Mega Hurts

For the Navy entry from Extreme Series 1, see Mega-Hurts.

Mega Hurts
Participation Information
UK Series	2, 6-7
Other Names	Mega Hurts 2 (Series 6) Mega Hurts LT (Series 7)
Team Information
Team Members	Dave Lund Tony Lund Gordon Keeling (Series 2, 6)
From	Preston, Lancashire
Other Entries	Tut's Revenge (Series 3)
Robot Statistics
Weight	91kg
Dimensions	0.62m x 1.02m x 0.69m
Top Speed	12mph
Power	2 x 750W Electric motors
Weapons	2 x Full Pressure Flippers
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Ah, at last: Robot Wars enters the computer age!"

— Jonathan Pearce in Series 6

Mega Hurts was a robot which debuted in Series 2, and then fought in Series 6 and 7. Despite entering four series, the Mega Hurts team never made it past the heats, or even reached a Heat Final. The team also entered Series 3 with Tut's Revenge.

Mega Hurts in all three of its appearances entered with a different incarnation but every robot was computer-themed.

Versions of Mega Hurts

Mega Hurts

The original Mega Hurts, with the mouse mascot

Weighing 71.8kg, Mega Hurts was a yellow box shaped robot based on a desktop computer. It was powered by four drive motors, salvaged from Ford Fiesta windscreen wipers. For weaponry, it was equipped with a lifting plate, designed to look like a computer keyboard, referred to on the show as a 'keyboard disguised lift'. It featured a rear blade which could move vertically, and a mouse mascot, and the robot even featured a moving disc drive. The monitor contained the robot's receiver. However, Mega Hurts was slow at only 4mph.

Mega Hurts 2

Mega Hurts 2 from the front

Mega Hurts 2 in the arena

The team returned for Series 6 with Mega Hurts 2, weighing 100kg. Its lifter was now more powerful, and quicker in operation, positioned at an angle instead of directly lifting upwards. The rear of the robot was protected by a static spear. Mega Hurts 2 used innovative side axes, powered by an automatic infrared system to fire whenever another robot came within six inches of Mega Hurts 2, making the robot one of the first to use autonomous weaponry. The side of the robot was decorated with warning stripe skirts, and the monitor on top now featured an angry face.

Mega Hurts LT

Mega Hurts LT in the arena

Mega Hurts LT appeared in Series 7, the initials in the name standing for 'laptop'. It was lighter than its predecessor by 9kg. The robot now had a much more low-profile shape, constructed from polycarbonate with a steel chassis. All three sides of the robot were protected by static spikes, aside from the front, which featured a brand new double-flipper system, the first offensive use of the monitor on a Mega-Hurts machine. The keyboard flips upwards, while the monitor flips forwards, the team boasting that the combination of the two could flip another robot out of the arena. Mega Hurts LT was also the first machine from the team that could self-right, although it still struggled to do so when low on gas.

Etymology

The name Mega Hurts is a pun based on the frequency megahertz, a concept also used by competitors Killerhurtz and Terrorhurtz. In particular, Mega Hurts references the use of megahertz when describing storage in computers. The Series 7 entry, Mega Hurts LT, stood for "Mega Hurts Lap Top" in full.

Qualification

Mega Hurts qualified for Series 2 after a successful auditioning process, and subsequently entered Series 3 with Tut's Revenge. The team are not known to have attempted qualification for Series 4.

Damage from The Stag at the Series 5 qualifiers

Mega Hurts during the Sixth Wars qualifiers

Mega Hurts was intended to make its return in Series 5, and featured a radio modem between two computers instead of the traditional RC system. Mega Hurts fought The Stag in one of its qualifier battles, but lost the battle after its sides were scratched and dented by its opponent's pincers, with Mega Hurts' name stickers also being removed. As a result, Mega Hurts would not compete in the Fifth Wars.

By attending the live qualification tour, Mega Hurts 2 was able to successfully qualify for Series 6, while Mega Hurts LT also qualified for Series 7.

