- "Its six wheels will make this powerful weapons platform difficult to immobilize."
- — Robot Wars Extreme: The Official Guide
Panzer Mk2 and Panzer Mk4, often shortened to just Panzer, were a series of robots which competed in both seasons of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors, and emerged as the series champion in each, with Panzer Mk2 earning the first US title over The Revolutionist, and Panzer Mk4 winning the second over Tricerabot 3.0. Panzer Mk2 also represented the USA in The Second World Championship, where it was knocked out in round one, the robot's only combat loss compared to its nine wins.
Versions of Panzer[]
Panzer Mk2[]
Panzer Mk2 in the pits
Panzer Mk2 (also styled as Panzer Mk II) was the team's entry for the first season, and was closely based on the Panzer, a German tank used in World War 2. It was a six-wheel drive box-shaped robot painted mustard yellow with a large pneumatic lifting scoop on the front which could hoist 300lbs, although it proved incapable of being used as a self-righting mechanism in practice, which led to its defeat in the Second World Championship, and was susceptible to jamming. Each of the six wheels was powered by a 24 volt electric motor, giving the robot a top speed of 10mph.
Panzer Mk2 with its weapon module removed
According to the UK broadcast of The Second World Championship and Robot Wars Extreme: The Official Guide, the robot had interchangeable bolt-on weapons including a spinning disc, but none were ever seen.
Panzer Mk4[]
- "At a blistering 217 pounds, it's been completely redesigned, with a pneumatic lifter and two golf cart motors."
- — Stefan Frank introduces Panzer Mk4
Panzer Mk4 in the arena
Panzer Mk4 (also spelled Panzer MK4) was the team's entry for the second season, and featured a powerful six-wheel drive like its predecessor, but it had a redesigned weapon. The new plough was primarily used to provide Panzer Mk4 with an adjustable ground clearance, rather than to flip other robots. It was smaller and had little lifting power, so Panzer Mk4 relied entirely on ramming power to win matches, but did so with great success, managing to immobilise Destructive Criticism through slams into the wall, and was notably able to quickly reverse off other wedge-shaped robots when it had driven into danger.
Etymology[]
The name Panzer is derived from the German tank Panzer, or Panzerkampfwagen in full. The "Mk" derivatives also further play into the military theming.
The intended spacing used in the full names are "Panzer Mk2" (as seen on the surface of the robot) and "Panzer Mk4" (as seen on its statistics board), though other spellings were used in other contexts, such as Panzer Mk II (Season 1 statistics board) and Panzer Mk. 4 (video games).
The other two versions of Panzer, including the original Panzer Mk1 and also Panzer Mk3, were competitors in the TV show Robotica and helped to bridge the gaps between Panzer Mk 2 and 4.
The Team[]
Panzer Mk2 with Team Stealth
Team Stealth with the Extreme Warriors Season 1 Championship trophy
Both versions of Panzer were built by Todd Mendenhall, the captain of Team Stealth from Rancho Palos Verdes in California, and the driver of both robots. In Season 1, he was joined by Don Lariviere and Jennifer Twisdom, while for Season 2, he was joined by his wife Valerie, and Jim Hart. The team dressed in military attire to fit the theme of their robot, and were always respectful of their opponents, praising them in interviews. In Season 2, Todd and Valerie Mendenhall always celebrated their victories with a kiss.
Todd Mendenhall had previously attended filming for MTV's unaired American Robot Wars 2000 pilot with the robot Mjollnir which ultimately was not selected to compete.
Robot History[]
Season 1[]
Panzer Mk2 took part in the US Championship of Extreme Warriors in Season 1, where it fought Drillzilla, Run Away, Spartacus, General Chompsalot and Cyclone in Round 1.
- Rebecca Grant: "So are you guys ready to really ... tank 'em?"
- Don Lariviere: "Yep, we'e ready to go out there and do some shoving!"
- — Pre-battle interview
Panzer Mk2 slams into Cyclone
Panzer Mk2 started by charging at Spartacus as it was being pushed towards the arena wall by Drillzilla, but Drillzilla was powerful enough to push both robots, and Panzer Mk2 was pushed into an angle grinder with Spartacus. Panzer Mk2 turned and quickly got away, and drove across the arena, ramming into Cyclone as it attacked Run Away. Panzer Mk2 pushed Cyclone against the wall, raised its lifter and pinned Cyclone against the wall. General Chompsalot got the disc of Cyclone in its jaw and pushed it across the arena, and Panzer Mk2 stayed out of the action as the other robots fought, briefly ramming General Chompsalot. Panzer Mk2 found itself pinned between Run Away and General Chompsalot, which got its jaw underneath.
- "And there's Panzer Mk2, right in the jaws of Chompsalot!"
- — Stefan Frank
Panzer Mk2 almost flips Spartacus out of the arena as Drillzilla rams General Chompsalot
Drillzilla pushed Run Away up the arena, but General Chompsalot pushed Panzer Mk2 across the arena until it managed to escape the jaw. Panzer Mk2 tried to flip Spartacus, but Spartacus turned away, causing Panzer Mk2 to miss its flip. Panzer Mk2 turned around for another attack at Spartacus, and as it started ramming Spartacus, Drillzilla pushed General Chompsalot into its side. Panzer Mk2 kept pushing regardless, and flipped Spartacus up against the wall.
