- "But for this week for added value, we've introduced...The Sentinel. Ever present and menacing, it sweeps the floor in a wide arch. Now, a timely dash could get the robot to the end zone safely, an untimely one could get it spiked!"
- — Philippa Forrester introduces The Sentinel in Series 2, Heat G
The Sentinel was a short-lived House Robot that was introduced halfway through Series 2 of Robot Wars. Essentially a modified Hanix mini excavator[1] (though commonly referred to as a JCB by roboteers), it first appeared in Heat G as an obstacle in the Gauntlet stage, occupying the left-hand route. It would appear in every Heat thereafter except Heat J, as well as the Semi-Finals. In later episodes, particularly the Grand Final and the end-of-series Grudge Matches special, The Sentinel also appeared in the arena as an extra hazard in the lower-left corner, effectively functioning as a sixth House Robot.
Because of its status as a Gauntlet 'obstacle' rather than a conventional House Robot, The Sentinel was retired at the end of Series 2, as the Gauntlet stages were dropped for Series 3 onwards.
Design[]

Close-up of The Sentinel, during its introduction in Heat G
The Sentinel was a modified Hanix H08A[1] mini excavator designed to resemble a robotic arm, being painted silver and decorated with ornamental tanks, pipes and cables. Modifications were also made to the excavator's cabin, which was fully enclosed with rear-hinged doors and body panels made out of mesh-type sheeting. A central circular-shaped porthole acted as a windscreen for the operator inside, with two top-mounted spotlights being positioned immediately above in oval-shaped housings to make it look like it had a face.

The mini excavator which The Sentinel is based upon

The crew member in control of The Sentinel getting inside
The end of The Sentinel's hydraulic arm feature a large spiked club, intended to push, block and pin robots against the wall or arena floor whenever they attempted to pass it. This was also capable of causing damage to armour, as well as steering any competitors into other House Robots or a nearby Pit. Such was the height and positioning of The Sentinel that it often created a blind spot for roboteers trying to drive their competing machines down the left-hand route. Most could not see their robots upon passing it, increasing their chances of them being attacked by other House Robots and/or falling into the second Pit. The visibility issues presented by The Sentinel were brought up by multiple roboteers in interviews shown throughout Robot Wars Revealed.
Uniquely, The Sentinel was operated inside the arena rather than in a separate control area, the only House Robot to be controlled this way. A large rectangular-shaped enclosure surrounded The Sentinel's tracks, preventing it from being able to move outside of its designated area during Gauntlet runs.

The Sentinel as it appeared in the Semi-Finals, with a 360-degree reach
Initially rotating at 180 degrees, The Sentinel's arm was later made to rotate a full 360 degrees for the Semi-Finals; at the same time, the arm and the club were also made to lift and lower independently of each other. As a result, it was now able to occupy both the left-hand and centre routes, posing an additional obstacle for competitors which chose the latter route. On the centre route, The Sentinel could block, lift and push robots off the left-hand platform, with the intention of forcing them to take the see-saw or otherwise position them over the edge. The latter would often result in the affected robot toppling into the Pit next to the platform.
Robot History[]
Series 2[]

The Sentinel pins Roadblock against the wall

The Sentinel forces Onslaught into the Pit
The Sentinel debuted in the Gauntlet stage of Heat G, paired with Dead Metal. According to series researcher Glen Collins - in a clip aired during Episode 9 of Robot Wars Revealed - it had been added at this late stage of the main competition as the House Robot operators had allegedly become 'fed up' of competitors often using the left-hand route, in effect bypassing the mobile ones on all others.[2]
In its first on-screen use, The Sentinel succeeded in pinning reigning champion Roadblock against the wall as it attempted to negotiate past, although Roadblock eventually escaped and reached the end zone. It briefly nudged Onslaught against the wall during its run, before the latter got past easily due to its small size. However, The Sentinel's arm caught Onslaught and forced it into Dead Metal, impeding its progress and allowing it to eventually steer Onslaught into the Pit.

Dead Metal catches Loco shortly after the latter clears The Sentinel

The Sentinel's spike jabs through Prometheus
In Heat H, The Sentinel was unable to block Cassius, Loco or Sting during their runs as they successfully negotiated through the space under its arm, although both Loco and Sting were caught and pitted by Dead Metal not long afterwards. Additionally, Wizard and Rampage encountered problems before they were able to reach it after taking the left-hand route during their runs. The Sentinel pinned Prometheus against the wall in Heat I, after the latter changed routes midway through its run. It succeeded in puncturing through Prometheus' armour with the spiked arm, and allowing Sir Killalot to close in and push it back towards the starting line.
The Sentinel attacking Roadblock
While it was not used in Heat J, The Sentinel returned in Heat K, now paired with Matilda. It failed to prevent Demon, The Mule or Plunderbird 2 from passing it during their runs, although Demon was subsequently attacked by the House Robots, and Plunderbird 2 deliberately drove into the Pit immediately afterwards. One of The Sentinel's decorative pieces fell off as Enzyme negotiated past it, with Matilda pitting it straight after it drove past.

