Melvin was a featherweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Designed with an emphasis on pushing power, it shoved Mad Dog out of the arena boundaries in its debut match, a moment partially shown in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS.[3] This, along with a second win over P.A.T., enabled Melvin to reach the Featherweight Face-Off Quarter-Finals, where it would be eliminated by eventual champion Wedge of Doom. Melvin also competed in the Featherweight Melee tournament, where it was quickly snared by My Little Pony, alongside a 'team battle', both also involving future Series 1 stock robot WYSIWYG.[4]
In the 1997 competition souvenir programme, an updated version of the robot was listed as a featherweight entry for the event under the name Melvin II. However, Melvin II would not compete for unknown reasons; Kevin Knoedler would instead enter the heavyweight class with the similarly-designed Monster.[2]
Design[]
Melvin was an invertible robot using four 'homemade' plywood wheels, driven by two large motors and a gear/chain system, and an aluminum chassis. Equipped with a pair of small ramming spikes, it noticeably lacked top armor for the internals at the rear, instead using the exposed framework as another means of catching and holding other robots in place. Melvin was noted by Team Spike as having 'very good speed, maneuvrability and pushing power', using these strengths to push and ram opponents against the side walls and hazards.[5]
Robot History[]
1996 US Championship[]
Melvin's 1996 run began in the Featherweight Face-Off, where it was drawn against the wedge-shaped Mad Dog in the first round. This was among many 'Dual Matches' to take place in this category, in this case occurring at the same time as Draggon Waggin' vs P.A.T..

Melvin pushes Mad Dog towards the wall

Melvin throws Mad Dog over the wall bumper (Amazing America)
Both competitors initially sized each other up in their half of the arena. In what would turn out to be a very short battle, Melvin proceeded to scoop Mad Dog up from the side, pushing it across the center at high speed (as seen in American Robot Wars 1996) into the right-hand wall bumper. The collision flipped Mad Dog over and behind the bumper, trapping it within its moving mechanism. Melvin was soon declared the winner, progressing to the second round.[3]
At that stage, Kevin Knoedler's machine fought P.A.T., the victor from the other 'Dual Match' pairing.
Both robots quickly met in the center, with Melvin performing the first shove on P.A.T.. During a fast chase, however, it got itself caught on an arena flipper, and was scooped up from the front in the next head-to-head exchange. The two featherweights bumped each other and took whacks from the flipper paddle. Moments later, Melvin's left-rear wheel fell apart, and was removed completely once P.A.T. threw the whole robot upwards with another ram.[5][6][7]
Melvin hobbled back towards P.A.T., brushing the left wall bumper alongside its opponent as it dodged the latter's next ramming attempts. It would eventually be collected and pushed against a mousetrap mechanism, but avoided getting pinned. As they tried to drive back out, Melvin and P.A.T. were both swatted by the nearby flipper. With P.A.T. wedging itself underneath the mousetrap, Melvin began weaving around in apparent celebration. However, its remaining rear wheel suddenly collapsed, and would end up detaching completely. Once P.A.T. was released from the mousetrap, it was subjected to another ram from the UCSB entry, which was beginning to slow down drastically.[5][6][7]
The now two-wheel drive Melvin veered dangerously into the flipper, which swatted it into the wall. Sustained whacks from the flipper paddle appeared to leave Melvin without reverse drive. As such, it drove plow-first into the side of the mousetrap, almost trapping itself inside the mechanism in the process. This brush with the mousetrap had the effect of turning Melvin around. Crucially, this allowed it to dart away before P.A.T. could ram it again, setting up another chase around the side and front of the hazard.[5][6][7]
As the battle entered its third minute, Melvin was struggling to drive outside of its circumference, spinning and sliding around uncontrollably on its front wheels. Another pushing match between it and P.A.T. ensued, with Melvin holding P.A.T. in place opposite the mousetrap. The mousetrap lunged at both robots, at which point P.A.T. suddenly stopped in the arena center. Neither robot attacked each other for some time, until Melvin was biffed from the side by P.A.T.[5][6][7]
Melvin kept moving regardless, while taking a front-on collision with the Ball of Doom. Returning to the center of the arena, it engaged in one last ramming match with P.A.T., whose batteries had completely lost charge. Both competitors became immobilized by this exchange, promoting the Judges to make a decision. As announced by Michael Meehan, the decision ruled Melvin as the winner.[5][6][7]
Through to the Quarter-Finals, Melvin faced Wedge of Doom.