- "Panzer's still got a little bit of pushing power, as he drives right into Spartacus with the help of Chompsalot, and puts Spartacus up on the rail!"
- — Stefan Frank
Drillzilla rams Panzer Mk2
Panzer Mk2 then attacked General Chompsalot, ramming it towards the arena wall, before Drillzilla pushed it away from Panzer Mk2 and rammed it into the arena wall itself. General Chompsalot managed to get away from Drillzilla, but Panzer Mk2 tried ramming it. However, Panzer Mk2's flipper was open, causing it to drive up on one of General Chompsalot's wheels. Drillzilla took advantage, getting under Panzer Mk2 and pushing it against an angle grinder. On impact with the angle grinder, Panzer Mk2 managed to reverse away from Drillzilla, only to drive into General Chompsalot, and Drillzilla rammed into it, holding it still as time ran out.
- "The Panzer was strong, all the way through here, even against the outrageous power of Drillzilla."
- — Stefan Frank, reviewing the highlights
The Judges decided that Panzer Mk2 was the winner, and they proceeded to the next round.
- Mick Foley: "That was impressive, that was action-packed, and I wanna have your feeling on how you feel about your performance thus far today."
- Don Lariviere: "Well it's pretty amazing, I didn't even think we won, there were so many good robots still running at the end, the judges' decision? I don't know, it just feels great!"
- — Post-battle interview
In the Semi-Finals, Panzer Mk2 fought Manta.
- "More good driving, and keep the bot on him and try to get him flipped over."
- — Don Lariviere reveals his tactics before the battle
Panzer Mk2 forces Manta backwards
Panzer Mk2 was quick to attack Manta on 'activate', slamming into the side of the lower machine as it tried to dodge the initial charge, actually causing sparks. Manta turned around and the two collided head-on, but Manta was able to get under Panzer Mk2's front and push back. Panzer Mk2 tried ramming again, but Manta turned so Panzer Mk2 drove up on its side. The two robots drove towards the arena wall before separating.
- "Neither one of these guys got a self-righting mechanism, so they'd better watch themselves"
- — Stefan Frank
As Panzer Mk2 moved away, it collided with Refbot, before meeting Manta head-on again. Panzer Mk2 rammed into the front of Manta, but couldn't get underneath. Manta got under the side of Panzer Mk2, whilst Panzer Mk2 fired its scoop, but missed. Manta pushed Panzer Mk2, but Panzer Mk2 got free and reversed up the arena to come in for another frontal charge, causing more sparks to fly as it made contact with Manta's disc. Panzer Mk2 pushed Manta back, but Manta turned away and pushed Panzer Mk2 from the side, getting underneath again.
Panzer Mk2 lands on its feet thanks to Refbot
Manta's disc seemed to stop after this attack and the two robots dodged around each other again, with Panzer Mk2 nudging Manta towards the angle grinders before Manta drove towards Sgt. Bash and briefly got caught in his pincers. Manta escaped, but was a lot more sluggish, allowing Panzer Mk2 to ram it front-on down the arena. Manta was slow to respond and when it did, Panzer Mk2 continued to ram into it, causing a piece of armour to fly off. Eventually, Matilda left her CPZ to investigate Manta, but it managed to move out of the way, showing it was still mobile. Panzer Mk2 came in for another charge but caught Manta at an awkward angle, riding up its shell and nearly overturning itself, just surviving after crashing into a passing Refbot and stabilizing itself.
- "But he's a bit of a ramp, so they'd better watch it!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer nearly overturns
As Panzer Mk2 drove up and over the nearly immobile Manta again, whilst Refbot yellow-carded Matilda for her attack on Manta, whilst Sgt. Bash came to investigate Manta himself. Panzer Mk2 managed to get one last slam on Manta's side just as time ran out. The judges declared that Panzer Mk2 had won the battle.
- Mick Foley: "They [the Manta team] are just psychologically devastated, I'm not sure they're ever going to be the same. How do you feel about inflicting this type of psychological damage on young, impressionable adults?"
- Don Lariviere: "Well, they put it out there, so we fought it!"
- Mick Foley: "To tell you the truth, I think they cheated their way into the Semi-Finals anyway! So look, you've got a team, The Revolutionist, that looked mighty impressive in winning in quick fashion, but can their revolving turret, will that have any effect on the Panzer?"
- Todd Mendenhall: "Oh, it will certainly take damage from it, but the question is: if we withstand the damage, can they take our pushing and shoving?"
- — From the interview after the battle with Manta
In the final, Panzer Mk2 fought The Revolutionist for the right to become the first Extreme Warriors champion.
- Rebecca Grant: "You guys were really cranking over there on the repairs."
- Don Lariviere: "Yeah well, we just had to charge the batteries up, get some more CO2 and bend a few parts back straight."
- Rebecca Grant: "Oh yeah, like what?"
- Don Lariviere: "Just some of the side plates were rubbing on the wheels and stuff, so we just bent those back straight."
- Rebecca Grant: "Did you change anything up?"
- Don Lariviere: "No, it's going back in the same as it was."