The Team

The team in Series 6

Mega Hurts was entered into Robot Wars by a team from Preston in Lancashire, captained by Dave Lund, who was joined by relative Tony Lund in all of the robot's appearances. Teammate Gordon Keeling was also present in both Series 2 and 6, but was absent in the Seventh Wars. The team also competed in Series 3 with Tut's Revenge, with the same lineup of three.

Robot History

Series 2

"Forget roms, Craig, this one can ram!"

— Jonathan Pearce in Series 2

Mega Hurts completes the Gauntlet

Mega Hurts fought in Heat K of the Second Wars for its first Robot Wars appearance. In the Gauntlet stage, Mega Hurts took the ramrig route, but got stuck half way down it due to the robots considerable width, but managed to break free, dodge the House Robots and reach the end zone, which put it second out of 6 on the leaderboard, more than enough to put it through to the trial stage of the Heat, which was King of the Castle.

After Plunderbird 2's run, the Mega Hurts team called the Plunderbird team chickens for driving into the Pit of Oblivion on purpose, and led a chorus of chicken noises in the pits, which was copied by several other roboteers.

Mega Hurts drives off the ring

However, this turned to look premature for Mega Hurts in the King of the Castle Trial, Mega Hurts was defeated fairly quickly (just 22.2 seconds) after getting driven off the podium by Dead Metal after the robot carelessly positioned itself in the balance and on the edge. The house robot delayed its attack to push it off, but when it did, Dead Metal went off with it. Dead Metal fell on the computer monitor, crushing it. This left Mega Hurts at the bottom of the leaderboard at the end of the Trial, eliminating them from the competition.

"That's suicide, That is suicide! You're going, you're going, you're gone!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Mega Hurts is pushed off the ring in the Trial

At the end of the series, Mega Hurts was nominated for the Most Original Entry Award but lost out to Milly-Ann Bug.

Series 6

The Mega Hurts team returned to the sixth series of Robot Wars after a long interval away from the show, this time returning with an improved machine in Mega Hurts 2. In Heat B of the competition, Mega Hurts 2 was placed up against the number three seeds Firestorm 4, and two fellow Lancashire representatives in Colossus and Cedric Slammer in the first round melee.

"Plenty of "ram" from the twenty-four volt motor, loads of "mega-byte" from the flipper, axe and spikes, but "monitor" this lightweight armour closely and you'll see this computer-bot could "crash" easily!"

— Jonathan Pearce sums up Mega Hurts 2 with a lot of computer puns

Firestorm 4 throws Mega Hurts 2 over

The victorious Mega Hurts 2 is pitted

Mega Hurts 2 started reasonably well, but it was Firestorm 4 that did all of the aggressive work, first flipping Cedric Slammer over and then Colossus over, where neither of them could self-right. Then Mega Hurts 2 was also flipped over by Firestorm 4, smashing its computer monitor. Mega Hurts 2 was also unable to self-right, so Firestorm used pushed them into the pit. Soon afterwards, Firestorm 4 drove straight into the pit of its own accord, but as Mega Hurts 2 and Firestorm 4 were the last two robots to be immobilised, they were both put through to the next round of the heat by the judges.

In the second round, Mega Hurts 2 was drawn up against the experienced X-Terminator machine. Marlon Pritchard of the X-Terminator team was keen to win this battle due to his troubles in operating computers.

The team hold their broken monitor

Philippa Forrester: "Mega Hurts, now as good as new. Show me the before"

Team Mega Hurts: "Here it is, our starter kit."

Philippa Forrester: "That's after Round 1, this is going into Round 2, so remember what it looks like now, because you're up against...the nasty X-Terminator. And you have a grudge against computers, don't you?"

Marlon Pritchard: "Yeah, computers have messed me around all my life, so we've made sure the axe is extra sharp for this one."

