Scrappy (1997)

For the 1996 US middleweight of the same name, see Scrappy.

Scrappy
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1997
Team Information
Team Members	Steven Schware
From	Brooklyn, New York
Robot Statistics
Weapons	Wedge shape
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Scrappy was a lightweight robot which fought exclusively in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. Built and entered by Steven Schware, it was eliminated in the opening rounds of the Lightweight Face-Off, upon losing both of its battles against Defiant and Gator respectively. Scrappy fared better in the Lightweight Melee, qualifying for the overall final, but ultimately lost the tournament outright to Defiant.

Design

Scrappy was an invertible wedge-shaped robot driven by 'two large plastic wheels'. Described as being 'simple in construction', it combined a plywood chassis with sheet metal armor panels. In the absence of any powered weapons, Scrappy relied on its wedge shape to ram and breach opponents' ground clearances, though Andrew Lindsey observed its drive system as being 'slow and underpowered'.

Robot History

1997 US Championship

Scrappy began its 1997 run in the Lightweight Face-Off, facing fellow newcomer Defiant in the opening round.

From the outset, it was rammed from the front and right-hand side a few times, then pushed from the back as it tried to avoid Defiant's early attacks. Scrappy was flicked upside-down into the lower-right corner, then lifted twice more and left stranded on the lower wall. After a short encounter, Defiant was confirmed to have won by knockout, consigning Scrappy to the Loser's Bracket at this early stage.

In this bracket, Scrappy would next fight Gator, for a chance to progress and stay in the tournament.

Early on, it breached Gator's ground clearance during the first exchanges, which also had the effect of causing Dennis Millard's machine to balance on its right wheel and perform a wheelie. Host Michael Meehan remarked on the tactical driving by both competitors as they initially avoided further contact. This was until Scrappy took direct attacks from Gator's saw, sparks flying as the disc began grinding against its metal sides. A third hit caused the saw to briefly become embedded in Scrappy's flat rear panel. Scrappy was dragged backwards towards the upper spike trap, before Gator kept attacking its armor panels.

In response, Scrappy drove underneath and destabilized Gator a few more times; on two occasions, it nearly succeeded in tipping Gator onto its side. During the final minute, both robots took swipes from an arena flipper, after which Gator began grinding away at Scrappy again. Scrappy again tried to tip Gator over, moments before the latter coasted to a halt opposite Cambot. With Gator seemingly becoming immobilized, Scrappy pushed it forwards one last time as the end bell rang. Despite its opponent's predicament, Scrappy would lose the Judges' decision on points, eliminating it from the Lightweight Face-Off at that stage.

Scrappy later returned for the Lightweight Melee tournament. In its first-round battle, it faced Gator a second time, alongside Cooks, Finagler, Mouser, Razor Back, The Ominous Brick of Havoc and Ziggy.

At first, Scrappy's involvement was minimal, though it would be pushed from the side by Cooks, and encountered the latter again as it pushed an immobilized Gator around. Momenta later, it would drag Finagler back across the left side of the arena, before being pushed again by Cooks. Cooks later teamed up with Mouser to attack Scrappy and an also-immobile Razor Back. Scrappy would soon be involved in a four-way pile-up involving Cooks, Scrappy and the disc-wielding Ziggy.

Once Mouser and Ziggy separated, Scrappy found itself being pushed across the inner perimeter by Cooks. When Cooks turned its attention towards Ziggy, it proceeded to wedge underneath the passive Ominous Brick of Havoc, itself suffering from control issues. Both Scrappy and The Ominous Brick of Havoc were rammed by Cooks, which would push Scrappy aside when another series of multi-robot scuffles began to develop. Shortly afterwards, Scrappy was wedged in place by the upper-right corner, held up by Paul Bell's machine. A pause was called to allow for multiple separations; Cooks and Scrappy among them. Together, the two machines ganged up on Ziggy, controlling Jonathan Ridder's machine towards the lower spike hazard. Scrappy was then pushed by Cooks yet again, but eventually recovered to scoop under and push Ziggy into the lower-right flipper, then the 'curb' leading towards the nearby spike. Both robots broke free, with Scrappy being rammed from the left-hand side.

Scrappy took a glancing blow from Ziggy's abrasive disc, which stalled and was rendered inoperable through this attack. This spared Scrappy from taking damage to the back armor, though it would continue to be pushed alongside Ziggy by Cooks during the final minute. After this, Scrappy found itself battling with Finagler, only to drive underneath Ziggy and be rammed by Scrappy again just before the end bell rang. As one of five robots still mobile - alongside Cooks, Finagler, The Ominous Brick of Havoc and Ziggy - Scrappy automatically progressed to the Lightweight Melee Final.

For the 1997 Lightweight Melee title, Scrappy and its fellow qualifiers would face the last two surviving robots from the other first-round battle: Christian Carlberg's walker Pretty Hate Machine, and recently-crowned Face-Off champion Defiant.

Again, Scrappy was slow to get involved, until it was tossed end-over-end by the flipper of James Underwood's entry. It then encountered The Ominous Brick of Havoc, which turned into Scrappy and stopped. Moments later, Scrappy was rammed and pushed into Cooks by Ziggy, whose abrasive cutter was not functioning. This allowed Cooks to push Scrappy several times across the arena, after which both robots became stuck to each other. Scrappy broke free once Defiant nudged Cooks. Its retreat was short-lived, however, as Defiant proceeded to attack both robots a few moments after. A second flip from Defiant was enough to flip Scrappy back into the upright position, though Scrappy would then be wedged under the lower wall.

Following this predicament, Scrappy collided with The Ominous Brick of Havoc, which had the effect of allowing Defiant to hoist the latter against the wall. It drove under, turned and reversed away from Team Delta's machine, passing Finagler as it did so. At that point, Scrappy was collected and flipped against the wall as well by Defiant, the attack leaving it wedged between the floor, 'curb' and sponsor banners. With no way of getting itself free, Scrappy was eliminated from the battle and Lightweight Melee championship, which was ultimately won by Defiant on an audience vote.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 3

Series Record

Events	Scrappy (1997) Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Did not enter
1997	Lightweight Face-Off, Round 1 Lightweight Melee, Final