- "Pneumatically powered weaponry here. A lifting fork at the front, a spiked pickaxe at the rear, the head comes from a wok, the dreadlocks from a beaded curtain, the chassis from the armour plating of a police van."
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces The Predator
The Predator was a competitor robot that entered Series 4 of Robot Wars. It lost in the first round to second seed Hypno-Disc. The team previously entered Series 3 with Crippler.
Design[]
The Predator in the arena
The Predator was designed to resemble its namesake, with a large body and silver dreadlocks. It also featured "teeth" - knitting needles that could be remotely controlled for entertainment purposes, like Beast of Bodmin's eyes. The robot itself was a large box shaped robot with a forklift on its front and a rear axe weapon. The chassis was made from a police van and the armour was aluminium-covered Teflon. The Predator's shape, head, arms and rear exoskeleton also gave it a passing resemblance to House Robot Sir Killalot.
Etymology[]
The robot's design and name were based on the titular character the from Predator series of films.
The Team[]
Team Predator
The Predator was built by Team Predator, a family team from Manchester who had competed in the previous series with Crippler. Barry Willetts captained the team, and he was joined by his relatives Christopher and Steven.
Qualification[]
The Predator's intended design for Series 5
The Predator attended the touring auditions for Series 4 and was successful in being selected for the Fourth Wars.
The Predator was redesigned for Series 5, with the top being more rounded and the head being moved to the middle of the body. The forklift was turned into a wedge, and the paint-job was given a greenish look, to resemble the film character further. However, the team failed to qualify for the Fifth Wars.
Robot History[]
Series 4[]
- Steven Willetts: "...the front lifting ram, powered by CO2, and it's very speedy and very deadly."
- Barry Willetts: "The head, we have got moveable jaws, we have flashing lights, we've got strobe lights, we have got dreadlocks."
- Christopher Willetts: "This is our sting in the tail, the big powered ice pick."
- — Team Predator describe their machine together in their introduction
Hypno-Disc slashes into The Predator
The Predator and Raizer Blade, both immobile. Note the scattered insides of The Predator
The Predator did very little in its first and only battle as it fought the second seed Hypno-Disc and Raizer Blade. As with Raizer Blade, it was completely overshadowed by Hypno-Disc, and wasn't even acknowledged for having entered previously. The Predator moved into the battle, and Hypno-Disc proceeded to shred the rear armour repeatedly. Hypno-Disc hit Raizer Blade, before striking The Predator again and causing a battery to fall out. Neither The Predator nor Raizer Blade was moving at the end, but The Predator was eliminated because it had sustained much more damage, and had been immobilised first.
Results[]
| THE PREDATOR - RESULTS | ||
| Series 4 | ||
| The Fourth Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat P, Eliminator | vs. Hypno-Disc (2), Raizer Blade | Eliminated |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | The Predator Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Entered with Crippler |
| The Fourth Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| The Fifth Wars | Failed to qualify |
| 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 |
Trivia[]
The Hypno-Disc team with The Predator's breast plate
- After The Predator was cleared up after its only battle, the team presented the breastplate from the front of The Predator to the Hypno-Disc team as a "trophy"[1].