Team Outlaw

Team Mouse redirects here. For the Series 9 team, see Team Tilly.

Team Outlaw
Team Outlaw in Series 9
Participation Information
UK Series	3-9, Extreme 1-2
Robot Wars Live Circuit	2013-16
Team Information
Team Members	Trevor Wright Matthew Wright (Series 3-7, Extreme 1-2) Anthony Hillier (Series 4-7, Extreme 1-2) Emily Wright (Series 7, Extreme 2) Adam Lewis (Series 8-9) Patricia Wright (Series 8-9) Louise Hemstock (Series 8-9)
Other Names	Team Velocirippa Team Mouse
Home Town	Clifton, Nottinghamshire

Team Outlaw (formerly Team Velocirippa and Team Mouse) is a team from Nottinghamshire that competed in six main series of Robot Wars, including the Robotic Soccer competition of Series 3 and both series of Robot Wars Extreme. They did so with three robots; Velocirippa, Mighty Mouse and Ironside3. Team captain Trevor Wright also built the Series 9 competitor Meggamouse, which was entered by Team Tilly.

Aside from its Robotic Soccer qualifier win, neither model of Velocirippa ever won a battle on the televised show. Mighty Mouse was slightly more successful, reaching the Heat Final during Series 7, losing to Thermidor 2. Ironside3 was by far the most successful of the team's robots- despite controversially missing out on a Heat Final place following its loss to Pulsar in Series 8, it finished in third place overall in Series 9, avenging this loss along the way.

Versions of the Team

Team Velocirippa

Team Velocirippa at the time of Series 4

The team originally consisted of Father and Son duo Trevor and Matthew Wright in Series 3, before Anthony Hillier joined the team for their first main competition appearance in Series 4.

"My lad was watching the television show, and he said "Dad, could you build one of these?", and I watched it for a bit and said "I can build a better one than that!", so I had the missus shouting from the kitchen "Well, go on then!", so I did!"

— Trevor Wright on deciding to enter Robot Wars

Team Mouse's original robot was Velocirippa, a compact, agile, wedge shaped robot, based on a dinosaur's head. It originally failed to qualify for Series 3, but used its agility to reach the final of the Robotic Soccer Competition. The robot qualified for the main competition in Series 4, but was defeated by the seeded Razer in its first battle. The robot Velocirippa still competed in Extreme Series 2 and Series 7, even after the team had become Team Mouse.

Team Mouse

Jayne Middlemiss: "I'm sure I've seen you two before..."

Trevor Wright: "Yeah, last week!"

— Velocirippa's Series 7 Pre-first round interview

Trevor Wright, Matthew Wright and Tony Hillier entered Series 6, now known as Team Mouse, to represent their new robot Mighty Mouse. Trevor's daughter Emily joined the team in Extreme Series 2, and remained a part of the team in Series 7.

Team Mouse's official team photo from Series 6

The team entered Series 6 with Mighty Mouse, a robot reconstructed from the previous version of Velocirippa, maintaining its original ramming spikes, but was now based on a mouse's head. Mighty Mouse was built from the chassis of the original Velocirippa machine, but proved more successful than Velocirippa in the main competition. For Series 6, the team had also built a new and improved Velocirippa machine. Both Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse qualified for Series 6 but the team could only enter one robot, so Mighty Mouse was entered and Velocirippa was withdrawn.

Team Mouse in Extreme 2

The pair of robots fought together in the Extreme Series 2 Tag-Team Terror competition; however they performed poorly, being eliminated in the first round by the eventual runners-up: Barbaric Response and Hydra. This series was notable as they were the only team in the competition, and the only UK team in any Tag Team Terror, to enter two of their own robots, rather than joining up with another team, and also because all four members of the team appeared together.

For Series 7, Team Mouse entered and qualified with both Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse. Again, Team Mouse could only enter one so picked Velocirippa this time. However, Mighty Mouse managed to compete because a reserve robot was needed and Team Captain Trevor Wright was able to reach the studio for filming at short notice. Due to a new rule requiring all heavyweight robots to have an active weapon, Velocirippa's front spikes were replaced with a lifter, whilst Mighty Mouse was given a pair of rear spinning discs. Although neither escaped the Heats, the tournament line-up would have made it impossible for them to fight each other until the Grand Final.

The mantle of Team Mouse was taken over by Team Tilly in Series 9, when they competed with Trevor Wright's own machine Meggamouse.

