Heat E of Robot Wars: Series 9 (also titled Episode 5 or Heat 5) was first broadcast on 2 April 2017. It was the fifth and last of five heats to determine the finalists of Series 9 of Robot Wars. It happened to feature the two finalists of the previous series - reigning champion Apollo, and runner-up Carbide. The original broadcast on BBC Two was watched by a total of 1.17 million - a number matching that of Heat D's overnight ratings.
Competing robots[]
Newcomers[]
| Coyote | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Crusher | |
| Armour | Steel and HDPE | |
| Weight | 108kg | |
| Speed | 15mph | |
| Drive | 2x 24V 750w Motors. | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 22.2V | |
| From: Ayreshire | ||
| Team: Jamie McHarg, Rachel Gibson, Calum Jones | ||
| Crackers 'n' Smash | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Clusterbot | |
| Armour | 5mm Hardened Steel, 5mm Aluminium | |
| Weight | 110kg | |
| Speed | 18.7mph | |
| Drive | 4WD, Brushless Drive | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 44.4V | |
| From: Ripon | ||
| Team: Alex Botwright, Ian Botwright, David Weston, Keith Brown | ||
| Meggamouse | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Flipper/Lifter | |
| Armour | 6mm Aluminium, 4mm Hardened Steel | |
| Weight | 101kg | |
| Speed | 12mph | |
| Drive | 4WD, Brushed Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo 22V | |
| From: Derby | ||
| Team: Shane Lale, Peter Lale, Jackie Lale, Sophie Clarkson | ||
| Ms Nightshade | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Spikes | |
| Armour | Mild Steel, Rubber Shock Absorber | |
| Weight | 96kg | |
| Speed | Untested | |
| Drive | 2 x Brushed Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | Lead Acid 12V | |
| From: Brighton | ||
| Team: Katie Henderson, Jodie Nye | ||
| Rusty | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Flipper | |
| Armour | 3.1mm of Hardened Steel | |
| Weight | 108kg | |
| Speed | 14mph | |
| Drive | 2WD Brushed Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | 22.2v LiPo | |
| From: Glasgow | ||
| Team: David Shields, Nicolas Hough, Cameron Dale | ||
| Trolley Rage | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Axe | |
| Armour | 3mm Steel Plating | |
| Weight | 108kg | |
| Speed | 10mph | |
| Drive | 2 x 36v Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | 2 x Li ion 18V | |
| From: Medway, Kent | ||
| Team: Professor Simeon Keates, Dr Raj Bhatti, Gareth Anstee, Lucian | ||
Veterans[]
| Apollo | ||
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Flipper | |
| Armour | Hardened Steel and HDPE | |
| Weight | 108kg | |
| Speed | 12mph | |
| Drive | 2 x 1.2Kw 24v Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | LiPo, 29V | |
| From: Conwy, North Wales | ||
| Team: Dave Young, Marc Dermott | ||
| Carbide | ||
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Spinner | |
| Armour | 5mm Military Grade Steel, 8mm Titanium | |
| Weight | 110kg | |
| Speed | 12mph | |
| Drive | 2 x 4.3Hp Motors | |
| Power | Electric | |
| Battery | Lithium-Polymer, 58.8V | |
| From: Midlands | ||
| Team: Dave Moulds, Sam Smith | ||
Round 1[]
Apollo vs Coyote vs Ms Nightshade vs Rusty[]
Coyote watches Ms Nightshade closely
Coyote gingerly approached Ms Nightshade as the battle begun. The tall purple robot started flailing its petals to attack the crusher. Apollo slipped under Rusty in the background, tossing it into the air, where it landed on its wheels, albeit with a loose front scoop. Apollo followed this up with another flip on Rusty, causing the rear armour plate to fall off Rusty, before moving in and flipping Ms Nightshade.
Rusty's scoop is broken loose
- "Oh, Ms Nightshade, they're in a bit of a flap - are they waving goodbye?"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Ms Nightshade landed on its side, where the petals opened and bent. Apollo pushed Coyote towards the Floor Flipper and attempted to flip it, but didn't affect it much. Rusty tried to flip Apollo, but missed and turned itself over. Rusty became stuck on its back, and could not self-right for over ten seconds, immobilising it.
Apollo throws Ms Nightshade
Apollo drove off and activated the Dial of Doom, which selected Rogue House Robot. Dead Metal was released, and moved in to attack the stricken Ms Nightshade, while Apollo finally flipped Coyote over. Rusty, which was still on its back, was a prime target for Apollo, which pushed it across the Arena, and attempted to flip it out.
