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"This is the Third Annual Robot Wars which is held every year in San Francisco. It's open to contestants from all over the world and this year, 86 robots signed up to compete."
Paul Vallis

The 1996 US Robot Wars Championship, also known simply as Robot Wars 1996[1], Robot Wars '96 or the Third Annual Robot Wars, was the third running of the original US-based Robot Wars live competitions organized by Marc Thorpe. It took place on August 16-18 1996 at the Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, featuring a variety of knockout (Face-Off) and melee combat competitions for robots in the heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight and featherweight (formerly super lightweight) categories. One-off battles showcasing heavyweight walkers and fully-autonomous machines also featured.

Professionally-filmed highlights from the event - provided to Mentorn by Bill Rudgard and Sm:)e Communications - were featured in the original UK Robot Wars television series, in the form of short compilations shown during Heat D of The First Wars. More substantial highlights of this event formed the basis of the VHS releases American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996, the latter available exclusively to early Robot Wars Club members.

Robots Competing[]

Featured in American Robot Wars 1996[]

The following robots received substantial coverage in the American Robot Wars 1996 and/or American Robot Wars Final 1996 video releases.

Heavyweights[]

Originalbiohazard
BioHazard
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting Arm
Defence Aluminum construction;[2] "anti-intrusion device"
From California[3]
Team: Carlo Bertocchini, David Andres, Rick Slagle and Carol Bertocchini
DooMore96
DooMore
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic spear
Defence Machined aluminum frame[4]
From California[5]
Team: Scott LaValley[5]
Sponsors: Epicenter, Mondo-Tronics[6]
F96
Frank
Weight Unknown
Weapons Swinging sledgehammer[7]
Defence Heavy metal shell[7]
From California[8]
Team: Kua Patten[8]
Sponsors: Exploratorium[6]
Gutrip
Gutrip
Weight Unknown
Weapons Vertical milling cutters
Defence Lexan[9] and aluminum
From California[10]
Team: Bob Schneeveis[10]
Killbborg
Killbborg
Weight 160lbs
Weapons Telescoping pneumatic spears[11]
Defence Steel bars and Lexan panels[11]
From Colorado[12]
Team: Ken Atkinson
Sponsors: Semborg Corp[6]
La machine
La Machine
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming scoop blade
Defence Welded aluminum shell[13]
From California[14]
Team: Trey Roski & Greg Munson[14]
Sponsors: New Tek Incorporated[6]
Marvin
Marvin
Weight Unknown
Weapons Chain flails; arm-mounted spike[15]
Defence Welded steel tube and plating[15]
From California[16]
Team: Willis Wong[16]
The Master
The Master
Weight Unknown
Weapons Interchangeable, including cutting saw & lifting plate
Defence Metal wheel spheres; interchangeable weaponry[17]
From California[18]
Team: Mark Setrakian[18]
Merrimac 96
Merrimac
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic lifting flaps[19]
Defence Aluminum shell; low ground clearance[19]
From California[20]
Team: Mark Anderson
Sponsors: Industrial Light and Magic (ILM)[6]
Namreko3K96
Namreko 3000
Weight Unknown
Weapons Clamping/lifting jaws[21]
Defence Welded steel armor[21]
From California[22]
Team: Mike Okerman[22] & Curtis Nemeth
Nemesis1996
Nemesis
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming spear
Defence Steel frame and sheet metal plating[23]
From Arizona[24]
Team: Chris Harriman[24]
Prometheus96
Prometheus
Weight Unknown
Weapons Jackhammer spikes[25]
Defence Welded steel tube frame; sheet metal plating[25]
From Missouri[26]
Team: Richard Brull[26]
Originalpunjar
Punjar
Weight Unknown
Weapons Spinning chain flail
Defence Aluminum diamond plate[27]
From California[28]
Team: Ramiro Mallari[28]
Red scorpion
Red Scorpion
Weight Unknown
Weapons Stabbing tail and claws
Defence Unknown
From California[29]
Team: Ray Washburn[29]
Robot redford jr
Robert Redford Jr.
Weight 450lb[30]
Weapons Drill
Defence Metal frame; inverted wheelbarrow[31]
From California[32]
Team: William Bakleinikoff[32]
Mauler 95
South Bay Mauler
Weight Unknown
Weapons Spinning flails and chisels
Defence Unknown
From California
Team: Charles Tilford, Morgan Tilford, Henry Tilford, Alan Vermette
Sponsors: SC/CE[6]
Steel at work
Steel At Work
Weight 73kg (approx. 160.9lbs)
Weapons Wedge
Defence Steel shell
From Paris, France
Team: Jean-Denis LeFeuvre
Sponsors: Framatome, Cybernetix[6]
Tazz
Tazz
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting arm on 360° turret
Defence Sheet steel armor[33]
From California[34]
Team: Donald B. Hutson[34]
Frenzy 1996
TerMinal frenZy
Weight Unknown
Weapons Spiked hammer
Defence Unknown
From Los Angeles, California
Team: Patrick Campbell, George Melero & Emile DeMillo
Sponsors: Team Minus Zero[6]
Vladtheimpaler 1996
Vlad the Impaler
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic lifting forks
Defence Shock-mounted aluminum shell; welded steel frame[35]
From California[36]
Team: Gage Cauchois & Gregg Walker[36]
Sponsors: Hawker Industries[6]

Middleweights[]

Agamennon
Agamemnon
Weight 103lbs
Weapons Interchangeable sawblade arm, retracting spike and wedge
Defence Welded angle steel frame; aluminum plate[37]
From Los Angeles, California
Team: Dan Danknick, Greg Willingham, Dave Johnson & Mike Bell[38]
Pokey
Pokey
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic lifter and spike[39]
Defence Aluminum armor and frame[39]
From California[40]
Team: Curt Meyers[40]
Satoru special 3
Satoru Special 3
Weight Unknown
Weapons Arm-mounted grinding disc
Defence Wooden armor and entanglement net[41]
From California[42]
Team: James Straus[42]
Scorpion middleweight 1996
Scorpion
Weight Unknown
Weapons Rear pickaxe[43]
Defence Steel[43]
From California[44]
Team: Jerry Burton[44]
Scrappy
Scrappy
Weight Unknown
Weapons Wedges
Defence Plywood shell and scrap parts[45]
From California[46]
Team: Jim Clark[46]
Traxx
Traxx
Weight Unknown
Weapons Wedge and side-firing pneumatic spike[47]
Defence Unknown
From California[48]
Team: Daniel Goff[48]
Upandover
Up & Over
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting scoop and box trap[49]
Defence Wooden/composite honeycomb armor; square tube frame[49]
From California[50]
Team: Bob Schneeveis[50]

Lightweights[]

Atiller the hun
Attiller (the Hun)
Weight Unknown
Weapons Spinning/flipping blades[51]
Defence Machined aluminum shell[51]
From Wisconsin[52]
Team: Jim Sellers[52]
Cyclo-Kluge
Cyclo-Kluge
Weight Unknown
Weapons Overhead spinning plate[53]
Defence Aluminum[53]
From Unknown
Team: Daniel Russett[54]
The enforcer
The Enforcer
Weight 47.5lbs[55]
Weapons Interchangeable saw blade and lifting arm
Defence Aluminum[56]
From New Jersey[57]
Team: Al Kindle[57]
Flipper 96
Flipper
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic lifter[58]
Defence Unknown
From California[59]
Team: Jesse Escobedo[59]
Gatorhq
Gator1
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting ramp[60]
Defence Outer aluminum shell[61]
From Unknown
Team: Dennis Millard[60]
Happy fun bot
Happy Fun Bot
Weight Unknown
Weapons Chainsaw nose and sawblade wheels
Defence Plywood,[62] Kevlar, polycarbonate, titanium and "depleted uranium"
From California[63]
Team: John Calhoun[63]
Speed bump
Speed Bump
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming wedges
Defence Wooden armor[64]
From California[65]
Team: Paul Bell[65]
Sps3
SPS3
Weight Unknown
Weapons Entanglement nets
Defence Unknown
From California[66]
Team: J.D. Street[66]
Sponsors: Streett Production Services[6]

1 Also temporarily used as a "robo-cam" in the Lightweight Face-Off Final; appears in American Robot Wars 1996 highlights in this capacity.

Featherweights[]

Arsenic
Arsenic
Weight 18.25lbs[67]
Weapons Rear lifting scoop
Defence Aluminum frame; carbon fiber shell[68]
From California[69]
Team: Steven J. Winter[69]
Draggon waggon
Draggon Waggin'2
Weight Unknown
Weapons Articulated jaw and tail
Defence Vacuform polycarbonate shell
From California[70]
Team: Sandor Nagyszalanczy[70]
Lorena
Lorena3
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming Blade
Defence Unknown
From California[71]
Team: Bob Schneeveis[71]
PAT
P.A.T.
Weight Unknown
Weapons Bi-wedge shape
Defence Welded aluminum sheet metal[72]
From California[73]
Team: Mike Li-Ter Chen[72]
Sponsors: UCSB[6]
Rampage1996
Rampage
Weight Unknown
Weapons Cutting discs on moveable arms[74]
Defence Aluminum sheet metal[74]
From California[75]
Team: Jason Bardis[75]
Sponsors: UCSB[6]
Red 2
Red 2
Weight Unknown
Weapons Spikes and wedge shape
Defence CNC-machined/anodized aluminum[76]
From California[77]
Team: John Knoll[77]
Snickers
Roach
Weight Unknown
Weapons Trapping panels/entanglement devices[78]
Defence PVC pipe and plastic sheeting[78]
From California[79]
Team: Anthony Duraine[79]
Slomo 3
Slomo 34
Weight Unknown
Weapons Wedge shape & scoop blade[80]
Defence Sheet metal shell & aluminum frame[80]
From Seattle, Washington[81]
Team: Klaas Langhout
Spiny norman
Spiny Norman
Weight Unknown
Weapons Spikes
Defence Spikes
From California[82]
Team: Will Wright[82]
Spunky munkey
Spunkey Munkey
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting paddle[83]
Defence Sheet metal body[83]
From California[84]
Team: Gary C. Cline[84]
Triple redundancy
Triple Redundancy
Weight Unknown
Weapons Tape reels[85]
Defence Clusterbot; foam armor[85]
From California[86]
Team: Cassidy Wright
Wedge of doom 1996
Wedge of Doom
Weight 25.9lbs
Weapons Ramming Blade and Spikes
Defence Wooden frame; Aluminum and steel sheet shell[87]
From California[88]
Team: Tony Buchignani
WYSIWYG1
WYSIWYG
Weight 10.8kg (approx. 23.8lbs)
Weapons Wedge shape
Defence Wood
From Coventry, UK
Team: Eric Dickinson

2 Captioned and referred to as Dragon Wagon in American Robot Wars 1996. 3 Decorative doll also used by Speed Bump in the Lightweight Melee; inferred to be a legitimate Lightweight Melee entry in American Robot Wars 1996. 4 Erroneously referred to as "X2" in American Robot Wars 1996, possibly out of confusion with The X-2.

Additional Robots[]

The following robots also competed, but were only briefly seen in highlights or left out of the VHS releases altogether.

Heavyweight[]

Munch
Munch
Weight Unknown
Weapons Hydraulic jaws[89]
Defence Welded steel tubing[89]
From Seattle, Washington[90]
Team: Josephine Lowry, Klaas Langhout, Jeff Bowen, Todd Colby, Steve Donie & Neil Wemple[89][91][92]
SWAK
SWAK
Weight Unknown
Weapons Flail spinner
Defence Unknown
From California
Team: Alex Rose[93]

Heavyweight Walkers (Demo)[]

Bloodletter jr
Bloodletter Jr.
Weight >200lbs[94]
Weapons Spikes[94]
Defence Square aluminum tube frame[94]
From Texas[95]
Team: Philip T. Putman[94]
REX
Rex
Weight Unknown
Weapons Horizontal claws
Defence Square metal tube frame; wooden/honeycomb composite chassis[49]
From California[96]
Team: Bob Schneeveis[93]

Middleweight[]

Thegeneral 96
The General
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting scoop
Defence Car tire[97]
From California[98]
Team: Pat Poon[98]
Sponsors: UCSB[6]

Lightweight[]

Big shot
Big Shot
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic spear
Defence Unknown
From California[99]
Team: Bob Schneeveis[99] & Brent Harmon
The eviscerator
The Eviscerator
Weight Unknown
Weapons Circular saw
Defence Wooden armor and chassis[100]
From Illinois[101]
Team: Josh Ruedin[101]
Roach
Snickers
Weight 120 lb[102]
Weapons Lifting device
Defence Wood
From California[103]
Team: Anthony DuRaine[103]
Test toaster one 96
Test Toaster One
Weight Unknown
Weapons Thwacking Arm
Defence Plastic bucket[104]
From Washington[105]
Team: Jeff Bowden[105]
Wonderbug
Wonderbug
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming blades
Defence Fiberglass shell[106]
From California[107]
Team: Linda Kwon & Jonathan Ridder[106][107]

Featherweight[]

Bite me
Bite Me
Weight 23.5lbs[67]
Weapons Horizontal jaws
Defence Mountain bike wheel rims, plastic and aluminum[108]
From Montana[109]
Team: Brian Foote[109]
Black sheep
Black Sheep 2
Weight Unknown
Weapons None
Defence Plywood shell[110]
From California[111]
Team: Benjamin Chapman[111]
Buford t pusser
Buford T. Pusser
Weight Unknown
Weapons Retracting spike
Defence CNC-machined steel shell and chassis[112]
From Unknown
Team: Mark Senatori & Brent Duhon[113]
Edgar the hate bug
Edgar the Hate Bug
Weight Unknown
Weapons Chainsaw
Defence Fiberglass shell with metal plates[114]
From California[115]
Team: Lars Norpchen, Kevin Seghetti & J. "Sparky" Sparks[116]
Gigan
Gigan
Weight Unknown
Weapons Front cutting heads[117]
Defence Carbon fiber shell[117]
From California[118]
Team: Peter Abrahamson[118]
Kmm
KMM
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pickaxe and grabbing arms[119]
Defence Fiberglass shell & aluminum chassis[119]
From California[120]
Team: Rik Winter[120]
Mad dog us96
Mad Dog
Weight Unknown
Weapons Front scoop[121]
Defence Wedge shape[121]
From California[122]
Team: Bradley Wong[122]
Melvin
Melvin
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming spikes[123]
Defence Aluminum frame and plywood wheels[123]
From California[124]
Team: Kevin Knoedler[124]
Mylittlepony
My Little Pony
Weight Unknown
Weapons Entanglement tape[125]
Defence Foam[125]
From California[126]
Team: Will Wright[126]
Sponsors: Maxis Software[6]
Nezumi
Nezumi
Weight Unknown
Weapons Electric cutting saw[127]
Defence Carbon fiber shell[127]
From Colorado[128]
Team: Robert Orr[128]
Spike1996
Spike
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting arm[129]
Defence Lexan shell and welded steel plate frame[129]
From New Jersey[130]
Team: Andrew Lindsey[130]
Sponsors: Roe Industries[6]
Spiked master
Spiked Master 2
Weight 5lbs[131]
Weapons Spikes[131]
Defence Steel frame and rubber sheeting[131]
From California[132]
Team: Larry Tan & Taylor Tan[132]
X-2 RW96
The X-2
Weight Unknown
Weapons Pneumatic forklift[133]
Defence Aluminum and Carbon fiber[133]
From Wisconsin[134]
Team: Mike Winter, Dennis Adams, Jim Sellers, Dave Hamel & Clark Hochgraf[135]
Yomama
Yo Mama!
Weight Unknown
Weapons Ramming wedge; static hatchet and sawblaze halves[136]
Defence Steel top plate[136]
From California[137]
Team: Bob Schneeveis[137]
ZiggyLW96
Ziggy
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting shell and spikes[138]
Defence Unknown
From California[139]
Team: Jonathan Ridder[138]

Autonomous[]

Gladiator Rodney RW96
Gladiator Rodney
Weight Unknown
Weapons Lifting scoop
Defence Metal frame[140]
From California[141]
Team: Camp Peavy[141]
Smart Spike RW96
Smart Spike
Weight Unknown
Weapons Grabbing claws and spikes
Defence Sheet metal[142]
From California[143]
Team: Don Golding[143]

Event Summary[]

The 1996 competition primarily featured Face-Off and Melee combat tournaments for each of the four weight classes: heavyweight, middleweight, lightweight and featherweight. All Face-Off events followed a straightforward knockout format, where the losing robots from each round would be eliminated. A final battle between the two surviving robots from each category would determine each of that year's class champions.

Prizes given to winning teams included merchandise items and cash, the latter totalling at $5,000.[144]

Schedule[]

Friday August 16[]

  • 10:00am-6:00pm: Weigh-ins, technical/safety inspection, photos, Press Day (open 1:00pm-6:00pm for press and public "previews")[145]

Saturday August 17[]

  • 10:00am-4:00pm: Elimination Rounds[145]
  • 7:00pm-10:00pm: Semi-Finals[145]

Sunday August 18[]

  • 10:00am-4:00pm: Finals[145]
  • 7:00pm-10:00pm: Melees[145]

Rule Changes[]

A number of rule changes were introduced over the 1995 event, including:

  • A gradual increase in the maximum heavyweight limit, from 160lbs[146] to 165lbs.[145]
  • Clusterbots entering 'as a single unit' would be deemed immobile if 50% or more of its 'team' became immobilized.[145] This rule would later be adopted in various forms by the televised show.
  • A maximum length limit of 8ft for vertically-mounted tethers, to combat the risk of projectiles exiting the arena.[145]

Heavyweight Face-Off[]

Round 1[]

BioHazard vs Robert Redford Jr.[]

Biohazard vs robert redford junior

BioHazard lifts Robert Redford Jr. onto its back

At the start, Robert Redford Jr. slowly spun around on the spot. BioHazard closed in, nudged and flicked it sideways with an early lift. BioHazard reversed, then pushed its opponent past an arena flipper. From there, Carlo Bertocchini's entry pinned, then turned Robert Redford Jr. over against the side wall, securing victory on its debut.

"Robert Redford Jr.'s weaponry wasn't much help here. The BioHazard's lift arm made sure of that."
— Paul Vallis

Winner: BioHazard

Nemesis vs TerMinal frenZy[]

"Watch TerMinal frenZy's hammer smash chunks of concrete out of the floor... as well as giving Nemesis a bad headache."
— Paul Vallis
Terminal Frenzy vs Nemesis

TerMinal frenZy smashes down on Nemesis

The battle started tentatively, with Nemesis crossing over the center of the arena to meet a spinning TerMinal frenZy. Both heavyweights bumped into each other; TerMinal frenZy dented the front of Nemesis' top plate with its first axe swing. Unfazed by the damage sustained, Nemesis pushed TerMinal frenZy back into the side wall, with the latter moving away quickly before sustaining any damage itself.

At some point, both robots ended up in the bottom-right corner, where Nemesis struggled to escape while TerMinal frenZy retreated. Chris Harriman's machine had indeed become immobilized due to a blown circuit breaker.[23] TerMinal frenZy charged back in, but missed with its axe, which took 'chunks' out of the concrete floor instead. The Team Minus Zero machine immediately made up for this by striking Nemesis once again, piercing and trying to pluck the top plate off. More blows from TerMinal frenZy bent the panel out of shape, as Nemesis was soon officially deemed to be immobile.

Winner: TerMinal frenZy

Killbborg vs SWAK[]

Both robots were slow to engage in combat at first, with Killbborg trundling across the arena as SWAK got its spinning flails up to speed. The Inertia Labs machine shook violently as it gyrated in circles, before Killbborg pushed it towards a nearby flipper, then underneath a descending mousetrap. SWAK tried to dodge its opponent, but eventually found itself pinned against the wall opposite the mousetrap mechanism. After initially missing with its actuating spike, Killbborg jabbed SWAK with it a few times, before continuing to ram it against the wall and against the left spring for the mousetrap. This lead to SWAK becoming trapped between the wall and the back of the mousetrap, which counted as a pin. Ken Atkinson's tracked machine took a debut win as a result, though it was not featured in either of the American Robot Wars videos.[147][1]

Winner: Killbborg

Gutrip vs Frank[]

Home video footage captured by a spectator confirms this battle as having taken place on 17 August 1996.[148]

Frank vs gutrip

Gutrip tears into Frank's tire treads

Frank began the battle by trundling towards the center and spinning on the spot, dodging a mousetrap and brushing the Ball of Doom aside. The red-tired axlebot swung its hammer and spun again, as the equally-tentative Gutrip charged into it. Gutrip's spinning blades were not active; this, coupled with its sluggish movements, allowed Frank to drive up the side of it. Bob Schneeveis' heavyweight tried to pin Frank between the upper wall, flipper and mousetrap, churning its blades as Frank retaliated with a hammer swing.[148]

Gutrip followed its opponent across the arena, with Frank spinning aimlessly and taking a direct blow from the former's cutting discs. Frank fell foul of the upper-left flipper, retreating to the far side wall and then the upper-left corner. The axlebot's ponderous movements only left it being swatted by the flipper, however, allowing Gutrip to close in, churn at its wheel treads and pin it against the hazard. Frank eventually broke free, retreating towards the center as Gutrip got caught by the flipper as well. Through its own drive power, Gutrip also freed itself from the hazard, flicking, grinding and flexing the flipper paddle as it did so.[148]

By this point, Frank was on the defensive, driving into the right-most wall and taking more direct damage from Gutrip's twin blades. Gutrip buffeted Frank upwards onto one side, and proceeded to push it along the moving wall section while tearing up the tire treads even further. Following a shove from the wall section, Frank coasted to an apparent halt, while Gutrip's blades jostled and cut into the wall itself. Sawdust flew up and covered the top of Gutrip as it shuffled back and forth.[148]

"Frank and his hammer did well last year, but met his match against Gutrip. And so did the arena wall!"
— Paul Vallis

Though American Robot Wars 1996 suggests that Frank became immobilized at that point, Kua Patten's machine attempted another hammer attack in the full battle. Further damage to the moving wall was inflicted by Gutrip, which pushed Frank backwards using its own angled sides. Frank finally became immobilized as a result, and was flicked upwards from the side by a final series of blows from Gutrip. Gutrip then attacked the wall a third time, before nudging and pinning Frank into the corner, seconds before it was declared the winner.[148]

Winner: Gutrip

Punjar vs Red Scorpion[]

The battle started slowly, with Red Scorpion appearing to have control issues within seconds of moving from its starting position. Red Scorpion only spun on the spot while Punjar tentatively moved forward, avoiding the upper mousetrap as it did so.

