Tazz

Tazz
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996-1997
Other Names	Tazbot (1997)
Team Information
Team	Team Mutant Robots
Team Members	Donald Hutson
Sponsors	Hitech RCD (1997)
From	San Diego, California
Robot Statistics
Power	Gel cell batteries
Drive	24V electric motors
Weapons	360° turret; thwacking/lifting arm
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"I've created this robot called Tazz. No real unforeseen surprises are gonna come out of it. It's pretty much meant to just hit, destroy and... annihilate everybody."

— Donald Hutson, American Robot Wars 1996

Tazz was a heavyweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Built by future BattleBots stalwart Donald Hutson, it reached the Quarter-Finals of the Heavyweight Face-Off championship, defeating the previous year's champion The Master along the way. Tazz was eliminated at that point by the highly-favored La Machine, after being bulldozed and ultimately left unable to self-right. Later on, it reached the final of the Heavyweight Melee tournament, but was again defeated by La Machine under similar circumstances.

An upgraded Tazz, renamed Tazbot, also took part in the 1997 Heavyweight Face-Off and Melee championships. In the Face-Off, it once again reached the Quarter-Finals through victories against TallyWhacker and Metallithor, only to be consigned to the Loser's Bracket after yet another loss against La Machine. A further defeat against DooAll eliminated Tazbot from the championship at that stage. Tazbot would also survive its preliminary Heavyweight Melee, engaging in multiple duels with Snake, but pulled out of the competition due to damage sustained in this battle.

Tazz's 1996 appearances - including its Face-Off and Melee Final matches - were included in highlights for the American Robot Wars 1996 and American Robot Wars Final 1996 VHS releases. Its victory over The Master was also one of the battles highlighted in Heat D of Robot Wars: The First Wars, marking the only appearance of any Mutant Robots machine in the televised UK show.

Design

Donald Hutson (left) with Tazz in 1996

Tazz's design was highly distinctive among contemporary heavyweight competitors, being a two-wheel drive robot with large pneumatic tires, a compact box-shaped chassis, a front ramming plow and a top-mounted rotating turret. The 360-degree turret contained its own internal systems and belt drive, and was capable of a rotational speed of 6mph. Within the turret was Tazz's primary weapon - an electrically-operated arm with spiked metal blades on the front and sides. Mutant Robots alternatively quoted the blades themselves as a 15lb pickaxe.

As stated by Donald Hutson in American Robot Wars 1996, the arm was primarily intended to thwack and pierce through opponents' armor as the turret spun around. Made from a 'thick metal tube', it was also capable of being raised and lowered through a separate lead-screw mechanism. This not only gave Tazz the capability to strike opponents of differing heights, but also lift and grapple them, albeit with limited power and leverage. Sheet steel plating provided the robot's armor, while a set of 'power brakes' enabled it to remain stationary whenever the drive motors were not engaged. In American Robot Wars 1996, the latter feature was suggested to be especially important, allowing Tazz to control and pin other robots without any adverse effects on its own traction across the arena.

Tazbot in the arena in 1997

The 1997 incarnation (Tazbot) incorporated a number of major improvements over the original. Among the most noticeable was a set of 'active armor' plates at the front and rear, each made from aluminum diamond plate and mounted on 'rubber shock absorbers'. The 'active armor' had either a plow (front) or wedge (rear) shape, and was designed to be 'compressed' against the arena floor whenever Tazbot drove underneath opponents. Internally, the robot was powered by four 24V electric motors, gel cell batteries and a 70 amp speed controller at this time. The enlarged turret was updated to include a metal hoop extension fixed in a near-horizontal position, as a solution to allow Tazbot to self-right.

Tazbot's arm, now spring-loaded, also adopted a linear actuator, set up to allow high torque at the expense of fast operation. Tazbot itself was therefore capable of lifting 175lb heavyweights with greater ease, though it was prone to tipping forwards on occasions whenever it attempted to turn other robots over. Though this incarnation was officially referred to as "Tazbot" by Mutant Robots and in the 1997 souvenir programme, the original "Tazz" name was retained on the back of its turret casing.