— Mega Hurts 2 is threatened by Team X-Terminator

Mega Hurts 2 lifts X-Terminator

Mega Hurts 2 is burned over the flame pit

Growler grabs Mega Hurts 2

Growler rams X-Terminator

Mr. Psycho slams Mega Hurts 2's monitor

Mr. Psycho pins down Mega Hurts 2

X-Terminator dominated the match (particularly the early stages), relentlessly hitting Mega Hurts 2 with its axe, smashing the screen off the brand new computer monitor, though Mega Hurts 2 did get underneath and push its opponent towards the end of the fight, driving it into a CPZ. X-Terminator lost its axe head eventually before cease was called. Mega Hurts 2 had fought well, but the judges' decision went in favour of X-Terminator, eliminating Mega Hurts 2 from the competition.

Series 7

"Fighting in a fourth wars. Trouble is, they've never been out of the heats"

— Jonathan Pearce

In Heat H of the Seventh Wars, Mega Hurts LT was drawn up against two veterans, the Cornish machine St. Agro and New Blood competitors Revolution 3 as well as newcomers The Scrapper in its first round melee.

Jayne Middlemiss: "Started in Series 2, it's now War 7."

Dave Lund: "We're getting old."

— Pre-first round interview

Mega Hurts LT stays out of the action for a while as The Scrapper and Revolution 3 have their own duel

Mega Hurts LT is flipped by St. Agro

Mega Hurts LT started fairly well, narrowly missing robots with its flipper weapon. St. Agro came in to try to flip Mega Hurts LT, but the more experienced machine managed to stay on its wheels. After a while, St. Agro managed to properly flip Mega Hurts LT over, but Mega Hurts LT was just about able to self-right. After St. Agro had dispatched The Scrapper by throwing it out of the arena, Revolution 3 began to slowly grind to an unprovoked halt just as St. Agro flipped Mega Hurts LT over again, Mega Hurts LT couldn't self-right this time and was spun around by Growler.

Mega Hurts LT is seized by Growler

"The Mega Hurts Lap Top has crashed and it can't evade Growler. Suffering from some sort of virus perhaps, and Growler hardly a mouse out there in the war zone!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Mega Hurts LT is in peril from Growler

Mega Hurts LT's wheels were still very slowly spinning, but Refbot counted it out. It was then flipped by the floor flipper, before being dumped into the pit by House Robot Growler. 'Cease' was then called and Mega Hurts LT was eliminated from the competition, while St. Agro and Revolution 3 progressed. The Mega Hurts team then retired after this.

"...but it all got locked up. The memory was lost. And as for a byte, there's a mega bite...from Growler, back to the old laptop case."

— Jonathan Pearce as Mega Hurts LT gets finished off by Growler

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 2

NOTE: Mega Hurts' Gauntlet and Trial runs are not included

Series Record

Mega Hurts LT in the pits

Series	Mega Hurts Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Heat, Trial
The Third Wars	Entered with Tut's Revenge
The Fourth Wars	Did not enter
The Fifth Wars	Failed to qualify
The Sixth Wars	Heat, Round 2
The Seventh Wars	Heat, Round 1
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter

Trivia

Official Series 7 photo

• On entrance to the arena for its Series 7 battle, the Robot Wars announcer Stuart McDonald introduced Mega Hurts LT as Mega Hurts Limited, believing that the LT in the name stood for Limited, rather than Laptop.
• Mega Hurts LT was one of seven robots from a team that had previously fought in three wars that went out in the first round of the Seventh Wars, the others being Aggrobot, Velocirippa, Metalis, Black and Blue, Major Tom 3 and Shredder Evolution.
• In both Mega Hurts' first and last appearances, it was the last robot to be introduced in the heat.
• Both of Mega Hurts' losses in Series 6 and 7 involved it being spun round by Growler.
• Throughout its appearances, Mega Hurts was never present in a battle with Cassius Chrome or Shunt.

Honours

Nominations

• Most Original Entry - Robot Wars: The Second Wars