- Graham Warner: "It looks better than the other robots. It kicks butt better than the other robots. And we're better looking than the Plunderbirds"
- Luke Jackman: "And we're hard!"
- — Spawn of Scutter's introduction in Heat L
Spawn of Scutter was Team Scutterbots' second entry into Robot Wars, and exclusively competed in the Fourth Wars. It reached the Semi-Finals in the main series, as well as finishing second in the Pinball Warrior Tournament and tenth in the Sumo Basho side competition. Spawn of Scutter also took part in the Southern Annihilator, but was eliminated in the second round.
Design[]
- "Has a pneumatic flipping, piercing spike. Can run upside down on its four wheels from a sack barrow; and two start motors from a saloon car, should ensure, Scutter, doesn't splutter!"
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Spawn of Scutter
Spawn of Scutter was a completely new design compared to its predecessor, taking the form of a blue, invertible box-shaped robot with four wheels sourced from a sack barrow. While retaining the V6 saloon car starter motors used by Scutter's Revenge, it featured a lighter chassis made out of anodised 25mm aluminium box section, which had a distinctive gold colour. The robot had a top speed of 15mph[1], and the armour was 3mm polycarbonate. The internals of Spawn of Scutter also included several blue LED lights which glowed through the side and rear polycarbonate panels.
The robot's outer shell featured a pair of front and rear wedges, the rear wedge being hinged so that if the robot was turned over, it could reset as a wedge rather than being left at gaping ground clearances which Tornado suffered from. The front wedge - replacing the static scoop formerly used by Scutter's Revenge - featured the face of an angry warthog and concealed a powerful pneumatic spike located at the top, which formed Spawn of Scutter's primary weapon. The spike would fire at 120mph with half a ton of pressure, and was designed and positioned in such a way that it was capable of flipping other robots over if they were positioned carefully on the wedge.
- "It's our unicorn's point!"
- — Darren Ball on Spawn of Scutter's spike weapon
For the Semi-Finals, Team Scutterbots added very small spikes to Spawn of Scutter's front wheels, to circumvent traction issues caused by Sir Killalot's hydraulic leaks.
- Julia Reed: "...have you made any modifications since then [the Heats]?"
- Graham Warner: "Only one, old Killalot leaks a little bit and its getting a bit slippy in the arena, so what we've done, we spiked the front wheels."
- Julia Reed: "And it's not a very big spike, I might add! I can hardly see it! Is that gonna help?"
- Graham Warner: "You don't actually need a lot, just as long as it gets hold of the, 'cause it's a wooden floor. Yeah, so as long as it actually gets hold of it, that's quite enough."
- Julia Reed: "Just on the front wheels?"
- Graham Warner: "Yeah, just on the front, 'cause we transfer our power to the back wheels by belt, whereas the front wheels are driven directly off the gearbox, so if we spike the back wheels there's a chance we could strip the belt, so front wheels only."
- — Discussing the wheel spikes before the battle with Spawn of Scutter
The Team[]
- Main article: Team Scutterbots
Spawn of Scutter was entered by Team Scutterbots, veterans of the wars and previous semi-finalists from Series 3 with Scutter's Revenge. Darren Ball was now the team captain and retained his role as driver of the robot whilst Graham Warner operated Spawn of Scutter's spike weapon. New member Luke Jackman replaced Oluremi Idris as the third teammate. For Series 4, Team Scutterbots adopted a new style, this comprising of baseball caps, sunglasses and specially branded t-shirts sporting the slogan "Spawn, Resistance is Futile".
Qualification[]
On account of its status as a seeded machine, Spawn of Scutter did not need to through any qualifiers and automatically qualified for The Fourth Wars.
Robot History[]
Series 4[]
- "They've got 120 mile-an-hour worth of pneumatic spike-age there! Looking to pick a fight with Plunderbird later, so they want to get through this melee!"
- — Julia Reed introduces Spawn of Scutter before Round 1
Spawn of Scutter was seeded tenth for the Fourth Wars, in recognition of its predecessor's performance in Series 3. In its first round melee, Spawn of Scutter was drawn against Banshee, a new robot created by the same team who competed in Series 3 with Shark Attack, and newcomer Knightmare.
