Scrappy was a middleweight robot which competed exclusively in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. It would reach the Semi-Finals of the Middleweight Face-Off event upon defeating Pokey, and was eliminated by fellow newcomer Agamemnon at that stage, despite snaring the latter's weapon with its own entangling nets. Scrappy also fought in the Middleweight Melee, which it would also lose to Agamemnon after getting pinned in the corner alongside their opponents.[2]
Scrappy's first-round Face-Off against Pokey was among the battles highlighted in the official American Robot Wars 1996 VHS.
Design[]
Described by Andrew Lindsey as a 'low budget and hastily assembled' entry, Scrappy was a four-wheeled machine with car-type steering. Internally, it used a cordless drill to power the rear axle, along with heavy servos for the front steering mechanism. Scrappy, as its name suggested, employed a four-sided pyramid-shaped shell made of plywood, with assorted 'junk' parts attached to it during battles. Among the items included mousetraps, a United States flag, along with the robot's primary armament. The latter included a circular saw mounted on a static arm, along with poles holding nets, which would serve to function as entanglement devices.[2]
Scrappy was originally built with a steel shell of an identical design, though this would be exchanged at the last minute as it put the robot significantly over the middleweight weight limit. The plywood equivalent was therefore assembled on site and used following its initial weigh-in. While observed to be unreliable, the 'low budget' design was also simple enough to allow for Scrappy to be easily maintained in between battles.[2]
Robot History[]
1996 US Championship[]
Scrappy began its 1996 campaign in the Middleweight Face-Off. In the first round, it was drawn to fight fellow newcomer Pokey - a battle which was ultimately fought twice.
- "Scrappy, which is made from, uh... scraps, did not have an easy time against Pokey, which looks more like a converted food trolley."
- — Paul Vallis on the opening moments of Scrappy's debut battle
In the first attempt, both robots charged into each other almost immediately. Scrappy, however, was on the receiving end, being scooped under, pushed and twice flicked by Pokey's forklift arm. A further two shoves almost saw Scrappy lose its shell entirely, as it was pinned against one of the moving wall bumpers. Scrappy was lifted again from the front-left corner. However, this attack caused Pokey to topple onto its side, through the force of its own lift and the low weight distribution placed on its forklift blade. Scrappy ended up perched on top of Pokey's forklift, with both robots now immobilized. Following chants by the audience, the Judges quickly called for a rematch.[2][3]
The second attempt began similarly to the first, with both robots approaching and drawing close to each other near the center. Again, Scrappy was attacked from the left-hand side by Pokey, while taking a glancing blow from the Ball of Doom. A tentative phase lead to Scrappy being pushed back and chased towards one of the flippers in the lower perimeter. Scrappy was jolted backwards by Pokey's pneumatic spikes, and took hits from the lower-left flipper, but survived without any major damage.[2][3]
Scrappy survives as Pokey is toppled during the rematch
In its recovery, Scrappy chased Pokey towards the center. Both drew close to a nearby mousetrap; Scrappy reversed into and was almost deshelled by the lunging hazard. Scrappy was pinned in place, leaving it powerless to avoid another lift from Pokey, which also prised its shell open. In carrying out this attack, Pokey again toppled onto its side and was left unable to self-right. Scrappy landed on its wheels with a thud, and twitched as it kept being pinned by the mousetrap. Regardless of its own predicament, it was soon declared the winner. Clips from both attempts were simply edited together to form the highlights shown in American Robot Wars 1996.[2][3]
- "It looked like the mousetrap hazard gave Scrappy a helping hand to upend Pokey."
- — Paul Vallis
Scrappy progressed to the second round, which effectively formed the Middleweight Face-Off Semi-Finals. Here, it fought Agamemnon, the debut entry from future robot combat stalwarts Team Delta.
Both robots approached each other from either side. Scrappy capitalized on an early driving error by Agamemnon, which caught itself on the upper mousetrap. It approached, then allowed Agamemnon to snag its own net as it retreated. After this moment, however, Scrappy suddenly stopped moving, giving Agamemnon a chance to cut through its plywood shell. This exchange, however, would result in Agamemnon becoming entangled in Scrappy's net, causing both robots to become intertwined. The battle was stopped early and, for the second time, a rematch promptly arranged.[2][4]
The rematch began with Scrappy attempting to lunge at Agamemnon with the nets and cutting disc. This proved unsuccessful as Agamemnon swerved out of the way just in time, tearing off the US flag placed on top of Scrappy. After a few moments' hesitation, Scrappy tried to follow Agamemnon towards the left-hand side of the arena. In doing so, it was grazed from the right-hand side by Agamemnon's cutting blades. A further head-to-head exchange allowed Scrappy to snag and disable Agamemnon's blades with its left net. However, it would end up being pushed backwards into the arena flipper. A few whacks from the flipper paddle immobilized Scrappy, resulting in its elimination from the Middleweight Face-Off.[2][4]
Scrappy would end up facing Agamemnon and Pokey a second time in the Middleweight Melee. Other competitors in this five-way rumble included Satoru Special 3 and Face-Off runner-up Traxx.
All five robots scrambled to the center of the arena. Scrappy - covered in nets - brushed past an arena flipper on its way into the corner, becoming the subject of attempted pins by Pokey. It would also be targeted by Agamemnon once it became clear that Traxx and Satoru Special 3 had already become immobilized. Ultimately, Scrappy was pushed into the corner by Agamemnon, where its eliminated opponents lay, and struggled to escape before Agamemnon's pushes were counted as a 30-second pin. Scrappy was soon declared to have been eliminated as well, and Agamemnon declared the winner of the 1996 Middleweight Melee.[2][5]
Results[]
| SCRAPPY - RESULTS | ||
| 1996 US Championship | ||
| Middleweight Face-Off Semi-Finals | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Pokey | Won |
| Semi-Final | vs. Agamemnon | Lost |
| Middleweight Melee | ||
| Melee | vs. Agamemnon, Pokey, Satoru Special 3, Traxx | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| Events | Scrappy Event Record |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Did not enter |
| 1995 | Did not enter |
| 1996 | Middleweight Face-Off, Semi-Final Middleweight Melee |
| 1997 | Did not enter |
References[]
- ↑ 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on Scrappy (archived May 2 1997)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 'SCRAPPY', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 'Robot Wars 1996 - Pokey vs Scrappy', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Agamemnon vs Scrappy', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1996: Middleweight Melee', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
External Links[]
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