Approaching Tony Buchignani's machine in the opening moments, it was quickly scooped up by the former's head-on ram. The attack left Melvin beached on top of Wedge of Doom, where it remained in place as Wedge of Doom completed a 30-second pin. Melvin was deemed to have lost this exceptionally short battle, resulting in its elimination from the Featherweight Face-Off.[8]
Melvin would later face Wedge of Doom again in the Featherweight Melee tournament. In their first-round clash, both robots were drawn against Black Sheep 2, KMM, My Little Pony, Spike, WYSIWYG and The X-2.
All eight robots scrambled towards the center; Melvin immediately threw My Little Pony into the air with a fast ram. In doing so, however, it quickly became snared in My Little Pony's tape traps, which greatly hampered Melvin's driving as both robots eventually found themselves in the upper-right corner. Though Melvin would keep shuffling back and forth at certain moments, it would not be chosen to qualify for the Melee Final once the five-minute match concluded.[4][9][10][11]
Prior to the 1996 finals, Melvin was one of eight featherweights to take part in a 'team battle', set up as one of the event's Grudge Matches. It was paired up with Spike, Spiny Norman and WYSIWYG to form "Team X", challenging KMM, Arsenic, My Little Pony and The X-2 from "Team W".[4][12]
Initially, Melvin joined its teammates in their drive towards the center. It would otherwise keep out of the action, until driving around and ramming the back of KMM while it and Arsenic attacked Spike. Melvin smashed into the nearby mousetrap support as it backed away, before darting into the center of the arena. As in the Featherweight Melee, it found itself caught in the tape deployed by My Little Pony, alongside the already-inverted Spiny Norman. While initially still able to drive into the left-hand perimeter, Melvin would eventually be left immobile on one side as the tape wrapped around its chassis and wheels.[13][4][14][15]
Later on, Arsenic tried to attack Melvin from the side, but got itself stuck in the process. Regardless, Melvin and the other "Team W" representatives were all deemed to have been pinned by that stage, giving "Team X" overall victory.[13][4][14][15]
Results[]
MELVIN - RESULTS | ||
1996 US Championship | ||
Featherweight Face-Off Quarter-Finals | ||
Round 1 | vs. Mad Dog | Won |
Round 2 | vs. P.A.T. | Won |
Quarter-Final | vs. Wedge of Doom | Lost |
Featherweight Melee Round 1 | ||
Round 1 | vs. Black Sheep 2, KMM, My Little Pony, Spike, Wedge of Doom, WYSIWYG, The X-2 | Lost |
Other Battles Featherweight Team Battle (Team X, paired with Spike, Spiny Norman and WYSIWYG) | ||
Team Battle | vs. Arsenic, KMM, My Little Pony and The X-2 (Team W) | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 2
- Losses: 3
Series Record[]
Events | Melvin Event Record |
---|---|
1994 | Did not enter |
1995 | Did not enter |
1996 | Featherweight Face-Off, Quarter-Final Featherweight Melee, Round 1 |
1997 | Entered with Monster |
References[]
- ↑ 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Contestants: Featherweight Class', 4th Annual Robot Wars (1997) souvenir programme, p.2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 'The Story Of Spike', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 'MELVIN', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Melvin versus P.A.T. (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 29 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 'Robot Wars 1996 - P.A.T. vs Melvin', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
- ↑ 'Pictures of the 1996 Featherweight Faceoff.', Nolex/Wedge of Doom website (archived)
- ↑ 'The 1996 Featherweight Melee', Wedge of Doom/Nolex website (archived)
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 10 2019
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 2', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 20 2008
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded 20 July 2008
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 'WYSIWYG', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 9 2019
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 20 2008
External Links[]
[]
|
|