Team Outlaw

Team Outlaw with Ironside3 in Series 8

When Robot Wars returned in 2016, Trevor Wright captained a brand new team, known as Team Outlaw, entering Series 8 and 9. Trevor Wright was joined by his wife Patricia Wright, and two new team members. Adam Lewis and Louise Hemstock of Team No Toy Robotics joined forces with Team Mouse to complete the combined team, with Adam Lewis being the co-builder and driver of Team Outlaw's machine Ironside3. Team No Toy Robotics were previously known for their featherweight Ironside machines, alongside the heavyweight YOTON.

Team Outlaw logo

Team Outlaw working on Ironside3 in its Series 8 VT

Ironside3 dominated its Series 8 heat until it lost a controversial Judges' decision to Pulsar, falling from the head-to-head stages on five points. It achieved vengeance for this loss in Series 9, and finished third place within the Grand Final. The team worked on an all-new robot, equipped with a bar spinner like Ironside3, to compete in Series 10, but Team Outlaw were not selected to compete despite their great success from the previous series.

Team Members

Trevor Wright

"The boys are engineers, I'm a production engineer, Trev's a machinist. ... Having Trevor on the team is brilliant; he's an absolute veteran of Robot Wars, his experience is invaluable."

— Adam Lewis in Series 8

Trevor Wright in Series 9

Trevor Wright at the controls of Velocirippa in Series 3

The team captain and the only team member present in all the team's appearances, Trevor Wright was the main driver throughout the team's appearances across the original series, though Matthew did drive the team's robots occasionally.

An experienced engineer, Trevor was responsible for the design and machining of the robots. He works as a production engineer and a machinist. He started his engineering career at age 16, and his long career in engineering was mentioned by Jonathan Pearce in Series 5, who claimed "28 years of engineering experience has gone into this!" whilst introducing Velocirippa, and the Robot Wars website, who mentioned Trevor had "been a CNC (Robotic computer) Programmer for 44 years" Trevor on the Ironside3 profile.

He built Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse, and was helped by Adam Lewis to build Ironside3. Trevor was responsible for the CAD and machining of Ironside3, whilst Adam Lewis did the electronics.

Matthew Wright

Trevor and Matthew Wright with Velocirippa at the Series 6 qualifiers

Matthew Wright at the controls of Mighty Mouse in Series 6

One of the original team members, Matthew Wright was present for all the team's appearances from Series 3 to Extreme 2. It was him who originally asked his father Trevor if he could build a robot.

Matthew became the driver of the team's robots for Series 6 and Extreme 2. In the Extreme 2 Tag Team, he started out by driving Velocirippa whilst his father controlled Mighty Mouse, but when Velocirippa broke down, the two of them switched controllers, so Matthew could drive Mighty Mouse.

However, he was absent from the team's appearances in Series 7 due to being busy with exams, although he was still listed on the statistics boards for Mighty Mouse and Velocirippa.

Neither he, nor his sister Emily, were involved in Ironside3.

Anthony Hillier

A friend of Trevor Wright, Anthony Hillier was a team member between Series 4 and 7, though he never controlled the team's robots. A graphic artist, he redid Velocirippa's graphics shortly before Series 4.

"...he did all the artwork to make the machine look evil, he did a great job and in s4 turned everyone's head as they walked by, was also voted best looking, shame the machine did not live up to expectations."

— Trevor Wright on Facebook

He was present in all the teams appearances from Series 4 until the end of the original series, apart from the team's appearance with Mighty Mouse in Series 7, although he was with the team when they entered with Velocirippa.

Emily Wright

Team Mouse in Series 7

Trevor Wright's daughter, Emily Wright made her first appearance in Extreme 2. She was also present for Series 7, as Matthew was absent. However, she did not control either of the team's robots, nor did she have a speaking role in the team's introductions and interviews.

Adam Lewis

"Ironside3’s driver, Adam, met team captain, Trevor, after he watched him in competition (Robot Wars Series Seven,) and was inspired to try building a robot himself – it was only then that they found out they were next door neighbours. Trevor then taught Adam about robotics, and they have since become teammates and compete together at amateur robotics events."

— Robot Wars Website on Adam Lewis

Adam Lewis in Series 9

Joining the team for the rebooted series, Adam Lewis drove Ironside3 in both of its appearances, also controlling the weapon and srimech.

He had met Trevor after watching Series 7, and having become interested in building his own robot, had learned from Trevor about robotics. As well as competing with Team Outlaw, Adam is the captain of No Toy Robotics.

Working as a production engineer outside of Robot Wars, Adam Lewis helped Trevor build Ironside3, being responsible for fabrication, welding and wiring.

