Heat A of Robot Wars: Series 9 (also titled Episode 1 or Heat 1) was the first of five heats determining the finalists of Series 9 of Robot Wars. It initially premiered in the UK on 5 March 2017 at 7pm.[1]
The original broadcast on BBC Two was viewed by 1.2 million, down 1.38 million viewers when compared to the first heat of the previous series, although still within the top 20 most watched shows at the time.
Competing robots[]
Newcomers[]
| Jellyfish | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Clamp | |
| Armour | 20-100mm HDPE | |
| Weight | 85-95kg | |
| Speed | 15mph | |
| Drive | 2x E30-400-G Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | Lead acid 24V | |
| From: Antrim, Northern Ireland | ||
| Team: Dave Lawrie, Gemma Lawrie | ||
| Rapid | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Flipper | |
| Armour | 6mm/3.2mm Hardened Steel, 10mm Aluminium | |
| Weight | 110kg | |
| Speed | 17mph | |
| Drive | 2 x A28-400-F48 Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 42v | |
| From: Central London | ||
| Team: Josh Valman, Andy Hibberd, Letitia Steer | ||
Veterans[]
| Aftershock | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Vertical Spinner | |
| Armour | 15mm/6mm Hardened Steel, 12mm Polycarbonate | |
| Weight | 95 - 105kg | |
| Speed | 15mph | |
| Drive | 2 x Brushed motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 10Ah | |
| From: Reading & Gravesend | ||
| Team: Will Thomas, Ian Thomas | ||
| Crank-E | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Vertical spinner | |
| Armour | Stenx/Hardened Steel | |
| Weight | 108kg | |
| Speed | Untested | |
| Drive | 2x 750w brushless outrunners | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 44v | |
| From: Caithness | ||
| Team: Robin Herrick, Matthew Herrick, Mike Potts, Isaac Potts | ||
| Nuts 2 | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Flails | |
| Armour | 8mm Hardened Steel | |
| Weight | 102kg | |
| Speed | 20mph | |
| Drive | 2WD Brushed Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 24V | |
| From: Hampshire | ||
| Team: Rory Mangles, Alex Shakespeare, Chris Shakespeare, Gareth Barnaby | ||
| Sabretooth | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Drum spinner | |
| Armour | 3mm Raex, HDPE, 4mm Hardened Steel | |
| Weight | 109kg | |
| Speed | 9mph | |
| Drive | 2x T64 NPC 1.7 Hp Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 44V | |
| From: Haslemere, Surrey | ||
| Team: Gabriel Stroud, Robert Pickford, Esme Stroud, Al Cannon | ||
| Terrorhurtz | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Axe | |
| Armour | 6mm Wear-plate, CNC folded | |
| Weight | 106kg | |
| Speed | 12mph | |
| Drive | 2x 24V 1000w motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo | |
| From: Oxford | ||
| Team: John Reid, Nick Lynch | ||
| TMHWK | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Axe | |
| Armour | 3.2mm Hardened Steel, 5mm HDPE | |
| Weight | 106kg | |
| Speed | Untested | |
| Drive | GPA 750 motor | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 29.6V | |
| From: The Netherlands | ||
| Team: Caroline van der Meer, Annita van der Meer, Esther Tissing, Carla van den Broek | ||
Round 1[]
House Robot: Matilda
Jellyfish vs Nuts 2 vs Rapid vs Terrorhurtz[]
As activate was called, Nuts 2 started spinning on the spot. Terrorhurtz chased Rapid, which moved straight underneath Jellyfish and flipped it high into the air. Jellyfish landed and was pushed by Terrorhurtz as Rapid moved away, only to be shoved by Terrorhurtz themselves.
Rapid tried to flip jellyfish out of the Arena.
- "Immediately, Jellyfish is up in the air!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Rapid starts attacking rapidly.
Nuts 2, meanwhile, was being flipped by Matilda's tusks as it was nowhere near any other robot. Rapid pushed Jellyfish without flipping, straight into Terrorhurtz, which slipped underneath the white robot and slammed it with its axe. Jellyfish moved away as Terrorhurtz skulked around, trying to hit Terrorhurtz, only to be carried across the arena on top of Rapid, which had slipped under Jellyfish.
Terrorhurtz axes Jellyfish
Terrorhurtz tried to axe the Nuts 2 minibots, while Rapid slid underneath Jellyfish again, and tried to flip it out of the Arena. Jellyfish landed hard still in the Arena, having been placed at the wrong angle on the flipper. Terrorhurtz came in and slammed its axe onto Jellyfish again.