Apollo flips Rusty across the arena
- "The champions, here, are in devastating early form."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Apollo moved to flip Coyote again, as Ms Nightshade was still being attacked by Dead Metal. Cease was called, and Rusty and Ms Nightshade were eliminated. Rusty had since come back to life, so Apollo threw it for fun.
- Dara Ó Briain: "Tempted to have a leisure time go at the House Robot?"
- Dave Young: "No, we've already had a go at Dead Metal"
- — The Apollo team make their intentions known for the House Robots.
Qualified: Apollo & Coyote
Carbide vs Crackers 'n' Smash vs Meggamouse vs Trolley Rage[]
Carbide destroys Trolley Rage
Carbide spun the blade up to speed as Meggamouse charged at Crackers, bouncing the clusterbot away. Trolley Rage moved forwards slowly, and was batted away by an impact from Carbide's blade. Carbide spun around in the centre of the Arena, while all its opponents avoided it around the edge. Carbide singled out Smash, and moved in, hitting the clusterbot on the front, ripping the armour away. Meggamouse boxed Carbide in, causing it to attack Smash again. Meggamouse got caught in the Arena Spikes at the same moment as Carbide moved next to Charles, ripping away the top of the wedge and the wheels of the minibot. Trolley Rage moved in to attack Carbide, but it turned and hit Trolley Rage's front with the blade, ripping a chunk of armour away.
Crackers' flipper is removed by Carbide
- "And that could have done enough damage, there, to end the dreams of Trolley Rage very early on."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Carbide moved to the other end of the arena, chasing Smash, hitting the lighter robot more times. Smash's evasive tactics worked, but Carbide changed from attacking one of the clusterbots, to the other. The height of Crackers was just low enough that Carbide's blade cut just over the top of the green body. Carbide ripped the flipper clean off, sending a shower of sparks away.
Carbide obliterates Meggamouse's wheel
Meggamouse activated the Pit as Carbide once again attacked Smash, hitting the weapon mechanism twice more. Meggamouse missed a flip on Carbide, turning itself over with the power of the flip. Carbide and Crackers moved in to attack Meggamouse, and as Carbide's blade rebounded off Crackers, it hit Meggamouse, destroying one of its exposed wheels.
- "Go on, back into your hole, Meggamouse - retreat!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Meggamouse has one of its wheels ripped off
As cease was called, Smash pitted the immobile Charles.
Qualified: Carbide & Crackers 'n' Smash
Head-to-Heads[]
Apollo vs Carbide[]
- "In the arena, the only House Robot the Apollo boys haven't managed to flip, Sir Killalot!"
- — Jonathan Pearce before the fight
Carbide bounces up
Carbide turned its blade away from Apollo to stop the defending champions from disrupting its spin-up time. Apollo charged in, slipping under Carbide, and taking a small glancing hit. Apollo pushed, and Carbide turned. Just as the blade came close, Apollo flipped, which tossed the white robot over. Apollo self-righted as Carbide approached, but Carbide had its blade up to speed. Apollo took two hits on the side, before Carbide moved to the front, as the blade slipped up the flipper and ripped a large piece of armour off Apollo.
Apollo loses a large chunk of armour
Apollo kept the front of their robot pointing towards Carbide's blade, but the power of the spinner was too much, and after suffering a few more hits, Apollo stopped moving.
Carbide attacks the immobile Apollo
- "Smash it!"
- — Sam Smith as Carbide gets ready to cause further damage to the immobile Apollo
Carbide kept smashing into the front and sides of Apollo, attacking the wheels. Just before Cease was called, Apollo started moving forwards, but a hit from Carbide turned it onto its back.
Winner: Carbide (3 points)
Coyote vs Crackers 'n' Smash[]
Coyote is attacked by Matilda
Crackers stayed away at the start as Smash moved in to attack Coyote. Coyote grabbed Smash and pushed it towards the Arena Wall. Coyote turned, still gripping Smash, and drove it into the grasp of Dead Metal. Crackers moved in to try and help Smash escape. Crackers 'n' Smash teamed up to push Coyote into the grip of Dead Metal, but Smash was grabbed instead.
Crackers and Smash both try to push Coyote
Rogue House Robot was activated, and Dead Metal once again picked on Smash, holding the clusterbot over the Flame Pit. Smash bounced over Crackers, which was quickly followed by Crackers sliding under Coyote. Smash activated the Dial of Doom, which selected Rogue House Robot again, allowing Matilda to attack Coyote with her flywheel.
