Tentoumushi

Tentoumushi
Participation Information
UK Series	3
Team Information
Team	Robot Action League
Team Members	Lisa Winter Mike Winter
From	United States of America
Other Entries	The X-1 (1994-1995) Holobot (1995) The X-2 (1996) X7 (1997) Dough Boy (1997, Lisa Winter)
Robot Statistics
Weight	24kg
Dimensions	1.02m x 1.12m x 0.30m
Clearance	0.05m
Power	24 US Volts
Weapons	'Smothering shell' and cutting disc
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Tentoumushi, all the way from America, with Mike and Lisa Winter, who plan to gobble up opponents."

— Jonathan Pearce introduces Tentoumushi

Tentoumushi was an American robot which took part in two middleweight category side battles during Robot Wars: The Third Wars. First built as a lightweight competitor for fellow robot combat show BattleBots, it participated in the War of Independence - a one-off battle broadcast during the International League Championship - and the Middleweight Melee, an exhibition match against four similarly-categorised UK competitors. In its brief Robot Wars run, Tentoumushi proved highly successful, winning the War of Independence over and emerging as joint winner of the Middleweight Melee alongside A-Kill.

Design

"So after Dough Boy, my second robot was Tentoumushi, which means "ladybug" in Japanese. It was a sandbox, that I had turned into a robot."

— Lisa Winter

Tentoumushi in the arena

Tentoumushi featured an unusual design with two-wheel drive, an exposed dustpan-style chassis and a unique grappling weapon. The weapon comprised of a linear-actuated arm with a large 'smothering shell', itself made out of a red ladybug sandpit, and a small vertical circular saw concealed within. The sandpit was found and bought by the team from a Toys "R" Us store, which Lisa Winter visited for inspiration while developing a successor to her 1997 featherweight Dough Boy. Winter not only felt that the sandpit met her requirements for a distinct and impressive 'character'-oriented design, but also developed the clamping weaponry from its large and light properties.

Front view of Tentoumushi in the War of Independence battle

In combat, Tentoumushi would slowly lower its shell to trap opponents, after which it would inflict damage with the saw, also referred to on occasions as a 'grinder'. Although ostensibly a novelty robot and with limited pushing power, it proved agile, fast and surprisingly potent. The 'smothering shell' proved highly effective in controlling opponents, and had the additional advantage of being able to disable internal combustion engines by covering their air intakes.

Tentoumushi is almost toppled by Shunt during the Middleweight Melee; note the damaged metal foil

"You can just about see the grinder underneath. The perfect foil for enemies. Trouble is for Tentoumushi, the foil I think is hanging off the underside!"

— Jonathan Pearce notices the foil under Tentoumushi's shell during the Middleweight Melee

Because of the smothering shell's plastic construction, Robot Action League attached metal foil to the underside to protect it and Tentoumushi's electronics from fire damage. This can be best seen in remastered footage from the Mech+ versions of Series 3, Heat C and the International League Championship, where the foil is clearly visible in both of its matches. The foil itself was liable to getting torn up in places, as demonstrated in the Middleweight Melee.

Weight Statistic

A discrepancy exists concerning Tentoumushi's quoted weight for Series 3. The robot was originally built as a lightweight entrant for BattleBots, whose initial iteration of this category (Kilobot) had an upper limit of 55lbs (approximately 24.9kg). Tentoumushi is reported to have weighed 53lbs at their initial 1999 Long Beach event, which equates to approximately 24kg under metric measurements. Under the UK Robot Wars rules, it thus met the given limits for middleweight competitors in Series 3, set at between 22.7 and 45.4kg.

In the International League Championship episode, the statistics board for Tentoumushi listed its weight as 52kg - around 7kg over the limit. This is likely to have been a production error, as this statistic would have otherwise put Tentoumushi into the heavyweight category.

Etymology

The robot's name and design, as stated by Lisa Winter, derives from tentōmushi, the Japanese name for a ladybird/ladybug. The Japanese letter "ō" is typically replaced with "ou" when translating into English.

Robot History

Series 3

Tentoumushi's first televised appearance in The Third Wars occurred in Heat C, where it competed in the five-way Middleweight Melee. It fought a brace of UK machinery, including defending class champion Hard Cheese, along with A-Kill, Grinder and Ripper's Revenge.

Tentoumushi gets into the mix early on

As the flame jets blasted from the entrance wall, Tentoumushi slowly weaved forwards, before turning and driving straight for Matilda's CPZ. It proceeded to turn away and scoop up Hard Cheese, which was in the process of attacking Ripper's Revenge. Tentoumushi shoved both opponents towards the left wall, but was pushed back by Hard Cheese, collecting Grinder from the side in the process. The tussle continued as Lisa and Mike Winter's machine pushed back, its sandpit shell unsuccessfully trying to envelop Hard Cheese, A-Kill and Ripper's Revenge simultaneously.

