The Creature

The Creature
The Creature
Participation Information
UK Series	4
Team Information
Team	Team Monster
Team Members	Mark Harmsworth Davis Harmsworth Elanor Harmsworth
Other Entries	Twn Trwn (Series 3)
Robot Statistics
Weight	76.6kg
Dimensions	0.60m x 1.20m x 0.80m
Clearance	4cm
Top Speed	10mph
Power	2 x wheelchair motors
Weapons	Lifting tusks
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"The Creature from the pit ... well from Rhyl, and really gruesome. Really."

— Jonathan Pearce

The Creature (from the Black Lagoon) was a competitor in Series 4 of Robot Wars. It was a dome shaped robot with two lifting tusks, resembling Matilda's, as its weapons. It was built by a team of ten people from Rhyl High School in North Wales, who covered the machine with an elaborate design made from polystyrene, clay, and fibreglass, which took less than three hours to sculpt. The team's other entrant, Twn Trwn, also had elaborate artwork. Most of the robots parts were from a wheelchair, whilst the wheels were from a go-kart. The robot cost £300 to make and was built over three and a half months.

The robot was named and designed after the eponymous monster from the horror film Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Robot History

Series 4

Julia Reed: "How grotesque is that?! This is The Creature, and it's giving me nightmares! What about you?"

Elanor Harmsworth: "It didn't give me nightmares, because I hide from it!"

Julia Reed: "Smart lady!"

— Pre-battle interview

Inverterbrat becomes pinned off the ground by its own flipper, which malfunctioned when trying to flip The Creature.

Inverterbrat and Berserk 2, both Heat Finalists in the previous war, were The Creature's opponents in Round 1 of its heat. It locked together with Inverterbrat at the start, until Refbot broke them apart. As Inverterbrat became beached on its flipper, Berserk 2 lifted The Creature slightly. However, with Inverterbrat no longer mobile, The Creature made it through to Round 2.

The Creature is flipped out of the arena

This fight was against 8th seeds Gemini, and the clusterbot split up and flipped The Creature. This then caused its paper mache shell to fall off, but the robot bounced back onto its wheels.

"The Creature goes naked! Sheds its skin!"

— Jonathan Pearce, as The Creatures skin falls off when flipped

Both halves of Gemini flipped The Creature against the arena wall, and they both put their flipper beneath The Creature's wheel, flipping simultaneously and throwing The Creature out of the arena.

"Little Elanor from St Bridgets school, loves her Harry Potter books, would love a fantastic, magical ending to this, but I don't think it's going to happen! David Harnsworth, her grandad loves singing opera, well it's never all over until the fat lady sings, and the fat Creature is singing now!"

— Jonathan Pearce, as The Creature goes out

At the end of the series, The Creature was nominated for the Best Design Award, but lost out to Gemini, the robot that defeated it in combat.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Team Monster in the pits with The Creature, with its shell off
• The feature from Robot Wars Magazine on the building of The Creature

1/2

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 1

Series Record

• Series 1-2: Did not enter
• Series 3: Entered with Twn Trwn
• Series 4: Heat, Round 2
• Series 5-7, 2016: Did not enter

Trivia

• The building of The Creature was shown in a two-page spread in Issue 14 of the original Robot Wars Magazine.
• The original concept for The Creature was a dragon with a fantasy warrior on top, but due to time and money constraints, the team decided against this idea.