Punjar

Punjar
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996-1997
Team Information
Team Members	Ramiro Mallari
From	San Francisco, California
Robot Statistics
Drive	2x electric motors
Weapons	Spinning flail (1996) Ramming scoop (1997)
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Punjar was a heavyweight robot built by Ramiro Mallari which originally competed in the 1996 and 1997 US Robot Wars competitions.

The original 1996 incarnation, armed with a spinning flail, reached the Quarter-Finals of the Heavyweight Face-Off, where it was quickly defeated by Vlad the Impaler. Punjar would also qualify for and survive to the end of the Heavyweight Melee Final, which it lost on an audience vote to La Machine. Highlights of Punjar's Face-Off and Melee runs were featured in the official American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 VHS releases; a clip of its defeat to Vlad the Impaler was also televised in Heat D of Robot Wars: The First Wars.

Equipped with a ramming scoop, Punjar returned for the 1997 competition, winning against Gut Rip to reach the second round of the Heavyweight Face-Off. Its Face-Off run would end at that stage, however, where it was subjected to a highly damaging knockout loss to Blendo. Punjar effectively stood in for Sonic Boom, an alternative heavyweight entry by Ramiro Mallari which was mentioned in the official 1997 souvenir programme. It is unclear whether "Sonic Boom" was an alternative name for the 1997 Punjar, or a completely separate robot.

Design

The 1996 Punjar in the arena

Punjar's core design was mostly consistent in each of its appearances, being a low box-shaped robot running on two electric motors and two large rubber-treaded rollers acting as wheels. Constructed from welded aluminum diamond plate, the main chassis and armor incorporated an angled wedge profile at the front, and was designed to provide a low ground clearance.

In 1996, the front end had a shallow wedge piece, with which Punjar would get underneath, push and/or pin opponents using its drive system. For that year only, the back of the robot was fitted with a small overhead flail, comprising of a set of horizontally-spinning chains mounted on its own diamond plate 'box'. The flails allowed Punjar to strike and inflict damage on opponents caught by the wedge lip or flat top panel. However, the robot itself had a low top speed, no srimech and was in itself susceptible to getting pushed or turned over.

For the 1997 competition, the flail and large back panel were removed, and a larger 'curved ramp' panel was added to the front. The 'ramp' served as Punjar's ramming blade, and was designed primarily to take advantage of the robot's own pushing capability. The 1997 build is confirmed to utilize a Vantec speed controller as part of its internal system. Punjar's use of the larger scoop would influence its design evolution for subsequent BattleBots events. However, it still did not provide the robot with any self-righting capabilities.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

Debuting in the 1996 competition, Punjar first competed in that year's Heavyweight Face-Off championship. In the opening round, it fought fellow newcomer Red Scorpion.

Punjar pins Red Scorpion

A very tentative start saw Punjar approach and shove Red Scorpion, itself appearing to suffer early issues with its tail and drive. Taking advantage of its opponent's issues, it rammed Red Scorpion's left wheel, before the two competitors exchanged nudges with each other. Punjar proceeded to scoop up, push and lift Red Scorpion against the upper mousetrap, while attacking it with its chain flails. Not only did the flails whack Red Scorpion, but also hook one of its wheel hubs.

"The betting was on the Red Scorpion to easily win this fight, but his tail wasn't operating as planned. And before he knew it, Pungar [sic] had him pinned."

— Paul Vallis summarizes Punjar's debut against Red Scorpion, American Robot Wars 1996

Despite Red Scorpion's efforts to strike it with its own 'tail', Punjar sustained the pin long enough to be declared the winner by Michael Meehan. Though this moment was inferred to be the official conclusion in American Robot Wars 1996, it would effectively resume the match by dragging and pushing Red Scorpion away from the mousetrap. Once Punjar stopped, the two robots exchanged further attacks with their weapons. Punjar's flails again struck Red Scorpion repeatedly, as Ray Washburn's machine struggled to gain purchase with either its 'tail' or jaws. Red Scorpion backed away, and would unsuccessful try to lift Punjar using its tail 'skid'. Punjar, undeterred, simply pushed Red Scorpion from the left-rear corner and trapped it against an arena flipper. In doing so, it briefly lifted Red Scorpion up on one side, but without flipping it.

As the battle crossed the three-minute mark, Punjar kept avoiding Red Scorpion's attempted attacks. Mirroring its earlier form, it then shoved and pinned Red Scorpion against a flipper paddle, ultimately being declared the winner for the second time.

