Red Scorpion

This article is about the US 1996-1997 heavyweight competitor also referred to as Scorpion or The Scorpion. For other uses, see Scorpion (disambiguation).

Red Scorpion
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996-1997
Other Names	Scorpion The Scorpion (1997)
Team Information
Team Members	Raymond Washburn
From	San Leandro, California
Robot Statistics
Power	Lawnmower motor (1996) 4-stroke engine (1997)
Weapons	Horizontal claws and 'stinger' tail
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"I kept the name Red Scorpion from when I was in Vietnam and we had a fighting unit there. And so I wanted to carry the name on for them."

— Ray Washburn, American Robot Wars 1996

Red Scorpion (also referred to in American Robot Wars Final 1996 as simply Scorpion) was a heavyweight robot built by Raymond Washburn for the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. It initially lost its debut fight to Punjar in the Heavyweight Face-Off, but recovered by qualifying for the final of the Heavyweight Melee tournament. Red Scorpion also fought and won a 'grudge match' against 1995 champion The Master; this, along with its main competition fights, was featured in the official American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 VHS releases.

A significantly-updated version of the robot also competed in 1997 as The Scorpion, featuring new hydraulic-based drive and weapons. In the Heavyweight Face-Off, it reached the second round upon winning against Snake. There, The Scorpion lost under unusual circumstances, once its engine was 'smothered' by Rhino's Halon gas system. A second loss in the Loser's Bracket against DooAll eliminated The Scorpion altogether. The Scorpion's run in the Heavyweight Melee proved similarly ill-fated, as it was turned over and eliminated in the first round by Vlad the Impaler.

Versions of Red Scorpion

Red Scorpion (1996)

"It's got basically a lawnmower motor that comes to three horse[s]... has a hydraulic pump on the bottom of that. Has two hydraulic motors in each wheel. Makes it very mobile."

— Ray Washburn, American Robot Wars 1996

The Washburn family with Red Scorpion

In its initial build, Red Scorpion was a two-wheel drive robot with a cylindrical body and weaponry loosely modelled on the arachnid. Each of the large wheels was powered by hydraulic motors, themselves part of an internal-combustion system powered by a 3hp lawnmower motor. Hydraulics also powered both of the main weapons - a set of small horizontal 'jaws' at the front and an overhead 'tail' with a spiked tip. As well as striking opponents caught in the jaws, the 'tail' also functioned as a 'skid', allowing it to be used to adjust the pitch of Red Scorpion's chassis. To fulfil the latter function, a curved fork-like extension was integrated to the bottom of the tail at the back. Red Scorpion mostly featured an unpainted metal finish, with the hubcaps and weapons being painted bright red.

The Scorpion (1997)

The 1997 build (referred to simply as The Scorpion or Scorpion) improved on the design of the 1996 iteration, built around a welded stainless steel body and powered by a four-stroke gas engine. Once again, both the drive and weapon systems were entirely hydraulic.

Weapon updates included a larger and sturdier tail, the base of which was redesigned to function as a secondary lifter. Extra articulation was provided by a double spring mechanism, allowing the 'stinger' to swing down with more inertia and a greater reach than before. Meanwhile, the front jaws were redesigned in a way that, when closed, both halves formed a 'needle point'. In this position, The Scorpion would use them to spear through opponents, then 'tear wide' any armor sections as they opened.

As a novel counter against wedge shapes, each of The Scorpion's wheels was fitted with retractable claws. The spring-loaded devices would extend outwards via centrifugal force once the wheels were driven at full speed. In turn, they would hook onto nearby surfaces and allow The Scorpion to pull itself away from the pinning robot.

Etymology

Red Scorpion was a tribute name to the military squadron that Ray Washburn served for during the Vietnam War.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

The original Red Scorpion debuted at the 1996 Robot Wars competition, competing in various heavyweight class events. In the Heavyweight Face-Off, it battled fellow debutant Punjar in the first round.

The battle started slowly for both competitors; Red Scorpion, weaving and revving, started turning around in circles for several seconds. As a result of its apparent control issues, it was left vulnerable to a tentative shove from Punjar, which rammed its left wheel with its front wedge shape.

