Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1/Antweight Championship

Antweight Championship
The antweights prepare for battle
Structure Information
Number of Competing Robots	7
Format	Knockout
History
UK Series	Extreme 1
Episode(s)	15
Champion(s)	Combatant

"Ant Weight robots are a special new category of fighting machine being introduced for the first time on Robot Wars Extreme. And these mean machines really are extreme - extremely small that is!"

— Robot Wars Extreme: The Official Guide

The Antweight Championship of Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1 (referred to onscreen as the Antweight Melee) was the first Antweight Championship, held during Robot Wars Extreme: Series 1. Shown in Episode 15, it was the first ever televised battle between antweight robots weighing 150g or under, and took place in a miniature version of the Robot Wars Arena. Seven competitors fought together in a single melee to determine the inaugural Antweight Champion.

Competing Robots

	Anto
	Weight	127g
	Dimensions	? x 4" x 4"
	Power	6V 3000mAh battery
	Weapons	Flipper
From: Buckinghamshire
Team Members: Craig Danby

	Anty B
	Weight	150g
	Dimensions	80mm x 100mm x 75mm
	Power	6V 300Mah Ni-Mh
	Weapons	Lifting Scoop
From: Hemel Hempstead
Team Members: Anthony Pritchard

	Combatant
	Weight	152g
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Face Spinner
From: Buckinghamshire
Team Members: Peter Waller

	Legion
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Clusterbot flippers
From: West Yorkshire
Team Members: Richard Thompson, Alex Timniy

	Little Nipper
	Weight	150g
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Mousetrap
From: Gosport
Team Members: Robert Fitzsimmons

	Pants
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Modified HS81 servos
	Weapons	Axe
From: West Sussex
Team Members: Peter Collier

	Razzler
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	0.05m x 0.07m x 0.10m
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Crusher
From: Bournemouth
Team Members: Ian Lewis

NOTE: Close Shave was also scheduled to compete, but withdrew after the competition was postponed to a different filming day.

Antweight Melee

Anto vs Pants vs Combatant vs Anty B vs Legion vs Razzler vs Little Nipper

"Awesome Antweight Melee. Pants, Little Nipper, Anty B, Combatant, Legion, Razzler and Anto. Who's gonna win? I haven't got a clue, no idea whatsoever. It'll be fun, though!"

— Jonathan Pearce before the battle begins

Pants is thrown out of the arena

Legion split as the battle began, one half attacking Little Nipper, the other Anty B, but with little success. Combatant's spinning disc struck Pants, sending it flying, as Little Nipper flipped itself and the half of Legion attacking it. As the robots converged, Combatant's weapon struck Pants twice, throwing it over and then out of the arena.

"Who's that that's gone out of the arena completely - the mini arena? I think it was Pants that went flying out!"

— Jonathan Pearce tries to keep track as a replay shows Pants being flung out of the arena by Combatant

Anty B falls under the floor flipper while Combatant flies

Combatant rips Anto's wheels away

During the struggle, one of Anto's wheels had broken off. As Little Nipper pushed one half of Legion around, Combatant then drove over the Floor Flipper, causing it to activate. However, at the same time, the Flipper lifted an approaching Anty B upwards; Anty B landed over the edge and fell into the space containing the Flipper mechanism, eliminating itself from the battle. Combatant then took Anto's other wheel off, leaving it immobilised apart from its flipper.

"We've got a wheel come off as well. It's all happening out there! Under pressure from Combatant. Anto has lost a wheel."

— Jonathan Pearce as Anto is disarmed

Little Nipper wedges under Razzler

Little Nipper pushes Razzler into the Pit

One half of Legion also appeared to be immobilised, as Little Nipper pushed Razzler into the pit release. Razzler managed to escape and pushed against Combatant, but was unable to use its crusher. Combatant and Little Nipper then teamed up against Razzler, pushing it around, but unable to cause damage. The half of Legion that was still mobile drove over the Floor Flipper, and was pushed off the ramp the Flipper was now creating (due to Anty B) by Little Nipper, but it managed to right itself. Razzler pursued the remaining Legion twin, but in doing so exposed itself to Little Nipper, who pushed it down the Pit. The three remaining robots met in the middle of the arena, and the remaining half of Legion tried to attack Combatant, but it was sent flying by its opponent's disc, which tore its flipper off.

"We've got Little Nipper there! We've got part of Legion... OH! Have we got part of Legion any more, spinning up into the air? I don't think so!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Legion goes flying

Combatant throws Legion into the air

Remarkably, Legion was still mobile and came back on the attack, as Combatant tried to use its disc on Little Nipper, who pushed it away with help from the Legion twin. Combatant drove away as Little Nipper momentarily got stuck on the Floor Flipper, moments before Cease was called. The Judges were called upon to make a decision, with Combatant, half of Legion, and Little Nipper still mobile, while Anto continued to flip at thin air in the corner. The decision went in favour of Combatant, whose performance left Julia Reed especially impressed with its capabilities.

"I had no idea something that small could do that amount of damage! Now, I reckon if we had a robot like that in the real Wars, it would do pretty well."

— Julia Reed speaks highly of Combatant after the battle

Antweight Champion: Combatant

Trivia

2001 'Shooting Schedule' listing the Antweight Melee; Razzler is notably absent from the list of competitors

• The battle marked the first occasion where a non-heavyweight competitor was thrown out of the arena, with Pants being thrown out by Combatant's spinner.
  • In doing so, Combatant became the first robot to throw another out with a spinning weapon, and the only non-heavyweight competitor to throw another out in the show's history.
• One intended competitor named Close Shave also arrived at the studio to take part in the Antweight Championship, even receiving a brief bio in Robot Wars Extreme: The Official Guide. However, the filming of the battle was postponed to a different day due to time constraints, which led to Close Shave withdrawing.
• The aforementioned guide also stated that the Melee consisted of only six competitors, as opposed to the seven which appeared in the televised battle.
• Out of the seven competitors, only Little Nipper did not receive a televised introduction, due the introductions being filmed late and its builder, Robert Fitzsimmons, leaving the studio early.
  • Conversely, Anty B and Razzler were the only competitors not to receive a bio in the Extreme guide, though a photo of the former appears in the publication.
• In a 'Shooting Schedule' document issued during filming for later stages of Extreme 1, Series 5 and Dutch Robot Wars: Series 1, Razzler is conspicuously absent from the list of robots competing in the Antweight Melee. This potentially suggests that Razzler was a late addition to the battle which initially comprised of its six eventual opponents.