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"Looks like it could spell danger for any robot, with that massive spinning disc that towers over smaller bots, and a wide body that has virtually no weaknesses ... the Force may be strong with this one..."
— Robot Wars: The Official Magazine[1]

Vader was a heavyweight robot that competed in Series 6-7 of Robot Wars, and the second series of Extreme. It was most successful in the Sixth Wars, reaching a Heat Final where it was eliminated by the seeded Wild Thing, but fell in the first round of the Seventh Wars to M2 and Tiberius 3.

Design[]

"If I had a penny for every time a bloke said to me "I've got a magnificent weapon", I would be rich by now!"
— Philippa Forrester meeting Vader
Vader s6 arena

Vader in the arena in Series 6

Vader was a reverse wedge-shaped robot, armed with a large spinning disc, similar to 259. As a secondary weapon, Vader had two spikes which could be added to the back, which were interchangeable with a scoop[2]. The robot was powered by three Iskra 800 Watt motors, two for the wheels and one for the flywheel.

The chassis was constructed from 2mm folded sheet steel, and the robot was clad in 8mm transparent Makralon polycarbonate sheet armour, which was quite resistant to most weapons, despite being thinner than most robots armour. The team decided to make the armour thinner than usual in order to fit the weight limit. The team listed “Vulnerable to axes” as the robot’s weakness in Series 6 and Extreme 2. The robot also had no srimech, and a high ground clearance at the front, although the robot had side skirts made from full length hinges to prevent flippers getting under the side.

"The biggest weakness we have is against flippers, because our machine isn't particularly low at the front."
— Paul Rose confesses Vader's weaknesses
Vader EXT2

Vader in the arena for Extreme 2

The robot was inspired by the American competitor Nightmare. The build process began in December 2000, when the team joined the Robot Wars Club, with the team using CAD software to design the robot[3]..

In Series 6, the disc weighed 16kg and could spin at 850rpm, allowing it to inflict 1.6Kw of power onto to other robots. The robot had a top speed of 8mph.

Vader s7 pits

Vader in the pits during Series 7

In Extreme 2, Vader’s disc was irreparably damaged by Matilda, so the team replaced it with a lighter 10kg disc for Series 7, and also added an improved weapon motor, which was estimated to be operating the new disc at around 1,300rpm. The armour was also thickened, now being 12mm instead of 8. The robot was 4kg lighter than in Series 6 and Extreme 2.

Etymology[]

Vader was named after Darth Vader, one of the main antagonists of the Star Wars series of movies. This was a running theme for all entries from Team Vader, as their robot IG-88 was also named after a character from the same franchise.

The Team[]

Main article: Team Vader
Team vader

Vader with its team in Extreme 2

Vader was entered by Team Vader, which was captained by Paul Rose, the lead builder of the robot, in Series 6 and Extreme 2. Phillip Calthorpe and Simon Latham were part of the team for all of the robot's appearances.

However in the Seventh Wars, Paul Rose had entered the series as the captain of his new robot IG-88, along with Phillip Calthorpe and Anton Grounds, so as a result, Simon Latham entered Vader as a separate entry, with help from Phillip Calthorpe. After Vader went out in Round 1, Simon Latham joined the IG-88 team for their Round 2 and Heat Final battles.

Qualification[]

VaderS5

Vader at the Series 5 qualifiers

Vader previously attempted to enter Series 5, attending qualifiers on August 23rd[4], but failed to qualify. The original version had a lighter disc, a spike at the rear, and Micro Kiel 18Ah batteries[5],[6]

Vader vs dome

Vader fighting Dome in its qualifier

In its qualifier, it fought Dome. Vader started well, cautiously approaching with the weapon at half speed, and after Dome missed a blow with its trebuchet, Vader hit the cage with its disc, then quickly reversed and attacked again. Dome backed away, then charged at Vader, but stopped just short of the disc, allowing Vader to hit it again, flipping the robot up, although Vader drove into it, rolling it back onto its wheels. Vader then turned and charged with the spike, but after hitting Dome, it drove onto the closed Pit, where it became stuck.