"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
Punjar vs red scorpion

Red Scorpion is pressured by Punjar

Punjar circled around Red Scorpion before getting underneath it a few times, but Red Scorpion continued to slip away. Punjar then managed to slowly push Red Scorpion towards a mousetrap. Red Scorpion used its front claws to grab hold of Punjar as its main tail axe suffered mechanical issues. In response, Punjar began spinning its flails, whacking its opponent's large wheels.

Later on, Punjar got underneath Red Scorpion again. This time, Red Scorpion's tail was working and was able to smash down onto Punjar. However, Punjar got underneath and trapped Red Scorpion against a lowered mousetrap. While Red Scorpion repeatedly hit Punjar with the tail, it was soon declared by Michael Meehan to have become immobilized.

Winner: Punjar

Munch vs Namreko 3000[]

Smoke from Munch filled the arena as the two competitors approached each other, with Namreko 3000 steadily moving forwards through the center. Munch swerved to the left, driving around the back of and quickly seizing Mike Okerman's machine in its jaws. Namreko 3000 raised its own jaw as it dragged and pushed Munch, but neither robot broke free. As the battle passed the one-minute mark, Munch's grappling was officially declared to be a pin. Though still fully mobile, Namreko 3000 was instantly eliminated; Andrew Lindsey recollects that the Judges' decision was met with 'displeasure' from audience members.[21][149]

Winner: Munch

Byes[]

The following robots received automatic byes, thus allowing them to progress to the second round without fighting:

Round 2[]

NOTE: La Machine vs South Bay Mauler and The Master vs Tazz were both listed as "Round 1" battles in American Robot Wars 1996.

TerMinal frenZy vs BioHazard[]

Terminal Frenzy vs BioHazard

BioHazard lifts TerMinal frenZy over

BioHazard quickly sped forward as TerMinal frenZy attempted to position itself for an attack. A head-to-head collision gave TerMinal frenZy the opportunity to slam its axe down on BioHazard, though BioHazard blocked this by raising its lifting arm at maximum reach. This, in turn, lifted TerMinal frenZy off the floor momentarily, though it remained upright as it crashed back down. Upon retracting its arm, BioHazard proceeded to get under and turn TerMinal frenZy completely over.

"Unfortunately, TerMinal frenZy's hammer just bounced off BioHazard, who made very short work of flipping him over."
— Paul Vallis

As its opponent turned around and began a victory drive, TerMinal frenZy tried to self-right with its axe. Though almost succeeding, a blown motor board prevented the axe from completing this motion, despite the twin DC motors appearing to have sufficient power to do so.[150] BioHazard closed back in as TerMinal frenZy abandoned its self-righting attempt, smoke beginning to rise from its baseplate.

Winner: BioHazard

Gutrip vs Killbborg[]

Gutrip vs killbborg

Gutrip smashes into the side of Killbborg, lifting it into the air

Both robots charged out from their starting positions, only for Killbborg to veer to the right and accidentally get tapped by the upper mousetrap. Seemingly unfazed by this, the Colorado entry attempted to jab Gutrip with the right spear, though this only succeeded in pushing Killbborg back into the mousetrap. Gutrip took advantage by attacking the fully-extended spear, jostling Killbborg up and down while also pushing it sideways. After dodging the other mousetrap, Killbborg retracted its spear as Gutrip attacked its front end.[151]

Gutrip followed Killbborg deeper into the bottom-left corner, where it violently flicked and drove under Ken Atkinson's machine. Killbborg found itself trapped between the wall and the nearby flipper, leaving its back end vulnerable to another hit from Gutrip's twin blades. Damage was sustained to both Killbborg's rear bodywork and left-center track tread, which was torn and ejected from the machine. However, Gutrip also ended up unable to drive away from the flipper, instead churning into the panel with its right-hand saw. Killbborg bumped and tried to pin Gutrip in place, only to be gingerly pushed back, and jabbed the latter's Lexan side.[151]

Killbborg vs gutrip

Killbborg traps Gutrip against a mousetrap

"Although Gutrip inflicted some serious damage on Killbborg - and the arena - he got pinned by Killbborg and lost."
— Paul Vallis pre-emptively calls Gutrip's downfall

Using its left spear as a battering ram, Killbborg pushed and pinned Gutrip into the side of the nearby mousetrap, a moment which was inferred in American Robot Wars 1996 to give Killbborg the knockout win. However, the full match actually continued beyond this point.[151]

Gutrip drove around in circles with Killbborg lodged into its side, eventually breaking free from its opponent. While digging its saws into the front of Killbborg once again, it was again speared and pushed back, while both heavyweights were again swatted by the mousetrap. Gutrip then shoved Killbborg backwards into the upper-left flipper, where both robots appeared to be pinned together for a few seconds.[9][151]

Again, Gutrip seized the upper hand, clipping Killbborg's remaining tracks with the saws before shunting it into the mousetrap. Killbborg fired its spears to try and escape, though it would take several seconds before slipping off the top of Gutrip. The tracked machine's respite was short-lived, however, as Gutrip turned around and inflicted further damage to its treads. The arena flipper also whacked Killbborg a few more times at this point. In this exchange, however, Bob Schneeveis' machine drove right under Killbborg and with its saws facing the flipper paddle.[9][151]

Gutrip shot forwards, managing to catch the flipper in between both of its saws. Suddenly, it activated the saws once more, which resulted in it churning, flexing and lifting the paddle upwards. This proved a costly mistake for Gutrip, which then drove forwards and got itself pinned under the flipper, itself still active. In this decisive moment, Killbborg had slipped off the top of Gutrip, but could only twitch on its right tracks as well as fire both of its spears. Gutrip tried to lift itself free, but neither robot moved from their positions for some time. Finally, Killbborg gingerly shuttled back and forth on its still-active tracks. Michael Meehan announced that Gutrip was officially immobilized as a result of it becoming stuck under the flipper, an outcome met by booing from the audience.[9][151]

Winner: Killbborg

Punjar vs Munch[]

Following a very tentative start, the two competitors eventually came to blows in the center of the arena. Punjar scooped Munch up, pushing it back into a swinging flipper paddle. The insect-esque Munch briefly got caught on the paddle before breaking free, while trying to grab and pin Punjar from its top. Punjar backed out of the corner and pressed Munch against the lower wall for a 30-second pin. According to the Team Spike website, anti-wedge rods surrounding Munch's body were also pushed underneath the machine, causing it to get beached.[27][152]

Winner: Punjar

Vlad the Impaler vs Prometheus[]

Short highlights of this battle were featured in both VHS releases. In the full American Robot Wars 1996 video, clips were used during the segment explaining Vlad the Impaler's design.

In the full battle, Prometheus was the first robot to move from its starting position, heading into the center. At that point, Vlad the Impaler began moving as well, turning into and ramming its opponent a few times. The second ram seemingly compromised Prometheus' mobility, as its right wheel appeared to lock up frequently. Vlad the Impaler shoved Prometheus into the lower wall, between the mousetrap and lower-right flipper, following this attack up with another ram.[153]

Prometheus struggled to escape from the corner for several seconds, thought it eventually crawled across the arena boundary. There, it suddenly lay still, and was rammed a few more times by Vlad the Impaler. Prometheus twitched, but could not escape a further pummelling from Gage Cauchois and Gregg Walker's machine. This succession of rams left Richard Brull's machine fully immobilized in the corner, awarding Vlad the Impaler victory on its combat debut.[153]

Winner: Vlad the Impaler

DooMore vs Steel At Work[]

During a tentative start, both robots headed towards the center. Steel At Work, the first to move, slalomed towards the bottom-most mousetrap, while DooMore clipped the Ball of Doom in its pursuit. Steel At Work shuttled back and forth across the boundary in front of the mousetrap, but found itself being swatted by both the bottom-left flipper and the mousetrap itself. The collision with the mousetrap appeared to immobilize the French robot entirely, allowing DooMore to close in and punch its spike through Steel At Work's shell.[154][155]

DooMore finished the battle by ramming Steel At Work against the other side of the mousetrap, after which it was quickly deemed to have won by knockout.[154][155]

Winner: DooMore

Merrimac vs Marvin[]

Both robots started tentatively, with Merrimac backing into the side wall while raising its front and side flaps. Smoke began pouring from Merrimac's chainsaw motors while Marvin weaved across the arena and into the mousetraps. After getting caught by the upper trap, Marvin approached and swung its chains at Merrimac, though without causing any damage. Merrimac drove into the bottom-right corner, coming under further pressure from the spinning Marvin. At one point, Marvin jabbed its spike through a gap beneath one of Merrimac's flaps, again without much effect as Merrimac nudged it aside.[19][156]

Merrimac drove around its opponent, but hesitated as it continued to suffer from control issues. Marvin twice attempted to attack with its spike, and once more with the swinging chains, but again could not inflict any noticeable damage. Merrimac crept slowly away from the arena wall, all while firing its flaps in thin air as Marvin spun around on the spot. The Mark Anderson machine nudged Marvin and parked close by, again weathering Marin's chain attacks. Following a tentative moment, Merrimac rammed Marvin a second time, lifting and holding it in place opposite the wall. More blue smoke poured from Merrimac as the two robots locked together; this late pin was enough for Merrimac to salvage victory.[19][156]

Winner: Merrimac

La Machine vs South Bay Mauler[]

"Here, we have the South Bay Mauler preparing to do battle with... La Machine!"
— Paul Vallis at the start of the battle
La machine vs south bay mauler

South Bay Mauler is bulldozed by La Machine

South Bay Mauler spun its flails up to speed, but was immediately slammed towards the left-most wall by La Machine. The impact was almost enough to throw the Tilfords' machine over its side, though South Bay Mauler landed upright. Both robots separated, after which La Machine continued to pressure South Bay Mauler by bumping, then scooping it up into the lower mousetrap. The front hatch concealed within La Machine's scoop popped open during this impact, and would open out further as the match progressed. Meanwhile, the trap pinned the Tilford's machine down multiple times as La Machine kept ramming it, though South Bay Mauler eventually broke free.[157]

Mauler 96 Battle 1

La Machine (left) and South Bay Mauler (right) fight on in the arena

La Machine wasted no time in ramming South Bay Mauler again, managing to stop its opponent's spinning flails with another nudge. While being tapped by the arena flipper, Trey Roski and Greg Munson's entry proceeded to deflect, then push South Bay Mauler under the mousetrap again. The mousetrap net snagged the top of South Bay Mauler, resulting in it being briefly lifted off the arena floor. La Machine rushed in to push and ram South Bay Mauler a few more times, then slam and pin it into the corner.[157]

"South Bay Mauler was also overpowered by La Machine..."
— Paul Vallis

In moments not highlighted in American Robot Wars 1996, La Machine kept shoving South Bay Mauler into the walls and hazards, but was unable to pin it. During the closing seconds, South Bay Mauler managed to get its flails back up to full speed, only for La Machine to flick and push it back with several more rams. The five-minute match ended in rapturous applause, La Machine spinning jubilantly in the center as an audience vote was cast. Chants of La Machine's name filled the arena in support while Greg Munson inspected it for damage; he, Trey Roski and La Machine would emerge as the resounding winners.[157]

Winner: La Machine

Tazz vs The Master[]

Tazz vs the master

The Master attempts to slice behind the right wheel of Tazz

The battle - the first Heavyweight match to be showcased in American Robot Wars 1996 - started tentatively. Both machines slowly approached each other, dodging the mousetrap and Ball of Doom hazards as they did so. The Master drove into the front of Tazz, digging its sawblade behind the exposed right tire of Donald Hutson's machine. Later on, the two robots separated and exchanged further blows. The Master tried to cut Tazz's arm from the front. In response, Tazz swung its turret arm around, smashing into The Master's right wheel. Electrical sparks flashed from within The Master, as the movements in its saw arm caused wires powering the updated weapon to sever.[150] The Master swung its saw back down, only causing minor damage to Tazz in the process.

Again, The Master targeted Tazz's wheels, smashing down on the floor. Both robots exchanged blows with their weapons, which in turn allowed Tazz to push the defending Heavyweight champion back across the arena. Tazz almost turned The Master over as the latter drove across the front of its lifter, prompting excited responses from Donald Hutson and his teammates. Sparks and smoke flew as The Master struck down on Tazz's turret three more times. Tazz capitalized on this exchange by getting underneath and pushing The Master into the wall, though this charge caused both machines to briefly get pinned by the nearby flipper.

"Here again, The Master's saw has broken down. And Tazz, using its massive braking power, manages to pin him [The Master] for thirty seconds which knocks The Master out of the competition... in the first round!"
— Paul Vallis
The master vs tazz

Tazz pins The Master down

At some point during the match, The Master lost all functionality in its saw and was put on the defensive. Tazz took advantage of this by getting underneath The Master, then using its lifting arm to grapple and pin it down. Pushing and dragging The Master between one of the flippers, Tazz sustained this pin for the required thirty seconds, cementing a shock defeat for the 1995 US and UK Open champion.

Winner: Tazz

Quarter-Finals[]

NOTE: Tazz vs La Machine was listed as a "Round 2" battle in American Robot Wars 1996.

Killbborg vs BioHazard[]

"This was a keenly anticipated battle between a couple of the best engineered robots in the competition, but BioHazard's arm again proved to be a formidable weapon."
— Paul Vallis
Biohazard vs killbborg

BioHazard throws Killbborg over

Taking place on August 18, the battle began tentatively as the two machines cautiously approached each other. Meeting in the center, BioHazard made the first move, lifting Killbborg by the spears and diverting it to the lower mousetrap. The trap descended on and snared Killbborg for a few seconds, after which it backed away and was rammed by BioHazard. BioHazard again approached and nudged Killbborg; Killbborg pushed it under the mousetrap using both of its spears, though BioHazard was too low to be caught.[158]

Killbborg avoided a second attempted lift from BioHazard, but not a third. After another series of short pushes and nudges, BioHazard rammed and turned Killbborg over from the left-hand side, instantly securing its second knockout win.[158]

Winner: BioHazard

Punjar vs Vlad the Impaler[]

This battle was among those to take place on August 18 1996, the final day of the event.[159]

Vlad the impaler vs punjar

Punjar is thrown over completely

Both robots crept slowly forwards towards each other, with the faster Vlad the Impaler using its time to gauge a suitable opportunity to attack. Vlad the Impaler backed into the corner, then dodged both of Punjar's attempts to follow and ram it. Stopping short of the upper mousetrap, Vlad the Impaler turned around and into Punjar. Following a short pushing match, it flicked Ramiro Mallari's machine onto its back panels after around 21 seconds of combat.[159][160]

"This was probably the quickest fight in the whole competition."
— Paul Vallis' description of the whole battle

Vlad the Impaler reversed to the upper-left side of the arena, where it stood triumphantly for several seconds. Firing its forks repeatedly, it approached, then rammed Punjar completely over, before being seen to perform a small victory spin in the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights.[159][160]

Winner: Vlad the Impaler

DooMore vs Merrimac[]

Both robots rammed each other in the opening moments, with Merrimac repeatedly firing its flaps as it scooped and pushed DooMore into the wall. DooMore slipped off and drove away towards the center. As in its previous battle, Merrimac suffered major control issues and drove into the bottom-right corner, where it remained as DooMore attempted to spear it with its pneumatic spike. Merrimac tried to break free, but got caught on a nearby flipper and sat immobile for several seconds after. Clouds of blue smoke rose from within Merrimac as it rammed the wall panel, and lifted an approaching DooMore.[19][161]

DooMore again rammed Merrimac, which shuffled back and forth between the flipper and the wall. Scott LaValley's machine again tried to pierce through and beneath one of Merrimac's flaps, during a phase where it became more tentative against its out-of-control opponent. When it became clear that Merrimac could not move out of the corner under its own power, DooMore backed out and performed a victory spin in the center of the arena. DooMore's victory by knockout was confirmed by Michael Meehan seconds later.[19][161]

Winner: DooMore

Tazz vs La Machine[]

"In Round 2, Tazz was almost reduced to scrap metal by La Machine..."
— Paul Vallis
La machine vs tazz

Tazz is scalped after a slam from La Machine

La Machine charged at Tazz straight away, but missed its first ram on Donald Hutson's machine. Tazz spun its main chassis and turret arm around in circles, but was otherwise hesitant to move from its starting position as La Machine nudged and shoved it into the wall. La Machine backed out, before ramming Tazz into the entrance/exit doors, which flexed on impact. Trey Roski and Greg Munson's machine would not avoid scrapes with the flipper and mousetrap hazards as it again retreated to the center.[162]

Upon being released by the flipper, Tazz attempted to fight back by swinging its arm into and pushing La Machine from the side. With this tactic, it successfully maneuvered La Machine into the arena doors, but was caught by the flipper as it chased the latter across the arena. The faster La Machine turned around and rammed Tazz back into the flipper, then proceeded to scoop and push it against the hazards on the lower perimeter. With the second shove - against the lower-left flipper - the force of the attack was enough to dislodge the armor for Tazz's turret.[162]

With its weapon internals now exposed, Tazz was rendered helpless as La Machine rammed and turned it on its side against the upper wall. La Machine backed out and spun in celebration a few times as Tazz struggled to self-right, all while taking light contact from the Ball of Doom and lower mousetrap.[162]

Winner: La Machine

Semi-Finals[]

Each of these Heavyweight Face-Off battles - plus the overall Final - took place on 18 August 1996.

BioHazard vs Vlad the Impaler[]

"The winner of this match would face La Machine in the finals and the smart money was on BioHazard to win, but Vlad the Impaler wasn't about to make it easy for him."
— Paul Vallis comments at the beginning of the match
Vlad vs biohazard

Vlad the Impaler lifts BioHazard up

Both robots tentatively approached each other in the opening moments, until Vlad the Impaler surged into, hooked and lifted BioHazard off the arena floor. BioHazard twice tipped itself forward with its arm, avoiding blows from the upper mousetrap while levering itself free. Vlad the Impaler released and chased its opponent, though BioHazard was able to outmaneuver it for the next few moments. Following a short period were both heavyweights brushed the upper-right flipper, Vlad the Impaler reversed into the lower mousetrap and crawled back into the center. BioHazard attempted to lift Vlad the Impaler from the side, but without success.[163]

While BioHazard would again come into contact with the flipper, Vlad the Impaler drove front-first into the side of the other mousetrap. As its forks had been raised at the time, this effectively pinned Vlad the Impaler as BioHazard shoved and finally lifted it from the right-rear corner.[163]

"BioHazard was able to lift the one-hundred-and-sixty-five pound Vlad high enough to stop Vlad's wheels having any traction, and then Vlad got stuck on BioHazard's arm..."
— Paul Vallis

Gage Cauchois and Gregg Walker's machine was almost turned onto its side, but was violently lowered in tandem with BioHazard's arm. BioHazard also got itself stuck against the side of the mousetrap, with its arm catching and lifting the hazard mechanism off the floor. Though Carlo Bertocchini was quickly able to pull BioHazard clear, both competitors were now effectively locked together with minimal signs of movement.[163]

Omitted from the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights, a standard 30-second pin timer was initiated, but neither robot pulled free, prompting audience members to call for a rematch. As soon as the timer expired, and in an attempt to find an alternative resolution to the deadlock, Michael Meehan announced that BioHazard would automatically win if it could back away.[163]

"If BioHazard can back off, it will win this match. BioHazard, can you move?"
— Michael Meehan's announcement as BioHazard and Vlad the Impaler become pinned for more than 30 seconds
Vlad flips biohazard

Vlad the Impaler flips BioHazard, seconds after the latter is declared the winner

BioHazard responded immediately, reversing in a half-circle from the mousetrap with Vlad the Impaler still on top. Finally, it pushed Vlad the Impaler clear with its lifter, and was announced as the official winner. Despite this, Vlad the Impaler proceeded to charge into and flip BioHazard over, prompting booing from the crowd. After several tense seconds - with both robots sitting motionless - BioHazard thrust upwards and levered itself back upright, becoming the first machine documented to have self-righted in robot combat.[163]

"Vlad the Impaler's frustrated act of revenge came to nothing, as BioHazard righted itself to take the winners bow. And BioHazard had an instant fan club."
— Paul Vallis after BioHazard's self-righting

Having delighted the audience with this historic feat, BioHazard kept chasing and ramming Vlad the Impaler long after the match's conclusion. In footage shown in American Robot Wars 1996, Carlo Bertocchini parked BioHazard by the entrance/exit doors, receiving further applause from the audience as he entered the arena and proceeded to drive his machine back to the pits. Bertocchini later discovered a gouge in BioHazard's right lifting plate, upon inspecting it in preparation for the Heavyweight Face-Off Final.[163]

Winner: BioHazard

DooMore vs La Machine[]

La machine vs doormore

DooMore is shoved into the mousetrap

Prior to the start of this match, DooMore fired and lowered its spike into position. In the opening seconds, both robots violently rammed each other, with La Machine flicking DooMore upwards. DooMore headed across the arena, its spike now raised, spinning and dodging another ram which caused La Machine to hit the moving wall section on the left side. La Machine, pushing DooMore from the back, turned around to get its scoop facing its opponent. From that moment, it pinned DooMore against the upper and lower-right walls, then the entry doors. Both machines were swatted by the arena flippers in the process.[164]

"DooMore has met La Machine in battle many times, especially on the '96 Robot Wars European Tour. But up to now he's never won... and today is no exception."
— Paul Vallis

Upon being released, DooMore struggled to escape from the corner, its spike having been retracted by this point. Eventually, it pulled clear with assistance from La Machine, which spent this phase darting across the arena past the mousetraps. DooMore's reprieve was short-lived, as La Machine proceeded to pin it against the upper-left flipper. Greg Munson and Trey Roski's machine backed out, luring a freed DooMore across the arena. Another high-speed ram followed, which allowed La Machine to scoop up and push DooMore into the upper mousetrap. DooMore toppled onto its side against the mousetrap net, where it became entangled and officially immobilized. La Machine spun around in celebration of another dominant knockout victory.[164]

Winner: La Machine

Final[]

BioHazard vs La Machine[]

"The Face-Off Heavyweight Final was expected to be a walkover for La Machine in many people's view."
— Paul Vallis
La machine vs biohazard

La Machine is lifted by BioHazard

Both robots approached each other in the opening seconds, with La Machine swerving to the right to avoid BioHazard's initial charge and push it from the left-hand side. Proving the effectiveness of its 'anti-intrusion devices', BioHazard avoided getting scooped up and quickly broke free from its opponent's stronghold. In doing so, it tricked La Machine into driving underneath the lower mousetrap. Following a brush from the nearby flipper, Carlo Bertocchini's machine turned and lifted La Machine up from the front, holding it in the air for several seconds.[165][166]

"Within a minute, BioHazard had La Machine at its mercy, but he made a big mistake and tried to turn La Machine over onto its back. Instead, La Machine escaped and a game of cat and mouse ensued."
— Paul Vallis

Rather than maintain the pin for a quick knockout, BioHazard pushed La Machine back in an attempt to topple it over. La Machine was freed as a result, lowering back down and breaking loose from its opponent's grasp. A short, but even pushing match followed. After both competitors spent a few moments avoiding each other and the hazards, La Machine rammed BioHazard from the front, with the latter unable to lift it a second time. La Machine got caught by a mousetrap in this exchange, but recovered to ram and push BioHazard around from the side, but could not gain any purchase on this occasion. Taking advantage of its opponent's continuous spinning, BioHazard backed up, then lifted La Machine upwards from the right-rear corner.[165][166]

Biohazard vs la machine

BioHazard secures the crucial pin, shortly after La Machine becomes immobile

La Machine retaliated with another shove, the two robots driving side-by-side across the arena center. Another tentative moment followed, before BioHazard again rammed and got underneath the front lip of La Machine. The collision - along with BioHazard's previous attacks - was enough to have split La Machine's chassis and battery box open. At that point, the chassis completely fell apart, leaving La Machine beached on its own batteries and pieces of its damaged baseplate. In Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, it was suggested that the screws for the battery box had not been properly secured or checked for existing damage prior to the fight.[2][165][166][167]

"La Machine was dead. And all BioHazard had to do was gently lift him up."
— Paul Vallis

BioHazard approached, then lifted the stricken La Machine up from the left side, holding it in place for a 30-second pin. Audience members chanted BioHazard's name as the pin timer ran its course, after which BioHazard was declared the 1996 Heavyweight Face-Off Champion. An onscreen appearance by Marc Thorpe saw him present the trophy to a jubilant Carlo Bertocchini, moments after Greg Munson was seen pushing La Machine - and its baseplate fragments - back to the arena exit.[165][166]

Winner: BioHazard

Middleweight Face-Off[]

Round 1[]

Agamemnon vs Satoru Special 3[]

Prior to the battle starting, Team Delta's 'virtual reality' telemetry system was demonstrated in the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights, as they prepared to control Agamemnon in the arena. One of the team members was also seen to throw items, possibly merchandising, to the audience members. Agamemnon itself sported both its saw and spike weapon modules in its combat debut.