- — Pre-battle interview
Panzer Mk2 rams The Revolutionist into Sir Killalot
Panzer Mk2 charged at The Revolutionist, but The Revolutionist drove down the arena before its opponent could reach it. It began getting its spinner up to speed, and when Panzer Mk2 drove at it, it was hit by a glancing blow from the spinner. Panzer Mk2 drove past The Revolutionist and turned to line up another attack, but when it charged at The Revolutionist, it merely bounced of the spinner. Panzer Mk2 turned around, and pushed The Revolutionist into Sir Killalot. However, before Sir Killalot could grab The Revolutionist, The Revolutionist pushed past Panzer Mk2 and darted away from the CPZ. It drove by a CPZ at the top of the arena, and began spinning up, but Panzer Mk2 charged at it before it could get up to speed, managing to stop the spinner. Panzer Mk2 tried to flip The Revolutionist, but only lifted it up a little as the lifter was not under The Revolutionist properly.
- "Panzer trying to do anything to penetrate Revolutionist's quick, agile movement!"
- — Stefan Frank
Panzer Mk2 flips The Revolutionist
Panzer Mk2 pushed The Revolutionist into the CPZ, and Dead Metal caught it. However, Dead Metal reversed and allowed The Revolutionist to escape. However, Panzer Mk2 blocked its escape and The Revolutionist drove into the wall whilst trying to escape. Panzer Mk2 then rammed The Revolutionist into another CPZ, and Dead Metal trapped it against the wall and began slicing into The Revolutionist. Dead Metal turned to allow The Revolutionist to escape again, but Panzer Mk2 rammed it against the top arena wall. The Revolutionist drove down the arena, but Panzer Mk2 was in close pursuit, eventually catching up with it and ramming it against the bottom arena wall. Panzer Mk2 had the lifter under The Revolutionist, but turned at the wrong moment, causing it to miss its flip.
- "But the Panzer's got that lifting arm up and oh! He just can't quite get underneath the Revolutionist!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk2 misses his flip
The Revolutionist tried to dodge Panzer Mk2, but Panzer Mk2 got under it again and pushed it into a CPZ, flipping it against the wall.
- "There can be a new revolution with the Panzer's coming through!"
- — Stefan Frank after The Revolutionist is flipped
Refbot and Sir Killalot came into the CPZ, and though Sir Killalot knocked it back onto its wheels with his lance, it had been immobile for too long. Dead Metal came in and grabbed it, and pushed it into the Pit. As a result, Panzer Mk2 was crowned the US champion.
- Mick Foley: "Excellent, excellent job. Congratulations to all of you, and I've got to admit, when I The Revolutionist in action in the Semi-Finals, they looked impressive, but it seemed like you just took away their greatest weapon right off the bat."
- Don Lariviere: "Yeah, we just kept pounding on him 'til they couldn't spin up their weapon, and just kept pushing him around until something broke and we ended up flipping them over in the corner."
- Mick Foley: "You basically made them look like a turtle on his shell!"
- Todd Mendenhall: "Well we had the horsepower, and we used it, and there's no substitute for horsepower!"
- — Post-battle interview
The Second World Championship[]
As US champion, Panzer Mk2 came back for the World Championships representing the USA along with Manta, Drillzilla and The Revolutionist. This competition was also broadcast during Series 1 of Robot Wars Extreme in the United Kingdom. In the first round, it fought UK entrant Tornado, Yeborobo from South Africa, and Philipper from Belgium.
Panzer Mk2 flips Tornado over
Panzer Mk2 began by missing its charge at Philipper, driving over the Pit, with the edge of its flipper getting caught for a moment, but Panzer Mk2 fired the flipper to get free. Tornado was chasing after it, and Panzer Mk2 charged into the arena wall whilst driving away from Tornado. Panzer Mk2 quickly turned around and turned to face Tornado head-on. The two robots pushed against each other, with neither robot able to get an advantage, until Panzer Mk2 turned away, which allowed Tornado to get at its side and push Panzer Mk2 around Philipper.
- "Tornado chasing in, after the stateside champion, see those mighty six wheels there."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Tornado rams Panzer Mk2
Panzer Mk2 traps Tornado
Panzer Mk2 reversed, stopping close to Dead Metal's CPZ, and Tornado pushed it into the CPZ, behind Dead Metal. However, before Dead Metal could attack, Panzer Mk2 flipper Tornado and rushed out of the CPZ. Panzer Mk2 drove up the arena, got under the front of Tornado, ramming it into Philipper and flipping it over. Philipper lifted Tornado up, also lifting Panzer Mk2, and Panzer Mk2 reversed, before pushing Tornado off of Philipper's lifter and ramming it into the CPZ. Panzer Mk2 flipped Tornado against the wall, getting the UK representative under its lifter and using it as a clamp.
- "Tornado really being pressured and pursued across the arena floor here by Panzer."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Panzer Mk2 is turned over by Philipper
Panzer Mk2 rammed Tornado into the wall, but Tornado slid out from under the lifter. Panzer Mk2 quickly got under Tornado again, flipping it over, before driving into the arena centre. Tornado drove after it, and Panzer Mk2 charged at Tornado, flipping it by the Pit and nearly pushing it in, but drove at the wrong angle, so pushed it across the edge rather than in. Panzer Mk2 reversed across the arena, and Tornado chased after it. Panzer Mk2 pushed Tornado backwards in reverse, and Yeborobo, which had failed to start at the beginning of the battle and was put on the flipper, landed on Tornado as it was pushed. Panzer Mk2 kept chasing Tornado, pinning it up against the top arena wall, but Tornado managed to push it back a little, and Philipper got its lifter under the US champion and lifted it over onto its back.
