Turtle Roadkiller

Turtle Roadkiller
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1997
Team Information
Team Members	Lawrence Tan
From	Gilroy, California
Robot Statistics
Drive	2x Sullivan model aircraft starter motors
Weapons	Pneumatic lifting/flipping flap
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Turtle Roadkiller (sometimes shortened as Turtle) was a middleweight competitor from the US 1997 Robot Wars where it reached the second round of the middleweight faceoff, beating The Bishop before losing to Hyena but it went on to become champion of the middleweight melee.

Design

Turtle Roadkiller was a octagonal-shaped robot with sloped sides, armed with a pneumatic 'flap' at the front to lift and potentially flip opponents. The robot was painted dark green with twin yellow stripes, the latter likely referencing tire markings. Turtle Roadkiller's shell was made out of steel, giving it a durable and 'hard to kill' construction in spite of the limited effectiveness of its main weapon. Internally, the robot used a Vantec speed controller and two Sullivan model aircraft starter motors, the latter connected to both drive wheels via chain reductions. This setup gave Turtle Roadkiller high speed and ramming power, which would prove crucial to its successes throughout the 1997 competition.

Robot History

1997 US Championship

In the first round of the middleweight faceoff, Turtle Roadkiller faced The Bishop. The start of this battle was delayed, owing to multiple technical issues affecting The Bishop's functionality. Not only was the internal combustion engine powering its saw inactive - rendering it weaponless - but its 'drive controls' also had to be worked on in order for it to be ready to fight.

Both robots charged into each other in the opening seconds, with Turtle Roadkiller getting underneath, but not having enough weapon power to fully lift The Bishop upwards. As the pair separated, Turtle Roadkiller suddenly drove head-on into the wall, and collected The Bishop as it reversed. The pneumatic flap of the green and yellow machine fired repeatedly as it and The Bishop kept nudging, bumping and attempting to out-drive each other, but with very little effect.

During a very tentative clash, Turtle Roadkiller again drove under and shoved The Bishop multiple times, while the two competitors made various encounters with the arena hazards. At one point, The Bishop was speared by a spike trap, though both robots remained mobile for the full match duration. The Judges' decision, based on points, was awarded to Turtle Roadkiller.

In the Winner's Bracket Second Round, Turtle Roadkiller faced Hyena. A tentative opening exchange saw the faster Turtle Roadkiller dodging the approaching Hyena, only to drive into the upper-right flipper. Lawrence Tan's machine backed out and turned to face its opponent, which briefly rode up Turtle Roadkiller's front-right corner. More tentative nudging followed, during which Turtle Roadkiller briefly lifted Hyena upwards with its 'pneumatic flap'. Hyena, meanwhile, was unable to damage Turtle Roadkiller with its saws, which stalled upon making contact with Turtle Roadkiller's shell. Both robots took swipes from the arena flippers, before another head-to-head collision allowed Turtle Roadkiller to pop Hyena into the air.

Turtle Roadkiller shoved Hyena again; Hyena began spinning on the spot as the green and yellow machine drove away. Neither robot engaged for some time, driving past each other as Turtle Roadkiller sped into the flipper and wall in the lower-left corner. The collision appeared to leave Turtle Roadkiller stuck in place. Hyena, driving under the spike trap, kept maneuvering across the arena until it drove over the top of Turtle Roadkiller. With Morgan Dunbar's machine now lodged in place, the match was paused to allow for a separation.

When both robots were pushed away from the wall, Turtle Roadkiller was sent coasting into the arena center. It soon became apparent that the robot could no longer move under its own power, as Hyena proceeded to push it around in circles. Turtle Roadkiller was left to take hits from the lower-left flipper and declared to have been immobile, after which Hyena performed a victory spin.

Turtle Roadkiller wasn't finished however and fought in the middleweight melees, in its qualifier it faced The Bishop again as well as Anubis, Satoru Special IV and Satan's Revenge. Turtle Roadkiller immediately sped into the upper spike trap, while Anubis began pressuring Satoru Special IV across the center. The latter drove into the front of The Bishop, which was running without the sawblade weapon due to damage sustained in its Face-Off run. Turtle Roadkiller and Anubis each attempted to lift The Bishop and Satoru Special IV respectively, but without success; Satoru Special IV drove into the upper-left flipper before striking Anubis from the side with its axe.