- "It's basically powered by two V6 starter motors, which means we've got probably more power than everyone else!"
- — Darren Ball during Spawn of Scutter's introduction
Spawn of Scutter immediately charged towards Banshee as it got its weapon up to speed. It turned into Banshee's spinning body as the latter spun up, but couldn't get underneath, and Banshee turned away. Knightmare and Spawn of Scutter drove into Banshee, stopping its body spinning. Knightmare reversed, but Spawn of Scutter kept driving into Banshee as it tried reversing and getting its body back up to speed. Spawn of Scutter could not get underneath Banshee, so it drove around it, and as Banshee tried to drive away, Spawn of Scutter pushed it against Knightmare as Knightmare drove past, which allowed Spawn of Scutter to get its front wedge under Banshee and fire its spike. Banshee was flicked away, rolling onto its side, from which it could not self-right.
- "But that's the danger with a robot shaped like Banshee: you can be toppled, and thrust away by that spike, there! Venomous, Spawn of Scutter! ... Spawn of Scutter, that's a ferocious weapon."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Knightmare then drove at Spawn of Scutter, getting under the edge of its opponents front wedge and pushing it back, past the flame pit, but Spawn of Scutter managed to reverse, then pushed back against Knightmare, until Knightmare reversed away. The House Robots came out to attack Banshee, but Knightmare continued to attack Spawn of Scutter, pushing against the side with its flipper raised, getting underneath and pushing it against the wall in an empty CPZ at the top of the arena.
- "Spawn of Scutter trying to stay away from Knightmare and just about doing so!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Knightmare pushes Spawn of Scutter to the top of the arena
Knightmare reversed, then turned and drove away, with Spawn of Scutter chasing after it. Spawn of Scutter soon caught up with Knightmare, pushing it against Dead Metal, but Knightmare pushed back and turned away. Whilst Banshee was put on the Floor Flipper by the House Robots, Knightmare got behind Spawn of Scutter and pushed, until Spawn of Scutter turned around. It drove away, and drove into Banshee after it was flipped. Cease was then called, and Spawn of Scutter went through to the next round along with Knightmare.
In the second round, Team Scutterbots faced their future Tag Team partners and their robot Vercingetorix.
- Julia Reed: "What are your tactics?"
- Graham Warner: "We're gonna make them fly, just like we did with the birthday cake!"
- Julia Reed: "And you want to get through this, dont you, 'cause you wanna have a go at Plunderbird!"
- Graham Warner: "We do, yes! Yeah, I mean that's old needle there, you know, we've gotta sort out once and for all, ain't we, really."
- Luke Jackman: "Sort out who's the hardest, innit?"
- — Pre-battle interview
At the start, both robots turned a little, before turning around and driving straight at each other. Vercingetorix tried to get its lifter under the front of Spawn of Scutter, but Spawn of Scutter got at its side and started pushing it up the arena, until Vercingetorix reversed. However, as it reversed away from Spawn of Scutter, it drove onto a flame jet. Spawn of Scutter charged at it as it reversed, driving over the flame jet, and Vercingetorix fired its axe, which hit Spawn of Scutter but did no damage. Spawn of Scutter rammed Vercingetorix down the arena, into the bottom arena wall. Pinning it there, it got its wedge underneath and fired its spike, before turning Vercingetorix towards Sir Killalot and pushing it into the House Robot.
- "And that's great tactical awareness by Darren Ball, the driver - pushing them into the CPZ."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Sir Killalot used his claw to push Vercingetorix against the wall, whilst Spawn of Scutter got under the back and fired the spike again. Spawn of Scutter reversed a little, but not enough to allow Vercingetorix to escape, and Sir Killalot grabbed the side of Vercingetorix with his claw. Spawn of Scutter fired the spike, but had turned at the wrong moment, causing the spike to miss, as Sir Killalot pulled Vercingetorix away from Spawn of Scutter, dropping it outside the CPZ. Vercingetorix reversed and Spawn of Scutter drove after it, ramming into the side. Vercingetorix turned and reversed around Spawn of Scutter, but Spawn of Scutter kept up its pursuit, turning to face Vercingetorix. As it did so, Vercingetorix fired the axe, puncturing the top armour of Spawn of Scutter. Vercingetorix pushed Spawn of Scutter towards Sir Killalot's CPZ, but Spawn of Scutter pushed back before it was close enough for Sir Killalot to attack, pushing Vercingetorix away form the CPZ.