- "There goes Panzer Mk2 from California, all the way back to the Golden Gate Bridge."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Panzer Mk2 is counted out
Panzer Mk2 is counted out
Its self-righting mechanism appeared to have jammed during the tussle with Tornado, so Panzer Mk2 was unable to right itself and Refbot counted it out, eliminating it from the competition, with Tornado heading through instead. This proved to be the team's only loss on Robot Wars.
- "It has a self-righting mechanism, except, from all the beating with Tornado, it seems to have jammed. So, couldn't quite get back over, I was hitting the switch and it was wiggling a little, and that was done."
- — Don Lariviere
Season 2[]
- Todd Mendenhall: "We are Team Stealth, that's our name and that's our motto, we kind of lie low under the Radar. We let our robot do our talking for us in the arena. So, if the other people want to talk trash, they can bring it on! We'll just talk back with our robot."
- Carol Grow: "Mom always said, "Be careful of a quiet one!""
- — Pre-Round 1 interview with Carol Grow
In its title defence, Panzer Mk4 competed in Heat A, where it faced Joker and newcomer Snake Bite in the first round.
Panzer Mk4 slams Joker into the wall
Panzer Mk4 began by charging at Joker. Joker tried spinning as Panzer Mk4 rammed it, but Panzer Mk4 hit the unguarded rear as it spun around. Joker turned so its disc was facing Panzer Mk4, and kept backing away from the reigning champion. However, Joker exposed its side to Panzer Mk4, and the champion started ramming on of Joker's wheels, but Joker turned, hitting Panzer Mk4 with its disc.
- "And Panzer, with its six-wheel drive bot, is testing the strength, up against Joker's spinning disc."
- — Stefan Frank
Suddenly, Snake Bite, which had stayed away from the action at first, drove across the arena and pushed Panzer Mk4 into the arena wall. This didn't faze Panzer Mk4, which quickly slid off the front of Snake Bite and drove around Joker. Joker was rammed into an angle grinder twice in quick succession, and carried over a flame jet. As Panzer Mk4 reversed after its first ram, it bumped into Sgt. Bash, who was crossing the arena. Joker slid off after Panzer Mk4 reversed over a flame jet, but Panzer Mk4 continued pushing it, before driving into Snake Bite. Panzer Mk4 reversed for a charge, but when it tried to ram, it drove up the side of Snake Bite, allowing Snake Bite to push the reigning champion back until it used its lifter to get off.
- "Not a whole lot of aggression from the Snake Bite team, as Panzer just testing the waters. Panzer's got an awesome amount of power."
- — Stefan Frank as Snake Bite pushes Panzer Mk4
Panzer Mk4 pushes Snake Bite
Meanwhile, Joker was spinning on one wheel, and Panzer Mk4 rammed into it, but despite hitting Joker, sending it spinning, it crashed into an angle grinder. As Panzer Mk4 reversed away, Snake Bite drove at it, and Panzer Mk4 charged, but drove up the front wedge so quickly reversed off. As Joker spun around over a flame jet, Panzer Mk4 hit Snake Bite again, towards Sgt. Bash. Snake Bite got away and Panzer Mk4 rammed it again, before changing targets and pushing Joker into Dead Metal. After Dead Metal attacked Joker and let it go, Panzer Mk4 tried the same tactic with Snake Bite, pushing it to Dead Metal's CPZ and allowing the House Robot to attack. Snake Bite got out of the CPZ as the battle entered the last 10 seconds, and Panzer Mk4 charged at it, but rode up the front wedge, so quickly reversed off as time ran out.
- "Well those Judges will be deciding on Damage, Style, Control and Aggression, and it's clear to me that Panzer filled all the high marks in those categories, it's just a question of who else caught the eye of the judges in this battle."
- — Stefan Frank, reviewing the highlights
With all three machines still mobile at the end, the Judges eliminated Joker.
Panzer Mk4 faced The Revolutionist's teammate Spin Doctor in Round 2.
- Carol Grow: "So you have a feeling that you're going to be able to defend your title?"
- Todd Mendenhall: "I think it'll be an interesting match, both of us have our weaknesses and strengths, and we'll see how it comes out."
- Carol Grow: "But that's not a yes or a no!"
- Todd Mendenhall: "(Pause) ...Don't know the future."
- — Pre-battle interview
Spin Doctor uses its back wedge to prevent Panzer Mk4 from gaining purchase
At the start, Panzer Mk4 charged straight at Spin Doctor, which managed to turn away and dodge. Panzer Mk4 quickly turned around, and the two robots turned back and forth, trying to get in position to attack. Panzer Mk4 got at the side of Spin Doctor, and starting pushing. Spin Doctor tried to turn away, but Panzer Mk4 got behind and pushed Spin Doctor. Spin Doctor managed to turn away, and Panzer Mk4 chased after it, but Spin Doctor got its wedge under Panzer Mk4 as it tried to ram. Panzer Mk4 reversed and tried again, but couldn't get its lifter under the wedge of Spin Doctor, so reversed. Spin Doctor drove at Panzer Mk4, but charging into the US champion's lifter caused its own wedge to bend in on itself, allowing Panzer Mk4 to push it back.
