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Spears are a variation of long spikes which can exist as static or active weapons.

The first known Robot Wars robot intended to feature one was 1994 US competitor TMZ, which had an interchangeable retractable type. However, the robot was eliminated from its Face-Off championships before it could have the chance to use it.[1] Fellow 1994 competitors Doolittle and Ramfire 100 were also armed with retractable spears from the outset, ultimately becoming the first to utilise them in combat. Ramfire 100 was also the first to find major success with either type, claiming the inaugural Heavyweight Face-Off championship and 'Best Engineering' award that same year.[2]

Series 1 Grand Finalist T.R.A.C.I.E., along with Arena Semi-Finalists Nemesis and Shogun from the same series, were among the first robots to use either kind of spear in the televised show. Other notable examples include those used by Tornado (both retracting (Series 4) and static (Series 6)) Spikasaurus (static), Plunderbird 2 (retracting), 101 (retracting) and Spawn of Scutter (retracting).

House Robot Cassius Chrome was also equipped with a pair of retracting spears as part of his weaponry.

Definition[]

Spears differ from spikes in that they are generally longer, while spikes can exist in any length. Their purpose is to specifically pierce through robots' armour with the intention of damaging internal components, as well as puncturing tyres or dislodging tracks. This differs from most other types of static blades, which primarily aim to batter and damage opponents.

Retracting Spears[]

Retracting spears, such as those used by 101 and Spawn of Scutter, are usually concealed within the robot, and powered by a pneumatic/hydraulic ram or a rod connected to a flywheel or camshaft. They thrust out of the robot's body at high speed, causing instantaneous damage to an opponent's armour or wheels. They solve many of the problems affecting static spears, notably being less liable to being damaged or broken off because they are usually concealed within the robot's body until they fire. This also improves the robot's manoeuvrability, allowing it to turn without having the spear catch on opponents, walls or other objects.

Retracting spears may also be referred to as spike cannons.

Advantages and Disadvantages[]

SpikasaurusvsSuicidal

Spikasaurus spears the side of Suicidal Tendencies during the Northern Annihilator

Prince of darkness vs tracie

T.R.A.C.I.E. is able to ram its spears into Prince of Darkness

Spawn of Scutter Banshee

Spawn of Scutter throws Banshee over with its retracting spear

Advantages

  • Like spikes, static spears are light and easy to attach to a robot.
  • Spears are especially useful damaging weapons if the robot has a powerful drive system, and is manoeuvrable and well-driven enough. It is possible for static spears to deal considerable amounts of damage to their opponents through ramming them or impaling their armour or wheels, as Spikasaurus demonstrated against Suicidal Tendencies and Killerhurtz during the Series 4 Northern Annihilator.
  • It is especially possible for retracting spears to be considerably effective in causing damage to opponents' armour. Nemesis and Ruf Ruf Dougal were both able to punch holes through Roadblock and Gemini with their spears before losing to their respective opponents.
  • Both types of spears are easily compatible with invertible designs, and equally effective when the robot is inverted. T.R.A.C.I.E. and Mr Nasty are notable examples with static spears, while 101 and Spawn of Scutter are notable examples with retracting spears. Tornado also enjoyed considerable amounts of success when equipped with either type of spear in various series.
  • Retracting spears could offer an ingenious synergy when combined with elements of a particular robot's design. By far the best example of this is through Spawn of Scutter's spear, which was combined with its front wedge to act as a very effective flipping weapon, hurling robots such as Banshee and Onslaught over effortlessly at various points throughout Series 4.
  • Through their outward-firing motion, larger retracting spears could be useful in pushing nearby opponents away. While relatively little-used throughout the series it was seen in, the 24-inch spike at the rear of Atomic 2 demonstrated this on the inverted MouseTrap in its Extreme 1 Mayhem battle.

Disadvantages

Spikasaurus stuck

Spikasaurus stuck on the arena wall

Tracie stuck

T.R.A.C.I.E.'s spears left it stuck in its pocket during the Snooker

Tornado vs Anarchy

Even with precise driving, Tornado's static spear caused minimal damage to Anarchy

  • Spears, especially longer ones, can be fragile and prone to breaking off.
  • They are only effective at attacking in one direction and, unless they are retractable, are difficult to use effectively without a strong drive system and a good run-up on opponents.
  • Often, they are so sharp that they can catch on parts of the arena and leave a robot equipped with them stuck on that particular part. Spikasaurus became impaled on the wall in its Heat in Series 4, resulting in its subsequent elimination, and T.R.A.C.I.E.'s spears prevented it from getting out of its pocket during its Snooker Trial in Series 1. This would have eliminated T.R.A.C.I.E. if the stock robot Eubank the Mouse had not been deemed as having irreparably broken down.
    • Also, if they are successfully used, they can impale through opponents so effectively that it becomes difficult to separate both robots. Suicidal Tendencies and Spikasaurus both had to be dismantled in order to become separated during the Northern Annihilator, after Spikasaurus' spears became impaled through Suicidal Tendencies' side panels.
  • Generally, both kinds of spears are less effective at piercing/puncturing other robots than other weapons, especially those with tougher armour. For example, Tornado was unable to use its retracting (Series 4) or static (Series 6) spears to good effect, instead relying on its immense pushing power to win battles in which it was equipped with them.

