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"Looks like a beastly silver fish."
— Jonathan Pearce

Philipper (later Philipper 2) was a Belgian robot that competed in Dutch Robot Wars and both series of Robot Wars Extreme. Philipper found great success, finishing as runner-up in the second series of Dutch Robot Wars following a very tight loss to PulverizeR on a Judges' decision. This also indirectly made Philipper 2 the Belgian champion by virtue of being the most successful Belgian machine in the series.

Philipper also had success in international competitions, using The Second World Championship to become the only robot to ever immobilise the American champion Panzer Mk. Philipper 2 later finished as runner-up in the European Championship, yet again becoming the only robot to defeat a domestic champion, this time Black Hole of Germany, with only Tornado managing to eliminate Philipper 2 in the final.

Versions of Philipper[]

Philipper[]

Phillipper ex1 offical image

Philipper

The robot was described as "fish-like" by Jonathan Pearce, had a 1cm ground clearance and was armed with two lifting weapons, one on the front and one on the back. Philipper had good pushing power and control, but both of its weapons activated very slowly. This was not entirely to Philipper's detriment, as it used its careful weaponry to pick up Bamm Bamm and carry it around the arena without dropping it for a long time, although the team would later opt for quicker weaponry, particularly as the rear lifter saw little use. Philipper did suffer from thin armour and an unreliable self-righting mechanism.

Philipper 2[]

Phlipper 2 ds2 arena

Philipper 2, as it appeared in the Grand Final of the second Dutch series

Philipper 2, stylised as Philipper II, had a similar design, but the front lifter was upgraded from an electric system to pneumatic flipper, making it much quicker in activation. The rear lifter was replaced with a crushing claw, which Philipper used to attack immobilised foes. The robot's ground clearance was lowered, and internally was powered by two 200W wheelchair motors. Both robots had high traction, but suffered from speeds of only 10mph.

Etymology[]

The name Philipper was a combination of Philippe (the name of team captain Philippe Poppe) and the famous film dolphin, Flipper.

The Team[]

Philipper was the second robot built by the pNq Team, after Depoppesaurus Rex. The team was captained by lead builder and driver Philippe Poppe, who was joined by his wife Nancy Poppe, and in all competitions bar the European Championship, their son Sam Poppe completed the team. pNq Team likely stood for "Philippe & Nancy Poppe". Based in Zeebrugge, they were the first Belgian team to compete on Robot Wars.

Qualification[]

Though always successful in appearing on the show, Philipper attended the rehearsals for Dutch Series 1 for a chance to compete as one of the Belgian entrants. The virtually-complete machine was put through its paces in the main test area, which also allowed it an opportunity to demonstrate its improved self-righting capabilities. Clips of Philipper's drive and srimech tests were aired in the preview special Robot Wars: The Kick-Off.

Robot History[]

Extreme 1[]

Chaos 2 philipper

Chaos 2 flips Philipper over

Philipper took part in an International Mayhem fight against Chaos 2, allied with Dutch entry Alien Destructor. Perhaps due to Alien Destructor's invertibility, Chaos 2 surged straight for Philipper, who attempted to dig its lifter underneath the front corner of Chaos 2. However, Chaos 2 tossed it high into the air, but it landed back on its wheels.

"Chaos 2 immediately has battle with Philipper - ooh! - and tosses 99.9 kilos straight into the air!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Chaos 2 alien destructor philipper

Philipper is flipped onto Alien Destructor

Philipper responded by exposing Chaos 2's high ground clearance, twice, although Chaos 2 used its flipper to flick itself off of Philipper's lifter, before flipping it again. Once again though, Philipper landed back on its wheels after rolling. While Alien Destructor continued to hold back, Philipper and Chaos 2 came together head-on, and the Belgian machine was flipped upwards by the two-time UK champion, before landing on the raised flipper and creating a large gash across Philipper's underbelly.

