- "Driven by Will Tatman, he's got a mean lifting arm, not Will, the robot!"
- — Stefan Frank
Vert-I-Go was a loanerbot which competed in Nickelodeon Robot Wars, under loan to Team In-Theory. It entered the Ultimate Mayhem competition, winning its qualifier before losing in the final to Propeller-Head. It was named after the medical condition experienced at high heights, which was also the name of an Alfred Hitchcock film.
The robot had previously entered Season 1 of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors with Team Bot-Head, using its previous identity, The Green House.
Design
- "I want to get as much stroke as possible out of the pneumatics. This thing, this'll lift up pretty high, it'll reach some of the taller robots in the competition, and two wheels, so it's gonna turn around pretty fast."
- — Will Tatman
Vert-I-Go in the arena
Vert-I-Go was a somewhat dome-shaped robot armed in transparent polycarbonate. It was driven by two wheels, and two front castors, powered by 24V electric motors. Its weapon was a pneumatically powered lifting arm, with relatively quick actuation, like that of a flipper. However, Vert-I-Go could not self-right, it had a high ground clearance, and its armor was thin. Vert-I-Go's removable link was clearly visible next to its lifting arm.
Vert-I-Go differed from The Green House mostly in weight. The Green House weighed only 180lbs, whereas Vert-I-Go weighed 213lbs. Vert-I-Go had a shorter length, but was both taller and wider.
Robot History
Nickelodeon
Vert-I-Go and Team In-Theory competed in a Mayhem battle against Joker and Techno Trousers.
Vert-I-Go removes Joker's link
Vert-I-Go lifts Techno Trousers up
Vert-I-Go quickly approached Joker, and flipped it forwards, and then pressured it by fearlessly driving into Joker's spinner. Will Tatman noticed that Techno Trousers was motionless on the floor flipper, so Vert-I-Go rammed its side, and lifted it up, but the weight imbalance caused Vert-I-Go to fall forwards. Joker hit the side of Vert-I-Go, but caused little damage. Vert-I-Go used its back end to push Joker into Dead Metal, and then flipped Techno Trousers over while Shunt joined the attack on Joker, leaving it weaponless. Vert-I-Go continued to attack Techno Trousers, which was showing signs of life after being inverted, but pushed it back, and then Vert-I-Go drew near to the pit release button. With a precise attack, Vert-I-Go then fired its lifter behind Joker, and hooked into the removable link, directly removing it to immobilize Joker. Vert-I-Go flipped Techno Trousers onto a steam vent, and crashed into Refbot while it was counting out Joker. Vert-I-Go lifted the front of Techno Trousers several times near the arena wall. Towards the end of the battle, Vert-I-Go pushed Techno Trousers into the attack of Shunt, which fully immobilized Techno Trousers with an axe blow, causing it to leak fluid. This knockout was too late to give Vert-I-Go the win immediately, but the Judges unanimously declared that it had won the battle, allowing Vert-I-Go to qualify for the Ultimate Mayhem.
- Dave Aizer: "Vert-I-Go, you're moving on, you're going to advance to play in the finals round, how do you feel right now?"
- Will Tatman: "A little bit scared, because Propeller-Head's in the final round! But if I can flip them, it's over."
- — Discussion of Vert-I-Go's chances in the Ultimate Mayhem
In the Ultimate Mayhem, Will Tatman faced the spinner he had already feared, Propeller-Head, alongside the final qualifier and fellow spinner, The Revolutionist.
The battered Vert-I-Go is rendered immobile
Vert-I-Go and The Revolutionist are pitted
This fear was demonstrated as Vert-I-Go held off completely while Propeller-Head and The Revolutionist fought each other. This did not last long, for The Revolutionist broke down upon impact with Refbot, and Vert-I-Go was forced to go on the offensive against Propeller-Head. It was deflected by a hit from the spinner, and Propeller-Head's next attack visibly buckled the side of Vert-I-Go, and then cut through the green LED's of Vert-I-Go. Another attack caused further damage to Vert-I-Go, which attempted to mount its own offence with a frontal slam, but upon contact with Propeller-Head's spinner, Vert-I-Go was sent away in recoil, and the robot was finally immobilized. Propeller-Head celebrated by smashing away the back panel of Vert-I-Go, and struck the now-exposed wheel of the beaten machine. Refbot counted Vert-I-Go out of the battle, leaving it in second place, as it was flipped over. Sir Killalot grabbed Vert-I-Go by the lifter, and while Sgt. Bash pitted The Revolutionist, Sir Killalot dropped Vert-I-Go into the pit at the same time.
- Dave Aizer: "Vert-I-Go, you have that great device to get underneath the robots and flip them up, and I'm sure that was part of the game plan, but it didn't work out. Why weren't you able to do that to Propeller-Head?"
- Will Tatman: "Just timing. It was a matter of - it's hard to get a good view through the glare - but it was timing."
- — Will Tatman on why Vert-I-Go could not win the Ultimate Mayhem
Results
| VERT-I-GO - RESULTS | ||
| Nickelodeon | ||
| Mayhem Final | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Joker, Techno Trousers | Won |
| Ultimate Mayhem | vs. Propeller-Head, The Revolutionist | Lost |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| US Series | Vert-I-Go Series Record |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | Did not enter |
| Season 2 | Did not enter |
| Nickelodeon | Ultimate Mayhem Entered with Hannibal |
NOTE: Vert-I-Go also competed in Season 1 under a different identity, The Green House.
Trivia
- Vert-I-Go's flipper blade was later reused on the loanerbot Hard, along with Tut Tut's axe.
- Although Bill Tatman was listed on Vert-I-Go's statistics board, only Will Tatman appeared in Vert-I-Go's televised appearances. Jerome Miles of Team Duct Tape joined Will for the Ultimate Mayhem battle.
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