Agamemnon vs Satoru Special 3

Agamemnon's saws are snagged by Satoru Special 3's net

During a very tentative start, Satoru Special 3 weathered grazing attacks from Agamemnon's twin cutting saws, thanks in part to the prong-like anti-wedge skirts. Agamemnon then turned away in order to begin another charge, firing the spike multiple times in the process. Satoru Special 3 briefly stopped moving, then deployed its net from the front to the crowd's amusement. Agamemnon backed away and tried to attack the right-hand side of Satoru Special 3. In doing so, however, its saws got snagged by the netting, rendering them inactive. In American Robot Wars 1996, this moment was singled out as the cause of nets being prohibited from future events, as a type of "fiber weapon".

"The organizers have banned nets from future competitions, which'll make Agamemnon happy."
— Paul Vallis, commenting on nets being outlawed for future Robot Wars events
Satoru Special 3 vs Agamemnon

Satoru Special 3 loses its circular saw as Agamemnon prepares to pin it

Despite the loss of its primary weapon, Agamemnon proceeded to shunt Satoru Special 3 across the arena. Satoru Special 3 attempted to swing its own circular saw into the back of Agamemnon, only for the saw itself to detach after getting hooked on the latter's pneumatic spike. Agamemnon backed away once again before ramming Satoru Special 3 - pinning it and winning the battle.

"So, the ultimate high-tech vs. low-tech battle ended with Agamemnon using its superior strength, to pin the "Satoru Special The Third" for the regulation 30 seconds."
— Paul Vallis commentates on Agamemnon's victory

Winner: Agamemnon

Pokey vs Scrappy[]

This battle was fought twice, with the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights consisting of clips from both attempts spliced into one condensed "match".

"Scrappy, which is made from, uh... scraps, did not have an easy time against Pokey, which looks more like a converted food trolley."
— Paul Vallis on the opening moments

On the first attempt, both robots charged into each other almost immediately; driving backwards, Pokey got underneath, pushed and flicked Scrappy twice with its forklift arm. Two more shoves from Pokey almost removed Scrappy's bodyshell entirely as it was pinned against the moving wall section. Curt Meyers' machine then lifted Scrappy a third time from the front-left corner. However, the force of the lift - along with the resulting low weight distribution - caused Pokey to topple onto its side, with Scrappy perched on its lifter blade. With both robots incapacitated, the audience chanted for a rematch, which was quickly called by the Judges.[39][168]

The second attempt began similarly to the first, with both robots approaching and drawing close to each other near the center. Pokey tried, without success, to get underneath Scrappy from the left-hand side, while Scrappy took a glancing blow from the Ball of Doom. An attempt by Pokey to get its rear spike into use proved short-lived, as it shuttled back and forth between Scrappy and the upper mousetrap. Pokey pushed Scrappy backwards and chased it towards the lower flipper. There, it closed in and jolted Scrappy backwards with the spike, though seemingly without causing any major damage.[39][168]

Pokey vs scrappy

Pokey is upended by the mousetrap during the second attempt

Scrappy also took hits from the lower-left flipper in the process, but recovered to chase Pokey towards the center. Both avoided the mousetrap at first, until Scrappy reversed and was almost deshelled upon hitting the lunging hazard. As the mousetrap pinned Scrappy in place, Pokey tried to capitalize and lift Scrappy once more. However, despite again prising Scrappy's shell open, Pokey toppled onto its side as soon as the forklift fired upwards, unable to self-right. Scrappy landed on its wheels with a thud, and twitched as it kept being pinned by the mousetrap. Regardless, Scrappy was declared the winner in the full unedited battle.[39][168]

"It looked like the mousetrap hazard gave Scrappy a helping hand to upend Pokey."
— Paul Vallis

Winner: Scrappy

Traxx vs The General[]

From the start, The General lost drive to its right wheel, causing it to immediately spin into the wall behind its starting position. Traxx tentatively approached and pushed The General into the moving wall section, then held Pat Poon's machine in place for a 30-second pin. Smoke began pouring from the top of The General as it tried to break free, but to no avail.[97][169]

Winner: Traxx

Up & Over vs Scorpion[]

Up and over vs scorpion

Up & Over lifts Scorpion

Scorpion initially attempted to employ pushing and sit-and-spin tactics against Up & Over, using its tail to whack its opponent. At some point, it attempted to drive past Up & Over, but instead turned directly onto one of its opponent's lifting hooks. This allowed Up & Over to simultaneously push and lift it against one of the arena flippers. Up & Over almost overbalanced in the process, but held Scorpion on its side long enough for it to take a few whacks from the arena hazard.[43]

Without the leverage to place Scorpion inside its own 'box', Up & Over backed out, while lowering its opponent back down. Almost immediately, it began a second lift, which was enough to eventually turn Scorpion onto its back.[43]

"Again, the money was on Scorpion trashing Up & Over, but in Robot Wars, the unexpected happens... all the time!"
— Paul Vallis

Winner: Up & Over

Semi-Finals[]

Agamemnon vs Scrappy[]

For this battle, Agamemnon was again fitted with both its saw and spike weapon modules.

Both robots approached each other from either side, Agamemnon dodging the Ball of Doom. The Team Delta machine caught itself on the upper mousetrap, however, allowing Scrappy to approach and let Agamemnon snag its own net while retreating. Agamemnon turned round, approaching Scrappy spike-first as the latter suddenly stopped moving. The former proceeded to drive into Scrappy's side, in an attempt to cut through the plywood shell with its cutting blades. This attack left both robots stuck to each other; Agamemnon pivoted and fired its spike while entangled in Scrappy's net, but was unable to get away before the match was stopped early.[45][170]

A rematch was arranged, which began with Scrappy attempting to lunge at Agamemnon with the nets and cutting disc. Agamemnon swerved out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding getting tangled in the net, before tearing off the US flag placed on top of Scrappy. After a few moments' hesitation, Scrappy tried to follow Agamemnon towards the left-hand side. Agamemnon turned around and grazed its opponent's right-hand side before backing away. A further head-to-head exchange caused Agamemnon's blades to snag and become immobilized by Scrappy's left net. In spite of this, Agamemnon proceeded to push Scrappy backwards into the arena flipper, which immobilized Scrappy after a few whacks.[45][170]

Winner: Agamemnon

Traxx vs Up & Over[]

Up & Over raised and lowered its lifting mechanism, but was slow to get away as Traxx approached and attempted to push from the side. A tentative exchange gave Up & Over the opportunity to lift and push Traxx towards the bottom-most wall, though not without tipping the tracked rammer over. Recurring cooling issues caused Traxx to temporarily lose mobility multiple times, with Up & Over continuing to shuffle and lift itself across the arena. Another tentative chase ensued, culminating in Up & Over flipping Traxx over from the back. The now-inverted Traxx scuttled away, as Up & Over also struggled to move consistently opposite the flipper paddle.[49][171]

Up & Over drove its rear wedge plate under the seemingly-immobile Traxx, before turning around slowly to do the same with its lifter. However, while trying to set the weapon up for the lift, the lifter jammed into its 'fully lowered' position, which was enough to lift Up & Over's wheels off the floor. Neither robot was able to show mobility for several seconds, until Traxx shot backwards as its drive motors started cooling down again. During more bouts of immobility, Traxx nudged Up & Over aside, then reversed away, as Bob Schneeveis' machine was officially declared to have lost by knockout.[49][171]

Winner: Traxx

Final[]

Agamemnon vs Traxx[]

Both of Agamemnon's active weapons were removed for this title decider, allowing it to run as a simple wedged rammer.

Agamemnon vs traxx

Traxx is knocked out by a single attack from Agamemnon

Both robots approached each other in the opening seconds, avoiding each other's initial lunges. This was until Agamemnon and Traxx exchanged two wedge-to-wedge rams, the second allowing Agamemnon to get underneath and push Traxx under one of the mousetraps. A strip of metal was pulled out from beneath Traxx's wedge; it soon became clear that Daniel Goff's machine had become immobilized after blowing a fuse in the struggle.[47][172]

"In the Middleweight Final, Agamemnon had made it through to fight Traxx. Agamemnon had been specially adapted on the spot so it could take on a wedge shaped robot, but Traxx was having a bad day and he died very quickly."
— Paul Vallis on Traxx's quick immobilization

Agamemnon nudged and shoved Traxx a few more times, eventually pushing it clear of the mousetrap. Team Delta's machine kept slaloming backwards into its opponent until Traxx's immobility was recognized. Thus, Agamemnon was officially declared the 1996 Middleweight Face-Off champion.[172]

Winner: Agamemnon

Lightweight Face-Off[]

Round 1[]

NOTE: Speed Bump received a bye from this stage.[1]

Attiller (the Hun) vs Gator[]

"I went up against 'Atiller- the hun'. This guy was fast, and had a rotating roto-tiller blade in front. I was doing pretty well, considering the fact that my reverse quit just a few minutes before the match."
— Dennis Millard, recounting the start of the match from Gator's perspective[173]

A few minutes before this battle was due to start, Gator's reverse drive malfunctioned, leaving it only capable of forward movements.[173]

In the early moments, Attiller (the Hun) caught itself under the lower mousetrap, the side of which Gator also rammed. After a few seconds, the mousetrap retracted, allowing Gator to move forwards. Gator managed to breach Attiller (the Hun)'s ground clearance at one point, but Attiller (the Hun) escaped before it could use its lifter. Following a back-and-forth exchange, Attiller (the Hun) began attacking the sloping sides of Gator, while taking hits from a flipper paddle.[60][173][174]

The two competitors split up, though Gator struggled to get underneath Attiller (the Hun) before taking more glancing blows from the latter's rotary blades. A head-to-head ram - between the bottom-right flipper and lower mousetrap - allowed Gator to knock Attiller (the Hun) aside. However, Attiller (the Hun) flicked Gator upwards from the right-hand side and pinned it against the flipper. Jim Sellers' machine briefly dragged Gator back, with one of its blades hooking its opponent from underneath its shell. Gator, sustaining multiple whacks from the flipper, was eliminated through this pin.[60][173][174]

Winner: Attiller (the Hun)

The Enforcer vs Big Shot[]

Prior to the match, The Enforcer suffered issues with its weedwacker motor being unable to start. Attempts by Al Kindle to get it working were unsuccessful, forcing his machine to fight without a functioning sawblade.[56]

Both robots drove around and past each other during the tentative opening moments. An equally tentative pushing match followed. The Enforcer was first to shove, but found itself being outpushed by Big Shot, which at one point tried to position its pneumatic cannon against the former's right-hand side. In response, Al Kindle's machine pirouetted around and sniped one of Big Shot's wheels, but with no effect. Big Shot escaped, only to be clattered by the Ball of Doom as it drove through the arena center.[56][175]

From that point forwards, The Enforcer began pressuring Big Shot with a few side-on pushes, lifting it onto one side with the second charge. More bumping, pushing and chasing followed, with The Enforcer again gaining the upper hand. Big Shot's cannon lined up with the front end and front-right wheel of The Enforcer during these exchanges, but again, the cannon did not fire. The lower mousetrap attempted to swat both competitors as they drove close by; Big Shot made contact with and was briefly trapped by the hazard as it was pushed into it by The Enforcer.[56][175]

Big Shot lifted its cannon upwards in an attempt to break free, though this did not stop The Enforcer from pressuring it once again. After more pushing and mousetrap encounters, both robots rammed each other head-to-head, though Big Shot's cannon again failed to deploy. Turning around, Big Shot used its rear wedge plate to scoop The Enforcer up and pin it behind the top-left flipper. A 30-second count was started, though match records and contemporary accounts suggest that Big Shot did not successfully complete this pin.[1][56][175]

According to Team Spike, Big Shot managed to fire its cannon at some stage during the battle. However, its initial shot missed, and as the weapon could not reset, it was rendered defenseless from that moment. Big Shot eventually lost the match after getting pinned by The Enforcer.[176][56]

Winner: The Enforcer

Test Toaster One vs Snickers[]

Test Toaster One started by driving past the hazards, but was hesitant to approach Snickers or utilize its thwacking arm at first. Snickers initially drove around in circles within its side of the arena, but appeared to have control problems the moment it entered the bottom-right corner. Test Toaster One closed in and attempted to swing its blade, but without striking Snickers, which backed into and twitched opposite the wall.[104][177]

After several seconds, Test Toaster One pushed Snickers backwards and pinned it against the wall with the arm. An arena flipper swatted Snickers several times, seemingly immobilizing it and allowing Test Toaster One to complete the pin.[104][177]

Winner: Test Toaster One

Cyclo-Kluge vs Flipper[]

Cyclo-Kluge got its overhead spinner up to speed, as Flipper tentatively approached from the right-hand side. Flipper exposed its back panel to Cyclo-Kluge, but drove away at the last second to avoid taking damage. However, Jesse Escobedo's machine was pushed from the side by the Ball of Doom on its way into the bottom-left corner. Both robots rammed each other directly opposite the upper mousetrap, which swatted down on Cyclo-Kluge before it drove away. Flipper also wedged itself under the mousetrap, but continued its pursuit of Cyclo-Kluge. Cyclo-Kluge responded by buffeting Flipper into a spin and pushing it using its lone blade, though Flipper survived and dodged its next lunge. Flipper raised its lifting plate while spinning in the center, taking another side swipe from Cyclo-Kluge's weapon.[53][178]

More ramming and nudging followed, with Flipper's plate unable to prise Cyclo-Kluge upwards. Flipper, however, was able to push and wedge underneath Cyclo-Kluge using its own shape, before the two competitors separated. The next few moments proved just as tentative, with Cyclo-Kluge's spinner no longer rotating, and Flipper unable to lift or push Cyclo-Kludge a substantial distance. Some time passed, before Flipper pushed Cyclo-Kluge into a flipper paddle using its back end. Cyclo-Kluge initially escaped, but drove back into and got itself caught behind the flipper. As this happened, Flipper also drove on the opposite side of the paddle, which swatted it wedge-first towards the wall. Flipper became lodged under a gap between the wall and arena floor, pinning it in place.[53][178]

Cyclo-Kluge eventually moved clear of the flipper, but was shoved by the moveable wall section nearby. It proceeded to crawl around the inner perimeter as Flipper took repeated hits from the flipper paddle, emerging as the winner.[53][178]

Winner: Cyclo-Kluge

SPS3 vs Happy Fun Bot[]

"Sounds like Happy Fun Bot is ready for lunch!"
— Michael Meehan as Happy Fun Bot's chainsaw is started up

Highlights presented in American Robot Wars 1996 showed John Calhoun starting up Happy Fun Bot's chainsaw prior to this battle, with Michael Meehan quipping that the robot was "ready for lunch" upon hearing the chainsaw going.

"SPS3 was just the robot from hell as far as Happy Fun Bot was concerned. Not only was he fast and low-built... he had a net."
— Paul Vallis
Happyfunbot vs SPS3

Happy Fun Bot uses its chainsaw against SPS3

SPS3 vs happyfunbot

Happy Fun Bot is pinned

SPS3 immediately darted from its starting position, with Happy Fun Bot seeming to have control problems on its sawblade wheels. Making matters worse for John Calhoun's machine, an entanglement net was deployed across the arena floor by SPS3, which was later seen trying to nudge Happy Fun Bot opposite the arena flipper. Happy Fun Bot, smoking and driving around on its right-hand side, began cutting into SPS3, sending debris flying as the two robots kept gingerly shoving each other back and forth.

During this time, Happy Fun Bot drove over the piece of net left behind by SPS3, which was enough to strand it. SPS3 proceeded to drive underneath and hold Happy Fun Bot in place near one of the mousetraps, a movement which was considered to be a pin.

"Fun Bots hate nets. He lost... pinned."
— Paul Vallis

Winner: SPS3

The Eviscerator vs Wonderbug[]

Suffering from radio interference caused by its own internal combustion engine, The Eviscerator twitched slowly across the arena. Wonderbug, meanwhile, failed to move from its starting position due to its low ground clearance and lack of drive power. Less than twenty seconds in, smoke began pouring from The Eviscerator as it spun back and forth in half circles, seemingly immobile on one side.[100][106] As it became clear that neither competitor would be able to attack each other - to booing from audience members - the Judges eventually stopped the match altogether. Wonderbug - having been completely immobilized throughout - was later inspected in the arena.[179]

In their assessment, the Judges elected to disqualify both The Eviscerator and Wonderbug due to a lack of controlled movement in battle. With the second round reduced to just three matches as a result, the winner of the third match from that stage would automatically receive a place in the Lightweight Face-Off Final.[100][106][179][1]

Winner: None (both robots disqualified)

Round 2[]

Attiller (the Hun) vs The Enforcer[]

The enforcer vs attlier the hun

Attiller (the Hun) smashes The Enforcer into the corner during a close and evenly-fought match

Attiller (the Hun) spun up its rotary weapon seconds before the battle started, though the robot as a whole did not move immediately upon 'Action' being called. It then shot forwards at The Enforcer while Al Kindle's machine headed left, setting up a head-to-head ram between the two competitors. From there, Attiller (the Hun) buffeted The Enforcer from its left-hand side and front end, building up an aggressive start. Sustaining this proved tricky for Jim Sellers' entry, as The Enforcer kept dodging its next attacks before again ramming and being jostled by the quadruple spinners.[180]

On the next duel, The Enforcer rammed an approaching Attiller (the Hun) again opposite a nearby mousetrap. Attiller (the Hun) dodged the descending hazard, using this opportunity to lift and jostle The Enforcer around onto two wheels. Attempting to push The Enforcer backwards across the arena center, Attiller (the Hun) inadvertently caught itself under the other mousetrap, as The Enforcer swerved clear. The Enforcer, while too low to be affected by the mousetrap, gently brushed the Ball of Doom as it prepared for its next counter-attack. Attiller (the Hun)'s blades were temporarily stopped, but spun up again as it headed to the opposite corner. Another tentative phase ended with The Enforcer getting caught by an arena flipper, and Attiller (the Hun) trying to ram and buffet it further with varying degrees of success.[180]

A successful blow to The Enforcer's front-left wheel allowed Attiller (the Hun) to flick it behind the upper-left flipper - the starting point for the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights. However, it too drove into the flipper and was forced backwards by the hazard. Attiller (the Hun) flicked The Enforcer upwards several more times, as the latter kept bumping into the arena wall and flipper. While getting underneath and pushing Attiller (the Hun) with its spatula-like lifter, The Enforcer was whacked by the upper mousetrap. Attiller (the Hun) kept exchanging rams with and lifting The Enforcer, at one point flipping the latter over completely upon catching its front-right wheel.[180]

Attlier the hun vs the enforcer

The Enforcer is entangled by Attiller (the Hun), causing both robots to lock together in the closing stages

More rams and lifts from Attiller (the Hun) ensued, even as both machines narrowly dodged encounters with the flipper and mousetrap hazards. By the halfway point, The Enforcer attempted to push Attiller (the Hun) from the side again. Moments later, Attiller the Hun caught The Enforcer with its blades, lifting it upwards and holding it in place for an attempted pin. The upper-right flipper whacked the exposed left-rear wheel of The Enforcer, whose lifter became lodged in Attiller (the Hun)'s 'soil tiller' assembly.[51] Attiller (the Hun) pushed and dragged The Enforcer back and forth, with The Enforcer unable to gain enough traction from its back wheels to break free. Attiller (the Hun), having initiated the pin, was declared the winner.[180]

"These two were very evenly matched and were heading for a draw, in which case the audience would've voted for the winner. But just as the five minute time was up, Attiller snagged The Enforcer and pinned him."
— Paul Vallis rounds up the events leading to Attiller (the Hun)'s victory

Winner: Attiller (the Hun)

Test Toaster One vs Cyclo-Kluge[]

Test Toaster One weaved across to the right side of the arena, where Cyclo-Kluge initially kept its distance while getting its overhead spinner up to speed. Eventually, Cyclo-Kluge attacked from the side, though this allowed Test Toaster One to swing around and hook it with its own arm. Another swing from Test Toaster One allowed it to latch onto, drag and push Cyclo-Kluge around by its exposed framework. Both robots were locked together, eventually becoming trapped by the lower-right flipper. Test Toaster One's wheels spun as it tried to break loose, while also gradually pulling Cyclo-Kluge off the flipper and driving closer to the nearby mousetrap.[53][181]

