Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars/Pinball Warrior Tournament

Pinball Warrior Tournament
The Pinball Warrior Arena
Structure Information
Number of Competing Robots	16
Format	Obstacle course
History
UK Series	4
Winner(s)	Gemini

"Being the ball inside a pinball machine must be like being on giant assault course, and that's what faces the robots in our Pinball Warrior Tournament. Oh yeah, and the course assaults back."

— Craig Charles

The Pinball Warrior Tournament was a side event held in every heat of Robot Wars: The Fourth Wars, based on the Pinball Trial from the Second Wars. Competitors were required to score as many points as possible within the time limit, by hitting targets and clearing obstacles scattered around the arena. The robot with the highest score by the end of the tournament would be declared the winner.

In contrast with the Third Wars Pinball, which predominantly featured robots that did not appear in the main competition, all of the competing machines in the Pinball Warrior Tournament also featured in the main competition of The Fourth Wars, and with the exception of Hypno-Disc and Banshee, made an additional appearance in at least one other side event in The Fourth Wars.

Gemini eventually won the competition by a margin of 10 points from long time leader Spawn of Scutter.

Arena

The Pinball Warrior arena featured the following obstacles and targets, each with a certain amount of points depending on their difficulty:

• One stack of barrels
• The 50-point target guarded by Matilda
• The 50-point target guarded by Sgt. Bash
• Multiball release
• Swinging car doors
• The Sphere
• The Ramp
• The 75-point target guarded by Dead Metal
• The shallow Pit

1/9

• Two stacks of six barrels (5 points per barrel)
• Silver sphere (25 points if pushed into the pit)
• See-saw ramp, referred to as "the bridge" (20 points if driven completely over)
• Multiball release (10 points for releasing, 5 points for each ball pushed into the pit)
• Swinging car doors (25 points)
• 50- and 75-point targets, patrolled by Sergeant Bash (50 points), Matilda (50 points) and Dead Metal or Sir Killalot (75 points)

Additionally, Sir Killalot was given free reign of the arena, posing another obstacle for the competitors (although this was not always the case, with Sir Killalot and Dead Metal's roles being reversed during several competitors' runs; Stinger, S.M.I.D.S.Y., Razer, Banshee, Diotoir, Firestorm 2 and Inverterbrat). The pit used in the Pinball Warrior Tournament was located opposite the Floor Flipper, and was much shallower than the one used in the main series, allowing robots to drive out of it if they fell in.

Runs

101 (Heat A)

101 knocks over the barrels

101 started by turning at the right set of barrels, but instead of driving straight into the barrels, it drove around to the side, pushing one barrel out from other the barrels, causing the three barrels above it to fall over. 101 turned away, then aimed at Sgt. Bash's zone, but drove straight into Sgt. Bash's side. It tried to push past the House Robot, but couldn't get past, so reversed away. 101 reversed up the arena, nearly driving into the shallow Pit. It stopped itself in time, then turned and drove at the bridge, but missed its charge, driving along the side instead of the middle. As Sir Killalot turned towards it, 101 reversed off the edge of the bridge, and turned to try again. However, it didn't line itself up properly, so one of its tracks was hanging off the edge as it tried to drive over the bridge.

"Ooh, no, straight to Bash! Well Bash is guarding one of the targets, 50 points, but that's a strange decision. Bad control, not up and over the ramp completely so that won't score you anything."

— Jonathan Pearce questions 101's driving as it drives into Sgt. Bash, then fails to drive over the see-saw

101 tries to cross the bridge

101 drove along the edge of the bridge, whilst Sir Killalot pushed the see-saw, and after driving off the edge, it drove towards Dead Metal, but then turned away. 101 drove at Sir Killalot, but Sir Killalot pushed it back, so 101 reversed away, under the bridge.

"Why are they taking, why are you taking on Killalot? Why?! Why? I don't understand! Underneath the ramp, won't score you points either. Come on, come on, come on! Time is ticking down!"

— Jonathan Pearce as 101 is indecisive

101 hits the 75 point target

101 turned out from under the bridge, driving into Sgt. Bash's zone, but quickly drove away as Sgt. Bash fired his flamethrower, then charged at the multi-ball release, gaining 10 points. It quickly reversed across the arena, but drove into the frame of the swinging car doors instead of the door itself, and rode up the wedge. 101 reversed back down, bumping into Sir Killalot, and after driving back into the car doors frame, reversed into the 75 point target, which Dead Metal had failed to block.

"They hit the 75 point target! That's good work, for 101. Not too sure if they've got 101 points up yet."

— Jonathan Pearce after 101 hits the 75 point target

With less than 10 seconds remaining, 101 drove around the car doors for another attempt, but drove into the frame again. It reversed into the wall and tried again, but time ran out.

"Cagey, steady sort of run, but not spectacular. ... If they've gone up and over the ramp, that's not a bad run you know, all told, 'cause they picked up points elsewhere, quite steadily. ... And the Judges say 125 points, now that's not a bad start!"

— Jonathan Pearce after 101's run, reviewing the highlights and seeing the score

Score: 125 Points

Hypno-Disc (Heat B)

"Very quick, up to 20 miles an hour, Hypno-Disc, powered by three motors. Hugely destructive with the 750 RPM spinning disc, let's see how they do at Pinball. A pure test of driving skill of course, so you won't see the disc in action!"

