The Mulcher was a heavyweight robot which attended and was intended to compete in the 1995 US Robot Wars competition. Prior to its first Heavyweight Face-Off fight, it was disqualified 'at the last moment' due to safety concerns relating to its lawnmower blade weapon.[2]
In spite of its disqualification, The Mulcher would be used to perform demonstrations in between battles, destroying various objects placed within the arena.[3][4] Additionally, it would take part in a 'fictitious face-off' organized for a Blender Magazine article, involving it destroying a sacrificial machine named Blendie.[2][5]
Design[]
The Mulcher was a large robot propelled by a set of electric 'tank-tread assemblies' and shrouded by a large rounded Kevlar composite shell. The golden yellow shell included prominent sponsorship decals for NODA Design, along with a 'tapered tail' section which was claimed to double as a rear wedge.[2]
Concealed within The Mulcher's outer shell was a 'gas-powered' lawnmower (red), set at a 45-degree angle and forming its main weapon. The lawnmower blade within proved highly destructive in demonstrations and exhibition battles, though the risk of it sending shrapnel out of the arena boundaries prevented The Mulcher from being able to fight in the main heavyweight championships.[2]
Robot History[]
1995 US Championship[]
In the first round of the Heavyweight championship, The Mulcher was to face Mauler 95, however, just moments before the match began, The Mulcher was deemed too dangerous to fight and disqualified on this basis.[6]
Despite the disqualification, The Mulcher was popular and was allowed to enter the arena during halftime showings where it would drive around the arena, demonstrating its weapon by attacking objects such as a football and blocks of polystyrene, showing off its destructive capabilities.
The Mulcher was allowed to battle the much smaller Blendie for a promotional battle, as Blendie was created by Blender Magazine, who were writing an article about Robot Wars. In this one-sided match, the larger Mulcher trundled across the arena as Blendie darted away and drove towards an arena mousetrap. The Mulcher tried to back into Blendie, however, Blendie darted away and the two started to chase one another. However, this chase eventually came to a violent end as The Mulcher managed to absorb Blendie in its grabbing mechanism and tore the robot to pieces as soon as it caught the smaller robot, sending glass shards across the arena leaving very little of the sacrificial robot.
Results[]
| THE MULCHER - RESULTS | ||
| 1995 US Championship | ||
| Heavyweight Face-Off Disqualified before Round 1 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Mauler 95 | Disqualified |
| NOTE: The Mulcher was disqualified for being 'too dangerous' to compete. | ||
| Other Battles Blender Magazine Promotional Battle | ||
| Exhibition | vs. Blendie | Won |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 0
Series Record[]
| Events | The Mulcher Event Record |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Did not enter |
| 1995 | Disqualified from Heavyweight Face-Off Exhibition Match Only |
| 1996 | Did not enter |
| 1997 | Did not enter |
References[]
- ↑ 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on The Mulcher (archived May 2 1997)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 'THE MULCHER', James R. Osborn website (archived December 5 1998)
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1995 - Mulcher Demo 1', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded August 8 2008
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1995 - Mulcher Demo 2', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded October 17 2008
- ↑ 'Blendie vs the Mulcher', BCADws (YouTube), uploaded September 12 2020
- ↑ 'Tournament Tree - Robot Wars 1995 - Heavyweights', Team Run Amok website
[]
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