Another push allowed Test Toaster One to swing itself free. Cyclo-Kluge tried to spin up again, though Test Toaster One wasted little time in swatting its side once more. A tentative phase followed, with Test Toaster One again hooking underneath and stopping Cyclo-Kluge's disc. Cyclo-Kluge engaged in another pushing match, which resulted in Test Toaster One shoving it into the flipper. After briefly getting caught under the same flipper, Test Toaster One thwacked Cyclo-Kluge, again hooking and pushing it into the wall. Two more attempted hooks followed; the second allowing Cyclo-Kluge to push Test Toaster One into the moving wall section on the right.[53][181]

Undeterred, Test Toaster One caught Cyclo-Kluge's frame yet again, the two lightweights maneuvering back into the lower-right flipper. There, Cyclo-Kluge got wedged on the flipper paddle again, with Test Toaster One also struggling for traction to pull itself free. On this occasion, Jeff Bowen's machine could not succeed, with Cyclo-Kluge's Daniel Russett also instructed to shuffle his machine back and forth to prove its continued functionality.[53][181]

Despite their efforts, both robots were still locked together by the end of the 30-second period. Smoke began pouring from Test Toaster One as an audience vote was immediately called. Even with this developing issue, Test Toaster One received the most support from the crowd, along with the second Semi-Final place.[53][181]

Winner: Test Toaster One

SPS3 vs Speed Bump[]

Following a tentative start, Speed Bump made an early lunge at SPS3, which had a carrot attached to a front-mounted arm along with the nets and sponge balls. SPS3 rammed the side of Speed Bump in response, before managing to snare it in its nets. Speed Bump broke free, and later pinned SPS3 against one of the arena flippers. Both robots remained in the corner for several seconds, Speed Bump trying unsuccessfully to use SPS3's nets to entangle its opponent. SPS3 retreated to the other side of the arena, only to ram Speed Bump again as the two competitors avoided a swipe from a nearby mousetrap.[64][182]

Speed Bump again pushed and dragged SPS3 around, though both would take whacks from a flipper in the process. Eventually, SPS3 pulled free, though Speed Bump eventually recomposed itself by scooping, turning and pushing it into the right-most wall. SPS3 was briefly pinned up on the top of Paul Bell's machine, but escaped, bumping into the wall and flipper in the process. While trying to ram SPS3 again, Speed Bump suddenly stopped moving, having been pinned on top of debris left behind by the former. A few shoves from SPS3 were enough to free it, and Speed Bump initially resumed its disrupted pursuit.[64][182]

Spinning around, Speed Bump again tried to follow and push SPS3 back towards the right-most wall. However, it got stuck on more pieces of debris, while SPS3 was swatted by the upper-right flipper. Speed Bump finally got underneath and pinned SPS3 in the bottom-right corner, appearing to take victory under the usual requirements. However, this was not to be, as the match went to an audience vote which ruled SPS3 as the winner.[64][182]

Winner: SPS3

Semi-Final[]

Attiller (the Hun) vs Test Toaster One[]

At some point during the battle, Test Toaster One caught its thwacking arm under one of the flipper paddles. Attiller (the Hun) rushed in to push its opponent by the arm, lifting Test Toaster One up on one wheel in the process. As it reversed, however, it could not break free, the force of its ram having allowed Test Toaster One's weapon to become lodged in its own top armor. Attiller (the Hun) proceeded to drag and push Test Toaster One across the arena, until both teams accepted the organizers' offer to have them separated. Test Toaster One and Attiller (the Hun) kept shuffling in unison until they reached the center.[104][183][184]

According to Team Spike, neither robot was separated until they were both transported back to the pits together. An audience vote was cast, which ruled unanimously in favor of Attiller (the Hun).[104]

Winner: Attiller (the Hun)

Final[]

Attiller (the Hun) vs SPS3[]

For this fight, SPS3 had placed an additional fishing net on a rod attached to its front end, with a carrot acting as 'bait' to snare Attiller (the Hun)'s rotating weapon. Gator was also present in the arena as a non-combative machine, acting as a "robo-cam" to obtain point-of-view footage of the match.[173]

"Yes, that was a carrot to tempt Attiller into the net... but it didn't work."
— Paul Vallis
Sps3 vs attiller

Attiller (the Hun) rams the immobile SPS3

Both competitors met in the center, SPS3 trying to attack Attiller (the Hun) from the side. However, the extra net could not reach Attiller (the Hun), which dodged, but got caught by the upper mousetrap as it reversed back across the arena. SPS3 rammed Attiller (the Hun) from the left side, only to knock itself out with this attack. Attiller (the Hun) capitalized by ramming and eventually backing SPS3 into the corner, after which the latter's immobility was officially recognized. Attiller (the Hun) thus emerged as the 1996 Lightweight Face-Off champion 'by default'.[185]

Winner: Attiller (the Hun)

Featherweight Face-Off[]

Round 1[]

A number of battles from this stage of the competition took place as 'Dual Matches'; two at a time would occur simultaneously from opposite sides of the arena.

Wedge of Doom vs WYSIWYG[]

Taking place alongside Gigan vs KMM, this head-to-head mostly consisted of a straightforward pushing match between the US and UK competitors. For the first thirty seconds, both robots pushed each other across the arena, though neither was able to breach each other's ground clearances for some time. This was until Wedge of Doom scooped up, pushed and pinned WYSIWYG against the side wall, eliminating the future Series 1 stock robot from contention.[186][187]

Winner: Wedge of Doom

Gigan vs KMM[]

KMM quickly dominated the fight, using its claws to grab Gigan while pushing and axing at its top armor. With Gigan unable to break free from its grasp, KMM's main attack counted as a pin, allowing it to emerge as the winner.[119][186]

Winner: KMM

Melvin vs Mad Dog[]

Melvin vs Mad Dog

Melvin pushes Mad Dog towards the wall

This 'Dual Match' half began with both competitors sizing each other up in their half of the arena. Melvin proceeded to scoop Mad Dog up from the side, pushing it across the center at high speed into the wall on the other side. The collision flipped Mad Dog over the moving wall section, trapping it in the mechanism immediately behind.[188]

While American Robot Wars 1996 did not showcase this battle in full, a brief clip of Melvin pushing Mad Dog across the arena was featured in the intro montage.

Winner: Melvin

Draggon Waggin' vs P.A.T.[]

Pat vs dragon wagon

P.A.T. rams Draggon Waggin' into the side wall

Occurring at the same time as Melvin vs Mad Dog, this battle started slowly. Draggon Waggin' immediately raised its pneumatic jaw, as both competitors nervously circled around each other. P.A.T., after correcting a brief bout of oversteer, bumped into the right-most wall section, but Draggon Waggin' could not capitalize. The larger flame-red machine was also nearly collected by Melvin and Mad Dog from the other bout.[188]

With the other 'Dual Match' already reaching its conclusion, P.A.T. rammed Draggon Waggin', briefly getting underneath it from the right-rear corner. Repositioning itself from the bottom-right corner, the silver wedged rammer charged into and pushed Draggon Waggin' into the wall. The impact broke the aluminum strut used to hold Draggon Waggin's shell in place, causing the whole robot to be left beached on it.[188][189]

Despite having immobilized its opponent, P.A.T. was not yet free from danger. Shooting forwards behind the upper-right flipper, it reversed and spun around, driving underneath the entrance/exit doors. Effectively removing itself from the arena, P.A.T. faced instant disqualification according to American Robot Wars 1996, but was pushed back out into the combat zone by roboteers standing behind the doors.

"In this fight, P.A.T. used its speed to knock Draggon Waggin' out, though he nearly disqualified himself when the flipper caught him and spun him under the arena doors. A helping hand pushed him back in."
— Paul Vallis

Draggon Waggin' repeatedly fired its jaw up and down, but the whole robot remained stationary on its now-crooked shell. P.A.T. drove under the still-wagging tail and into the flipper, before spinning and slaloming around the arena in victory.[188]

Winner: P.A.T.

Black Sheep 2 vs Nezumi[]

Occurring at the same time as Bite Me vs Arsenic, the battle started out as a tentative pushing match between the two competitors. Though Nezumi demonstrated bursts of speed with its RC car-based design, Black Sheep 2 was more aggressive, nudging and forcing the former into a stalemate. Nezumi encountered further problems as it appeared to have mobility issues in the center, though Black Sheep 2 was slow to capitalize at first.[67]

By the final minute, however, Black Sheep 2 had succeeded in ramming its opponent a few times. Nezumi responded by forcing Black Sheep 2 to drive alongside the arena flipper, in order to get it stranded behind the hazard. This plan backfired for Robert Orr's machine, however, as Nezumi drove too close to and was hit by the paddle multiple times while trying to ram Black Sheep 2 again. According to the Team Spike website, this contact was enough to immobilize Nezumi, allowing Black Sheep 2 to take a knockout win as it backed out to safety.[67][127]

Winner: Black Sheep 2

Bite Me vs Arsenic[]

Bite Me rammed Arsenic into the far corner multiple times, but was initially unable to make use of its jaw weaponry. Repeated rams were exchanged between the two robots, which eventually found themselves in the center. This gave Bite Me the chance to grab and push Arsenic with its jaws, eventually steering the latter around in circles. Arsenic was pushed into one of the arena flippers, then the wall, and still could not free itself from Bite Me's grip. Bite Me proceeded to ram Arsenic into a mousetrap, which hit both competitors, then behind the upper-most flipper. Both competitors took hits from the paddle, which was powerful enough to break one of Bite Me's jaws.[108][67]

Some time passed before Bite Me pushed Arsenic back towards the perimeter wall section, and the two featherweights finally separated. Even with the weapon damage sustained, Bite Me remained aggressive, pinning Arsenic behind the same flipper before chasing it across the arena. Another pin behind the paddle occurred as the battle entered the final minute. Trapping Arsenic in place, Bite Me would end up securing victory through this pinning attack.[108][67]

Winner: Bite Me

Spike vs Edgar the Hate Bug[]

This battle took place as a 'Dual Match' alongside Yo Mama! vs Rampage.[190]

Spike initially lunged at Edgar the Hate Bug, itself suffering from an underpowered drivetrain, but was unable to push its larger opponent using its wedge shape. Edgar the Hate Bug responded by repeatedly attacking Spike with the chainsaw, damaging the sponsor decals on the latter's Lexan shell. The two robots spent 'a few minutes' pushing and using their weapons against each other; Edgar the Hate Bug with the chainsaw, and Spike with its rear lifting arm.[129][190]

Eventually, Spike drove behind, lifted and pushed Edgar the Hate Bug chainsaw-first into the wall. A 'cloud of sawdust' kicked up as Edgar the Hate Bug's weapon damaged the plywood section, the attack also pushing it to the side. Spike kept pushing Edgar the Hate Bug, now smoking, along the wall and into the corner. There, both competitors were whacked by the nearby flipper paddle. Edgar the Hate Bug took more severe damage, with the whacks being enough to break the chain for its chainsaw. Spike eventually began pushing its opponent around in a circle, the flipper managing to separate both robots.[129][190]

The pushing match resumed, with Spike again having an advantage as it shoved Edgar the Hate Bug into the wall and remaining hazards. Both competitors survived the full five minutes, with Spike receiving an unanimous audience vote. During the Judges' initial deliberation, Spike caught up with and pinned Edgar the Hate Bug with its lifter, though no action was taken against this late attack.[129][190]

Winner: Spike

Yo Mama! vs Rampage[]

Rampage, suffering from drive and clearance issues, became immobilized behind the arena flipper within the first minute, allowing Yo Mama! to inherit a straightforward knockout win.[74][190]

Winner: Yo Mama!

The X-2 vs Spunkey Munkey[]

Another 'Dual Match', taking place alongside My Little Pony vs Spiny Norman.[191]

Immediately, both robots rammed each other head-on, though The X-2 was unable to get an early lift on Spunkey Munkey before backing out. This allowed Spunkey Munkey to drive into the far corner, where it appeared unable to reverse. Taking advantage of its opponent's issues, The X-2 approached and flicked Spunkey Munkey onto its side, securing a decisive knockout win.[133][191]

Winner: The X-2

My Little Pony vs Spiny Norman[]

The diminutive Spiny Norman raced past and around My Little Pony, the two competitors spending the early moments nudging each other. My Little Pony eventually released its tape, snaring Spiny Norman as the latter tried to push it from the right-hand side. The tape got caught within one of Spiny Norman's wheels, immobilizing it.[192][191]

Winner: My Little Pony

Red 2 vs Roach[]

In this set of 'Dual Matches' (also including Spiked Master 2 vs Triple Redundancy), Roach struggled to move from its starting position due to malfunctions affecting several of its legs.[78] Having feebly lowered and raised its side panels, it achieved no forward movement during the initial attempt, with Red 2 waiting in the center of the left-hand side. The matches were soon stopped and restarted to account for Roach's problems.[193][194]

The second attempt also began poorly for Roach, which was only able to shuffle in place on its left legs. Red 2 crept up and repeatedly shoved Roach using its spikes, eventually pinning the large walkerbot against the wall.[78][193][194]

Winner: Red 2

Spiked Master 2 vs Triple Redundancy[]

Following the first attempt - where neither robot progressed far from their starting positions - Triple Redundancy headed towards the center in the opening seconds. Spiked Master 2 attempted to capitalize with a high-speed ram, separating one of the tape-wielding clusterbots from the three-part train. Larry and Taylor Tan's machine rammed and briefly got underneath the largest Triple Redundancy segment, but briefly came to grief as it rode up the moving side wall panel. More rams followed, before Spiked Master 2 darted to the center of the arena as the two largest parts of Triple Redundancy began unwinding their tape reels.[193][194]

The tape trails were eventually enough to snag and capture Spiked Master 2, though one segment from Triple Redundancy was momentarily unable to separate. According to the Team Spike website, Spiked Master 2 later 'snared' one part of Triple Redundancy using the tape, only to get pinned by another segment from the latter. In an extraordinary outcome, the Judges declared the match to be a tie, enabling both robots to progress to the next round.[131][193][194]

Winner: Draw

Slomo 3 vs Ziggy[]

Both robots started tentatively, with Ziggy keeping itself out of the way as Slomo 3 briefly caught itself under one of the arena mousetraps. Eventually, they drove past each other between the mousetrap and a nearby flipper. Slomo 3 tapped Ziggy lightly, then made another lunge as its opponent spun around and twitched. Ziggy suddenly stopped moving altogether in between both hazards. Two cursory drives from Slomo 3 resulted in it accidentally riding up and getting beached on the lip of Ziggy's wedge-shaped shell. The second instance caused both robots to stick together for several seconds, prompting booing from audience members. Slomo 3 backed off, and was declared the winner in light of Ziggy's immobilization.[195][196]

Winner: Slomo 3

Buford T. Pusser vs Lorena[]

Upon the battle starting, Lorena immediately darted between a mousetrap and Buford T. Pusser towards a corner on the opposite side. With the doll rocking back and forth, Lorena was pitched into a half-spin by a nearby flipper, before recovering and attempting a forward shove on Buford T. Pusser. This in turn allowed Buford T. Pusser to get underneath Lorena as it drove over its own front wedge; it remained stationary in an attempt to pin Lorena.[197][198]

After several seconds, Buford T. Pusser backed away, prompting Lorena to charge into and bump it a second time. Pitching to the left, Lorena drove and spun in circles near the center. Buford T. Pusser took advantage of Lorena's cumbersome movements by driving forwards and getting underneath its back plate. Lorena backed away as soon as both robots separated again, only to drive, lean back and forth, and spin wildly between the arena flippers, much to the audience's amusement. Having nearly toppled over as a result, it was pressured again by Buford T. Pusser, before taking a few hits from one of the flipper paddles. Lorena became immobilized following its encounter with the flipper. Buford T. Pusser gave it a few tentative nudges, then a final shove as it inherited the knockout win.[197]

Winner: Buford T. Pusser

Round 2[]

Wedge of Doom vs KMM[]

"Ever since I started building The Wedge of Doom, I had been thinking about KMM. I had no idea what would happen if he grabbed my robot with his saw arms. Furthermore, I knew the robot's builder, Rik Winter, was an excellent driver, and would attempt to snare me quickly."
— Tony Buchignani[187]

Wedge of Doom tentatively approached KMM, which attempted to head along the inner arena perimeter. This proved costly for the 1995 Super Lightweight champion, however, as it got caught by a nearby mousetrap. Wedge of Doom quickly rounded KMM up and got underneath its grabbing claws, while beginning to push and chase it across the arena. During this exchange, KMM's hammer was flattened by the mousetrap, rendering the weapon useless.[187][199]

Wedge of Doom rammed and pinned KMM against the bottom-most wall for several moments, but took repeated hits from a nearby arena flipper as it did so. Tony Buchignani steered his machine out of trouble, repositioning it to lift KMM upwards from the right-hand side. Wedge of Doom used this opportunity to push KMM into the upper-most wall. While again being whacked repeatedly by the flipper paddle, it succeeded in pinning KMM against the mousetrap mechanism on the same side, securing victory.[187][199]

Winner: Wedge of Doom

Melvin vs P.A.T.[]

Both robots quickly met in the center, with Melvin performing the first shove on P.A.T.. A fast chase ensued, during which P.A.T. investigated the "Camera Bot", and Melvin got itself caught on an arena flipper. In the next head-to-head exchange, P.A.T. scooped Melvin up from the front, before the two featherweights bumped each other and took whacks from the flipper paddle. Melvin's left-rear wheel fell apart during this time, compromising its mobility as P.A.T. set itself up for another ram.[123][200][201]

The ram from the USCB machine threw Melvin upwards, while also removing the broken wheel entirely. Melvin hobbled back towards P.A.T. as both competitors brushed the moving wall on the left-hand side, before dodging the latter's next ramming attempts. P.A.T. eventually collected and shoved Melvin against a mousetrap mechanism, though was unable to pin it. The nearby flipper swatted both robots as they attempted to drive back out; P.A.T. then proceeded to wedge itself underneath the mousetrap. As Melvin weaved around in apparent celebration, its other rear wheel collapsed and was discarded.[123][200][201]

Melvin's reprieve was put on hold, as a few seconds later, the mousetrap shuffled and P.A.T. drove directly underneath it once more. By this point, however, P.A.T. was starting to slow down drastically, with the USCB team having forgotten to recharge its batteries before this match. The now two-wheel drive Melvin veered dangerously into the flipper, which swatted it into the wall. Sustained whacks from the hazard appeared to leave Melvin without reverse drive. As such, it drove plow-first into the side of the mousetrap, almost trapping itself between the mechanism in the process. P.A.T., returning from the center of the arena, tried to ram Melvin, but Melvin darted away, having been turned around as a result of the mousetrap encounter.[123][200][201]

P.A.T. followed Melvin around the side of the mousetrap, which attempted to snare both of the diminutive machines. By the time the battle entered its third minute, Melvin was struggling to drive outside of its circumference, spinning and sliding around uncontrollably on its front wheels. P.A.T. attacked Melvin once more, but Melvin responded with a backwards nudge, which was enough to briefly hold P.A.T. in place opposite the mousetrap. The mousetrap lunged at both robots, just as P.A.T. suddenly stopped in the arena center. Neither robot attacked each other for some time, until P.A.T. biffed Melvin from the side. Melvin, in turn, took a front-on collision with the Ball of Doom, but carried on maneuvering across the arena in its two-wheeled state.[123][200][201]

As the batteries on P.A.T. lost charge, its movements became even more sluggish and erratic. Melvin returned to the center to engage in one last ramming match, which seemingly caused both robots to become immobilized. The Ball of Doom gently brushed P.A.T.'s right wheel as Michael Meehan announced the Judges' decision, which deemed Melvin to have won.[123][200][201]

Winner: Melvin

Black Sheep 2 vs Bite Me[]

Bite Me, the faster of the two robots, darted through the center to ram and push along the sides of Black Sheep 2. Black Sheep 2 retreated to the bottom-left corner, but was rammed, chased out and pinned under the upper mousetrap for several seconds by Bite Me. Bite Me did not escape unharmed, however, as its right pincer had folded inwards through this onslaught.[108][202]

Eventually, Black Sheep 2 was released, only for Bite Me to pin it behind the bottom-right flipper. Brian Foote's machine held Black Sheep 2 in place as it was whacked and evidently immobilized by the paddle. A damaged, but dominant Bite Me backed out moments before its knockout victory was officially confirmed.[108][202]

Winner: Bite Me

Spike vs Yo Mama![]

According to Team Spike's Andrew Lindsey, both robots suffered 'electrical problems' prior to the battle which almost necessitated a delayed start. Spike's lifter malfunctioned, only to start functioning again while Lindsey was attempting to diagnose the issue. Meanwhile, Yo Mama!'s servo mixer also malfunctioned, requiring its internals to be rewired.[129]

Yo Mama! started by driving into the upper mousetrap, while Spike tentatively approached from the left-most perimeter. Spike turned round quickly to try and use its rear lifter, with Yo Mama! spinning madly in response. Andrew Lindsey's machine briefly pinned Yo Mama! against the mousetrap, but was unable to use its weapon effectively. Spike took hits from the upper-left flipper and the mousetrap, before the faster Yo Mama! rammed it. The lifter on Spike stopped working again during this period, forcing it to rely on its front wedge shape.[129][203]

Yo Mama! again tried to whack Spike, but Spike scooped and began maneuvering it backwards across the arena center and into the upper-right flipper. The flipper forced Yo Mama! up Spike's wedge, leaving it helpless as Spike proceeded to pin it against the wall. Spike maneuvered Bob Schneeveis's machine into the mousetrap and the bottom-right corner, ultimately emerging as the winner. However, its arm mechanism continued to suffer reliability issues which Andrew Lindsey struggled to rectify ahead of its next battle.[129][203]

Winner: Spike

The X-2 vs My Little Pony[]

Starting tentatively, The X-2 was rammed by My Little Pony, which had in turn driven into one of the mousetraps and begun deploying its tape device. This gave Mike Winter's machine the opportunity to lift My Little Pony upwards, though it encountered difficulty doing this due to its opponent's foam exterior. My Little Pony escaped and began circling around The X-2 to bring its tape into use. The X-2 briefly caught the trail of tape left behind, though the magnets intended to snag it had no effect on its aluminum chassis. My Little Pony drove tentatively into the center of the arena, taking a heavy hit from the "Ball of Doom" as it did so.[133][204]

A few tentative moments ensued, as My Little Pony drove into one of the arena flippers, and The X-2 kept chasing it across the arena. The X-2 rammed My Little Pony, but missed again with the lifter. Eventually, the former hoisted My Little Pony a few more times, all while both robots continued to chase and shove each other. In response to an aggressive bump from My Little Pony, The X-2 finally lifted and turned it over from the front, instantly taking its second knockout win of the tournament.[133][204]

Winner: The X-2

Red 2 vs Spiked Master 2[]

Red 2 tentatively weaved across the inner-right perimeter, while Spiked Master 2 made a fast drive across the center. Spiked Master 2 was the first to attack, ramming Red 2 at high speed following an otherwise cautious start. Red 2, however, would push it back using its rear spikes. A quick separation followed, before Spiked Master 2 darted between its opponent and the upper mousetrap. This proved costly for Larry Tan and Taylor Tan's machine, however, which rammed the mousetrap and found itself being cornered by Red 2. Red 2 pinned and pushed Spiked Master 2 against the mousetrap, ultimately using the same attack to trap the latter against the nearby wall.[76][205]

Winner: Red 2

Slomo 3 vs Triple Redundancy[]

A tentative start saw Slomo 3 veering close to one of the mousetraps, as two segments of Triple Redundancy approached through the center. Slomo 3 passed one of these segments to confront the third and smallest segment, hitting one of the arena flippers in the process. The attack was enough to thrust both robots aside, as the other two parts of Triple Redundancy began deploying their tape mechanisms. Slomo 3 drove underneath and rammed each of the latter segments while trying to avoid getting entangled itself.[80][206]

While doing so, Klaas Langhout's machine collected the piece of tape left behind by Triple Redundancy. The smallest part of Triple Redundancy rammed it, only to be turned over onto its back by Slomo 3's wedge shape. By then, Slomo 3 began to show mobility issues as it turned and momentarily wrapped itself around the tape it was carrying. Pursued by one segment of Triple Redundancy, it circled round both of the remaining segments in an attempt to snare them with their own tape. Slomo and one third of Triple Redundancy were pushed back by the moving wall section. An attempted chase by Triple Redundancy resulted in the leading segment getting swatted by the upper-most flipper paddle.[80][206]

The pursuit continued for several moments, with the trail of tape seemingly growing as Slomo 3 maneuvered across the arena. Slomo 3 flicked one part of Triple Redundancy upwards with a shove, only to be swatted away by the flipper. In the reverse swing, the same flipper whacked the other remaining third of Triple Redundancy, which remained behind the hazard for several moments. Slomo 3 lured the other surviving Triple Redundancy segment towards the mousetrap, though not without getting swatted itself, then plowed through the tape trail it had left behind. This caused Triple Redundancy to drive towards Slomo 3, getting itself snared on the tape as a result.[80][206]

As the audience began chanting its name, Slomo 3 turned back round to drive under the mousetrap. In one final attack, it proceeded to pin the third and last-remaining Triple Redundancy segment against the wall opposite the hazard mechanism, taking a highly popular knockout win.[80][206]

Winner: Slomo 3

Quarter-Finals[]

NOTE: Buford T. Pusser received an automatic bye to reach this stage of the competition.