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Hypno-Disc for the Pinball

Hypno-Disc hits the 50 point target

Hypno-Disc started by reversing and turning at the right set of barrels, knocking over 4. Hypno-Disc turned and aimed at Sgt. Bash target. It drove at Sgt. Bash's side, and drove at the target before Sgt. Bash could stop it. Sir Killalot was just outside the semi-circle, but Hypno-Disc drove away up the arena to the other set of barrels. It drove past, landing a glancing blow on the outside, but failed to push it over, so it reversed and backed into the barrels, knocking a couple of them over.

"This is good driving ... This is an intelligent run here, by Dave, Derek and Ken Rose."

— Jonathan Pearce praises Hypno-Disc's driving as it hits Sergeant Bash's target, then knocks over the barrels

Sir Killalot pushes the bridge as Hypno-Disc tries to cross it

Sir Killalot blocked Hypno-Disc's way, so it drove up to the top of the arena. It turned and tried to drive over the bridge, but as it did so, Sir Killalot pushed the see-saw, knocking it askew, and causing Hypno-Disc to drive over the side.

"Oh, attempted to get up and over the bridge, they've gotta have a complete run to score the points there. 20 points, but it was a brave effort."

— Jonathan Pearce as Hypno-Disc tries to cross the see-saw

Dead Metal pushes Hypno-Disc back

Hypno-Disc reversed towards the multi-ball release, then turned around, but turned too far, and drove into the bottom arena wall instead. It reversed and drove into the multi-ball release, gaining another 10 points. In the last few seconds, Hypno-Disc tried to reach the 75 point target, but drove straight into Dead Metal, who pinned it down with his grabbing arms and pushed Hypno-Disc back. Cease was called, and Hypno-Disc had managed to better 101's score, but only by 10 points.

"Running into Dead Metal, ill-advised! Steady but not spectacular, from Hypno-Disc. Dave and Derek Rose, not too happy."

— Jonathan Pearce as Hypno-Disc's run finishes

Score 135 Points

Spikasaurus (Heat C)

Spikasaurus knocks over the barrels, but one of them damages the aerial

Spikasaurus' run began as the previous two had, with it driving at the right set of barrels. It drove into the middle of the set, knocking three over, but as it did so, one of the barrels hit the aerial, bending it, which led to signal problems that would hinder it for the rest of its run. It next aimed for Sergeant Bash's target, but Sgt Bash fired its flamethrower at it as it got close, so it reversed away. Sergeant Bash was at the edge of the semi-circle, but Spikasaurus could not turn around it due to the bent aerial, and it drove into his claw. It quickly reversed, and tried again, but the bent aerial caused it to veer to the right, so instead of driving around Sergeant Bash, it drove into its side. Sgt. Bash pushed it out of the zone, and after a pause, Spikasaurus drove back into Sgt. Bash's side, then reversed onto the see-saw and into Sir Killalot. Spikasaurus sped away from Sir Killalot, driving into the arena wall on the edge of Sgt, Bash's zone. Spikasaurus reversed, but strangely, despite having a clear shot at Sergeant Bash's target, it did not go for it, instead turning the other way and driving at the multiball release. However, it failed to open it, then drove away to the other side of the arena. It drove around the swinging car doors, but suffered from interference and struggled to line itself up properly to go through.

"Not really scoring enough points here, Spikasaurus. Tending to dodge towards one option, and veer towards another. If they can open that car door they'll get 25 points, and they badly need points! Is there a problem here with the steering control I wonder."

— Jonathan Pearce as Spikasaurus struggles to drive through the car doors

Spikasaurus struggles to get through the car doors

After bumping into the wall, the frame, turning around, pausing, then driving into the frame again, Spikasaurus managed to turn around to open the car doors. In the last few seconds, Spikasaurus reversed into the arena wall in Matilda's zone, then drove into Matilda's side. Matilda pushed it back and flicked it up with her tusks, and Spikasaurus reversed into the car doors frame.

"This is a little bit iffy from Spikasaurus, they don't seem to know their own mind."

— Jonathan Pearce on Spikasaurus' lack of control

Time runs out before Spikasaurus hits the 50-point target

Spikasaurus drove back into Matilda's side, and Matilda reversed, giving Spikasaurus a clear run at her target with two seconds remaining. However, Spikasaurus turned around Matilda, but could not line itself up with the target due to radio issues, and time ran out. Spikasaurus did manage to drive into the wall and turn into the target, but Cease had been called so it did not count. This left Spikasaurus bottom of the leaderboard by a wide margin.

"Go on, get the 50 points! No, out of time! Oh, how disappointing for them, but it really was a very poor run."

— Jonathan Pearce as Spikasaurus fails to hit the target before time runs out

Score: 40 points

Stinger (Heat D)

Stinger attempts to climb back out of the Pit

Stinger started erratically, driving forwards a little, but then veering towards the shallow Pit. It managed to stop itself from driving in by turning around, then drove across the arena, driving over the edge of the bridge. It drove around behind the right set of barrels, nudging one of the bottom ones with its mace without knocking it over.

"There's the axe trying to knock barrels down now. Need to get points on the board, they've scored: nought!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Stinger nudges the barrels

Stinger hits Sgt. Bash's target

It turned around for another attempt, and Dead Metal came towards it. Stinger sped away from the House Robot, knocking past the barrels as it did so, resulting in three being knocked over. Stinger stopped for a moment, and Dead Metal caught up with it and pushed it into the shallow Pit. However, Stinger's axlebot design allowed it to drive out of the Pit, and it drove past Dead Metal and into Sgt. Bash Bash turned to face Stinger, and Stinger managed to get to the target, which Sgt. Bash had left open.

"That's well done, dodging in behind Bash. That's steady stuff so far there from Stinger, from Lincoln."