In 2018, Adam Lewis shared a photo on the team's Facebook page, revealing how far back his interest in engineering and Robot Wars went. He showed a folder including technical plans for a robot he made at age 10, and his copy of the original Robot Wars Club newsletter..

Patricia Wright

Patricia Wright in Series 9

Trevor Wright's wife, and mother of former team members Matthew and Emily, Patricia joined the team for both of Ironside3's appearances. According to the Robot Wars website, her role on the team was "support".

"…the girls are an essential part with logistics and planning."

— Adam Lewis in Series 8

Louise Hemstock

Louise Hemstock in Series 9

Part of the team for both of Ironside3's appearances, Louise Hemstock had been part of No Toy Robotics with Adam Lewis. According to the Robot Wars website, her role on the team was "support", like Patricia Wright, though the team's VT in Series 9 showed her working on parts.

Robots

Name	Weight Class	Series
Velocirippa	Heavyweight	Series 3-5, 7, Extreme 1-2
Mighty Mouse	Heavyweight	Series 6-7, Extreme 2
Ironside3	Heavyweight	Series 8-9

NOTE: Trevor Wright also built the heavyweight Meggamouse, entered by Team Tilly into Series 9

Velocirippa (Series 3)

Velocirippa (Series 4)

Velocirippa (Series 5, Extreme)

Mighty Mouse (Series 6)

Velocirippa (Extreme 2)

Velocirippa (Series 7)

Mighty Mouse (Series 7)

Ironside3 (Series 8)

Ironside3 (Series 9)

Meggamouse (Series 9)

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 13
• Losses: 12
• Draws: 1

NOTE: Meggamouse's loss is not included

Series Record

Team Outlaw in Series 8

Main Series	Team Outlaw Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Robotic Soccer Final with Velocirippa
The Fourth Wars	Heat, Round 1 with Velocirippa
The Fifth Wars	Heat, Round 1 with Velocirippa
The Sixth Wars	Heat, Round 2 with Mighty Mouse Withdrew Velocirippa
The Seventh Wars	Heat Final with Mighty Mouse Heat, Round 1 with Velocirippa
Series 8	Heat Round 2, Third Place with Ironside3
Series 9	Third Place with Ironside3
Series 10	Not selected with unspecified robot
Robot Wars Extreme	Appearances
Series 1	Entered with Velocirippa
Series 2	Entered with Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse

NOTE: Trevor Wright's heavyweight Meggamouse also fell in the first round of Series 9 under Team Tilly.

Outside Robot Wars

Trevor Wright with Mighty Mouse and Velocirippa after Robot Wars

Velocirippa competing after Robot Wars

Mighty Mouse competing after Robot Wars

Like many Robot Wars competitors, the team entered Techno Games. The team first entered the Battery Sprint in Series 2, with a competitor called In A Rush, but it lost in the first round to Junior from the International Wreck Crew. Team Mouse then entered Mighty Mouse for the first time in the 2002 series, entering the Sumo, Assault Course, Tug of War and Football, the latter of which with Wolf, but lost in Round 1 of all four competitions. The team returned in 2003, entering Velocirippa and Mighty Mouse. Mighty Mouse reached the Final of the Assault Course, breaking world record along the way, but lost both the record and final to Typhoon Rover. It was less succesful in the football, losing in Round 1. Strangely, Team Mouse entered two robots in the Football, pairing with two teams. Mighty Mouse teamed with Bugs Buggy as The Mousekerteers, whilst Velocirippa entered alongside Sugar Plum Fairy to form The Nut Gnashers.

Velocirippa at Techno Games

Mighty Mouse at Techno Games

In A Rush, the Techno Games Sprint entry

Mini Mighty Mouse

Team Mouse found success on the live circuit, most notably with their featherweight Mini Mighty Mouse, which won the 2007 UK Featherweight Championship. Velocirippa also won the 2006 Tag-Team Terror Competition, paired with Team MAD's Merlin. In 2008, both Mighty Mouse and Velocirippa were retired from robotic combat, with the newer Velocirippa being stripped down and its internals used to build Meggamouse. Both Mini Mighty Mouse and Meggamouse still fight competitively today, with Meggamouse's most recent appearance being at the Robots Live! Stevenage event in October 2016. Team Mouse were working with Team Roaming Robots to turn their robot Orbiter into an axe-wielding robot. This fell through and Orbiter was sold to Krissy Knee, who renamed it Rybot.

