The Enforcer (or simply Enforcer) was a lightweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Built by Al Kindle - who would later become recognized for his modern BattleBots heavyweight Blacksmith - it would reach the second round of the Lightweight Face-Off tournament where it was defeated by eventual champion Attiller (the Hun). Later on, The Enforcer reached the final of the concurrent Lightweight Melee competition, where it finished runner-up to Speed Bump.[3][4]
Selected highlights from The Enforcer's Face-Off and Melee runs would be featured in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS.
Design[]
The Enforcer was a invertible, four-wheel drive robot with 7-inch Toro lawnmower wheels and a rectangular box-shaped chassis. Aluminum was extensively used throughout its construction, including an angle channel frame and sheets forming its external armor.[2][3]
The Enforcer's densely-packed design originally incorporated a front cutting disc, mounted on a rear-hinged, chain-driven arm with a maximum travel of 25 degrees. The disc itself was of an Echo 7-inch steel type, fixed onto a Snapper weedwacker motor and flex shaft. However, the gas-powered motor proved unreliable, leading to the saw being replaced by a spatula-like lifter shortly after its first battle. The lifter would use its own internal system, in the form of a 12V car window mechanism.[2][3]
Internally, The Enforcer was powered by sets of Trinity 1700mA sub "C" battery packs, in tandem with one Tekin Rebel (weapon) and two Novak 610 speed controllers (drive). Two 7-cell packs would be used for the drive system, and a single 10-cell pack for the weaponry. Each wheel was driven by an RS540 Mabuchi motor and gearboxes sourced from a 'kiddie car', while the radio system was of a six-channel Airtronics Vanguard type.[2]
Robot History[]
1996 US Championship[]
The Enforcer first competed in the 1996 Lightweight Face-Off championship, where it faced the cannon-shaped Big Shot. Problems were encountered immediately, with Al Kindle unable to get the saw's weedwacker motor working at all. Kindle eventually opted to enter The Enforcer into the match without a functioning weapon.[3]
Both robots drove around and past each other during the tentative opening moments. The Enforcer began an equally tentative pushing match that followed, only to find itself being outpushed by Big Shot. Big Shot's cannon aimed at the right-hand side of The Enforcer, but The Enforcer pirouetted around and brushed one of Big Shot's wheels with its inactive saw.[3][5]
From that point onwards, The Enforcer began pressuring Big Shot with a few side-on pushes, lifting it onto one side with the second charge. The Enforcer continued to build its advantage with more bumps, pushes and chases, while escaping potential shots to its front end and front-right wheel from Big Shot's cannon. The lower mousetrap attempted to swat both competitors as they drove close by; The Enforcer pushed and managed to get Big Shot trapped by the hazard.[3][5]
The Enforcer again pressured Big Shot during another series of pushes and mousetrap encounters. Eventually, both robots rammed each other head-to-head, though Big Shot's cannon again failed to deploy. The Enforcer, however, would come off worse, as Big Shot used its rear wedge plate to scoop it up and pin it behind the top-left flipper. A 30-second count was started, suggesting that The Enforcer was on the verge of being eliminated according to footage recorded by audience members. Match records and contemporary accounts suggest that The Enforcer managed to escape, going on to win by allegedly pinning Big Shot in return.[3][5][6]
In the second Face-Off round, The Enforcer faced Attiller (the Hun). The troublesome saw weapon was converted by this point to a lifter, and remained this way for all of its subsequent 1996 battles.[3]
Attiller (the Hun) smashes The Enforcer into the side wall
The Enforcer initially headed left, but was quickly challenged by the faster Attiller (the Hun). A head-to-head ram followed, after which Jim Sellers' machine began buffeting The Enforcer from its left-hand side and front end with its own rotary weapon. The Enforcer dodged its next attacks, only to be rammed and jostled around again.[7]
On the next duel, The Enforcer rammed an approaching Attiller (the Hun) opposite a nearby mousetrap. In return, Attiller (the Hun) lifted and jostled The Enforcer around onto two wheels, before attempting to push it back towards the mousetrap on the other side of the area. The Enforcer swung away, tricking its opponent into getting caught under the hazard. The Enforcer, while too low to be affected by the mousetrap, gently brushed the Ball of Doom as it prepared for its next counter-attack. Another tentative phase ended with it getting caught by an arena flipper, and Attiller (the Hun) trying to ram and buffet it further with varying degrees of success.[7]
