- "Too delicate...or a bull in a china shop?"
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Terror-Bull in Series 4
Terror-Bull was a robot that competed in Series 4 and 6 of Robot Wars. It reached the second round of its heat in Series 4 at the expense of the seeded Cerberus before losing to Raizer Blade. Terror-Bull returned for Series 6 and seemed set to progress through its opening melee, before it was suddenly pitted by the eventual champion Tornado.
Design[]
Terror-Bull in the arena during Series 4
Terror-Bull was a black, white and red box-shaped robot with a 3mm aluminium shell and a design based on that of a bull. It was equipped with a lifting arm powered by a fire extinguisher as its main weapon,[1] which featured a 'flipping head' with spikes salvaged from a loading tractor fitted on top to resemble the bull's horns.[1] The head featured a tongue which served as the lip of the flipper to get underneath opponents and it was able lift up to 100kg resulting from a tons worth of power. The idea for the lifter was to use the spikes to impale opponents and then lift them off the ground. In keeping with the theming, a decorative tail was attached to the rear of Terror-Bull. The robot weighed 80.4kg - exactly one kilo over the weight limit - and could reach a top speed of 30mph as a result of its direct drive system and lack of reduction gears. It was two-wheel driven with the wheels positioned at the front of the robot and a pair of freewheeling castor wheels were at the rear to work in tandem with the drive and aid with manoeuvrability. Terror-Bull took seven months to build.[1]
Terror-Bull in the arena during Series 6
In Series 6, Terror-Bull received a few modifications. It was now protected from all sides with clear polycarbonate panels and two vertical poles and a hoop were added to the top of it to aid with self-righting. It also had reduced gearing which lowered its top speed to 12mph, a slower acting lifter, and an increase in weight to 97kg. In both series it competed in, Terror-Bull had a high ground clearance of 15mm and featured a small spike at the rear underneath its tail.
Etymology[]
Terror-Bull's name was a pun on the word 'Terrible', and was also an allusion to its bull-inspired design.
The Team[]
Team Terror-Bull in Series 4
The team with Terror-Bull in the Robot Wars Magazine
Terror-Bull was entered into Robot Wars by an uncle and nephew team from Ilkley. The captain was 35-year old farmer John Fearnley, who was also the lead speaker for the interviews, as well as the driver of Terror-Bull.[1] John had been watching Robot Wars from the beginning and decided to 'give it a go', scavenging components, such as the wheels, from around his farm during the building process of the robot.[1] John chose the name and design of Terror-Bull to pay homage to his profession as a farmer.[1]
- "I've been a big fan of the series since it started, I'd always dreamt about going on and seeing that I'm a bit of a tinkerer with things, I finally decided to give it a go and build a robot. The most difficult thing was finding the parts, so I got some from scavenging on the farm and Ben looked up the rest on the internet. It's difficult telling people that you need a fire extinguisher to power the robot's head!"
- — John Fearnley interviewed in The Telegraph & Argus
The team in Series 6
17-year old Ben Fearnley, a student at Woodhouse Grove School,[1] controlled Terror-Bull's flipper in Series 6 after John was the sole driver and weapons operator for Series 4. Ben helped in the construction of Terror-Bull, finding the rest of the components after searching online.[1]
Both members wore dark blue shirts branding the team's name in white lettering in Series 4, before using black sweatshirts and baseball caps with their own custom logo in Series 6.
Robot History[]
Series 4[]
- "New to the Wars, and therefore The Pits, we have the Terror-Bull team from West Yorkshire. Terrible...we hope not!"
- — Julia Reed
Terror-Bull competed in Heat P, and was due to face Onslaught and the eighteenth seed Cerberus in the first round. However, despite initially planning to team up with Onslaught to attack Cerberus, Onslaught withdrew at the last minute due to technical problems, and was replaced by reserve robot V-Max.
Terror-Bull attempts to attack V-Max
Terror-Bull contributed to very little, spending the opening moments weaving across the arena before trying to line up an attack on Cerberus. It then attempted to lift V-Max, but missed, and spun round over the Floor Flipper as V-Max flipped Cerberus over. Terror-Bull attempted to lift Cerberus back up, but again missed, before backing into Cerberus and nudging it as the House Robots came to attack it. V-Max rammed Terror-Bull towards an empty CPZ as Cerberus was pitted, although both robots progressed to the second round anyway.
There, Terror-Bull fought Raizer Blade, with the team anxious about potentially facing the second seed Hypno-Disc in the Heat Final.
- Julia Reed: "Do you actually want to get through this? Because if you do, you'll have to face Hypno-Disc."
- John Fearnley: "No, we don't want to get through to fight Hypno-Disc, really. No, not really."
- Julia Reed: "[To the audience] He's joking. Course he does, every robot will want to do that!"
- — Team Terror-Bull express their reservations about facing Hypno-Disc, to sarcastic remarks from Julia Reed
Raizer Blade nudges the motionless Terror-Bull
Terror-Bull drives over the flame jet
Terror-Bull was sluggish to get away as Raizer Blade rammed into it, and missed a few lifts as the two robots bumped each other. Terror-Bull bumped into Raizer Blade twice more before driving towards and spinning over the flame jet, setting its tail alight as it did so.
