Spikes

Spikes
Tornado's spikes enabled it to save weight and gain extra pushing power from large drive motors
Weapon Category	Static blades
Robots
Pioneer(s)	Spiny Norman, Zomo, Julie-Bot (1994 US competition) Nemesis (televised series)
Notable Robots	Tornado, Tricerabot, Rocky-Bot-Boa, Das Gepäck, Anvil

This article is about the weapon. For other uses, see Spike (disambiguation).

Spikes are among one of the simplest and most versatile weapons used in Robot Wars.

They were first seen in the original 1994 US competition, where both static and active types were in use across multiple weight classes. One such competitor famous for its use of spikes was Spiny Norman, whose outer shell was always covered with several outward-facing nails.

Spikes were also prevalent in earlier televised series, with Series 1 competitors Nemesis, Prince of Darkness, REALI-T, Shogun, SAT'arn and Wharthog among the first to be fitted with such weapons. The most successful competitors to use them as key parts of their designs include Series 6 champion Tornado, Third World Champion Storm 2 and US Season 2 Grand Finalists Rocky-Bot-Boa and Tricerabot.

Definition

• A spike is a pointed weapon fixed to a robot which is intended to ram, pierce and puncture other robots' armour and wheels. They can exist in various forms, ranging from short sharp points to spike traps and even shortened spears, and can be fitted to any part of the robots' chassis and/or armour. Additionally, spikes were often used as extra attachments for certain weapons, including Wild Thing's lifting arm in Series 4 and the axes of Dominator 2 and Kat 3, the latter with the intention of enabling their self-righting capabilities. For convenience, those types of spikes are excluded from this list.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Das Gepäck shoves Delldog into the pit using its spikes

Mr Nasty rams its spike into Maximus

• Spikes are light, affordable and easy to attach to a robot.
• They can be fixed anywhere on a robot's chassis or armour, considerably improving its defensive potential.
• Their affordability and light weight can allow for improvements to other aspects of the robot, such as stronger armour and more drive power. Tornado, Das Gepäck, Tricerabot and Storm 2 all benefited from excellent pushing power received from heavier and more powerful drive motors, a strength inherited from their adoption of simpler and lighter spike weapons.
• They could cause damage to other robots' armour depending on their design and especially when combined with strong pushing power. Tornado's chassis-mounted spikes were equally able to hold opponents in place as well as piercing holes through their armour and wheels, as was Mr Nasty's larger front spike against Maximus' side in the Extreme 2 New Blood Championship.
• Their shorter length circumvented the manoeuvrability problems faced with spears, as they made robots less liable to getting impaled through opponents, arena hazards or the wall.

Disadvantages

Tornado's basic weaponry in Series 4 was instrumental in its easy defeat against Chaos 2

Fluffy tears one of Das Gepäck's spikes off

• They did not offer much offensive potential compared to retractable spikes or spears, putting most robots equipped with them at a major disadvantage on damage. The majority of Velocirippa's losses, as well as Mighty Mouse's loss to Thermidor 2 in Series 7 and Tornado's loss to Chaos 2 in Series 4, were all attributed to their spike weapons not being as effective or potent as their opponents'.
• While less liable to being broken off than spears, they could still be easily damaged upon contact with other weapons. Das Gepäck notably had one of its front spikes ripped off by Fluffy's spinning blade during the final of the UK vs Germany special.
• As they were not considered to be active weapons, static spikes could not be used as a robot's primary weapon from Series 7 onward. This resulted in robots such as Mighty Mouse and Storm 2 adopting moving weapons to cohere with the new rule.

