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Red 2 (also formatted as Red2[1]) was a featherweight robot built and entered by John Knoll into the 1996 and 1997 US Robot Wars competitions. Featuring a custom CNC-machined chassis and a high-speed drivetrain, it finished its debut year as the Featherweight Face-Off runner-up, losing only to Wedge of Doom. Red 2 also participated in the Featherweight Melee, but lost its first-round battle which would be won by Slomo 3. Both its Face-Off Final and Melee qualifier would be among the battles highlighted in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS.[2][3]

Returning for 1997 with a largely unchanged appearance, Red 2's second campaign was hamstrung by frequent reliability issues with its own drive belts.[3] As such, it lost its first Featherweight Face-Off battle to 1995 champion KMM, demoting it to the Loser's Bracket at this early stage.[4][5] While collecting wins over Thwonkis Mobilis[6] and Fuzzy,[7][8] Red 2 would end up being eliminated from the Face-Off altogether by Bob Smith.[9][10] Red 2 also became immobilized during its preliminary Featherweight Melee round, preventing it from reaching the Melee finals once again.[11][12]

Design[]

Red2 arena

Red 2 in the arena

Red 2's appearance was consistent throughout each of its appearances, being an invertible two-wheel drive robot with pneumatic tires and a wedge-shaped, CNC-machined aluminum chassis. The 'symmetrical' chassis design incorporated anodized panels with a bright red finish, along with 'thick' bracing for internal subframes.[2][3] Two sets of small castors supported the lower wedge panelling of Red 2 from either orientation; the main drive wheels were observed as being sourced from a model aircraft.[13]

The back of Red 2 was fitted with a pair of small static spikes for ramming and piercing opponents. Sets of small hooks and blades were also attached to either side as added defences. Red 2's main forms of offense, however, were in its wedge shape and powerful drive system, consisting of car power window assemblies in 1996. The motors were connected to each wheel through timing belt reduction systems, providing Red 2 with a high top speed and high pushing power, at the cost of reliability issues in later appearances. The placement of Red 2's wheels, set at the very back of the machine, was considered especially advantageous compared to other similarly-designed featherweights of that time (e.g. P.A.T.).[2][3]

Robot History[]

1996 US Championship[]

Red 2 made its US Robot Wars debut in the 1996 competition, where it initially competed in the Featherweight Face-Off. Its first battle was against the walker Roach, which formed a set of 'Dual Matches' alongside Spiked Master II vs Triple Redundancy.

Early on, malfunctions prevented Roach from being able to move out of its starting position.[14] Red 2 drove to and waited in the center of its half of the arena, until it was announced that the battle would be restarted. On the restart, Red 2 crept up to and began ramming Roach several times with its spikes. Roach continued to show limited mobility, prompting John Knoll's machine to pin it against the wall for its first win.[15][16]

Red 2 progressed to the second round, where it faced Spiked Master II from the other 'Dual Match' pairing.

Tentatively weaving across the inner-right perimeter, it weathered an early high-speed ram from Spiked Master II, before pushing it back using its rear spikes. A quick separation followed; Red 2 ended up cornering Spiked Master II near the upper mousetrap. Taking advantage of a driving error by Larry and Taylor Tan's machine, it pinned and pushed the latter against the hazard, then the nearby wall. Upon holding Spiked Master II in place against the wall, Red 2 would again emerge victorious.[2][17]

Through to the Quarter-Finals, Red 2 would face Robot Action League and their pneumatic lifter The X-2.

Limited details are available for this match, although Red 2's invertible design quickly negated the effectiveness of its opponent's weapon. It also capitalized on The X-2's lack of torque, eventually managing to ram and pin it against the arena corner.[2]

Red 2 advanced to the Semi-Finals, fighting Klaas Langhout and Slomo 3 for a place in the overall Face-Off Final.

Both wedge-shaped robots started tentatively, with Red 2 driving its rear spikes into the front-right corner of Slomo 3. It was then pushed back from the left-hand side, but managed to escape Slomo 3's clutches as the latter drove into the right-most wall bumper. More pushing and bumping ensued, with Red 2 proceeding to chase Slomo 3 back and forth across the arena. Eventually, it shoved Slomo 3 into the path of the lower-right flipper. Impacts from the hazard pinned Slomo 3 in place between the wall and Red 2, with Red 2 holding Slomo 3 stationary for the minimum 30 seconds. Red 2 was soon declared the victor once again.[2][18][19]

In the Final, as shown in American Robot Wars 1996, Red 2 challenged fellow newcomer Wedge of Doom for the overall 1996 Featherweight Face-Off title.

