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"I decided that last year was too fun to miss out on again, so I entered my first RobotWars competition with Nezumi. Lacking the resources that my fellow teammates had at their disposal, as well as having to deal with air travel, I built Nezumi from an old 1/8 scale, 4WD, gas-powered remote-control car."
— Robert Orr on his inspiration to compete with Nezumi[1]

Nezumi was a featherweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Built by Team Sinister member Robert Orr, it was eliminated in the first round of both the Featherweight Face-Off and Featherweight Melee tournaments, the former by Black Sheep 2.[3][4][5]

For the 1997 competition, Robert Orr initially built a second version, Nezumi II, which he described as a 'more serious foray' into the featherweight category. Ultimately, a robot named 'Nezumi II' would not compete under this name; information from Team Sinister's website regarding its competition history aligns with footage and accounts available for The Rat.[1]

Design[]

As a first-time build from Robert Orr, Nezumi was a four-wheel drive robot based on an internal combustion remote-controlled car. Armored in a carbon-fiber bodyshell, it was fitted with a cutting saw powered by an electric motor. Unusually among robots with similar weaponry, Nezumi's saw was placed near the top of its shell, which had the counter-effect of making it too high to reach most of its intended opposition.[3]

Etymology[]

The name Nezumi is Japanese for "mouse" or "rat".

Robot History[]

1996 US Championship[]

Nezumi's 1996 run began in the Featherweight Face-Off, where it would face the returning Black Sheep 2 in the opening round. This would form one of many sets of 'Dual Matches', in this case occurring at the same time as Bite Me vs Arsenic.

"My first match came and I met my opponent - an 8 yr. old boy and father team. Since the boy was driving, my first thought was that I would defeat him easily. Upon further consideration, I realized that if the match lasted the full five minutes and it came down to the audience voting for the winner, I was sure to lose. After all, who wouldn't applaud for an 8 yr. old entrant??"
— Robert Orr recounts his debut battle with Nezumi[1]

Both competitors initially engaged in a tentative pushing match. Nezumi demonstrated bursts of speed with its RC car-based design, but was otherwise nudged and forced into a stalemate by the more aggressive Black Sheep 2. This would give it a chance, however, to pin Benjamin Chapman's machine for a substantial amount of time, though Nezumi would not be able to make this last for the required thirty seconds.

Mobility issues soon started affecting Nezumi in the center of the arena, after which Black Sheep 2 rammed it a few times in the latter stages. Nezumi responded by forcing Black Sheep 2 to drive alongside the arena flipper, in order to get it stranded behind the hazard. This plan backfired for Robert Orr's machine, however, as Nezumi drove too close to and was hit by the paddle multiple times while trying to ram Black Sheep 2 again.[3][6]

"In the end, I was my own undoing. I pinned the kid in less than 30 seconds, but let him go because I felt it was too boring a match. Or was it pity? The match went the distance, the audience voted, and the kid won. Such are the fates of competition... ;-)"
— Robert Orr on Nezumi's Face-Off downfall[1]

According to the Team Spike website, the contact with the flipper was enough to immobilize Nezumi completely, resulting in it losing by knockout. However, Robert Orr states that the battle lasted the full five minutes, ending in an audience vote which ruled Black Sheep 2 victorious. Regardless of the exact outcome, Nezumi was eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off at this stage.[1][3][6]

Nezumi later returned for the Featherweight Melee tournament. In the first round, it was drawn into an eight-way clash also involving Bite Me, Draggon Waggin', Edgar the Hate Bug, Peter Abrahamson's Gigan, Mad Dog, P.A.T. and Ziggy.

As the Melee started, Nezumi, Mad Dog, Bite Me, Draggon Waggin' and Gigan all engaged in an early tussle among themselves. Nezumi itself sped past its opponents on various occasions, before getting into the action again as Gigan violently ejected both of its damaged treads. Nezumi initially teamed up with Draggon Waggin' to attack the now-immobile Gigan, before starting to chase it across the arena - a moment briefly featured in the intro montage for American Robot Wars 1996. During this phase, it would end up getting chased and pushed into the wall by Bite Me, before briefly being pressured by P.A.T. as well. Nezumi was again pushed by Bite Me, this time into the top-right corner, and continued to be attacked by Brian Foote's machine for some time. Eventually, it became immobilized after being swatted by a mousetrap, and being pushed aside by P.A.T. Nezumi was eliminated from the Featherweight Melee, but not before P.A.T. drove into it a second time mid-bout. Ultimately, no robots would survive to the end and be selected for the overall Final.[4][5]

Results[]

NEZUMI - RESULTS
1996 US Championship
Featherweight Face-Off
Round 1
Round 1 vs. Black Sheep 2 Lost
Featherweight Melee
Round 1
Melee vs. Bite Me, Draggon Waggin', Edgar the Hate Bug Gigan Mad Dog, P.A.T., Ziggy All robots immobilized

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 0
  • Losses: 2

Series Record[]

Events Nezumi Event Record
1994 Entered with The Master (Mark Setrakian)
1995 Entered with The Master (Mark Setrakian)
Entered with Gigan (Peter Abrahamson)
1996 Featherweight Face-Off, Round 1
Featherweight Melee, Round 1
Entered with The Master (Mark Setrakian)
Entered with Gigan (Peter Abrahamson)
1997 Entered with Snake (Mark Setrakian)
Entered with The Rat (Robert Orr)

References[]

External Links[]

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