Spiny Norman

Spiny Norman
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1994-1997
Other Names	Spiny Norman 2 (1995) Spiny Norman III (1996)
Team Information
Team	Team Spiny
Team Members	Will Wright
From	San Francisco, California
Robot Statistics
Drive	2x Makita cordless drills (1997)
Weapons	Spiked shell, Hedge trimmer (1997)
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Spiny Norman was a robot built by Will Wright for every US Robot Wars competition between 1994 and 1997.

The original incarnation, based around a 'small RC car', was initially entered into the 1994 event as a lightweight machine. After ending its debut battle against Zomo in a draw, it would be eliminated from the Lightweight Face-Off in the second round, upon getting entangled by Andy Roid. Spiny Norman also participated in the supporting Escort event and both Melee battles. The second Melee, also open to middleweight and heavyweight competitors, established it as a 'crowd favorite' for its durability and perseverance against larger opponents.

For 1995, Spiny Norman was reclassified as a 'super lightweight', which would become the featherweight class in later years. It reached the second round once again, in the Super Lightweight Face-Off, upon collecting its first outright win over Snickers. At that point, it was immobilized and eliminated by eventual category runner-up Holobot. A similar fate befell Spiny Norman in the Super Lightweight Melee, resulting in its elimination in the first round.

Spiny Norman's 1996 campaign also resulted in first-round losses in both the Featherweight Face-Off and Featherweight Melee tournaments. In both instances, it would become trapped in entanglement devices deployed by My Little Pony and Triple Redundancy respectively. Spiny Norman's participation in a one-off 'team bout' would also end abruptly, after it was flipped over by The X-2 and again snared by My Little Pony's tape trails. The robot's Featherweight Melee match would be among those highlighted in the official American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, plus the intro for American Robot Wars Final 1996.

Ahead of the 1997 competition, the original Spiny Norman was retired and a brand-new version built with larger wheels and a hedgetrimmer as its main weapon. In this form, it would collect its second outright win over Fuzzy in the Featherweight Face-Off, but was eliminated in the second round after taking major damage from Dough Boy. Spiny Norman also participated in the Featherweight Melee, joining at, but unable to progress beyond the Semi-Final stage.

Versions of Spiny Norman

Throughout its US Robot Wars career, Spiny Norman was represented by two distinctly different versions. Each shared a four-wheeled layout with rear-wheel drive, along with a characteristic spiked shell forming its main defense and offense.

1994-1996

Spiny Norman in the pits

The 1994-1996 incarnation was a diminutive machine, with the base being a small remote-controlled car with its own body and suspension. The shell was box-shaped, with all sides being covered by several long nails protruding from the inside. An extension to the back of the shell was added for 1995 and 1996, with the robot also being named Spiny Norman 2 and Spiny Norman III during those respective years.

1997

A completely new Spiny Norman was built at short notice for the 1997 competition, with four lawnmower wheels and a spiked aluminum shell lined with outward-facing nails. The shell itself comprised of a 'roller-pan paint tray', sitting on top of a baking tray used as the base chassis. Internally, the 1997 Spiny Norman combined two Makita cordless drills and a Vantec speed controller to power the rear wheels.

In addition to the shell, an active weapon was installed for the first time, in the form of an electric hedge trimmer. The hedge trimmer, however, was not intended to cause major damage, but instead function as a battering ram.

Etymology

The robot's name is a likely allusion to the Monty Python sketch "Piranha Brothers", as first broadcast in the second series of Monty Python's Flying Circus. In the sketch, "Spiny Norman" refers to a 'giant hedgehog' revealed as the solitary fear of Dinsdale Piranha.

Robot History

1994 US Championship

Spiny Norman was one of nine lightweight robots in attendance at the inaugural US Robot Wars competition, taking place on August 20 1994. It and Zomo would also be involved in one of the very first Robot Wars battles to take place, forming one of the opening-round clashes in the Lightweight Face-Off.