"We turned and charged with the spike, but having made contact rather stupidly drove over the closed Pit and got stuck.  The Pit surface was very uneven and the lid of the Pit was not flat. Vader's wheels spun but with no effect, we were going nowhere.  All we could now do was spin the disk and hope for the best."
— Team Vader website on the Series 5 qualifier

Unable to move, Vader could only spin the disc. Dome drove at it, driving into the disc, which ripped off some of Dome's armour, and flipped it up. The Dome drove to Vader's side and clubbed it with its trebuchet, but the weapon suddenly stopped working, merely hanging from the front of the machine. Dome tried ramming Vader, but hit the disc again, and the disc ripped of Dome's trebuchet arm. The fight was called to a halt, and Refbot pushed Vader off the Pit.

"We had gathered a small crowd around Vader with some of the younger attendees taking pictures.  We ourselves thought we had better take a closer look at the damage inflicted.  What we saw astounded us.  We had sliced right through their armour in several places, something we thought was not possible. If it came to damage we won the fight, if it came to mobility they won, you can make your own decisions..."
— Team Vader website on the Series 5 qualifier[7]

However, Vader was not selected to compete in Series 5, whereas Dome was.

The Vader team planned to enter a "completely new robot" for Series 6 called The Emperor, according to their website. However, the team instead opted to stick with Vader[8], albeit with many improvements. New, more powerful 19Ah batteries were added, the disc was replaced with an 80% heavier disc made from structural steel, with redesigned teeth, designed to grab opponents rather than just rip them. The wheels on the original were deemed too heavy, so were replaced by lighter aluminium wheels, although this gave the robot a higher ground clearance, so side skirts were added. A Gyro was added to help steering and manoeuvrability, and the side brackets were strengthened and a new aerial installed to better cope with collisions.[9]. Although very little is known about the team's qualifier, Vader is known to have faced a robot from "The West Thames College Team", dominating the college team thanks to their unfortunate drive problems, causing them much damage and winning the match to qualify. It is unknown if any other robots where present in this match.

For Series 7, Team Vader built a new machine, IG-88, and originally did not plan to enter the series with Vader. However, as IG-88 borrowed no parts from Vader, Simon Latham decided to enter the qualifiers with Vader, while the usual Team Vader captain Paul Rose qualified with IG-88. Vader won its qualifier battle in dominant fashion, and was entered into Series 7 by Simon Latham. Paul Rose was still named on the robot's statistics board.

"I entered Vader separately to Paul Rose who entered IG-88. Whilst I was involved in assisting with the build of IG-88, I never appeared with the machine or was listed on the entry forms. My entry of Vader was a fairly late decision as I was at a loose end and the machine was just sitting in the garage, and then surprisingly during the qualifying "auditions" it was unbelievably dominant in it's heat."
— Simon Latham on Facebook[10]

Robot History[]

Series 6[]

"Ooh, the shape certainly isn't daft - Vader!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Vader enters the arena

In the first round melee, Vader was against fellow new robots UFO, The Stag and ninth seed Wild Thing.

The Stag Vader

Vader rips a wheel from The Stag

Vader held in the opening moments of the battle, getting its weapon up to spinning speed. Wild Thing drove at The Stag, and as UFO drove towards Vader, it hit UFO with the disc, flicking it up a little. As Vader got its weapon back up to full speed, UFO turned and drove away. Meanwhile, The Stag grabbed Wild Thing, and was pushing it. UFO drove up the arena, past Vader, and Vader drove at it, but UFO managed to dodge it. Vader chased after it, but UFO was able to stay away, until it reversed into Wild Thing and The Stag. This caused Wild Thing to get free of The Stag's grip, and as UFO drove away, Vader charged between Wild Thing and The Stag, but Wild Thing managed to get out of the way just in time, and The Stag reversed as Vader tried to attack. Vader drove after The Stag and soon caught up with it, hitting the wheel with its disc, ripping of the tyre. UFO drove into the side of Vader and pushed, and The Stag turned, pushing against UFO and getting its gripping arms around it, but Vader turned and hit the claws of The Stag, knocking UFO loose and buckling the claws. As The Stag tried to reverse away, Wild Thing blocked its escape and pushed it to Sir Killalot. Vader held back as UFO drove away and Wild Thing attacked The Stag.

