series 5 Heat Finalist Corkscrew in its first round battle of the Heat.

Corkscrew attacks Kronic

Corkscrew tears Kronic 2's wheel guard off

Kronic 2 flips rocs

Kronic 2 throws R.O.C.S. over

Kronic 2 vs Panic Attack

Kronic 2 flips Panic Attack over

In this battle, Panic Attack and R.O.C.S. both moved in and attacked Kronic 2. Panic Attack lifted Kronic up, while R.O.C.S. crushed Kronic 2's top. Corkscrew then zoomed in and tore off one of Panic Attack's skirts, before slamming into Kronic 2, tearing off its wheel guard. Kronic 2's top flipper was knocked open by the impact. Kronic 2 drove away from R.O.C.S., but was driving erratically, eventually opening the Pit. Corkscrew drove around Kronic 2 and hit it as it was spinning, but this caused it to bounce onto the Pit as it descended, eliminating Corkscrew from the battle. R.O.C.S. buried its jaw into Kronic 2's flipper, pressing it down, but Kronic 2 managed to wriggle free and fight back, throwing R.O.C.S. onto its back. R.O.C.S.'s attempts at self-righting were in vain, especially as hydraulic fluid was leaking out from it. R.O.C.S. was counted out, putting Kronic 2 and Panic Attack safely through. Regardless, while R.O.C.S. was positioned on the Floor Flipper, Kronic 2 pushed Panic Attack into a CPZ at the top of the arena and flipped it over. The seeded machine could not self-right, but it was through regardless. R.O.C.S. was thrown by the Floor Flipper, then pitted by Sir Killalot with assistance from Kronic 2.

Terrorhurtz vs Kronic 2

Kronic 2 battles Terrorhurtz. Note the missing wheel guard

"In the background, Panic Attack is taking a slam, which is unnecessary now, from Kronic 2, because we know they're heading through!"
— Jonathan Pearce

In the second round, Kronic 2 went up against Terrorhurtz, from the much more experienced Team Hurtz. Despite being the only robot left standing in its first-round melee, the team had to do a lot of repairs to make on Kronic 2 because of the damage from Corkscrew, and it entered the arena still without one wheel guard.

Terrorhurtz Kronic 2

Kronic 2 suffers an axe blow from Terrorhurtz

Terrorhurtz vs Kronic heat i

Kronic 2 is pushed onto the Flame Pit by Terrorhurtz

Terrorhurtz charged straight at Kronic 2, but Kronic 2 dodged. Kronic 2 tried to get under its opponent, but could not get under Terrorhurtz, and Terrorhurtz slammed its axe on it numerous times, knocking pieces of armour off and bending the wheel guard. Kronic 2 tried again to get its flipper under Terrorhurtz but couldn't due to its low ground clearance, so its flipper fired at thin air.

"Looks like a very good machine, here, Terrorhurtz. I think they'll give Panic Attack a run for their money in the Heat Final if they get there - and from the evidence of the opening seconds of this battle, they'll get there, because Kronic 2 knows its got to flip and flip fast simply to survive."
— Jonathan Pearce
Kronic 2 On Fire

Kronic 2 burns over the Flame Pit

GrowlerKronic2

Growler drives over Kronic 2

Terrorhurtz pushed Kronic 2 against Sgt. Bash, where it became stuck on the House Robot's side, but it was knocked free by Terrorhurtz, before being chased by Terrorhurtz and pushed across the arena into an angle grinder. At this point, Terrorhurtz had lost power to its axe, but the damage it had already caused proved to be enough. Kronic 2 found itself on the Flame Pit where it couldn't get away and had its spikes set on fire. It was eventually pushed off by Refbot, but it was not moving, so merely rolled away. Kronic rolled onto a steam vent, and a blast of CO2 got Kronic 2 moving again, but it was only moving on one wheel. It drove into the CPZ with Growler, firing the flipper at random. Kronic 2 attacked Growler, flipping it up onto the wedge, but couldn't get it over and Kronic 2 kept losing more bits and pieces.

"It's a splendid looking machine, great fun, but it's met its match here in Terrorhurtz"
— Jonathan Pearce on Kronic 2

Kronic 2 got away from Growler, started spinning, before Terrorhurtz rammed it into the wall. Terrorhurtz opened the Pit, then pushed it by the CPZ. Kronic 2 could not move away as Growler charged into it. Terrorhurtz then hit Sgt. Bash and knocked his back panel off before Kronic 2 was counted out by Refbot. As cease was called, Growler shoved Kronic 2 back onto the Flame Pit.