Spiny Norman attacks Zomo's wheels

Surviving footage of this match suggests that both competitors made a very tentative start. A series of high-speed collisions resulted in Spiny Norman driving up Zomo's conical shell. Further rams allowed it to gradually deshell Zomo completely, revealing the latter's four-wheeled chassis. At one point, Spiny Norman tried to puncture Zomo's front tires, but appeared to get stuck while doing so. A draw was ultimately declared, allowing both robots to progress together.

In the second round, Spiny Norman fought Andy Roid, which had also finished its first match on a draw against Satoru Special.

Spiny Norman is caught by Andy Roid's entanglement device

At some point during the match, it became entangled in the string device left by Scott McNamara's entry, causing both robots to become stuck together. In its attempts to keep moving, Spiny Norman veered into and over a nearby arena flipper, which pitched it into a quarter-spin. Further hits from the flipper paddle turned Spiny Norman completely around, allowing Andy Roid to drag it backwards across the arena. Spiny Norman was hit by the Ball of Doom as both robots crossed the center, then pulled back faster as the swinging hazard caught the string. Available match records confirm that Spiny Norman would lose the match and be eliminated from the Lightweight Face-Off at this stage.

In addition to the Face-Off tournament, Spiny Norman would also participate in the Escort and Melee events.

In Escort, it tentatively approached, then confronted the waiting House Robot while the drone struggled to move out of the start zone. Spiny Norman dug its spikes into the base of the House Robot's shell, the House Robot responding by pushing and whacking it with its 'flipper'. This exchange enabled the drone to reach the end zone untroubled, though Spiny Norman would continue to battle the House Robot for some time after.

Spiny Norman's Melee appearances began in the initial six-way contest between lightweight machines. The fight would involve it competing against Andy Roid and Zomo again, alongside Bloodletter, Julie-Bot and Pain Mower.

One of the faster-starting machines, Spiny Norman quickly turned towards Andy Roid, but missed with its initial charge. While Andy Roid drove into and was toppled by a mousetrap, it slammed into Bloodletter, with both robots entering a stalemate between each other. Spiny Norman would later pressure and circle around Julie-Bot, the recently-crowned Lightweight Face-Off champion, before again duelling with Bloodletter. Bloodletter pushed Spiny Norman back, forcing it upwards from the side, and would ultimately be declared the inaugural Lightweight Melee champion.

Spiny Norman later returned for the second Melee, open to robots from all weight classes which were still functioning by the end of the event. Alongside Zomo, it would face the middleweights South Bay Mauler and The X-1; plus the heavyweights Doolittle, Ramfire 100, The Beetle and Tiny Tim. All competitors were later joined in battle by the Escort House Robot.

"The melee was pretty uneventfull [sic], most of the robots did not survive the day, and the ones that did were not destructive enough to do much damage. Here you see ALL surviving robots, lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight all tossed in for one last battle. The crowd favorite was Spiney [sic] Norman, a lightweight that refused to die. Never again did the lightweights and heavyweights get tossed in the same fight. This would be fun to see the little guys getting crushed by the dozen by the heavyweights."

— Team Minus Zero website on the multi-class Melee

Starting directly next to South Bay Mauler, Spiny Norman drove into a nearby arena flipper as the match got underway. It was thus subjected to a push and a few whacks from the former's spinning flails, before being collected by Tiny Tim as it tried to escape. Tiny Tim's ram prised the shell off of Spiny Norman's chassis at this early point, while The X-1 and Ramfire 100 both joined the scuffle. Spiny Norman, with its shell almost fully shedded, found itself pinned under The X-1's front wheels as Mike Winter's machine pulled and pushed it back. Both machines remained stuck to each other for some time, while also briefly facing pressure from Zomo.

Eventually, the shell detached completely, leaving Spiny Norman's drivetrain and steering completely vulnerable. Spiny Norman and The X-1 would be pressured still, this time by The Beetle, itself also sparring with Tiny Tim. Spiny Norman's front-right wheel became stuck under The X-1's right side panel, resulting in it being pushed into and trapped against The Beetle. At some point, Spiny Norman was separated, darting across to the other side of the arena at full speed. It drove past Tiny Tim as the latter attacked its discarded shell, while proceeding to ram the side of Ramfire 100 as it battled with The X-1.