Wedge of Doom vs Melvin[]

Wedge of Doom approached Melvin in the opening moments, proceeding to scoop Kevin Knoedler's machine up with a head-on ram. Melvin lost contact with the arena floor as a result, and was left beached on top of Wedge of Doom, which held Melvin in place for the 30-second pin.[187]

Winner: Wedge of Doom

Bite Me vs Spike[]

Following terminal damage sustained in the previous round, Bite Me's jaws were substituted for a ramming scoop and twin static hammers. Meanwhile, Spike received a Tekin Titan speed controller loaned from Dan Danknick, allowing Andrew Lindsey to repair its lifting mechanism.[108][129]

According to the Team Spike website, both robots 'grappled' with each other for 'several minutes'; Spike attempted to lift Bite Me with its rear arm, while Bite Me attempted to pin it using its new scoop weapon. Spike struggled to pin Bite Me as a result of the latter's high ground clearance and large wheels.[108][129]

Bite Me often managed to drive off of Spike's lifter during these moments, until Spike succeeded in impaling one of its wheel spokes. With both robots now locked together, Bite Me struggled to break free, and ended up stripping one of its own gearboxes in the process. The efforts of Brian Foote's machine proved futile, as Spike went on to take the win.[108][129]

Winner: Spike

The X-2 vs Red 2[]

Limited details are available on this match, although The X-2's forklift had no effect on Red 2's invertible design. Ultimately, The X-2's lack of torque proved costly, as Red 2 eventually succeeded in ramming and pinning it against the arena corner. The Robot Action League machine was thus eliminated from the tournament after an otherwise strong run.[133]

Winner: Red 2

Slomo 3 vs Buford T. Pusser[]

Very little information is available for this battle, which involved Slomo 3 breaching Buford T. Pusser's ground clearance with its scoop blade. This effectively left Buford T. Pusser pinned, awarding Klaas Langhout's machine a comfortable victory.[80]

Winner: Slomo 3

Semi-Finals[]

Wedge of Doom vs Spike[]

"By the semifinals, I was getting really comfortable with the arena set up. Thus, when the match started, I raced down the floor toward Spike. Spike was a smaller wedge design, with a lifter in the back. I knew that if he could get his lifter under me, it was possible that he could have lifted my wheels off the ground and immobilized me. But fortunately, The Wedge of Doom was a much more maneuverable robot, and the lifter never came into play."
— Tony Buchignani[187]

Once again, Wedge of Doom started the faster and more maneuverable machine, while its lower ground clearance proved too low for Spike's lifter to breach. Wedge of Doom pushed and pinned Spike under one of the mousetrap nets, though Spike was able to free itself using the rear lifter. Moments later, Tony Buchignani's machine pressed Spike against the arena wall, where the latter was pinned and eliminated.[129][187]

Winner: Wedge of Doom

Red 2 vs Slomo 3[]

Both wedge-shaped robots started tentatively, with Red 2 driving its rear spikes into the front-right corner of Slomo 3. Slomo 3 responded by pushing Red 2 from the left-hand side, but bumped into the right-most wall section during another tentative phase. More bumping ensued, with Red 2 proceeding to chase Slomo 3 back and forth across the arena. Eventually, Red 2 shoved Slomo 3 into the path of the lower-right flipper. Impacts from the hazard pinned Slomo 3 in place between the wall and its opponent, a position from which it could not escape from. Red 2 emerged victorious and secured its place in the Featherweight Face-Off final.[76][80][207]

Winner: Red 2

Final[]

Wedge of Doom vs Red 2[]

"In the Finals, The Wedge of Doom's opponent was Red 2. This robot was one of the most beautifully crafted entries in Robot Wars 1996. Its exterior was made out of anodized aluminum plate. It was a small wedge design with two small wheels in the front, and two larger model aircraft drive wheels in back. But, despite the robot's excellent craftsmanship, it didn't fair well against The Wedge of Doom."
— Tony Buchignani[187]
Wedge of doom vs red2

Wedge of Doom defeats Red 2 quickly

Immediately, Wedge of Doom charged towards and rammed the more sluggish Red 2, pushing the latter across the arena. Wedge of Doom steered its overpowered challenger into the wall opposite one of the mousetraps, then into the mechanism powering the hazard itself. Red 2 was cornered, and was unable to drive out in time before the mousetrap pinned it in place. Wedge of Doom secured a rapid win and the 1996 Featherweight Face-Off championship, spinning triumphantly as Red 2 was eventually released.[208]

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

Winner: Wedge of Doom

Melees[]

"The number of robots in each Melee competition is limited by the number of radio frequencies available as each radio controlled robot needs its own frequency."
— Paul Vallis on Melee frequency requirements, as Mark Setrakian enters the arena atop The Master

Across all weight categories, a series of Melee competitions took place on the evening of August 18 - the final day of the event. Though similar to the Face-Off tournaments, each individual Melee involved multiple robots fighting at once, similarly to equivalent battles from later televised versions. A minimum of three robots or more would be grouped together at once. The total spaces per match were stated in American Robot Wars 1996 to be limited by the number of radio frequencies available to competing teams.[129][209]

As in Face-Off, Melee battles lasted a maximum of five minutes; all participating robots fought until one remained. If more than one robot survived the full duration, a winner would usually be decided by an audience vote.

In the Heavyweight, Lightweight and Featherweight categories, the events consisted of a two-round tournament, with between two and four Melees forming the first round. Winning robots would automatically qualify for the Melee Finals in the aforementioned weight classes. In some cases, multiple winners would be declared, or additional robots (usually second and/or third-place finishers) would be chosen to appear in the Finals as well.

Heavyweight Melee[]

Killbborg vs Nemesis vs Punjar vs South Bay Mauler[]

In the opening moments, Nemesis immediately approached and lost its right side panel to a hit from South Bay Mauler's flails. Killbborg also started quickly, but found itself under pressure from Punjar. All four robots converged near the perimeter, allowing South Bay Mauler to rip off Nemesis' back panel as well. Punjar also attempted to bring its own flail spinner into use against Killbborg, though it was vulnerable to an attempted pin by Nemesis. Regardless, Killbborg was scooped up and driven backwards against one of the mousetraps. Nemesis, unfazed by the damage already sustained, rammed South Bay Mauler with its front spike, while also causing the latter's weapon to stop spinning.[210][211]

South Bay Mauler struggled to escape as it was pushed and swatted by the mousetrap, taking a further blow from the Ball of Doom in the process. The quartet briefly converged once again, as Killbborg began pushing Punjar back, into the mousetrap mechanism and across the arena floor. Meanwhile, Nemesis and South Bay Mauler found themselves on the opposite side of the mousetrap, which again descended on the Tilford family machine. The separate pushing matches continued; Nemesis again pushing the slow-moving South Bay Mauler into the flipper on the opposite side of the arena.[210][211]

In their own struggle, Punjar and Killbborg avoided the flipper on their side, with both robots putting up an even performance. The pair separated as Punjar again tried to spin its flails up. This proved crucial for Ramiro Mallari's machine, which proceeded to scoop up and attempt to damage Killbborg's spear mechanism while pressuring it across the arena. Killbborg tried to used its left spear at Punjar, but fired the weapon too early, costing it the opportunity to cause major damage. Killbborg and Punjar reached a temporary stalemate, as Nemesis pushed South Bay Mauler towards another arena flipper.[210][211]

Again, Killbborg tried to spear Punjar, though this did not prevent it from being pushed back between the mousetrap and the flipper on the top-right corner. South Bay Mauler once again began spinning its flails to attack Nemesis from the side, though with significantly less power as the Melee reached the three-minute mark. Another pushing match ensued between it, Nemesis and a recovering Killbborg. Punjar was swatted by the top mousetrap as it engaged in the scuffle. Nemesis then pushed Killbborg into the bottom-left corner, leaving Punjar to push a spinning South Bay Mauler towards the opposite side.[210][211]

The remainder of the Melee proved just as tentative, with South Bay Mauler taking another mousetrap hit as Punjar continued to push it across the perimeter and into the flipper hazards. Nemesis pinned Killbborg upwards against the bottom mousetrap until time ran out, with all four robots still mobile. Punjar completed its final push on South Bay Mauler after the full five minutes expired, after which an audience vote was conducted. Every competitor from this match would go on to appear in the Heavyweight Melee Final.[210][211]

Winners: All robots qualified

Frank vs Gutrip vs Marvin vs Robert Redford Jr. vs SWAK vs TerMinal frenZy[]

Four of the six machines - Frank, Marvin, TerMinal frenZy and SWAK - all converged on one side of the arena in the opening moments. Problems hit TerMinal frenZy as it lost reverse drive almost immediately and was pushed by Marvin.[150] Clouds of blue smoke filled the arena from SWAK's internal combustion engine, as it found itself being sandwiched between Marvin and Frank. Meanwhile, Gutrip and Robert Redford Jr. engaged in their own tussle on the other side, the latter trying to snare Gutrip's cutting discs with an entanglement device. Both robots pushed each other back and forth - with Frank ambling along in the background - until Gutrip buffeted and dragged Robert Redford Jr. off the arena floor.[212]

Gutrip Robert Redford Jr Melee

Gutrip drives under the side of Robert Redford Jr.

Terminalfrenzyvsmarvin melee

TerMinal frenZy is bashed by Marvin's arm

TerMinal frenZy - which later lost drive to one side entirely[150] - tried to swing its axe onto Marvin, but missed. Marvin swiped the side of TerMinal frenZy with its arm, while SWAK kept spinning aimlessly on the spot near the moving wall section. Eventually, Marvin caught its spike in TerMinal frenZy's axe shaft, but was able to separate. Robert Redford Jr. pushed a now seemingly immobile Frank towards one of the mousetraps, only to be attacked by both Marvin and Gutrip. Marvin spun around to make use of its chains, but resorted to pushing Robert Redford Jr. a few more times. Gutrip attacked the sides of both its fully-mobile opponents, eventually snagging the left side of Robert Redford Jr. with another attack from the twin sawblades.[212]

Bob Schneeveis' entry gingerly pushed and dragged Robert Redford Jr. in the center, while Marvin re-engaged in combat with the crippled TerMinal frenZy. TerMinal frenZy found itself being pushed against an arena flipper, and was out of the running as the Melee entered its final minute. Gutrip mistakenly drove under one of the mousetraps, before investigating the long immobile Frank. As a damaged Robert Redford Jr. retreated to the outer perimeter, Gutrip and Marvin proceeded to battle each other, though neither robot could inflict any significant attacks. Marvin rammed Gutrip once more as the full five minutes expired; both qualified for the Heavyweight Melee Final as the last two machines still mobile.[212]

A brief clip of Gutrip's tussle with Robert Redford Jr. appears in the intros for American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996. Here, the former was seen to jostle Robert Redford Jr. around multiple times with its cutting blades, while getting underneath and trying to damage the internals within.

Winners: Gutrip and Marvin

Merrimac vs Namreko 3000 vs Red Scorpion vs Tazz[]

Namreko vs merrimac vs mousetrap

A descending mousetrap causes Namreko 3000 to topple following its first attack on Merrimac

Tazz and Red Scorpion quickly engaged in a tussle in the right-most perimeter, with Donald Hutson's machine also swatting an approaching Merrimac as it drove into the corner. Merrimac caught and was pinned by the nearby mousetrap, allowing an otherwise slow-starting Namreko 3000 to grab and lift it. However, this proved costly for Namreko 3000, as a further hit from the mousetrap caused it to topple onto its side, with Merrimac still in its grasp. Merrimac, still upright, was left beached on its now-incapacitated opponent, firing its lifting flaps helplessly as Tazz pushed Red Scorpion against the wall in the bottom-right corner.[213][214]

Tazz took hits to its left tire from the nearby flipper as it kept pinning Red Scorpion in place. Merrimac finally broke free, ramming Tazz and Red Scorpion before its two remaining opponents separated. Red Scorpion was unable to break free from the wall and flipper, and was jostled around by one of Merrimac's flaps. The attacks were enough to turn Red Scorpion around, allowing it to finally escape as Tazz whacked Merrimac again. Merrimac attacked Red Scorpion and Tazz simultaneously with another drive, only to drive into the upper mousetrap again.[213][214]

Tazz and Red Scorpion locked together during another head-to-head exchange; the former trying to lift Scorpion up with its turret-mounted arm. Merrimac rejoined the skirmish by ramming both of its opponents, before Red Scorpion lifted Tazz onto its right wheel. Upon separating, Tazz whacked and prodded Red Scorpion with the arm multiple times, the latter also being rammed by Merrimac during this moment. Merrimac, however, would drive itself into and be attacked by the mousetrap twice more, as it and Tazz nudged the long-stranded Namreko 3000. Tazz hooked and carried Merrimac to the space between the mousetrap and upper-right flipper, with Red Scorpion also coming in to prise Merrimac off the arena floor.[213][214]

All three of the remaining heavyweights locked together. Tazz was the only one to break free on this occasion, though it ended up catching itself under the active mousetrap as it drove away. Upon being released, it pushed, bumped and lifted Red Scorpion again, with Merrimac still trapped between the arena hazards. Tazz swung its arm in each direction, striking both opponents repeatedly as Merrimac finally broke free. Thick smoke poured from inside Merrimac as it escaped the scene, with Red Scorpion now being pinned within range of the flipper paddle. Red Scorpion also began smoking as it continued to be attacked by Tazz.[213][214]

Again, Merrimac caught itself under the mousetrap, while nudging both Tazz and Red Scorpion twice as the Melee entered its final minute. The weapons of Tazz and Red Scorpion briefly locked together, with the former's arm hooked beneath the Red Scorpion 'tail'. Merrimac, bashing into the other mousetrap hazard, pinned the long-eliminated Namreko 3000 against the wall, and was soon joined by Tazz. Red Scorpion slowly managed to escape the upper-right corner, dodging the mousetrap in the closing seconds. Namreko 3000, having become immobilized early on, was the only machine of the quartet not to appear in the Heavyweight Melee Final.[213][214]

Clips of this battle would feature in the American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 intro montages. These included the moment Namreko 3000 was toppled over by a mousetrap while lifting Merrimac, and a clip of Red Scorpion lifting itself up using its tail weapon. An extended version of the former - showing Tazz's first ram on Red Scorpion - appears in American Robot Wars 1996, interspersed with footage from the Heavyweight Melee Final.

Winners: Merrimac, Red Scorpion & Tazz

BioHazard vs DooMore vs La Machine vs The Master vs Vlad the Impaler[]

Following its Face-Off loss earlier the same day, various roboteers assisted with repairing La Machine in the lead-up to this battle. While Greg Munson and his girlfriend focused on repairing the battery box, Tim Jenison - representing sponsor NewTek - rewired the robot. Gigan's Peter Abrahamson was also cited in Gearheads to have replaced one of its motor pins.[215]

Upon entering the arena, The Master was driven slowly into position with Mark Setrakian - transmitter in hand - standing atop its circular saw engine. With the tail arm also having been removed beforehand, this marked the first time that it fought as an overhead thwackbot during this competition. Emphasis was placed in American Robot Wars 1996 on The Master's need to win this Melee, as it was claimed to be looking for redemption following both its loss in the Face-Off tournament and its Grudge Match loss against Red Scorpion.

"Again, The Master had a lot to prove having been beaten twice - this was his last chance."
— Paul Vallis, as focus is drawn towards The Master's flailing attacks
The master weapon loss

The Master's weapon arm rolls around the arena

La Machine headed straight towards DooMore, with BioHazard almost intercepting its charge. Meanwhile, Vlad the Impaler also headed across the center past a nearby mousetrap, while The Master hung back, turning round to position itself for overhead attacks. In revenge for its Face-Off Final defeat, La Machine shoved BioHazard through a flipper and into one of the mousetraps, though the latter still managed to lift DooMore up while being pushed. The Master finally swung into action, attempting to bring its saw down onto DooMore and Vlad the Impaler. Clouds of dust rose up as Mark Setrakian's machine repeatedly hit the floor with each swing, and lost its top castor wheel through these aggressive movements.[216][217]

La machine vs vlad the impaler

La Machine gets underneath Vlad the Impaler

Seconds later, The Master finally hit the front of Vlad the Impaler, sparks flying as it cut into the right fork of Gage Cauchois' machine. More aggressive swinging deterred Vlad the Impaler and DooMore from approaching The Master, though The Master would again target the former. Vlad the Impaler lifted and hooked The Master by one of the wheels, preventing it from getting away as La Machine shovelled BioHazard towards the duo. Dust clouds kicked up again as The Master again sliced into the floor, using this chance to unpin itself from the mousetrap just as DooMore rejoined the mayhem. Backing up towards the nearby flipper, The Master swung its blade onto Vlad the Impaler again. Sparks flew from beneath The Master as the circular saw began to detach from its arm. Following another violent lunge at Vlad the Impaler, the weapon broke off entirely, briefly dragging itself across the arena under its own power.[216][217]

"With The Master crippled, it came down to a game of tag between La Machine and BioHazard, with nothing being allowed to get in the way."
— Paul Vallis

La Machine lured DooMore past the now-weaponless Master, only to be lifted and briefly pinned by Vlad the Impaler. DooMore and BioHazard took turns at ramming The Master, then each other, with BioHazard also getting a small lift on Scott LaValley's entry. Four of the five machines converged in the corner; La Machine propped The Master and Vlad the Impaler up against the wall simultaneously. BioHazard tried to flip Vlad the Impaler from the right-hand side, but missed, only to trap the latter as La Machine came in on the attack. A second attempt by Carlo Bertocchini's machine almost succeeded in turning Vlad the Impaler over, but was disrupted by rams from both La Machine and DooMore. La Machine bulldozed The Master into an arena flipper, before BioHazard rammed and tried to lock lifters with Vlad the Impaler.[216][217]

DooMore pushed the recently-crowned Face-Off champion further into the wall. Seconds later, La Machine threw DooMore upwards with another high-speed ram, pushing it backwards towards The Master, before pushing it and BioHazard back simultaneously. The trio became entangled in an already-bent flipper, though La Machine broke loose to push BioHazard towards the center. BioHazard backed off La Machine's wedge, allowing Trey Roski and Greg Munson's machine to career into one of the mousetraps. La Machine immediately slammed into BioHazard's side again, pushing it over Vlad the Impaler's forks. Vlad the Impaler dragged its Face-Off rival back, as La Machine shifted focus on ramming DooMore against the wall.[216][217]

Rumble corner pile up

BioHazard is toppled as every other opponent gangs up on it

Another four-robot pile-up developed, as a recovering BioHazard pushed Vlad the Impaler up against La Machine's scoop. A further collision with DooMore forced Vlad the Impaler back down, after which it retreated between a mousetrap and one of the flippers. BioHazard suddenly stopped moving and began smoking, its arm partially jammed open following damage sustained from one of La Machine's earlier rams.[2] La Machine took advantage by pushing and turning BioHazard over into the upper-left corner, where it was unable to self-right. DooMore fired its spike into BioHazard's baseplate, only to be pushed away by La Machine. The Master drove over the inverted BioHazard in the ensuing pile-up, only to be pressured by Vlad the Impaler, which in turn was flipped completely over by La Machine.[216][217]

"La Machine grabbed its chance and caught BioHazard and slammed him into a corner, where he was trapped upside down. Now, La Machine was intent on demolishing everyone else. Vlad the Impaler goes up and over."
— Paul Vallis
La machine vs doomore oota

La Machine throws DooMore out of the arena

Before DooMore could spear the now-immobile Vlad the Impaler, La Machine separated both machines. The Master, having escaped from the corner where BioHazard was left, attempted to whack DooMore with the remains of its weapon. Such was the large gap in DooMore's frame, that Mark Setrakian's machine caught one of its wheels in it. La Machine pushed both robots around in circles, before a thrust from DooMore's spike allowed it to break free. The Master was shoved in the corner, now showing very limited movement, before La Machine continued ramming its remaining opponents and the long-eliminated Vlad the Impaler.[216][217]

"DooMore, doomed.... and poor old The Master brushed aside."
— Paul Vallis

After steering DooMore into an arena flipper, La Machine proceeded to push and forcefully flip it over the wall on the right-hand side. DooMore, unable to self-right, was now effectively out of the arena as it lay trapped within the moving mechanism.