- "And here comes Matilda with a flywheel tail to have a go at Coyote. Can they withstand this sort of punishment?"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Coyote is left immobile
Crackers and Smash kept bumping into Coyote alternatively, smashing the larger robot around the centre of the Arena. Smash reversed Coyote across the Arena and into a corner, where it drove away, allowing Crackers to move in, but Smash's escape got it caught on the Flame Pit. However, Coyote had stopped moving, and as Crackers was still mobile, the clusterbot scored 3 points.
Winner: Crackers 'n' Smash (3 points)
Apollo vs Coyote[]
Coyote is tossed into the air
Having repaired a severely bent flipper, Apollo were cautious beforehand as to whether their weapon would close after firing. Coyote didn't move far off its mark when the battle started, so Apollo moved in and flipped Coyote into the CPZ. Sir Killalot pushed Coyote next to the Arena Wall while it tired to self-right. Apollo slipped under and attempted to send Coyote out of the arena, but only managed to right it instead. However, Coyote's top jaw snapped as a result of the attack.
- "And Coyote is whimpering."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Coyote suffers damage to its jaw
Coyote is thrown out of the Arena
Coyote was hobbled, and after another push by Sir Killalot, suffered another flip by Apollo. Coyote got stuck between Sir Killalot and Apollo, but Apollo missed a flip on its opponent, instead attempted to flip Sir Killalot. Eventually, Apollo flipped Coyote onto its side by the wall, before finally lifting it over the wall and out.
- "Great win for Apollo - champions back in business!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
After the battle, Apollo went for Sir Killalot, trying to flip the 750kg House Robot, but with some help from Dead Metal, Killalot stayed firmly on his tracks, and chased the humbled champion across the arena.
Winner: Apollo (3 points)
Carbide vs Crackers 'n' Smash[]
Carbide cut into the now-weaponless Smash
Both clusterbots moved towards Carbide, with Smash, then Crackers taking a first hit. Carbide bounced off Smash, and ended up sitting on top of Crackers. The now well-armoured front of Smash bore the brunt of Carbide's blade, sending out a shower of sparks. Carbide stayed wedged on top of Crackers as Smash turned itself over on the floor flipper. Smash pushed Carbide off Crackers, and the larger robot turned to attack Crackers. Smash activated the Pit as Carbide landed more hits on Crackers. Smash moved in to attack Carbide, but took an almighty hit from the blade, sending it careening across the Arena. Smash smashed into the arena wall, flew up into the air and landed hard, breaking a panel off the wall at the same time.
Smash by the broken arena wall
- "The Carbide spinning blade is capable of thrashing these two little bots! How about that! They've caused massive problems to the arena wall as well, look!"
- — Jonathan Pearce talks up the potency of Carbide's weapon just as the shattering blow to Smash occurs
Crackers was pushing into Carbide as Cease was called for safety reasons.
While the wall was fixed, the Crackers 'n' Smash team forfeited the match to save damage for their robots, awarding 3 points to Carbide.
Winner: Carbide (3 points)
Carbide vs Coyote[]
The first hit from Carbide sends both machines flying aside
Coyote missed its initial charge, which just allowed Carbide to get up to speed. Both robots turned and drove towards each other again. Carbide hit one of Coyote's front blades, spinning the crusher away, and sending Carbide flying across the Arena. Carbide spun back up to speed and moved in on Coyote, hitting it again in the front. The battered Coyote was then picked up by Sir Killalot and dangled over the Flame Pit.
- "Not just about bottle: about durability, about tactics - you've got your tactics wrong there though!"
- — Jonathan Pearce commends Coyote's brave start before it finds itself next to Sir Killalot
Coyote is left mutilated by Carbide
Carbide waited, spun the blade up to speed and charged at the stationary Coyote, ripping a wheel off. Carbide kept the blade up at speed, smashing into Coyote again and again, bending and twisting the chassis even more. Coyote was flipped by the Floor Flipper as Cease was called, and Carbide romped home to 9 points.
- "Modern Art"
- — Dave Moulds comments on the "beauty" of the twisted remains of Coyote
Winner: Carbide (3 points)
Apollo vs Crackers 'n' Smash[]
Crackers wedges under Apollo
Smash stayed back to try and spin up its newly repaired weapon, but this did not work. Crackers moved at Apollo, but lost the battle of the ground clearances, to which Apollo didn't react in time. However, on the second attempt, Crackers slipped under Apollo, where it was pinned in place. Apollo escaped by using the flipper, and drove towards Smash, but couldn't get underneath the low robot to flip it. Crackers tried to push Apollo, and Apollo tried to flip Crackers, but neither attacks were successful.