Tentoumushi clamps a soon-to-be-immobile Hard Cheese

Tentoumushi kept ramming its opponents on the left perimeter. In doing so, it clamped down on Hard Cheese, holding the Liverdyne Robotics entry for a few seconds. Once Tentoumushi backed away, it became clear that Hard Cheese had lost mobility, due to issues with the latter's failsafe and power supply for its drive controller. Tentoumushi spun around in the centre of the arena, and was next seen trying to envelop Ripper's Revenge as Sir Killalot began parading the eliminated Hard Cheese. With Grinder also immobile and suffering attacks from Shunt and Dead Metal, it, Ripper's Revenge and A-Kill tentatively resumed their duel.

Matilda tears off one of Tentoumushi's antennae

Later on, Tentoumushi held Ripper's Revenge directly under Matilda's chainsaw, while she was outside her CPZ. However, it took a direct attack to its 'smothering shell' in the process, with Matilda cutting off the decorative antennae on the left.

"Ripper's Revenge being eaten by Tentoumushi, but look at Matilda's BLAAAADE! And there goes the antenna! And the antenna flies off Tentoumushi! I wonder if that'll... create... control problems! Look at this... ooh! Off you go! Ripper's Revenge still surviving..."

— Jonathan Pearce, dramatising the cosmetic damage inflicted by Matilda to Tentoumushi

Tentoumushi and Hard Cheese are pressed against the wall by Sir Killalot

Tentoumushi kept its distance for a few more moments, while Ripper's Revenge was flipped over by an Arena Spike and the House Robots attacked its immobile opponents. Undaunted by its earlier mishap, it slammed into the front of Matilda, the two robots jostling in the lower-left CPZ. The much heavier House Robot shoved Tentoumushi back into the inverted Ripper's Revenge; Tentoumushi unsuccessfully tried to clamp the top of Matilda's shell while she turned and pulled free. Tentoumushi, with pieces of its foil now trailing from under the front, briefly brushed past Dead Metal to ram A-Kill from the side. At that point, it was cornered by Sir Killalot, which pushed it and Hard Cheese against the wall.

"Eye, eye... Tentoumushi! Mmmmm... still life in there, and for A-Kill, too."

— Jonathan Pearce, following Tentoumushi's brief encounter with Sir Killalot

Shunt slams Tentoumushi into the arena wall

Tentoumushi incapacitates Shunt

Tentoumushi backed out as Matilda rammed and drove up Hard Cheese's wedge shape. Turning back into the fringe of the lower-left CPZ, it weaved behind Shunt's snowplough, and was briefly flicked up by an Arena Spike as it drove away. More collisions between Tentoumushi and Shunt ensued, until Shunt cornered and almost turned the US competitor over against the upper-right wall. Tentoumushi landed on top of Shunt's bodyshell, leaving both robots locked together as Shunt slammed plough-first into the railings.

"In comes Shunt on Tentoumushi, buckling... OOOOH, and down on the top of Shunt! And I wonder if that's caused problems for the remote control on Shunt! I think... Shunt can't MOVE! Tentoumushi lifting itself up! Perhaps trying to get that grinding blade into the action..."

— Jonathan Pearce observes as Tentoumushi successfully immobilises Shunt

Attempting to free itself, Tentoumushi levered its shell up and down. It soon became apparent that Shunt had become completely immobilised as a result of its exchange, a situation which Jonathan Pearce immediately credited to Tentoumushi's weaponry. Tentoumushi's saw and foil remnants had also landed close to the yellow aerial behind his scoop. While ending up stuck on top of Shunt in the televised edit, Lisa Winter recollects that Tentoumushi also immobilised two other House Robots elsewhere during the Melee. This was achieved by the shell restricting the airflow of their petrol engines, though Winter did not specify which other House Robots it incapacitated.

Tentoumushi and A-Kill were the only robots still mobile by the end of the Middleweight Melee, which went to a Judges' decision. The decision ruled that both would emerge as joint winners of the one-off battle.

Representing the USA and the UK respectively, Tentoumushi and A-Kill later fought again in the War of Independence, a one-off head-to-head taking place as part of the International League Championship. Although broadcast after the Middleweight Melee and billed as a 'Grudge Match', this battle had actually been filmed first, with A-Kill substituting for Hard Cheese to provide a 'better match' against the lighter American representative.