"UFO very tentative, and so two Vader. This is cagey."
— Jonathan Pearce
Wild Thing vs Vader vs UFO

Vader attacks Wild Thing in the first round

As Wild Thing and UFO trapped The Stag in Sir Killalot's CPZ, Vader drove at Wild Thing, but Wild Thing turned to avoid the disc and drove away. Whilst Sir Killalot grabbed The Stag, the other three robots fought down at the bottom of the arena, with UFO pushing Wild Thing, and Wild Thing driving away as Vader tried to attack it. Vader hit the front of UFO as it drove after Wild Thing, but UFO quickly drove away. Wild Thing drove at the front of Vader, and managed to stop the disc. However, as it did so, its own spinning blade became caught in the front of Vader, until UFO pushed against it. As Wild Thing drove away, Vader got its disc back up to speed, and UFO drove past it and hit the pit release button, but its blade became caught underneath. Wild Thing charged at the back of Vader with its disc spinning, but only managed a tiny bit of superficial damage, with Vader turning away on impact. Vader hit the side of UFO with its disc, flicking it up, but failed to free it.

"In comes Vader, it's beginning now to hot up a little bit!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Vader vs Wild Thing

Vader and Wild Thing duel near the Flame Pit

Wild Thing drove into the side of Vader, pushing it and the Pit release button. Vader landed another hit on the side of UFO, but Wild Thing drove around Vader and pushed it against UFO, causing the disc to stop. Whilst The Stag was being counted out, Wild Thing attacked the side of Vader with its spinning disc, which became caught in the side armour. UFO managed to get free of the Pit release button, and together with Wild Thing, they pushed Vader towards the Flame Pit, but as they got close, UFO pushed Wild Thing against an angle grinder. UFO got behind Wild Thing, but as it tried to use its jaw on the back of Wild Thing, Vader moved forwards a little, dragging Wild Thing with it. UFO drove around Vader and tried to get under the side with its jaw, but couldn't as Vader's ground clearance was too low. UFO turned away as Vader and Wild Thing struggled against each other, trying to get free of one another. Vader forced Wild Thing onto the Flame Pit, but turned onto the flames as well as it could not get free, whilst UFO pushed against Wild Thing, then against Vader. Vader's disc stopped spinning.

"Has Vader's disc stopped spinning? It has! Now what has happened here to the weaponry of Vader? It has stopped spinning. It is 20kg in weight, but that doesn't mean one jot if it's not spinning at all!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Wild Thing vs Vader R1

Vader's disc stops spinning in the closing seconds

Refbot drove over, pushing against Wild Thing to try and separate it from Vader. This failed, but did push the two competitors off the Flame Pit. Vader pushed Wild Thing against an angle grinder in the last few seconds while UFO drove away and pitted The Stag, which had limped down the arena after being counted out. Wild Thing and Vader could not get free of each other before time ran out and cease was called. The battle went to the Judges, who decided to eliminate UFO, putting Vader and Wild Thing through.

"The Judges have made their decision. And this was not easy. Very close. But the judges have gone for Vader and Wild Thing!"
— Craig Charles announces the two robots who go through to the next round

Simon Latham has since confirmed that the disc was in fact still functioning at the end of the fight, and was powered down to conserve battery when required, as with the disc motor turned on constantly the run time of the machine was estimated to be very close to the 5-minute time limit and they didn't want it running flat during a bout.

Vader advanced to the second round, where it faced the experienced Aggrobot 3, seen by the team as an easier draw than the alternative opponent, which could have been 259.

Philippa Forrester: "But Aggrobot, not worried?"
Paul Rose: "Well it's much less worrying than the other one we could have gone up against."
— Pre-Aggrobot battle, Team Vader was much relieved at not having to fight 259 in Round 2
Vader vs Aggrobot

One hit from Vader immobilises Aggrobot 3

Vader quickly got its disc up to speed, and approached Aggrobot 3. As it got close, Aggrobot 3 drove past it, and as Vader turned and drove after it, Aggrobot 3 turned and drove past again, narrowly missing the disc. However, Aggrobot 3 nearly drove into the top arena wall, and as it reversed, it drove straight into Vader's disc, which flipped it up on one side, and when it fell back to the ground, Aggrobot 3 was immobile.

"And has that slam, bam, no thank you mam, hurt Aggrobot 3?"
— Jonathan Pearce

Vader reversed, then drove at the side of Aggrobot 3, flipping it up a little with the disc. Vader hit the side of Aggrobot 3 again, pushing it to the edge of Dead Metal's CPZ. Dead Metal drove at Aggrobot 3 and tried to cut into it with his saw, but couldn't reach because of the low profile of Aggrobot 3's wedge. Vader hit the rear pincer of Aggrobot 3 with its disc, but instead of damaging it, merely pushed it around on its motor.