Tazbot as it would have appeared in 1998

Ahead of the proposed 1998 US competition, a 'completely rebuilt' Tazbot was prepared, featuring various updates which would form the basis of its later BattleBots incarnations. Alongside a new chassis, it adopted smaller shock-mounted wedgelets on its front and rear surfaces, as well as a 'wider cambered stance', an onboard camera and an upgraded weapon with custom components.

Etymology

Tazz's name was a direct reference to the Looney Tunes character the Tasmanian Devil, often referred to as simply Taz. Alongside the robot's main spinning/thwacking attacks, the connection is reinforced by team members wearing black T-shirts with the Taz character himself, as seen in footage from American Robot Wars 1996. The "Taz" reference was kept when the robot adopted its "Tazbot" identity.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

"We're hopin' to really annihilate some people, and put some big holes in some robots, and do some serious damage!"

— Donald Hutson on Tazz's prospects for the 1996 competition (American Robot Wars 1996)

Debuting in the 1996 US competition, Tazz fought in both the Heavyweight Face-Off and Heavyweight Melee championships. After receiving a bye from the opening Face-Off round, it would face reigning heavyweight champion The Master in the second. This battle was the first to be showcased in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, which erroneously claimed that it took place during the first round.

Tazz is attacked by The Master

A tentative start saw both robots slowly approach each other, dodging the mousetrap and Ball of Doom hazards as they collided head-on. Tazz took a direct hit behind it right tire from The Master's sawblade, but survived. Later on, the two competitors separated and exchanged further attacks; Tazz weathering an attempt by The Master to cut its arm. In response, Tazz swung its turret arm around, smashing into The Master's right wheel. Electrical sparks flashed from within Mark Setrakian's machine, as the movements in its saw arm caused wires powering the updated weapon to sever. The Master swung its saw back down, only causing minor damage to Tazz in the process.

Tazz took more attacks from The Master and its weapon, sustaining only superficial damage. More weapon-on-weapon attacks were exchanged between the pair, before it pushed The Master back across the arena. Tazz almost turned The Master over as the latter drove across the front of its lifter, prompting excitement from Donald Hutson and his teammates. Sparks and smoke flew as Tazz withstood three more hits to its turret from The Master. Capitalizing on this exchange, it got underneath and pushed The Master into the wall, though not without getting both robots pinned by the nearby Flipper.

Tazz uses its lifting arm to pin The Master down

Later on, The Master lost all functionality in its saw and was put on the defensive. Tazz took advantage by getting underneath The Master, then using its lifting arm to grapple and pin it down. Pushing and dragging The Master between one of the flippers, Tazz sustained this pin for the required thirty seconds. Thus, its first-ever battle ended in a shock victory over The Master, putting it through to the Quarter-Finals.

"Here again, The Master's saw has broken down. And Tazz, using its massive braking power, manages to pin him [The Master] for thirty seconds which knocks The Master out of the competition... in the first round!"

— Paul Vallis

Tazz's second battle saw it fight La Machine - an upgraded heavyweight version of the incumbent Middleweight Melee and Face-Off champions.

"In Round 2, Tazz was almost reduced to scrap metal by La Machine..."

— Paul Vallis

Tazz is scalped from a slam by La Machine

Dodging an initial charge from Trey Roski and Greg Munson's machine, it otherwise hesitated to move from its starting position while spinning its main chassis and turret arm. Tazz was subsequently nudged and shoved into the wall, then the arena doors, after which it was momentarily caught behind a flipper hazard. Upon being released, it attempted to fight back by swinging its arm into and pushing La Machine around. Tazz succeeded in maneuvering La Machine into the arena doors, but was caught by the flipper again while chasing its opponent across the arena.

The faster La Machine turned around and rammed Tazz back into the flipper, then proceeded to scoop and push it against the hazards on the lower perimeter. The second shove - against the lower-left Flipper - was forceful enough to dislodge the armor casing for Tazz's turret, leaving its weapon internals fully exposed. Tazz was rendered helpless as La Machine rammed and turned it onto its side against the upper wall. Struggling to self-right, it was ultimately eliminated from the Heavyweight Face-Off by knockout.