- "Definitely going to be a strategic battle, this one. Spin Doctor knows its weaknesses up against the power of Panzer!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 rams Spin Doctor
Spin Doctor managed to turn itself off of the lifter, and fled from the reigning champion, with Panzer Mk4 chasing after it. Spin Doctor turned around to use its disc, but Panzer Mk4 simply rammed straight into it, getting under the side flipping the whole robot over as it rammed. The impact also caused the chain to slip off from Spin Doctor's disc.
Panzer Mk4 turns Spin Doctor over
- "Look at the speed and power of the Panzer Mk4!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 flips Spin Doctor over
Panzer Mk4 rammed Spin Doctor down the arena, close to the pit release button. Spin Doctor opened the pit, only to be rammed again. Spin Doctor drove by a CPZ, then reversed into the Pit as it opened, putting Panzer Mk4 through to the Heat Final.
- Mick Foley: "What does this do for you guys? Rolling into the finals, are you confident or are there still some question marks about your ability? You didn't really get to show anything out there."
- Todd Mendenhall: "Well, we got to take some damage on the front, and showed how sturdy it was. We definitely have the horsepower to push, and that helped, but there's always somebody lurking out there!"
- Mick Foley: "Okay, in the final though, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that nobody's going to open up the pit and roll in on their own, you guys are going to have to prove yourselves!"
- Todd Mendenhall: "You bet!"
- — Post-battle interview
There, Panzer Mk4 faced another newcomer, Probophobia.
- Carol Grow: "You guys are the title holders, what are you going to do to keep that title?"
- Todd Mendenhall: "Well, winning is good, but we're here to have fun, and we're facing a pretty formidable bot."
- Carol Grow: "Well, winning would be a good strategy!"
- Todd Mendenhall: "Winning would be a good strategy!"
- — Pre-battle interview
Panzer Mk4 flies over Probophobia
Panzer Mk4 started by driving down the arena, with Probophobia chasing after it, trying to get its lifter underneath. Panzer Mk4 managed to turn around as Probophobia started raising its lifting arms. Panzer Mk4 got at the side of Probophobia, and despite Probophobia's attempts to get away, Panzer Mk4 managed to ram it into the pincer of Sgt. Bash.
- "Here it is for the final, it's going to be "robo-tastic"! These are two awesome competitors, they're sizing each other up as we speak."
- — Stefan Frank in the early moments of the battle
Sgt. Bash gripped Probophobia by its lifting arm, and as the House Robot let go, Panzer Mk4 charged in, driving over Probophobia's wedge, into the arena wall and hitting Sgt. Bash. Probophobia raised its lifting arms, but Panzer Mk4 quickly got of the top of its opponent drove into the arena centre.
- "Wow! Panzer comes in from nowhere, he must have had 30 miles an hour on him. That's some major speed and lift"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer crashes into Probophobia and Sgt. Bash
Probophobia lifts up Panzer Mk4
Probophobia got out of the CPZ, only for Panzer Mk4 to ram it into Sir Killalot's claw. Panzer Mk4 rammed Probophobia as Sir Killalot let it go, before reversing away. Probophobia reversed into the arena centre, and Panzer Mk4 drove at it, but drove onto the lifting arms. Probophobia managed to lift the reigning champions up, but Panzer Mk4 slid down the lifting arms onto its wheels.
- "Panzer has got some great driving skills here, Todd Mendenhall knows exactly what to do. They're both going at it like there's no tomorrow, and for one of them there will be no tomorrow!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 gets off Probophobia's lifting arms
Panzer Mk4 rams Probophobia into the disc button
Panzer Mk4 rammed Probophobia in reverse, backing it into a CPZ and slamming it against the wall. Sir Killalot came in as Panzer Mk4 got away, and trapped Probophobia against the arena wall. The House Robot grabbed Probophobia, pulled it out of the CPZ, swung it into Sgt. Bash, before taking it to the arena centre and spinning it around. Sir Killalot let Probophobia go, but it appeared to have slowed. Panzer Mk4 sped around it, got behind and pushed it into the arena wall. Probophobia reversed away from the wall, only to be rammed into an angle grinder. Probophobia managed to get away quickly, causing Panzer Mk4 to miss its ram, but Probophobia stopped on a CO2 vent near Sir Killalot's CPZ. Panzer Mk4 rammed it, and as Probophobia tried to get away, it drove into Sgt. Bash. Panzer Mk4 rammed Probophobia again, side-on, then got behind it and rammed it across the arena, into the Disc of Doom button, activating the Disc. Probophobia limped as Panzer Mk4 reversed for another charge, only to be slammed against the arena wall again. Probophobia slowly crossed the arena, before being pushed down the arena by Panzer Mk4, against the arena wall.
- "Probophobia just doesn't know what to do at this point. Panzer's got it all, and there's no question in my mind why these guys are the reigning champs."
- — Stefan Frank
Panzer Mk4 pushes Probophobia to the Pit
Probophobia ceased moving altogether, so Panzer Mk4 pushed it away from the wall, before positioning it onto the Pit and activating the Pit release. Probophobia didn't fall down as its lifting arms were holding it over the pit, so Panzer Mk4 gently pushed it and triggered the pyrotechnics of the Pit, signaling Probophobia's elimination from the competition.
- "They were great competitors, I knew that just an inch here or there and I was in trouble, and we kept pounding them and they kept coming back, I was quite impressed with their robot."
- — Todd Mendenhall to Mick Foley after the battle
In the first round of the Grand Final, Panzer Mk4 went up against Rosie the Riveter 2.