The Enforcer took a blow to its front-left wheel from Attiller (the Hun), which used this exchange to flick it behind the upper-left flipper - the starting point for the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights. Attiller (the Hun) flicked The Enforcer upwards several more times, as the latter kept bumping into the arena wall and flipper. The Enforcer then got underneath and tried to push Attiller (the Hun) with its lifter, but was whacked by the upper mousetrap. Both competitors exchanged more rams, with The Enforcer getting lifted, then flipped completely over as Attiller (the Hun) clipped its front-right wheel.[7]
The Enforcer is unable to break free from Attiller (the Hun)
Both machines narrowly dodged further encounters with the flipper and mousetrap hazards, though The Enforcer kept being pushed and lifted. By the halfway point, The Enforcer attempted to push Attiller (the Hun) from the side again. Moments later, it was caught, lifted upwards and pinned in place by Attiller the Hun's blades. The upper-right flipper whacked the exposed left-rear wheel of The Enforcer, whose lifter became lodged in Attiller (the Hun)'s weapon mechanism. Attiller (the Hun) pushed and dragged The Enforcer back and forth. With The Enforcer unable to gain enough traction from its back wheels to break free, it was pinned and eliminated from the Lightweight Face-Off tournament.[7]
- "These two were very evenly matched and were heading for a draw, in which case the audience would've voted for the winner. But just as the five minute time was up, Attiller snagged The Enforcer and pinned him."
- — Paul Vallis rounds up the events leading to The Enforcer's defeat
The Enforcer also fought in the Lightweight Melee tournament, where it initially faced Gator, Snickers, Test Toaster One and Wonderbug.
Early on, it attacked Wonderbug, which was otherwise largely immobilized throughout the Melee, before proceeding to nudge Gator twice after it had become temporarily incapacitated. However, The Enforcer came under attack from Test Toaster One, which pushed it across the arena into the wall behind the upper-left flipper. The Enforcer continued its scrap with Test Toaster One for some time, eventually pinning it against the wall. It would proceed to harry the partially-immobilized Gator, the two robots initiating a short pushing match.[8][9]
The Enforcer next lifted and pushed Gator into the upper mousetrap, before dragging it back once the latter had took multiple pins from the hazard. Gator was eventually left immobile in the center of the arena, whereupon The Enforcer - the last robot standing - was quickly declared the winner.[8][9]
The Enforcer comfortably qualified for the Lightweight Melee Final as a result, where it faced the joint winners of the other preliminary rumble: Speed Bump (carrying the doll of featherweight entrant Lorena) and Flipper. Two clips from this battle were included in American Robot Wars 1996 highlights.[3][4]
The Enforcer attempts to attack "Lorena"
At some point, The Enforcer and Flipper tried to perform a pincer movement on Speed Bump, though this was unsuccessful. Al Kindle's machine was also seen being pressured by Flipper, which chased and attempted to lift it before becoming immobilized.[3][4]
According to the Team Spike website, The Enforcer lost one of its wheels during the full Melee, but remained mobile throughout. While able to dodge Speed Bump's attempts to pin it, it struggled to employ its lifter to do the same in response. The three-wheeled Enforcer survived the full five minutes, with the battle ending on an audience vote. However, it would lose the vote to Speed Bump, effectively becoming the overall runner-up of the Lightweight Melee tournament.[3][4]
Results[]
| THE ENFORCER - RESULTS | ||
| 1996 US Championship | ||
| Lightweight Face-Off Round 2 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Big Shot | Won |
| Round 2 | vs. Attiller (the Hun) | Lost |
| Lightweight Melee Runner-up | ||
| Melee | vs. Gator, Snickers, Test Toaster One, Wonderbug | Won |
| Melee Final | vs. Flipper, Speed Bump | Lost |
| NOTE: Speed Bump was alternatively referred to as "Lorena" throughout the Lightweight Melee competition, due to it being modified to feature Lorena's doll. | ||
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 2
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| Events | The Enforcer Event Record |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Did not enter |
| 1995 | Entered with Dawn Patrol |
| 1996 | Lightweight Face-Off, Round 2 Lightweight Melee, Runner-up |
| 1997 | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars[]
Following its initial retirement from combat, The Enforcer returned for the second season of the original Comedy Central BattleBots, winning one match before losing the second. The Enforcer would continue fighting until its retirement in 2012, going through different design iterations.