In the Heavyweight Melee, Tazz was drawn to fight Merrimac, Namreko 3000 and Red Scorpion in its preliminary round.

Tazz duels with Red Scorpion

It and Red Scorpion quickly engaged in a tussle in the right-most perimeter, with Donald Hutson's machine also swatting an approaching Merrimac as it drove into the corner. Tazz pushed Red Scorpion against the wall in the bottom-right corner, moments after Namreko 3000 was turned over while grappling and lifting Merrimac against a Mousetrap. While continuing to pin Ray Washburn's machine, it took direct blows to its left tire from the nearby Flipper. Moments later, both robots were rammed by Merrimac, with Red Scorpion unable to free itself from the wall and flipper at that point.

Tazz proceeded to whack Merrimac again with its arm; Merrimac responded with another drive at it and Red Scorpion. It resumed its duel with Red Scorpion, trying to lift it with its arm. The exchange resulted in both competitors locking together, and being rammed by Merrimac once more. Tazz was then lifted onto its right wheel by Red Scorpion, before whacking and prodding the latter with its arm multiple times. Moments later, it and Merrimac nudged the long-toppled Namreko 3000. Tazz next hooked and carried Merrimac to the upper-right pocket, placing it between the Mousetrap and Flipper hazards. Tazz hooked and carried Merrimac to the space between the mousetrap and upper-right flipper, with Red Scorpion also coming in to prise Merrimac off the arena floor. All three of the remaining heavyweights locked together as Red Scorpion joined in, prising Merrimac off the arena floor.

Tazz broke free, only to catch itself under the active Mousetrap as it drove away. Upon being released, it pushed, bumped and lifted Red Scorpion again, with Merrimac still trapped between the arena hazards. Tazz swung its arm in each direction, striking both opponents repeatedly as Merrimac finally broke free. Sustained attacks on Red Scorpion caused the latter to start smoking, as well as sever cables for its hydraulically-powered drive system. The also-smoking Merrimac nudged Tazz, alongside Red Scorpion, as the Melee entered its final minute. The weapons of Tazz and Red Scorpion briefly locked together, with the former's arm hooked beneath the Red Scorpion 'tail'. Once both machines separated, Tazz joined Merrimac in pinning Namreko 3000 against the wall. By the battle's conclusion, all robots except Namreko 3000 were still considered mobile, despite the critical damage Tazz inflicted on Red Scorpion. Tazz progressed to the Heavyweight Melee Final as part of this trio.

In the Final, Tazz fought both of its Face-Off opponents - The Master and La Machine - for the second time. It, Merrimac and Red Scorpion also faced South Bay Mauler, DooMore, Punjar, Nemesis, Killbborg, Gutrip and Marvin. Highlights of this battle in American Robot Wars 1996 also included clips from its initial Melee, partially showcasing its duels with Red Scorpion.

While keeping its distance during the initial moments, Tazz strayed precariously close to the upper mousetrap as a pile-up developed in the center of the arena. Bumping into La Machine, it was pinned directly opposite the Mousetrap by Killbborg, prompting it to swing its turret around as it was pushed further towards the center. Once freed, Tazz whacked Punjar a few times, before teaming up with South Bay Mauler to attack Marvin. In turn, Marvin briefly pressured Tazz alongside Gutrip, itself suffering from mobility issues.

Tazz proceeded to join Marvin's subsequent duel with Nemesis. It and Chris Harriman's machine would then surround a three-robot pile-up involving Merrimac, South Bay Mauler and La Machine - the latter having been pinned on the upper-left flipper and The Master for over a minute. Tazz nudged Merrimac and La Machine simultaneously, ironically freeing the latter, then kept itself out of the action again for some time. During these moments, it lingered in the right-hand side of the arena alongside South Bay Mauler.

"And now it's Tazz's turn!"