- "Of the 8 people, there are 2 robots I really didn't want to face early on; one was Tricerabot, and one was Rosie the Riveter, so it's going to be a hard battle right up front! It's going to have to be a lot of movement, a lot of dodging, and really being careful in order to have them put me on my side and put me out!"
- — Todd Mendenhall to Carol Grow before the battle
Panzer Mk4 is edged back by Rosie the Riveter 2
The battle began with Rosie the Riveter 2 driving into the centre of the arena, whilst Panzer Mk4 tried to ram into its side, but Rosie the Riveter 2 was able to dodge Panzer Mk4's charge and quickly turned and pushed the reigning champion in reverse. Panzer Mk4 was pushed across the arena, into an angle grinder. Panzer Mk4 tried to get away, but Rosie the Riveter 2 reversed it over a flame jet. Panzer Mk4 turned and drove away, with Rosie the Riveter 2 chasing after it. Panzer Mk4 managed to spin, causing Rosie the Riveter 2 to miss its charge. After reversing over the Flame Pit, Panzer Mk4 charged at the incoming Rosie the Riveter 2, but couldn't get an advantage, and Rosie the Riveter 2 drove away. Rosie the Riveter 2 turned around, and the two charged into each other, but Rosie the Riveter 2 buffeted off the front of Panzer Mk4's scoop.
- "Both of these bots have similar strategies, they're both the same type of bot, where they actually need to get around to the side of each other to do any real damage, because they've got some mean power off that front."
- — Stefan Frank as the two competitors try to ram each other
Panzer Mk4 slams Rosie the Riveter 2 into a CPZ
The two robots turned around, and drove at each other, with Rosie the Riveter 2 going up the scoop and driving over. Rosie the Riveter 2 tried to dodge Panzer Mk4, reversing over the Flame Pit and driving into a wall, before it managed to get its front wedge under the reigning champion, pushing them around until Panzer Mk4 drove off. The two competitors turned around, and Panzer Mk4 charged into the side of its opponent, getting underneath, but Rosie the Riveter 2 quickly turned off.
- "What a good battle this is, really tit for tat! Both of these bots are really quite equal, considering they're both about the same in weaponry and weight."
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 rams Rosie the Riveter 2
Rosie the Riveter 2's fatal mistake
Rosie the Riveter 2 turned around, and tried to dodge Panzer Mk4, which managed to ram into the side. Rosie the Riveter 2 drove down the arena, but Panzer Mk4 charged at it and rammed it into an empty CPZ, slamming it against the wall. Dead Metal came in, grabbing Rosie the Riveter 2 and cutting into it. Rosie the Riveter 2 tried to get away, but Dead Metal got it between its claws and turned it into the Pit release button before Rosie the Riveter 2 escaped. The two competitors fought at the top of the arena, with Panzer Mk4 ramming Rosie the Riveter 2 into a CPZ. Panzer Mk4 then drove into the centre of the arena, and when Rosie the Riveter 2 drove after it and tried to get its wedge under, Panzer Mk4 reversed away, causing Rosie the Riveter 2 to drive straight into the Pit, instantly advancing Panzer Mk4 to the next round.
- "They've got an excellent robot, excellent driving, and we knew this was going to be tough from the beginning."
- — Tom Vaeretti on Panzer Mk4
Now inside the Top 4 of the competition, Panzer Mk4 was drawn against yet another newcomer, Destructive Criticism in its semi-final.
Panzer Mk4 strands Destructive Criticism against the Pit Trigger
Panzer Mk4 started tentatively, but then charged at Destructive Criticism, which turned away and dodged. Destructive Criticism turned around to use its disc, but Panzer Mk4 got at its side and rammed it across the arena. Panzer Mk4 turned, allowing Destructive Criticism to get off the scoop. Destructive Criticism drove at Panzer Mk4, but couldn't used its disc as Panzer Mk4 was spinning. As Panzer Mk4 stopped spinning, Destructive Criticism got around the champion's side and tried to cut into Panzer Mk4 with its disc. No real damage was caused though, and Panzer Mk4 reversed and retaliated by ramming Destructive Criticism down the arena, into the Pit button, knocking the whole robot onto its side and unable to move.
- "Panzer gets right under Destructive Criticism, hits the Pit trigger, and leaves Destructive Criticism in a really precarious position!"
- — Stefan Frank
Panzer Mk4 pushes Destructive Criticism to the Pit
Panzer Mk4 rammed the spinner again, causing it to bounce back down onto its wheels, but Destructive Criticism had broken down and was counted out. Shunt axed the beaten competitor, and moved it towards the Pit with the help of Matilda, before Panzer Mk4 pushed it away from the House Robots and pushed Destructive Criticism into the Pit.
- "And Panzer Mk 4, showing exactly why they're reigning champs!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 pits Destructive Criticism
The final battle was against Tricerabot 3.0, a robot that it had beaten at the same stage at Robotica Season 3 (in fact, both robots were simply renamed and repainted for Extreme Warriors Season 2). Before the battle, the Panzer Mk4 team added their mascot to their machine.
- Carol Grow: "US grand champs, you gotta hold on to your title, how do you plan to do that?"
- Todd Mendenhall: "We're going to have a bashing time here!"
- Carol Grow: "Have you done any adjustments to your robot?"
- Todd Mendenhall: "Well, one of the most important things we did is we added our mascot on the top."