Tentoumushi catches A-Kill early on

Tentoumushi and A-Kill lock together

Tentoumushi immediately raised its shell and began closing in on A-Kill. Clattering into the side of A-Kill, it was dragged around by its British opponent, but took the opportunity to clamp and bring its cutting disc down to cause damage. Both robots stopped, and Tentomoushi was briefly lifted off the floor by A-Kill. This caused a loud grinding sound to be heard from beneath Tentoumushi's shell, though Tentoumushi was still pushed around in circles and towards the Pit as it tried to initiate another attack.

"And there, already you see Tentoumushi lifting up the shell to get in over A-Kill. Will try and drop... and now the circular saw will be grinding away... on the top surface of A-Kill. Lisa and Mike, good early control, but not a great deal of damage caused, I would think, to A-Kill."

— Jonathan Pearce as Tentoumushi clamps and attempts to cut A-Kill early on

Tentoumushi tries to bring its 'secret' disc down on A-Kill again

Tentoumushi pits A-Kill

Both robots separated before charging into each other. Tentoumushi again caught and turned into A-Kill from the side, its saw grinding against A-Kill's right drive wheel. The Robot Action League entry backed out to let A-Kill escape, before again approaching and pressuring it towards the Pit. When A-Kill narrowly avoided Sir Killalot, Tentoumushi missed its next ram. However, the combined drives of both robots caused A-Kill to spin towards and get its bottom castors stuck on the edge of the open hazard. Capitalising on its opponent's error, Tentoumushi repeatedly shoved A-Kill to pit it, winning the Third Wars War of Independence.

"Now, can Lisa close in with a final push? Great innovative designs here for middleweight robots... and A-Kill, shoved towards the Pit, desperately trying to hold on! Teetering and tottering and toppled! And the Grudge Match - the first War of Independence - won by Tentoumushi for the States!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Tentoumushi triumphs in the War of Independence

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 2
• Losses: 0

NOTE: The Wins tally includes Tentoumushi's joint victory with A-Kill.

Series Record

1994-1997 US Competitions

Events	Tentoumushi Event Record
1994	Middleweight Face-Off Champions with The X-1
1995	Middleweight Face-Off Runners-Up with The X-1 Super Lightweight Face-Off Runners-Up with Holobot
1996	Featherweight Face-Off, Semi-Final with The X-2 Featherweight Melee Champions with The X-2
1997	Lightweight Face-Off, Semi-Final with X7 Lightweight Melee, Round 1 with X7 Featherweight Face-Off, Semi-Final with Dough Boy Featherweight Melee, Semi-Final with Dough Boy

UK Series

Series	Tentoumushi Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Middleweight Melee Co-Champion War of Independence Champion
The Fourth Wars	Did not enter
The Fifth Wars	Did not enter
The Sixth Wars	Did not enter
The Seventh Wars	Did not enter
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter

Gallery

Front view of Tentoumushi in the arena

Back view of Tentoumushi in the arena

Tentoumushi with Robot Action League in The Pits

The Robot Action League controlling Tentoumushi

Outside Robot Wars

Tentoumushi first debuted at the inaugural BattleBots Long Beach event on 14-15 August 1999, instantly becoming a crowd favourite. As a lightweight machine, it fought in the Kilobot Duel tournament, winning three battles against W.L.O.W., Stinger (not to be confused with the UK Series 4 Grand Finalist or later ABC BattleBots heavyweight entrant) and Sallad. Two consecutive losses against Defiant and Executioner eliminated Tentoumushi from contention, the latter also inflicting significant damage to the 'smothering shell' with its own chainsaw. Along with this debut performance - enough for it to reach the semi-finals of the main bracket - Tentoumushi received the 'Funniest Robot' award exclusive to the Long Beach event.

Further revisions of Tentoumushi appeared in all five seasons of the televised Comedy Central BattleBots series. The Season 1.0 incarnation defeated Sallad once more in the first episode of the whole run, enabling it to reach the quarter-finals of the lightweight division. From that point on, Tentoumushi maintained a consistent pattern of winning its first battle of every season, competing under the alternate names Mecha Tentoumushi (Seasons 2.0-3.0), Tentoumushi 7.0 (Season 4.0) and Tentoumushi 8.0 (Season 5.0). Developments included chassis revisions with more substantial armour, along with the option to swap the saw for a grappling hook attachment. Both of Tentoumushi's Season 4.0 and 5.0 campaigns resulted in it finishing in the Round of 16, by virtue of it being seeded and able to bypass the preliminary rounds.