"The ultimate winner here, La Machine, dumping that one [DooMore] over the edge."
Jonathan Pearce, commenting on DooMore's ejection (Robot Wars: The First Wars, Heat D)

The Master, having survived through an encounter with one of the mousetraps, was flipped by La Machine's very next ram, and immobilized after getting caught behind a nearby flipper. La Machine pressed The Master - and the flipper paddle - against the wall, before spinning triumphantly to a rapturous response from the live audience.[216][217]

"Having got the victory spin out of the way, La Machine gives BioHazard a health check... just to show who's boss!"
— Paul Vallis
La machine vs biohazard rumble

BioHazard is attacked one final time by La Machine

Not content with this dominant win, La Machine smashed into BioHazard one last time, flipping it onto the left wall. BioHazard crept off the wall and managed to head back across to the right-hand side under its own power. La Machine pushed BioHazard twice more - the second time against the entrance/exit doors - and continued spinning as the latter finished the battle by getting swatted by the lower mousetrap. Though immobilized, The Master and DooMore were chosen to appear in the Heavyweight Melee Final alongside La Machine.[216][217]

Winner: La Machine (The Master and DooMore also qualified)

Heavyweight Melee Final[]

The Heavyweight Melee Final consisted of twelve different robots: La Machine, South Bay Mauler, The Master, DooMore, Tazz, Punjar, Nemesis, Killbborg, Red Scorpion, Merrimac, Gutrip and Marvin. Mark Setrakian's machine was fitted with the large thwacking blade in place of the previously-damaged circular saw, again functioning as a thwackbot. Prior to the battle starting, South Bay Mauler's flails were spun up, making it one of the more ostensibly threatening robots in the field. Unlike all other Melees, audience footage suggests that the Heavyweight Melee Final ran for longer than the usual five minutes.[218][219]

"The Master is back with a new weapon... a blade."
— Paul Vallis on The Master as the climatic rumble gets underway
Hw rumble2 pileup

South Bay Mauler (center-left) gets caught in an early pile-up

Immediately, The Master charged at South Bay Mauler, weathering blows from the flails while tapping it with its own blade. Merrimac also engaged in its own scrap with DooMore, wedging underneath it, as did Nemesis and Marvin from the left-most side, and La Machine and Killbborg on the right. Tazz strayed precariously close to the upper mousetrap as it initially kept distant from the ensuing mayhem.[218][219]

A pile-up soon occurred in the center of the arena, stopping South Bay Mauler's flails completely. La Machine rammed DooMore, Punjar drove underneath Merrimac, and The Master kept pinning South Bay Mauler against the other four machines. Tazz also bumped into La Machine, but was pinned directly opposite the mousetrap by Killbborg, while Merrimac attempted to lift and pin La Machine, without success. At that point in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, the highlights then cut to a clip from the earlier melee involving Tazz, Red Scorpion and Merrimac, also featuring Namreko 3000. Nemesis pushed Marvin around in the background, while The Master broke free to strike the latter with its own blade.[218][219]

In response to Killbborg's advances, Tazz swung its turret around, but could not avoid getting pushed further across the center. La Machine shovelled DooMore, Nemesis, Merrimac and Marvin in quick succession, with Punjar and The Master also trying to get themselves involved. In the background, Gutrip struggled to move from its place next to the lower mousetrap, appearing to be immobilized on one side.[218][219]

The master vs la machine vs punjar

The Master lifts La Machine while Punjar pushes

"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 The Master and Punjar try to eliminate La Machine

As it reversed, La Machine accidentally drove up the blade of The Master, which dragged and pushed the silver machine back with assistance from Punjar. The Trey Roski/Greg Munson entry was steered towards and on top of the upper-left flipper, though The Master also found itself straddling over the paddle as DooMore rushed in. Similarly to their previous Melee, DooMore's exposed frame allowed it to catch The Master by one wheel, which spun helplessly as Tazz joined the scrap to whack Punjar a few times. Meanwhile, Marvin drove into South Bay Mauler, stopping the latter's flails once more, before pushing it towards the quartet.[218][219]

South bay mauler vs Marvin

South Bay Mauler duels with Marvin

Elsewhere, Merrimac got hooked by and pushed Killbborg back towards the other side of the arena. Red Scorpion followed and briefly drove up the former's lifting flaps, before Nemesis joined in to push Merrimac into the upper-left corner. Killbborg also began pushing Red Scorpion back, while repeatedly firing its left spear. Very little movement was displayed by DooMore or Punjar, with both La Machine and The Master still trapped on the flipper. Marvin came under further attack from Tazz and South Bay Mauler, which clattered Willis Wong's machine with the spinning flails.[218][219]

With La Machine, The Master and DooMore all seemingly eliminated, Punjar headed across the perimeter to join this scrap. Ramiro Mallari's entry pushed South Bay Mauler into the lower mousetrap, while Tazz found itself under pressure from both Marvin and an immobile Gutrip. Punjar then pushed Marvin back across the center and into the upper mousetrap, which snared Marvin in place, with assistance from Nemesis. At this point, The Master - still with both wheels gripping the floor - gingerly began pushing La Machine off the flipper.[218][219]

Tazz joined the Marvin/Nemesis duel, while South Bay Mauler - now left alone - got its flails back up to full speed. Undeterred, Merrimac rammed South Bay Mauler from the side, the resulting collisions causing the flails to once again stop as they clattered Merrimac and the still-pinned La Machine. Another multi-robot pile-up grew as Nemesis and Tazz surrounded the trio. In the midst of this, La Machine was freed from the flipper, but still appeared to remain pinned on The Master's blade. Nemesis pushed South Bay Mauler against the same flipper, at which point a nudge from Tazz - also pushing Merrimac sideways - dropped La Machine back onto the arena floor. Despite technically being pinned for over one minute and 40 seconds - well over the 30 seconds usually required for elimination - La Machine was allowed to resume fighting from this point forward, as were its surrounding opponents.[218][219]

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

La Machine quickly broke free, as did The Master from DooMore. The Master briefly stopped, taking repeated blows from the upper-left flipper, before making a decidedly feeble swing on DooMore's exposed internals. At that moment, Mark Setrakian's axlebot became completely immobilized, while DooMore drove away and Marvin finally managed to free itself from the mousetrap. Merrimac pushed Punjar towards the right-hand side of the arena, while Tazz and South Bay Mauler again kept themselves out of the action. La Machine began making up for its earlier predicament by pushing Nemesis into the same flipper, then shoving and flipping Punjar over the right-hand side wall. Upon reversing, it turned and scooped DooMore into the upper-right flipper, where Red Scorpion appeared to have very little movement.[218][219]

""Munch" gets the La Machine treatment!"
— Paul Vallis, over a close-up shot of Merrimac being forcibly scooped up by La Machine

La Machine kept its onslaught up by tipping Merrimac up onto its side against South Bay Mauler, though it was unable to flip Merrimac completely over. Merrimac, seemingly unfazed, gently pushed Nemesis from the side as South Bay Mauler was rammed into the pair by La Machine. Gutrip finally ventured into the center, but was unable to make any significant gains as it came under pressure from Merrimac.[218][219]

"And now it's Tazz's turn!"
— Paul Vallis as La Machine turns Tazz on its head

The American Robot Wars 1996 highlights inferred that Tazz was seen attacking Red Scorpion at this point, though in reality Tazz continued to mingle with South Bay Mauler on the right-hand side. La Machine continued ramming South Bay Mauler and Merrimac, before scooping Tazz up and pushing it into the lower mousetrap and South Bay Mauler. The collision was enough to flip Donald Hutson's machine over, where it was left spinning around and unable to self-right. Punjar, meanwhile, managed to get freed by the moving wall mechanism, allowing it to re-enter the combat zone and resume fighting.[218][219]

Merrimac followed and started pushing Nemesis past Marvin, only to be rammed again by La Machine. An evasive DooMore slammed into one of The Master's wheels, in turn blocking Merrimac as it was shoved under and swatted by the upper mousetrap. La Machine, Nemesis and Merrimac exchanged more rams between each other, the former proceeding to drive around the breakdancing Tazz and ram the spinning South Bay Mauler yet again.[218][219]

With over three minutes completed, La Machine followed and pressed Nemesis against the upper-right flipper. Killbborg approached Gutrip, but did not attack. Meanwhile, Punjar got underneath, then started dragging and pushing The Master away from the upper-left corner, the latter finally regaining mobility in one of its wheels. As it did so, it took a glancing swipe from South Bay Mauler which was again enough to slow the Tilfords' flail spinner. La Machine continued pressuring DooMore, Nemesis and Killbborg, ramming the latter into the corner where Red Scorpion now lay completely immobilized. The former next shoved Marvin, while DooMore engaged in a head-to-head ram with Nemesis. La Machine shoved DooMore away and into the lower mousetrap.[218][219]

Punjar carried The Master into South Bay Mauler's flails. On its way to meeting the sparring pair, Nemesis was collected and rammed into the upper-left corner by La Machine. Killbborg, avoiding Marvin, then approached South Bay Mauler which was now moving into the center. DooMore became snagged on the twin blades of Gutrip, leaving it pinned for the second time. Another three-way battle began developing as Nemesis, La Machine and Merrimac all took turns at ramming the helpless Tazz. Killbborg became the fourth to become involved, as it tried to push and spear Nemesis and La Machine from their sides. DooMore managed to escape Gutrip's hold, but only after La Machine forcibly separated the two machines with a ram.[218][219]

Merrimac and South Bay Mauler idled in the center, at which point DooMore, Punjar (still carrying The Master) and Nemesis all piled into the latter. Mark Anderson's robot retreated into the space beside the upper mousetrap, as La Machine joined in to try and push DooMore away. Nemesis then pushed Killbborg back, before La Machine refocused on ramming Punjar and The Master. Again failing to separate them, it then darted around to push South Bay Mauler up against the bottom-left flipper. Merrimac returned to pressure Punjar, which found itself underneath a recovering South Bay Mauler. In the upper-left corner, DooMore, Killbborg and Nemesis were all briefly pinned together within range of the flipper hazard. Killbborg pushed DooMore back while taking swipes from the paddle.[218][219]

The master vs punjar

Punjar attacks the immobile Master

A few tentative moments followed, before La Machine pushed Nemesis into the lower-left pocket, then South Bay Mauler into the lower mousetrap. The Master managed to regain enough mobility to free itself from Punjar's wedge shape, just as Nemesis pushed both robots across the inner perimeter. The Master drove over the front of Nemesis to escape, then thwacked the top of Punjar while it was being pushed by Killbborg. In the background, La Machine completed two more shoves on South Bay Mauler, into the right-most wall and bottom-right flipper respectively, while weathering a cursory ram from Merrimac. Gutrip continued to shuffle back and forth on its right-side drive.[218][219]

Following another encounter with the upper-left flipper, The Master was again scooped up by Punjar, and was left motionless after digging its blade underneath an equally-static DooMore. Rams from Nemesis were enough to bring Tazz back onto its wheels and allow the latter to parade across the arena. Merrimac drove underneath Killbborg; La Machine rammed Nemesis again before the two robots and South Bay Mauler joined in yet another pile-up. La Machine proceeded to ram Tazz and Punjar, pushing the latter into the bottom-left flipper despite pressure from Tazz. Nemesis bumped into Killbborg a few more times before heading back to the left-hand side. This proved to be a major mistake, however, as La Machine collected and almost turned it over against the top-right flipper.[218][219]

Six machines - La Machine, South Bay Mauler, Punjar, Killbborg, Nemesis and Tazz - then piled into each other. Tazz used this opportunity to spear the right-hand side of La Machine with its arm, during which DooMore was also seen ambling around from the outside. Merrimac also closed in on the group, wedging underneath South Bay Mauler, before the machines started separating. Tazz and La Machine were the first to pull free, the former then pushing Nemesis up against the corner. Spinning its turret madly, Tazz was then rolled over by La Machine for the second time, before the latter joined another pile-up opposite the entrance/exit doors. In trying to join this skirmish, DooMore wedged itself on one of Merrimac's angled sides, where it was unable to back away. Nemesis reversed to let La Machine go, with Killbborg and Marvin also moving as the pack split up.[218][219]

Pushing matches continued to run beyond this point; La Machine on South Bay Mauler, and DooMore on Punjar. Not long after, another pile-up took place in front of the upper mousetrap, after which La Machine pushed DooMore into the bottom-left corner. During this time, Punjar repeatedly whacked the top of South Bay Mauler with its flails, with Merrimac close by. La Machine rammed South Bay Mauler and Nemesis in quick succession, but appeared to lose power as it spun around in circles. More tentative nudging took place between the remaining competitors, with Punjar's flail being the only weapon appearing capable of sustained attacks. Simultaneous stalemates between La Machine and Punjar; and DooMore and Nemesis rounded off the Melee, with Merrimac also finishing the fight by the top-right flipper. Punjar's flails rattled as they hit the top of La Machine, which proceeded to turn The Master over with a late ram.[219]

An announcement by Michael Meehan confirmed that a tie was being considered by the Judges, prompting La Machine to spin around triumphantly. However, Punjar then resumed attacking with the flails, before getting underneath it from the front. Meanwhile, South Bay Mauler crept towards Tazz which was struggling to move around on its right wheel. Meehan again confirmed that a tie had been provisionally called, and instructed all robots which were still mobile to gather in the center of the arena.[219]

"And finally, the audience gets to judge who has won."
— Paul Vallis as the Melee reaches its conclusion
Mauler 96 Battle 2

The surviving competitors and their operators gather for the audience vote

As documented in American Robot Wars 1996, an audience vote was subsequently cast, in order to decide a winner among the surviving robots. As Michael Meehan opened the doors and roboteers began entering the arena, the crowd immediately began chanting in support of La Machine. On this basis, La Machine was chosen as the winner of not only the fight, but the overall 1996 Heavyweight Melee championship. Marc Thorpe praised La Machine as "one tough robot" as he handed the trophy to Trey Roski and the Impact Media team.

Cameraman: "Did you think you guys were gonna come back after the individual competition?"
Greg Munson: "It was real tough. We burned out a motor, our whole battery case... just died, fell on the ground... just split, and just cracked. And then... all the guys from Robot Wars got together. They gave us... drill press, they gave us pins, they gave us glue... everyone just came together, helped get La Machine back together. We went out there... and, uh... we did well!"
Trey Roski: "La Machine... sole survivor!"
— The La Machine team are interviewed following their Heavyweight Melee triumph (American Robot Wars 1996)

Winner: La Machine

Middleweight Melee[]

Agamemnon vs Pokey vs Satoru Special 3 vs Scrappy vs Traxx[]

The five robots scrambled to the center of the arena, with Pokey, Traxx and Agamemnon all ganging up on Satoru Special 3. The latter two were briefly swatted and pushed aside by a nearby mousetrap, as Scrappy - covered in nets - brushed past an arena flipper on its way to the corner. Pokey shuffled back and forth in a bid to pin Scrappy, but distanced itself from the building pile-up as Agamemnon pushed Traxx and Satoru Special 3 to the other side. While Agamemnon reversed and targeted Scrappy, it became apparent that both Traxx and Satoru Special 3 had already become immobilized.[45][220]

Pokey attempted to attack the two incapacitated machines, but took whacks from the arena flipper. Agamemnon pushed Scrappy further along into the corner, where the former struggled to escape. A microcontroller crash immobilized Pokey as it returned to the same corner; Agamemnon spun triumphantly as it emerged as the clear winner.[45][220][221]

Winner: Agamemnon

Lightweight Melee[]

Attiller (the Hun) vs Cyclo-Kluge vs Flipper vs Happy Fun Bot vs Speed Bump vs SPS3[]

Highlights of this Melee were featured in American Robot Wars 1996. For this competition, the inflatable doll from Lorena was attached to the top of Speed Bump, though this modification was not acknowledged as such in the aforementioned VHS release. Speed Bump was therefore referred to as "Lorena" by Paul Vallis throughout the released highlights, and as Lorena 2 by some sources.[198][1][222][223]

Attiller vs bite me

Attiller (the Hun) immobilizes itself on Cyclo-Kluge

The start of the melee was ponderous for most of the machines. Cyclo-Kluge encountered drive issues early on and got itself caught on an arena flipper. Attiller (the Hun) made a dash for Speed Bump, whose Lorena doll bobbled back and forth as the whole robot darted around in circles. Flipper was next to join the fray, as Attiller (the Hun) rammed Cyclo-Kluge. Unfortunately for Jim Sellers' machine, the collision was enough to tip it forward as soon as its spinners caught underneath Cyclo-Kluge's disc. This would be enough to pin both competitors at once. Speed Bump and Flipper ganged up on their now-immobile opponents; Flipper also becoming wedged underneath Cyclo-Kluge until it used its lifting panel to break free. Attiller (the Hun) had been completely prised off the arena floor by this time.[222][223]

"Attiller (the Hun) got off to a bad start. He got locked into Bite Me [Cyclo-Kluge]... while Happy Fun Bot again came to grief in the nets of SPS3."
— Paul Vallis on the start of the melee
Happy fun bot vs sps3 melee

Happy Fun Bot slices into SPS3, only to get entangled again

Meanwhile, Happy Fun Bot trundled across the other side of the arena, turning around to face SPS3. Similarly to the Face-Off match between these two machines, SPS3 deployed its nets, which were enough to snare Happy Fun Bot's chainsaw as it tried to slice through its right-rear tire. Flipper attempted to attack SPS3, but without success, as did Speed Bump, which pushed Happy Fun Bot towards the moving wall. Speed Bump took most of SPS3's nets with it as it then pushed Flipper from the side. Flipper briefly wedged underneath Happy Fun Bot, but again could not use its lifter effectively. Speed Bump nudged SPS3 and Flipper again; Happy Fun Boy now lay stationary, and, similarly to its Face-Off loss, was eventually left trapped on SPS3's nets in the bottom-left corner.[222][223]

Lorena vs flipper

Flipper attempts to flip "Lorena" but is shunted

Lorena vs flipper mousetrap

"Lorena" shoves Flipper into a mousetrap

The remainder of the battle was marked by a pushing match between Speed Bump and Flipper, with SPS3 also appearing to be out of action by this point. Speed Bump shoved and drove alongside the latter for several moments, while "Lorena" absorbed collisions with the Ball of Doom. The lower front lip of Speed Bump remained advantageous as it pushed Flipper towards the outer perimeter and pinned it against one of the mousetraps. The mousetrap, in turn, knocked the "Lorena" doll back a few times, before both robots separated and escaped. Speed Bump kept pushing and pressuring Flipper, whose lifter was still unable to gain enough purchase.[222][223]

Speed Bump pirouetted and drove head-on into the mousetrap on the other side of the arena. This time, it was less fortunate, as the "Lorena" knife blade caught the top of the mousetrap net, allowing the hazard to pull the whole robot off the arena floor. Again, "Lorena" was almost fully flattened as the mousetrap brought Speed Bump back down. Speed Bump backed away to push Flipper twice more, and to pin it against the wall directly opposite the lower mousetrap in the dying moments. As the last two robots still mobile, Flipper and Speed Bump were immediately announced as the joint winners by Michael Meehan.[222][223]

Winners: Flipper & Speed Bump (Lorena) qualified

Gator vs Snickers vs Test Toaster One vs The Enforcer vs Wonderbug[]

"The melee. This was a great chance for Gator to get out and show his stuff. He had sturdy armor, and there was no way anyone was going to get through it. Well, if only Gator's controls worked as well as his armor."
— Dennis Millard[173]

Gator quickly darted towards the center, while The Enforcer made an early attack on Wonderbug. On the right side of the arena, Test Toaster One engaged in combat with Snickers, in a mirror of their Lightweight Face-Off match. The latter hooked and pushed Snickers against the upper-right corner, while Gator spun around and was temporarily immobilized by the swinging Ball of Doom.[173][224]

While the CPU for Dennis Millard's machine reset, The Enforcer nudged it twice. Test Toaster One joined the scrap as Gator lifted its arm, pushing The Enforcer back into the wall beside one of the flippers. The two machines returned to the center, while Gator got caught by a mousetrap. Another collision with the Ball of Doom caused Gator to lose drive again, leaving it vulnerable to more blows which triggered a motor controller failure. Test Toaster One and The Enforcer both fought on next to Wonderbug, which sat immobile near the bottom-left corner. There, Al Kindle's machine gained the upper hand, pinning Test Toaster One against the wall.[173][224]

Arm raised, Gator was left driving in circles on its right wheel, coming under further pressure from The Enforcer. Both robots exchanged shoves, The Enforcer proceeding to lift and push Gator into the upper mousetrap. The Enforcer dragged Gator back after a few hazard trappings, eventually leaving it in the center of the arena. By that point, it became clear that Gator was completely immobile. The Enforcer and Al Kindle were quickly declared the winners of this Melee.[173][224]

Winner: The Enforcer

Lightweight Melee Final[]

Featuring three of the winning robots from the initial Melees - Flipper and Speed Bump (Lorena) from the first, and The Enforcer from the second - the Final was briefly highlighted in American Robot Wars 1996. Short clips were interspersed with highlights from the first preliminary Melee, though the Team Spike website confirms that this was actually a separate battle.[56][64]

Lorana vs the enforcer

The Enforcer attempts to attack "Lorena"

Lorena mousetrap

"Lorena" is squashed by the arena mousetrap, but Speed Bump survives to take the Lightweight Melee championship

In the released footage - interspersed with that of the first Melee - Flipper and The Enforcer attempted a pincer attack on Speed Bump, though neither would be able to properly disrupt the doll-wielding machine. Speed Bump then maneuvered towards the lower mousetrap, which tried to flatten the "Lorena" doll entirely. In the latter clip, Flipper was also seen chasing and attempting to lift a retreating Enforcer.