— Paul Vallis as La Machine turns Tazz on its head

Tazz's efforts were to be in vain however, as La Machine eventually scooped it up and pushed it into the lower Mousetrap. The collision was enough to flip it over completely. Tazz was left spinning around on its turret, unable to self-right once again, as its remaining opponents kept attacking each other at different parts of the arena. Some time passed, before the inverted Tazz was again rammed by Nemesis, La Machine and Merrimac. Further rams from the former were sufficient to push Tazz back onto its wheels, after which Tazz began parading across the arena once again and engaged in another scrap with La Machine. In retaliation for La Machine's earlier flip, Tazz speared the former's right-hand side with its arm, as the two machines became involved in a six-robot pile-up.

As it pulled free, Tazz pushed Nemesis up against the corner. Spinning its turret madly, it was then rolled over by La Machine for the second time, before the latter joined another pile-up opposite the arena doors. Tazz played very little part in the Melee from that point onwards. While it was later re-righted, it was left struggling for movement on its right wheel, evidently having become partially immobilized as the Final went to a Judges' decision, then an audience vote. Though it is unclear whether Tazz was eligible for the subsequent vote, it would ultimately lose the 1996 Heavyweight Melee title to La Machine on this basis.

1997 US Championship

As with its predecessor, Tazbot began its 1997 competition run in the Heavyweight Face-Off. In the first round, it was drawn against TallyWhacker, a new machine from Klaas Langhout and Distraction Laboratories.

Tazbot bends and tears the armor of TallyWhacker with its lifter

Tazbot, the more cautious of the pair, initially held back as its opponent parked in the center, lowered and began spinning its mace arm around. It would capitalize on a driving error by TallyWhacker, however, whose flail made contact with the upper spike hazard. Tazbot struck TallyWhacker with its own arm multiple times, piercing through its green rubber shell. In the process, both robots became locked together, after which Tazbot attempted to lift its flailing opponent up, but without sufficient strength to do so.

Tazbot began to turn around, pulling its arm free and using it to hit TallyWhacker a few more times. The blows were eventually enough to damage a connector inside TallyWhacker's control box, immobilizing it on the spot. With its opponent no longer moving, Tazbot pushed it into the wall and kept whacking it until it was confirmed to have won by knockout. While judging this win to be an 'easy one', Donald Hutson later found that the arm had been bent at some point during the fight.

Tazbot's second-round battle was against another newcomer in the form of Metalithor, also armed with turret-based weaponry.

Metalithor smokes as Tazbot lifts it

Both competitors clashed with their arms in the opening moments. Tazbot jostled and hooked the exposed frame of Metalithor, which was suffering from multiple technical issues. The two robots became locked together during this struggle. After spinning on the spot, Tazbot dragged Metalithor around to the center of the arena, then started gingerly lifting it off the floor while Metalithor's weapon system began smoking and overheating. For several moments, Tazbot held Metalithor in place. Attempts to control Jay Smith's machine, however, often resulted in it tipping forwards.

When Tazbot's 'pin' was deemed to have lasted for the maximum sixty seconds, the Judges requested it to release Metalithor. Donald Hutson obliged; Tazbot lowered Metalithor to enable both robots to be separated. It weathered a retaliatory ram and strike from Metalithor's spinning hammer, whose weapon belt had partially melted during the 'deadly embrace'. Following a largely uneventful phase, Tazbot began shoving and whacking the increasingly-immobile Metalithor multiple times. Further strikes enabled Tazbot to dislodge, then rip off the plastic panel attached to Metalithor's chassis during the final minute. Tazbot persisted in attacking Metalithor until the match ended, and was deemed the winner on a subsequent Judges' decision.

Finding itself in the Quarter-Finals once more, Tazbot fought a rematch against La Machine. This would mark the third time in which both robots faced each other in battle.

Tazbot manages to get under La Machine with its lifting arm

Tazbot, as in previous encounters, was immediately scooped up and pushed into the lower-left flipper by La Machine. In response, it swung its arm and hooked Trey Roski and Greg Munson's machine from the front-left corner as this happened. Tazbot began lifting La Machine in an attempt to turn it onto its side; as in its previous match, it began overbalancing against the 'curb' in the process of doing so. The shift in weight distribution brought La Machine back down onto the floor, with Tazbot following it across the corner. Tazbot was then shoved into the 'curb' on the other side, the impact briefly tipping it over against the back wall.