— Jonathan Pearce as Stinger hit Sgt. Bash's target, then heads for the multiball release

Stinger hits the multiball release

Stinger drove around Sgt. Bash, and after some steering difficulties, as it struggled to drive in a straight line, it drove into the multiball release. Dead Metal drove towards it, and Stinger spun on the spot to defend itself, hitting one of Dead Metal's arms. With only a few seconds remaining, Stinger drove into Sir Killalot's zone, but swerved away from him. Dead Metal tried to grab Stinger, but it charged away towards the car doors. However, as it got close, it stopped and turned away from the car doors, seemingly suffering from interference. It turned back towards the doors, but Dead Metal caught up with it, hitting one of the wheels with a grabbing arm. Dead Metal did not grab Stinger, but Stinger could not line itself up to drive at the doors, spinning on the spot, it stopped spinning and turned to face the doors just as time ran out, so it could not attempt to open the car doors. Cease was called, and Stinger had only scored 75 points, well below the leaders.

"Steady, not spectacular. 50 Points though the key there. That was the highlight of the run - notching up 50 points to rescue an otherwise drab performance. Yes, the multiball release. They seemed unsteady over decision making, which way to go on the arena floor, losing their bearings too often"

— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights of Stinger's run

Score: 75 points

Spawn of Scutter (Heat E)

Spawn of Scutter gets past Matilda and hits her target

Spawn of Scutter started quickly, driving into the left set of barrels and knocking over four of them, then drove straight for Matilda's zone. Spawn of Scutter drove straight at Matilda, who tried to flick Spawn of Scutter with her tusks, but the tusks weren't properly under Spawn of Scutter. Matilda reversed, leaving the target clear for Spawn of Scutter to hit, which it quickly did.

"This is a great run so far!"

— Jonathan Pearce after Spawn of Scutter hits Matilda's target

Spawn of Scutter hits the 75 point target

Sir Killalot was waiting for Spawn of Scutter outside of Matilda's zone, and Spawn of Scutter reversed into him, then turned around to face him. Spawn of Scutter couldn't push past the House Robot, so it reversed, allowing Sir Killalot to turn away. As he did, Spawn of Scutter drove down to Dead Metal's zone, driving into Dead Metal and pushing him against the target. Spawn of Scutter reversed into Sir Killalot, and Dead Metal drove forwards a little, but this left the 75 point target exposed, and Spawn of Scutter pushed past Dead Metal and hit the target. Spawn of Scutter reversed away to the middle of the arena, pushing the sphere away, then hit the multiball release.

"Now the sphere, can they get that into the pit I wonder. The multiball release! This is splendid stuff from Spawn of Scutter! The arena littered..."

— Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter rapidly notches up points

After turning around, Spawn of Scutter aimed at the other 50 point target, driving around Sgt. Bash and hitting it.

"There's another 50 points scored! This is a terrific run, surely the best so far!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter hits Sgt. Bash's target

Spawn of Scutter knocks over the right hand set of barrels

Sgt. Bash pinned it against the wall, then blocked its escape, but eventually turned, giving Spawn of Scutter enough room to turn around him and get away. In the last few seconds, Spawn of Scutter ploughed into the right set of barrels, knocking them all over, but as it turned around, it found Sir Killalot blocking its way. Sir Killalot blocked Spawn of Scutter with his claw, and though Spawn of Scutter managed to turn around Sir Killalot, time ran out.

"Get that sphere into the big illuminated Pit, that's the icing on the cake, but this is already a tremendous run! Now get out of trouble, get out of trouble, stay away from Killalot, and watch the points light up that leaderboard! Terrific run!"

— Jonathan Pearce in the last few seconds of Spawn of Scutter's Pinball run

As Cease was called, a ball rolled into the Pit, but it was not counted as it went in after cease was called. But this did not retract from a high score that put them first on the leaderboard by a wide margin above Hypno-Disc.

"Oh look at that! 245 points, they have slaughtered the rest of the robots that have gone so far, but still so many good machines to come! That is one heck of a score though by Spawn of Scutter!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter's score is confirmed

Score: 245 points.

Attila the Drum (Heat F)

"Runs on 24 volt motor, up to 15 miles an hour, it'll have to go some to beat Spawn of Scutter though."

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Attila the Drum for the Pinball

Attila the Drum knocks over the barrels

Attila the Drum started by driving towards the right set of barrels, but strangely turned away as it got close. Attila the Drum stopped, flipping over its mace, then turned around, flipping itself back over. It drove into Sgt. Bash, who blasted it with his flamethrower, then reversed. Despite having a clear run at the target, Attila the Drum turned away, driving back at the right set of barrels. Attila the Drum hit the bottom and started spinning, knocking over 4 barrels.

"Spinning madly, barrels flying off in all directions. Steady but not spectacular scoring so far."

— Jonathan Pearce as Attila the Drum knocks over the barrels to earn its first few points

Attila the Drum tries to get past Sgt. Bash

It tried driving forwards, but Sir Killalot pushed the sphere towards it, blocking the way, so Attila the Drum moved away from the sphere. It turned around and tried to drive at the 50 point target, but Sgt. Bash pinned it against the wall and blasted it with his flamethrower. Sgt. Bash reversed, but despite having a clear run at the target again, Attila the Drum turned away and drove across the arena. As it did so, it hit the edge of the see-saw, which knocked it askew.

"Attila the Drum, trying to attack this 50 point target, guarded by Sgt. Bash. Don't think it scored there. Tries to take on the bride, askew though, the attacking run."