"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 Red Scorpion's Face-Off match, American Robot Wars 1996

Red Scorpion is pressured by Punjar

More nudging ensued, with Red Scorpion being delivered into and lifted against the upper mousetrap. Punjar proceeded to whack Red Scorpion's body and left wheel with its own spinning flails, hooking the wheel hub in the process. Both competitors remained locked together for several moments; while suspended between Punjar's chassis and the mousetrap net, Red Scorpion persistently struck the top of Punjar with its tail. However, this was not enough for it to avoid being deemed immobile. Michael Meehan announced Punjar as the winner at that point, which was inferred to be the match's official conclusion in American Robot Wars 1996.

Regardless, Punjar dragged and pushed Red Scorpion away from the mousetrap, effectively allowing the fight to continue. Once Punjar stopped, the two robots exchanged further attacks with their weapons. Neither Red Scorpion's tail or jaws could gain further purchase, as Punjar again used its flails to hit it several times. Finally, Red Scorpion lifted its tail 'skid' and regained purchase on the arena floor, backing into the wall next to the lower mousetrap. Red Scorpion later tried to use the 'skid' to breach Punjar's ground clearance and lift it; however, this too proved unsuccessful. Punjar simply pushed Red Scorpion from the left-rear corner and trapped it against an arena flipper. Red Scorpion was briefly tipped up to one side, but landed upright and backed away. Again, it tried to grab and strike Punjar with both weapons, but without success.

With two minutes remaining, Red Scorpion kept struggling to attack Punjar effectively. Another unsuccessful clamp was followed by Punjar shoving and pinning Red Scorpion against a flipper paddle. Red Scorpion desperately fired its tail in both directions, spearing through the plywood 'curb' in the process. For the second time, it was deemed to have lost via pinning; Red Scorpion was eliminated from the Heavyweight Face-Off at that stage.

Red Scorpion was later involved in an exhibition 'Grudge Match' against 1995 co-champion The Master. With The Master itself having been eliminated in the second Face-Off round, the battle was held primarily to allow both competitors to make up for their earlier defeats.

"The Master and the Red Scorpion had both been humiliated in the opening rounds, and both wanted to show they were made of tougher stuff!"

— Paul Vallis

Red Scorpion grabs hold of The Master

In the opening moments, Red Scorpion did not initially move, but spun around in circles as The Master smashed into its lower tail with its sawblade. Red Scorpion raised its tail, using its overhead tip and the jaws to momentarily grasp The Master's right wheel. Following a tentative standoff, Red Scorpion drove into and clutched the smoking Master by its left wheel. The Master pushed back, briefly sending Red Scorpion into a spin as it careered into the nearby wall bumper.

Sparks flew as Red Scorpion drove front-first into The Master's saw. A follow-up ram and lift generated more sparks, as Red Scorpion proceeded to grasp and hammer away at The Master's right wheel. In the same attack, Red Scorpion drove The Master into the arena doors, pinning it in place for several seconds. The nearby arena flipper swiped Red Scorpion's left wheel several times, as it pushed The Master further against the doors themselves.

"The Master soon wished he hadn't bothered as the Red Scorpion pinned him."

— Paul Vallis

Both robots ended up in a stalemate, with Red Scorpion seemingly becoming immobilized by the flipper paddle. Following the announcement that The Master had been counted out after thirty seconds, Michael Meehan requested that Red Scorpion back out to guarantee its victory. The two competitors squirmed for some time after; while Red Scorpion did not appear to showcase much mobility at this point in the fight, it was still considered to have won by Team Sinister and American Robot Wars 1996.

"The size of Red Scorpion did not bode well for The Master, he was unavoidably entrapped by the Scorpion's pincers, and was defeated."

— Team Sinister website on Red Scorpion's win over The Master

Red Scorpion's last 1996 appearances occurred in the Heavyweight Melee tournament. In the first round, it fought returning 1995 competitors Merrimac and Namreko 3000, along with newcomer Tazz.

From the start, Red Scorpion battled Tazz in the right-most perimeter. However, it would soon be put at an disadvantage, as it was pushed against the lower-right wall by Donald Hutson's machine. Both robots were then rammed by Merrimac before separating. While Tazz drove off, Red Scorpion remained stuck against the wall and nearby flipper, until Merrimac jostled it free with one of its own pneumatic lifters. Red Scorpion and Tazz were again pressured by Merrimac, before locking together during another head-to-head exchange. By this point, Tazz tried to lift it up with its turret-mounted arm.