La Machine topples Tazbot

At that point, Tazbot was unable to escape before being rammed into the left-most walls, then toppled over in the lower-left corner. It began attempting to self-right, levering itself using its arm, then turning its turret around as La Machine closed in. While almost landing on its wheels, Tazbot struggled as the arm's spiked tips dug into the concrete floor. This had the effect of causing the robot to spin around on its side, before it was rammed twice more by La Machine. At one point, the latter attacks resulted in Tazbot's arm getting caught in the mechanism for one of the moving wall bumpers. Tazbot, still on its side, had its baseplate pierced by La Machine's pneumatic ram. Finally, it kicked itself back upright, largely through the movement in its left wheel.

Tazbot's respite was not to last, however, as La Machine pushed it up against the wall again before heading back across the arena. The force of La Machine's rams was sufficient to affect Tazbot's mobility by this point, as its wheels now struggled to maintain contact with the arena floor. Tazbot persevered, swinging its arm at and impaling a charging La Machine with around thirty seconds to go. This, however, was not enough to stop La Machine from pushing Tazbot back into the corner, while again deploying its front spike. La Machine finished the battle with another series of rams, which appeared to leave Tazbot immobilized. The subsequent Judges' decision ruled against Tazbot, displacing it from the main Face-Off bracket.

A second chance awaited Tazbot, however, as it would fight again in the Loser's Bracket. Here, it faced DooAll - a new tracked robot built by Scott LaValley - for a possible place in the overall Semi-Finals.

DooAll pushes Tazbot into the arena spike

A tentative start for both machines resulted in Tazbot being shepherded under the lower spike hazard by DooAll. Retaliating with a swipe, it briefly hooked its arm behind DooAll's snowplow, though this would nearly result in Tazbot being pulled over by DooAll as it reversed. Both robots separated, with Tazbot again attacking DooAll's plow and left track module. In turn, it was pushed against the left-most wall. As in its previous fight, Tazbot's got caught in the mechanism for the moving bumper as it swung around.

DooAll rams Tazbot into the arena sidewall

Following another separation, Tazbot was again collected and pushed by DooAll, this time towards the lower-left flipper. The exchange resulted in it being forced up its opponent's plow, where Tazbot remained as it was dragged backwards towards the neighboring spike. Once both competitors were near the spike, Tazbot caught the 'curb' with its arm, which had the effect of leaving it suspended off the floor at an angle once DooAll pulled clear. A ram from DooAll freed Tazbot, with the two machines continuing to bump each other as the battle entered its final minute.

Again, Tazbot swung its arm and hooked DooAll's plow twice more, but was unable to prevent DooAll from shoving and pinning it off the floor once more. Though DooAll appeared to lose power and speed across the arena, Donald Hutson's machine was still being pressured, ultimately finding itself pinned between DooAll's plow and a nearby spike hazard upon the match's conclusion. Based on points, the Judges' decision once again ruled against Tazbot, eliminating it from the Heavyweight Face-Off at that stage.

Tazbot returned for the Heavyweight Melee, incidentally facing DooAll for the second time in its preliminary round. The pair would square off against frenZy, Monster and the gargatuan walker Snake.

Tazbot thwacks Snake

In the opening moments, Tazbot battled with DooAll, indirectly resuming their Face-Off rivalry. The exchange saw it attempting to force its arm underneath the right track of Scott LaValley's machine, as the pair pressured the lumbering and already-damaged Snake. Seconds later, Tazbot began whacking Mark Setrakian's walker with its arm, then pushed DooAll back against the lower wall. Dodging the nearby spike, it collided with and briefly drove underneath Monster, only to resume its duel with DooAll.

While being frequently scooped up by its opponent's plow - and pushed under the upper spike at one point - Tazbot flailed and smacked the sides of DooAll a few times. As they fought, both robots took axe blows from frenZy, which struck down on Tazbot's turret along with DooAll's plow. After the duo were separated by DooAll, Tazbot paused near the center, using this opportunity to hook its arm underneath a charging DooAll. Tazbot began lifting the now-stranded DooAll upwards, but started overbalancing as frenZy pounded the top of the former's weapon. Following attempts by both competitors to push and drag each other around, it pulled its arm free, while simultaneously using it to whack DooAll's right-hand side and the lurking frenZy. In response, frenZy spun and whacked Tazbot with its own axe head, having missed with another overhead strike.