"And the silver fish goes swimming in the big pool of Robot Wars Extreme against the big fish: Chaos 2, a shark amongst robots."
— Jonathan Pearce
Philipper alien destructor

Alien Destructor fails to right Philipper

Alien Destructor then moved in to attack Chaos 2, but it recovered quickly and threw Philipper onto Alien Destructor, before it rolled back onto its wheels. It earned some respite briefly, as Chaos 2 began to focus on Alien Destructor, and it used this opportunity to attack Chaos 2 from behind. However, Philipper failed to get its lifter underneath Chaos 2 properly, and Chaos 2 responded by lifting it up slightly whilst over the Flame Pit. Despite seeming to have lost some power to the flipper, Chaos 2's next attack turned Philipper over and onto its side, and the srimech seemingly failed to work.

"There goes Philipper - look at the great gash underneath there, in Philipper! A huge, great ravine cut out of the bottom of Philipper!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Refbot philipper

Philipper is counted out, unable to self-right

Alien Destructor was unable to push it back into its wheels, and Philipper's attempts to right itself were in vain, as Refbot came in to count it out. Philipper was then attacked by Dead Metal, who produced a shower of sparks when it cut into front, while Shunt axed its underbelly, increasing the size of the gash and creating a second, smaller hole with another hit. Although Philipper's team still had the chance to win the battle, Alien Destructor could not defeat Chaos 2, and both lost the resulting Judges' decision.

Craig Charles: "Well, you wanted to have a go because Chaos 2's probably Britain's most favourite robot. Was it good in the arena?"
Sam Poppe: "Yes."
— Post-battle interview

The Second World Championship[]

At the end of Extreme 1, Philipper took part in the Second World Championship representing Belgium, as the team had in the First World Championship with their previous incarnation Depoppesaurus Rex. This competition was also broadcast during Season 1 of US series Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors.

"A fish-like machine which may "flounder" here unless it gets its lifting arms in the right "plaice"! A "sole" centimetre of ground clearance. Will this finish "rock" bottom of the pile, or will they have a "whale" of a time?"
— Marine life puns aplenty as Jonathan Pearce introduces Philipper ahead of its Second World Championship Heat (UK broadcast)

In its four-way Heat, it faced Tornado from the UK, Yeborobo from South Africa, and Extreme Warriors: Season 1 champion Panzer Mk2 from the USA.

Julia Reed: "Is there anybody you're particularly afraid of?"
Philippe Poppe: "Everybody except the South African ones."
— Philipper's team in The Second World Championship
Panzer Mk 2 vs Tornado

Tornado is flung straight into Philipper by Panzer Mk2

Philipper vs tornado swc

Philipper holds Tornado up with its lifter

Philipper was sluggish to start with, as Panzer Mk2 and Tornado clashed at a furious pace near it; Philipper kept on turning to face the two machines, but they both ignored Philipper initially. Panzer Mk2 then flipped Tornado directly into Philipper, who attempted to lift both machines, but Tornado slipped off the main part of lifter, which then also pushed Panzer Mk2 away from Philipper as well.

"Tornado's in trouble from Panzer, up on the side of Philipper; up comes the lifting arm of Philipper."
— Jonathan Pearce
Philipper vs Panzer Mk2

Philipper turns Panzer Mk2 over

Philipper still held Tornado on the lip of its lifter, but before it could do anything with it, Panzer Mk2 slammed into Tornado and shoved it away from Philipper. It continued to chase after the US champions and Tornado, but once again, Tornado was flipped away from it by Panzer Mk2. Philipper made a surprise movement towards the end of the battle, breaching Panzer Mk2's ground clearance from behind, before pushing underneath the side and overturning its opponent, who was unable to self-right.

"And Panzer's being sent up and over by Philipper, which is so far proving a major surprise!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Tornado vs Philipper

Philipper is pushed onto the flames by Tornado

With Yeborobo immobilised long ago and Panzer Mk2 being counted out, Philipper was left to fight Tornado alone, who shoved Philipper over the Flame Pit. It appeared to have lost a lot mobility towards the end of the battle, and was shunted towards Sir Killalot by Tornado just as cease was called, and Philipper lost the Judges' decision.