Matilda sends Nuts 2 flying out
Rapid moved in on Nuts 2 with its flipper still raised from a previous attack. As the flipper closed, one of the flails from Nuts 2 was caught in the flipper, clamping it down. Nuts 2 was carried around the arena, until Rapid lifted its flipper, sending Nuts 2 sliding into Matilda. Matilda attacked with the tusks, but turned around and hit Nuts 2 with her flywheel. Nuts 2 went soaring through the air, and landed outside of the Arena, and was eliminated.
- "Don't mess with the rear end of Matilda - oh, that's a grisly place to be. And that's a doomed place to be."
- — Jonathan Pearce after Matilda whacks Nuts out.
Terrorhurtz pressures Rapid
Rapid pushed Jellyfish around the Arena, while being pursued by Terrorhurtz. Jellyfish was left writhing in the corner, as Terrorhurtz chased the fleeing Rapid around the arena. Jellyfish was deemed to be immobile, and was counted out, allowing Rapid and Terrorhurtz to qualify.
Qualified: Rapid & Terrorhurtz
Aftershock vs Crank-E vs Sabretooth vs TMHWK[]
House Robots: Shunt
Crank-E is thrown upwards due to Aftershock's attack
Aftershock spun its disc up to speed. Crank-E moved towards Aftershock, and a push from TMHWK moved Crank-E into Aftershock's disc. Crank-E was thrown up and over, landing on its side. Aftershock hit the Scottish robot multiple times in succession, driving it towards Shunt. With Crank-E wedged in on Shunt's scoop, Aftershock's attacks caused damage, rather than movement, as three more hits ripped armour plating off Crank-E.
Sabretooth tears into TMHWK
Meanwhile, TMHWK was stationary in the middle of the Arena as Sabretooth attacked with its drum. The plastic buffering on the side-armour of TMHWK was ripped up as TMHWK tried to show signs of life by firing its axe. Sabretooth got underneath TMHWK and pushed it around the Arena, as Aftershock hit the button, which opened the Pit.
The immobile Crank-E and TMHWK are left alone, immobilised
A battered and long-immobilised Crank-E was pushed over the spikes into Shunt by Aftershock. Sabretooth pushed TMHWK into the CPZ, where the loose plastic armour of TMHWK was ripped off. An immobile TMHWK was flipped by the Arena Spikes, and was counted out. Meanwhile Shunt pinned Sabretooth on the arena wall just before Cease was called, leading the team to be confused as to whether or not they had qualified, but Aftershock and Sabretooth progressed.
- Angela Scanlon: "Team Sabretooth, 16 years you've waited for a sniff of glory!"
- Gabriel Stroud: "But have we won?"
- Angela Scanlon: "What? No wonder it took 16 years, yes, you're through!"
- Gabriel Stroud: "I needed it confirmed! I need it confirmed. It's been so long!"
- — The Sabretooth team receive confirmation of their first televised victory, much to their delight
Qualified: Aftershock & Sabretooth
Head-to-Heads[]
Terrorhurtz vs Sabretooth[]
House Robots: Shunt & Dead Metal
- "Is the Terrorhurtz weapon a mere toothpick at the moment?"
- — Jonathan Pearce summarises the concerns the Terrorhurtz team have had with their axe.
Sabretooth rips off Terrorhurtz' tail
Terrorhurtz immediately slammed into Sabretooth and started pushing it into a corner. The drum bounced off Terrorhurtz' strong front armour, as the axe struck the top of Sabretooth, before another strike got it wedged in the side of Sabretooth. Sabretooth was pushed back, but managed to get away enough to spin its drum up to full speed. Terrorhurtz mistimed a charge and hit the wall, exposing its weaker rear. Sabretooth took the chance, ripping off Terrorhurtz's tail in one hit, before spinning it over as it turned around. With Terrorhurtz pinned against the wall, Sabretooth dug into the polycarbonate rear, removing the armour and getting into the workings of Terrorhurtz.
Terrorhurtz falls on top of Sabretooth
Terrorhurtz managed to escape, and circled the arena while trying to avoid damage. It charged back in, but the loss of the tail made Terrorhurtz rear up, so Sabretooth was able to flick it up again with the drum. Sabretooth positioned itself under Terrorhurtz, which vented smoke as it landed.
- Esme Stroud: "Do we have another drum?"
- Gabriel Stroud & Rob Pickford: "No."