Wedge of doom vs red2

Wedge of Doom defeats Red 2 quickly

From the outset, it would struggle against Tony Buchignani's machine, being outpaced, rammed and pushed across the arena during the opening moments. Red 2 found itself being steered into the wall opposite a mousetrap, then into the mechanism powering the hazard itself. Now cornered, it was unable to drive out in time before getting pinned in between the mousetrap's workings. While Red 2 was eventually released, it had already lost the battle to Wedge of Doom in quick fashion. As a result, it would finish the 1996 Featherweight Face-Off tournament as runner-up.[13][20]

"The Wedge of Doom made short work of Red 2 to win the Featherweight finals."
Paul Vallis

Red 2 also fought in the Featherweight Melee, facing Roach and Slomo 3 (referred to as "X2" in American Robot Wars) once again. The trio would fight alongside Triple Redundancy, Spiny Norman, Rampage and Arsenic for a chance to qualify for the overall final. As well as American Robot Wars 1996, portions of this battle would also appear in the American Robot Wars Final 1996 VHS, exclusive to early Robot Wars Club members.

Triple redundancy vs red 2 vs spiy norman

Spiny Norman is caught by Triple Redundancy's tape

In the opening moments, Red 2 avoided an early lunge from Slomo 3, setting up a pushing match between the two machines. This would develop into a four-way scrap also involving Spiny Norman and the smallest segment of Triple Redundancy, moments after the latter began deploying its tape reels. Red 2 got underneath and pushed Spiny Norman over the tape, which snared Will Wright's machine by the right-rear wheel.[21]

"It doesn't take long for Triple Redundancy to tape things up. It splits three ways and causes chaos, especially for Spiky [Spiny Norman]."
— Paul Vallis comments on the early Melee moments
Arsenic vs red 2 vs triple redundancy

Red 2 is pressured by Arsenic

However, Red 2 would also become entangled itself, as the duo was surrounded by all three segments of Triple Redundancy. Having fallen foul of the clusterbot's tactics, it was lifted from the left-hand side by Arsenic's scoop, but landed upright. In retaliation for Triple Redundancy's successful entanglement, Red 2 next tried to push the former's smallest segment in the far side of the arena. Red 2, Triple Redundancy and Spiny Norman all converged once again, crawling back and fourth across the arena perimeter. All five machines were soon caught in a literal stalemate, with Red 2 playing no further part in the Melee. As such, it was ultimately deemed to have been immobilized, with Slomo 3 emerging as the winner and sole finalist from this battle. Red 2 was eliminated from the Featherweight Melee tournament at this point.[21]

1997 US Championship[]

As in the previous year, Red 2 began its 1997 campaign in the Featherweight Face-Off. In its first-round battle, it fought 1995 Super Lightweight champion KMM, in a head-to-head occurring at the same time as Buzzcut vs Thwonkis Mobilis.

While the faster robot to start, Red 2 suffered control issues early on, slamming into the walls and taking a swipe from the flipper paddles. The torque in its drive system was high enough for it to shred its own gear belts. Red 2 was soon grasped and hammered by KMM; while in the grip of Rik Winter's machine, it started to push and drag it around in circles. One blow from KMM's axe caught a gap in front of Red 2's left wheel, locking both robots together. As Red 2 struggled to escape, its belts continued to sustain damage, to the extent that it was left with significantly less drive power as it tried to separate.[4][5]

After several seconds, Red 2 was freed, squealing away from KMM after the latter bumped the wall. Its recovery would be short-lived, however, as it stopped moving near the wall and lost speed, while trying to avoid another chase from KMM. Red 2 was rammed into the lower wall by KMM, losing mobility for several moments before Rik Winter's machine repeated its attacks. At that point, the other 'Dual Match' was stopped to allow Buzzcut and Thwonkis Mobilis to be freed, though Red 2 and KMM were still allowed to fight on in the bottom-right corner. Red 2, however, had become completely immobilized, and was consigned to the Loser's Bracket following this loss.[4][5]

There, it would fight Thwonkis Mobilis, the other losing robot from the 'Dual Match' set.