"Philipper will have to go to a Judges' decision. That's a surprise in itself."
— Jonathan Pearce

Dutch Series 1[]

Bridget Maasland: "I just heard that lizards eat silverfish."
Philippe Poppe: "Yeah. They might."
Bridget Maasland: "There's a big lizard coming."
Philippe Poppe: "Yeah. I'll defend myself well."
Bridget Maasland introduces the Philipper team to Lizzard (Mech+ subtitles)
Philipper Lizzard 1

Philipper lifts Lizzard up

PhilipperLiftsAndPushesLizzard

Philipper achieves another lift on Lizzard

In the first round, Philipper fought Lizzard. It began by spinning on the spot while Lizzard held back, before turning and chasing after its opponent. It tried to attack Lizzard, but Lizzard spun round and hit its front with the rear tail. Philipper attacked Lizzard head-on, but failed to breach its ground clearance with the lifter. After being hit by the tail again, Philipper missed another lift, before almost driving into Sgt. Bash's CPZ. Eventually, Philipper shoved Lizzard into the arena wall and was able to lift it up slightly from the tail, but it was unable to turn Lizzard over. Reversing, Philipper dragged Lizzard across the arena slightly, but eventually Lizzard slipped off the lifter and activated the pit.

Lizzard vs Philliper

Philipper removes Lizzard's armour

Sgt. Bash then attacked Philipper when it was too close to a CPZ, but Philipper circled round it and evaded the House Robot's claw, before sneaking under the back of Lizzard and lifting it up once more. Lizzard quickly slid off again, but Philipper followed up quickly, this time with its rear lifter. This attack proved more effective, because the resulting lift tore Lizzard's body shell clean off. Still, Lizzard remained mobile, so the fight carried on, and Philipper shoved it across the arena while Shunt pitted Lizzard's body shell. Philipper then pushed Lizzard over the Flame Pit and into the arena wall, before opening its lifter and clamping down on Lizzard's exposed electronics, just before cease was called. Philipper won the resulting Judge's decision easily.

Philipper vs bamm bamm ds1

Philipper breaches Bamm Bamm's ground clearance

In the second round, Philipper faced Bamm Bamm. The fight began with both machines crashing into each other head-on, and Philipper deflected off to the side, just avoiding Bamm Bamm's attack in the process. After evading another hit from Bamm Bamm, Philipper missed its own attack with the front lifter, before pressing the pit release button. Slipping past Bamm Bamm, Philipper turned and breached Bamm Bamm's ground clearance, but wasn't able to produce a lift in time before its opponent slipped off.

Bamm Bamm vs Philliper

Philipper suspends Bamm Bamm out of the arena

Philipper pits itself

Philipper pits itself

After Bamm Bamm missed two more hits from its axe, Philipper pressured it into a CPZ, but Philipper was in the way of Sgt. Bash; the two reversed away from Bamm Bamm, allowing it to escape. Philipper absorbed a hit from Bamm Bamm's axe, but continued to show a lot of aggression, chasing Bamm Bamm across the arena. Eventually, Philipper rammed into Bamm Bamm while it hovered by the arena side wall, allowing Philipper to dig underneath it and lift Bamm Bamm up, and suspending it over the out-of-the-arena zone. However, Philipper could not release Bamm Bamm despite slamming into the wall. Giving up, Philipper carried Bamm Bamm over to the pit, only to drive in itself after Bamm Bamm fell off to the side at the final moment after retracting its axe. As a result, Philipper was eliminated from the competition.

Dutch Series 2[]

Philipper flips shapeshifter

Philipper 2 defeats Shapeshifter with one attack

The Poppe family came back to Robot Wars with Philipper 2, a redesign from the previous Philipper. Philipper 2's first battle was against a new version of Shapeshifter. Philipper 2 did not have to do much; Shapeshifter appeared to become immobilised before Philipper 2 even came into contact with it. Philipper 2 then simply flipped Shapeshifter onto its side to win, and then retreated when the House Robots attacked its beaten opponent. Philipper 2 spun on the spot in celebration when Refbot eventually came in to count Shapeshifter out, and watched as it was thrown by the Floor Flipper and pitted.

