Lifting scoops are a type of lifting weapon found in both runs of Robot Wars. They are similar to lifters in that they are designed to lift and tip robots over rather than throw them over or across great distances.
The first robots to feature these weapons were House Robot Shunt and Series 1 competitor Barry. Among the most notable and successful scoop-wielding robots include long-time UK Series veteran and Series 10 Grand Finalist Behemoth; Series 2 Semi-Finalist G.B.H.; Series 8 Grand Finalist Shockwave and US Season 2 champion Panzer Mk 4.
Definition[]
Shunt lifts King Buxton with his scoop
- A lifting scoop differs from a static scoop in that it is designed to move through a pneumatic, hydraulic, electric or even a spring-loaded mechanism. Many static scoops existed as auxiliary or even primary weapons (such as the one used by Scutter's Revenge) but did not possess lifting capabilities. Therefore, they are classified as Ramming blades.
- They are designed to lift or tip opponents over in the same way as lifters, rather than launching or throwing them over like flippers. However, some scoop-wielding robots are powerful enough to flip opponents completely over, such as Barbaric Response, the Series 5 version of Diotoir and the Series 8-10 version of Behemoth.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
Advantages
Behemoth overturns General Carnage
Panzer Mk 4 lifts Tricerabot 3.0 during the US Season 2 final
Behemoth's scoop and axe demonstrate their synergy on Stinger
- Because of their large surface area and usually shovel-like design, scoops are easily able to lift and tip over other robots. Behemoth's performances, especially in Series 3 and 4, are indicative of this.
- By being able to lift opponents off the entire floor, they could simultaneously remove the robot's resistance to being pushed by removing one or more of its wheels/tracks off the arena floor, especially through side-on attacks. Shunt was able to demonstrate this capability multiple times, especially in the Sumo Basho side competition held during Series 4, as did Behemoth, Diotoir, Panzer Mk 4 and Shockwave on various occasions.
- Scoops can offer an effective weapons synergy in tandem with overhead weapons such as axes and hammers, or even Vertical crushers. Shunt famously used his scoop to free his axe on numerous occasions, while Behemoth once used its axe and scoop to simultaneously catch, lift and carry Stinger around the arena during their Extreme 1 Challenge Belt battle.
- Even when they are not used to lift opponents, scoops are ideal pushing weapons due to their shovel-like blades and ability to breach even low ground clearances. Shunt, Behemoth, Panzer Mk 4 and Diotoir all demonstrated this quality on various occasions.
- When lowered, lifting scoops offer the robot a great deal of protection against front-on collisions with spike or spinning weapons. Behemoth was especially notable in that it was able to deflect blows from Hypno-Disc and PP3D's flywheels using its bucket and angled scoops respectively, contributing towards its victories against both machines.
Disadvantages
Diotoir lies on its side and in flames after getting flipped by Firestorm 3
Razer crumples Behemoth's scoop in the Extreme 1 All-Stars
- Being generally smaller than other lifting or flipping weapons, lifting scoops are not usually effective as self-righting mechanisms compared to other types. Only a handful of scoop-wielding robots have a self-righting capability; either through the weapon itself (Barbaric Response, the Series 8-10 version of Behemoth), or additional mechanisms (e.g. Behemoth's side arms).
- They have a very narrow attack range, requiring the scoop to get fully underneath opponents from the front in order for them to work effectively. Behemoth's loss against Crushtacean in Series 5 partially resulted from it being unable to attack the latter from the front without being turned onto its back.
- They are vulnerable to being damaged by overhead weapons or sustained attacks from spinning weapons. Behemoth's bucket scoop, for example, was damaged by Razer's crusher, Shunt's axe and the spinning weapons of Disc-O-Inferno and Carbide at various points throughout its appearances. Meanwhile, in Series 8, Shockwave's HDPE scoop was gradually destroyed by Thor's axe after it was used to absorb the latter's axe blows during their Head to Head battle.
List of Robots with Lifting Scoops[]
Robots are listed alphabetically.
DESKTOP MODE ONLY: Robots which are not heavyweight competitors are listed with a green background. House Robots are listed with a gold background.