List of Robots with Spear Weapons[]

Robots are listed in alphabetical order.

DESKTOP MODE ONLY: Robots which are not heavyweight entries are listed with a green background. House Robots are listed with a gold background. Robots from the 1994-1997 US competitions are listed with a purple background.

Robot Sub-Type Series Appearances with Spears Notes Image
101 Retracting Series 3-5, Extreme 1 UK Series 3 and World Championship Semi-Finalist, Series 4 Tag Team Terror champion with King B3. Spear was activated by an Extraperceptive Central System (ECS) which allowed it to automatically fire when an opponent was in range.
101 Series 3 Crop
Agamemnon Retracting 1996 US Championship 1996 Middleweight Face-Off and Melee Champion. Small 'pneumatic punch' mounted to a tilting and rotating platform at the back, running on a 150psi nitrogen system. Weapon could be removed along with the front saw arm.[3]
Agamennon
Alexander Retracting 1997 US Championship Direct successor to Agamemnon; the rear revolving spear operated on a 125psi CO2 system and could rotate horizontally on a custom bearing at up to 200 degrees. Runner-up of the 1997 Middleweight Face-Off championship.[4][5][6]
Alexander
Alien Destructor Retracting Dutch Series 1-2, Extreme 1 Competed as Alien Destructor 2 in Dutch Series 2.
Alien Destructor II
Ansgar Retracting Extreme 1 Capable of punching out at a speed of 300rpm. Interchangeable with a flipping arm.
Ansgar lance
Aggrobot Retracting Series 3-4 Future Aggrobot models featured a set of pincers as weaponry.
Aggrobot S3
Atomic 2 Retracting Series 5 Secondary weapon, fired from the rear of the machine.
MayhemAtomicMousetrapFightingTorque
Axios Retracting Series 3 Mounted on an overhead pole.
Axios
Big Shot Retracting 1996 US Championship Lightweight. Pneumatic spike was concealed within a tilting 'cannon'. Weapon effectiveness was limited by the use of a 'single-shot' weapon system.[7]
Big shot
Bloodletter Jr. Static 1996 US Championship Heavyweight walker, armed with two long spikes at the front.[8]
Bloodletter jr
Bodyhammer Retracting Series 1-2 Bodyhammer was armed with a static spike during its battles in Series 1. In Series 2, Bodyhammer used a front-mounted reciprocating spike powered by a garden strimmer, often erroneously referred to as a 'flipper'. Paired with a 6-inch circular saw.
Bodyhammer s1 spike final
Broot Retracting Series 2 Rear-mounted spear weapon.
Broot pits
Brimhur Retracting Series 3
Brimhur
Buford T. Pusser Retracting 1996 US Championship Featherweight. Spike was operated by a lead-screw mechanism.[9]
Buford t pusser
C3 Retracting 1997 US Championship Featherweight. Large spring-loaded ram with a spiked tip, operated by a lead-screw mechanism and rechargeable screwdriver motor.[10][11]
C3
Cassius 2 Retracting Series 3 Rear-mounted retracting spear extending to a length of three-quarters of a metre. Specifically added to allow Cassius 2 to theoretically escape from the Pit of Oblivion if it reversed in.
Cassius2back
Cassius Chrome Retracting Series 7 House Robot. Interchangeable with fists, driven by rear rotary camshafts.
Cassius-chrome
Cataclysmic Variabot Retracting Extreme 1-2 18" pneumatic spike was interchangeable with an axe or flipper weapon. Only the axe was used on television.
CV
Cobra Retracting Series 7 Only had enough CO2 for seven attacks per battle.
Cobra
Death Trak Static Series 2 Wedge spikes were detachable.
Death trak offical image
Demolition Demon 2 Static Series 3 Competed in Robotic Soccer only.
Demolition Demon 2
Destruct-A-Bubble Retracting Series 4 Used like a tongue.
Destruct a bubble series 4
Detonator Static Series 1, 4 Front battering ram made from a sawn-off pipe.
Detonator S1 Crop
Doolittle Retracting 1994 US Championship Spear ran through both ends of the robot, with the back end fitted with a metal block.[12]
DooLittle
DooMore Retracting 1995-1996 US Championships Pneumatic spike mounted on a pivoting arm; capable of piercing opponents from multiple angles. 1996 Heavyweight Face-Off Semi-Finalist and Heavyweight Melee Finalist.[13]
DooMore96
Dragbot Static US Season 2 Unusual sets of moving spikes on its wedge, intended to drag and lift robots over. Had additional spear weapons that could be attached to the sides, although these were not seen on television.
Dragbotweaponry
Elvis Static Series 1 Armed with a lifter and saw in Series 2.
Elvis
Finagler Retracting 1997 US Championship Lightweight. Spring-loaded front 'ramming wedge' was intended to be fully retractable with a range of 18cm, but could only fire once during battles.[14][15] 1997 Lightweight Melee Finalist.
Fingaler
Fire Storm Retracting Series 3 Secondary weapon fired from the rear of the machine. Very limited usage, as Fire Storm primarily used its front-hinged flipping arm to attack opponents.
FirestormS3spike
Immortalis Retracting Series 5 Rear weapon.
Immortalis mag
La Machine Retracting 1997 US Championship The 1997 incarnation featured a CO2-powered 'ram', intended to flip and pierce opponents at a maximum pressure of 700psi. Weapon mechanism derived technologies from DooMore's spear, incorporating a solenoid and secondary chamber to maximise pressure. 1997 Heavyweight Face-Off runner-up, though La Machine relied mostly on its ramming power and shape to win matches.[16][17]
Lamachine97
Leighbot Retracting Series 1 Used an four-bar electric arm to thrust the spear. Equipped an electric fan to clear smoke in its Gauntlet run.