PhillipervsTrazmaniac

Philipper 2 flips Trazmaniac

Philipper 2 vs trazmaniac

Philipper 2 scores another flip on Trazmaniac

In its next battle, Philipper 2 fought newcomer Trazmaniac. It began aggressively, almost getting underneath Trazmaniac immediately, before being rammed head-on by its opponent. Philipper 2 gave chase as Trazmaniac retreated, but missed its first flip on the invertible machine. After being rammed from the side, Philipper 2 turned, got underneath Trazmaniac's drum and flicked it up, but Trazmaniac's rear drill prevented it from being turned over, so it landed back on its front. Philipper 2's next flip on Trazmaniac almost side-stranded it, but it fell back down again and started to push back at Philipper 2. In retaliation, Philipper 2 scored another flip on Trazmaniac, overturning it this time. Trazmaniac attempted to drill into the side of Philipper 2, but it was able to avoid any lasting damage; Philipper 2 then absorbed a slam to the side from Trazmaniac, before lifting its opponent slightly off the ground by its drill.

PhillipervsTrazmaniac2

Philipper 2 sustains damage from Trazmaniac

Philipper 2 vs trazmaniac 2

Philipper 2 and Trazmaniac clash late into the fight

Both robots continued to show aggression, with Trazmaniac getting a shove in on Philipper 2 towards the Flame Pit, while Philipper 2 replied by flicking Trazmaniac up slightly, unable to get a proper purchase with the flipper. The two machines then clashed head-on, attempting to out-push each other, with Philipper 2 winning the mini-duel by flipping Trazmaniac up again. Philipper 2 then drove into an arena side wall near a CPZ, before driving over the Flame Pit and missing a charge at Trazmaniac. After missing a flip, Philipper 2 was attacked from the side again, with Trazmaniac burying its drill into Philipper 2's thin armour and shoving it around in a circle. It missed two more successive flips on Trazmaniac, but when the two came together head-on, it was able to overturn its opponent once more. However, Trazmaniac continued to persist, and pushed back at Philipper 2, who responded with one last flip just before cease was called. The battle went was sent to a Judges' Decision, which slightly went in Philipper 2's favour.

PhillipervsTwister

Philipper 2 flips Twister

Philipper 2 claws twister

Philipper 2 claws the overturned Twister

Through to the Heat Final, Philipper 2 faced another newcomer Twister. Twister's weaponry looked daunting, and Philipper 2 began cautiously, attempting to get round the back of Twister from the start. However, Twister was quick on the turn and able to keep its weapon facing Philipper 2. Philipper 2 sustained a hit to the side from Twister, deflecting it away, before it came in again and absorbed another hit from the spinner. This appeared to stun Twister briefly, and Philipper 2 capitalised by getting underneath one of Twister's wheels and flipping it over. Twister had no way of righting itself, and Philipper 2 reversed into it and used its claw to dig into Twister's wheel, before backing away and allowing the Refbot to count Twister out.

In the Grand Final, Philipper 2 first faced Krab-Bot.

Philipper 2 vs krab-bot 1

Philipper 2 flips Krab-Bot onto an angle grinder

Philipper 2 vs krab-bot 2

Philipper 2 scores another flip on Krab-Bot

Philipper 2 began sluggishly, while Krab-Bot rammed into it and pushed it towards the arena wall. After Krab-Bot attacked it again, Philipper 2 flipped Krab-Bot by one of its claws, which turned it over and onto an angle grinder. Philipper 2 turned and attempted to use its claw on Krab-Bot, but was unable to do so effectively before Refbot helped Krab-Bot off the angle grinder. Krab-Bot grabbed Philipper 2 and shoved it into a CPZ. Philipper 2 attempted to loosen Krab-Bot's grip with a flip, but was unsuccessful; however, Growler then charged in and slammed the two apart.

Philipper 2 vs krab-bot 3

Krab-Bot pushes its claw under Philipper 2's flipper

After escaping, Philipper 2 flipped Krab-Bot over, before the two machines engaged in another pushing match. Krab-Bot initially came close to pushing Philipper 2 into a CPZ, but it fought back and lifted Krab-Bot up slightly. Philipper 2 left its flipper open for too long though, allowing Krab-Bot to stick its claw in the gap and push it into a CPZ, and then into an angle grinder.