"The crowd chanted for the hilarious and feeble Spiny Norman, a lightweight breadbox on wheels with nails sticking out of it. Spiny tried to attack the heavyweight champ, Ramfire 2000, many times its size. It looked to the crowd like a little dog, nipping at the heels of a horse, and they chanted its name. Spiny! Spiny! Spiny! Spiny got wedged under Ramfire, whose steering servo burned out, filling the arena with smoke. As Ramfire met an ignominious end, Spiny emerged from underneath and crawled away, to the bleacher-shaking appreciation of the crowd."

— Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, highlighting the moment Spiny Norman outlasts Ramfire 100

With the 1994 Heavyweight Face-Off champion immobilized due to a burnt-out steering servo, the deshelled Spiny Norman remained close to it for several moments, even as the House Robot was brought into the arena. Both competitors would be joined by the House Robot, Zomo and South Bay Mauler. Spiny Norman was eventually freed from underneath Ramfire 100, driving across the arena in a bid to lure the House Robot and avoid its 'flipper'. By this point, its battery had been dislodged and was now trailing behind the rear axle.

A bump into the House Robot was followed by a collision with South Bay Mauler, then a swipe from the House Robot's weaponry. As in its Escort run, Spiny Norman attempted multiple times to drive under and pin the House Robot. One of these attacks, however, left it partially high-centered on its own battery, as the House Robot dragged it close to an arena flipper. With the battery directly lifting Spiny Norman's right-rear wheel off the floor, a sudden jolt caused the whole back end to lift up and the robot's suspension to break.

With no forward or reverse movement, Spiny Norman was later positioned close to, then swatted into The X-1 and Zomo by the nearby arena flipper. Spiny Norman took more hits from the flipper itself as it lay stationary, before being pushed into the left-most perimeter by the House Robot. It would next find itself in the upper-left corner, getting swatted by another arena flipper, and would ultimately lose the open Melee to South Bay Mauler.

1995 US Championship

Appearing virtually unchanged from its 1994 incarnation, Spiny Norman returned for the 1995 event, now classified as a super lightweight. Its run at the event began in the Super Lightweight Face-Off, where it faced Snickers in the first round.

Spiny Norman immediately approached and rammed the spinning Snickers. Taking a few whacks from Snickers in turn, it drove around and weaved across the left-most perimeter, as Grayson and Anthony DuRaine's machine kept defending itself with its sit-and-spin tactics. The two robots kept ramming and nudging each other throughout, while gradually finding themselves in the arena center. Spiny Norman itself would collide with the Ball of Doom and lower mousetrap, which whacked down on its shell while Snickers kept spinning.

Once Spiny Norman crawled and drove away from the mousetrap, Snickers rammed and whacked it a few more times. Spiny Norman would be pushed sideways back under the upper mousetrap. The mousetrap swung down on both opponents. A few seconds later, Spiny Norman drove free, ramming and pinning Snickers from behind as the latter took another hit from the mousetrap. By this point, Snickers had become completely immobilized due to a blown fuse, which would give Spiny Norman its first Robot Wars match win.

In the second round, Spiny Norman fought Holobot, a newer six-wheeled entry from Mike Winter and Robot Action League.

Spiny Norman immediately dodged Holobot's initial charge, circling around into the center. A rapid head-to-head collision buffeted it backwards; the impact caused the whole robot to lose drive within the first ten seconds. Spiny Norman, twitching its front wheels left and right, was rammed several more times by Holobot, which dispatched it into one of the arena flippers. The flipper swatted Spiny Norman into the wall, then, after several seconds, almost turned it over with another whack. Following a count-out and a brief pin from Holobot, Spiny Norman was eliminated from the Super Lightweight Face-Off.

In the Super Lightweight Melee, Spiny Norman would return to face Snickers and Holobot again in the first round. This match would also feature Spiked Master, along with the recently-crowned Face-Off champion KMM.