- — The Sabretooth team notice the large chunk of the drum that's missing
Sabretooth retreated, and Terrorhurtz seemed to lose function of one of its wheels. Sabretooth tried to push Terrorhurtz, but its drum wasn't on, and Terrorhurtz tried to attack with its axe, but missed. Terrorhurtz spun, trying to get positioned for an attack with the axe, but the loss of the tail meant Terrorhurtz reared up instead of landing a hit.
Terrorhurtz is the first victim of the Rogue House Robot
- "Wait for it, wait for it! Wait for a good hit"
- — John Reid expresses his annoyance towards Nick Lynch's firing of the axe.
After a quick discussion, the Sabretooth team decided to activate the tyre, which selected Rogue House Robot. This allowed Shunt to attack Terrorhurtz where it was, as Shunt's axe landed directly on the axe mechanism of Terrorhurtz. Shunt shoved Terrorhurtz into the wall, and after a slam by Sabretooth, cease was called as Terrorhurtz was deemed immobilised.
Winner: Sabretooth (3 points)
Aftershock vs Rapid[]
House Robots: Shunt & Sir Killalot
Rapid's first attack
The robots met in the middle of the Arena, and Rapid was the first under the other, pushing Aftershock back towards the Arena side-wall. Aftershock was flipped up, and after bouncing off the wall, landed on the floor flywheel-first. This righted Aftershock in a shower of sparks.
Rapid is turned over by Aftershock's flywheel
Rapid's flipper hadn't been closed, so Aftershock's first attack just grazed the raised flipper. Rapid was then hit on the side, spinning it away. Rapid moved towards the front of Aftershock, but twice, the flywheel hit Rapid's flipper first. On the third hit, Rapid was catapulted over. Rapid tried to right itself with its flipper, but landed upside-down again, immobile. Aftershock stayed back and collected the win.
Winner: Aftershock (3 points)
Aftershock vs Sabretooth[]
House Robots: Shunt & Sir Killalot
After suffering damage to its drum weapon against Terrorhurtz, the Sabretooth team were hoping their professionally bodged repairs would allow the drum to not lose any effectiveness.
Aftershock thrusts Sabretooth around
Immediately, Aftershock charged in and tore chunks off the side of Sabretooth. Aftershock pursued Sabretooth across the Arena, until it was turned over by the Floor Flipper. With previous damage piling up, Sabretooth was unable to run inverted. Aftershock drove in and hit the rear of Sabretooth, landing five successive blows before turning Sabretooth over. Another hit left the top armour dangling off, but Sabretooth managed to drive away.
The remains of Sabretooth after the last hit from Aftershock
Sabretooth opened the Pit, but seemed to get stuck near the wall. Sir Killalot pushed it away, as Aftershock came in again, tearing great chunks out of Sabretooth's rear and immobilising it. Aftershock turned Sabretooth over, before two final hits barraged Sabretooth across the arena, throwing shards of the yellow robot all over the arena, to the dismay of Esme Stroud, and even Ian Thomas, but Aftershock collected a belligerent win by knockout.
- "Stop!"
- — Esme Stroud shocked at all the excessive damage done to Sabretooth.
Winner: Aftershock (3 points)
Terrorhurtz vs Jellyfish[]
House Robots: Matilda & Dead Metal
Before the battle, Rapid had sustained damage to its wheel and bearings that could not be repaired in time, and the team forfeited. Therefore, Jellyfish was reinstated, after surviving for longer than Nuts 2 in their group battle. Rory Mangles and Alex Shakespeare of Team Nuts joined Jellyfish's team for the remainder of the competition.
Jellyfish is knocked out in one hit
Terrorhurtz slipped underneath Jellyfish instantly, and hit it with the axe on top. Terrorhurtz pushed Jellyfish into the wall and retreated, but this blow had immobilised Jellyfish immediately, shattering a speed controller.
- "Oh no, he's not dead already?"
- — John Reid's dismay towards a brief battle
Terrorhurtz came in for one more hit, removing a googly eye from Jellyfish, before Cease was called, and the three points were awarded to Terrorhurtz.
Winner: Terrorhurtz (3 points)
Aftershock vs Terrorhurtz[]
House Robots: Sir Killalot & Shunt
- "Do not use the axe."
- — John Reid makes his tactic known
The first major hit on Terrorhurtz's front
Terrorhurtz, now sporting one of Jellyfish's googly eyes as a trophy, was fastest out, and tried to get behind Aftershock to push it away. A mistimed spin allowed Aftershock to attack the weaker rear of Terrorhurtz, sending shards of polycarbonate everywhere. Terrorhurtz turned back, and rode up the front of Aftershock, as contact with the disc caused both robots to recoil.