KrabBotPushesPhilliper

Krab-Bot pushes Philipper 2

Growler pulled Krab-Bot free, and the robots came together again, with Philipper 2 just avoiding being grabbed from the side by its opponent. It was then caught from behind by Krab-Bot, who shoved it across the arena while Philipper 2 dug its claw into Krab-Bot's wheel gap. The match ended with the two locked together in this position over the unopened Pit, and Philipper 2 won the subsequent Judges' decision.

Philipper 2's next opponent was Bamm Bamm, who had come through to the Grand Final as one of three wildcards, in a grudge match from Dutch Series 1. Before the battle, Sam Poppe expressed intent to flip Bamm Bamm out of the arena, as they had failed to do in their last encounter.

Philipper 2 vs bamm bamm ds2 gf

Philipper 2's first flip on Bamm Bamm

Bamm bamm vs philipper 2 grand final flip

Philipper 2 throws Bamm Bamm over again

Philipper 2 was challenged early on, receiving a hit from Bamm Bamm's axe just before it managed to flip it lifted it up slightly. Philipper 2 evaded Bamm Bamm's next hit, before flipping it over just as Bamm Bamm came in for another attack. Bamm Bamm righted itself, but reversed straight back onto Philipper 2's flipper, allowing the Belgian robot to flip it over again. After Bamm Bamm self-righted straight back onto Philipper 2's flipper, Philipper 2 threw it over again. Philipper 2 missed its next flip and took a hit to the flipper from Bamm Bamm's axe, before missing another flip.

Philipper 2 vs Bamm Bamm

Philipper 2 flips Bamm Bamm once more

Philipper 2 vs bamm bamm ds2 gf 2

Philipper 2 is dragged by Bamm Bamm as a result of their weapons being caught together

Philipper 2 was briefly shoved by Bamm Bamm and missed a third flip in succession, but it overturned Bamm Bamm with its next assault. However, Philipper 2's flipper then got stuck open, so it turned away from Bamm Bamm and attempted to use its claw. Bamm Bamm lodged its axe on the side of Philipper 2, and as it attempted to pull the axe away, it became caught round Philipper 2's claw. Locked together, Bamm Bamm appeared to do a lot of the pulling on Philipper 2, dragging it near a CPZ before Growler separated them. Philipper 2 attempted to turn over a steam jet whilst Bamm Bamm scampered away, and cease was called before the two could engage again. The match went to a Judges' decision, which went in favour of Philipper 2.

Philipper 2 vs pulverizer title fight

Philipper 2 and PulverizeR clash early on

Philipper 2 vs PulverizeR

Philipper 2 turns PulverizeR onto its side with a push

In the final battle, Philipper 2 met PulverizeR. Philipper 2 tried to flip PulverizeR when the two came together head-on, but missed its attack. After taking a light hit from PulverizeR, Philipper 2's next attack flicked the spinner away from it, but did little else, as PulverizeR was invertible. Sparks flew when PulverizeR cut into the side of Philipper 2, but there appeared to be little damage caused, and Philipper 2 responded by flicking PulverizeR over again.

Philipper 2 vs pulverizer title fight 2

Philipper 2 is attacked by PulverizeR, and about to lose a panel in its flipper

Philipper 2 then pushed and overturned PulverizeR into a position where only one of its wheels was on the ground, but it quickly righted itself. PulverizeR sped away as Philipper 2 gave chase, and Philipper 2 charged straight into the disc, deflecting PulverizeR over, before shoving into it again. After PulverizeR slipped away, Philipper 2 was unable to catch it before its spinner got up to speed, and a hit from PulverizeR's disc tore a panel off its flipper. Philipper 2's next flip didn't even lift PulverizeR off the ground, instead simply pushing it away, and it then rammed head-on into the disc once more, taking some minor damage in the process.

PulverizeR vs

Philipper 2 sustains bodywork damage as the fight progresses

Another hit from PulverizeR lifted Philipper 2 up slightly, but Philipper 2 persisted, shoving PulverizeR towards the Flame Pit. As PulverizeR fled to speed its weapon up, Philipper 2 continued to chase it, but was deflected away by a powerful PulverizeR hit. As the time ran out, Philipper 2 took one last hit from PulverizeR that flicked it into the air and bent the top of the flipper partially. The match went to a Judges' decision, who ruled against Philipper 2 due to the damage sustained.