Craig Charles: "I'm just as sad as you!"
Dave Lang: "Yeah"
Craig Charles: "What happened?"
Dave Lang: "We just couldn't get underneath them and their axe was too powerful"
Craig Charles: "You got underneath Growler!"
Dave Lang: "That was quite good"
Craig Charles: "I think you were the first ones to do that, you've been taking on all the house robots recently"
Dave Lang: "It's got to be done hasn't it?"
— Post battle interview

Series 7[]

"Kronic the Wedgehog, an old favourite amongst the others trying to create a surprise."
— Jonathan Pearce

Kronic the Wedgehog was placed up against Team Victor's new robot The Kraken, and two newcomers: Pinser and Cobra, in the first round melee.

Pinser pierces kronic

Pinser pierces Kronic the Wedgehog's flipper

Kronic Cobra

Kronic the Wedgehog rams Cobra

DrivingOnCobra

Mr. Psycho drives over Cobra who is stuck in Pinser's grip

Kronic the Wedgehog started quickly by getting straight under Cobra and flipping it. Pinser moved in, and as Cobra tried to spike Pinser, Kronic drove around Pinser to attack Cobra again. It tried to flip Cobra again, but its flipper was not under Cobra properly, so it only flicked it up a little. Some of Kronic's spikes fell off as it flipped. It tried another flip, but Cobra turned away, so Kronic's flipper fired at thin air. Pinser got under Kronic the Wedgehog, so Kronic backed away, before trying to flip Pinser, and when it fired its flipper, the flipper was firing at thin air again, and Kronic landed on Pinser's wedge. Pinser tried to get in a position to crush, but Kronic the Wedgehog reversed away. Pinser followed, and got under the front of Kronic. It could not get under the low ground clearance at Pinser's front, and crushed the flipper down. Pinser pulled and pushed Kronic the Wedgehog back and forth, pushing it onto the flame jet. The Kraken came in, separating the two. Cobra was barely moving by the side wall, so Kronic nudged it a couple of times, but did not flip it. As The Kraken pinched Cobra, Kronic tried flipping it, but only knocked it up a little. Pinser then attacked the limping Cobra machine, crushing it and pulling it over a flame jet, but Pinser burnt out as it drove over the flame jet, effectively immobilising both robots as Cobra was still caught in Pinser's grip. Both robots were counted out by Refbot, and Kronic the Wedgehog went through to the next round with The Kraken.

Kronic the Wedgehog then faced a seemingly easy battle in Robot Wars veteran Mighty Mouse, in the second round as if it won, it would then meet Thermidor 2 in another encounter from their Series 4 matches.

Kronic Mighty Mouse 1

Kronic the Wedgehog hurls Mighty Mouse towards the arena wall

Both robots drove at each other to start with, but as Kronic the Wedgehog tried to get its flipper in under Mighty Mouse, Mighty Mouse pushed past Kronic, so Kronic's flip missed, causing most of its spikes to fall off.

"What were they stuck on with?"
— Jonathan Pearce

Mighty Mouse fled, and Kronic the Wedgehog chased it. Kronic caught up with Mighty Mouse, but before Kronic could flip it, Mighty Mouse turned and tried to open the Pit, but missed. Kronic got under Mighty Mouse and flipped it, but Mighty Mouse landed on its wheels. Mighty Mouse drove away, followed by Kronic, and after driving by the flame pit, Mighty Mouse turned to fight Kronic. It charged at Kronic, but drove up the side, allowing Kronic the Wedgehog to turn, get the flipper under it and toss it against the wall with the flipper. Mighty Mouse landed on its wheels again, and fled. Might Mouse drove into the arena wall, but still managed to dodge Kronic for a while as it was being chased. Mighty Mouse rammed into Kronic's front, driving away before its opponent could flip, continued to dodge, then accidentally turned into Kronic. However, Kronic the Wedgehog was at the wrong angle, so its flip missed, and Mighty Mouse drove away. Mighty Mouse drove into Refbot, then reversed past Kronic and straight to Growler. Mighty Mouse escaped the House Robot before it could attack, and hit the pit release tire, knocking it off, and drove into an empty CPZ. Kronic the Wedgehog caught up and tried to flip Mighty Mouse, but Mighty Mouse dodged each flip.

