- "It's the most bot-nivorous robot ever brought to Robot Wars! It's gonna tear, it's gonna chew it's gonna tear the opposition to shreds!"
- — Robert Pitzer describes Rippa Raptor to Rebecca Grant before the US Championship
Rippa Raptor was a robot that competed in the first season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors entered by Team Raptor. While it lost in its Heat in the US Championship, it would finish runner-up in the Annihilator, losing to Drillzilla in the final round.
The team also entered with Cyclone and drove the loanerbot Tut Tut.
Design[]
- "And at 217 pounds, we got Rippa Raptor, with demolition spinners, a lot of speed and agility, but not very protected on the inside!"
- — Stefan Frank introduces Rippa Raptor to the Annihilator
Rippa Raptor in the arena
Rippa Raptor with its wheelguards in the Annihilator
Rippa Raptor was a prism-shaped robot with two large drive wheels and two front-mounted flails. The two flails were made from Titanium discs, with padlocks attached to the end to deal damage, capable of spinning at 2,500 RPM. The robot was powered by a 24 Volt battery, but the large, thin drive wheels limited the robot's traction. The robot's frame and armor were built from steel, but the armor only consisted of thin perforated steel sheets on each side[1], which left its internals extremely exposed and allowed Dead Metal to immobilize it. The robot was very close to the weight limit at 217lbs, preventing the team from fully enclosing the robot in armour, and the team's website lists the weight as even higher, at 220lbs.
Following the first round of the Annihilator, two checker-plated aluminum panels were added to replace the original wheel guards after they were destroyed by Unibite.
The Team[]
- Main article: Team Raptor
Team Raptor with Rippa Raptor
Rippa Raptor was one of two robots entered into Extreme Warriors Season 1 by Team Raptor, the other being Cyclone. Robert Pitzer captained the team, and competed alongside Chris Harriman and Robert Wilkinson. However, Robert Wilkinson was not present for the filming of the Annihilator, and the statistics board incorrectly listed Kelly Walterscheid as one of the team members, when she actually competed with Cyclone.
Robot History[]
Season 1[]
In Round One of the US Championship, Rippa Raptor was part of a six-way melee, against Close Enough, Mad Cow, Manta, Rosie the Riveter and loanerbot Tiger Cat (who replaced Conquering Clown due to technical difficulties).
Rippa Raptor falls into the grips of Dead Metal
Rippa Raptor takes damage from Dead Metal outside the CPZ
It started by driving into the wall, allowing Manta to push it into Dead Metal, which produced sparks by cutting into Rippa Raptor. Dead Metal was cautioned by Refbot, as Rippa Raptor had not officially been immobilized, but Rippa Raptor was hardly moving regardless. Time expired, and Manta won this battle on a Judges' decision.
Rippa Raptor was also involved in the Annihilator, where it fought against Conquering Clown, Red Virus, Skullmania, Unibite, and its ally throughout the tournament, Drillzilla.
Rippa Raptor's wheel is shredded by Unibite
In Round One, it started by pushing Conquering Clown, and being pushed by Red Virus in return. Red Virus pushed Rippa Raptor into Sir Killalot's CPZ, but Rippa Raptor escaped. There was a pile-up involving five of the robots in Matilda's CPZ. The six then pushed each other around the arena, and Unibite ripped off part of Rippa Raptor's wheel. However, Skullmania had eventually become immobile.
Rippa Raptor is pushed by Conquering Clown
In Round Two, Rippa Raptor added aluminum plates to replace the wheel guards that had been damaged in the last round. Conquering Clown pushed Red Virus into Unibite who attacked Rippa Raptor. Rippa Raptor briefly attacked the back of Conquering Clown with its discs. All five robots encircled each other, and Unibite broke down . Conquering Clown attacked Rippa Raptor by pushing it into the arena wall, but both robots had already qualified.
Rippa Raptor is spiked by Red Virus
In Round Three, Rippa Raptor was passive, only once attacking the Drillzilla machine it had elected to ally with, which then pushed Conquering Clown around the arena, immobilizing it on the flames. Rippa Raptor only made light engagements with Red Virus until it had safely qualified.
Rippa Raptor is pushed into the CPZ by Red Virus, and is rammed by Drillzilla
In the fourth round, Rippa Raptor was pushed into the CPZ by Red Virus, but Drillzilla intercepted and also pushed Red Virus Dead Metal. The two robots were separated by Refbot, but Rippa Raptor then took a backseat, relying on Drillzilla to defeat Red Virus single-handedly, upholding the alliance between the two. Drillzilla pushed the Red Virus into the House Robots and then Red Virus was counted out on the Floor Flipper.
- "As far as I'm concerned, I think Team Raptor really didn't do that much!"
- — Jessica Grant, who claimed Red Virus would have qualified on a Judges' decision if it survived
Rippa Raptor is slammed by Drillzilla
An immobile Rippa Raptor is pushed towards the Pit by Drillzilla
Rippa Raptor had qualified for the Final, against Drillzilla, who threatened to immobilise Rippa Raptor within a minute. Drillzilla pushed Rippa Raptor straight into the wall, and within two blows, Rippa Raptor stopped moving. After being dragged back by Sgt. Bash, Rippa Raptor was placed on the flames by Drillzilla, which had achieved its goal. Rippa Raptor was tossed over by the Floor Flipper, having finished second in the Annihilator.
- "Rippa Raptor got beaten, stabbed, and thrown around the arena, and then somebody threw it in the Pit. But it's one tough dinosaur, and it'll be back!"
- — Robert Pitzer
Results[]
| RIPPA RAPTOR - RESULTS | ||
| Season 1 | ||
| US Championship Heats | ||
| Heat | vs. Close Enough, Mad Cow, Manta, Rosie The Riveter, Tiger Cat |
Eliminated |
| Annihilator Runner-up | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Conquering Clown, Drillzilla, Red Virus, Skullmania, Unibite |
Qualified |
| Round 2 | vs. Conquering Clown, Drillzilla, Red Virus, Unibite | Qualified |
| Round 3 | vs. Conquering Clown, Drillzilla, Red Virus | Qualified |
| Round 4 | vs. Drillzilla, Red Virus | Qualified |
| Final | vs. Drillzilla | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 4
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| US Series | Rippa Raptor Series Record |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Heat (Round 1) Entered with Cyclone |
| Season 2 | Entered with Cyclone 2 |
| Nickelodeon | Did not enter |
NOTE: The team planned to enter Tripulta into Season 2 but it ultimately did not compete for unknown reasons
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Rippa Raptor's breakdown in the Annihilator Final prompted by Drillzilla - which took place only 1.1 seconds into the battle - set the record for the quickest immobilization in Robot Wars.
- Drillzilla and Rippa Raptor openly allied with each other during the Annihilator, and this was enforced by Drillzilla winning the Tag Team Terror in the same season alongside Tut Tut, which was also driven by Team Raptor.
- Rippa Raptor makes a brief cameo appearance in Episode 3 of Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1. While Julia Reed is introducing Team Panic Attack ahead of their All-Stars battle against Firestorm 3, Team Raptor can be seen on the right-hand side of the screen, wheeling Rippa Raptor towards the arena tunnel for either the US Championship, or the Annihilator.
References[]
External Links[]
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