According to the Team Spike website, The Enforcer lost one of its wheels during the match, but remained mobile throughout. Flipper was also implied to have become immobilized at some point, leaving Speed Bump and The Enforcer as the last two robots standing. Neither of the latter robots was able to build a sizeable advantage over one another, with Speed Bump struggling to pin The Enforcer, and The Enforcer unable to lift Speed Bump. The Featherweight Melee Final lasted the full five minutes and was decided by an audience vote. The crowd voted in favor of Speed Bump - under the guise of Lorena - allowing it to become the surprise Lightweight Melee champion.[56][198][64]

"But at the end, the surprise winner was... Lorena!"
— Paul Vallis

Winner: Speed Bump (Lorena)

Featherweight Melee[]

Bite Me vs Mad Dog vs Yo Mama![]

On the left side of the arena, Yo Mama! quickly pressured the scoop-wielding Bite Me, while Mad Dog dodged the Ball of Doom on its way from the right-most perimeter. While Mad Dog stayed out of most of the action, the duel between Bite Me and Yo Mama! proved costly for both, when they each became trapped between the upper mousetrap and the upper-left flipper. Mad Dog drove underneath Bite Me to pin it in place, which proved crucial for it to snatch victory from its two opponents.[225]

Winner: Mad Dog

Black Sheep 2 vs KMM vs Melvin vs My Little Pony vs Spike vs Wedge of Doom vs WYSIWYG vs The X-2[]

All eight robots scrambled towards the center; the diminutive Spiny Norman rammed My Little Pony, which quickly caught it in its tape traps. Meanwhile, Wedge of Doom pushed Black Sheep 2 into the upper-right corner, while WYSIWYG attempted to pin Spike against the wall. The X-2 and KMM engaged in their own scrap, the former pushing the 1995 Super Lightweight champion while also being scooped up momentarily by Wedge of Doom.[129][209][226][227]

"When the match started, all the robots attacked each other. My Little Pony's tape quickly unraveled, and I made sure to avoid getting caught in it. I then noticed that KMM was driving straight toward me. I turned The Wedge of Doom and charged straight at KMM."
— Tony Buchignani on the Melee's opening moments[209]
WYSIWYG96

The X-2, shortly after turning WYSIWYG over

Wedge of Doom then drove cautiously around My Little Pony and its tape, which was also snagged by KMM's right pincer, before pushing Black Sheep 2 again into KMM and the right-most wall panel. KMM backed into the pair, which proved a mistake as it was soon pushed across to the other side by Wedge of Doom. Wedge of Doom pinned it in place in the bottom-left corner, even while KMM swung its hammer down multiple times. In the meantime, The X-2 pinned, then turned WYSIWYG over with its forklift, eliminating the UK machine. Spike, having escaped from WYSIWYG in the process, approached and lifted Black Sheep 2 with its rear arm. My Little Pony drove over the tape it had deposited, and played little part from that point forward.[129][209][226][227]

The X-2 shuttled back and forth between the perimeter and Spike, before moving across the arena to attack Wedge of Doom. Having eliminated KMM, Wedge of Doom began a shoving match with The X-2, but The X-2 drove over it and escaped quickly. Wedge of Doom was trapped between the arena flipper and KMM, which responded by twice attempting to hammer it. The duel between Wedge of Doom and The X-2 resumed, with both robots taking swipes from the flipper, before being met by Spike. Andrew Lindsey's machine lifted The X-2 onto its right-hand side, but stayed out of the action as Wedge of Doom maneuvered The X-2 into the upper mousetrap, lower-right flipper and lower-right corner. The inverted WYSIWYG had by then been propped up against one of the sponsorship banners in this area.[129][209][226][227]

Mike Winter's machine had a high enough ground clearance and proved too maneuverable to be pinned easily. Regardless, Wedge of Doom pushed it into the left-most wall, with The X-2 nudging and chasing it in response. Spike also rejoined the fight, but was unable to get its arm to lift either of its remaining opponents. At this point, Wedge of Doom became snared by the upper-left flipper. Both Spike and The X-2 momentarily paused, before the latter flicked Spike upwards from the side. Wedge of Doom escaped to break up both machines, after which The X-2 aggressively rammed, but failed to lift Spike from the back. Wedge of Doom broke the pair up again, before proceeding to pin Spike against the lower wall. The X-2 retreated to the other side of the arena, while Black Sheep 2 - having been pinned by Spike earlier on - attempted to rejoin the action as it drove across the right-most wall.[129][209][226][227]

Once Spike had been fully pinned, Wedge of Doom and The X-2 resumed their duel yet again. As before, Wedge of Doom proved the more dominant, consistently able to drive underneath and control The X-2 around. During the final twenty seconds, Tony Buchignani's machine held The X-2 in place near the inner perimeter, with The X-2 raising its forklift in response to no avail. Wedge of Doom drove The X-2 past the mousetrap - nearly getting swatted itself - and into the wall, seconds after Michael Meehan declared the match to be over. As the last two robots standing, Wedge of Doom and The X-2 automatically progressed to the Featherweight Melee Final, though some sources list the former as the sole winner.[129][209][226][227]

Winners: Wedge of Doom and The X-2 qualified

Arsenic vs Rampage vs Red 2 vs Roach vs Slomo 3 (X2) vs Spiny Norman vs Triple Redundancy[]

This Melee was featured in the American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 videos. Slomo 3 was erroneously referred to as "X2" throughout the highlights included in the former.

Triple redundancy vs red 2 vs spiy norman

Spiny Norman is caught by Triple Redundancy's tape

The battle began with Slomo 3 darting past Rampage and Spiny Norman, with Arsenic backing into the wall on the left side of the lower mousetrap. Slomo 3 made an early lunge at Red 2 in the process, while the walker Roach again struggled to move forward due to technical issues. All three parts of Triple Redundancy began unravelling their tape reels to catch Arsenic, though this failed, and the middle; smaller part almost got entangled itself. Audience footage illustrates that Rampage was seen speeding around in circles at this point.[228]

"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 beginning of the fight
Arsenic vs red 2 vs triple redundancy

Arsenic attempts to lift Red 2

Slomo 3 exchanged light pushes with Red 2, while Spiny Norman began driving over the tape left behind by Triple Redundancy. A four-way scrum involving the former three - plus the smallest segment of Triple Redundancy - followed, which resulted in Red 2 getting underneath and pushing Spiny Norman over the tape. Spiny Norman - itself suffering from a bent wheel - was also pushed by the small Triple Redundancy segment. Another push from Red 2 caused the tape to wrap around Spiny Norman's right-rear wheel, at which point the pair - along with Slomo 3 - were surrounded by all three parts of Triple Redundancy. Though Slomo 3 freed itself by driving under the tape, Red 2 and Spiny Norman were less fortunate, each becoming tangled in the tape.[228]

Arsenic and Slomo 3 next took turns at pinning the immobile Rampage, before the former tried to turn Red 2 over from the left-hand side, but without success. Slomo 3 rammed and chased Arsenic back a few times as Red 2 valiantly tried to push the smallest Triple Redundancy segment in the far side of the arena. The former pair met one of the bigger Triple Redundancy machines in the process; Slomo 3 drove under it in an apparent attempt to get it stuck on its own tape trail. Arsenic pushed Slomo 3 aside once more as the Melee entered its halfway point.[228]

Following a few tentative moments, Slomo 3 rammed Arsenic into the left side wall, before turning and pinning it in place for several seconds. Meanwhile, the convergence of Triple Redundancy, Red 2 and Spiny Norman crawled back and forth across the perimeter on the right-hand side, sideways across the left side of the arena, the five machines being caught in a literal stalemate. The upper-left flipper caused problems for both Slomo 3 and Arsenic, whacking and temporarily pinning them in place. Slomo 3 made a run for the right-hand side, piling into one of the Triple Redundancy segments as it tried to approach the center. With none of its opponents from that side making any substantial movements, Klaas Langhout's machine reversed and began pirouetting close to the center.[228]

With 40 seconds remaining, an announcement by Michael Meehan suggested that Slomo 3 was the only robot still mobile. As Slomo 3 paraded around in celebration, Rampage suddenly burst back into life, moving past the upper mousetrap. Slomo 3 rammed Rampage, to the crowd's amusement, before Jason Bardis' machine continued to dart across the arena. Arsenic also shuttled back and forth across the bottom-left corner before time ran out. Slomo 3 - the last robot officially considered to be active - was immediately declared the winner.[228]

In American Robot Wars 1996, Triple Redundancy's use of tape in this Melee was highlighted as a reason for this weapon type becoming prohibited.

"X2 won because he avoided the tape, which has also been banned from future competitions."
— Paul Vallis

Winner: Slomo 3 (X2)

Bite Me vs Draggon Waggin' vs Edgar the Hate Bug vs Gigan vs Mad Dog vs Nezumi vs P.A.T. vs Ziggy[]

Edgar the Hate Bug vs Ziggy

Ziggy brushes under Edgar the Hate Bug's chainsaw

Starting from the right-most side, P.A.T. and Edgar the Hate Bug began heading towards the center, while Mad Dog, Bite Me, Nezumi, Draggon Waggin' and Gigan engaged in an early tussle among themselves. P.A.T. - in its pursuit of Bite Me - turned and slammed into Mad Dog before wedging underneath the circular-shaped machine. The two invertible wedge rammers proceeded to team up against the snapping Draggon Waggin' and each other, while Nezumi sped past. Moments after an initial dice with Edgar the Hate Bug, Ziggy darted towards and flicked Draggon Waggin' upwards with a ram, allowing Mad Dog to pin the latter against the flipper. At some point during these early moments, Gigan became immobilized, as a result of its tracks being snapped by a ram from an unidentified opponent.[117][229][230]

P.A.T. next drove past Nezumi, before approaching the incapacitated Gigan as it was being pushed backwards by Ziggy. Nezumi also joined this scuffle, which saw both of Gigan's broken treads being forcibly ejected. Mad Dog caught itself under the top-left flipper, while Bite Me pushed Edgar the Hate Bug all the way from the bottom-right corner into the top-left wall. Brian Foote's machine turned its attention to Mad Dog. Meanwhile, Draggon Waggin' and Nezumi attacked Gigan, the former attempting to clamp it with its pneumatic jaw. This prompted Nezumi to chase Draggon Waggin' across the arena, though not without bumping into a mousetrap and almost getting hit by the swinging Ball of Doom.[229][230]

During a one-on-one confrontation, P.A.T. shoved Ziggy into the upper-right corner. Bite Me, having tried to chase Draggon Waggin' as well, caught up with and pushed Nezumi into the wall. P.A.T. took its turn to hunt Draggon Waggin' down, but missed its attempted ram and was hesitant to attack. The Team UCSB machine instead drove around Nezumi, but was forced to back out as Bite Me started shoving the two machines backwards. With Draggon Waggin' also in pursuit, P.A.T. tried to lure the former into a mousetrap, while Bite Me pushed Nezumi into the top-right corner. P.A.T. and Draggon Waggin' headed to opposite sides of the arena; meanwhile, Mad Dog was still struggling to escape the flipper.[229][230]

Draggon Waggin' also took swipes from the top-left flipper, before P.A.T. scooped it up and slammed it into the wall, in a repeat of their earlier Face-Off clash. P.A.T. rammed Draggon Waggin' again after the latter survived the hit, before briefly driving underneath Bite Me as it continued to attack Nezumi. After being swatted by the mousetrap, and being pushed aside by P.A.T., Nezumi was left immobile. From that moment, P.A.T. rammed Draggon Waggin' into the top-right wall a second time, with Bite Me also following them at high speed. The three featherweights became trapped behind the flipper on this side, with Bite Me and P.A.T. taking the brunt of the paddle's hits. Wagging its tail, a seemingly dishevelled Draggon Waggin' was the only robot of the trio not to dart back into the arena center.[229][230]

With Bite Me in hot pursuit, P.A.T. darted underneath the remains of Gigan, sending pieces flying from the top of Peter Abrahamson's machine.[72] Upon reaching the other side of the arena, it backed into and drove Bite Me into the wall. The two competitors, rubbing side-by-side, drove past the bottom-left corner and back into the center. Collisions with the stationary Nezumi broke P.A.T. free, allowing it to push the former behind the mousetrap. Mad Dog finally freed itself from the flipper, giving Gigan a cursory nudge before briefly joining the duel between P.A.T. and Bite Me. P.A.T. forcibly rammed and pinned Bite Me against the mousetrap mechanism, while Mad Dog got underneath and pushed Gigan towards the perimeter, then in between the mousetrap mechanism on the lower perimeter.[229][230]

After several moments of immobility, Edgar the Hate Bug was seen twitching back and forth in its corner, but played no further part in the battle. Seconds after Mad Dog's late attack on Gigan, P.A.T. drove itself underneath the back of the former. While trapping Mad Dog as well, the strain of this 'multi-robot pin' drained P.A.T.'s batteries, to the point that it became immobilized during this crucial moment. With Bite Me and Ziggy also immobile - and Edgar the Hate Bug still twitching - the match ended with no winner being declared.[72][229][230]

Very brief footage from this Melee was featured in the intro montage for American Robot Wars 1996. Clips included Edgar the Hate Bug attempting to attack a passing Ziggy with its chainsaw, and a shot of Draggon Waggin' being chased across the arena by Nezumi.

Winner: None (all robots immobilized)

Featherweight Melee Final[]

Of the winning robots from their weight category, only Slomo 3, Wedge of Doom and The X-2 were chosen to advance to the Featherweight Melee Final.[209]

Surviving audience member footage of this battle indicates that Slomo 3 was the first of the trio to start, turning left from the center towards Wedge of Doom. Both of its opponents began moving seconds later, with The X-2 managing to push Wedge of Doom from the right-hand side when they first engaged. Wedge of Doom turned sharply, scooping The X-2 up, though the Robot Action League lifter escaped over the top. The X-2 darted back and forth across the arena, while Wedge of Doom proceeded to push Slomo 3 into an arena flipper.[231]

Another scuffle between Wedge of Doom and The X-2 resulted in the latter getting pushed into the flipper as well. Slomo 3 was next collected and rammed against the wall by Wedge of Doom, when then drove around and briefly flicked The X-2 upwards. As The X-2 headed back to the center, Slomo 3 rejoined the fray by driving into its side, before managing to breach Wedge of Doom's front ground clearance. The X-2 separated both competitors with a push, only to be pushed into another flipper by Wedge of Doom. In its recovery, Mike Winter's machine backed out of the corner, ramming Slomo 3 in the process.[231]

While Slomo 3 and The X-2 battled on in the center, Wedge of Doom spun around in the corner, seemingly immobile on one side. This was later traced to an internal malfunction, caused by a drill screw being stripped under the forces absorbed during its previous battles. The two fully-mobile machines investigated the stricken Wedge of Doom, which briefly got underneath Slomo 3 once again. The X-2 also drove up the scoop blade of Slomo 3, before proceeding to flip it over with its forklift. With Klaas Langhout's machine incapacitated, The X-2 focused its remaining efforts on trying to turn Wedge of Doom over, lifting it multiple times, but was unable to complete this attack before the match's conclusion.[231][209]

Wedge of Doom's drivetrain issue was factored into the Judges' assessment, which ruled it to have been eliminated along with Slomo 3. The X-2 was thus declared the overall champion of the Featherweight Melee competition.[209]

Winner: The X-2

Side/Exhibition Events[]

Grudge Matches[]

"This year, there were numerous Grudge Matches, to settle old scores or to make a point."
— Paul Vallis summarizing the Grudge Match concept during the battle with WYSISYG and Steel At Work

In addition to the main competitions, the 1996 US competition featured several head-to-head "Grudge Match" battles, primarily to entertain the audience ahead of the Face-Off finals.[129] The concept would later be adopted by the televised show in a similar way, through the Series 2 Grudge Matches special and the Vengeance events featured in Robot Wars Extreme and Nickelodeon Robot Wars.

WYSIWYG vs Steel At Work[]

"The English robot hadn't travelled all this way to be denied taking on the French robot, Steel At Work."
— Paul Vallis' entire commentary of the fight

Announced by Michael Meehan as a 'continuation of the Hundred Years' War', this Grudge Match was intended to settle which of the two robots - representing England and France respectively - would prevail.

Wysiwyg vs steel at work

WYSIWYG knocks out Steel At Work

WYSIWYG sped across the arena and past Steel At Work, which turned around and began spinning in circles. The British entry slammed into the side of its opponent, immobilizing Steel At Work - itself suffering from technical issues – almost instantly. WYSIWYG proceeded to force one of its opponent's sponsor decals loose with another ram, overcoming its size disadvantage to take victory for England.[155]

Winner: WYSIWYG

Red Scorpion vs The Master[]

In American Robot Wars 1996, this Grudge Match was suggested to have taken place to allow both heavyweights to make up for their early defeats in the Face-Off tournaments. As well as its circular saw, The Master had been fitted with its lifting tail as seen in its Face-Off battle.

"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
The master vs red scorpion

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 section, using the top claw to momentarily grasp The Master's left wheel. Smoke poured from The Master as its saw swung down on Red Scorpion's right-most side and backed away. Unfazed, Red Scorpion approached and grasped The Master by its left wheel, with The Master ending up driving into the moving wall section beside them.[232]

Sparks flew as The Master's saw twice made contact with Red Scorpion - once opposite the wall, and again as Red Scorpion rammed and tried to grapple with it with the lower tail. Seconds later, Red Scorpion repeated its earlier tactics, using its claws to seize and push The Master into the corner by the left wheel. Both robots were now behind the upper-right flipper; Red Scorpion used this chance to repeatedly bring its tail down on The Master's wheel hub and tire.[232]

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

The Master kicked up a cloud of dust as it tried to prise itself upwards, causing the saw to grind against the concrete floor. Red Scorpion pushed Mark Setrakian's axlebot even further against the entrance/exit doors, still trying to hammer it with the overhead claw. Both heavyweights remained in a stalemate from that point onwards, just as it was announced that Red Scorpion had successfully pinned The Master for 30 seconds. As Michael Meehan requested Red Scorpion to back out to guarantee victory, The Master also tried wriggling itself free, but without success. While unable to show any further signs of mobility, Red Scorpion was still considered the winner according to American Robot Wars 1996.[232]

Winner: Red Scorpion

Arsenic vs Spunky Munkey[]

Arsenic vs spunky munket

Arsenic lifts Spunky Munkey

This featherweight Grudge Match started slowly, with Spunky Munkey and Arsenic tentatively clipping each other during the first head-to-head joust. Arsenic backed and turned around within the center, while Spunky Munkey stopped opposite the left-most side wall. Gary Cline's machine was hesitant to move, allowing Arsenic to ram and slowly lift it from the right-rear corner. Spunky Munkey slipped off the end of Arsenic's scoop, only to drive into the moving wall section.

Arsenic seized the opportunity to lift Spunky Munkey a second time, hooking it underneath the front-right corner. A shove from the wall section caused the former's left-most fork to go through the space where Spunky Munkey's lifter was housed. Spunky Munkey's wheels spun helplessly, and the arms on the motorized monkey figure continuously punched in thin air as Arsenic pinned it in place.

"Spunky Munkey went on to win the Best Art-Directed Robot Award, but he wasn't quite the fighter his owners had hoped. Still, there's always next year."
— Paul Vallis

Winner: Arsenic

Cyclo-Kluge vs Mad Dog[]

This lightweight/featherweight exhibition match involved both competitors driving into each other at some point. Both Cyclo-Kluge and Mad Dog became locked together as a result, with neither being able to free themselves. The battle went to a 'close audience vote', with Mad Dog gaining the most support from the crowd.[53]

Winner: Mad Dog

Namreko 3000 vs Nemesis[]

According to the Team Spike website, Namreko 3000 started this exhibition battle strongly, by grabbing and beginning to lift Nemesis with its jaws. However, the top-heavy design proved to be its undoing, once Nemesis was hit and knocked out of its grip by a mousetrap net. As also exhibited in its Heavyweight Melee, the impact tipped Namreko 3000 onto its side, leaving it unable to self-right.[21]

Winner: Nemesis

Pokey vs Satoru Special 3[]

To combat the stability problems that lead to its demise in the Face-Off tournaments, Pokey was fitted with outriggers ahead of this all-middleweight clash.[39]

As the battle started, Satoru Special 3 was the only competitor to move immediately. The Judges deliberated on whether or not to eliminate Pokey on this basis, until it suddenly began moving and rammed Satoru Special 3 into an arena corner. Pokey attempted to spear through Satoru Special 3's wooden armor, without success, before proceeding to 'lift and drop' it with its forklift arm. Satoru Special 3 became beached on its own anti-wedge spikes in the process, which was enough for Pokey to win.[39]

Winner: Pokey

Featherweight Team Battle[]

Considered in some accounts to be an additional Grudge Match, this 'experimental team bout' - taking place on August 18 - involved eight featherweights being split into two teams of four - Team W and Team X.[233] Though featuring a slightly different format, this match essentially predated the Tag Team events aired in UK and US versions of the Robot Wars TV show.