In the second round, Punjar faced Munch, another brand-new entry from Seattle-based Distraction Laboratories.

Another tentative start resulted in both competitors colliding near the center. Punjar, negating the anti-wedge 'legs' on Munch, scooped and pushed its opponent backwards into one of the arena flippers. In doing so, it caused one of the 'legs' to snag the flipper, trapping Munch in place for a short moment. Punjar kept pushing Munch for some time; according to Andrew Lindsey, it impeded Munch's mobility further by pushing its 'legs' underneath its chassis.

When the two robots found themselves in the lower-right corner, Punjar was briefly blocked by Munch, which attempted to grab and pin Punjar from the top. Punjar responded by turning, pushing and pinning Munch against the lower wall. Upon sustaining the pin for a full 30 seconds, it once again emerged victorious.

Progressing to the Quarter-Finals, Punjar met Vlad the Impaler for a chance to receive a place in the Face-Off Semi-Finals.

Punjar is flipped by Vlad the Impaler

Both robots crept slowly forwards towards each other, with Punjar initially following Vlad the Impaler in an attempt to ram it. Both of its attempts to do so were avoided by Gage Cauchois and Gregg Walker's machine, which proceeded to turn around and drive into it front-first. A short pushing match ensued, before Punjar was flicked onto its rear panels by Vlad the Impaler's forks, around 21 seconds after the battle started.

"This was probably the quickest fight in the whole competition."

— Paul Vallis' description of Punjar's Face-Off Quarter-Final, American Robot Wars 1996

Punjar, unable to self-right, remained balancing on its back for several seconds. It was approached, then turned completely over by Vlad the Impaler, cementing its defeat in the Heavyweight Face-Off.

Punjar also fought in the Heavyweight Melee tournament, facing Killbborg, South Bay Mauler and Nemesis in its first-round battle.

In the opening moments, it focused on pressuring Killbborg, attempting to bring its flails into play as all four competitors converged near the arena perimeter. Punjar then found itself under pressure from an already-damaged Nemesis, which attempted to pin it. Regardless, it scooped up and forced Killbborg backwards into one of the mousetraps, only for it to be delivered into a mousetrap mechanism itself by Ken Atkinson and Vic Lang's tracked machine. Killbborg kept pushing Punjar across the arena floor; the pushing match continued for some time, with both competitors avoiding the flipper on their side of the arena. The duo separated as Punjar again tried to spin its flails up. This proved crucial for Punjar which proceeded to scoop up and attempt to damage Killbborg's spear mechanism while pressuring it across the arena. In turn, it dodged a premature spear attack by Killbborg, leading to a temporary stalemate between the two machines.

Again, Punjar resisted Killbborg's spear attack, pushing it back between the upper mousetrap and upper-right flipper. As the battle crossed the three minute mark, it briefly separated, then was swatted by the upper mousetrap as it attempted to reengage with all three of its opponents. With Nemesis proceeding to push Killbborg into the lower-left corner, Punjar turned its attention to South Bay Mauler, pushing the flailing Tilford family entry towards the opposite side. Punjar maintained this strategy throughout the remainder of the Melee, delivering South Bay Mauler into a mousetrap, across the perimeter and into the flippers. All four competitors were still mobile when time ran out; Punjar completed its final push on South Bay Mauler after the five-minute timer expired. An audience vote was conducted, with all robots subsequently being chosen to compete in the Heavyweight Melee Final.

Alongside its Round 1 opponents, Punjar fought a twelve-robot rumble for the chance to take the 1996 Heavyweight Melee title. Other robots taking part included incumbent Melee champion La Machine, Red Scorpion, 1995 Face-Off co-champion The Master, DooMore, Tazz, Merrimac, Gutrip and Marvin. For this battle only, yellow and black hazard stripes were applied to Punjar's front wedge plate and flail bar.

Punjar (right) pressures Merrimac during an early pile-up

Punjar (top-right) helps The Master pin La Machine

While Punjar started tentatively, it drove underneath and pinned Merrimac against DooMore, South Bay Mauler and La Machine, as a pile-up developed in the center of the arena. It and The Master continued to apply pressure as La Machine shovelled multiple opponents around in quick succession. Both robots proceeded to maneuver La Machine towards and over the upper-left flipper, though Punjar's push caused The Master to also become trapped on top of the hazard. Despite being pinned for a substantial amount of time - with La Machine being stuck for over a minute and a half - neither the Team Sinister or Impact Media machines were eliminated, in spite of the 30-second pin rule in place at the time.

