- "They'll be praying their hydraulic crusher and lifter works."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Mantis was a competitor robot in Series 7 of Robot Wars. Mantis reached the second round of the main competition in Series 7 and also won the Crusher Crunch Up special event.
Its name is derived from the praying mantis insect.
Design
Mantis in the arena
The robot itself was quite quick and had three long lifters, with a massive lift capability, and a hydraulic crushing beak, meaning it could lift and crush simultaneously in a similar fashion to Tetanus. The main tactics were to grab hold of opponents and then drop them in the pit, out of the arena or give them to the house robots, but it never succeeded in either. Also, the exoskeleton could be easily hooked, and the wheels were unprotected which cost it against Kat 3.
The team had first seen Robot Wars back in Series 1, but it took them many years to design Mantis.
- "Mantis was a long time coming ... about seven years in reality, but from the very first time we watched a new program called "Robot Wars" we knew we had to have a go. 5 years later, the Friday night pub banter had got us nowhere, just a few slurred concepts, one or two out of focus ideas and a misguided conviction that "...we could do better than that, no sweat". Then in a frenzy of organization a Robot Meeting was called; "Right you lot, be round at Paul's flat, bring your ideas and NO alcohol until later" was the battle cry."
- — The team website on the origins of Mantis.
Robot History
Series 7
- "New to Robot Wars, they better start praying."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Mantis enters the arena
Mantis carrying Jabber
Mantis' first battle was against fellow newcomers Jabber, veterans Infernal Contraption and 12th seeds Bulldog Breed. Mantis started the battle near the pit and banged into the Refbot. It then drove towards the rest of the competitors, deciding on which to attack. It chose to go for newcomers Jabber, piercing it and hoisting it into the air. Mantis then pushed Jabber above an angle grinder and almost out the arena. Mantis, failing to do so, carried Jabber around the arena and slamming into Bulldog Breed.
Mantis holds Jabber over the arena wall
- "...and still, Mantis can't finish Jabber off. So we know Mantis can clutch and lift a machine up off the arena floor, but can they dump? Can they release a machine?"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Mantis carries Jabber around
Mantis, still holding Jabber, attempted to take on Bulldog Breed with Jabber already on its beak and Bulldog Breed drove away. Mantis then drove away near the bottom right CO2 Geyser. Bulldog Breed attacked them and tried to flip Jabber off Mantis's beak. Infernal Contraption also bashed into Mantis. Mantis then carried Jabber over to Sergeant Bash's CPZ and Jabber finally got out of Mantis's grip.
- "What is Mantis going to do eventually with Jabber? Drop it is the answer."
- — Jonathan Pearce questioning the tactics of Mantis
Mantis lifting Bulldog Breed at the end of the battle.
Because of this attack, Jabber had lost drive in one side so Mantis attempted to attack the other 2 robots. Infernal Contraption separated from the group and Mantis tried to grab the nimble Bulldog Breed. Bulldog Breed then pushed Mantis into the pit release button. At that moment, mesh came out of Bulldog Breed and trailed across the arena floor. Mantis tried to harass Infernal Contraption but they got away. In the dying seconds, Mantis got a last, superb attack on Bulldog Breed, lifting it clean off the ground with its huge beak and lifter. Bulldog Breed flipped themselves free but then the battle ended. Mantis went through because of style, damage and aggression but Bulldog Breed were given a yellow card because of the mesh that came out of it.
Mantis went on to face Kat 3.
- Jayne Middlemiss: "How are you going to deal with Kat 3? They've got a big axe, and your bodywork's pretty exposed."
- Duncan Chan-Pensley: "Not really bothered about the axe, too much, we'll try to keep out of the way, but we can't necessarily use what we've got to effect, because it's low to the ground, so we don't know whether we can get under it. We've got other tactics."
- Jayne Middlemiss: "What are your other tactics?"
- Duncan Chan-Pensley: "We're not sure yet?"
- — Pre-battle interview
Kat 3 axes Mantis
Mantis sustains another blow
Mantis flips Kat 3
This battle was very close. Kat 3 first missed two shots with the axe before landing a third, the spiked axe head catching in Mantis' skeletal frame. Kat 3 landed a further blow before Mantis adopted a more erratic driving style and the two chased each other. Mantis managed to get under Kat 3 and topple it but the axe-wielding robot was able to self-right. Kat 3 retaliated by once again striking Mantis' exposed innards.
- "Mantis' weapon, the actual claw part of the weaponry, isn't doing great work, but the hydraulic lifters are."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Mantis turns Kat 3 over again.
Mantis turned Kat 3 over again, having failed to grapple it with the claw, the latter self-righting just before time ran out. Kat 3's axe blows counted against Mantis and they lost the judges decision from lack of return damage, eliminating them from the main competition.
Mantis shoving R.O.C.S.
All three robots immobile.
Mantis had featured earlier in the series, in the Crusher Crunch-Up alongside Pinser and R.O.C.S.. It shoved R.O.C.S. into the side wall where it was attacked by Mr. Psycho. Mantis was then attacked by the other two, but its wide frame gave Pinser nothing to damage. Pinser roasted Mantis over the flames, but Mantis survived whilst the other two attacked each other, nearly going down the pit at one point. As Pinser immobilised R.O.C.S. with its crusher, Mantis shoved Pinser over the flames, where something exploded in flame and immobilised it, but as it attacked R.O.C.S.' immobile form, it got stuck itself.
- "Who's alive out there? Mantis....yes, there's movement in Mantis!"
- — Jonathan Pearce looking for survivors
As the three sat immobile, Mantis came back to life, and was named the winner as the sole surviving robot.
Results
| MANTIS - RESULTS | ||
| Series 7 | ||
| The Seventh Wars UK Championship Heat, Round 2 | ||
| Heat K, Eliminator | vs. Bulldog Breed (12), Infernal Contraption, Jabber | Qualified |
| Heat K, Semi Final | vs. Kat 3 | Lost |
| The Seventh Wars, Special Events Crusher Crunch Up | ||
| Crusher Crunch Up | vs. R.O.C.S., Pinser | Won |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 2
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| Series | Mantis Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Heat, Round 2 |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars
Mantis today maintains the lifter, but now has a more potent crusher
Since Robot Wars, Mantis has been sold to Team RCC, a Dutch/Belgian team who competed in Dutch Robot Wars with RCC and Blackdevil Warzone, and have also owned Hannibal, Splinter and Obsidian at various points in time. Mantis has since been heavily revised in terms of armour and weaponry, still keeping the same design.
Mantis last fought in the 2011 UK Championships, where it fell in the heats. Team RCC still own Mantis, however it would require several modifications before it would be fight-worthy again.