- "Now I wonder whether Vercingetorix has really been impaired, it's moving sluggishly. Certainly Spawn of Scutter on top!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter pushes Vercingetorix up the arena
Spawn of Scutter pushed Vercingetorix to the arena centre, then pushed it past the flame jet and towards Dead Metal. Vercingetorix struggled against Spawn of Scutter, preventing it from pushing it into Dead Metal, but Spawn of Scutter pushed it against the bottom arena wall. Spawn of Scutter kept it pinned there, and Vercingetorix pulled back the axe, then hit the top of Spawn of Scutter, with the axe head getting caught in the top again. Spawn of Scutter could not get away, so Refbot rushed over, getting his front plough under Spawn of Scutter and pushing it and Vercingetorix, until, Vercingetorix pulled back its axe. Spawn of Scutter drove away from the wall, with Vercingetorix missing an axe blow as it drove away. Vercingetorix reversed and tried turning away from the wall, but Spawn of Scutter got behind it, pushing it against the wall and firing the spike, before turning and pushing Vercingetorix straight into Sir Killalot. Spawn of Scutter hit the back of Vercingetorix with the spike again as Sir Killalot grabbed the side with his claw. Sir Killalot pushed Vercingetorix against the wall, then let it reverse out of the CPZ, but Spawn of Scutter was waiting, pinning Vercingetorix against the wall and hitting the side with its spike.
- "And I think Darren Ball, Graham Warner and Luke Jackman believe - like I do - Vercingetorix is almost finished."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter rams Vercingetorix against the wall
Spawn of Scutter kept ramming into Vercingetorix as it tried turning away from the wall, pushing it against the wall, until Refbot got behind Vercingetorix and pushed it away from the wall. As he did so, Spawn of Scutter turned, and drove into the front of Vercingetorix as Refbot let it go. Vercingetorix fired the axe, but it merely bounced off the top of Spawn of Scutter, and as Spawn of Scutter drove away, Vercingetorix could only turn back and forth, with one track having locked up after Sir Killalot cut into the side. The House Robots came out to attack, and Vercingetorix was put on the Floor Flipper and thrown, putting Spawn of Scutter through to the Heat Final.
- Craig Charles: "[Your] Tactics are good, robot's strong."
- Darren Ball: "Yeah, yeah. It's used the same drive as last year, so it's just as strong, but we've got the weapon this year."
- Graham Warner: "New chassis, a lot lighter, enabled us to incorporate the weapon. We didn't have the weight to play with last year."
- — Post-battle interview
However, after the battle, the team found that the drive belt had snapped. The team were able to repair it for the Heat Final, where it fought Knightmare again, which had defeated the seeded Plunderbird 4 to qualify.
- "Knightmare are gonna find out what a nightmare is!"
- — Graham Warner to Julia Reed before the battle
Both robots charged straight at each other at the start of the battle, bumping on impact, then Spawn of Scutter drove onto Knightmare's wedge. It quickly reversed off, but Knightmare was not moving.
- "The two young members in this final, Luke likes his Karate, Lee likes his Judo. So, it's gonna be a dust-up!"
- — Jonathan Pearce in the early moments of the battle
Spawn of Scutter pushed it to Shunt, getting underneath Knightmare and flicking it past the House Robot. As it did so, Shunt fired his axe, hitting Spawn of Scutter, but Spawn of Scutter reversed away. Shunt axed Knightmare, then pushed it out of the CPZ.
- "And that was a powerful drive onto the bulldozer of Shunt, and I think that powerful drive has immobilised Knightmare! Look, there's no drive in those wheels, there's nothing going on!"
- — Jonathan Pearce, noting Knightmare's immobility
Spawn of Scutter rammed into the back, then pushed it up the arena, back to Shunt's CPZ. Shunt axed it again and pushed it onto the Floor Flipper, where Knightmare was thrown. The House Robots came out to attack, and Spawn of Scutter held back as Knightmare was attacked by them, before being pitted.