"Mighty Mouse, this is a mighty performance in terms of driving skill, they're dodging everything out there, Kronic can't catch them!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Mighty mouse vs kronic

Mighty Mouse defeats Kronic the Wedgehog in an unanticipated turn of events

HouseRobotsAttackKronic

Growler and Mr Psycho come in to attack Kronic the Wedgehog

Mr Psycho Kronic

Mr. Psycho rides up the immobile Kronic the Wedgehog

However, in a sudden turn of events, Kronic the Wedgehog hit the side wall, and Mighty Mouse rammed it into Growler's CPZ, where it was wedged against the wall and became immobilised due to its removable link falling out.[9] It was counted out and attacked by the House Robots, being pushed up the arena by Growler, and hammered by Mr. Psycho. The huge House Robot drove up Kronic's wedge just before cease was called. Kronic also tried to lift Mr. Psycho, but wasn't able to topple the colossal House Robot.

"After the fight we found out that it was a seized motor which caused our downfall, not a broken speed controller as I originally suspected. The motor burned out because the driver and driven sprockets became misaligned, causing a lot of tension on the motor."
— Dave Lang

Results[]

KRONIC THE WEDGEHOG - RESULTS
Series 4
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship
Heat Final
Heat G, Eliminator vs. Gravedigger (13), Thermidor 2 Qualified
Heat G, Semi-Final vs. Darke Destroyer 2 Won
Heat G, Final vs. Thermidor 2 Lost
KRONIC 2 - RESULTS
Series 5
The Fifth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat F, Eliminator vs. King B Powerworks Lost
Series 6
The Sixth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 2
Heat I, Round 1 vs. Corkscrew, Panic Attack (8), R.O.C.S. Qualified
Heat I, Round 2 vs. Terrorhurtz Lost
KRONIC THE WEDGEHOG - RESULTS
Series 7
The Seventh Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 2
Heat J, Round 1 vs. Cobra, Pinser, The Kraken Qualified
Heat J, Round 2 vs. Mighty Mouse Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 4
  • Losses: 4

Series Record[]

Series Kronic the Wedgehog Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars Not selected
The Fourth Wars Heat Final
The Fifth Wars Heat, Round 1
The Sixth Wars Heat, Round 2
The Seventh Wars Heat, Round 2
Series 8 Did not enter
Series 9 Did not enter
Series 10 Did not enter

Gallery[]

Outside Robot Wars[]

KronicNoShell

Kronic 2 without its armour at Chatham 2003

NiteriderChatham03

Kronic 2 (without spikes) in a rumble at Chatham 2003

Brighton032

Kronic 2 fighting Mute and S.M.I.D.S.Y. at Brighton ModelWorld 2003

In between its appearances in Series 6 and 7, Kronic 2 made an appearance at Chatham in 2003, fighting in a rumble alongside other Robot Wars faces such as Behemoth, Kat 3 and Storm 2. It also appeared at Brighton ModelWorld in 2003 where it fought Mute and S.M.I.D.S.Y. in one battle.

Weed

Weed, Team Kronic's featherweight

The team also competed with a featherweight version of Kronic on the live circuit, named Weed.

Kronic32004

Kronic 3 at an event in 2004

Following the end of the original series of Robot Wars, Kronic the Wedgehog was upgraded and renamed Kronic 3, but was still usually referred to as just Kronic. Its flipper was modified to be the length of the entire front wedge and it featured a full pressure ram powered by two CO2 buffer tanks, as this allowed greater flow of the CO2 into the ram.[10] Its upgraded design also protected its removable link from falling out following its Series 7 loss.[11] The updated Kronic became far more successful during its time on the live circuit, as it was now capable of throwing robots up to 100kg nearly six feet into the air and even out of the arena, easily defeating other famous competitors such as Behemoth, Big Nipper and Iron-Awe.

Armed with the larger flipper, Kronic took part in the first Roaming Robots Winter Tour in 2004. At the Newport show, it fought four battles, losing its first battle to Ewe 2 and Chompalot, being flipped out of the arena by Ripper and losing the melee against Big Nipper, Ewe 2, Terrorhurtz, Revolution 3 and Storm 2, but it won its second battle against Taurus and Big Nipper. At the Worcester event, it won two battles, one against Dantomkia and Judge Shred 4, and then against Ewe 2, Scrap Dragon and Chompalot, though it lost its melee against Merlin, Chompalot and Storm 2. At the Kings Lynn event, it won all four of its battles, and defeated Terrorhurtz in the Grand Final, gaining revenge for its loss in Series 6. This win meant it qualified for the Finals in Doncaster, however it lost its first battle there against Ripper, which flipped it around the arena, then flipped it out. Kronic then went into the Loser's Melee against Chompalot, Dantomkia, Ewe 2 and Velocirippa, which it lost to Ewe 2.

