Robot Wars: The Second Wars/Heat F

Heat F
The Robot Wars Logo from the introduction titles
Series	The Second Wars
Winner(s)	Panic Attack
Trial	Sumo
First Broadcast	11 December 1998
Original channel	BBC Two
TV Ratings	5.72 million
Preceded by	Heat E
Succeeded by	Heat G

"Mary Shelley once wrote about a Dr Frankenstein, a doctor who dreamed of creating the perfect man; a man with the strength of ten good blacksmiths, and he put the toilet seat down after using it. Dr Frankenstein raided the graveyard for body parts, and put enough electricity up his jackpoint to light the Blackpool illuminations. But alas, Dr Frankenstein’s monster had two major flaws: one, he looked like a badly sewn-together dead person, and two, he still didn’t leave the seat down! Two hundred years later, and people are still trying to animate lifeless objects with electricity. We call it Robot Wars..."

— Craig Charles' introduction

Heat F of Robot Wars: The Second Wars was the sixth of twelve heats which determined the Semi-Finalists of Robot Wars: The Second Wars. The episode featuring Heat F was originally broadcast on 11 December 1998 on BBC Two. The broadcast managed to attract 5.72 million viewers, an increase of 250,000 viewers when compared with the previous episode. According to BARB, this meant it ranked third in the top thirty highest rated BBC 2 broadcasts during 7-13 December, behind only The Simpsons and Have I Got News For You.

Competing Robots

Newcomers

	Disruptor
	Weight	82.1kg
	Dimensions	0.9 x 0.79 x 1.09m
	Speed	6mph
	Turning Circle	0m
	Ground Clearance	0-40mm
	Power	1 x battery (38A)
	Weapons	9" circular saw
	Notes	Movable arm driven by 25cc petrol engine
From: Newport
Team Members: Anthony Lockwood, Masayo Kobayashi & Wayne Martin

	Panic Attack
	Weight	81.8kg
	Dimensions	1.25 x 0.7 x 0.2m
	Speed	9mph
	Turning Circle	0m
	Ground Clearance	25mm
	Power	2 x 12V batteries
	Weapons	Electric lifting spikes
	Notes	Spider graphics by a Year 7 pupil
From: Cwmbran, Wales
Team Members: Kim Davies, Kevin Pritchard & Lee Wicombe

	Ron
	Weight	78.0kg
	Dimensions	0.85 x 0.6 x 0.4m
	Speed	9mph
	Turning Circle	0m
	Ground Clearance	8mm
	Power	20 x 1.2V batteries
	Weapons	Drills, cutters and 30cm saw
	Notes	Batteries salvaged from a fighter aircraft
From: Cranfield University
Team Members: Colin Offer, John Economou & Chris Ransom

	The Parthian Shot
	Weight	79.6kg
	Dimensions	1.65 x 0.8 x 0.45m
	Speed	15mph
	Turning Circle	0m
	Ground Clearance	25mm
	Power	3 x batteries (1 x 25A, 2 x 7A)
	Weapons	Ball and chain/spikes
	Notes	Weapon powered by 125W car motor
From: Dunstable in Hertfordshire
Team Members: Chris Hale, Neil Savage & William McLafferty

	Whirling Dervish
	Weight	79.7kg
	Dimensions	0.8 x 0.8 x 0.425m
	Speed	5mph
	Turning Circle	0m
	Ground Clearance	50mm
	Power	2 x 12V batteries
	Weapons	Large rotating bandsaw blade/chain
	Notes	Inside out road tyre
From: Farnborough
Team Members: Dave Allsopp & Malcolm Smith

Veterans

	Corporal Punishment
	Weight	76.1kg
	Dimensions	1.35 x 0.78 x 0.45m
	Speed	15mph
	Turning Circle	0m
	Ground Clearance	0mm
	Power	4 x 12V batteries
	Weapons	Lifting scoop/prongs
	Notes	Previously entered a featherweight called Vector of Armageddon
From: Romford
Team Members: Adam Clark

Gauntlet

Left Route	Centre Route	Right Route
Sir Killalot and two Pits	Ramrig, spikes, see-saw and Shunt	Ramrig, Pendulum, Flame Pit and Dead Metal

Panic Attack

Shunt hammers into Panic Attack

Panic Attack moved forwards down the central route, initially getting caught on the raising spikes as Sir Killalot lurked in the background. The ramrig slightly lifted one side of Panic Attack, impairing its movement temporarily, but Panic Attack was able to climb onto the ramp. Sir Killalot placed himself on the base of the see-saw, stopping it dropping down and chased Panic Attack up the ramp. Panic Attack went full speed and jumped off the end, landing on top of Dead Metal. Wedged on the side of the House Robot, Panic Attack were helpless as Shunt appeared and bashed a long line of dents into the top armour of Panic Attack as time ran out.

Corporal Punishment

Corporal Punishment is pushed back by Dead Metal

Philippa Forrester: "You haven't got much [ground] clearance on this, so is that going to make the ramp difficult?"