In what would turn out to be an extremely short battle, Red 2 flipped Thwonkis Mobilis over with a shove, seven seconds into a back-and-forth joust. This would give John Knoll's machine its first 1997 victory, saving it from an early elimination.[6]

Red 2 next fought Fuzzy, a brand-new machine from 1995 and 1996 roboteer Cassidy Wright.

Red2 vs fuzzy

Red 2 rams Fuzzy

Within the opening seconds, it drove under and briefly threw Fuzzy into the air with its first charge. Red 2 kept ramming and surviving hits from Fuzzy's chain flails, while the latter proceeded to lose drive on one side. Red 2 drove underneath Fuzzy again, only to spin over and get stuck on top of one of the flails as it tried to back out. Both robots were effectively locked together as a result, prompting them to be separated by Robot Wars crewmembers.[7][8]

Upon the match restarting, Red 2 backed out towards the center. With Fuzzy still partially immobile, it scooped and rammed the gray cat-themed machine into the wall on the right-hand side. From there, Fuzzy was unable to drive out of the corner. Red 2, while repeating this tactic a few moments later, briefly encountered trouble as it wedged itself in the plywood 'curb' nearby. Another stoppage was called to free it from the wall; Red 2 proceeded to ram Fuzzy and the nearby walls several more times. Another high-speed ram was enough to help immobilize Fuzzy, though both robots would end up getting swatted by the top-right flipper. Following another brush with the wall, Red 2 maneuvered towards the center, and was declared the winner by knockout.[7][8]

Red 2 progressed to the third Loser's Bracket stage, where it would fight Bob Smith.

Red2 vs bobsmith

Red 2 rams Bob Smith from behind

Both competitors quickly rammed each other. As in its previous battle, Red 2's wedge shape allowed it to launch Bob Smith into the air as it careered into the upper spike trap. Its sides were vulnerable to a few strikes from Bob Smith's swinging tail, though Red 2 withstood these before pushing the former against an arena flipper, then backwards into the wall on the opposite side of the arena. Seconds later, a squealing sound started to be heard from within Red 2's drive; its timing belts had begun 'shearing apart' again.[9][10]

Red 2 began slowing down, taking repeated whacks from Bob Smith's tail as it struggled to line up another ramming attack. A tactical phase ended with both robots colliding head-on, with Red 2 unable to push Bob Smith back. Once Bob Smith backed away, it was out-maneuvered and pushed wedge-first into the upper-right corner. Red 2 backed out and spun near the arena center, hesitating as Bob Smith proceeded to ram it again. Breaking free, it drove towards and stopped alongside a flipper paddle, which tapped Red 2 multiple times as it struggled to maneuver away. Another tentative phase followed; Red 2 dodged one of the spike traps and reengaged with Bob Smith. Again, it was subjected to more attempted tail attacks by Will Wright's machine, but countered this by forcefully ramming Bob Smith with its rear spikes. Neither robot attacked each other again for some time.[9][10]

During the final fifteen seconds, Red 2 was hit three more times by Bob Smith, before engaging in a final head-to-head brush. Both robots survived to a Judges' decision, which ruled against Red 2, likely as a result of its mobility issues. Red 2 was therefore eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off altogether at this point.[9][10]

Following essential repairs, Red 2 would again compete in the Featherweight Melee tournament. In the first round, it would once again duel with Face-Off opponents Fuzzy and KMM, alongside overhead spinners Dough Boy and Sabotage; and recently-declared Face-Off runner-up Red-Green.

Red 2 quickly sped into the center, only to be briefly collected by Fuzzy's right flail. It was then rammed from the side by Sabotage, before proceeding to scoop up and ram Fuzzy with its rear spikes. In the process, Red 2 also launched Dough Boy into the air with an equally forceful ram. Five of the six robots briefly converged in the center, as Red 2 dodged an attempted grappling attack from KMM. Darting back across the arena, it met Sabotage, then slammed into KMM and Fuzzy. Red 2 proceeded to push Fuzzy into the clutches of KMM, then forcefully ram Rik Winter's machine into the left wall. As it backed away, it ended up bumping into Sabotage, before immobilizing a flailing Fuzzy by pushing it into KMM again.[11][12]