The Floor Flipper allows Aftershock to send Terrorhurtz flying
Terrorhurtz helped trap Aftershock between the wall and Shunt's scoop. As Shunt backed off, Aftershock pushed Terrorhurtz into the wall, and scored two more hits on the front of Terrorhurtz. Terrorhurtz pushed back, but Aftershock managed to get a small portion of its opponent onto the Floor Flipper as it was fired. The flipper raised Terrorhurtz enough for Aftershock to strike the base of Terrorhurtz, throwing it high into the air.
Terrorhurtz is turned over
Terrorhurtz's axe was stuck in the 'fired' position as it retreated from Aftershock, skating around the Arena Spikes, which Aftershock rode up and was flipped by. A strike from the flywheel on the ground was enough to right it though.
Terrorhurtz lies beaten
The two pushed head on and were trapped in a mini-stalemate, with Aftershock causing light grazes on Terrorhurtz's front, until the axe came down on the flywheel mechanism, whereby the two separated. Aftershock hit the front of Terrorhurtz four times as it tried to push back, but a final hit sent Terrorhurtz tumbling away. With the axe damaged, Terrorhurtz was immobilised, and Aftershock scored 3 points for the third successive battle.
Winner: Aftershock (3 points)
Sabretooth vs Jellyfish[]
House Robots: Sir Killalot & Matilda
- "Two hours ago, I think that robot was in pieces."
- — Gabriel Stroud shows relief after Sabretooth worked in the testing arena
Sabretooth is pushed at the start
Jellyfish was faster out of the blocks, as it moved towards a clearly limping Sabretooth. Sabretooth was caught in the grasp of Jellyfish as it started getting going. Jellyfish pushed it around until Sabretooth showed enough life to get out, mounting a small attack on the side.
Sabretooth flies over Jellyfish
Sabretooth hit Jellyfish with its drum again, but recoiled up and over Jellyfish. The Northern Irish robot pushed back, and tried to manoeuvre Sabretooth into Sir Killalot, but a hit from the drum again launched Sabretooth forwards and over Jellyfish - this is because the team had mistakenly wired the drum to spin in the wrong direction.
The robots move towards the Flame Pit
Both robots skirted around each other, until Jellyfish managed to get its clamp working, trapping Sabretooth in its grasp. Sabretooth was struck there for a while, until it spun around on the Flame Pit and a hit from the drum was enough to separate the two.
Sir Killalot comes in as both machines struggle on top of the Pit
Sabretooth was trapped on a bent pole on the back of Jellyfish. Sir Killalot came in and separated the two, but both got trapped in and around the closed Pit. Sabretooth drove on top of Jellyfish, trapping and immobilising both robots. The judges, split 2-1, gave the two points to Jellyfish.
Winner: Jellyfish (2 points)
Final Table[]
| Robot | Points |
|---|---|
| Aftershock | 9 |
| Sabretooth | 3 |
| Terrorhurtz | 3 |
| Jellyfish | 2 |
NOTE: Rapid withdrew on 0 points, and are not included in the final table.
Heat Final[]
Aftershock vs Sabretooth[]
House Robots: Shunt & Sir Killalot
Sabretooth is thrown across the arena
Sabretooth drove towards Aftershock, and turned sideways. As the flywheel of Aftershock hit Sabretooth, it was bounced away violently. After being glanced by its opponent, Sabretooth turned into the claws of Sir Killalot who held it over the Flame Pit. Aftershock hit Sabretooth again on the rear, taking another chunk of armour off.
Sir Killalot toasts the beaten Sabretooth
Sabretooth writhed one more time, and Aftershock hit its opponent one more time to make sure it was immobilised. Cease was called and Aftershock ended the heat undefeated.
- "We rebuilt it [Sabretooth] twice in the pits from scratch, and the fact that we've go to this point is, I think, an amazing feat of skills, engineering, everything!"
- — Gabriel Stroud's assessment of Sabretooth's experience
Heat Winner: Aftershock
Trivia[]
- According to audience reports, this heat was treated as Heat 2 during filming, suggesting that the decision to air this heat first was made at a later point.
- Terrorhurtz, Nuts 2 (as Nuts) and Robin Herrick also appeared in the opening heat of Series 8.
- This was also the second time that Terrorhurtz and Sabretooth appeared in the same heat, though this time they are not in the same melee.
- For the second series in a row, Terrorhurtz finished the head-to-heads in joint-second, but was not able to progress after losing its battle with the joint-second placed finisher.
References[]
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