"And here, Aggrobot 3 are out of Robot Wars: The Sixth Wars! That is a surprise! Vader look good for me, Aggrobot 3, hammered early on in this battle!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Aggrobot 3 is counted out

Refbot began to count Aggrobot 3 out, and when he finished, Dead Metal pushed Aggrobot 3 onto the Floor Flipper. After it was thrown, Dead Metal pushed Aggrobot 3 into the Pit. As a result of this quick victory, Vader qualified for the Heat Final.

Craig Charles: "That was fairly easy, wasn't it? Walk in the park!"
Paul Rose: "Wasn't bad at all! I would say it was a very carefully aimed blow, but I think I'd be lying if I said that!"
Craig Charles: "What was your tactic when you came into the fight, what did you think you were going to try and do? You must have thought it was going to be harder than that!"
Paul Rose: "Well, the biggest weakness we have is against flippers, because our machine isn't particularly low at the front, so we wanted to try and avoid their, the front of their machine. So we wanted to try and go then on the side, and just try and hit something vulnerable, which we obviously done!"
— Post-battle interview

In the Heat Final, Vader fought Wild Thing for a second time, after the ninth seed had eliminated 259, the team's biggest fear in the heat.

Phillip Calthorpe: "I just hope we don't have the same thing we had in the first round, where we ended up hooked together for most of the fight, we were just dragging each other around."
Philippa Forrester: "Have you worked out a way to avoid that?"
Phillip Calthorpe: "Um... well the only thing we can really do is try and go for the more structural parts, rather than going for the centre of the bodywork"
— Pre-battle interview
Wild Thing vs Vader

Vader attacks Wild Thing

Wild Thing had the quicker start, charging at Vader as it was getting its disc up to speed. Vader dodged out of the way as Wild Thing charged at it, and the two robots turned to face each other. Vader drove at Wild Thing, hitting the front with the disc, but only flipped it up a little. Wild Thing drove around to Vader's side, and Vader drove away. Wild Thing chased after Vader as it drove across the arena, and Vader turned around, hitting Wild Thing as it charged at it. Wild Thing was flipped up a little, but not damaged, and tried driving at the front of Vader whilst avoiding the disc, but hit the disc. Wild Thing turned away, and Vader drove at Wild Thing, but turned too early and missed its charge. Vader turned and managed to hit the front of Wild Thing, with the blade puncturing the armour, but it became caught in Wild Thing's armour, much like how Wild Thing's disc had become caught in Vader's armour in Round 1. Shunt rushed over to the CPZ, hitting Vader with his axe, but failed to puncture, and Wild Thing pushed Vader out of the CPZ. Vader managed to push back at Wild Thing a little, then reversed, pulling Wild Thing with it, but could not free itself from Wild Thing's armour. Refbot drove between the two competitors, and Sir Killalot came out of his CPZ, and together they separated the two competitors, with Sir Killalot using his claw to push Wild Thing free, helped by Refbot pushing on the other side. Vader reversed up the arena, and Wild Thing charged at it, hitting the side with its spinning disc, but Vader turned away.

"A real push-and-shove match developing."
— Jonathan Pearce
Wild Thing stuck

Wild Thing's blade stuck in Vader's armour

Wild Thing drove at it, but Vader turned around, hitting Wild Thing with the disc again. Wild Thing kept driving at Vader, which reversed towards the Flame Pit, then drove past it. However, as Wild Thing drove at it, Vader turned onto the Flame Pit itself as well. The two robots hit each other with their spinning weapons, and Vader reversed off the Flame Pit. Wild Thing appeared to stop on the flames, but eventually managed to turn off the Flame Pit. Wild Thing drove around the Flame Pit back at Vader, which appeared to have stopped. Wild Thing pushed against its side, but its disc failed to do any damage, and it rode up the slanting sides. As Wild Thing reversed for another attack, Vader reversed a little, and tried to get its disc back up to speed, but Wild Thing drove into the disc before it could get up to speed.