- "The Heat Final has belonged to Spawn of Scutter, right from the initial thrust"
- — Jonathan Pearce as the House Robots push Knightmare to the Pit
However, Spawn of Scutter was not without its own issues, as it started to vent smoke and came to a complete standstill in the arena. Spawn of Scutter proceeded to the Semi-Finals, albeit with repairs to make.
- Craig Charles: "You were series Semi-Finalists last time, and you know me, in a previous existence I was very fond of "Scutters"! You're doing really well though, aren't you?"
- Graham Warner: "Yeah, that's it. You know, Spawn of Scutter, I mean he's back to avenge his mum, which is what we said last year when he went out! Son of Scutter will return!"
- Craig Charles: "And so far it's going according to plan!"
- — Post-battle interview
Spawn of Scutter's run ended when it fought Series 2 champion and fourth seed Panic Attack in the first round.
- Darren Ball: "This is the Spawn team, at the Semi-Final stage, as we always knew we would be. As you can see, the robot's took a bit of a licking, but it's kept on ticking."
- Graham Warner: "Vercingetorix in the second round gave us a few holes, but like any true Essex boy, we're hard as nails, and we're ready for the rest of the competition!"
- — Team Scutterbot's introduction for the Semi-Finals
At the start, Panic Attack drove at Spawn of Scutter, which turned away, only to turn back and drive straight at Panic Attack, driving onto the ends of its forks. It quickly reversed off, but then drove at Panic Attack's front again, and this time it drove on top of the forks, lifting the wheels off the ground so it could not reverse off quickly. Panic Attack raised its forks, lifting Spawn of Scutter up on one side, but it slid off the forks. Spawn of Scutter reversed as Panic Attack drove at it, then Panic Attack reversed across the arena. Spawn of Scutter drove after it, but when it caught up with it, it drove onto the forks again. This allowed Panic Attack to lift up the front and push Spawn of Scutter across to Shunt's CPZ. Shunt axed it, but did not puncture the top armour. Panic Attack reversed and dropped Spawn of Scutter, but blocked its escape and pushed it into Shunt. Shunt missed with his axe, and Panic Attack reversed down the arena, allowing Spawn of Scutter to drive out of the CPZ.
- "Driving Spawn of Scutter into the CPZ, so that Shunt can have a little go with the axe. Spawn of Scutter quick to respond though, gets away."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Panic Attack pushes Spawn of Scutter into the CPZ
Spawn of Scutter drove after Panic Attack, but as it did so, Panic Attack rammed into its front. The two competitors pushed against each other, but Panic Attack could not get its forks under the front of Spawn of Scutter. Panic Attack almost drove on the front of Spawn of Scutter after failing to get the forks under the front, but it quickly reversed, avoiding the spike. Spawn of Scutter drove after it, but in doing so, it drove straight onto Panic Attack's forks, allowing Panic Attack to lift Spawn of Scutter's wheels off the floor. Holding Spawn of Scutter up, Panic Attack rammed Spawn of Scutter up to the top of the arena, slamming it into the middle arena entry gate. Spawn of Scutter was left propped up against the gate, and Panic Attack pushed against it to prevent it from sliding down.
- "And can Scutter right itself? It has no true srimech, self-righting mechanism, and look at the House Robots, all waiting to respond and come in! They're poised like vultures to come in for the kill! Look at them, they're all there!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Panic Attack props Spawn of Scutter against the wall
Panic Attack left it there, as the House Robots closed in. Dead Metal got his arms under Spawn of Scutter, pulling it down from the wall and cut into its side, and after missing a couple of axe blows, Shunt axed the bottom armour, puncturing it and dragging Spawn of Scutter away from the wall. Sgt. Bash got at the side as Shunt punctured Spawn of Scutter with the axe again, and Sgt. Bash grabbed the side with his pincer, then pulled Spawn of Scutter towards the arena centre, blasting it with his flamethrower as he did so.
- "It's all over for Spawn of Scutter, they've been immobilised too long! They couldn't get enough purchase on the arena floor, despite the spiked front wheels brought in. They were slammed against the arena side wall, they couldn't right themselves, and now of course they are at the mercy of our House Robots!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter is attacked by the House Robots
Sgt. Bash let go of the side, then crushed into the front with his pincer and pushed it to the Pit. However, Sgt. Bash seemed unable to let go, and Dead Metal had to help push it off, before finishing Spawn of Scutter off by pushing it into the Pit, eliminating it from the competition.
