- "Hit her switch and Matilda will flip all of the other replica robots with her 6cm tusks. Approx 15cm from tusk to tail-saw, Matilda comes with interchangeable chainsaw and circular saw. Each can be fitted to the back of Matilda for maximum impact and maximum damage. Flick the switch at the front of Matilda and she is well capable of overturning all of the other toy robots - a highly effective weapon for mayhem battles. Her six gold horns surrounding the tusks are a formidable aid to ramming, battering and general all out attack!"
- — Official description from the Robot Wars Online Shop[1]
The pullback toy of the House Robot Matilda was based on its real life counterpart, and was released as part of the first wave of pullback toys.
Features[]
- "Matilda is the speediest of all the pull-back robots. Aerodynamic and sleek, she powers through the rest, leaving a trail of carnage in her wake. Matilda also comes with a revolving car-door obstacle challenge. Standing over 16cm tall and 15cm wide, the two miniature car doors click into their outer struts to form a free-standing gate. Pull Matilda back and set her charging towards the gate - 25 points for a clean hit. See the gate revolve as Matilda speeds through, then set her off again and try to get as many points as possible in the few minutes that robots are allowed in the real assault course challenge. A solid and compact design, combined with the tough rubber wheels and reliable pull-back motor makes Matilda a deadly and destructive miniature of one of the most popular house robots. Flippin' excellent!"
- — Official description from the Robot Wars Online Shop
Matilda's tusks were operated by a lever positioned in her head, with upward and downward movement caused by pulling the lever back and releasing it. On some versions of the pullback toy, this lever was painted the same shade of purple as her body, while on others, it was left the same shade of gold as the tusks themselves. Matilda can be equipped with either of her rear-mounted weapons by slotting either the static chainsaw or grey flywheel into the slot provided. This proved to be her first showing with the flywheel weapon, which would become synonymous with Matilda from the first series of Robot Wars: Extreme onwards, which this toy predated.
A limited edition silver Matilda pullback was also released, which was exclusive to Toys "R" Us stores in the UK. The entire body, wheel hubs, tusks and spines were all painted silver, with only the chunky tires keeping their original colour. Unlike the standard Matilda release, this limited edition toy did not come with any accessories, as was the case with the other limited edition pullback in the range, Shunt.
Accessories[]
Included with the Matilda pullback was the revolving car door, similar to the one used in the Pinball events in Series 3 and 4. The swinging doors could be clipped in place between two side supports, which allowed the doors to swing open as a robot passed through them. However, due to the distribution of weight, this often resulted in the accessory collapsing if the supports were not fixed to a surface.
Differences from real life[]
- Matilda's tusks do not reach the floor when completely down, making it difficult to get underneath other pullbacks. This is due to the third wheel in the front to aid mobility.
- Both the chainsaw and flywheel are mounted too low down in the body shell when compared to the real House Robot.
- The eyes are solid and purple instead of clear to represent the lights used in them, although the prototype had gold eyes.
- The decorative face of the pullback can be removed to allow for better flipping motion.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Of the five House Robots released in the first wave of pullback toys, Matilda was the only one which saw its alternative weapon become a feature of the real machine.
- Matilda's flywheel was erroneously called a "circular saw" on the packaging and Robot Wars Online Shop.
- Matilda was one of only a few pullbacks to have different variations released, with Chaos 2 being another example after its flipper mechanism was criticised for breaking too easily, so was therefore reinforced for later releases.
References[]
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