At that point, however, Red 2's drive belts began shredding in a similar way to its Face-Off battles. This sapped the robot of much of its speed across the arena, leaving it vulnerable to pressure from an otherwise tentative Red-Green. Red 2 rammed Dough Boy again, before screeching and shuttling across the arena to drive under Jim Sellers' machine. In response, Red-Green briefly grabbed hold of Red 2, though this was interrupted by a ram from Sabotage. Red 2 briefly pushed Dough Boy by its blade, only to engage in another pushing match with Red-Green. As a consequence, it was pressed against KMM, then Dough Boy, at which point the latter two teamed up to push Red 2 into the wall. All three robots separated, after which Red 2 was briefly pressured once again by KMM.[11][12]

Red 2 next joined Sabotage in ramming Red-Green, only to be pushed into the wall and almost flipped over by Dough Boy. Once released, it pushed Red-Green upwards during a recovery drive, though this would result in Red-Green lifting, clamping and dragging it back towards the inner-left perimeter. Red 2 was held in place for several seconds, while Dough Boy eventually tried to push it away as the Melee entered its final minute. At last, Red-Green pulled away, with Red 2 being left completely stationary from that point onwards. At the end of the full duration, Red 2 was officially considered to be fully immobile, preventing it from advancing any further in the Featherweight Melee tournament.[11][12]

Results[]

RED 2 - RESULTS
1996 US Championship
Featherweight Face-Off
Runner-up
Round 1 vs. Roach Won
Round 2 vs. Spiked Master II Won
Quarter-Final vs. The X-2 Won
Semi-Final vs. Slomo 3 Won
Final vs. Wedge of Doom Lost
Featherweight Melee
Round 1
Melee vs. Slomo 3, Roach, Triple Redundancy, Spiny Norman, Rampage, Arsenic Lost
NOTE: In American Robot Wars 1996, Slomo 3 was referred to as "X2" due to a scripting error.
1997 US Championship
Featherweight Face-Off
Eliminated in Loser's Bracket, Round 3
Round 1 vs. KMM Lost
Loser's Bracket, Round 1 vs. Thwonkis Mobilis Won
Loser's Bracket, Round 2 vs. Fuzzy Won
Loser's Bracket, Round 3 vs. Bob Smith Lost
Featherweight Melee
Round 1
Melee, Round 1 vs. Dough Boy, Fuzzy, KMM, Red-Green, Sabotage Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 6
  • Losses: 5

Series Record[]

Events Red 2 Event Record
1994 Did not enter
1995 Did not enter
1996 Featherweight Runner-up (Face-Off)
Featherweight Melee, Round 1
1997 Featherweight Face-Off, Loser's Bracket, Round 3
Featherweight Melee, Round 1

Outside Robot Wars[]

Red 2 was created by John Knoll who is was one of founders of Adobe Photoshop and has worked in special effects in film, with his most notable works being Star Wars[22]. The name Red 2 could be a reference to said film franchise.

When not working on films, John Knoll had created various robots to battle in many different events for Robot Wars.[23]

Honours[]


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 'Contestants: Featherweight Class', 4th Annual Robot Wars (1997) souvenir programme, p.2
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 'RED 2' [1996], Team Spike website (archived)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 'RED 2' [1997], Team Spike website (archived)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 'Robot Wars 1997: Featherweight Dual Match 6', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 15 2021
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 'MATCH: KMM VS RED TWO', Team Spike website (archived)
  6. 6.0 6.1 'Robot Wars 1997 Featherweight match: Red 2 versus Twonkus Mobilus', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 3 2021
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Featherweight match: Fuzzy versus Red 2', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 4 2021
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 'MATCH: RED 2 VS FUZZY', Team Spike website (archived)
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Featherweight match: Bob Smith versus Red 2' Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 5 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 'MATCH: BOB SMITH VS RED 2', Team Spike website (archived)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Featherweight Melee 3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 11 2021
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 'FEATHERWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 3', Team Spike website (archived)
  13. 13.0 13.1 'Pictures of the 1996 Featherweight Faceoff.', Nolex/Wedge of Doom website (archived)
  14. 'ROACH', Team Spike website (archived)
  15. 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 6', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
  16. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Roach vs Red 2/ TR vs Spiked Master', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  17. 'Robot Wars 1996: Red 2 versus Spiked Master 2 (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
  18. 'SLOMO III' Team Spike website (archived)
  19. 'Robot Wars 1996: Red 2 versus Slomo 3 (Featherweight Semifinals)'. Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 8 2019
  20. 'Robot Wars 1996: Red 2 versus The Wedge of Doom (Featherweight Final)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 9 2019
  21. 21.0 21.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 4', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  22. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Knoll
  23. https://www.wired.com/1998/08/die/

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