"Is Vader moving here? I think Vader is in trouble! Wild Thing glances, the weaponry is still moving, but there is no forward momentum for Vader - or is there?"
— Jonathan Pearce as Vader appears to stop
ShuntStopsVaderDisc

Shunt stops Vader's spinning disc with his axe

Vader drove away, but Wild Thing chased after it, hitting the side with the disc, but the disc became stuck in the armour, just as it had in Round 1. Vader reversed, but could not get free, and Wild Thing slowly pushed Vader to Shunt's CPZ. Wild Thing pushed Vader into Shunt, who fired the axe, which hit the side and merely slid off. Shunt reversed and tried again, this time hitting Vader right behind the disc, managing to stop it.

"Down comes the axe of Shunt, and that has wedged the Vader weapon! A decisive blow for the House Robot! It just stopped them absolutely dead in their tracks!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Shunt's axe stops Vader's disc
Wild Thing vs Vader HF

Vader and Wild Thing fail to separate

Shunt then lifted Vader with his scoop and pushed it out of his CPZ, but Wild Thing's disc was still stuck in the side, and it pushed Vader up the arena a little. Refbot came over to try and separate them, and as it pushed against Wild Thing, Vader struck his side with its disc. Sir Killalot came out of his CPZ, lifting Wild Thing with his claw, but this did not separate it either. The two competitors spun around together, then Wild Thing pushed Vader up the arena. Shunt chased after them, but Wild Thing kept pushing Vader, pushing it around to one of the top CPZs, where Shunt axed Vader. Shunt then lifted Vader with his scoop and pushed it out of his CPZ, forcing Wild Thing back with it, and as he dropped Vader, this freed Wild Thing from the side. Vader reversed as Wild Thing drove away, and the two competitors charged at each other, but Vader's disc merely stopped on impact. Wild Thing drove at Vader's front and tried to push, but Vader turned away. Vader kept reversing as Wild Thing chased after it. Vader reversed down the arena, and Wild Thing drove at it, but Vader reversed to dodge it. Wild Thing caught up with Vader, but drove into the side, merely riding up the slanted side. Vader hit the Pit release button, and Wild Thing pinned it there, trying to use its disc on the front, but causing no damage. In the last few seconds, Vader pushed back at Wild Thing, so Wild Thing turned away. Vader tried reversing across the arena, but Wild Thing drove after it, so Vader swerved around Wild Thing, dodging the disc and pushing against the side. The two turned around together as time ran out.

"We wanted destructability, boo-hoo they stuck like glue! But it was a tactical battle."
— Jonathan Pearce reviewing the highlights

The battle went to the Judges, who unanimously put Wild Thing in the series Semi-Finals.

Craig Charles: "Guys, they're the ninth seeds, so no disgrace there!"
Paul Rose: "They've never ever been stopped either!"
Craig Charles: "No, they go on and on and on, they do! But you came close to defeating them, I thought! You just kept getting stuck together all the time though, why was that?"
Paul Rose: "I think it's their disc just basically gets stuck in our side armour, and once that happens, we haven't got enough traction to try and sort of wrestle ourselves loose! It was a nice waltz though, wasn't it?"
Craig Charles: "It was an elegant dance actually, wasn't it?"
— Post-battle interview

Extreme 2[]

"The Dark Lord cometh..."
— Jonathan Pearce's formidable introduction

Vader joined the ranks of aspiring roboteers hoping to challenge Tornado for the Challenge belt. Vader met Terrorhurtz, Iron-Awe 2 and Barber-ous 2 in Round 1.

Philippa Forrester: "Tactics please."
Paul Rose: "Hit and hope!"
Philippa Forrester: "I don't believe it, who are you going to go for first?"
Paul Rose: "We're gonna try and go for Terrorhurtz - go for glory, go for the best machine!"
— Pre-battle interview
Terrorhurtz vs Vader

Vader takes early damage from Terrorhurtz

As the battle started, Terrorhurtz rapidly charged at Vader, and as Vader turned to drive at Iron-Awe 2, Terrorhurtz got side-on at Vader and hit it with the axe. Vader turned and reversed away, causing Terrorhurtz to miss its next axe blow. Vader drove at the front of Terrorhurtz, but the disc merely bounced off on impact.