No Toy, Lewis and Hemstock's featherweight

Meanwhile, Adam Lewis and Louise Hemstock competed on the live event circuit as Team No Toy Robotics. They fought on the circuit with a featherweight named No Toy, a hexagonal robot armed with an electric chain-driven axe, adapted from Little Hitter. They also bought the second incarnation of Ceros and fought with that in live events until they sold it to Tony Smith in 2016, and also briefly owned the 2011 version of Chimera.

Meggamouse's live events profile

Ironside

Ironside 2 under construction, armed with a disc

Ironside 2 armed with a bar at the 2014 UK featherweight championship

Ceros V2.0 when it was under ownership of Adam Lewis and Louise Hemstock

No Toy, Meggamouse and Ironside3 on display in Nottingham, 2017

Team Outlaw's featherweights on display in Nottingham, 2017

Yoton, Adam and Louise's current live circuit heavyweight

Adam Lewis with YOTON and its 3rd place trophy from Robots Live! at Stevenage, 2018

Team Outlaw have competed with a series of featherweight robots called Ironside, the inspiration for the team's heavyweight. The original Ironside was an invertible, octagonal-shaped rambot, and was superseded by Ironside 2, which was initially armed with a front spinning disc. When it fought in the UK featherweight championships, however, Ironside 2 featured an angled spinning bar similar to that of Ironside3, which it still competes with to this day. Due to the specifications of today's arenas used on the live event circuit, Ironside3 hasn't been able to fight. It has however made appearances at the Extreme Robots events on display at the Truckfest event at Peterborough and also Guildford in 2017. Adam and Louise currently fight with YOTON, a black and blue wedge-shaped robot armed with a flipper which initially made its debut at the Robots Live! Stevenage event in 2016. YOTON earned considerable success in June 2018, where it took third place at the Robots Live! event in Grantham. Later the same year, it entered the 2018 FRA UK Championship, finishing fourth overall, and would repeat this feat in the 2019 UK Championship.

Robin Hood, Team Outlaw's Clash Bots entry

Team Outlaw also competed in the 2018 Chinese TV show, Clash Bots. They fought with Robin Hood, a robot very similar to Ironside3 with an angled bar spinner and new self-righting mechanism, with the robot painted green in reference to its namesake. In the first round, it fought the Chinese entry Nightmare Strangler, but after delivering two hits to the side of Nightmare Strangler, the recoil of Robin Hood's attack caused the robot to stop working. Robin Hood was counted out, and lost the battle in prompt fashion.

Team Outlaw's design for BattleBots entry Spitfire

In March 2020, Team Outlaw confirmed their entry into the 2020 season of BattleBots with Spitfire, a horizontal spinner themed after the World War II fighter plane. Spitfire features a similar bar spinner and chassis design to Ironside3 along with sets of three exhaust-style flame jets at the front. It was to be the third robot to compete in BattleBots under that name, after The Lancaster Bombers' Season 5.0 entry and the drone accompanying SubZero and Texas Twister in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Team Outlaw revealed the previous month that Team Saint would be collaborating on the project. However, travel restrictions caused by COVID-19 meant Spitfire would never compete on the show.

As of September 2023, Team Outlaw remain active on the UK live circuit, with Meggamouse and YOTON being their primary heavyweights for Extreme Robots and Robots Live! events. Earlier the same year, they began constructing a brand-new, as-yet unidentified heavyweight, which is so far confirmed to feature a laser-cut HARDOX chassis and a pneumatic axe weapon. Further work also began on Spitfire, with the team revealing their intentions to bring it to live events once completed.

Robot Wars Live Events

Meggamouse competed in the first live event of the touring Robot Wars at Barnsley in February 2013. Mini Mighty Mouse, the team's featherweight, then debuted in the Portsmouth event in March. Meggamouse was a regular competitor at these live events up until their rebranding to Extreme Robots.

Trivia

• Team Mouse was one of three teams to enter more than one heavyweight robot into a single series of Robot Wars, alongside Team Vader and Team Ming.
• Team Outlaw, Dorset Roboteering Team and Team Make Robotics were the only teams to reach a Grand Final with four members present.
• Along with TR2 and Griffon, Team Outlaw are one of three Grand Finalists who were not selected for the main competition of the following series. Their planned successor to Ironside3 was also the only robot of the three not to have been chosen as a reserve following its initial rejection.

External Links

• Mighty Mouse & Velocirippa archived website
• Team Outlaw - Ironside3 Facebook page
• Ironside3 on Twitter