Mini-Maul was a robot that competed in the Featherweight Championship during Series 7 of Robot Wars. It did not fare well in its only fight, being eliminated only seconds into its battle after being flipped over by Rip, before later being crushed by Sir Killalot.
Design[]
Mini-Maul in the arena
Mini-Maul was an invertible, cuboid shaped robot with a front scoop and a 50cm spike at the rear of the machine which came from a garden fence. Its primary tactic was to spin around on the spot, hoping to inflict damage on other robots using the spike. The majority of the robot was armoured by wood and 1mm steel. It was driven by 2x 9.6v drill motors over-volted to 12v which drove 2 wheels with "razor sharp" studs screwed into the tires.
Robot History[]
Series 7[]
In its Featherweight Championship heat, Mini-Maul was drawn up against returning featherweights Kitty and G2, Alpha, Cygnus X3, Prince of Awe and Rip.
Mini-Maul is flipped, and immobilised, by Rip
In the battle, Rip immediately flipped over Mini-Maul, immobilising it immediately, in what proved to be the fastest immobilisation in any featherweight fight in Robot Wars. Mini-Maul was flipped again by Rip via its spike, with G2 being flipped at the same time. The beaten Mini-Maul was attacked by Kitty briefly, before Growler came in and separated the machines. Kitty went back to attack Mini-Maul, before Mini-Maul was shoved into the arena side wall near the CPZ by Alpha.
Mini-Maul is trampled by Sir Killalot
Sir Killalot came in and moved Mini-Maul slightly with its claw, checking for a sign of life, where there was none. The House Robot then ran over Mini-Maul with his tracks, but then couldn't drive off it, scraping Mini-Maul along the arena floor in the process. By the time Sir Killalot finally drove off Mini-Maul, its innards were scattered on the arena floor, and its front scoop had been ripped off. Mini-Maul was in such a state after Sir Killalot freed it that Jonathan Pearce couldn't even recognise what was left of it.
The tattered remains of Mini-Maul
- "What on earth was that? Whatever it was is no more...Look! in the background, there's nothing left!"
- — Jonathan Pearce on the unrecognisable Mini Maul
Mini-Maul wasn't officially counted out by Refbot but was rightly deemed immobile by the judges before the bout expired for them to make the final decision. This meant Mini-Maul was out of the Featherweight Championship, with Rip and Prince of Awe heading through after a Judges' decision.
- "...I think that was Mini-Maul, you know!"
- — Jonathan Pearce later identifies the tattered machine
Results[]
| MINI-MAUL - RESULTS | ||
| Series 7 | ||
| Special Events Featherweight Championship, Round 1 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Alpha, Cygnus X3, G2, Kitty, Prince of Awe, Rip | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | Mini-Maul 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 | Featherweight Championship, Round 1 |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars[]
The original Mini-Maul
The version of Mini-Maul that appeared on the televised show was in fact the second version of the machine built. The first incarnation of Mini-Maul was a silver can-shaped robot with a 6kg shell which spun at 600rpm, in its first and only event the 2003 Featherweight Smash it was retired after Tomahawk (which competed as a House Robot) completely bent and buckled the spinning shell. Some time after Series 7, the Mini-Maul series was retired in favour of the new Micro-Maul series, which were more successful.
Trivia[]
- Mini-Maul holds the dubious honour of being the fastest immobilised featherweight robot on Robot Wars, losing all power after a flip from Rip less than 3.5 seconds into the battle.
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