"If you have to ask me, this is the stronger Heat, because it's got Terrorhurtz out there, with that mighty axe, and it's got Vader. I like the look of Vader!"
— Jonathan Pearce in the early moments of the battle
Ex2ChallengeBeltRound1.2

Vader tries to attack Iron-Awe 2 but largely slows to a crawl

Terrorhurtz landed an axe blow on the top of Vader and pushed it, but Iron-Awe 2 got behind Terrorhurtz and flipped it up, allowing Vader to reverse away. Barber-ous 2 drove at Vader, but Iron-Awe 2 drove at it, so Barber-ous 2 attacked Iron-Awe 2 instead. Vader drove into Iron-Awe 2's side as it did so, allowing Barber-ous 2 to flip Iron-Awe 2 over with the drum. Vader reversed to the top of the arena and got its disc up to speed, then drove towards the back of Iron-Awe 2 as it self-righted. However, as it did so, it drove into Shunt's CPZ, and Barber-ous 2 pushed Iron-Awe 2 into its disc, causing it to stop. Terrorhurtz also rushed over to trap Vader in the CPZ, and Shunt and Terrorhurtz both landed axe blows on the back of Vader.

"Vader away from danger, and out comes Shunt, in goes the axe of Terrorhurtz!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Vader out

Vader sits outside the arena after Matilda's attack

Shunt and Terrorhurtz continued to axe Vader, and Shunt pushed it against Iron-Awe 2, pinning Iron-Awe 2 under an angle grinder as he did so. After some more axe blows on Vader from Shunt and Terrorhurtz, Iron-Awe 2 managed to get away from the angle grinder, but Vader had broken down. The disc was also not spinning, as Shunt's axe had hit a blow directly inside the void beside the spinning disc of Vader, causing Vader's cutting blade to bend and impale itself into the framework of itself. Shunt pushed it into his CPZ, and Refbot came over to count it out. Once Refbot had finished counting it out, Matilda came over to the CPZ and reversed into Vader with her flywheel spinning, tossing Vader clean out of the arena. Vader was eliminated as a result, and Barber-ous 2 would later be eliminated as well on a Judges' decision.

"One of the most spectacular things I've ever seen on Robot Wars actually! Somebody getting butt-ed out of the arena by Matilda!"
— Philippa Forrester to Team Vader after the battle

Series 7[]

The first battle of the Seventh Wars saw Vader battle with veterans Tiberius 3 and Shell Shock, a robot built by the same team who fought in Series 4 with Fat Boy Tin. Along with newcomer M2.

Simon Latham: "The competition we've got nowadays, at the moment in our next Heat, I think we've got a good chance!"
Jayne Middlemiss: "You've got a good chance? Are they not very good?"
Simon Latham: "Well, I won't say much, but..."
Jayne Middlemiss: "Are they rubbish? Are they rubbish? You're gonna trash 'em, aren't you?"
Simon Latham: "We just looked at the one over the other side [Shell Shock], and their bodyshell is only 8 fibreglass, so I think we've got a good chance, yeah."
Jayne Middlemiss: "You're gonna have them aren't you. Fibreglass? Ha! We laugh in the face of fibreglass around here!"
— Pre-battle interview with Jayne Middlemiss
M2 vs Vader

Vader is thrown into the air by M2

At the start, Tiberius 3 drove at Shell Shock, whilst M2 rushed in at Vader, getting the flipper underneath the front and flipping it up, but Vader landed on its wheels, hitting Shell Shock as it fell down. Vader reversed and got its disc up to speed, and M2 drove around Vader, briefly driving too close and being given a glancing blow by the disc. M2 drove behind Vader, but Vader drove at Shell Shock, making a large cut the side. Shell Shock drove away from Vader, pushing Tiberius 3, and M2 charged under the back of Vader and flipped it, but Vader bounced onto its wheels.

"Up once again goes Vader! Little bit lightweight perhaps. Trying to get the spinning disc into play"
— Jonathan Pearce as M2 flips Vader
Tiberius vs Shell Shock

Vader lays immobile whilst Shell Shock is flipped over

M2 tried to get in under Vader again as it landed, but Vader drove away before it could get close enough, causing M2 to miss with its flip. Vader turned around and drove at M2, but M2 was fast enough to drive past it. M2 and Vader turned around, and as M2 drove at Vader, Tiberius 3 got at Vader's side. Before it could close the crusher, M2 got under the front of Vader, but as Vader was flipped up, it hit the end of Tiberius 3's crusher and fell back on its wheels, landing on the flame jet.