List of Robots with Spikes

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	Series Appearances with Spikes	Notes	Image
A-Kill (Middleweight)	Series 3
Alien	Series 3	Robotic Soccer only.
All Torque	Series 2-3	Series 2 Heat Finalist. Replaced with a static scoop for Series 3, though a pair of horizontal crushing spikes were added for The First World Championship.
Ally Gator	Series 3	Front and rear spikes, as well as serrated spike strips along its top armour to catch robots that drove on top of it.
Angel of Death	Series 2	Eliminated in the Gauntlet stage before the weapons could be used in combat.
Anvil	Extreme 1
Atlas	Series 3
Beef-Cake	Extreme 1	Extreme 1 Featherweight Champion.
Blackdevil Warzone	Dutch Series 2
Black Widow (1997)	1997 US Championship	Lightweight. Featured pairs of long spikes attached to each side, which were also used to support the robot's car tyre guards.
Black Widow (Extreme Warriors)	US Season 2	US Season 2 Tag Team Terror champion, along with Rocky-Bot-Boa.
Bulldog Breed	Series 3-5	Rear spikes, discarded from Series 6 onwards.	Bulldog Breed 2 (Series 4)
Cerberus	Series 3-4, Extreme 1-2	Sets of large spikes at the front, designed to resemble 'claws'.
Challenger	Series 2-3		Challenger 2 (Series 3)
Chip	Extreme 2	Replaced its spinning disc after the latter broke before competing in the New Blood Championship.
Close Enough	US Season 1
Creeping Death	1995 US Championship	Both sides featured several exposed bolts, which could theoretically double as spikes.
Darke Destroyer	Series 3-4		Darke Destroyer 2 (Series 4)
Das Gepäck	Series 6, Dutch Series 2	Joint winner of the UK vs Germany special, along with Fluffy.
Dead Metal	Series 1-7, US Season 1-2, Nickelodeon, Dutch Series 1-2, German Series	Single rear spike complementing the House Robot's exoskeletal design.
Demon	Series 2	Two 10mm steel spikes at the rear; robot mostly relied on its front wedge shape.
Doodlebug	Series 2	Middleweight Championship only.
DooMore	1995 US Championship	Sharpened bolts, each half an inch long, which were attached to the outer aluminium ring for sit-and-spin attacks.
Double Trouble	Series 6
Eddy Evolution	Extreme 2	Featherweight.
Flepser	Dutch Series 2
General Carnage 2	Series 5
Golem	Extreme 1, German Series
Hard Cheese	Series 2-3, Extreme 1	Series 2 Middleweight Champion.
Havoc	Series 2
Julie-Bot	1994 US Championship	Three-inch 'sharpened jackhammer spike' used to ram and impale opponents. 1994 Lightweight Face-Off Champion.
Kan-Opener	Series 6-7, Extreme 2	The B-spec, C-spec and D-spec versions all featured a double hydraulic pump extending from the back of the machine, occasionally interpreted on statistic boards as a 'battering ram'. Annihilator Champion in Extreme 2 and Series 7.	Kan-Opener D Spec, Series 7
Kater Killer	Series 3-4	Pair of front spikes in Series 3, replaced with a spiked lifting arm in Series 4, although a pair of rear spikes still featured.
Kitty Puff Puff	1995 US Championship	Lightweight. Front ramming spike, used in tandem with an entangling tape device. 1995 Lightweight Melee Champion.
Lateral Thought	Series 2	Reserve robot.
Lightning Tracks	US Season 2
Mad Dog (US)	1996 US Championship	Featherweight. Side spikes fixed on either side of the robot's wedge shape.
Malc 1.5	Extreme 2	Middleweight.
Manta	US Season 1-2
Mastiff	Extreme 1
Mega-Hurts	Extreme 1
Melvin	1996 US Championship	Featherweight. Twin ramming spikes mounted to the front panel.
Micro-Mute	Series 7, Extreme 2	Featherweight.
Mighty Mouse	Series 6-7	Used front HARDOX static spikes - painted to resemble the mouse's 'teeth' and 'tongue' - to save weight for better armour and more powerful drive motors.
Milly-Ann Bug	Series 2-4
Mini-Maul	Series 7	Featherweight.
Miss Struts	Series 3
Mr Nasty	Series 6, Extreme 2
Munch	1996 US Championship	Alongside spikes on the inside of its clamping arms, the robot's circumference also featured hinged steel rods with spiked red tips, resembling the legs of an insect as well as a hooked tail.
Namreko 2000	1996 US Championship	Pair of front spikes measuring two inches each; the left spike was mounted higher than the right. Replaced with a set of lifting/clamping jaws as part of the robot's update into Namreko 3000.
Nemesis	Series 1-2	Optional side and rear static steel spikes, used in tandem with a front pneumatic spike.	Nemesis in the Series 1 arena, fitted with static spikes
Nemesis (1996)	1996 US Championship
Oblivion	Series 2-4
Onslaught	Series 2-5	Two small spikes on rear bar.
ORAC	Series 2-3	A pair of 'lifting chisels' in Series 2, replaced with two short static spikes for Series 3 when competing as Orac's Revenge.
Overdozer	Series 8	Two 20cm fixed spikes.
Panda Monium	Series 2	A large front lifting spike for ramming and defence against circular weapons, paired with two static 'chisel' spikes on either side.
Panzer	Series 3	Interchangeable with a cutting saw.
Paul Bunyan	US Season 2
Penetrator	Series 2
Phantasm	Nickelodeon
Plunderbird	Series 2-4	Claw-shaped spikes placed on the top of the bodyshell in various incarnations; Series 2 Semi-Finalist as Plunderbird 2.
Prince of Darkness	Series 1	Middleweight entry; removable spike fitted to the front wedge shape for the Arena stages.
Raging Reality	Series 6, Extreme 2
Raizer Blade	Series 3-4	Rear spike, interchangeable with a chainsaw in Series 3. Replaced the chainsaw in Series 4.