As the runner-up, Philipper 2 was the best-performing Belgian robot in Dutch Robot Wars, and, consequentially, the Belgian Champion. This honour granted it admittance into the European Championship at a later date.

Extreme 2 / German Series[]

Philippa Forrester: "Did you name it after me?"
Philippe Poppe: "No."
Philippa Forrester: "Oh. That's the end of that interview!"
— Pre-match interview in the European Championship
Philipper vs Rawbot

Philipper 2 flips Rawbot

Philipper 2 lifts Rawbot

Philipper 2 lifts Rawbot up

Philipper 2 took part in the European Championship, representing Belgium. This competition was broadcast during Robot Wars Extreme: Series 2 and German Robot Wars. In the first round, it fought the Swedish entry Rawbot. Both robots charged in as activate was called and Philipper 2 flipped Rawbot up a little, but it wasn't enough to turn it over. As Rawbot rammed into it again, Philipper 2 lifted the Swedish machine up again, with both robots going round in a circle before Philipper 2 dropped Rawbot. It was then shoved briefly by Rawbot, but it flicked itself away with a flip, before turning and pushing Rawbot into the floor-spinner release tyre, activating the arena hazard. Turning over a flame jet to face its opponent, Philipper 2 flipped Rawbot up again, but not over.

Philipper 2 vs Rawbot

Philipper 2 shoves Rawbot into the floor-spinner release button

"The pneumatic flipper being brought into action by Philipper 2; certainly has the superior weaponry here."
— Jonathan Pearce

Rawbot made a move to hit the pit release, and Philipper 2 was able to catch it off-guard, pushing two wheels of Rawbot over the pit. However, in an attempt to finish Rawbot off, Philipper 2 freed it from the lip of the pit with a flip.

Philipper 2 fails to pit rawbot

Philipper 2 flips Rawbot away from the pit

"Philipper 2 pushing Rawbot on the edge - ooh! - just away! And d'you know, if Philipper 2 had not flipped Rawbot then, they'd have gone down."
— Jonathan Pearce
Rawbot vs Philipper II

Philipper 2 uses its crusher to achieve a pitting

Philipper 2 chased after Rawbot, and eventually caught up to it, digging its rear claw into one of Rawbot's wheels. It then dragged Rawbot towards the pit, before letting go and allowing Rawbot to fall in, sending Philipper 2 through to the next round.

"The Swedes, turned into cabbages! The Belgians, and Philipper 2, go sprouting forth!"
— Craig Charles

In Round 2 saw Philipper 2 was drawn against the German champion, Black Hole. Philipper 2's team were nervous, having already seen Black Hole in action.

Philippa Forrester: "What are you going to do to that robot, run away?"
Philippe Poppe: "No no no no, if it has to be done, it has to be done quick!"
— An apprehensive Philipper team on their tactics
Black hole lifts philipper 2

Philipper 2 is lifted up slightly by Black Hole's discs

Philipper II vs Black Hole

Black Hole pursues Philipper 2

Philipper 2 immediately took damage to its side while turning, the attack lifting it up slightly. It turned and nudged into Black Hole's side, but couldn't get its flipper into play, and suffered more minor damage when Black Hole turned into it. Black Hole's next attack came from behind, lifting Philipper 2 up once more, and more bits and pieces came flying off its side when Black Hole sliced into it again. The next hit Philipper 2 took was to its tail, spinning it away from Black Hole, and it was outmanoeuvred once more by the German champions who cut into the back armour, where a hole was beginning to open up.

"Black Hole, here, very much on top, causing damage to Philippe and Nancy Poppe's machine."
— Jonathan Pearce
Shunt axes philipper 2

Philipper 2 is axed by Shunt

Philipper 2 pressed the pit release button before absorbing more attacks to its side from Black Hole. It then drove too close to a CPZ, with Shunt coming in and axing its top while Philipper 2 simultaneously missed a flip on Black Hole. After getting away from Shunt, Philipper 2 attacked Black Hole head-on, and managed to flip it over.