"This already an intriguing Robot Wars tactical battle between flippers and spinners and crushing beaks."
— Jonathan Pearce
Vader OotA

Vader is flipped out of the arena by M2

Vader drove at M2, but when it hit M2, it suddenly stopped, its remote control receiver having become unresponsive. M2 pushed past it and flipped Shell Shock onto its side. M2 then went back after Vader, pushing it against the arena wall and trying to flip it, but failed as it didn't get the flipper under the side properly. M2 then turned its attentions back to Shell Shock, flipping it to the arena side wall, then flipping it out. M2 then reversed, lined up to get under Vader, then drove underneath and flipped it out of the arena as well.

"And that's Shell Shock gone! The first machine in Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars out of the arena, and shell shocked, and they've gone too, Vader! And the flipper rules supreme of M2."
— Jonathan Pearce as M2 throws two robots out in quick succession

Not shown during the episode was that after landing in the camera run, the relay controlling Vader's weapon motor became jammed on and had to be disabled by the removal of the safety link from the machine. After the match it was discovered that the receiver batteries had flown loose of their housing during one of the flips.

"I upgraded the weapon motor to a 1.2kw one and used parallel truck relays for series 7 and that was where the problems started (when one of the weapon relays welded closed whilst in the arena at series 7 filming after being flipped onto the camera run, resulting in the link having to be pulled whilst the vertical disc was running full tilt!)"
— Simon Latham on Facebook[11]

Results[]

VADER - RESULTS
Series 6
The Sixth Wars - UK Championship
Heat Final
Heat E, Round 1 vs. The Stag, UFO, Wild Thing (9) Qualified
Heat E, Round 2 vs. Aggrobot 3 Won
Heat E, Final vs. Wild Thing (9) Lost
Extreme Series 2
Challenge Belt
Round 1
Round 1 vs. Barber-ous 2, Iron-Awe 2, Terrorhurtz Eliminated
Series 7
The Seventh Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat A, Round 1 vs. M2, Shell Shock, Tiberius 3 Eliminated

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 2
  • Losses: 3

Series Record[]

Main Series Vader 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 Failed to qualify
The Sixth Wars Heat Final
The Seventh Wars Heat, Round 1
Entered with IG-88
Series 8 Did not enter
Series 9 Did not enter
Series 10 Did not enter
Robot Wars Extreme Appearances
Series 1 Did not enter
Series 2 Challenge Belt, Round 1

Gallery[]

Outside Robot Wars[]

Vadernodisc

Vader with its disc replaced with a scoop at the 2002 Debenham Robot Rumble

Vader with scoop

Vader in the pits at the 2002 Newark Kit Car Show

Vader made appearances at live events but rarely utilised its disc, instead being armed with a static curved scoop. It fought at the 2002 Debenham Robot Rumble, defeating Mulsanne Monster and surprisingly Behemoth, but was defeated in the final by Bigger Brother in a melee also involving Dantomkia during the first day. On the second day of the event, Vader notched up victories over Lambsy, Knuckles, Velocirippa and The Grim Reaper, but suffered a loss to Wolverine.[12]

Vader and IG-88 parts July 2024

Vader's discs and scoops, along with the blade of IG-88.

Vader also appeared at the Newark Kit Car Show event in 2002, again using the curved scoop. There it fought in two melees, one against 13 Black and Lambsy and the other against Tornado and Wolverine.[13]

Vader was present for the 2002 Manningtree Car Show, a small event which included static displays and demonstrations with Vader being one of only three robots in attendance alongside Chaos 2 and The Steel Avenger. This time Vader wielded its flywheel weapon.[14]

In July 2024, Paul Rose confirmed that Vader is still in his possession, albeit in a disassembled state, and still possessing all of its components. In the process, Paul also announced his intentions to return to robot combat.[15]

Trivia[]

  • All of Vader's losses involved a former or future Semi-Finalist.
  • Vader's disc was originally intended to have four blades; two sharp and two blunt, but this idea was later scrapped due to a design flaw in the disc.[16]
  • In Series 7, Vader and IG-88 were both thrown out of the arena by a robot who lost in the first round of the semi-finals and the winner of that battle lost to the robots who would finish first and third respectively.
  • Both Vader and IG-88 made it to the heat final and lost to a robot who fought Razer in Series 6.
  • Shunt was present in all battles Vader lost.
  • Vader is one of four machines Thrown Out of the Arena by both a competitor and a house robot (M2 and Matilda respectively). It shares this with Stinger, Napalm and King Buxton.
  • Vader's loss to Wild Thing in series 6 was the only time it and the team didn't lose by ko or by getting flipped out of the arena.

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