| Robot | Series Appearances with Scoops | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anty B | Extreme 1-2 | Extreme 2 Antweight champion. Essentially an antweight version of Behemoth. | |
| Barry | Series 1 | Pioneer of the weapon, predating its adoption by House Robot Shunt. Scoop was pneumatically-powered and suspended from the chassis with springs. Maximum travel of only 60mm according to Oliver Steeples.[1] Weight comparable to a super heavyweight entry. |
|
| Behemoth | Series 2-10, Extreme 1-2 | Only scoop-wielding robot to hoist opponents out of the arena. Combined with an axe between Series 5-7. Capable of acting as a srimech in Series 8-10, where the weapon was usually referred to as a low-pressure flipper. The original scoop was made interchangeable with a set of grabbing arms and two anti-spinner ploughs in Series 9-10. Third Place finisher in Series 10 and First World Championship runner-up. | |
| Corporal Punishment | Series 2-3 | Only robot made by Adam Clark to compete in more than one UK series. | |
| Coyote | Series 10 | Used an interchangeable lifting shovel in addition to the lifting/grabbing jaws first used in Series 9. | |
| Diotoir | Series 5, Extreme 1-2 | Powered by a spring-loaded mechanism, replaced an earlier lifting arm. Extreme 1 Tag Team Terror champion along with Pussycat. | |
| Foxic | Series 8-9 | The Series 8 version had a wedge-like scoop which could either be attached to the end of a lifting arm, or mounted separately. A thicker wedge-like scoop was made as one of three attachments for the Series 9 version's lifting arm - along with a lifting 'head' and a set of hooks - but was never seen on television. | |
| G.B.H. | Series 2, 6 | Original version had a front-mounted pneumatic scoop capable of lifting 12 stone. GBH 2 featured a rear scoop-like flipper, again pneumatically-powered, which was used alongside a forward-facing front-hinged flipping arm. Series 2 Semi-Finalist under its original incarnation. | |
| Immortalis | Series 5 | Pneumatic three-sided plough. | |
| Kill Dozer | Series 2 | Large front hydraulic scoop, which featured several spikes and could lift in excess of 12 stone. | |
| Leighviathan | Series 2 | Referred to as a lifting type by Oliver Steeples, who noted the front-mounted weapon as being 'inefficient' in competition.[2] | |
| Lightning Tracks | US Season 2 | Angled lifting plate powered by linear actuators. Referred to as a 'flipper' on the robot's statistics board. | |
| Malfunktion | Series 3 | Robotic Soccer competition only. | |
| Onslaught | Series 3-5 | Originally, the scoop was a static weapon, being converted into a pneumatically-operated lifting type from Series 3 onwards. A front-hinged self-righting mechanism was added to the top of the scoop in Series 4, along with a revised pneumatics system. Quoted lifting capacity of 140kg in Series 3, later being shown to lift greater weights than this in combat. Series 4 Southern Annihilator runner-up. | |
| Panzer Mk 4 | US Season 2 | Pneumatic scoop was intended to offer the robot an adjustable ground clearance, rather than to flip other robots as with its earlier incarnation, Panzer Mk 2. US Season 2 Champion. | |
| Piece de Resistance | Series 2 | Flexible front scoop with a blade originally sourced from a snow shovel. | |
| Pressure | Extreme 2 | Featured front and rear lifting scoops, two of five C02 powered weapons. | |
| Rampage 2 | Series 7 | Featherweight. Referred to as an 'electric-powered flipper' by Jonathan Pearce. | |
| Shapeshifter | Dutch Series 2 | Pneumatically-powered scoop mounted at the front. | |
| Shark Attack | Series 3 | Outer edges were modelled on a shark's head; the bucket scoop also featured a spiked lip made out of several sharpened hedge-trimmer blades. | |
| Shockwave | Series 8 | Features interchangeable scoops - including a wedged type and a shovel made out of HDPE panels - and 360 degrees of lifting range. Series 8 Grand Finalist. | |
| Shunt | Series 2-10, Extreme 1-2, US Seasons 1-2, Nickelodeon, Dutch Series 1-2, German Series | House Robot. Scoop was a secondary weapon in addition to his axe and front plough, with lifting capabilities introduced in Series 2. Series 8-10 iteration made out of 3mm HARDOX, capable of lifting up to 350kg.[3] | |
| Six Pac | Series 3 | Pinball Competition only. | |
| Storm Force | Series 5 | Claimed to be powerful enough to lift a small car. | |
| Suicidal Tendencies | Series 5, Extreme 1 | Combined with a vertical crusher. | |
| Track-tion | Series 10 | Was lent Vulture's angled wedge by Team Immersion to protect the robot against spinning weapons. The wedge itself was attached to the actuator for the robot's usual crusher weapon, enabling it to function as a lifting scoop. | |
| Velocirippa | Series 7 | Spring-loaded front scoop, referred to as a 'flipper' on its Series 7 statistics boards. Replaced a set of ramming spikes which the second incarnation formerly used in Extreme 2. | |
| Wolverine | Series 5 | Angled lifting plough, capable of lifting railway sleepers. | |
| Wyrm | Series 9 | HARDOX lifting plate doubled as a 'spinner killer' wedge and fired forwards to function in a similar way to a front-hinged flipper. Weapon often referred to as a 'Sewer Snake' lifter due to its similarities to the weapon used by the highly successful American robot. | |
| X-Terminator | Series 3-6, Extreme 1-2 | Series 4 Semi-Finalist, used in tandem with a pneumatic axe (Series 3-6, Extreme 1-2) or flipping arm (Series 4 only). The scoop underwent several design changes throughout X-Terminator's appearances, and would later become a static weapon for its Series 7 incarnation. | |
| Zeus | Series 3 | Powered by a five-tonne airbag mechanism, capable of lifting a Ford Transit van. |
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References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20030912082437fw_/http://freespace.virgin.net/oliver.steeples/series1/robots/barry.htm
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040905065512fw_/http://freespace.virgin.net/oliver.steeples/series2/robots/leigh.htm
- ↑ 'Robo Challenge Interview - RoboNerd 2020 - Robot Wars and the House Robots' Caley Creations (YouTube), uploaded 25th August 2020
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