— Jonathan Pearce as Attila the Drum fails to score points

Sir Killalot pushes Attila the Drum out of the Pit

Attila the Drum recovered, and after driving over the flame jet, which caused one of its side tassels to catch light, it managed to drive into the left set of barrels, knocking over another 4. However, after turning around, it drove into the shallow Pit, from which it could not get out. With less than 5 seconds remaining, Sir Killalot used his claw to push it out of the Pit, pushing it against the sphere.

"Oh dear, into the arena Pit, don't think they're gonna get out! Less than 10 seconds to go! A dismal and disappointing run is gonna end any second!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Attila the Drum falls into the Pit with time running out

Time ran out, and Attila the Drum had equalled Spikasaurus' dismal run, leaving it joint bottom of the leaderboard.

Score: 40 points.

Bigger Brother (Heat G)

Bigger Brother hits Sgt. Bash's target

Bigger Brother started, like most of the other competitors, by aiming at the right set of barrels. Bigger Brother charged into them, knocking over 5 of them. It then turned around the barrels and charged at Sgt. Bash's target, rushing around Sgt. Bash to hit the target. Bigger Brother reversed out of Sgt. Bash's area before the House Robot could attack.

"Great speed, up to 10 miles an hour for Bigger Brother, dancing around the arena floor!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Bigger Brother knocks over the barrels then hits the targets

Bigger Brother hits the multiball release after a couple of failed attempts

Bigger Brother tried to drive around Sgt. Bash, but accidentally turned into him. Bigger Brother turned back and forth, moved away from Sgt. Bash, but Sir Killalot was coming towards it. Bigger Brother turned and hit the multiball release, but didn't hit it hard enough and failed to release the balls. It turned to try again, but turned too far, and drove into the arena wall. Bigger Brother quickly reversed, turned, and hit the multiball release again, this time releasing the balls. Bigger Brother then went for Dead Metal's target, but Dead Metal blocked it. Bigger Brother reversed out of Dead Metal's arms, then drove around the House Robot, avoiding Sir Killalot, and tried to get to the target, but Dead Metal stopped it, getting its arms around it. Bigger Brother drove out of Dead Metal's grip, and Dead Metal reversed, but despite having a clear shot at the target, Bigger Brother had some steering difficulties, turning back and forth. Dead Metal and Sir Killalot blocked it, and Sir Killalot pushed it against the bottom arena wall.

"Bigger Brother needs points here!"

— Jonathan Pearce after Bigger Brother fails to hit Dead Metal's target

Bigger Brother after hitting Matilda's 50 point target

Bigger Brother reversed, turned around, and drove through the car doors. It then went for Matilda's target, driving straight at her. Matilda lifted Bigger Brother up with her tusks, then turned, dropping it. Bigger Brother rushed around Matilda and hit her target, before quickly turning away, hitting the other set of barrels and knocking them over. As time ran out, Bigger Brother drove over the flame jet. As a result, Bigger Brother had scored a credible 180 points.

"And that's not bad at all by Bigger Brother! Crowd liked it!"

— Jonathan Pearce at the end of Bigger Brother's run

Score: 180 points.

S.M.I.D.S.Y. (Heat H)

"What sort of tactics will they use, go straight for the barrels? That's what everyone else has done. Maybe push that sphere into the illuminated pit, that'll pick them up 20-odd points."

— Jonathan Pearce just before S.M.I.D.S.Y.'s run

S.M.I.D.S.Y. drives over the bridge

S.M.I.D.S.Y. started by driving over the bridge, and managed to drive straight over it, something no other team had done. It then went straight for the multiball release, stylishly swerving to hit the bumper, then turn towards Sgt. Bash's zone. S.M.I.D.S.Y. rammed into Sgt. Bash's side, but couldn't get past, so turned around the House Robot, knocking the sphere away. It drove behind the right set of barrels, but suffered from steering problems. Instead of driving into the barrels, S.M.I.D.S.Y. turned too far, driving alongside them. It turned, but turned too far again, merely nudging one of the barrels, without knocking any over.

"Attacking the barrels, normally easy-peasy these! What are they doing? Dancing around the barrels, hit them! Hit them! Get them down! Dead Metal closing. Well that was a strange lack of direction"

— Jonathan Pearce as S.M.I.D.S.Y. drives by the barrels

S.M.I.D.S.Y. after knocking over the barrels. Note the smoke coming from S.M.I.D.S.Y., having been torched by the arena flamethrowers

Dead Metal came towards S.M.I.D.S.Y., which reversed to the top arena wall, being hit by one of the flamethrowers. The top was singed, and smoke began to rise from S.M.I.D.S.Y.. It drove away from the wall, knocking the sphere into the corner, but as it did so, it was hit by the other flamethrower. S.M.I.D.S.Y. rammed into Dead Metal's side, and actually pushed him back, then reversed into the barrels, knocking them over.

"Now finally barrels go down! But that was a muddled sort of phase there!"

— Jonathan Pearce as S.M.I.D.S.Y. manages to hit the barrels, having suffered from control issues

Matilda blocks S.M.I.D.S.Y. from reaching her target

It then charged across the arena, swerving around Dead Metal, and hit the other set of barrels, hitting the one in the corner. causing the top three to also fall over. S.M.I.D.S.Y. drove down the arena, into Sir Killalot's zone, but Sir Killalot blocked the target with his claw. S.M.I.D.S.Y. rammed into Sir Killalot's side, then drove for Matilda's zone. However, it drove into Matilda's side, and Matilda blocked it from reaching the target using her tusks.

"Ah, they're being frustrated here. They keep turning down blind alleys."