Team W (Arsenic, KMM, My Little Pony & The X-2) vs Team X (Melvin, Spike, Spiny Norman & WYSIWYG)[]

WYSIWYG and Spike were among the fastest starters as both teams swarmed towards the center. The former swept past Spike and The X-2, driving My Little Pony into the wall with the same maneuver. As this happened, The X-2 flipped Spiny Norman over, eliminating the latter instantly.[233][129][234][235]

KMM Spike Arsenic

KMM and Arsenic gang up on Spike

While Melvin kept out of harm's way, KMM and Arsenic followed through with a plan to gang up on Spike. Spike, unable to free itself, was grappled, hammered and lifted by its respective opponents' weapons. A clip of this exchange was included in the opening montage for American Robot Wars 1996, placing particular emphasis on KMM's axe attacks. Melvin approached the trio, driving around the outside to ram KMM from behind.[233][129][234][235]

On the other side of the arena, My Little Pony began deploying its tape reels, spinning around and snaring the inverted Spiny Norman with them. At some point, Melvin also got caught in the ever-extending reel, which was enough to incapacitate it as well. Meanwhile, WYSIWYG chased and drove underneath The X-2, but could not complete a pin. The X-2 then drove up the back of Arsenic in an apparent attempt to free its teammate from Spike; KMM had managed to separate after denting Spike's Lexan armor. WYSIWYG also joined the melee by ramming Arsenic from the left side, but could not free Spike in time before it sustained another series of axe blows from KMM. Seconds later, WYSIWYG pinned My Little Pony against the lower mousetrap, only to find itself being lifted and dragged back out by The X-2. The British machine was pinned off the arena floor as a result, but eventually released.[233][129][234][235]

With Spike and Arsenic still stuck together, KMM turned its attention towards WYSIWYG; The X-2 lifted both machines simultaneously as it continued its attacks on Eric Dickinson's entry. KMM tried to axe WYSIWYG multiple times, but seemed to miss each time, with all three robots now stationary. My Little Pony, sans tape, twitched cautiously in the lower-left corner. The X-2 and KMM eventually broke free from WYSIWYG, which again tried to free Spike from Arsenic's hold. KMM approached WYSIWYG, but found itself being scooped up and pinned. The X-2 flicked the two featherweights from the side, following WYSIWYG as it then tried to push KMM towards the entrance/exit doors. My Little Pony trundled to investigate the trio, before The X-2 gave WYSIWYG another flick. Will Wright's machine then got itself stuck on the front wedge shape of WYSIWYG, but was forced off as the latter again tried to separate Spike from Arsenic.[233][129][234][235]

WYSIWYG, unsuccessful in this attempt, proceeded to drive to the bottom-left corner, where it became stationary for a few seconds. The UK machine then rammed Spiny Norman, flipping the tape-strewn machine back onto its wheels in an attempt to bring it back into the fight. Spiny Norman took a few hit from the lower mousetrap, and otherwise struggled to move as it was still tethered to Melvin by My Little Pony's tape. WYSIWYG proceeded to collect and shove My Little Pony itself into the right-hand side wall, though it was left vulnerable to another lift from The X-2. After several minutes, Arsenic finally released Spike, which sat motionless as WYSIWYG continued to hold My Little Pony off the floor. Similarly to before, The X-2 nudged and flicked WYSIWYG from the right-hand side with its pneumatic forklift.[233][129][234][235]

Arsenic slowly moved across the arena to push and lift Spiny Norman under the mousetrap, which swatted it twice more. Spiny Norman was pushed and dragged back by Steven Winter's machine, though the tape prevented Arsenic from being able to maneuver to the other side of the arena. KMM tried to break through the tape, though it only succeeded in drawing Arsenic closer towards it. Pulling back, KMM took a hit from the upper mousetrap, hooked the tape with its right claw, and pulled Spiny Norman onto its back again with a second reverse drive. The Ball of Doom clobbered Spiny Norman's exposed underside, dislodging its battery with this swing. Though KMM was still caught by the tape, it, My Little Pony and The X-2 were all still mobile.[233][129][234][235]

In the closing moments, KMM dragged the helpless Spiny Norman further across the arena. My Little Pony got caught in these movements, but managed to avoid getting stuck on its own tape. As Michael Meehan announced the Judges' impending decision, WYSIWYG caught itself under the upper-right flipper, and was effectively left pinned by the hazard. By this time, Arsenic had also got itself pinned on Melvin. Within seconds, all Team X machines were deemed to have been pinned. The remaining Team W machines - KMM, My Little Pony and The X-2 - all moved in unison to the left side of the arena to emphasize their victory.[233][129][234][235]

Winner: Team W (Arsenic, KMM, My Little Pony & The X-2)

Heavyweight Walking Robot Demo[]

Rex vs Bloodletter Jr.[]

The battle started tentatively, with the faster Rex being dwarfed by the more cumbersome Bloodletter Jr.. Rex raised its jaws as the two competitors drew closer to each other, using them to grab Bloodletter Jr.'s left spike. Bloodletter Jr. slowly began pushing back, while also causing Rex to be lifted off the arena floor for several seconds. Rex lowered back down, and gradually backed away. The high current being drawn through Bloodletter Jr.'s electronics caused it to overheat and begin smoking.[94][236]

Bloodletter Jr fire

A small fire develops onboard Bloodletter Jr.

Rex continued jostling with Bloodletter Jr., trying to lift the latter from under the spikes. Bloodletter Jr. reared up in its counter-attack, the smoke pouring from its electronics box thickening, then developing into a small fire. A tentative stand-off involved Rex again trying to push Bloodletter Jr., but being caught by a nearby arena flipper while backing up. Bloodletter Jr. lurched forwards and sideways, again rearing up in its attempt to block Rex's movements.[94][236]

Rex Bloodletter Jr aftermath

Rex emerges victorious; a crewmember prepares to extinguish Bloodletter Jr. (right)

At that point, Bloodletter Jr. stopped moving; burning and melting insulation caused its wiring to sag and short out its main battery. Seconds later, a bigger, thicker cloud of smoke erupted from the overheating battery, prompting a crewmember to extinguish Bloodletter Jr.. Rex was declared the winner according to sources such as Team Spike.[94][236]

Various clips from this battle were shown in American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996, including:

  • A close-up shot of Rex in motion, highlighting its crank-based walking mechanism. This was included in the intro montages for both VHSs.
  • The aftermath of this battle, of Bloodletter Jr. being engulfed in smoke and having its internal fire put out. In American Robot Wars 1996, this was shown at the start of the closing credits.
  • Footage of Bloodletter Jr.'s electronics box smoking and catching fire, shown exclusively in the American Robot Wars Final 1996 intro montage.

Winner: Rex

Autonomous[]

This event was open to robots capable of full autonomous movements, using mandatory infrared (IR) beacons supplied by the Robot Wars organizers. Three weight classes were proposed - lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight - each with their own separate requirements for beacon mounting points. Killbborg, Scorpion and TerMinal frenZy are known to have attempted entries in the middleweight and heavyweight classes with suitable modifications, in addition to their regular Face-Off and/or Melee events. In the end, only a single Autonomous battle took place between two machines: Gladiator Rodney and Smart Spike.[237][238][6]

Gladiator Rodney vs Smart Spike[]

Both robots encountered technical issues from the outset, preventing them from engaging in combat for several minutes. While Gladiator Rodney raised its scoop during this time, Smart Spike eventually drove into and entangled itself in a mousetrap net. Capitalizing on its opponent's misfortune, Gladiator Rodney lowered its scoop and used it to ram the back of Smart Spike. As the Autonomous match required robots to simply find and attack their opponents, Gladiator Rodney was declared the winner on this basis.[140][142]

Winner: Gladiator Rodney

Awards[]

The following awards were given out to competitors at this event:

Trivia[]

  • In the official American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, several robots were misidentified by Paul Vallis throughout the video:
    • Punjar is misidentified and mispronounced throughout the event as "Pungar" (the only exception is in its battle with Red Scorpion, where Michael Meehan pronounced its name correctly at the end after it immobilises Red Scorpion).
    • Draggon Waggin' was captioned and referred to as Dragon Wagon throughout its battle against P.A.T.
    • During their Featherweight Melee, Slomo 3 and Spiny Norman were each misidentified as X2 and Spiky respectively.
    • During its Lightweight Melee, Cyclo-Kluge was misidentified as the otherwise unseen featherweight competitor Bite Me.
    • Speed Bump's victory in the Lightweight Melee event was directly attributed to Lorena, the featherweight competitor whose doll was attached to it for the entire event.
    • During the Heavyweight Melee Final, Merrimac was misidentified as Munch (another competitor from the same category which competed, but did not feature).
  • According to Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, Mentorn producer Steve Carsey attended the event to film and conduct research for the then still-developing UK Series.[240]

References[]

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  67. 67.0 67.1 67.2 67.3 67.4 67.5 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 2', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
  68. 'ARSENIC' Team Spike website (archived)
  69. 69.0 69.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website on Arsenic (archived May 2 1997)
  70. 70.0 70.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website on Draggon Waggin' (archived May 2 1997)
  71. 71.0 71.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Lorena (archived May 2 1997
  72. 72.0 72.1 72.2 72.3 'PAT', Team Spike website (archived)
  73. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on P.A.T. (archived May 2 1997)
  74. 74.0 74.1 74.2 'RAMPAGE', Team Spike website (archived)
  75. 75.0 75.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Rampage (archived May 2 1997)
  76. 76.0 76.1 76.2 'RED 2', Team Spike website (archived)
  77. 77.0 77.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Red 2 (archived May 2 1997)
  78. 78.0 78.1 78.2 78.3 'ROACH', Team Spike website (archived)
  79. 79.0 79.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Roach ("Snickers") (archived May 2 1997)
  80. 80.0 80.1 80.2 80.3 80.4 80.5 80.6 80.7 'SLOMO III', Team Spike website (archived)
  81. 'Klaas Langhout', Klaas Langhout website (archived)
  82. 82.0 82.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Spiny Norman (archived May 2 1997)
  83. 83.0 83.1 'SPONKEY MUNKY', Team Spike website (archived)
  84. 84.0 84.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Spunkey Munkey (archived May 2 1997)
  85. 85.0 85.1 'TRIPLE REDUNDANCY', Team Spike website (archived)
  86. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Triple Redundancy (archived)
  87. 'The 1996 Wedge of Doom's Design', Nolex/Wedge of Doom website (archived)
  88. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Wedge of Doom (archived)
  89. 89.0 89.1 89.2 'MUNCH', Team Spike website (archived)
  90. 'Munch -- Story of RW 96', Distraction Laboratories website (archived)
  91. 'Team Members', Distraction Laboratories website (archived)
  92. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Munch (archived May 2 1997)
  93. 93.0 93.1 'HEAVYWEIGHT INDEX', Team Spike website (archived)
  94. 94.0 94.1 94.2 94.3 94.4 94.5 94.6 'BLOODLETTER JR', Team Spike website (archived)
  95. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Bloodletter Jr. (archived May 2 1997)
  96. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Rex (archived May 2 1997)
  97. 97.0 97.1 'THE GENERAL', Team Spike website (archived May 2 1997)
  98. 98.0 98.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on The General (archived May 2 1997)
  99. 99.0 99.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Big Shot (archived May 2 1997)
  100. 100.0 100.1 100.2 'THE EVISCERATOR', Team Spike website (archived)
  101. 101.0 101.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on The Eviscerator (archived May 2 1997)
  102. http://sparc.tools/BotRank/detail.php?bn=U25pY2tlcnMgSUkA&wc=120&ty=S
  103. 103.0 103.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Snickers ("Roach") (archived May 2 1997)
  104. 104.0 104.1 104.2 104.3 104.4 'TEST TOASTER ONE', Team Spike website (archived)
  105. 105.0 105.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Test Toaster One (archived May 2 1997)
  106. 106.0 106.1 106.2 106.3 'WONDERBUG', Team Spike website (archived)
  107. 107.0 107.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Wonderbug (archived May 2 1997)
  108. 108.0 108.1 108.2 108.3 108.4 108.5 108.6 108.7 'BITE ME', Team Spike website (archived)
  109. 109.0 109.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Bite Me (archived May 2 1997)
  110. 'BLACKSHEEP', Team Spike website (archived)
  111. 111.0 111.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Black Sheep 2 (archived May 2 1997)
  112. 'BUFORD T. PUSSER', Team Spike website (archived May 2 1997)
  113. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)
  114. 'Parts Is Parts', Robot Snores website (archived)
  115. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Edgar the Hate Bug (archived May 2 1997)
  116. 'Our Team', Robot Snores website (archived)
  117. 117.0 117.1 117.2 'GIGAN', Team Spike website (archived)
  118. 118.0 118.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Gigan (archived May 2 1997)
  119. 119.0 119.1 119.2 'KMM', Team Spike website (archived)
  120. 120.0 120.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on KMM (archived May 2 1997)
  121. 121.0 121.1 'MAD DOG', Team Spike website (archived)
  122. 122.0 122.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Mad Dog (archived May 2 1997)
  123. 123.0 123.1 123.2 123.3 123.4 123.5 123.6 'MELVIN', Team Spike website (archived)
  124. 124.0 124.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Melvin (archived May 2 1997)
  125. 125.0 125.1 'MY LITTLE PONY', Team Spike website (archived)
  126. 126.0 126.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on My Little Pony (archived May 2 1997)
  127. 127.0 127.1 127.2 'NEZUMI', Team Spike website (archived)
  128. 128.0 128.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Nezumi (archived May 2 1997)
  129. 129.00 129.01 129.02 129.03 129.04 129.05 129.06 129.07 129.08 129.09 129.10 129.11 129.12 129.13 129.14 129.15 129.16 129.17 129.18 129.19 129.20 129.21 129.22 129.23 129.24 129.25 'The Story Of Spike', Team Spike website (archived)
  130. 130.0 130.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Spike (archived May 2 1997)
  131. 131.0 131.1 131.2 131.3 'THE SPIKED MASTER', Team Spike website (archived)
  132. 132.0 132.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Spiked Master 2 (archived May 2 1997)
  133. 133.0 133.1 133.2 133.3 133.4 133.5 'X2', Team Spike website (archived)
  134. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on The X-2/X2 (archived May 2 1997)
  135. 'Clark Hochgraf's Homepage.' Clark Hochgraf (archived)
  136. 136.0 136.1 'YO MAMA', Team Spike website (archived)
  137. 137.0 137.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Yo Mama! (archived May 2 1997)
  138. 138.0 138.1 'ZIGGY', Team Spike website (archived)
  139. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Ziggy (archived May 2 1997)
  140. 140.0 140.1 'GLADIATOR RODNEY', Team Spike website (archived)
  141. 141.0 141.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Gladiator Rodney (archived May 2 1997)
  142. 142.0 142.1 'SMART SPIKE', Team Spike website (archived)
  143. 143.0 143.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Smart Spike (archived May 2 1997)
  144. 'General Rules 1997', Robot Wars US website (archived 2 May 1997)
  145. 145.0 145.1 145.2 145.3 145.4 145.5 145.6 145.7 'THIRD ANNUAL ROBOT WARS 1996 CURRENT RULES AND GUIDELINES', reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
  146. 'ROBOT WARS® 1995 RULES AND GUIDELINES', reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
  147. 'Robot Wars 1996: Killbborg versus Thwack! (Heavyweight)' Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 24 2018
  148. 148.0 148.1 148.2 148.3 148.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Frank versus Gut Rip (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 24 2018
  149. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Namreko 3000 vs Munch', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 22 2008
  150. 150.0 150.1 150.2 150.3 'Team Minus Zero 96', Team Minus Zero website (archived)
  151. 151.0 151.1 151.2 151.3 151.4 151.5 'Robot Wars 1996: Gut Rip versus Killbborg (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 7 2019
  152. 'Robot Wars 1996: Munch versus Pungar (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 2 2019
  153. 153.0 153.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Prometheus versus Vlad the Impaler (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 23 2018
  154. 154.0 154.1 'Robot Wars 1996: DooMore versus Steel at Work (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 25 2018
  155. 155.0 155.1 155.2 'STEEL AT WORK', Team Spike website (archived)
  156. 156.0 156.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Merrimac versus Melvin (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
  157. 157.0 157.1 157.2 'Robot Wars 1996: La Machine versus South Bay Mauler (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 28 2018
  158. 158.0 158.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Biohazard versus Killbborg (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube)
  159. 159.0 159.1 159.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Pungar versus Vlad the Impaler (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 7 2019
  160. 160.0 160.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Vlad the Impaler vs Punjar', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
  161. 161.0 161.1 'Robot Wars 1996: DooMore versus Merrimac (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), January 9 2019
  162. 162.0 162.1 162.2 'Robot Wars 1996: La Machine versus Tazz (Heavyweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 7 2019
  163. 163.0 163.1 163.2 163.3 163.4 163.5 'Robot Wars 1996: Biohazard versus Vlad the Impaler (Heavyweight Semifinals)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 8 2019
  164. 164.0 164.1 'Robot Wars 1996: DooMore versus La Machine (Heavyweight Semifinals)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 8 2019
  165. 165.0 165.1 165.2 165.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Biohazard versus La Machine (Heavyweight Final)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 9 2019
  166. 166.0 166.1 166.2 166.3 'Robot Wars 1996 - La Machine vs Biohazard', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), July 19 2008
  167. Brad Stone (2003), Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, p.83
  168. 168.0 168.1 168.2 'Robot Wars 1996 - Pokey vs Scrappy', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
  169. 'Robot Wars 1996: The General versus Traxx (Middleweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 19 2008
  170. 170.0 170.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Agamemnon vs Scrappy', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
  171. 171.0 171.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Traxx versus Up and Over (Middleweight Semi-Finals)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 2 2019
  172. 172.0 172.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Agamemnon vs Traxx', diabolicalmachine(YouTube), uploaded 24 July 2008
  173. 173.0 173.1 173.2 173.3 173.4 173.5 173.6 173.7 173.8 'RobotWars 96 account' Dennis Millard/Gator website (archived)
  174. 174.0 174.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Atiller the Hun versus Gator (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
  175. 175.0 175.1 175.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Big Shot versus The Enforcer (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), January 6 2019
  176. 'Big Shot', Team Spike website (archived)
  177. 177.0 177.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Test Toaster One versus Snickers 2 (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
  178. 178.0 178.1 178.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Cyclo-Kludge versus Flipper (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
  179. 179.0 179.1 'Robot Wars 1996: The Eviscerator versus Wonderbug (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 17 2018
  180. 180.0 180.1 180.2 180.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Atiller the Hun versus The Enforcer (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
  181. 181.0 181.1 181.2 181.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Cyclo-Kludge versus Test Toaster One (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
  182. 182.0 182.1 182.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Speed Bump versus SPS #3 (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 2 2019
  183. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Test Toaster One vs Atilla the Hun', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  184. 'Robot Wars 1996: Atiller the Hun versus Test Toaster One (Lightweight Semifinals)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 7 2019
  185. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Atilla the Hun vs SPS3', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  186. 186.0 186.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 4', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 16 December 2018
  187. 187.0 187.1 187.2 187.3 187.4 187.5 187.6 187.7 'Pictures of the 1996 Featherweight Faceoff.', Nolex/Wedge of Doom website (archived)
  188. 188.0 188.1 188.2 188.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
  189. 'DRAGGON WAGGIN'' Team Spike website (archived)
  190. 190.0 190.1 190.2 190.3 190.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
  191. 191.0 191.1 191.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 5', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
  192. 'SPINY NORMAN III', Team Spike website (archived)
  193. 193.0 193.1 193.2 193.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Dual Match 6', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 6 2019
  194. 194.0 194.1 194.2 194.3 'Robot Wars 1996 - Roach vs Red 2/ TR vs Spiked Master', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  195. 'Robot Wars 1996 - Slomo III vs Ziggy', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  196. 'Robot Wars 1996: Slomo 3 versus Ziggy (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
  197. 197.0 197.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Buford T Pusser versus Lorena (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 16 2018
  198. 198.0 198.1 198.2 'LORENA', Team Spike website (archived)
  199. 199.0 199.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - KMM vs Wedge of Doom', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), July 25 2008
  200. 200.0 200.1 200.2 200.3 200.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Melvin versus P.A.T. (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 29 2018
  201. 201.0 201.1 201.2 201.3 201.4 'Robot Wars 1996 - P.A.T. vs Melvin', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
  202. 202.0 202.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Bite Me versus Black Sheep 2 (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 29 2018
  203. 203.0 203.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Spike versus Yo Mama! (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 28 2018
  204. 204.0 204.1 'Robot Wars 1996: My Little Pony versus X2 (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 30 1996
  205. 'Robot Wars 1996: Red 2 versus Spiked Master 2 (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
  206. 206.0 206.1 206.2 206.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Slomo 3 versus Triple Redundancy (Featherweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
  207. 'Robot Wars 1996: Red 2 versus Slomo 3 (Featherweight Semifinals)'. Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 8 2019
  208. 'Robot Wars 1996: Red 2 versus The Wedge of Doom (Featherweight Final)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 9 2019
  209. 209.0 209.1 209.2 209.3 209.4 209.5 209.6 209.7 209.8 209.9 'The 1996 Featherweight Melee', Nolex/Wedge of Doom website (archived)
  210. 210.0 210.1 210.2 210.3 210.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Heavyweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  211. 211.0 211.1 211.2 211.3 211.4 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 21 2008
  212. 212.0 212.1 212.2 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 2', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  213. 213.0 213.1 213.2 213.3 213.4 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 3', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 29 2008
  214. 214.0 214.1 214.2 214.3 214.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Heavyweight Melee 3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded on January 13 2019
  215. Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, p.83
  216. 216.0 216.1 216.2 216.3 216.4 216.5 216.6 216.7 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 4', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 15 2019
  217. 217.0 217.1 217.2 217.3 217.4 217.5 217.6 217.7 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 4', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded October 28 2008
  218. 218.00 218.01 218.02 218.03 218.04 218.05 218.06 218.07 218.08 218.09 218.10 218.11 218.12 218.13 218.14 218.15 218.16 218.17 'Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweight Melee 5', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded October 28 2008
  219. 219.00 219.01 219.02 219.03 219.04 219.05 219.06 219.07 219.08 219.09 219.10 219.11 219.12 219.13 219.14 219.15 219.16 219.17 219.18 219.19 'Robot Wars 1996: Heavyweight Melee 5', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 15 2019
  220. 220.0 220.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Middleweight Melee', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  221. 'Pokey @BoilerBots.com', BoilerBots website (archived February 4 2003)
  222. 222.0 222.1 222.2 222.3 222.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Lightweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  223. 223.0 223.1 223.2 223.3 223.4 'Robot Wars 1996 - Lightweight Melee 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 25 2008
  224. 224.0 224.1 224.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Lightweight Melee 2', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  225. 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 2', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 9 2019
  226. 226.0 226.1 226.2 226.3 226.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 10 2019
  227. 227.0 227.1 227.2 227.3 227.4 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 2', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 20 2008
  228. 228.0 228.1 228.2 228.3 228.4 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 4', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  229. 229.0 229.1 229.2 229.3 229.4 229.5 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 5', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
  230. 230.0 230.1 230.2 230.3 230.4 230.5 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 3', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 28 2008
  231. 231.0 231.1 231.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 6', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), January 15 2019
  232. 232.0 232.1 232.2 'Robot Wars 1996 - The Master vs Red Scorpion', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
  233. 233.0 233.1 233.2 233.3 233.4 233.5 233.6 233.7 'WYSIWYG', Team Spike website (archived)
  234. 234.0 234.1 234.2 234.3 234.4 234.5 234.6 'Robot Wars 1996: Featherweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 9 2019
  235. 235.0 235.1 235.2 235.3 235.4 235.5 235.6 'Robot Wars 1996 - Featherweight Melee 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 20 2008
  236. 236.0 236.1 236.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Bloodletter Junior versus Rex (Walking robot demo fight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded December 23 2018
  237. 'Autonomous', Team Minus Zero website (archived)
  238. 'Homebrew Autonomous Robot', Camp Peavy, Team CyberBeast website (archived)
  239. 239.0 239.1 239.2 'ROBOT WARS ® 1996 WINNERS', US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)
  240. Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, p.81

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