Kronic returned for the 2005 Roaming Robots UK Championships, and was granted the 6th seed after Mute was forced to withdraw, and would redeem its poor performance the previous year by going on to become champion. It won both its qualifying battles, first beating 8645T at the Portsmouth show by flipping it out of the arena. It fought Ripper again at the Birmingham show, but this time Ripper's flipper wasn't working, so Kronic flipped it out of the arena. In the Finals at Folkestone, Kronic first fought Storm 2, where it won on a Judges' decision. It fought Behemoth in the Quarter-Finals, but it missed a flip on Behemoth, flipping itself over. Behemoth pushed it into the corner, and the flipper failed to work, leaving Kronic unable to self-right. Kronic won through the Losers' Melee against Tough as Nails after the Dutch robot broke down due to a loose battery connection. In the Semi-Final, it fought 8645T again, flipping it into the pit. In the Final, it fought reigning UK champion Terrorhurtz. Terrorhurtz landed a number of axe blows, but Kronic withstood them and kept flipping Terrorhurtz. Eventually, Terrorhurtz got its own axe caught through the wall, leaving the robot stuck, meaning Kronic had claimed the 2005 UK Championship title

As the top seed and reigning champion, Kronic automatically qualified for the 2006 UK Championships at Wicksteed Park theme park in Kettering. It shared its pod with ron-Awe 3, Dutch robot Spike and newcomer Turbulence. It won its first fight against Iron-Awe 3 where both robots threw each other around the arena until Kronic threw Iron-Awe 3 into the Pit. Next, it fought Spike, which it threw out of the arena. Finally, it had to fight Turbulence, which had also won both of its fight, to determine which robot would go through, but Turbulence quickly got under Kronic and flipped it out of the arena, eliminating the reigning champion at the group stage.

After losing the UK Championships, Kronic was also offered a chance to represent Britain in the International Challenge along with other robots from Holland, Belgium and America. It fought Belgian representative Hard in the first round, which it flipped around the arena, until Hard's flipper broke off. Next it fought American Sewer Snake, which it also flipped around the arena, before eventually flipping it out. In the final, it met fellow UK competitor Tilly 1O1, and flipped it out of the arena with one flip to win the competition.

Team Kronic's last tournament with Kronic was the 2006 Roaming Robots Winter Tour. It won both its fights at Portsmouth and Birmingham to qualify for the finals at Folkestone. However, it lost in Round 1 to Ripper, after it was flipped over near the arena wall and in an attempt to self-right, flipped itself out.

Kronic2011

Kronic at a Robots Live! event in late 2010

Apollo and Chronic

Comparison of Kronic and Apollo

Team Kronic retired at the end of 2006 and the robot was not seen at live events for over three years. However in October 2010, Kronic made a return to live event competition, now under the ownership of Team MAD after it was sold to them in May of that year. Under its new team, Kronic became the 2010 and 2011 Annihilator Champion, which enabled it to become the second machine in history to reclaim the UK Annihilator title after Kan-Opener. Kronic's final appearance was at the 2014 FRA UK Championships, where it reached the quarter-finals; after this, it was retired from robot combat, and was succeeded by Apollo in future Robots Live! events. Kronic's chassis was later scrapped while its ram was salvaged for use on Apollo.[12]

Chronic team-1140x760

Chronic, the BattleBots equivalent of Kronic

Following its retirement, Kronic was rebuilt by Team Mad as Chronic for ABC's BattleBots reboot. Changes from the original robot included a 'launcher' that was powered by nitrogen instead of CO2 in accordance with the new rules, as well as more armour. Chronic was selected as a reserve, but was not needed to replace any competitors. As a test for the production crew, Chronic fought and lost to fellow reserve robot Swamp Thing in the very first fight in the new BattleBox. Although it started off well, getting some good flips in and breaking off Swamp Thing's thwacking tail, Chronic's drive failed towards the end and it was counted out. Chronic was also due to compete in a nine-robot rumble at the end of the series, but due to time restraints in filming, it never took place.