— Jonathan Pearce as S.M.I.D.S.Y. fails to get past Sir Killalot, then Matilda

S.M.I.D.S.Y. reversed away, hitting the see-saw, and time ran out. Despite a promising start, S.M.I.D.S.Y. had scored just 70 points.

"Oh, it looked a good run, but in the end was disappointing. Flattered only to decieve. Great start, wasn't it, up and over the ramp. 20 points, the first robot to succeed in that area. Then the multiball release, 10 more, but then Bash thwarted one attack. Yes the barrels, but it was all confused after that, and they ran out of velocity and ideas, and points too."

— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights at the end of S.M.I.D.S.Y.'s Pinball run

Score: 70 points.

King B3 (Heat I)

King B3 knocks over the barrels

Matilda blocks King B3 from getting away after it hit the 50 point target

King B3 started by hitting the right set of barrels, knocking many of them over. then went for Sgt. Bash's zone. Sgt. Bash pinned King B3 against the wall, but when Sgt. Bash reversed, King B3 was able to back into the target. King B3 drove out of Sgt. Bash's zone, knocking away the sphere, but Sir Killalot blocked its way. King B3 turned around, backed into Sir Killalot, then drove into the multiball release, scattering the balls. King B3 reversed, hitting Sir Killalot's claw, then tried to get around Dead Metal to hit his target, but Dead Metal blocked it. King B3 reversed away, hitting the multiball release. King B3's driving became erratic; it drove forwards, nearly hitting Sir Killalot, then turned, then backed into Dead Metal's claws. King B3 drove away before Dead Metal could grab it, but then span on the spot. Sir Killalot caught up with it, blocking it with his claw, but Sir Killalot then turned and raised the claw, allowing King B3 to drive through the car doors.

"More points scored there for flipping up the car doors! Good run this so far!"

— Jonathan Pearce after King B3 opens the car doors

King B3 drives through the car doors

King B3 gets stuck in reverse drive

King B3 then drove at Matilda, and turned away as it hit her tusks. It drove back at Matilda, then turned away again, before driving between Matilda and the wall and hitting the target. Matilda blocked King B3 from getting away from the wall, then reversed to block it as it tried driving around her to reach the other set of barrels. King B3 turned and tried to drive the long way around, but suddenly it became stuck in reverse drive, charging down the arena into Dead Metal's zone. King B3 tried to get out, but reversed back into the wall, then time ran out. King B3 had scored 225 points, putting it second on the leaderboard to Spawn of Scutter.

"And that's a super run by King B3, ran out of time a little at the end."

— Jonathan Pearce at the end of the run

Score: 245 points.

Razer (Heat J)

"They've won virtually everything there is to be won in Robot Wars except the title - Grand Champions!"

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Razer for the Pinball

Razer hits Matilda's target

Razer drives through the car doors

The reigning Pinball champion started by turning driving at the left set of barrels, knocking over three of them. Dead Metal charged at Razer, and Razer reversed as he tried to grip it, knocking over another barrel. Razer quickly drove past Matilda, who bumped into it in a vain attempt to stop it, but Razer got past. It drove into an arena spike, and Matilda rammed it, but Razer was still able to reach the target with its front. Razer reversed out of Matilda's zone, then drove at the car doors, but it was suffering from interference, turning left and right as it drove forwards. It eventually managed to reach the doors and drive through them.

"Tentatively, towards the car door, open that door, more points on the board here... yep! That's another 25 points scored for Razer!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Razer struggles to drive through the car doors

Razer takes on Sir Killalot

Razer then went for Sir Killalot's target, but was still suffering from interference, turning into the wall, then driving straight into Sir Killalot's claw.

"And I think they're sacrificing points here for an attack on Killalot! They are, they're going for the hydraulic cable on Killalot! Trying to pluck away the cable!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Razer takes on Sir Killalot

Razer then abandoned its run in favour of attacking Sir Killalot, pushing against his front, then grabbing his lance arm, trying to pull the cable loose, until time ran out. Razer relinquished its Pinball crown, with just 95 points.

"But they've ruined their efforts in the Pinball Warrior challenge! Time has run out on them! They went for an attack and not for points - and why not? The crowd are there to be entertained!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Razer's Pinball run finishes

Score: 95 points.

Banshee (Heat K)

Banshee knocks over the barrels

Banshee slowly turned, and trundled into the barrels, knocking over three of them. After a pause to turn, Banshee drove towards Sgt. Bash's target. Dead Metal blocked it with one of his grabbing arms, but reversed to let it pass.

"In your own time boys, don't worry about it. ... Look, this is a speedy turn! "Hello, I'm turning. I'm turning, any day now, I'm turning!""

— Jonathan Pearce mocks Banshee's slow speed

Banshee hits Sergeant Bash's target

As Banshee neared the target, Sgt. Bash initially blocked the target with his claw, but then reversed, allowing Banshee to hit the target. Banshee slowly moved away from the target, and Sgt. Bash pushed against it. Banshee turned and drove back into the target, which did not earn any points, then turned and reversed into Sergeant Bash, so Bash reversed to let it past, and Banshee drove into the multiball release.

"Oh, that's a speedy, nifty turn, yes! Building up a real head of steam now! And there's points for the multiball option!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Banshee gets away from Sergeant Bash

Banshee opens the multiball release

Banshee pushed the multiball release, then turned into the wall, before slowly moving away. It drove towards Sir Killalot's zone, but Dead Metal got behind it, getting his claws on top of the spinning body and pushing, and Sir Killalot also blocked Banshee. Time ran out, and Banshee had only managed 75 points.

