- "Sharp teeth, a spinning disc, a bulletproof plastic shell, top speeds of 20mph, I mean, this is the talk of the pits. Idle because it's Small Torque, or will the chatter "box" all opponents up?"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Small Torque was Team Torque's entry for Series 4 of Robot Wars. It reached the second round in its Heat at the expense of the seeded Centurion, before losing to Eric after overheating and breaking down.
Design[]
Small Torque in the arena
Small Torque was a compact two-wheel drive robot equipped with a small, 4000rpm toothed cutting disc and armoured in bulletproof plastic. Unusually, the disc could also function as a third wheel, which enabled Small Torque to run upside down at speeds of up to 20mph. The robot also featured an internal cooling system which continually pumped CO2 through its internals to prevent its components from overheating, an issue which had cost All Torque in previous series. Ironically, Small Torque was defeated in its second round battle after its electrical components short-circuited, with the team having to disable its cooling system after it suffered irreparable damage during its eliminator.
Etymology[]
Much like its predecessors and successors, the robot's name was a pun on the phrase small talk.
The Team[]
Team Torque with Small Torque
- Main article: Team Torque
Small Torque was entered into Series 4 by Team Torque, as the successor to their first robot All Torque. It was then succeeded by Fighting Torque. Team captain Martin Sloss was the lead builder of the machine, while Richie McBride conducted many of the team's interviews alongside his son Alex.
Qualification[]
Small Torque successfully won two qualifier battles to earn its place in Series 4. The first was against PC Plod, where although Small Torque started to overheat towards the end, causing internal performance issues, it managed to win the battle. It then won its second battle, against Panzer Wraith, qualifying for the Fourth Wars at the expense of its opponent.
Robot History[]
Series 4[]
- "We're gonna team up with Splinter to defeat Centurion."
- — Alex McBride's pre-battle tactics
In its first round battle, Small Torque faced Team Ivanhoe's new robot Splinter and the thirty-first seed Centurion.
Splinter and Centurion pin Small Torque against each other
Small Torque is grabbed and pushed by Splinter
It was initially slow to get into the action, as Centurion quickly tried to flip Splinter, but drove under Splinter with its disc as it pushed Centurion into Sergeant Bash's CPZ. Small Torque proceeded to attack Centurion, who appeared to be immobilised as it tried to flip and axe Small Torque in return, before being shoved around the arena and into Shunt by Splinter. Small Torque escaped from the CPZ, despite being axed, ramming into Splinter before getting caught by Dead Metal as he attempted to attack Centurion. With Centurion eventually being pitted by Sir Killalot, Small Torque went through to the second round along with Splinter.
There in the second round, Small Torque fought against Eric.
Eric flips Small Torque over
Small Torque catches fire
Both robots began by dodging each other, before Small Torque rammed into the back of Eric with its disc as it sat on a flame jet. Small Torque escaped, and continued to drive round and ram Eric, at one point grinding against one of Eric's wheels. However, it reversed into Sergeant Bash's CPZ and was flipped over by Eric as it escaped, allowing Small Torque's disc to briefly propel it across the floor. Despite this, Small Torque suddenly stopped moving, and began smoking as its internals caught fire and Eric attempted to flip it again. This rendered Small Torque completely immobilised and open to attack from the House Robots, eliminating it from the Fourth Wars.
Results[]
| SMALL TORQUE - RESULTS | ||
| Series 4 | ||
| The Fourth Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 2 | ||
| Heat I, Eliminator | vs. Centurion (31), Splinter | Qualified |
| Heat I, Semi-Final | vs. Eric | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
Small Torque in the first round
| Main Series | Small Torque Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Entered with All Torque |
| The Third Wars | Entered with All Torque |
| The Fourth Wars | Heat, Round 2 |
| The Fifth Wars | Entered with Bot Out of Hell (Sloss) Entered with Hippobotomus (McBrides) |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Entered with Fighting Torque |
| Series 2 | Did not enter |