Havoc is trapped between Dead Metal and The Sentinel as time runs out
The Sentinel performed much more strongly in Heat L, impeding all four competitors which attempted to negotiate its route. It pinned Vercingetorix against the wall and immobilised it after jabbing through its front end, although not without having one of its spikes damaged in the process. The Sentinel also helped Dead Metal force Haardvark into the Pit and block Havoc as it attempted to run past it through the middle, before steering Flirty Skirty towards the Pit, allowing Sir Killalot to lift and drop it in.

The Sentinel lifts Mace against the railings
The Sentinel returned for the Semi-Finals, now able to lift and rotate its arm at a full 360 degrees. With these capabilities, it blocked Mace during its initial run in the first Semi-Final, forcing it to retreat and attempt the see-saw, before playing a pivotal part in its subsequent Race-Off against Panic Attack. The Sentinel blocked Mace as it attempted to negotiate the platform, before lifting it against the railings and eventually forcing it to topple into the Pit, allowing Panic Attack to progress to the Pinball Trial. The Arena stage of this episode marked the first time that The Sentinel would be used in a regular battle, in Mortis vs Panic Attack. While not playing any part in the fight, its club can be briefly seen in the top-right corner of the screen, during a panning shot of Panic Attack shoving Mortis into the PPZ.

The Sentinel (background) makes an appearance in Cassius vs Haardvark
In the second Semi-Final, The Sentinel blocked Roadblock again, this time succeeding in preventing it from travelling further down the left-hand route. It would, however, sustain damage from Roadblock's circular saw. The Sentinel also blocked Haardvark after it changed routes and attempted to make a run past it, before Matilda dragged Haardvark back to the start as time ran out. In the Arena stage, it appeared in the background multiple times during Cassius vs Haardvark, illuminated by orange lighting.

The Sentinel (left) pins Killertron in the PPZ
The Sentinel made further appearances in the Grand Final, but would not play a significant part in either of the Eliminators. It would, however, play a major role in the third-place Playoff between Roadblock and Killertron, pinning the latter in the PPZ after Roadblock pushed Killertron into it. This allowed the other House Robots to attack the would be fourth-placed finisher.
The Grand Final Playoff marked The Sentinel's last notable appearance in the main series, although it later appeared in many of the Grudge Matches shown during the end-of-series episode of the same name. Among those was the second Judgement Day battle between Mortis and Napalm, in which The Sentinel would make its most notable contribution of this episode.
- "In comes Shunt, with the pickaxe, and The Sentinel as well, using the big rhino horn... to bash...and dent!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as The Sentinel joins Shunt and the other House Robots in their attack on Mortis
There, it thrust its arm down on Mortis' underside after it had been flipped over by Matilda and Sir Killalot, causing damage before Sir Killalot carried Mortis towards the Flame Pit. This was The Sentinel's final appearance in Robot Wars, and it was retired after this, presumably following the producers' decision to abandon the Gauntlet and Trials for The Third Wars.
Trivia[]

A stagehand prepares the enormous Sentinel for action
- As it was introduced halfway through Series 2 and removed after the end of the series, The Sentinel was the shortest-lived House Robot in the show's history, and the only one to be retired during the original series' run.
- The Sentinel was the only House Robot which was unable to move outside of its position through any method.
- Due to The Sentinel's nature, it is probable that it is by far the heaviest and tallest of the House Robots.
- The Sentinel was the only robot of any kind that was controlled from inside the arena. Its appearances marked the only occasions where a human operator was present in the arena whilst robots were competing.
- The Sentinel faced Roadblock four times, more than any other competitor. It was present during Roadblock's Heat and Semi-Final Gauntlet runs, its Grand Final Eliminator against Cassius, and its Play-off against Killertron. However, it did not make any contact with the defending champion during either of those Arena battles.
- According to Series 2 art director Steve Clark, the work to convert the donor Hanix excavator into The Sentinel took around three days to complete.[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Robot Wars Revealed, Episode 8, 05:06
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UXFIM1syNRA?t=356
- ↑ Robot Wars Revealed, Episode 8, 05:23
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