"Watch The Master get its blade under La Machine. And with Pungar [sic] pushing, they trap La Machine on the flipper... and pin him!"

— Paul Vallis as Punjar and The Master attempt to eliminate La Machine

During this moment, Punjar received a few swipes from Tazz's thwacking arm. In response, it briefly chased Donald Hutson's machine across the left perimeter, before turning towards and pushing South Bay Mauler into Marvin as well as the lower mousetrap. Tanking a blow from Marvin's arm, it next pushed Willis Wong's machine back across the center of the arena and into the upper mousetrap, with assistance from Nemesis. This resulted in Marvin being snared in the mousetrap net itself. Punjar continued pushing Marvin against the mousetrap, ignoring another swinging attack from Tazz in the process. As it reversed, it was collected and pushed by Merrimac, before following the Industrial Light & Magic representative across the center.

"...but he's only stuck for a minute. And La Machine gets its revenge on Pungar [sic]..."

— Paul Vallis comments on La Machine ramming Punjar over the wall bumper

Punjar, upon being sent into the bumper mechanism by La Machine

Punjar attacks the immobile Master

At that point, Punjar was intercepted by La Machine, which had recently been freed by Merrimac. Punjar found itself being rammed at high speed into the bumper on the right-hand side of the arena, the force throwing it over into the hazard mechanism. Having gone out of bounds, it was temporarily removed from the action, until it was freed by the bumper mechanism itself. Punjar resumed fighting upon re-entering the combat zone, starting to drag and push The Master away from the upper-left corner. In the process, it took a glancing swipe from the flails of South Bay Mauler, the collision enough to slow the latter's weapon. Punjar capitalized on The Master's mobility issues, carrying Mark Setrakian's machine into a flailing South Bay Mauler; all three robots would later become involved in another pile-up alongside DooMore, Merrimac and Nemesis.

Moments later, Punjar and The Master were both rammed by La Machine, though neither would be separated at first. Punjar would be subjected to further pressure from Merrimac, while finding itself underneath a recovering South Bay Mauler. Eventually, The Master regained enough mobility to free itself from Punjar's wedge shape, just as both robots were pushed across the inner perimeter by Nemesis. Punjar survived an overhead blow from The Master's sword, and proceeded to scoop up and push it again. This was enough to leave The Master completely motionless and out of contention. Punjar was next rammed by La Machine, which delivered it into the lower-left flipper. Both would become involved in another pile-up, trapping South Bay Mauler while weathering attacks from Killbborg and Tazz respectively. Further nudges from Killbborg allowed Punjar to break free, after which it rammed Nemesis and South Bay Mauler while engaging in a further pile-up opposite the upper mousetrap.

Punjar held South Bay Mauler in place for several moments, after which it was pushed away from the scene by Nemesis. It was again scooped up and held against the lower mousetrap by La Machine, before attempting to attack to DooMore in a similar way. The two competitors pushed each other back and forth, until South Bay Mauler confronted the pair. While Scott LaValley's entry was pushed into the lower-left corner by La Machine, Punjar repeatedly whacked the top of South Bay Mauler with its flails. The flails ended up being the only weapon still capable of inflicting sustained attacks, as the remaining competitors continued to push and nudge each other. Punjar encountered Nemesis and Merrimac again in this way, before entering a stalemate with and rattling its flails against the shell of La Machine.

The surviving competitors and their operators gather for the audience vote

At that point, an announcement by Michael Meehan confirmed that a tie was being considered by the Judges. Presumably to demonstrate its capabilities further, Punjar resumed its flail attacks on La Machine, while briefly getting underneath Greg Munson and Trey Roski's machine from the front. All surviving robots were instructed to gather in the center of the arena ahead of the subsequent audience vote. Punjar ultimately lost the vote - and the 1996 Heavyweight Melee championship - to La Machine.

1997 US Championship

Punjar returned for the 1997 competition, competing exclusively in the Heavyweight Face-Off. In the first round, it was drawn against fellow 1996 returnee Gut Rip.