- "How do you like your bull? Rare done - ah, ha ha ha ha! Oxtail soup!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Terror-Bull sets its tail alight
Raizer Blade lifts Terror-Bull using its lifter
Terror-Bull continued spinning over the flame jet before bumping into Raizer Blade, by which point its motors burnt out and it became immobilised. Raizer Blade nudged Terror-Bull and lifted it a few times as Terror-Bull tried to raise its own lifting arm in response, before it sat immobile near the Floor Flipper and was attacked by Dead Metal.
- "They're off to the old cattle market, to fetch what sort of a price, I wonder? Not a lot, for Terror-Bull."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Dead Metal attacks Terror-Bull
Terror-Bull lifts Dead Metal
Terror-Bull retaliated by flicking part of Dead Metal's head up and lifting him with its arm, before Sir Killalot positioned it onto the Floor Flipper where it was thrown onto its back and eliminated from The Fourth Wars.
- "I wanted him on the flames enough to cook his tail, then get off, but he got stuck."
- — John Fearnley explains his decision to drive Terror-Bull over the flame jet
Series 6[]
- "A new machine, spiky. Watch out, Toreadors!"
- — Jonathan Pearce incorrectly introduces Terror-Bull as a newcomer in Series 6
After not competing in The Fifth Wars and Extreme, Terror-Bull returned for The Sixth Wars. Competing in Heat G, it faced the twelfth seed Tornado and two newcomers, Inshredable and Edge Hog, in the first round.
Terror-Bull lifts Edge Hog
Terror-Bull immediately nudged and lifted Edge Hog before Tornado quickly slammed into Terror-Bull and shunted it from the side, at which point Edge Hog came in with an axe blow on Terror-Bull, but missed. Terror-Bull dashed around the arena and was pushed into Inshredable by Tornado, briefly becoming pinned between the two, and Tornado shunted Terror-Bull away. After lingering around while its opponents were by Matilda's CPZ, Terror-Bull was targeted by Tornado again and pushed around, the spinning drum of the latter now scratching and damaging Terror-Bull's sides. Terror-Bull then got bumped into the Pit release button by Inshredable, which opened it up. Terror-Bull attacked Inshredable a couple of times, levering it up slightly and manoeuvring it towards Matilda, where it almost drove into the House Robot's rear flywheel with its lifter still raised.
- "Terror-Bull lifts the bull-like head, tries to get underneath Inshredable"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Terror-Bull pressures Inshredable into the CPZ with assistance from Tornado
As Refbot counted out Edge Hog, Terror-Bull teamed up with Tornado to shunt Inshredable into the CPZ, Terror-Bull levering Inshredable into the corner with its lifter. Terror-Bull began to lift Inshredable up, nearly toppling itself over, before Dead Metal rushed into the CPZ to attack Inshredable. Matilda soon came in to join the attack on Inshredable and Terror-Bull escaped to avoid punishment.
- "Looks to me as if Tornado, AND TERROR-BULL WILL BE THE TWO TO GO THROUGH, BUT TERROR-BULL SUDDENLY PITTED!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Tornado pits Terror-Bull
Tornado pits Terror-Bull
As Inshredable took damage and got out of the CPZ, Terror-Bull drove around the arena and was suddenly surprised by Tornado and pushed into the Pit. As Inshredable had not been immobilised, this unexpected pitting eliminated Terror-Bull from The Sixth Wars, a fact that Jonathan Pearce was audibly shocked by.
- "And Dead Metal got stuck in, immobilising Inshredible [sic], or at least so we though [sic]. So to end the fight we pushed Terrorbull [sic] into the pit - and then Inshredible [sic] drove out from Dead Metal's corner! Sorry Terrorbull guys, we should have left you alone, you would've gone through then..."
- — Team Tornado on Terror-Bull's Series 6 demise.[2]
Results[]
| TERROR-BULL - RESULTS | ||
| Series 4 | ||
| The Fourth Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 2 | ||
| Heat P, Eliminator | vs. Cerberus (18), V-Max | Qualified |
| Heat P, Semi-Final | vs. Raizer Blade | Lost |
| Series 6 | ||
| The Sixth Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat G, Round 1 | vs. Tornado (12), Inshredable, Edge Hog | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| Series | Terror-Bull Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Heat, Round 2 |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Gallery[]
Outside Robot Wars[]
Terror-Bull as Armadillo on My Parents Are Aliens
Following its appearance in Series 6, Terror-Bull was converted into a robot named Armadillo for the CITV children's television show, My Parents Are Aliens.[3] It appeared in the Season 5 episode Educating Sophie in a battle with other robots, one of which was named Spirit of Co-operation.[4]
John Fearnley later founded Armoury in Action, a production company which provides prop and practical firearms for television shows and movies.[5]
Trivia[]
Terror-Bull's mascot in Series 6
- Terror-Bull was regularly and erroneously referred to as a 'newcomer' by Jonathan Pearce in Series 6, with its performances in Series 4 being completely ignored.
- The name Terror-Bull was later used for an unrelated robot and team that attempted to qualify for Series 8 of Robot Wars.
- In all of Terror-Bull's battles, Dead Metal was present.
- In both of Terror-Bull's first-round melees, it fought a seeded robot as well as at least one newcomer.
- Terror-Bull had a mascot in Series 6 in the form of a plush cow named Lazy Daisy.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Home-made robot is set for 'terrifying' TV battle | The Telegraph & Argus
- ↑ Team Tornado's Series 6 Diary
- ↑ Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Bronwen Fawthrop (partner of John Fearnley), 13 January 2025
- ↑ My Parents Are Aliens - S05E06 - Educating Sophie | Dailymotion
- ↑ Armoury in Action | Filmbang
External Links[]
[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||