Adam Clark: "After the last war we don't do ramps"

Philippa Forrester: "And also it's quite wide, so is that going to make the ramrig difficult?"

Adam Clark: "It could be, but we'll see how we squeeze through."

— Adam Clark's interview before the run, referencing Vector of Armageddon getting stuck on a ramp in the previous series.

Corporal Punishment flew out of the start down the right route, and made it through the ramrig with no issues. It passed the pendulum, but was captured by a lurking Dead Metal and pushed all the way back to the ramrig. However, Dead Metal lost grip and Corporal Punishment and the competitor whizzed away across the finish line.

Ron

Ron stuck sideways

Ron edged towards the centre route, getting trapped on the spikes first. It passed the spikes and the ramrig and moved to climb the see-saw, but Dead Metal pushed the see-saw back, changing the angle and shoving Ron away. Ron managed to reverse onto the ramp, but was being chased by Sir Killalot's lance. Ron fell off the see-saw, but managed to stay on its wheels and backed onto Dead Metal. Dead Metal held Ron firm, allowing Shunt to smash constantly with the axe. Ron wiggled near the end, but it wasted the batteries and stopped moving.

The Parthian Shot

Philippa Forrester: "Now... the test area is miles away from the arena. What are you still doing here?"

Neil Savage: "We only just finished building the robot and... a bit of a test run, we don't know how the thing's going to handle, and it didn't power up. The micro's completely... no voltage on it at all, basically."

— Neil Savage explains The Parthian Shot's failure to start up

Neil Savage in the test area with a disassembled Parthian Shot

Despite being able to perform its arena introduction - albeit while being pulled across the arena by fishing wire - The Parthian Shot suffered multiple technical issues prior to competing. In the main episode, it was initially shown to have been disassembled in the test area, where Neil Savage explained to Philippa Forrester that the robot was not powering up at all. To minimise delays to the filming schedule, The Parthian Shot's run was deferred to allow Disruptor and Whirling Dervish to complete their runs first. During this time, the team undertook repairs to their machine, tracing the mobility issue to a shorted circuit board caused by a jumped weld spot.

"Disruptor, only 5.5 metres. Again, next should be Parthian Shot. Time is running out, boys..."

— Jonathan Pearce as Disruptor's Gauntlet results are announced

Philippa Forrester breaks the news of The Parthian Shot's time-out

These repairs, however, came too late for The Parthian Shot to enter the arena by the time its Gauntlet run was due to start. As a consequence, it was eliminated following a time-out countdown initiated by Stuart McDonald. When Forrester broke the news to them, the team had only just managed to get The Parthian Shot's drive system functioning, albeit with a misaligned wheel.

"The Parthian Shot - a passing shot."

— Jonathan Pearce announces The Parthian Shot's elimination

Disruptor

Disruptor is turned over

Disruptor moved towards the centre route, and Dead Metal once again rammed the see-saw to reorient it. Sir Killalot followed Disruptor as it tried to climb the see-saw and lifted it up with his lance. Disruptor was turned over and dropped, as it flailed the saw to get some movement. Time ran out and it hadn't travelled far.

Whirling Dervish

Whirling Dervish is lifted by Sir Killalot

Whirling Dervish moved into the centre route and immediately got stopped by the Floor Spikes. When they dropped, Whirling Dervish drove straight into the ramrig. It reversed and tired to climb the ramp, but weaved side-to-side due to the lack of visual clues as to which way was "forwards" on the robot. It eventually turned too far and drove off the side of the see-saw. Whirling Dervish started to spin its flail up, but Sir Killalot appeared and pushed down with his lance, gripping and lifting Whirling Dervish. Sir Killalot picked Whirling Dervish up and carried it over the ramp and further up the course, to be attacked by Shunt's axe.

Results

Rank	Robot	Distance
1	Corporal Punishment	Completed
2	Ron	11.6m
3	Panic Attack	10.8m
4	Whirling Dervish	9.5m
5	Disruptor	5.5m
6	The Parthian Shot	Timed Out

Trial (Sumo)

Panic Attack

Panic Attack stands on the arena next to the defeated Shunt

Panic Attack made the first move, driving towards Shunt, but turned and drove towards the arena edge. Panic Attack reversed and turned, but ended up broadside to Shunt who started pushing Panic Attack into the centre of the arena. Shunt nearly pushed Panic Attack off one side, but Panic Attack managed to move forwards enough to stop it, and Shunt had to stop quickly to avoid driving off. Panic Attack moved into the centre of the arena and Shunt reversed and turned to have another go, but overshot and fell off the arena completely.

"He gave us one in the eye last round, this time he took it"

— Kevin Pritchard's fighting talk about Shunt's defeat

Whirling Dervish

Shunt finally pushed Whirling Dervish off

Whirling Dervish stayed still, but spun both its flail and bandsaw up to intimidate Shunt. Shunt reversed in and deflected Whirling Dervish's attacks and tried to push it to the edge, but turned at the last minute so it stayed on. Shunt spun around to absorb the hits and Whirling Dervish managed to drive away, but almost drove straight off the edge itself. Whirling Dervish moved back into the middle and spun up. Shunt started to wiggle his way back into Whirling Dervish, corralling it towards the edge where it eventually fell off.