Spawn of Scutter also took part in many of the side events taking place during the Fourth Wars. In the Pinball Warrior Tournament, Spawn of Scutter was the 5th competitor. It started by turning right and driving at the barrels, knocking over 5 of them. It then drove straight at Matilda, who flicked her tusks, and reversed, leaving the 50-point target open for Spawn of Scutter to hit.
- "This is a great run so far!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter hits the target
Sir Kilalot waited outside Matilda's zone, and Spawn of Scutter reversed into him. It turned around, but drove into his claw. Both robots reversed, and Spawn of Scutter tried to drive out of the semi-circle, but Matilda blocked it. Matilda reversed, allowing Spawn of Scutter to drive past Matilda. It drove to the bottom semi-circle, bumping into the frame of the car door release as it did so, then drove into Dead Metal, pushing him against the target. It reversed, and Dead Metal drove forwards, leaving the 75-point target unguarded, so Spawn of Scutter pushed past Dead Metal and hit the target. Spawn of Scutter reversed out of the bottom semi-circle, driving into the sphere, pushing it away. Spawn of Scutter then drove down the arena and hit the multi-ball release. As it reversed, it drove into Sir Killalot, but quickly drove around him and aimed for the other 50-point target, guarded by Sgt. Bash. As Spawn of Scutter drove at the target, Sgt. Bash fired his flamethrower, but this did nothing to stop Spawn of Scutter hitting the target.
- "This is splendid stuff from Spawn of Scutter! The arena littered... there's another 50 points scored! This is a terrific run, surely the best so far..."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter hits the multi-ball release, then the 50-point target
Sgt. Bash pushed Spawn of Scutter against the wall, and Spawn of Scutter pushed against him. Eventually, Sgt. Bash moved away from the wall, giving Spawn of Scutter enough room to escape. It drove at the other set of barrels, driving into the side of the barrels, knocking them all over. Sir Killalot drove after Spawn of Scutter, and Spawn of Scutter tried to drive around him, only for Sir Killalot to block it. Spawn of Scutter tried to drive past Sir Killalot, but drove straight into his claw. Spawn of Scutter reversed and drove past Sir Killalot, but time had run.
- "Oh look at that, 245 points! They have slaughtered the rest of the robots that have gone so far, but still so many good machines to come. That is one heck of a score though by Spawn of Scutter"
- — Jonathan Pearce as the leaderboard is revealed after Spawn of Scutter's run
Spawn of Scutter had scored 245 points. This put Spawn of Scutter top of the leaderboard, a position it would keep until clusterbot Gemini, the 12th competitor, achieved 255 points, which proved to be the winning run.
In the Sumo Basho side competition, Spawn of Scutter was the first robot to make its run. It started by driving forward, then turned as Shunt drove at it. Shunt got its scoop under the side, but Spawn of Scutter slid down and was able to drive around Shunt. Shunt quickly turned, and drove into Spawn of Scutter's side, but Spawn of Scutter drove around Shunt before he could push it off. Spawn of Scutter drove into the centre of the ring, but as it turned, Shunt turned and got as Spawn of Scutter's side, and pushed it straight off the edge.
- "Dodging Shunt, a wise move...oh! Not long enough! Dear oh dear! Shunt victorious, they didn't last long, did they?"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Shunt quickly pushes Spawn of Scutter off, after some good early dodging
Spawn of Scutter had lasted just 8.03 seconds, meaning it ultimately finished tenth overall.
Spawn of Scutter also competed in the Southern Annihilator, alongside Behemoth, Razer, Vercingetorix again, Attila the Drum and Onslaught.
- "Now they are going to hypnotise you with their flashing blue lights, but they will do damage, because they've got a pneumatic spike that comes at you at 120 miles an hour! Ouch!"