The Bishop, meanwhile, started duelling with the otherwise very tentative Satan's Revenge, only for Turtle Roadkiller to drive under and lift Stephen Gaudio's machine. Attempts by Satan's Revenge to attack Turtle Roadkiller with its chainsaw had minimal effect on the latter's armor, as The Bishop was released and later repeatedly backed into Satan's Revenge's chainsaw. Collisions with The Bishop's steel armor eventually broke the chain of Satan's Revenge's weapon, leaving it without its primary means of offense. Turtle Roadkiller, Anubis and Satoru Special IV all gathered in the center, the latter spearing under Anubis' flipper with its pickaxe. Turtle Roadkiller again drove into and got swatted by the upper-left flipper, during a very tentative phase by all five machines.

Satan's Revenge again tried to attack The Bishop, though without much effect. The Bishop drove up the front of Anubis, as Satoru Special IV drove into the side of both machines. Anubis backed up, collecting Satan's Revenge as it drove underneath the latter's chainsaw. Four of the five machines gathered, before Turtle Roadkiller rammed and pushed Satan's Revenge into the left-most wall. Anubis began pushing and trying to lift The Bishop, while Satoru Special IV collided with Turtle Roadkiller. Lawrence Tan's machine lifted Satoru Special IV up with its front flap, then pushed a returning Satan's Revenge back as all five competitors converged once more.

Turtle Roadkiller next pinned The Bishop against the side of Anubis, which crawled towards and flipped Satan's Revenge over with its arm. Satan's Revenge, now inverted, was flicked a second time as it drove over the weapon of Alexander Ko's machine. In the background, Satoru Special IV careered into the wall. Seconds later, The Bishop drove up the side of Anubis, only for Turtle Roadkiller to violently ram and flip it over. Satoru Special IV drove into the back of Turtle Roadkiller, before Anubis and Satan's Revenge separated. Turtle Roadkiller reversed in a half-circle, carrying, then releasing Satoru Special IV as it drove into the wall under the lower spike trap.

A tentative pushing match developed between Satan's Revenge and Satoru Special IV, with the pair being separated through another ram from Turtle Roadkiller. The Bishop twice drove front-first into the trio as they slowly separated. Satoru Special IV approached, but could not use its pickaxe effectively against Satan's Revenge, which again found itself being pinned by Turtle Roadkiller. The Bishop reared up near the upper-left flipper, while taking multiple hits from the swinging hazard. Turtle Roadkiller rammed Satan's Revenge and The Bishop simultaneously, with Satoru Special IV also re-engaging in the scrap.

With Anubis stationary next to the lower-left flipper, all four robots started separating again. Satoru Special IV crept around the back of The Bishop and hooked it with the pickaxe. The Bishop was also rammed once again by Turtle Roadkiller, which tried to lift it and Satan's Revenge at the same time. Once it drove under the front of Satan's Revenge, the green and yellow machine flicked it a short distance within the upper-left perimeter. A few more tentative moments passed. Turtle Roadkiller rammed The Bishop twice more, while Satoru Special IV briefly caught itself behind the upper-left flipper.

During the final thirty seconds, Satan's Revenge and Satoru Special IV ganged up on The Bishop yet again. Anubis moved sluggishly towards the center, and Turtle Roadkiller drove under both of its invertible opponents with another ram. Satoru Special IV and Anubis became locked together and were pushed apart by Turtle Roadkiller. Satan's Revenge began pushing The Bishop back, the two machines separating just before the end bell rang. All robots were still mobile, though Anubis would be the only one of the quintet not to appear in the Melee Final.

In the middleweight melee final, Turtle Roadkiller, along with fellow qualifiers, faced other finalists Pokey and Vicious-1. Turtle Roadkiller, starting from the upper-left corner, immediately sped underneath Pokey, briefly popping it into the air. Meanwhile, Satoru Special IV, Vicious-1 and The Bishop all converged near the center, setting up an early duel in which Vicious-1 attacked the former's pickaxe and plywood side. While Pokey backed away, Turtle Roadkiller pressured the slow-starting Satan's Revenge, pushing it into the lower-right flipper. Vicious-1, having embedded its 'spinning pike' into Satoru Special IV, dragged James Straus' machine across the arena, only to be blocked, separated and flicked onto one wheel by Pokey.

In response, Vicious-1 began pushing Pokey a few times, resulting in the latter being impaled by the upper spike trap. Worse still, a further spinner attack tore off the lifting plate for Curt Meyers' machine, rendering its forklift useless. The Bishop whacked the left-hand side of Vicious-1 using sit-and-spin tactics, before Turtle Roadkiller pushed Satoru Special IV into the trio. Satan's Revenge closed in, only to come under attack from The Bishop, Turtle Roadkiller and Satoru Special IV. Turtle Roadkiller flicked Ken Swenson's machine upwards with its own pneumatic lifter, then drove under Pokey a second time while Vicious-1 began pushing The Bishop.