"Now, which way are we going dear? Okay, steady as she goes! "I'm coming towards the ramp now House Robots... well, I plan to." Spectacular, spectacular! Magnificent!"

— Jonathan Pearce in the last few seconds of Banshee's run

Score: 75 points.

Diotoir (Heat L)

Diotoir hits Sergeant Bash's target but Sgt. Bash sets the fur on fire

Diotoir started by turning and driving at the right-hand set of barrels, and drove through them, knocking over some of them, then drove towards Sgt. Bash's target. Sgt. Bash was not guarding his target at all, waiting on the edge of the zone, ready to blast Diotoir with his flamethrower as it passed. Diotoir drove past, and Sergeant Bash fired the flamethrower, but only the small bit of fur on the tip of Diotoir's flipper caught light. Diotoir hit the target, and Sgt. Bash got behind it and fired his flamethrower again. Bash continued to chase Diotoir as its front caught fire, but this did nothing to stop Diotoir, who backed into Sgt. Bash, then turned and drove out of his zone. It pushed the sphere away, and as it turned, Dead Metal got his arms around it. Diotoir pushed against Dead Metal, who reversed, and Diotoir drove into the multiball release. However, Diotoir's flipping arm became caught on the multiball release, leaving it stuck and unable to release the balls. Sergeant Bash fired its flamethrower in Diotoir's direction, but missed, then pushed against its side, then Dead Metal pushed Diotoir against the multiball release, pushing it free and releasing the balls, one of which became stuck on top of Diotoir, between the flipper and the wheel hub.

"You release those balls, you get 10 points, you've got to release them first though, Diotoir. Well, they finally released them, and I wonder if they've tagged themselves onto the multiball... no, they're ok!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir gets stuck on the multiball release

Diotoir's flipper becomes stuck in the multiball release

Diotoir turned away from the multiball release, into Sergeant Bash, who reversed, and Diotoir quickly drove around Sir Killalot, and managed to hit his target as Sir Killalot was turning around.

"They're away, but this isn't a very quick run lads! Points have been hard to come by - 75 there!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir gets around Sir Killalot and hits the target

Diotoir tries to drive through the car doors. Note that one of the bowling balls is stuck on top of it

Diotoir reversed out of Sir Killalot's zone before the House Robot could attack, and avoided Sgt. Bash as it drove for the car doors. It drove into the doors, but drove into the frame, forcing it to reverse. Sgt. Bash got behind it and blasted it with his flamethrower again, but Diotoir's fur did not catch light. Diotoir drove forwards, rubbing against the frame of the car doors as it drove through. Diotoir turned around, but drove into the frame. With only a few seconds remaining, Diotoir reversed, then drove back through the car doors, but drove into the side. It turned, but drove into the other side of the frame as time ran out. Diotoir had scored a credible 180 points.

"I don't think this run will bother Spawn of Scutter at the top of the leaderboard. Appreciated by the crowd at the arena, but... nah, wasn't good enough. They're {the Diotoir team] delighted with it. Steady, but not spectacular."

— Jonathan Pearce as Diotoir's run finishes

Score: 180 points.

Gemini (Heat M)

"Don't forget, this is a clusterbot! They can break apart, dash around the arena in different directions! ...Gemini in the pits, dark horses to win the Pinball Warrior challenge..."

— Jonathan Pearce during Gemini's Pinball Warrior run

Gemini gets round Sergeant Bash in the Pinball

The only clusterbot in the competition, the two halves drove forwards together a little before splitting. One half drove at the see-saw, but missed its run, driving onto the edge, whilst the other half went for the right hand set of barrels, knocking over four of them. It then drove in front of Sgt. Bash, knocking another barrel over in the process, whilst the other half abandoned the bridge, driving around Sgt. Bash to hit the target whilst the other half drove into Sgt. Bash. With Sergeant Bash distracted, the half that hit the target reversed out before Sgt. Bash could attack, whilst the half that was distracting Bash drove straight for the multiball release, scattering the balls.

"This is a great run by Gemini! Perhaps built for the Pinball Warrior Tournament, but once one half of Gemini is immobilised, that's it, that's the end of the run!"

— Jonathan Pearce as both halves of Gemini made rapid progress

One half of Gemini crosses the see-saw

However, as it turned away, Sir Killalot blocked its way. Sir Killalot pushed it with his claw, but the Gemini half got away. The other half pushed the sphere away, which nearly hit its fellow Gemini twin. That half turned, but nearly drove into Sir Killalot, so turned away, driving at the car doors and driving through them. Meanwhile, the other half of Gemini drove up the arena, and drove onto the see-saw. After some readjusting, the Gemini half drove over the bridge, despite Sir Killalot's attempt to block it as it drove off.

"...and a completed run, that's a rarity in the Pinball Warrior challenge! This is a magnificent run by Gemini!"

— Jonathan Pearce as the unmarked half of Gemini clears the bridge

Sir Killalot drove past the Gemini half, driving over the end of the see-saw, whilst the other half of Gemini drove into Matilda's zone, ramming into its front. Matilda turned away, which allowed the Gemini half to hit her target. The other Gemini half drove into the see-saw, tipping on its back, but reversed, and turned away. It drove at Matilda, who pushed against it with her tusks, but it reversed, then turned out of the zone. It had a clear run at the other set of barrels, but strangely, the Gemini half turned the other way, driving around Matilda, and hitting the target, which earned no points as it had already been hit.

The two Gemini halves go for separate targets

"Very strange they didn't go for the other barrels!"