Leighbot Crop
Mr Nasty Static Series 6, Extreme 2 Static weaponry used to great effect in its New Blood Championship opening melee.
Mr Nasty
Nemesis Retracting Series 1-2 The first robot to appear in UK Robot Wars with a retracting spear, as well as static spikes along its sides.
Nemesis Series 2 Crop
Pain Retracting Series 2 A 'kinetic stabber' powered by sparks produced from a mix of oxygen and fuel. Removed before its Gauntlet run due to reliability problems.
Pain
Peaches Static 1997 US Championship Middleweight. Two long spears attached to one end, intended to compliment the robot's emphasis on speed and ramming power.[18][19]
Peaches
Phoenix Static Series 2
Phoenix
Plunderbird Retracting Series 1-2 Plunderbird 1's weapon featured a laser sight device and was contained within an interchangeable weapon 'pod'. The updated weapon on Plunderbird 2 was a pneumatic 'steel screw ram' which could also lift upwards at a small angle, though it proved secondary to the robot's tracked drive and front ramming blade. Series 2 Semi-Finalist in the latter guise.
P1Pods
Plunderbird II spike lifted
Pokey Retracting 1996 US Championship Middleweight. The back of the 1996 incarnation was equipped with an 8-inch CO2-powered spike, capable of firing at a pressure of 350psi. Supplemented a front 'forklift' arm powered by the same pneumatic system.[20][21] Removed for 1997 due to time constraints.[22]
Pokey
Prometheus Retracting 1996-1997 US Championships The original 1996 incarnation was armed with twin reciprocating 'jackhammer' spikes at the front, driven by an electric motor and camshaft mechanism.[23] Prometheus II, built for the 1997 event, featured a single 3/4-inch 'jackhammer' spike operated by a crankshaft.[24]
Prometheus96
Ramfire 100 Retracting 1994 US Championship Inaugural Heavyweight Face-Off Champion and 'Best Engineering' award winner. Large turret-mounted spike.
Ramfire1
REALI-T Static Series 1 Two long spikes at the front of the robot.
REALI-T Crop
Robopig Retracting Series 3 Hinged spike which could double as a lifter and bludgeoner. Referred to as a 'Vicious Piggy Lick' by the team.
Robopig Crop
Robot Redford Jr Static 1996 US Championship The back of the robot featured a long lance-like arm with a bladed tip, supplementing other similarly long-reach weapons mounted on the corners.
Robot redford jr
Ruf Ruf Dougal Retracting Series 5-6 Reciprocating spike powered by a flywheel.
Rufruf dougal s5 mag
Saw Point Static Series 4 Spike could spread open after impaling an opponent.
Saw Point
Shogun Retracting Series 1 Two long spikes with interchangeable tips, one placed on each side. Said by the team to be converted from hydraulic rams, and proven to actuate slowly in The Making of Robot Wars. A similarly slow-firing third ram was installed at the back, fitted with plastic lips for comedic effect.
Shogun official image
ShogunRearLips
Sir Chromalot Static Series 3-4 Replaced by a flipping arm from Series 5 onwards.
Sir Chromalot S3
Slippery Strana Static Series 2 Pair of custom 10-inch steel spikes, each weighing 1-2kg. Series 2 Lightweight Champion.
SlipperyStrana
Spawn of Scutter Retracting Series 4 Spear mounted at an upward angle within the front wedge, and doubled as a flipping weapon. Series 4 Semi-Finalist.
Spawn of Scutter
Spikasaurus Static Series 4 Series 4 Northern Annihilator champion. Pairs of 12- or 18-inch front spears, interchangeable with an unused ramming bar and curved scoop.
Spikasaurus
Techno Trousers Retracting US Season 2, Nickelodeon A hydraulic 'lance' powered by a truck spring attached to a cable, located within one of the robot's 'trouser legs'.
TechnoTrousers
Terrorpin Retracting Series 3 Was in the shape of a small head, inside a tortoise-shaped shell.
Terrorpin
THE BASH Retracting Series 10 World Series competitor. Two pneumatic spikes rested at either side of THE BASH's pincer.
THE BASH inside
Tornado Retracting/Static Series 4 (retracting), Series 6 (static) The static spear was only used in one battle, its Series 6 Heat Final against Anarchy.
Tornado S4 Crop
Tornado Spike
T.R.A.C.I.E. Static Series 1 Series 1 Grand Finalist armed with twin lances. Only UK Series Grand Finalist to use spears as its only weapon (excluding Tornado in Series 6).
TRACIE Crop
The Witch Static Series 3
RWMTheWitch
TMZ Retracting 1994 US Championship One of the robot's interchangeable weapon modules was a 1/2-inch diameter pneumatic spike with a maximum travel of 14 inches. Design issues with the CO2 system - intended to run at 700-1,000psi - prevented the weapon from retracting after its first attack. Never used in combat.[1]
TMZ
Traxx Retracting 1996 US Championship 1996 Middleweight Face-Off runner-up. Side-firing pneumatic spike integrated into the robot's front wedge, albeit rarely used.[25]
Traxx
Twn Trwn Retracting Series 3 Retractable battering ram. Was removed in order to remain within the weight limit.
Twn Trwn Crop
Vercingetorix Retracting Series 2-3 Pneumatic 'side rams' and 'tail' spike billed as secondary weapons. Discarded for the Series 4 incarnation in favour of an axe and lifting arm.
Vercingetorix S2 Crop
Vercingetorix insides
Z Retracting 1997 US Championship Front 14-inch steel spike powered by a unique pneumatic system, incorporating .223 rifle cartridges, an 'automotive coil spring' harness and hydraulic dampeners.[26][27][28] Recipient of the 'Best Engineering' award in 1997; Heavyweight Face-Off Quarter-Finalist in the same year.
Z97