- — Julia Reed introduces Spawn of Scutter to the Annihilator
In the first round, Spawn of Scutter started by driving to the centre of the arena, driving into the side of Razer as it drove up the arena, but Razer quickly drove around it. Spawn of Scutter drove into the front of Vercingetorix, then drove past, and as Razer got at one side to try and attack with its crusher, Spawn of Scutter rammed into the other side. Razer crushed into the top of Vercingetorix, and Spawn of Scutter turned away, ramming into Attila the Drum, pushing it aside. Behemoth got behind Razer as it gripped Vercingetorix and lifted it up, and Spawn of Scutter drove into Behemoth's side, but Behemoth kept attacking Razer, until it dropped Razer, and Razer drove away. Spawn of Scutter drove to the middle of the arena, towards Attila the Drum, which tried swinging its axe as Spawn of Scutter got close, but missed.
- "Spawn of Scutter, dodging away from Attila the Drum."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Spawn of Scutter and Attila the Drum turned around, and Spawn of Scutter drove up the arena, with Attila the Drum driving after it. Spawn of Scutter drove into the side of Behemoth, as Attila the Drum changed targets to Onslaught. Spawn of Scutter pushed against Behemoth a little, then reversed, backing into Attila the Drum as it drove away from Onslaught. Whilst Razer fought Vercingetorix, Spawn of Scutter drove at Onslaught, which tried to get its lifter under the front of Spawn of Scutter, but Behemoth drove at the side of Spawn of Scutter, lifting it up with its scoop and pushed it against Onslaught, before dropping it. Spawn of Scutter turned and drove down the arena. After holding back from the other competitors, Spawn of Scutter drove into Razer, which was lifting up Vercingetorix with its crusher, but Behemoth got under the side and lifted it up again. Behemoth reversed and dropped Spawn of Scutter, which reversed, then Onslaught drove at the side of Behemoth and lifted it up, and Spawn of Scutter rammed into Onslaught, pushing it out from under Behemoth. Spawn of Scutter quickly turned, got its front wedge under Onslaught and used its spike to flip it over.
- "Spawn of Scutter, in the action again, toppling Onslaught, against the scoop of Behemoth!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Spawn of Scutter then drove after Behemoth, getting at the side, and as Behemoth turned, Spawn of Scutter got under the front. Spawn of Scutter then turned and drove down the arena, dodging an axe blow from Vercingetorix, then turned around and rammed into the side of Vercingetorix as Onslaught at the other side. Onslaught failed to lift Vercingetorix, and Spawn of Scutter reversed, then rammed into the side of Vercingetorix again. Vercingetorix had been immobilised after Razer's attacks, and Spawn of Scutter drove around it, got under Onslaught and flipped it over again with its spike. As it drove past Onslaught, Attila the Drum drove at it, but Spawn of Scutter drove down the arena past it. Away from the other competitors, Spawn of Scutter turned around, then drove at Vercingetorix, and started pushing it. Behemoth got behind Vercingetorix and lifted it with its scoop, and Spawn of Scutter flicked it off the scoop with its spike.
- "One robot has to go. One robot will be eliminated at this stage, and I think at the moment it looks like Vercingetorix. Spawn of Scutter on the attack, Behemoth on the attack."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter uses its spike on Vercingetorix
Spawn of Scutter then pushed Vercingetorix to the top of the arena, under a flamethrower. Behemoth got behind Spawn of Scutter and lifted it, but Onslaught got behind Behemoth and lifted it. Spawn of Scutter drove down the arena, and cease was called as Vercingetorix was immobile.
In the second round, Spawn of Scutter started by driving at Razer as it drove drove into the centre of the arena. The two competitors bumped into each other, but Spawn of Scutter reversed. Razer followed, but Onslaught drove behind Razer, pushing it against Spawn of Scutter's front wedge, and over the side of the wedge. Onslaught got under the side of Spawn of Scutter and lifted it up, but Behemoth came between the two, pushing against Onslaught with its scoop raised, forcing Onslaught to drop Spawn of Scutter. Onslaught drove away, and as Razer went over to attack Behemoth, Spawn of Scutter drove into its side. It tried to push Razer, but Razer quickly drove around, getting behind Spawn of Scutter as Spawn of Scutter drove into Behemoth, getting under the front corner. Behemoth pushed against Spawn of Scutter, until Spawn of Scutter reversed. Razer reversed away as it did so, only to drive under the side of Spawn of Scutter and crush through the top.