The original Blacksmith during Season 2 of the ABC BattleBots run
Al Kindle is perhaps more well known for his BattleBots creation Blacksmith, a heavyweight armed with a chain-driven hammer and a flamethrower concealed within the weapon head. Blacksmith made an instant impression in its 2016 ABC season debut, where it won a qualifier Rumble against Gemini and Basilisk despite encountering late drive issues and an internal fire. In the main championship, it would lose in the first round by knockout to Bronco, but was reinstated for the Round of 32 through receiving a wildcard. There, Blacksmith would be involved in a spectacular duel against Minotaur, which culminated in an explosive defeat for Al Kindle's machine.
Blacksmith in the 2018 BattleBots season (World Championship III)
An updated Blacksmith returned for the 2018 season, the first to be commissioned and aired by Discovery, with redesigned components and a variety of interchangeable front wedge/fork configurations to suit different opponents. In the Fight Night stages, it would initially lose to 2015 champion Bite Force on a Judges' decision, but recovered with a knockout win over The Four Horsemen, a British clusterbot derived from Robot Wars: Series 10 entry The Swarm. Blacksmith would suffer a further Fight Night loss by Judges' decision against Witch Doctor, and would lose in a similar fashion after a closely-fought rematch against Minotaur. Blacksmith was not selected to compete in the main Top 16 bracket, ending its main season run with a 1-3 Fight Night record. An additional appearance in the USA vs The World special resulted in Blacksmith losing a further Judges' decision against UK representative Warhead, built by former Robot Wars UK and World Champions Team Razer.
Blacksmith at BattleBots 2019 (World Championship IV)
Blacksmith received further updates for the 2019 season, where it suffered two further Fight Night losses by Judges' decision against Quantum and SawBlaze respectively. The former involved some controversy, where Blacksmith's AR500 plating caused the Team Robo Challenge crusher to accidentally stick to it on two separate occasions. This was balanced out by a win via the Judges over Kraken, and a knockout victory over shell spinner Captain Shrederator, leaving Blacksmith with a 2-2 record. Blacksmith then defeated ROTATOR - a former Top 8 finisher - in a play-in match to qualify for the Top 16 bracket. Its championship run was short-lived, however, when it was knocked out of a rematch against eventual 2019 runner-up Witch Doctor.
Blacksmith, rebuilt with a 'power hammer' for BattleBots 2021 (World Championship VI)
After taking a hiatus, Blacksmith returned for Season 6 of the modern BattleBots run with a new and upgraded design. To increase its damage output, the signature fire hammer was exchanged for a similar variant taking the form of an overhead spinner, alternatively dubbed the 'power hammer'. Blacksmith kicked off its 2021 campaign with a win over Free Shipping, but suffered two consecutive losses to Shatter! and Malice. Ending on a 1-2 record after its Fight Night campaign, Blacksmith was not chosen by the Selection Committee to appear in the main competition, but made further appearances in the spin-off BattleBots: Champions.
In Champions, the 2021-spec Blacksmith reached the final of its Sin City Slugfest bracket, taking victories over Deadlift and Switchback respectively. However, it would end up being defeated by Bloodsport at that stage on a split decision, having lost the disc for its 'power hammer' while trying to attack the Bots 'n' Stuff Robotics spinner.
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on The Enforcer (archived May 2 1997)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 'Maximus Pulverous Machinicus' [The Enforcer], Al Kindle/Minion website (archived)
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 'THE ENFORCER', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 'SPEED BUMP', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 'Robot Wars 1996: Big Shot versus The Enforcer (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), January 6 2019
- ↑ 'Tournament Tree - Robot Wars 1996 - Heavyweights', Team Run Amok website
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 'Robot Wars 1996: Atiller the Hun versus The Enforcer (Lightweight)', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 1 2019
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Lightweight Melee 2', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 'RobotWars 96 account' Dennis Millard/Gator website (archived)
External Links[]
- Official US Robot Wars website entry on The Enforcer (archived May 2 1997)
- The Enforcer on the Al Kindle/Minion website (archived)
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