Both heavyweights cautiously approached each other in the opening seconds, though Punjar picked up speed as it drove past Gut Rip in the arena center. Punjar initiated a series of shoves, the third of which enabled it to shove Gut Rip into the side wall. With Gut Rip perched on its scoop blade, it held, then kept ramming Bob Schneeveis' machine. In one exchange, it drove over the sloped Lexan sides and top of Gut Rip, once the latter had been brought down.

Punjar rammed Gut Rip twice more, but drove up the right-hand side of Bob Schneeveis' entry again. As a direct consequence of Gut Rip's low torque, neither robot showed any movement, resulting in the battle being temporarily paused and both robots separated by a Robot Wars crewmember. Upon being freed, Punjar reversed to the left-hand side of the arena, close to where it initially started. The match resumed shortly after. Punjar again rammed Gut Rip multiple times while delivering it into the lower spike trap. While the hazard began descending on Gut Rip, it again drove up and got stuck on its side, this time from the left. Another stoppage and separation took place; both robots then resumed fighting from the center of the arena.

As the second restart got underway, Punjar missed a high-speed charge at Gut Rip, slamming into the lower-left flipper. Recovering, it proceeded to shove Gut Rip into the wall, and followed this up with another series of rams. Gut Rip, itself suffering from worsening mobility issues, struggled to drive away. With just over ten seconds remaining, Punjar attempted one last shove, but instead launched up Gut Rip's left-hand side and got beached on the flipper paddle nearby. Even with this, both robots survived to a Judges' decision. On points, Punjar was declared to have won on damage and aggression.

In the second round, Punjar faced a tough draw against Blendo, a full-body spinner built by future MythBusters alumni Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage.

Blendo sends Punjar spinning violently across the arena

The start of the match saw it tentatively approach Blendo from the left-hand side, while the M5 Industries entry crept 'menacingly' towards the center. After a momentary pause, Punjar rammed Blendo at full speed. The force of the impact lifted and sent it violently spinning across the arena, while also causing Blendo to recoil into the right-most wall. Not only was Punjar completely immobilized, but it also sustained severe damage to its internals and chassis. A structural weld within the chassis was torn open, resulting in its entire drive system becoming misaligned; the Vantec speed controller was also 'destroyed'.

Punjar was eliminated from the Heavyweight Face-Off at that stage, the damage proving terminal enough for it to not participate in any further battles. Ironically, Blendo would also not progress any further, as it was deemed 'too dangerous' to continue fighting after previously ejecting debris from the arena against Hercules.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 3

Series Record

Events	Punjar Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Heavyweight Face-Off, Quarter-Final Heavyweight Melee, Final
1997	Heavyweight Face-Off, Round 2

Outside Robot Wars

Punjar (BattleBots Long Beach, 1999)

Following its US Robot Wars run, Punjar received a major design overhaul for the inaugural 1999 BattleBots events at Long Beach and Las Vegas, alongside the first three seasons of the televised Comedy Central series. A larger checkerplate shell and scoop were adopted, giving the robot a passing resemblance to La Machine.

Punjar initially maintained a similar level of success as in 1997, reaching the second round of the Long Beach Gigabot Duel tournament before losing to UK Robot Wars competitor KillerHurtz. Four further victories were claimed in the loser's bracket - against The Mauler, frenZy, Ronin and Nightmare respectively - before it was ultimately eliminated by Tazbot. At Las Vegas, Punjar would achieve its strongest run yet, avenging its losses against Blendo and KillerHurtz on its way to the Heavyweight Duel semi-finals. Though it was eliminated at that stage by Voltarc, the driving skills of Ramiro Mallari were formally recognized as he received the 'Best Driver Award' for that event.

Punjar (BattleBots Season 1.0, 2000)

Punjar (BattleBots Season 3.0, 2001)

Punjar Minibot toy

Punjar Spinbot toy

In Season 1.0, Punjar again reached the semi-finals of the main heavyweight division, where it was defeated once more by Vlad the Impaler. Through its performances and popularity, it would receive its own official merchandise in the form of Minibot and Spinbot toys, as well as a seeded place in Season 3.0. Punjar, however, could not maintain this success beyond Season 1.0, losing its first battles of Seasons 2.0 and 3.0 to FrostBite and Sharkbyte respectively.

Trivia

• Throughout the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, Punjar is mispronounced as "Pungar". This likely stems from a similar mispronunciation made by Michael Meehan during live commentary for its first battle against Red Scorpion, though Meehan would pronounce Punjar's name correctly in its later appearances.

See Also

• Punjar (BattleBots)

External Links

• Punjar on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)