DooAll rams Tazbot into frenZy

Tazbot whacked frenZy again, only to drive away and be scooped up once more by an increasingly-sluggish DooAll. This left it vulnerable to the approaching frenZy, which hammered the top of its turret casing. After swinging its arm around - and into the side of Patrick Campbell's entry - Tazbot was released, escaping to ram Snake. Snake's enormous body began to coil around Tazbot in an attempt to pin it, though Tazbot backed out and began whacking its tail armor before this action could be completed. Alongside Monster, Tazbot kept pressuring Snake for some time, using this opportunity to ram and lift it into the upper-left flipper. As a consequence, however, it would briefly become stuck between the flipper and both of its nearby opponents.

After pulling its arm free from the hazard, Tazbot kept whacking Snake from the front, damaging its already-loosening armor even more. With its turret spinning manically, it next rammed, pinned and lifted Monster, itself suffering from mobility issues. Tazbot turned away, blocking and pushing DooAll from the side as the latter took its turn to pressure Snake. The same exchange also saw it whack an incoming frenZy, then hooking and attempting to lift it. In doing so, Tazbot took more axe blows, one of which damaged the actuator powering the arm itself. After pushing frenZy back at a sluggish pace, it backed away, spinning its turret madly and striking the Team Minus Zero machine with the lowered arm. Tazbot, weaving across the arena, then drove into, whacked and caught its arm in the side of Snake, which again tried to coil around it.

With less than a minute remaining, Tazbot backed out, glancing off of frenZy before getting itself speared by the lower spike. Once freed by the hazard, it rammed frenZy again, while being simultaneously scooped up by DooAll. Tazbot kept swinging its arm as it rammed DooAll from the front, then headed to the left-most side of the arena as DooAll dragged frenZy into the upper-left flipper. With the latter two now stuck, it took advantage by swiping both with its arm a few more times, while pushing frenZy sideways twice as the Melee entered its final thirty seconds. Tazbot drove away to begin its last series of thwacking attacks on Snake. The latter resulted in it being completely wrapped around and pinned horizontally by Mark Setrakian's machine; a moment met with a standing ovation from the audience. Tazbot squirmed as it tried to pull clear, still attacking Snake's sheetmetal as the Melee reached its conclusion. It was shortly freed by Snake, the only other robot of the quintet to have maintained full mobility throughout.

Following this battle, the damage inflicted by frenZy's axe proved too severe for Donald Hutson to repair ahead of later rounds. As such, Tazbot was 'retired' from the Heavyweight Melee at this stage, bringing its second and final US Robot Wars run to a close.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 5
• Losses: 4

NOTE: Tazz's first-round bye in the 1996 Face-Off is omitted from the Wins tally. Tazbot's 1997 Melee, where it remained mobile for the full duration, is considered to be a win.

Series Record

Events	Tazz Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Heavyweight Face-Off, Quarter-Finals Heavyweight Melee, Final
1997	Heavyweight Face-Off, Quarter-Finals as Tazbot Heavyweight Melee, Round 1 as Tazbot

Outside Robot Wars

Following the cancelation of the 1998 US Robot Wars event, it was planned that the third iteration of Tazbot would compete at Robotica that summer. However, Gary Cline's invitation-only event would also end up being canceled, meaning that the 1998 Tazbot would not be seen in competition.

Tazbot (BattleBots)

Tazbot battling Razer at Long Beach 1999

The modernized Tazbot ShowBot for BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon

Tazbot Grip N' Grappler toy

Tazbot Metal Mechanics toy

Tazbot in BattleBots: Beyond The BattleBox

In 1999, Tazbot was updated further to compete in events run by the newly-formed BattleBots. Alongside red detailing on the wedgelets and weapon arm, a 'secondary arm' was added to the turret as an experiment to provide the robot with a more effective srimech. The 'tail' axe - first utilized by the 1998 incarnation - was lengthened and improved. This incarnation of Tazbot finished fourth overall in the inaugural Long Beach Gigabot division, notably defeating future UK Robot Wars champion Razer along the way. At Las Vegas, however, it would be eliminated in the first round of the main heavyweight tournament by Mortis, another UK Series veteran.