— Jonathan Pearce whilst reviewing the highlights after the run

During this time, the other Gemini half drove into Dead Metal's zone, and Dead Metal grabbed it in his arms. However, when he let go, the Gemini half hit the target and quickly got out. Sir Killalot drove after it, but it managed to quickly turn and drive through the car doors to avoid him before time ran out.

"This is a magnificent run! The car door option swung again, that was Gemini! Points tallied everywhere!"

— Jonathan Pearce at the end of Gemini's run

Having hit almost all the possible targets, Gemini had scored 255 points, 10 more than Spawn of Scutter, so went straight to the top of the leaderboard.

"Well a great run right from the start! ...Action everywhere on the arena floor, up over the bridge, this was tremendous driving skill! ...They'll go close, very close! ...They're on top, Gemini! The long-time leaders Spawn of Scutter beaten! Gemini, 255 points, and the remaining three robots are gonna have to go some to beat that!"

— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights and scoreboard after the run

Score: 255 points.

Firestorm 2 (Heat N)

Firestorm 2, having knocked over the right-hand set of barrels

After a pause, Firestorm 2 turned and charged at the right hand set of barrels, knocking all but one of them over. It turned, and drove into the remaining barrel to knock it over. It turned, but turned too far and drove into the arena wall. It reversed, but as it tried to drive forwards, it suffered from interference and stopped. Sergeant Bash and Dead Metal surrounded it, and Firestorm 2 tried to get away, but Sgt. Bash blocked it with his front pincer.

"Ooh, not great driving skills though, bashed against the arena wall, and now the House Robots close in. Can they get contact with the arena side target? They're too slow here Firestorm. They need more quick points here, urgently."

— Jonathan Pearce as Firestorm 2 drives into the wall, then fails to reach the 50 point target

Sgt. Bash reversed, but despite having a clear run at the target, Firestorm 2 did not move forwards due to interference. Firestorm turned back and forth, and Dead Metal got behind it, getting his arms around, but Firestorm 2 drove away. Firestorm 2 stopped again, and Dead Metal rammed into the back of it, pushing it towards Sir Killalot.

"The multiball release, no they've missed that. Dead Metal's closed them off."

— Jonathan Pearce as Dead Metal pushes Firestorm 2 away from the multiball release

Firestorm 2 hits the 75 point target, but Sir Killalot pins it against the wall

Firestorm 2 turned away, quickly driving around Dead Metal and charging at the multiball release, scattering the balls. Firestorm 2 reversed into Dead Metal, then tried to hit the target, but drove into the arena wall, and Sir Killalot pinned it in place with his claw. Sir Killalot reversed, allowing Firestorm 2 to turn around and hit the target. It turned around to drive through the car doors, but due to interference, it was moving slowly and fitfully.

"They seem a little bit sluggish at the controls though! Eventually, they open those car doors."

— Jonathan Pearce as Firestorm 2 struggles to drive through the car doors

Firestorm 2 tries to reach Matilda's target

After driving through, Firestorm 2 sped up again, and charged into Matilda's side, pushing her against her target. It tried to drive under her and hit the target, but could only just reach it with the front tip, so turned away. Dead Metal blocked it, but Firestorm 2 pushed Dead Metal back against Sir Killalot as time ran out.

"Not enough from Firestorm in the end! Well, they'll be disappointed overall. ... So, a reasonable score, quite credible."

— Jonathan Pearce as Firestorm 2's run ends

Score: 135 Points.

Inverterbrat (Heat O)

Inverterbrat knocks over the barrels

Inverterbrat started by turning and driving at the right-hand set of barrels, but missed its charge and drove in front of them. It turned and reversed into the barrels, knocking over three of them.

"A bit hesitant, 15 points already gained."

— Jonathan Pearce as Inverterbrat knocks over the barrels after a pause

Inverterbrat drives through the car doors

It then drove at Sgt. Bash's zone, but paused as it got close. It drove between Sgt. Bash and the sphere, but seemed to be suffering from interference, as it rocked back and forth and turned, but didn't try to get around Sgt. Bash. Dead Metal closed in, and Inverterbrat reversed, then charged between the two House Robots, pushing the sphere away. Inverterbrat drove across the arena towards the car doors, and after lining itself up, drove through the doors, earning some more points.

"This isn't a great run so far by Inverterbrat, open those car doors you'll get 25 points. They seem to be caught in two minds."

— Jonathan Pearce as Inverterbrat approaches the car doors, and takes time lining itself up

Inverterbrat gets past Matilda to hit her target

It reversed back through the car doors, under the see-saw, but Dead Metal held it. Matilda was not guarding her target closely, so Inverterbrat rushed to hit the target, earning 50 more points. However, Matilda got her tusks under, lifting Inverterbrat up and pinning it against the wall. Matilda reversed to let Inverterbrat go, and Inverterbrat drove out of her zone, but paused turning back and forth. It nearly drove into Dead Metal, but turned to get away, then tried to aim at Sir Killalot's zone. However, it seemed to be suffering from interference, turning back and forth, but couldn't drive at the target or get past Sir Killalot, so abandoned that idea.

"Now away, towards... well I thought they were going towards the multiball release there, top of your picture. Why did they veer away? Turning, slowly. This is a very ponderous run."

— Jonathan Pearce as Inverterbrat suffers from control issues

It turned toward the multiball release and made one last charge, but time ran out before it could hit the release, leaving Inverterbrat with a disappointingly low score.

"Too slow, indecisive. Not enough points on the board, I'm afraid. Disappointing, that one."