Turtle Roadkiller kept ramming multiple opponents in succession. Pokey pushed Satan's Revenge against the 'curb' for the lower spike trap, then reversed into Satoru Special IV. A train of four robots briefly developed as Vicious-1 pushed Satoru Special IV back, in turn pinning Pokey and Satan's Revenge against the wall. Turtle Roadkiller collected The Bishop while this happened, while Pokey recovered by pushing Satoru Special IV into the upper-right corner. Another ram from Turtle Roadkiller left Satan's Revenge stuck on the wall, directly underneath the lower spike. However, Lawerence Tan's machine lodged itself under the 'curb' in the process, prompting the match to be paused to allow both robots to be separated. Up until that point, Vicious-1 had resumed its duels with Satoru Special IV and Pokey; Satoru Special IV also drove into Satan's Revenge, but without freeing either of its opponents. The bell rang just as Pokey started pushing Satoru Special IV into the upper-left corner.

Once the separation had been carried out, Pokey reversed into The Bishop, pushing it back towards Vicious-1. Stephen Gaudio's machine spun out of the way just in time, resulting in Vicious-1 scooping Pokey up once again. On the opposite side, Turtle Roadkiller rammed and pushed Satan's Revenge once more, then into the lower-right flipper. The green and yellow-striped machine smashed into a pile-up also involving The Bishop, Vicious-1, Satoru Special IV and Satan's Revenge, with the latter two also taking damage from Vicious-1's spinning weapon. Pokey rushed into the pile-up as well, backing out seconds before Turtle Roadkiller carried The Bishop on its shell. After this, Pokey proceeded to push Satoru Special IV and Satan's Revenge forwards. Vicious-1 kept hitting The Bishop and Pokey with its spinner, while Turtle Roadkiller immobilized Satoru Special IV with a heavy push into the wall.

Pokey slowly pushed and pinned The Bishop into the left wall bumper, firing the remains of its lifter multiple times in the process. Turtle Roadkiller drove into and became wedged under the wall in the upper-left corner, prompting attacks by Vicious-1. Vicious-1 got around the side of and began pushing Pokey again, allowing The Bishop to escape. Pokey was freed and retaliated with a ram on Vicious-1 with just under a minute remaining. Vicious-1 began pushing both Pokey and The Bishop on various occasions.

With just twelve seconds remaining, the Melee Final was stopped again for Turtle Roadkiller to be freed from the wall, to the crowd's delight. Upon the battle restarting, Turtle Roadkiller launched The Bishop into the air with a fast ram, eventually pushing and flipping it over against the left wall. Vicious-1 also kept pushing Pokey around until the match reached its official conclusion.

Despite its immobility, Satoru Special IV was included in the subsequent audience vote, receiving a mostly unfavorable response from the crowd. Of the remaining four competitors, Turtle Roadkiller received the loudest applause, and was declared the 1997 Middleweight Melee champion.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 3
• Losses: 1

Series Record

Events	Turtle Roadkiller Event Record
1994	Did not Enter
1995	Did not Enter
1996	Did not Enter
1997	Middleweight Face-Off, Round 2 Middleweight Melee Champion

Outside Robot Wars

Turtle Road Kill from 1999 to Season 4.0 of BattleBots

Turtle in Season 5.0

After Robot Wars, Turtle Roadkiller was renamed Turtle Roadkill and competed in BattleBots. It first appeared in the 1999 Long Beach event, virtually unchanged from the 1997 counterpart, it managed to perform well beating Scorpion "Beta 3" Ankle Biter, Carnivore, Junior and Deadblow but losing to Ankle Biter in a separate match and Knee-Breaker. In Season 1.0 it lost to Hazard after receiving a BYE. After missing out on Season 2.0 and 3.0, it returned in Season 4.0 where it did well, reaching the round of 16 after beating Buddy Lee Don't Play in the Street, Velocity, IceCube and Space Monkey before losing to El Diablo. Prior to Season 5.0, Turtle Roadkill was sold to Team Nightmare and repainted to green and designed to look like a turtle as well as being renamed to just Turtle. Here Turtle beat Heavy Metal Noise, Little Drummer Boy and Ankle Biter before it lost to S.O.B. In 2004, Turtle was sold off to an unknown buyer, but never returned to competition.

External Links

• Turtle (BattleBots)