Starting from the left-hand side of the arena, Spiny Norman immediately charged and weaved across the center. Narrowly avoiding a collision with Spiked Master, it would be approached and rammed by Holobot, in a mirror of their prior Face-Off clash. Spiny Norman would be pushed into the lower wall, where it was left immobile once more. Needless to say, it would not qualify for the Super Lightweight Melee Final, which was ultimately won by KMM.

1996 US Championship

Spiny Norman once again returned for the 1996 competition, competing in multiple tournaments and battles in the newly-renamed featherweight class. Beginning its run in the Featherweight Face-Off, it would face My Little Pony in the opening round, as part of a set of 'Dual Matches' occurring alongside The X-2 vs Spunkey Munkey.

In the opening moments, Spiny Norman raced past and around the much larger My Little Pony. Both robots nudged each other multiple times. Spiny Norman was snared, however, while trying to push My Little Pony from the side as it began releasing its tape reels. The tape wrapped around and seized one of its wheels, immobilizing Spiny Norman and eliminating it from the Featherweight Face-Off.

Spiny Norman also competed in the Featherweight Melee tournament. In the first round - highlighted in American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 - it would face Red 2, Triple Redundancy, Arsenic, Slomo 3, Rampage and Roach.

"It doesn't take long for Triple Redundancy to tape things up. It splits three ways and causes chaos, especially for Spiky [Spiny Norman]."

— Paul Vallis comments on Spiny Norman's early Melee misfortune

Spiny Norman is caught by Triple Redundancy's tape

In the opening seconds, Spiny Norman dodged an early charge by Slomo 3, erroneously referred to in American Robot Wars 1996 as "X2". It would soon, however, begin driving over the tape reels deployed by Triple Redundancy, and was pushed further onto them by Red 2. Suffering with a bent wheel by this point, Spiny Norman was pushed by the smallest Triple Redundancy segment. Another shove by Red 2 caused the tape to wrap around Spiny Norman's right-rear wheel, ensnaring it once again. Both robots, along with Triple Redundancy itself, crawled back and forth across the arena in the latter part of the Melee, and were ultimately eliminated from the fight. With Slomo 3 emerging as the only robot still mobile by the end, Spiny Norman would not progress further in the Featherweight Melee tournament.

Spiny Norman's participation would not be limited to the main 1996 tournaments. On the last day of the event, it would also be involved in an 'experimental team bout' featuring a total of eight robots. Here, it would be allocated to "Team X" alongside Melvin, Spike and UK competitor WYSIWYG; the quartet would fight Arsenic, KMM, My Little Pony and The X-2 from "Team W".

Here, Spiny Norman would be flipped over by The X-2 in the opening moments, virtually eliminating it in an instant. Moments later, My Little Pony spun around and snared it with its tape, similarly to their prior Face-Off duel. Spiny Norman was eventually re-righted by WYSIWYG, only to then take a few hits from the lower mousetrap. The mobility of Spiny Norman was still compromised as it was now tethered to Melvin, which had also become trapped on Triple Redundancy's tape. Spiny Norman would end up getting pushed and lifted under the mousetrap by Arsenic, the hazard swatting it twice more. Arsenic dragged it back, but with limited success.

An intervention by KMM saw Spiny Norman get pulled over onto its back once again, as the 1995 champion caught and tried to back away from the tape. Spiny Norman then took a direct hit from the swinging Ball of Doom, dislodging its battery. Now fully inoperable, it was dragged further across the arena by KMM, moments before all Team X machines were deemed to have been pinned.

1997 US Championship

Spiny Norman returned for the 1997 event, with the second build competing in that year's Featherweight Face-Off and Melee tournaments. In the Face-Off, it was initially drawn to fight Fuzzy, in a Round 1 'Dual Match' taking place at the same time as Bad Monkey vs C3.