- Carol Grow: "I noticed that! Very cute!"
- Todd Mendenhall: "And that's about it!"
- — Pre-batle interview
Panzer Mk4 rams Tricerabot onto an angle grinder
Both robots were quick to get away on 'activate', their fronts colliding, but neither machine was able to get under the other, so both turned away for another attack. Panzer Mk4 charged, but Tricerabot 3.0 dodged around it. Tricerabot 3.0 drove at the reigning champion's front and tried to push, but accidentally exposed its side, allowing Panzer Mk4 to ram it into the arena wall by Sgt. Bash's CPZ. Tricerabot 3.0 quickly recovered, getting away from the House Robot as Panzer Mk4 reversed. Tricerabot 3.0 chased after Team Stealth's machine, but Panzer Mk4 rammed it and got under again, ramming Tricerabot 3.0 into an angle grinder, leaving it stuck against it.
- "And Panzer's got Tricerabot up on the grinder! Up on the real - Panzer, great bit of driving, that mascot's made all the difference in the world!"
- — Stefan Frank as Tricerabot is rammed onto the grinder
Panzer Mk4 has a brief scare, but somehow falls back down onto its wheels
Panzer Mk4 smashed into Tricerabot 3.0 again, knocking them off the angle grinder. Tricerabot 3.0 reversed into a CPZ, then drove under Panzer Mk4, the impact flipping Panzer Mk4 onto its side, but fortunately for it, it toppled back onto their wheels.
- "Tricerabot, for a moment, had Panzer up on two wheels, which would have been devastating for Panzer, who's not an invertible bot like Tricerabot!"
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 is nearly toppled
Tricerabot 3.0 got under straight away and rammed its opponent into the top arena wall, but Panzer Mk4 drove off and drove to the arena centre. Tricerabot 3.0 chased after it, but Panzer Mk4 reversed a little to dodge its charge, then pushed back as Team Juggerbot's machine tried pushing it, so Tricerabot 3.0 reversed. Tricerabot 3.0 turned around for another attack, and Panzer Mk4 tried driving away, but in doing so it drove into the arena wall, allowing Tricerabot 3.0 to ram into it, knocking the whole robot onto its top.
- "These guys [Panzer Mk4], if they get stuck upside-down, they're staying that way! And Tricerabot knows it, as they're trying to get that wedge right underneath Panzer again!"
- — Stefan Frank as Tricerabot 3.0 pins Panzer Mk4 against the wall
Panzer Mk4 shoves Tricerabot 3.0 against the wall
As Tricerabot 3.0 reversed, Panzer Mk4 drove off. Tricerabot 3.0 drove at Panzer Mk4's front and tried to ram, but couldn't move its opponent, and Panzer Mk4 reversed a little, then rammed Tricerabot 3.0 straight against the wall in an empty CPZ. Panzer Mk4 reversed out, but as Tricerabot 3.0 tried to escape, Sgt. Bash came in to prevent its escape, also blocking Panzer Mk4 as it tried to attack its opponent. Tricerabot 3.0 escaped the CPZ, but Panzer Mk4 dodged its charge. The two robots then charged at each other head on, with Tricerabot 3.0 driving up and over the scoop. After riding over Panzer Mk4, Tricerabot 3.0 reversed at it, but Panzer Mk4 pushed it up the arena before it drove away. As Panzer Mk4 charged, Tricerabot 3.0 tried dodging before it could reach, but in doing so it drove close to Shunt's CPZ, and as it tried to dodge Shunt's axe, Panzer Mk4 closed in, pushing it against the House Robot. After being hit by the axe, Tricerabot 3.0 tried to get away from the CPZ, but Shunt axed it again, and Tricerabot 3.0 reversed into a wall. Tricerabot 3.0 drove at Panzer Mk4, but merely drove up the scoop.
- "And Panzer's looking good every time, trying to get under Tricerabot and flip him out of the arena."
- — Stefan Frank as Panzer Mk4 rams Tricerabot
As Panzer Mk4 reversed, Tricerabot 3.0 drove away to the other side of the arena. Panzer Mk4 crossed the arena and rammed Tricerabot 3.0 against the Disc of Doom button, flipping it against the button, leaving it stuck. As the battle entered the last 10 seconds, Panzer Mk4 rammed Tricerabot 3.0, allowing it to fall back onto its wheels. Tricerabot 3.0 sped up the arena, straight into Sgt. Bash as time ran out. The Judges decided to award the victory to Panzer Mk4, meaning they successfully defended the Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors Championship.
Results[]
| PANZER MK2 - RESULTS | ||
| Season 1 | ||
| US Championship Champion | ||
| Heat | vs. Cyclone, Drillzilla, General Chompsalot, Run Away, Spartacus | Won |
| Semi-Final | vs. Manta | Won |
| Final | vs. The Revolutionist | Won |
| The Second World Championship Representing USA, Heat | ||
| NOTE: This competition was also broadcast during Extreme Series 1 | ||
| Heat | vs. Philipper (BEL), Tornado (UK), Yeborobo (RSA) | Eliminated |
| PANZER MK4 - RESULTS | ||
| Season 2 | ||
| US Championship Champion | ||
| Heat A, Round 1 | vs. Joker, Snake Bite | Qualified |
| Heat A, Round 2 | vs. Spin Doctor | Won |
| Heat A, Final | vs. Probophobia | Won |
| Grand Final, Round 1 | vs. Rosie the Riveter 2 | Won |
| Grand Final, Semi-Final | vs. Destructive Criticism | Won |
| Grand Final | vs. Tricerabot 3.0 | Won |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 9
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
Panzer Mk4's mascot before the Grand Final
| US Series | Panzer Mk Series Record |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Grand Champion |
| Season 2 | Grand Champion |
| Nickelodeon | Did not enter |
NOTE: Todd Mendenhall brought Mjollnir to the American Robot Wars 2000 pilot, but it was not chosen to compete.