Tazbot also competed in all five seasons of the Comedy Central BattleBots series, undergoing further changes to its weaponry and internals. The biggest change was the adoption of a more powerful chain drive for the arm, increasing its vertical leverage and vastly improving its self-righting capability. Chassis, armor and battery upgrades were also applied in each successive appearance. Tazbot's runs in the main heavyweight divisions brought equally mixed results. It lost in the first round in Seasons 1.0 and 5.0, reached the quarter-finals in Seasons 2.0 and 3.0, and finally reached the semi-finals in Season 4.0, its best finish in the televised show. Despite never winning a championship, Tazbot won the Heavyweight Rumble in Season 2.0, was awarded the "Coolest Robot" award in Season 4.0, and contributed to Donald Hutson being named "Best Driver" in the latter.

Diesector, Donald Hutson's championship-winning superheavyweight

Hutson also found major success in the BattleBots superheavyweight divisions with Diesector, an invertible four-wheel drive machine armed with hydraulic jaws and 360-degree swinging hammers. Diesector won the Giant Nut trophy in this division in both Seasons 2.0 and 5.0, interspersed by semi-final finishes in Seasons 3.0 and 4.0. Less successful were Hutson's entries into lighter weight classes, with middleweights Easty Beast and Root Canal winning only one preliminary fight between them.

Tazbot was largely retired following the end of the Comedy Central run. However, Donald Hutson maintained an active presence at BattleBots-sanctioned events with other robots, including a rebuilt Easty Beast, middleweight multibot Pro-Pain and heavyweight Karcas 2. The latter enjoyed an undefeated run in the 2004 NPC Charity Open, enabling it to win the overall heavyweight championship there. A substantially-redesigned heavyweight version of Root Canal also fought in the unaired 2009 Pro Championship, finishing runner-up to Brutality. Hutson also developed and demonstrated a large bipedal walker, Gear Crow, built to showcase a potential "Experimental Battlemorphic" weight category.

The original Lock-Jaw design in the 2016 season BattleBots

For the reboot era of BattleBots, Donald Hutson competed with Lock-Jaw. Initially armed with a grabbing weapon, the weapon was updated to function as a spring flipper in the second reboot season, before using a vertical spinner for all subsequent appearances. Lock-Jaw made its debut in the 2015 season, where it defeated Overhaul on a judges' decision to qualify for the Top 16, only to be drawn against Overhaul again after the latter was gifted a wildcard, with Lock-Jaw losing the rematch by knockout. In the 2016 season, Lock-Jaw lost its qualifier to Yeti, but was given a wildcard itself into the Round of 32. There, it lost a highly controversial split decision to Brutus, despite managing to clamp and control the latter with its jaws in the final moments.

Lock-Jaw in the 2019 season of BattleBots

Lock-Jaw debuted its vertical spinning weapon in the 2018 season and picked up a win over former runner-up Bombshell, but then suffered losses to End Game and Bronco. This prompted Donald Hutson to enter Lock-Jaw into the Desperado Tournament, where it won three back-to-back wins against Kraken, Valkyrie and Lucky to automatically qualify for the Top 16. Here, it defeated Son of Whyachi and Bombshell for a second time to reach the top four, where it fell to Minotaur. Returning for the 2019 season, Lock-Jaw initially suffered a defeat to former champion Tombstone, but picked up back-to-back wins over Quantum, DUCK! and Bombshell once again to give it a record of 3-1; whilst this was not enough to guarantee a place in the Top 16, Lock-Jaw successfully qualified after beating Skorpios in a play-in match. It subsequently defeated the new Desperado champion Black Dragon on a Judges' decision, before losing to reigning - and eventual - champion Bite Force in the top eight.