Philipper 2 overturns black hole

Philipper 2 overturns Black Hole

"Look at that steel and aluminium flying from the side there... Oh, but that's a good flip by the fish-like Philipper!"
— Jonathan Pearce

Black Hole came back biting into Philipper 2's sides, lifting itself up Philipper 2's side in the process, but the Belgian robot refused to give up despite absorbing more damage from a follow-up attack. Its rear tail was then bent slightly by Black Hole, and the German champions kept to the side of Philipper 2, cutting into it as it attempted to circle round.

Black Hole vs Philipper II

Philipper 2 takes more damage from Black Hole

"Slicing into the sides of Philipper 2, Black Hole. Very one-sided, this. Philipper 2 needs to pull off something very special."
— Jonathan Pearce
Black Hole pitted

Philipper's surprise comeback against Black Hole

Philipper 2 flipped Black Hole up a little bit when the German champions rammed into the lifter, and deflected Black Hole up onto its flipper again when the two came together head-on. Philipper 2 capitalised on this by shoving Black Hole across the arena floor and down the pit to cause a major upset.

"Ooh! Chance, chance, upset! Black Hole down and out! Talk about turning that tie on its head! They were out, Philipper 2, and they've contrived a great escape!"
— Jonathan Pearce

Philipper 2 was then through to the European Championship final, taking on the winner of the all-UK clash, Tornado.

Craig Charles: "You've got a lot of repairs to do, you've seen the British robots; you've seen Tornado, you've seen Razer, which one would you prefer to fight? Which one would you rather avoid?"
Philippe Poppe: "Razer."
— The team hope to face Tornado
Philipper 2 vs tornado

Philipper 2 is put under pressure by Tornado from the start

Shunt axes philipper 2 final

Shunt axes Philipper 2

Philipper 2's wishes were granted, as it faced Tornado for a second time in the final, which was using its spinning drum. However, Philipper 2 had not completely recovered, and it missed its first flip of the battle, before Tornado attacked its side. The UK champions then rammed into Philipper 2's front, but the Belgian machine was too slow to fire its flipper in time before Tornado reversed away again. Philipper 2 was shoved into a CPZ by Tornado, where it was attacked by Shunt, who came crashing in and axed its top armour twice.

"Philipper 2 in the CPZ, and in comes Shunt! Down comes the diamond edged axe; Philipper 2 away."
— Jonathan Pearce
Tornado vs Philipper 2

Philipper 2 is shoved around by Tornado

Philipper 2 caught on flame pit

Philipper 2 ends up caught on the Flame Pit

After escaping, Philipper 2 was rammed into an angle grinder by Tornado. It edged behind the Flame Pit, but was unable to avoid the punishment for long, as Tornado slammed into Philipper 2's side once more, pressuring it towards the Flame Pit, where it missed another flip. After being slammed into the wall, Philipper 2 found itself on the flame pit, where its low ground clearance beached it until Refbot freed it. Tornado then activated the pit and tried to shove Philipper 2 into it, but Philipper 2 had good traction and edged away.

"Philippe, you need to get away there! Tornado is behind you! Philipper 2 digging in, splendid stuff!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Tornado vs Philipper II

Philipper 2 resists Tornado's push

Tornado continued to reverse and then ram into the front of Philipper 2. As Philipper 2 turned away, Tornado caught it from behind and attempted to push it down into the pit once more, but Philipper 2 was able to hold it off once again, and almost reversed into Sergeant Bash. One of Philipper 2's rear panels was then torn off by a Tornado attack, before it almost drove itself into the pit while pressured by Sergeant Bash.

"Off comes a side panel, Sergeant Bash is there - Philipper 2; desperate, desperate defensive measures here; Tornado awaits."
— Jonathan Pearce
Tornado pits Philipper

Philipper 2 finishes in second place

It then reversed round the pit to escape Sergeant Bash, but stayed too close to the pit itself, and Tornado capitalised with one last shove, which pitted Philipper 2 at last, meaning it finished second place in the European Championship Final.