— Jonathan Pearce as Inverterbrat run ends

Score: 95 points

Killerhurtz (Heat P)

"We've seen Killerhurtz before, John Reid at the controls, and his very adept team, but how quickly can they topple the barrels, put the silver sphere into the pit, drive up and over the bridge, knock over the multiball option, knock open the car doors, hit the specific targets around the arena floor?"

— Jonathan Pearce before Killerhurtz starts its run

Killerhurtz hits the 50 point target

Killerhurtz made a quick start, charging at Sgt. Bash's zone. However, Sergeant Bash was ready for it, blocking the target, so Killerhurtz slammed into Sgt. Bash's side. Killerhurtz turned away and hit the right hand set of barrels, knocking over several. It quickly drove across the arena, hitting the other set of barrels, knocking many of them over. Without a pause, Killerhurtz turned and drove at Matilda's zone, hitting Matilda, and turning to hit the target.

"Speeding around the arena floor, up to 16 miles-an-hour, Killerhurtz! A very quick run!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Killerhurtz knocks over both sets of barrels, then hits Matilda's target

Killerhurtz gets past Dead Metal and hits his target

Killerhurtz reversed into Matilda, then tried to drive out of her zone, but Sir Killalot blocked its escape with his claw and pushed it back. Killerhurtz reversed away from Sir Killalot, but backed into Matilda's tusks, which lifted it up a little, and pushed it into Sir Killalot's claw. Killerhurtz managed to drive away, and drove at Dead Metal's zone, and despite Dead Metal's attempts to stop it, it hit the target. Dead Metal grabbed Killerhurtz in his arms and turned it away, pushing it out of his zone, but as he let go, Killerhurtz turned and hit the nearby multiball release, scattering the balls. Killerhurtz turned around, then drove into Sgt. Bash's side. Sgt. Bash reversed and blasted Killerhurtz with his flamethrower, and Killerhurtz appeared to stop. Sir Killalot closed in, but Killerhurtz started moving again, hitting the target which Sergeant Bash had left exposed.

"This is a very, very good late dash by Killerhurtz! What a brave attempt here, to win the Pinball Warrior tournament!"

— Jonathan Pearce after Killerhurtz hit Sgt. Bash's target

Killerhurtz opens the multiball release

Killerhurtz reversed straight into Sir Killalot, and Sir Killalot reversed, allowing Killerhurtz to turn and charge across the arena. Killerhurtz slammed into Matilda's side, then reversed. It tried to drive away at another target, but Matilda got her tusks underneath and lifted it up, then pushed it back. Matilda dropped Killerhurtz, and after a pause, it turned, but Sir Killalot blocked it, and time ran out.

"Time is ticking down, I don't think they're gonna do it, but it's been a marvellous brave, battling run here by Killerhurtz! Tremendously entertaining though, and great fun out there; hit points, hit House Robots, try and win, if you can't do your best in battle, and that's what they've done! Great stuff!"

— Jonathan Pearce in the last few seconds of Killerhurz's run

Killerhurtz had scored an impressively high total, but not quite enough to top the leaderboard, leaving Gemini as the champion.

"Very strong run! Courageous, great fun as well. I think they're gonna go close, very close! ... How close? Not close enough! 20 points off the leaders! Gemini confirmed as the Pinball Warrior champions!"

— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights of Killerhurtz's run, before the final leaderboard is revealed

Score: 235 points

Leaderboard

1) Gemini (255 points)
2) Spawn of Scutter (245)
3) Killerhurtz (235)
4) King B3 (225)
5) Bigger Brother (180)
=) Diotoir (180)
7) Hypno-Disc (135)
=) Firestorm 2 (135)
9) 101 (125)
10) Razer (95)
=) Inverterbrat (95)
12) Stinger (75)
=) Banshee (75)
14) S.M.I.D.S.Y. (70)
15) Spikasaurus (40)
=) Attila the Drum (40)

Trophy

Trivia

• This was the last appearance of Pinball in Robot Wars. According to Simon Harrison, a member of the Steering Committee, this was due to the amount of time needed to set up the arena for each run.
• Unlike the Series 3 Pinball Competition, no competitors that failed to qualify for the main series took part in the completion. According to Steering Committee member, Simon Harrison, this was due to save costs for the amount of competitors the production company would have to host during filming..
• The balls in the multiball release were bowling balls, whereas in Series 3, inflatable balls were used, with Crusader bursting one of them.
• Filmed after the main competition, many of the competing teams would be wearing different outfits to those they wore during their main competition run, and sometimes different team members appeared.
• A number of competitors suffered from interference. On their website, Team Firestorm blamed "all the metal bits in the arena" for the interference.
• During filming, Firestorm 2 was given the 50 points for hitting Matilda's target, but this was discounted from its total in the televised episode. If it had been included, Firestorm 2 would have scored 185 points, putting it above Hypno-Disc in 7th place.
• The picture of the Pinball Warrior trophy shown in the Grand Final was actually a picture of the Sportsmanship Award from Series 3. The same picture was used for the Sportsmanship Award during the Series 4 Awards ceremony.
• Killerhurtz and Razer were the only robots to compete in the Series 3 and Series 4 Pinball events. Ironically, in Series 3, Razer won and Killerhurtz was 3rd from bottom, in Series 4, Killerhurtz was third from top, and Razer came in the bottom half.
• The modified car tyres which the points targets were made from were converted into the Pit release button seen in Series 5, Extreme 1 and Dutch Series 1. This can be seen in a few battles, where the '50' can be seen lit up behind the new symbol for the Pit release button.