Trivia[]

Point Blank S9

Point Blank in Series 9

  • Series 9-10 applicant Point Blank was intended to appear in these series with a pneumatic spike weapon, potentially making it the only Revival Series competitor to feature one. However, it would not appear on television on either occasion after the weapon suffered reliability issues during technical checks.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 'TMZ 1994 Robot Weapons Specifications', Team Minus Zero website (archived)
  2. 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos -- 1994 Winners ', US Robot Wars website (archived 2 May 1997)
  3. 'Agamemnon Intro and Technology Overview', Team Delta website (archived)
  4. 'Robot Wars 1997: Middleweight The Alexander Demo', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 14 April 2021
  5. 'The Alexander', Team Delta website
  6. 'The Alexander: June Status', Team Delta website
  7. 'Big Shot', Team Spike website (archived)
  8. 'BLOODLETTER JR', Team Spike website (archived)
  9. 'BUFORD T. PUSSER', Team Spike website (archived)
  10. 'Robot Wars 1997 Interview: F. J. Crandell with C3', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 28 April 2021
  11. 'C3', Team Spike website (archived)
  12. Brad Stone (2003), Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, p.39
  13. 'DOOMORE', Team Spike website (archived)
  14. 'Combat Robots' BuffingtonFX website
  15. 'FINAGLER', Team Spike website (archived)
  16. 'Robot Wars 1997 Interview: Greg Munsen with La Machine', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 25 April 2021
  17. 'LA MACHINE' [1997], Team Spike website (archived)
  18. 'Robot Wars 1997 Interview: Bill Nicoloff with Peaches', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 2 May 2021
  19. 'PEACHES', Team Spike website (archived)
  20. 'Pokey @BoilerBots.com', BoilerBots website (archived 4 February 2003)
  21. 'POKEY' [1996], Team Spike website (archived)
  22. 'Robot Wars 1997 Interview: Pokey and Kill-O-Amp', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded 25 April 2021
  23. 'PROMETHEUS', Team Spike website (archived)
  24. 'PROMETHEUS II', Team Spike website (archived)
  25. 'TRAXX', Team Spike website (archived)
  26. 'Robot Wars 1997 Interview: Vic Lang with Z', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 25 2021
  27. 'Robot Wars 1997: Heavyweight Z Demo', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 14 2021
  28. 'Z', Team Spike website (archived)

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