Sadly, Mike Gardner passed away in August 2021.[13]

Robot Wars Live Events[]

The latest version of Kronic 3 made two appearances at the Robot Wars live events. Its first appearance was at Barnsley in February 2013 where it reached the final of the main competition, losing to Maelstrom when it was immobilised and unable to self-right in the last ten seconds of the fight. Its second Robot Wars live event was at Widnes 2013 where it reached the semi-final of the competition and was beaten by Maelstrom again.

Trivia[]

KronicModel

The model of Kronic the Wedgehog in Series 7

  • In Series 7, the team carried a model of Kronic the Wedgehog in the pits and the control booth, and showed it to Craig Charles in the post-Round 2 interview. The model itself resembled the robot's Series 6 appearance. The team's website featured instructions on how to build a model of Kronic the Wedgehog, but the model seen on the show was likely different.
  • Like Wedgehog, Kronic the Wedgehog's name was a play on 'Hedgehog' (although Kronic's name was based on the Sonic the Hedgehog games). Coincidentally, both the former and the latter are currently owned by Team MAD.
    • Although the two robots were originally from separate teams, they are mistakenly credited as being from the same team in Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide.
      • Kronic would not be the last robot to derive its name from Sonic the Hedgehog, as 2016 competitor Foxic would also base its name on the series.
  • Throughout its appearances, a banner saying "I [Heart] Beer" was on the back of Kronic, this being a pun on the team's home village and the alcoholic beverage.
  • On this note, in Series 5 Kronic 2 was the only robot outside of the first four heats to be introduced as from both a town and a county ('from Beer in Devon' rather than just 'from Beer').
  • Despite competing in four series, Kronic the Wedgehog never took part in any side competitions or series of Robot Wars Extreme.
  • The only House Robot which never shared the arena with Kronic the Wedgehog was Cassius Chrome.
  • In March 2012, Kronic broke Gravity's Robot Wars record for the quickest battle in all FRA-sanctioned competitions by throwing Iron-Awe 6 out of the arena in four seconds.
  • Both of Kronic the Wedgehog's odd-numbered appearances were in an episode where the seeded robot won the heat and both of its even-numbered appearances were in an episode where an unseeded robot won the heat.
    • In both of the heats that were won by an unseeded robot, Kronic the Wedgehog was in the same heat as Panic Attack. However, in the Series 4 heat, Panic Attack only appeared in the Sumo Basho.
  • Kronic the Wedgehog's appearance in Series 5 was the only time it was not in the same episode as Thermidor 2 or Panic Attack or both.
  • Both of Kronic the Wedgehog's losses where it was named Kronic 2 saw it get pushed into Sgt. Bash.
  • In 2011, Kronic received an Honorable Mention in The Combat Robot Hall of Fame, as a result of its successes in live events held during Robot Wars' hiatus.[14]
Kronic OOTA

Kronic the Wedgehog flipping itself out of the arena

  • Kronic the Wedgehog is the first robot to have flipped itself out of the arena, doing so in two live events.
  • Kronic the Wedgehog did not appear in either series of Extreme. The team were due to compete in the first series with the Series 4 Kronic the Wedgehog, but were not able to due to internal damage suffered by the House Robots after its Heat Final battle and they were not invited to take part in the second series as they didn't perform as well in Series 5 and 6.[15]
  • All of the robots or teams that beat Kronic the Wedgehog were previous or future Semi-Finalists.
  • Terrorhurtz was the only robot to beat Kronic the Wedgehog to not then lose its next battle.

References[]

  1. Robot Wars: The Official Robot Guide
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 'History and Design', Team Kronic website (archived)
  3. Kronic 2 website
  4. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Dave Lang in December 2021
  5. 8.32, Series 6 Heat I part 3
  6. Team Kronic website - Team Kronic
  7. S.M.I.D.S.Y. website - Qualifying for Robot Wars 2000
  8. [1]
  9. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Dave Lang in December 2021
  10. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Dave Lang in December 2021
  11. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Dave Lang in December 2021
  12. Public Facebook comments from Alan Young, 26 May 2022
  13. Unofficial Robot Wars group on Facebook
  14. The Combat Robot Hall of Fame ®, Team Run Amok website
  15. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Dave Lang in December 2021

External Links[]

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