Outside Robot Wars[]
Panzer Mk1, which competed in the first Robotica
Panzer Mk3, the champion of Robotica Season 3
The team also entered the first season of the US robot combat series Robotica with their original design Panzer Mk1 where it beat Malvolio then lost to Viper. They returned for the third season with Panzer Mk3 and won the competition, defeating Juggerbot in the final. By definition, this makes Panzer the only robot to have won two separate televised robot combat series, although Team MAD and Team Carbide have both also achieved this feat with different robots.
Panzer Mk4.5 at RoboJoust 4
Panzer also entered RoboJoust 4 in November 2002 as Panzer Mk4.5 and was the champion of the Heavyweight bracket.
Panzer Mk4.5 as Wrath
Panzer also competed in BattleBots as Wrath. It won its opening three matches over Paralyzer Pete, Intercepter and P.T. Bruiser to reach the Round of 32 before losing to the eventual joint third place finisher OverKill there.
Wrath Jr in BattleBots Season 5.0
A middleweight version of Wrath known as Wrath Jr. also competed in the middleweight bracket of BattleBots Season 5.0, with a great deal of success. Wrath Jr. won six consecutive matches, beating Cryptler, Borris, Pack Raptors, Turbo, Complete Control and Psychotron before finally being eliminated by the series runner-up S.O.B. in the quarter-finals.
SlapPest
Pestilence in Season 1.0
Todd Mendenhall also competed in the lightweight division, competing with Pestilence in Season 1.0 where it defeated Thorn by KO before losing to No Tolerance II. Pestilence returned for Season 3.0, but forfeited its only fight to The Archduke. Pestilence had previously competed in the 1999 Long Beach event as part of the middleweight multibot SlapPest, losing to Deadblow by forfeit, and Ankle Biter afterwards. Between these two appearances, Todd Mendenhall built the lightweight Harmageddon Too for Season 2.0, although it withdrew before fighting.
Doom of Babylon
Todd Mendenhall also built the Super Heavyweight robot Doom of Babylon for Season 2.0, beating Scrap Daddy SHW 325 in the first round, before being eliminated by DooAll in the Top 16. It also competed in the end-of-season rumble won by Toro.
Triple Crown at the 2021 season of BattleBots
Triple Crown with its team at BattleBots
Returning twenty years since his last televised appearance, Todd Mendenhall entered Triple Crown into Season 6 of BattleBots in 2021. Triple Crown was also accepted for the previous season, but had to withdraw from the competition. Its name likely references Todd's Robotica and two Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors championship wins. Triple Crown entered as a reserve, and was drawn to face Valkyrie in battle. Unfortunately for Triple Crown, time constraints prevented the team from making a defensive configuration to fight horizontal spinners, preparing only for vertical spinners, and the undercutter of Valkyrie quickly immobilised Triple Crown in its only battle of the season. It made a surprise return for the summer series BattleBots: Champions, but lost to MadCatter in the first round after being unable to drive from the start of the fight. Triple Crown's experienced communication issues which affected its drive immediately after positioning itself in its starting square. Following this loss, Todd Mendenhall announced Triple Crown's retirement.
Appearances in Merchandise[]
Trivia[]
- Alongside Chaos 2, Panzer Mk was one of only two teams to win and successfully defend their title in their respective main competitions.
- With nine wins and only one loss, Panzer Mk has the strongest win-loss ratio out of all robots to have accrued any combat losses, with a positive ratio of 90% victories, ahead of TR2 (88.8%) by virtue of having one more combat win.
- If the two versions of the robot are considered separately, Panzer Mk2 holds a 3-1 record, while Panzer Mk4 holds an undefeated 6-0 record.
- Panzer Mk was the only one of the four semi-finalists from the first US Championship to reach the Grand Final of the second. The other three semi-finalists all returned for Season 2, but lost in the heats.
- While entering the arena for the title battle of Season 2, Panzer Mk4 was introduced as Tricerabot, and vice versa.
- Panzer Mk is the only robot to beat two robots from a single team (in the main competition and not in a side competition) during one season.
- Excluding the participants in the 10 Robot Rumble, Panzer Mk 2 is one of only six robots to fight at least two past or future domestic champions in a single battle. The others to do this are 13 Black, Shockwave and the other three robots in its Second World Championship heat: Yeborobo, Philipper and Tornado.
- In 2003, the entire Panzer Mk series was inducted into The Combat Robot Hall of Fame as an inaugural collective member. Reasons for the robot's selection included its incarnations' individual successes in Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors, Robotica and BattleBots (as Wrath), as well as the speed, power and versatility of its six-wheeled drivetrain.[1]
- Panzer Mk4 is the only American robot to appear in all versions of Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction.
Honours[]
References[]
External Links[]
See Also[]
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