Red Scorpion dices with Tazz

Another ram by Merrimac followed, before Red Scorpion lifted Tazz onto its right wheel. As both competitors separated, Red Scorpion was whacked and prodded several times by Tazz's arm, while being simultaneously rammed by Merrimac. In turn, it joined Tazz in lifting Merrimac off the arena floor, following the latter's excursion into a mousetrap hazard. All three competitors locked together; Red Scorpion remained stuck on Merrimac as Tazz eventually broke free. As such, it was pushed, bumped and lifted by Tazz once more, while taking more blows from its spiked arm.

Red Scorpion next found itself being pinned within range of a flipper paddle. Smoke began pouring from its powertrain as it continued to be attacked by Tazz, whose arm severed cables within Red Scorpion's drive hydraulics. Both robots were nudged again by Merrimac as the Melee entered its final minute. Red Scorpion and Tazz briefly locked their weapons together; Red Scorpion by the 'tail'. When Tazz eventually joined Merrimac in pinning the already-overturned Namreko 3000, it was left struggling to drive away from the upper-right corner. Red Scorpion succeeded in dodging the nearby mousetrap in the closing seconds, and, in spite of the damage sustained, survived to the end alongside Tazz and Merrimac.

The Heavyweight Melee Final saw all three robots compete in a twelve-way battle for overall honors. As well as previous opponents Punjar and The Master, the remaining competitors included La Machine, South Bay Mauler, DooMore,

Red Scorpion rolls over Merrimac who was pushing against Killbborg

Red Scorpion's contributions were initially minimal; highlights of the Final in American Robot Wars 1996 were interspersed with occasional clips from its Round 1 scrap. Eventually, it followed and drove up Merrimac's lifters, while the Industrial Light & Magic entry scrapped with Killbborg. Killbborg began pushing Red Scorpion back in response, after which Red Scorpion was again relegated to the background.

Red Scorpion eventually found itself in the upper-right corner, showing less and less movement as the battle progressed. After over three minutes, it became completely immobilized, ultimately losing the 1996 Heavyweight Melee championship to La Machine.

1997 US Championship

The 1997 Scorpion once again fought in both the Heavyweight Face-Off and Melee events. In the Face-Off, it was drawn against Snake - an extraordinarily large walker from Mark Setrakian - in the opening round.

The Scorpion jabs Snake

The Scorpion tentatively approached Snake in the opening moments, striking its tail with its overhead 'stinger'. It proceeded to hammer down multiple times behind Snake's 'head', while Snake captivated the audience by opening and closing its own articulated jaws. Backing up, The Scorpion next tried to attack the center of Snake's body, only for Snake to briefly wrap its head and tail around it. Another attack with the tail, meanwhile, was blocked by Snake's jaws.

The Scorpion uses its jaws against the side of Snake

The Scorpion kept clear as Snake then lifted its entire body upwards; its prior attacks were sufficient to break a weld within the latter's 'skeleton'. Resuming its onslaught, it nudged and hammered Snake several more times, while effectively cornering it in the right-most side of the arena. The Scorpion survived another attempt by Snake to constrict it, with both robots ultimately lasting to a Judges' decision. Based on the damage it inflicted, The Scorpion received the decision and advanced to the second round.

There, The Scorpion faced Rhino - a diamond-shaped machine equipped with a Halon gas extinguisher.

The battle started with both robots ramming each other head-on following a tentative stand-off. Using its jaws, The Scorpion impaled Rhino by the front-right corner, before opening a small hole within the Kevlar composite panel. While hammering Rhino with the 'stinger', it was dragged back by Alex Rose's machine, which pulled itself free. The jaws of The Scorpion were 'twisted' out of use as a result, rendering them useless.

The Scorpion again approached Rhino tentatively, as the latter spun around and began venting Halon gas. In trying to push Rhino with its rear scoop, it narrowly avoided being enveloped in another jet of Halon. This lead to another few tentative moments, with Rhino spinning erratically as a result of burnt-out wiring.