Corporal Punishment

Shunt is left on his side

Corporal Punishment drove straight at Shunt and got its scoop underneath the House Robot. After a few seconds of stalemate in which tyre squeal could be heard, Shunt reversed and spun around a couple of times, before going too far and falling off the arena under no pressure, leaving Corporal Punishment victorious.

Disruptor

Disruptor holds Shunt on its wedge

Shunt aimed at Disruptor and slid up the competitor's ramp. Shunt dropped off and got around the side of Disruptor and began pushing from the side. Having to push from such an awkward angle, Shunt only pushed slowly and in a circle in the centre of the platform. Shunt gave up and backed off to have a another run, but he reverse too hard at Disruptor and his wheels were lifted up as the scoop climbed Disruptor's ramp. Shunt stayed still until time ran out, leaving Disruptor to survive.

Ron

Ron is bulldozed off instantly

Ron twitched slightly before time began, but briefly moved forwards once activate was called. Shunt drove at Ron and, in one movement, lifted Ron up his scoop and dumped it over the side of the arena. Ron barrel rolled over the side and onto the tyres.

Results

Rank	Robot	Distance
1	Corporal Punishment	Victorious
2	Panic Attack	Victorious
3	Disruptor	Survived
4	Whirling Dervish	20.27s
5	Ron	4.60s

Semi-Finals

Whirling Dervish vs. Panic Attack

Panic Attack flips Whirling Dervish

Dead Metal drags Whirling Dervish over the Flame Pit

Whirling Dervish spun both its weapons up as Panic Attack charged in but missed the initial charge. Panic Attack entered the PPZ and waited to reverse into Whirling Dervish to avoid damaging its forks. Panic Attack waited and dropped its forks, allowing Whirling Dervish to drive towards Panic Attack. Panic Attack lifted its forks under Whirling Dervish and started pushing. A push across the arena followed until Whirling Dervish caught something and tipped fully over. Panic Attack withdrew and allowed Dead Metal to grab the overturned Whirling Dervish and drag it onto the Flame Pit. Shunt drove in and pummeled the bottom of Whirling Dervish with his axe. Meanwhile Panic Attack started slamming into Sergeant Bash, pinning it against the wall and ripping the saw out the back of the House Robot.

"The Whirling Dervish team have virtually re-tyred, immobilised."

— Jonathan Pearce

Winner: Panic Attack

Disruptor vs. Corporal Punishment

Disruptor rams Corporal Punishment

Corporal Punishment is attacked by the House Robots

Corporal Punishment drove across the arena and slammed into Disruptor, which hadn't moved much. Disruptor was pushed back, but Corporal Punishment reversed before Disruptor entered the PPZ. The two met again twice more, neither able to get much use out of their weapons. Corporal Punishment rammed Disruptor again, but a few prongs on the scoop were bent up, impairing Corporal Punishment's forward movement. Corporal Punishment then tried to reverse into Disruptor, but Disruptor turned and started pushing from the side and scraped its saw down Corporal Punishment's side. Corporal Punishment reversed into the PPZ and was trapped by Sergeant Bash and Matilda, the latter managed to attack with the chainsaw, cutting into the side. Shunt appeared and also attacked with his axe. Disruptor and Dead Metal slammed into Corporal Punishment again, but it escaped. Disruptor pushed again in the last 10 seconds and was awarded the victory by the Judges.

Winner: Disruptor

Final

Disruptor vs. Panic Attack

Panic Attack edges Disruptor towards the pit

Disruptor is pitted

Panic Attack was the faster out of the blocks, but hesitated a bit after the first burst. Panic Attack lined itself up and drove under the front of Disruptor with its forks and started to lift. Panic Attack backed off as it became clear it was too low for Disruptor's saw to reach. Panic Attack backed up and slammed into the front of Disruptor again. Panic Attack drove onto the front again, but slid up the wedge, meaning it was unable to push Disruptor as effectively, but managed to turn the black robot around and started pushing it towards the Pit. Panic Attack reversed off to get better purchase on the floor, raised its forks and drove at Disruptor again, pushing it to the edge of the Pit. Panic Attack went for one more slam and pushed Disruptor down the Pit.

"The end is nigh and comes for Disruptor"

— Jonathan Pearce after Disruptor is pitted

Heat Winner: Panic Attack

"If you need a potion that hair restores, you're too old, for Robot Wars!"

— Craig Charles' sign-off

Trivia

• This episode marks Panic Attack's debut.
• The Parthian Shot became the second robot in as many heats to withdraw from the competition due to technical issues.
• In the companion episode of Robot Wars Revealed, producer Stephen Carsey noted that due to scheduling issues throughout the series up to that point, The Parthian Shot had actually had an extra day to get their robot up and running.
• The Heat Final was between Panic Attack and Disruptor, two Welsh machines, making it the only UK Championship Heat Final in which neither robot came from England.