Topbot

Topbot
Participation Information
UK Series	7
Team Information
Team	Team Monad
Team Members	Benny Karstel Andrew Karstel
From	Clondalkin, Dublin, Ireland
Other Entries	Monad (Series 5) 4x4 (Series 6)
Robot Statistics
Weight	99kg
Dimensions	0.27m x 1.15m x 0.93m
Drive	3x 750W electric motors
Weapons	Spinning disc
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Topbot was a robot that competed in Series 7 of Robot Wars. It came from Team Monad, and was the third robot from the Dublin-based team, after Monad and 4x4. Topbot lost in the first round of its heat after the disc broke off, and also lost its Third World Championship qualifier battle to Crushtacean, where it represented the Republic of Ireland.

Design

Topbot in the arena inverted

Topbot was a yellow and red robot with eight sets of wheels, four present on either side of its body, allowing it to run inverted. Its weapon was a horizontal spinning disc that was 64cm wide and weighed thirty kilograms, made from steel and aluminium with two hardened teeth. The body had four wheels on top and bottom, making it an invertible robot, and it had a low ground clearance. It was one of the many robots over the weight limit, so there were many small holes drilled in the top and sides of its bodywork to fit the constraints. The disc made the robot quite top-heavy, but made up for it in its power; it smashed the arena wall in its World Championship qualifier battle.

Although Topbot could run inverted and use its disc in either orientation, Topbot's default configuration sees its disc at floor level, evidenced by the robot's name being written on the front of Topbot, which only reads correctly if the robot is not inverted. This essentially made Topbot one of the pioneers of the 'undercutter' spinner, used by Topbot and future undercutters such as PP3D to target the exposed wheels underneath most robots.

The Team

Team Monad with Topbot

Topbot was entered by Team Monad, a two-man team consisting of captain Bernard "Benny" Karstel and teammate Andrew Karstel. The team were based in Clondalkin in Dublin, Ireland, the same region that Team Nemesis were based. This made Topbot the only Irish machine in The Seventh Wars. Team Monad had previously entered The Fifth Wars with Monad and The Sixth Wars with 4x4, with both losing in the first round.

Robot History

Series 7

Topbot received a reasonable draw in Round 1 of its heat in The Seventh Wars, against fellow veterans Raging Knightmare, R.O.C.S. and a redesigned version of The Executioner.

Topbot attacks R.O.C.S. with its disc

Topbot loses its disc

Mr. Psycho loses his head after trying to hammer Topbot

Topbot dangerously skirts along the lip of the pit

In the opening seconds, it spun around in circles to ward off attacks whilst the disc gained speed. It then charged into the fray, hacking at the rear of R.O.C.S., but a sudden impact with The Executioner's vertical spinning weapon caused Topbot's spinning disc to detach and fly across the arena floor. Topbot drove around the arena erratically, almost falling in the pit with a wheel hanging over the edge. Topbot then drove into Mr. Psycho's CPZ and was cornered. The House Robot hit Topbot with his hammer, and rather comically, his head fell off. Topbot appeared to break down towards the end of the fight and was pushed by Raging Knightmare onto the flame pit as the time expired at the end of the five-minute battle. The match went to a judges' decision, who voted in favour of R.O.C.S. and Raging Knightmare, eliminating Topbot in the first round.

Topbot returned for The Third World Championship, fighting against the South African Crushtacean in its qualifier battle, which was broadcast as part of Heat G.

Crustacean pins Topbot against the top arena wall

Topbot takes a lump out of the arena wall

Topbot is pitted by Crushtacean

This time, Topbot entered the arena with its disc face up. Topbot tried to spin up in circles to allow its disc to gain speed, but Crushtacean covered the distance between the pair quickly and prevented Topbot from spinning, shoving it into a CPZ. Topbot escaped, attacking the side of Crushtacean. Topbot slammed into the arena wall, cracking pieces of it before being seized by the crab-like robot and shoved away. Crushtacean pushed Topbot into the pit release, before shoving it down the pit and eliminating it from the competition.

"Topbot, more like Flopbot!"

— Craig Charles on Topbot's loss

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 2

Series Record

Series	Topbot Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Did not enter
The Fourth Wars	Did not enter
The Fifth Wars	Entered with Monad
The Sixth Wars	Entered with 4x4
The Seventh Wars	Heat, Round 1
Series 8	Did not enter
Series 9	Did not enter
Series 10	Did not enter

Gallery

Topbot, without its top armour, in the pits

Topbot shortly after Series 7

Topbot in the arena with Beast in 2008

Outside Robot Wars

Front view of the updated Topbot in 2008

Topbot is lifted by Bigger Brother

After Series 7, Topbot was maintained, and intended to enter various live events, but the ban on spinning weapons across live events prevented Topbot from competing. As a result, Team Monad would generally compete on the live circuit with 4x4 instead.

However, Topbot did compete at Mechatrons in 2008 without running its spinner. Topbot now sported four externally mounted tyres, and its disc was now mounted centrally at an angle, instead of running as an undercutter. It fought robots such as Bigger Brother, Beast and Pressure at the event. As of 2018, Topbot is still intact, but retired.

Sadly, Benny Karstel passed away in 2006.

Trivia

Official Series 7 photo

• Topbot was the only robot from either part of Ireland to feature in Series 7.
• Topbot was the first competitor in Robot Wars designed primarily to be an undercutter spinner.
• Both of Topbot's appearances were in the same episode as Terror Turtle.
  • Both of those episodes had a World Championship qualifier as the special event with both robots losing and the robots that beat them fought each other in their heat in The Third World Championship.
  • Both of those episodes were the only two heats of Series 7 where a seeded robots lost in the heat final.