Such was Tentoumushi's popularity in BattleBots that it received merchandise in the form of MiniBot and McDonald's toys; and was even planned to appear in the cancelled 2003 video game of the same name. To promote the Comedy Central series, the Season 2.0 incarnation appeared alongside fellow BattleBots veteran Toe-Crusher on the October 26 2000 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Spin Orbiting Force

Robot Action League also entered BattleBots with Spin Orbiting Force, a middleweight robot of similar shape and weapon, but without the sandpit lid. In Season 1.0, Spin Orbiting Force advanced to the quarter-finals via a bye, where it beat Blade Runner on a 5-4 judges' decision. This put it through to the semi-final, where it lost to the eventual champion Hazard on another judges' decision. It then lost to Turbo in its Season 2.0 competition fight.

Plan X in the 2015 season of BattleBots

Plan X with its team

In 2015, the team competed in ABC's revived series of BattleBots with a new robot, Plan X. Armed with a vertical spinning bar and multiple minibots to serve as a distraction and hold robots in place, Plan X achieved mild success, progressing to the round of sixteen by defeating Wrecks, but losing to Bronco there after being flipped over, unable to self-right.

Mega Tento in the 2016 season of BattleBots

Mega Tento with its team

In 2016, Robot Action League revived the Tentoumushi concept, entering a heavyweight version of the robot, Mega Tento, into Season 2 of ABC's BattleBots. While keeping the same concept and two-wheel drive layout, Mega Tento adopted a drum spinner as its secondary weapon, along with a crab sandbox which was modified to better resemble its ladybug-themed predecessors. Mega Tento lost its opening match to fellow drum spinner Poison Arrow, after having its shell melted by the latter's flamethrower-equipped drone. However, its strong performance - where it consistently trapped the smaller Poison Arrow inside its shell - was enough to earn the team a wildcard, allowing Robot Action League to face the 5th seed Stinger: The Killer Bee in the Round of 32. There, Mega Tento achieved a surprise victory, winning a split Judges' decision after using its drum to flip and remove one of Stinger's wheels. Progressing to the Round of 16, Mega Tento then lost to Yeti after getting stuck on the screws and having one of its wheels ripped off by the latter's drum.

Following the announcement of the 2018 season of BattleBots, commissioned by Discovery Networks, Lisa Winter confirmed on Reddit that neither Robot Action League nor Mega Tento would be entering the new season. She would, however, still appear as a guest judge, and later assume a permanent judging role in every Discovery season from 2019 onwards.

Mike Winter had previously won the Middleweight division at the first ever US Robot Wars event in 1994 and finished runner-up in the same competition in 1995 with The X-1. Lisa Winter subsequently entered the featherweight division at the 1996 and 1997 events with Dough Boy, which reached the semi-finals of the latter before losing to Wedge of Doom there.

In 1996, Mike Winter entered The X-2 into the 1996 US Robot Wars competition, achieving further success in the featherweight category, where it reached the third round before ultimately being defeated by Red 2.

X-1 in 1995

X-2 in 1996

Dough Boy

Most recently, Lisa Winter competed in the heavyweight class at RoboGames 2017, as a guest driver for Zak Hassenein's invertible drum spinner, Deviled Egg. In the competition, Deviled Egg lost its first battle to Boris Badenov, after getting constantly rammed and eventually being left stuck on the wall by the latter, leading to it being counted out in the last minute. After being put into the losers' bracket and receiving a bye, Deviled Egg faced Mouse, but suffered technical difficulties which prevented it from using its drum effectively throughout. Ultimately, Deviled Egg lost the battle on a judges' decision, leading to its elimination from RoboGames 2017. As a one-off guest driver, Winter would not join Deviled Egg and its team when they entered the 2018 season of BattleBots, although she was a guest judge for several battles.

Trivia

• The version of Tentoumushi which appeared in Series 3 was the version originally debuting at BattleBots Long Beach.
• Before Series 7, Tentoumushi was the only robot from outside the UK and Ireland to compete in a Robot Wars battle not defined as an 'international event' (i.e. an event in which robots represented their countries).
• Tentoumushi was one of only six American robots to win a battle in the UK series, alongside frenZy, Manta, Drillzilla, Spartacus and Flippa, and it was also one of the four to win a UK series battle which did not air as part of Extreme Warriors, with frenZy, Spartacus and Flippa.
• Both of Tentoumushi's appearances were in the same episode as Razer and A-Kill, fighting A-Kill on both occasions.
• In 2016, when BBC News reported the return of Robot Wars, Tentoumushi was included amongst pictures of classic competitors, using a picture of its fight with A-Kill.

See Also

• Tentoumushi (BattleBots)
• Mega Tento (BattleBots)