Lock-Jaw in the 2020 season of BattleBots

A redesigned version returned for the 2020 season where in its first battle against Captain Shrederator, it won via KO after trapping Captain Shrederator against the screws despite losing the use of its own spinner. It followed this up with a win over Big Dill, nearly immobilising it by the end of the battle. Lock-Jaw would lose its final Fight Night battle after being immobilised by JackPot, giving it a 2-1 record and qualifying it for the main competition as the 14th seed. However, Lock-Jaw ultimately failed to progress any further after being immobilised in its first fight against Shatter!. Lock-Jaw also competed in the BattleBots: Bounty Hunters spin-off competition, where it fought for the right to challenge Beta. It defeated Axe Backwards and Fusion by knockout and faced Bloodsport in the bracket final, where it used its rear scoop to break Bloodsport's spinning bar, overturned it and ultimately won the resulting Judges' decision. Lock-Jaw then defeated Beta after using its spinner to overturn its opponent, who was unable to right itself, with Team Mutant Robotics winning the tournament.

Lock-Jaw returned for the 2021 season with minor improvements, including the addition of a minibot named Screw Job. Lock-Jaw performed poorly, losing a split decision to Copperhead, being thrown out of the arena by HyperShock despite dislodging one of its opponents' wheels and finally losing another judges' decision to Blip. This gave Lock-Jaw a Fight Night record of 0-3 and it subsequently failed to qualify for the main competition for the first time since competing. Lock-Jaw would later compete in the spin-off BattleBots: Champions where, as a previous Bounty Hunters winner, eight robots fought for the right to fight it. Lock-Jaw was eventually challenged by Ribbot, but was quickly beaten by knockout, finishing its entire 2021 season without a televised win.

In late 2022, Donald Hutson designed and built a brand-new, modernised Tazbot for the weekly live show, BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon, which began in February 2023. One of a number of ShowBots built specifically for the shows, this incarnation of Tazbot now featured a six-wheel drive system and a predominantly red paint scheme, along with the ability for its rear wheels to separate and function as a smaller clusterbot segment. Otherwise, it was functionally similar to Hutson's iconic machine.

Lock-Jaw at BattleBots World Championship VII

Lock-Jaw once again returned for BattleBots World Championship VII in 2022/2023, joined by members and the Spitfire drone from the SubZero team. Looking to redeem itself from a tough 2021/2022 run, it opened its Fight Night campaign with a victory via Judges' decision over Malice. Though losing its next match to overhead spinner SawBlaze - where it was partially immobilized and left stranded against one of the Screws - Lock-Jaw resumed its winning record with a knockout against Glitch, despite sustaining major chassis damage and an internal fire. A close and highly-damaging fourth match against MadCatter followed, where Lock-Jaw successfully immobilized the latter and won by knockout, with only one second remaining on the clock.

These performances left Lock-Jaw with a 3-1 Fight Night record, allowing it to qualify for the main championship bracket as the 14th seed. In the Round of 32, it fought Bloodsport, using a newly-designed shock-mounted rear plow to repeatedly absorb and deflect blows from the latter's horizontal spinner. While having both of its right tires shredded, Lock-Jaw succeeded in causing a brief internal fire for Bloodsport, as well as causing its opponent to flip over once it clipped its vertical spinner assembly. Bloodsport was unable to self-right after the latter moment, allowing Lock-Jaw to progress to the Round of 16 by knockout. At that stage, however, it would be defeated by ABC/Discovery-era veteran Witch Doctor through the same method. During the match, Witch Doctor damaged Lock-Jaw's tires and weaponry, while also using it to swat Spitfire out of contention. After becoming immobilized and thrown against a Pulverizer, Lock-Jaw as a whole was counted out and eliminated from World Championship VII.

Trivia

• The later BattleBots incarnation of Tazbot was inducted as one of the inaugural members of The Combat Robot Hall of Fame in 2003. Mark Joerger cited Tazbot's design, turret-based lifter and exciting fighting style as crucial to its selection, along with its popularity in relation to sales of its associated BattleBots merchandise.

See Also

• Tazbot (BattleBots)
• Team Mutant Robots (BattleBots)

External Links

• Mutant Robots website
• Tazz on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)
• Team Tazbot on the Hitec RCD website (archived)