"And they've got it, Tornado are the European champions. Philipper 2, always up against it and finally beaten."
— Jonathan Pearce

Results[]

PHILIPPER - RESULTS
UK Series
Extreme Series 1
International Mayhem
with Alien Destructor
International Mayhem vs. Chaos 2 Lost
The Second World Championship
Representing Belgium, Eliminated in Heats
NOTE: This competition was also broadcast during US Season 1
Heat vs. Panzer Mk2 (USA), Tornado (UK), Yeborobo (RSA) Eliminated
Dutch Series
Series 1
Dutch Championship
Heats, Semi-Final
Heat A, Round 1 vs. Lizzard Won
Heat A, Semi-Final vs. Bamm Bamm Lost
PHILIPPER 2 - RESULTS
Dutch Series
Series 2
Dutch Championship
Runner-up
Heat B, Round 1 vs. Shapeshifter Won
Heat B, Semi-Final vs. Trazmaniac Won
Heat B, Final vs. Twister Won
Grand Final, Round 1 vs. Krab-Bot Won
Grand Final, Semi-Final vs. Bamm Bamm Won
Grand Final vs. PulverizeR Lost
UK/German Series
Extreme Series 2 / German Robot Wars
European Championship
Representing Belgium, Runner-up
Round 1 vs. Rawbot (SWE) Won
Round 2 vs. Black Hole (GER) Won
Final vs. Tornado (UK) Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • UK Wins: 2
  • UK Losses: 3
  • Dutch Wins: 6
  • Dutch Losses: 2

Series Record[]

Dutch Series[]

Dutch Series Philipper Series Record
Series 1 Heat, Round 2
Series 2 Runner-up

UK Series[]

Main Series Philipper Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars International events with Depoppesaurus Rex
The Fourth Wars Did not enter
The Fifth Wars Did not enter
The Sixth Wars Did not enter
The Seventh Wars Did not enter
Series 8 Did not enter
Series 9 Did not enter
Series 10 Did not enter
Robot Wars Extreme Appearances
Series 1 The Second World Championship, Round 1
Series 2 European Championship, Final

Gallery[]

Outside Robot Wars[]

Philipper represented Belgium at the Dutch Robot Games in 2001, entering the international bracket where it defeated the German entry Golem in the first round, before falling to Dutch entry Alien Destructor in the semi-finals. Philipper was said to have taken significant damage throughout the event, but continued to work[1].

Philipper 2 also competed at the Dutch Robot Games in 2003 and faced Sater 2 and Caesar in the first round, but quickly broke down and the battle was won by Sater 2[2]. It did also take part in a seven-way Flipper Frenzy at the end of the event, carrying out a number of attacks before the match was ultimately won by Hard.

Trivia[]

Philliper swc ext1 stats

Philipper's name is spelled wrong on its statistics board

  • On the fact sheet for its appearances in Extreme Series 1, Philipper's name was misspelt as Philliper.
  • Philipper was one of three robots in the first Dutch series whose team had taken part in a televised Robot Wars competition before, the others being MaxiMill, NEAT Machine and Slicer.
  • It was also the only Belgian robot in Dutch Series 1 to have fought before.
  • The Poppe Family is the only team to have fought robots from eight different countries: Eire (Republic of Ireland), Australia, The Netherlands, England, South Africa, the USA, Sweden and Germany.
  • If Philipper 2 had defeated PulverizeR, it would have become the only robot to hold two national titles at once (Dutch and Belgian, since the latter was automatically given to the most successful Belgian robot in the Dutch series).
  • Philipper is the only robot to have appeared in all four national versions of Robot Wars (UK, US, Dutch and German Series).
  • Out of Philipper's five combat losses, only one of these battles was not won by a current or future domestic champion, that being its self-inflicted loss to Bamm Bamm.
  • Philipper 2 is the only non-UK machine to defeat multiple champions.
    • It is also the only machine to directly defeat two foreign-series champions (Panzer Mk2 and Black Hole).
  • Aside from the participants in the 10 Robot Rumble, Philipper 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, Tornado and Panzer Mk2.
  • During its European Championship run, Philipper 2 sported the logo of Dutch Series broadcaster BNN.

Honours[]


References[]

Navigation[]

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