Rambot	Series 4	A total of four spikes; two on the front lifter, and two more at the rear. Used to puncture Behemoth's side armour in combat.
Rammstein	Series 4	A static spike replaced the robot's original pneumatic spike for the War of Independence, in order to bring it within the 95kg weight limit for American Robot Wars 2000 applicants.
Rattus Rattus	Series 3
Rawbot	Series 7, Extreme 2
RC Warrior	Extreme 1	Featherweight.
REALI-T	Series 1	The main armour was made out of sharpened wire, making it the first robot to feature armour which doubled as a weapon.
Red 2	1996-1997 US Championships	Featherweight. Two rear spikes, along with toothed sections on each side. 1996 Featherweight Face-Off runner-up.
Rhino	1997 US Championship	Sharp 'ramming points' at either end of the diamond-shaped chassis, intended to pierce or inflict shock damage. Was complemented by a Halon extinguisher system to counter robots with internal combustion engines. 1997 Heavyweight Face-Off Quarter-Finalist.
Robocow	Series 3
Rocky-Bot-Boa	US Season 2	Front and side spikes used for ramming and defensive purposes. US Season 2 Grand Finalist and Tag Team Terror co-champion, along with Black Widow.
Roadkill	Series 3	Did not appear in the televised series after being involved in a behind-the-scenes accident.
Ron	Series 2
Rosebud	Series 2	Lightweight Championship only.
Rosie the Riveter	US Season 1-2, Nickelodeon		Rosie the Riveter 2
Rottweiler	Series 2
S.M.I.D.S.Y.	Series 3-4	Rear spikes replaced with a horizontal disc from Series 5/Extreme 1 onwards.
SAT'arn	Series 1	Consisted of a pair of 'horns' made from shelving brackets bolted together. Featherweight entry.
Shadow of Napalm	Series 4
Shockwave (Extreme 1)	Extreme 1
Shogun	Series 1	Interchangeable pairs of spikes varying in length and thickness. Designed to be attached to powered hydraulic rams on either side.
Smart Spike	1995-1996 US Championships	Autonomous robot; simply referred to as Spike in 1995. As the name implies, several spikes mounted to each side of the body as well as on the front grabbing claws.
Sniper	Dutch Series 1
Soc'em	Series 2	Super Heavyweight Championship only.
Spectre	Series 3	Robotic Soccer only.
Spiked Master	1995-1996 US Championships	Featherweight; 1995 Super Lightweight Face-Off Semi-Finalist. Long spikes on the front, sides and rear. Competed in 1996 as Spiked Master II.
Spiny Norman	1994-1997 US Championships	Entire bodyshell lined with outward-facing nails acting as spikes.
Sting	Series 2-3
Storm 2	Series 7-8, Extreme 2	Pair of static spikes at the rear. Extreme 2 New Blood Champion, Series 7 runner-up and Third World Champion, although relied primarily on its speed and pushing power.	Storm 2 in Series 7, showing the rear spikes
Sumpthing	Series 3-6, Extreme 1-2
Talos	Series 2	Interchangeable with a lance.
Tantrum	Series 2
Techno-Lease	Series 3
Terror Australis	Series 3	The original version was replaced with a repainted and renamed Nemesis for the International League Championship.
Test Toaster One	1995 US Championship	In its first year of competition, equipped with a sideways-facing nail to smash into and impale opponents. 1995 Lightweight Face-Off Champion in this form; nail replaced with a small ramming blade in 1996.
The Blob	Series 1
The Brute	US Season 1-2	Rear ramming spike, paired with a set of front lifting spikes (Season 1) or a spinning drum (Season 2).
The Iron Mask	Series 3
The Parthian Shot	Series 2
The Termite	US Season 2
Thermador	Series 3	Designed to resemble a lobster. Spike was incorporated into the robot's 'head'.
Tiny Tim	1994 US Championship	Side-facing spikes were added to the rear corners for the multi-class Melee, to enable the robot to perform sit-and-spin attacks.
Tornado	Series 4-7, Extreme 1-2	Series 6 Champion. Sets of small static spikes at the front and rear, used in tandem with a pneumatic spike for Series 4. Enabled Tornado to save weight for more powerful drive motors. A larger ramming spike was also used as an interchangeable weapon in Series 6, used in its Heat Final against Anarchy.	Tornado in Series 4 (top) and Series 6 (bottom)
Tricerabot	US Seasons 1-2	Five large front ramming spikes. Season 2 US Championship runner-up as Tricerabot 3.0.	Tricerabot 3.0
Triterobot	Series 3
UFO	Series 6
Velocirippa	Series 3-4, Extreme 2	8mm HARDOX ramming spikes in Series 3-4, front spikes replaced with a cutting disc for Series 5/Extreme 1. Front ramming spikes were refitted for the Extreme 2 model, but replaced with a lifting scoop for Series 7.
Vicious-1	1997 US Championship	Sets of three large spikes mounted to each side, providing extra defence in front of the wheels. 1997 Middleweight Face-Off Champion, though mostly relied on its pushing power, shape and rotating weapons.
Victor	Series 2-3	Side-facing rear spikes; used for sit-and-spin attacks.
Wedge of Doom	1996 US Championship	The original 1996 Featherweight Face-Off-winning iteration had four spikes lined along the top of its front wedge shape. Spikes were only seen in its official event photo.
Weeliwako	Series 3
Wharthog	Series 1
Wheelosaurus	Series 2, 4	Large spikes mounted to the aluminium dustbin lids protecting its wheels.
Xenomorph	Series 7
Zeus (UK)	Series 3
Zomo	1994 US Championship	Equipped with a static spike for 1994 only.