- "Trying to puncture Spawn of Scutter as it did Vercingetorix!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Razer crushes Spawn of Scutter
As it did so, Onslaught got at Razer's side, and lifted Razer and Spawn of Scutter together. Behemoth drove over, getting at the other side of Spawn of Scutter, and used its lifter to help Onslaught push Razer onto the flame pit. Razer initially did not let go of Spawn of Scutter, but soon released it so it could try and self-right. However, Spawn of Scutter was still caught on the top of Behemoth's scoop. Refbot came over and pushed Spawn of Scutter in an attempt to free it, but although he knocked Spawn of Scutter off Behemoth's scoop, Spawn of Scutter fell on Razer, preventing it from self-righting. Refbot pushed between the two competitors, pushing Spawn of Scutter off of Razer's crusher. Before Spawn of Scutter could get away, Onslaught drove at its side and lifted it with its scoop, but Spawn of Scutter slid off and reversed away. Spawn of Scutter held back as the other three competitors ganged up on Razer, preventing it from self-righting, then reversed into Razer as Onslaught and Behemoth used their scoops to lift it off the floor. Spawn of Scutter pushed Razer off Behemoth's scoop and onto the Flame Pit.
- "Spawn of Scutter, Behemoth, they're all combining against Razer, the favourites."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Razer pushes Spawn of Scutter onto the Flame Pit
As Spawn of Scutter turned to reversed off the Flame Pit, it accidentally knocked Razer over as it attempted to self-right. Spawn of Scutter held back as Razer attacked the side of Behemoth and tried to crush it. Spawn of Scutter then drove into Attila the Drum, pushing past it, then drove towards Razer, which tried to get under Spawn of Scutter's side and crush into it, but Onslaught drove into its side and lifted it onto its side. Behemoth drove between Onslaught and Razer, lifting the two of them with its scoop, flipping Onslaught over. However, Spawn of Scutter did not drive away, instead turning around and using its spike on the base of Razer as it tried to self-right, flipping it back on its side. As Attila the Drum drove at the overturned Razer and prevented it from self-righting, Spawn of Scutter drove after Onslaught, but Onslaught was too fast for it and quickly drove away. Spawn of Scutter drove up the arena, where Behemoth was impeding Razer's attempts to self-right, and drove into Razer, knocking it back onto its wheels.
- "Spawn of Scutter on the attack, but Razer here you know, they're gonna have to flick themselves up and over, and Spawn of Scutter... well, they could rue that ultimately - helping Razer to right itself! That is not good controlled aggression from Spawn of Scutter, and should it go to the judges, they will be marked down on that."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Spawn of Scutter helps Razer self-right
Razer drove away, and Spawn of Scutter drove around Behemoth to where Attila the Drum was spinning in the arena centre. Spawn of Scutter withstood a number of hits from Attila the Drum, which then drove away. Spawn of Scutter reversed held back from the other competitors, and though Attila the Drum drove at it, Spawn of Scutter turned and drove away. Razer crushed into the sides of Behemoth, and Onslaught pushed Attila the Drum against Razer, and Spawn of Scutter drove into the side of Onslaught, but then turned away. Spawn of Scutter drove around the other competitors, driving over the flame jet as it drove past the front of Behemoth. Spawn of Scutter still refrained from attacking the other competitors as Razer crushed into the other side of Behemoth, and Spawn of Scutter drove around the two, driving to the other side of the arena, then drove into the side of Behemoth as Razer pushed it. Razer let go of Behemoth, and Spawn of Scutter drove into the front of Behemoth, but failed to get its rear wedge underneath, so turned away, driving at Attila the Drum. Attila the Drum drove away, and Spawn of Scutter drove at the side of Razer, but failed to get its lifter underneath. Onslaught drove into Spawn of Scutter's side, and Spawn of Scutter suddenly stopped moving. Having immobilised Behemoth, Razer then turned on Spawn of Scutter instead of Behemoth, crushing into the back as it pushed Spawn of Scutter up the arena. Razer lifted Spawn of Scutter up with its crusher and it fell off, and Spawn of Scutter was suddenly immobile. Cease was called, and the battle went to a Judges' decision.
