- "Most beautiful creature - it used to be a lot more lethal, but it was far too big and far too heavy and they had to take off half the weapons. But the important thing is that they kept the decoration, which I think is great."
- — Philippa Forrester
Twn Trwn (pronounced "Tun Truun") was Team Monster's entrant for Series 3 of Robot Wars. Ultimately, one axe blow from Trident immobilised it, knocking it out of the competition. It was succeeded by The Creature.
Design[]
Twn Trwn in the arena
Twn Trwn was a large robot with a distinctive intricate fibreglass design, which featured a demon's head, a large spiked collar and what resembled a fish's head at the back. Twn Trwn cost £200 to build.
Twn Trwn was originally armed with a snowplough, but this had to be removed due to weight restrictions, with the team opting to retain the aesthetic parts of the robot rather than the weapons. Despite this, Twn Trwn remained overweight, but the novelty of the robot, combined with the unlikeliness that extra weight would help it in battle, allowed Twn Trwn to enter regardless. In battle, Twn Trwn used its "head" as a battering ram instead.
Etymology[]
"Twn Trwn" is Welsh for "broken ring".
The Team[]
The team with Twn Trwn
Twn Trwn represented Rhyl High School in North Wales, entered by Team Monster. Teacher Mark Harmsworth captained the team, and he was joined by his students Nicholas Barrowclough and Ian Wynne-Williams.
Mark Harmsworth returned for Series 4 with a similar robot, The Creature, instead competing as a family team with his father and daughter.
Robot History[]
Series 3[]
- "Twn Trwn sounds like the Thunderbirds' tune - "Twn Trwn!" - certainly needed International Rescue, but it didn't come for Twn Trwn."
- — Jonathan Pearce
In its heat eliminator, Twn Trwn was drawn up against fellow newcomer Trident.
The kill shot on Twn Trwn
Shunt and Matilda cause additional damage to Twn Trwn
When activate was called, Twn Trwn edged forward, and met Trident head-on. Trident wasted no time in launching a blow with its axe, which dug deep into the artwork and tore small pieces loose. Trident circled Twn Trwn and bumped the other side, but it became apparent that Twn Trwn had lost power. After an extensive period of being battered by Trident, Shunt and Sgt. Bash intervened. Sgt. Bash set Twn Trwn on fire, Shunt hit it hard with his axe, and Matilda's chainsaw sliced effortlessly through the design of the robot, cutting an ear from one of the heads.
- "Art in the arena, that's what we like, thank you so much for supplying that."
- — Philippa Forrester thanks Team Monster
Results[]
| TWN TRWN - RESULTS | ||
| Series 3 | ||
| The Third Wars - UK Championships Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat P, Round 1 | vs. Trident | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | Twn Trwn Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| The Fourth Wars | Entered with The Creature |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| 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 |
Outside Robot Wars[]
War King during Techno Games
Some members from Team Monster appeared in the Battery Sprint competition in the 2001 Techno Games with robot War King. War King was against Photophattiephobia and Take Two. In the race, War King started by walking backwards and accidentally "sat" on Photophattiephobia. As both robots were reset, War King fell over onto its face, losing the race to Photophattiephobia.
Trivia[]
- During Twn Trwn's appearance, its name was often mispronounced. Notable examples included "Tun Turun" and "Twin Trwin".
- Like The Creature, Twn Trwn's defeat saw it get immobilised from the first attack by its opponent.
- Henry also suffered the same fate when both of its losses were one-hit KOs by the eventual heat winner. Unlike Henry, however, Team Monster's loss in Series 3 was to the eventual heat winner and their loss in Series 4 was not.