The Scorpion began pushing Rhino further towards the upper wall, only for Rhino to position and fire a Halon jet close to its powertrain. Initially, it was seemingly unaffected, pinning and lifting Rhino against the wall in a bid to get it stranded on the 'curb'. However, Rhino sharply turned around and got underneath The Scorpion from the back. The resulting Halon jet 'smothered' The Scorpion's engine, incapacitating the whole robot at once.

Now consigned to the Loser's Bracket, The Scorpion faced DooAll, for a chance to stay in the competition and potentially be reinstated for the Semi-Finals.

DooAll topples The Scorpion

Following a tentative few seconds, it was turned onto its side via DooAll's initial push. The Scorpion, trying to self-right, eventually lost all power as its four-stroke engine stalled while in this position. It was rendered helpless as DooAll rammed it multiple times against the lower-left wall. These attacks got The Scorpion caught behind the nearby flipper, taking down a sponsorship banner with it. A 'pool of oil' began spilling out onto the arena floor as The Scorpion lay in the corner, and was eliminated from the Heavyweight Face-Off once again.

In the Heavyweight Melee event, The Scorpion faced Rhino again in its first-round battle. The match, also involving 1996 Semi-Finalist Vlad the Impaler, ultimately had to be fought twice.

During the first attempt, The Scorpion was immediately rammed and toppled over by Vlad the Impaler. The engine stalled once again, rendering it immobile straight away. When it seemed that Vlad the Impaler would inherit a quick win, it transpired that Rhino, having not moved at all, did not have its radio receiver switched on. Upon learning this, the Judges elected to stop the match early, and called for an immediate re-run.

The Scorpion was thus re-righted, but was again pressured by Vlad the Impaler as the second attempt got underway. This time, The Scorpion attempted to lift Gage Cauchois' machine from the front with its scoop, but pinned itself onto the floor as the weapon retracted. Capitalizing on its problems, Vlad the Impaler nudged, then toppled The Scorpion onto its side once more, eliminating it from contention. The Scorpion, while unable to self-right, was subsequently rammed and pushed into the lower wall by Rhino. Fuel leaking from its stalled engine formed a small slippery patch on the arena floor; this had unintended consequences for Rhino, which later drove over the patch and beached itself on the wall 'curb'. Both robots thus lost to Vlad the Impaler by knockout, and were eliminated from the Heavyweight Melee tournament.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 3
• Losses: 5

Series Record

Events	Red Scorpion Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Heavyweight Face-Off, Round 1 Heavyweight Melee, Final
1997	Heavyweight Face-Off, Round 2 as The Scorpion Heavyweight Melee, Round 1 as The Scorpion

Outside Robot Wars

Scorpion "Beta 3" and its team (BattleBots Long Beach 1999)

Red Scorpion (BattleBots Season 2.0)

Red Scorpion Minibot

Red Scorpion Bot 'N' Bash toy

Following its US Robot Wars run, the 1997 Scorpion was converted into a six-legged walker, appearing in this form at BattleBots Long Beach on August 14-15 1999. Renamed Scorpion "Beta 3", the 200lb machine was reclassified as a middleweight, competing in the Megabot class. Despite benefiting from a first-round bye in the main 'Duel' competition, Scorpion "Beta 3" lost every match it participated in.

For Season 2.0 of the Comedy Central version, a brand-new walkerbot was entered under the original Red Scorpion name, armed with a 'pneumatic stinger' at the front. Like its 1999 incarnation, it had a winless record in middleweight competitions, with its only main division fight ending in a loss by judges' decision against SABotage. Regardless, Red Scorpion became a crowd favorite, to the extent that it received merchandise replicating its Season 2.0 form.

In 2003, Ray Washburn and his family competed on British engineering game show Full Metal Challenge under the team name of The Washburn Family. Their vehicle, The Agrivator, featured a front-mounted hydraulic 'proboscis' and independent four-wheel steering. The Washburn Family made it through to the final of their heat, but lost to British team The Bodysnatchers on a judges' decision in the longest Sumo match of the series.

See Also

• Red Scorpion (BattleBots)

External Links

• Full Metal Challenge episode featuring The Washburn Family