Spiny Norman began by approaching and ramming Fuzzy multiple times, while taking hits from the flails of Cassidy Wright's new machine. It, however, struggled to push Fuzzy around beyond a very short distance, as the two competitors kept colliding with each other. These collisions were enough to dislodge a plastic tube from one of Fuzzy's flail chains. A further ram from Spiny Norman allowed it to push the tube directly underneath Fuzzy, stranding it off the arena floor. Spiny Norman darted across the arena in apparent separation, though Fuzzy would eventually regain full mobility with just over thirty seconds remaining. It would finish by ramming and scuffing Fuzzy's foam armor, with the match lasting the full five minutes. Spiny Norman would be declared the winner by knockout.

In the second round, Spiny Norman faced Dough Boy.

Both robots rammed each other several times in the opening moments. The more aggressive Spiny Norman weathered early attacks from Dough Boy's spinning blade, until Dough Boy started to dislodge, then remove the tire from its front-right wheel. The tire rolled across the arena floor, as Spiny Norman took further hits to its front-left wheel. These would crack the wheel itself, leaving it lopsided on its own axle. Spiny Norman persistently rammed Dough Boy regardless, while colliding with Cambot at one point. The damage to the wheel grew more severe with each slam, to the point that it 'twisted' entirely around its own axle. Spiny Norman's rear wheels remained unaffected, as it kept exchanging rams and pushes with Dough Boy - itself having suffered a weapon motor malfunction. Both competitors maintained these attacks until time ran out, surviving to a Judges' decision. Based on the damage to its wheels, Spiny Norman lost the decision and was again eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off.

Unlike most of its Featherweight Melee opponents, Spiny Norman would not appear in any battles from the first round. Instead, it would join the tournament at the Semi-Final stage, where it faced Red-Green, the redesigned Spike II, and Thwonkis Mobilis.

Spiny Norman and Thwonkis Mobilis quickly rammed each other in the center, the pair also getting rammed by Red-Green as all four robots converged. In the process, it was pushed backwards towards the lower wall by Jim Sellers' machine, which had the effect of turning it over. Spiny Norman was dragged back from the spike trap, released, then re-righted as both robots were pushed by Spike II. After a ram from Thwonkis Mobilis, Spiny Norman would continue duelling with Red-Green and Spike II for some time. Following a brief retreat - where it stood alongside Thwonkis Mobilis - it drove into and was clamped from the front-right corner by Red-Green's jaws. Upon being released, Spiny Norman attempted to duel with Spike II, only to find itself being scooped up and pinned under the lower spike. The two machines, along with Red-Green, would resume their attacks on Thwonkis Mobilis shortly after.

Another duel between Spiny Norman and Red-Green soon developed. With Red-Green appearing to lose mobility for a few seconds, Spiny Norman rammed the 1997 Face-Off runner-up. It, along with Spike II, would push Red-Green back, though this exchange gave Red-Green another chance to lift it. Spiny Norman then collided head-on with Spike II, and was pushed into the upper-left corner. There, it was hooked and lifted by Andrew Lindsey's machine, before being rammed and turned over against the wall. Spiny Norman would be eliminated from the battle and the Featherweight Melee tournament at this point.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 2
• Losses: 10
• Draws: 1

NOTE: Spiny Norman's 1994 Escort record is not included.

Series Record

Events	Spiny Norman Event Record
1994	Lightweight Face-Off, Round 2 Lightweight Melee Melee (multi-class)
1995	Super Lightweight Face-Off, Round 2 Super Lightweight Melee, Round 1
1996	Featherweight Face-Off, Round 1 Featherweight Melee, Round 1
1997	Featherweight Face-Off, Round 1 Featherweight Melee, Semi-Final

Trivia

• In American Robot Wars 1996, Spiny Norman was misidentified as "Spiky" during the Featherweight Melee highlights.
• Spiny Norman was among the competitors to receive an Honorable Mention upon the launch of The Combat Robot Hall of Fame in 2003. Its durability in the 'open' Melee at Robot Wars 1994 was singled out by Mark Joerger as the primary reason for its nomination.
• Though both shared the same name, Will Wright, builder of Spiny Norman, was not related to fellow 1994-1997 roboteer Will Wright.

External Links

• Spiny Norman (1996) on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)