- "Behemoth are out of it! Spawn of Scutter, have they survived? Goodness me!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as the fight ends
The judges eliminated Spawn of Scutter from the Southern Annihilator, as Behemoth was still showing some signs of movement, whereas Spawn of Scutter had been immobilised completely, although the Behemoth team were forced to withdraw before Round 3 due to a gear slipping in its own gearbox. Nevertheless, Spawn of Scutter finished in fifth place.
- Julia Reed: "You must be gutted."
- Darren Ball: "Yeah, we are a bit. It wasn't even Razer that's knocked us out, so..."
- Julia Reed: "Who was it then, what happened?"
- Darren Ball: "We don't know. We just seem to have lost either reception or power from the receiver to the rest of the robot."
- — Spawn of Scutter's post-mortem
Results[]
SPAWN OF SCUTTER - RESULTS | ||
Series 4 | ||
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship 10th Seed, Semi-Final Round 1 | ||
Heat L, Eliminator | vs. Banshee, Knightmare | Qualified |
Heat L, Semi-Final | vs. Vercingetorix | Won |
Heat L, Final | vs. Knightmare | Won |
Semi-Final 2, Round 1 | vs. Panic Attack (4) | Lost |
Pinball Warrior Tournament Second | ||
Pinball | 245 pts | 2nd |
Sumo Basho Tenth | ||
Sumo | 8.03 seconds | 10th |
Southern Annihilator Fifth Place | ||
Round 1 | vs. Attila the Drum, Behemoth, Onslaught, Razer, Vercingetorix | Qualified |
Round 2 | vs. Attila the Drum, Behemoth, Onslaught, Razer | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 4
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
Main Series | Spawn of Scutter Series Record |
---|---|
The First Wars | Did not enter |
The Second Wars | Did not enter |
The Third Wars | Entered with Scutter's Revenge |
The Fourth Wars | Semi-Finals, Round 1 |
The Fifth Wars | Entered with Spawn Again |
The Sixth Wars | Entered with Spawn Again |
The Seventh Wars | Entered with Spawn Again |
Series 8 | Did not enter |
Series 9 | Did not enter |
Series 10 | Did not enter |
Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
Series 1 | Entered with Spawn Again |
Series 2 | Entered with Spawn Again |
Gallery[]
Outside Robot Wars[]
Spawn of Scutter was retired after its sole appearance in the UK Championship and many of its components were salvaged and put into its successor Spawn Again.[2]
Trivia[]
- In an agenda distributed to The Steering Committee, Spawn of Scutter was the only semi-finalist from Series 3 besides the retired Beast of Bodmin not to be included as a provisional seed. It was also not listed in discretionary seeds. Because Pitbull ultimately did not enter, a top 16 seed opened up and Spawn of Scutter was ultimately given the spot. It can be speculated that the 10th seed was originally Pitbull's seed and that Spawn of Scutter was either a late qualifier or an accidental omission, and took the spot.
- Spawn of Scutter is one of only seven robots to attain a score of over 200 points in a Pinball tournament. Others to have achieved this are Gemini, Killerhurtz, Roadblock, Panic Attack, King B3 and Razer.
- Spawn of Scutter was the only Semi-Finalist in Series 4 to compete in the UK Championship, the Series 4 Pinball Warrior Tournament, the Series 4 Sumo Basho and one of the two Series 4 Annihilators.
- The original Robot Wars Magazine incorrectly stated that Spawn of Scutter had defeated Gravedigger on its way to the Semi-Finals, despite the picture in the magazine clearly showing them fighting Vercingetorix. In fact, Team Scutterbots and Gravedigger never fought each other on Robot Wars, although both teams were in the same heat in the following series.
- Of the robots to fall at the same stage in the Third Wars, Spawn of Scutter was the highest seeded robot, seeded only one spot below the robot to defeat it in the previous war (101).
- Team member Luke Jackman's name was only listed as Luke on the statistics board in the Heat, Semi-Final and Southern Annihilator.
- The team never called Spawn of Scutter by its full name. Instead, Darren Ball simply called the robot Spawn during their pre-battle interviews.
References[]
- ↑ Robot Wars: The Official Robot Guide
- ↑ Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Darren Hayden-Ball in 2020
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