Apollo throws Crackers into Dead Metal
Smash was caught in the grasp of Dead Metal again. Apollo spent time lining up Crackers on the end of its flipper, before tossing the little green robot high in the air, where it landed on the disc of Dead Metal, and fell upside-down.
- "And Crackers smashed by the lift straight into Dead Metal!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Smash is catapulted by Apollo
Apollo slipped under Smash, and threw it into the air as well, where it also landed upside-down. Apollo activated Rogue House Robot, where it was then chased by Sir Killalot, while Dead Metal attacked Smash. Crackers was immobile while inverted, but Smash was still able to run, and after another flip by Apollo, was righted. Just before Cease was called, Apollo threw Smash into the tall wall.
- "We survive 3 minutes with Apollo!"
- — The Crackers 'n' Smash team joyously realise they restricted Apollo to 2 rather than 3 points.
Winner: Apollo (2 points)
Final Table[]
| Robot | Points |
|---|---|
| Carbide | 9 |
| Apollo | 5 |
| Crackers 'n' Smash | 3 |
| Coyote | 0 |
Heat Final[]
Apollo vs Carbide[]
Apollo's early attack
Apollo slid under Carbide instantly, but Carbide rode over and landed again. Carbide laid a few blows on the front of Apollo, before both stayed away from each other. Apollo charged back in, and Carbide rode up the front again, scoring more hits with the blade.
Carbide starts to land blows
Carbide spun slowly on the spot, keeping the blade pointed at Apollo as it moved in. After the fourth quick hit in succession, Carbide paused momentarily, but got going again, batting Apollo away with its blade.
- "Listen, listen. Can you hear it - there's that death hum of Carbide!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
The flurry of blows that immobilised Apollo
Apollo was limping slowly, and Carbide laid a strong hit on the side of Apollo, leaving a large scratch down it, before moving onto the flipper, staying still as the blade smacked into it constantly. Apollo ground to a halt, and Carbide was declared the winner. Sir Killalot finished the fight by lifting Apollo by the flipper.
Heat Winner: Carbide
Trivia[]
- This was the first heat of the UK Robot Wars to feature two Grand Finalists from the previous series in the same heat, featuring the Grand Champion and runner-up Apollo and Carbide respectively.
- Both of these teams returned with only two members, having previously competed as three-part teams.
- This was the first time since Heat A of US Season 2 in which the champion and runner-up of the preceding domestic championship fought each other in the same heat, and the first since Heat C of Dutch Series 2 where two previous-series Grand Finalists appeared in the same heat.
- This was the fifth occurrence of a previous Grand Champion being knocked out in the heats, and the first occurrence of the defending champion falling in the heats, as Series 8 winner Apollo fell in the Heat Final. The others were Chaos 2 in Heat C of Series 6, Panic Attack in Heat I of Series 6 and Heat M of Series 7, Razer in Heat A of Series 8 and Apollo again in Heat 1 of Series 10.
- It was therefore the first and only time that a reigning champion lost within its heat.
- Irrespective of whether Coyote is treated as a newcomer due to Jamie McHarg never captaining his own robot, this heat featured by far the most newcomers compared to the other four, with five/six new teams.
- In terms of filming order, this was treated as the first heat of the series, suggesting that the decision to move it to the slot of Heat E was made at a later point.
- Two robots from Glasgow Clyde College were at one stage intended to compete in this heat, with both even being in the line-up at the same time momentarily. Clyde Built filled in after one robot dropped out, but later withdrew itself after blowing a fuse, while Rusty also replaced Crackers 'n' Smash, which had moved into the next battle because of Point Blank's withdrawal.
- Additionally, Crank-E was intended to fight in Carbide's Group Battle, but as it was not ready to fight, Trolley Rage was brought into its place. As a result, Trolley Rage fought using a disadvantageous setup designed to combat vertical spinners.
- GlitterBomb was originally meant to fight in this heat, but was forced to pull out, with a vehicle breakdown that caused Team GlitterBomb to spend seven hours on the motorway the catalyst behind the team being unable to have GlitterBomb inside the weight limit by the time of its first safety check. As a result, GlitterBomb finished the series as an unused reserve.
- This was the first and only heat of Robot Wars to not feature a veteran from the original run, as both Apollo and Carbide made their debuts in the previous series.
- By having the weapons of both of its segments removed before its Head-to-Head against Carbide, Crackers 'n' Smash became the first robot to fight despite reportedly being disqualified for breaching the active weapons rule. Though Team Conker were informed about this and their potential disqualification by the production crew upon entering the arena, Team Carbide were content with fighting a then-weaponless Crackers 'n' Smash, thus allowing their aforementioned battle to take place.[1]
References[]
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