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Vicious-1 (also formatted as Vicious 1) was a middleweight robot which competed in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. In its only competitive appearance, it was initially defeated by Pokey in the first round of the Middleweight Face-Off, but recovered with an undefeated run through the subsequent Loser's Bracket. When Alexander withdrew from the overall final due to pre-existing damage, Vicious-1 was declared the Middleweight Face-Off champion. Vicious-1 also reached the final of the concurrent Middleweight Melee event, but lost out to Turtle Roadkiller on an audience vote.[3]

Following Vicious-1's campaign, Mike Regan and Team Vicious would compete in both seasons of the televised Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors with The Brute, alongside the loanerbot Silver Box in the Season 1 Robot Rebellion.

Design[]

Vicisous 1 arena

Vicious-1 in the arena

V1sktch

Vicious-1 design sketch

Vicious-1 was a compact, box wedge-shaped robot with two outer wheels, a rear castor and 10-inch diameter tires, each made from 'solid micro-celluar urethane foam'. Its drive system employed two gear head motors with integrated speed reduction, offering high torque, with two 12V gel cell batteries providing power. A predominantly steel construction comprised of 3/4-inch thick square tubing for the chassis, along with stainless steel panels. A 1/4-inch aluminum panel was attached to the base for test fittings of the robot's internals.[3]

Alongside its wedge shape, Vicious-1 featured an array of rear spinning weapons to damage rival competitors. The largest of these was a double-ended "Spiked Hammer Arm" mounted on the top at a near-horizontal angle. Predating the modern bar spinner, the "Hammer Arm" was operated by a modified Makita drill motor, an RC car speed controller and a separate 9.6V NiCad battery pack. On occasions, the "Hammer Arm" could be exchanged for a second near-horizontal spinner, taking the form of a metal cable with steel blades attached to each end.[3] Accounts from Team Spike suggest that the flail-like weapon incorporated a 'spring-dampened' assembly.[4]

Beneath the larger spinner was a pair of vertical "milling saws", themselves modified from commercially-available angle grinders. These were also powered by their own battery packs, each suggested to be a 7.2V NiCad type.[3] Sets of large spikes were also fitted to each side, offering additional defense for the main chassis and wheels.

Robot History[]

1997 US Championship[]

Vicious-1 began its 1997 run in the Middleweight Face-Off championship, facing the returning Pokey in the first round. The start of this battle was delayed owing to issues encountered by Curt Meyers' machine. While both robots were being prepared in the arena, Vicious-1 inadvertently caused damage to Pokey, which drove into its 'spinning pipe' weapon as soon as it powered up.[5]

"This was my first match, ever! I was very excited and feeling good about this match, because I knew Pokey's only weapon was it's vertical lifter. I knew the lifter would not be able to turn my robot over and thus figured I could probably win the match..."
— Mike Regan[3]

In the opening seconds, Vicious-1 collided head-on with Pokey, the exchange briefly halting its spinner. A few missed lifts by its opponent allowed it to push Pokey backwards and scoop it up with its wedge shape. Following a tentative chase, Vicious-1 was pushed from the back towards the wall. With Pokey obscuring Mike Regan's view of the arena ahead, this had the effect of causing Vicious-1 to be driven onto a 'curb' surrounding the nearby spike trap.[3][5][6]

Vicious-1 struggled to free itself, but landed more blows with its 'spinning pipe' as Pokey kept ramming it. The rams, however, were sufficient to damage one of its milling saws, which embedded itself into the arena floor. This caused Vicious-1 to get beached, preventing it from driving as it repeatedly attempted to strike the approaching Pokey. Over two minutes passed before a request was made for Vicious-1 to show mobility. Vicious-1 twitched, but did not power its hammer arm up any further; it was ultimately deemed to have lost by knockout.[3][5][6]

"I count this match as a learning experience... I had never actually been in a Robot Wars battle or even fought another robot, for that matter! I learned many things from this first match! Luckily, this was a double elimination event and Vicious-1 would get a chance the next day, to fight it's way back to the finals!"
— Mike Regan[3]

The following day, Vicious-1 continued its Face-Off campaign in the Loser's Bracket, firstly being drawn against Satan's Revenge. Unfazed by his opponent's invertible design and weaponry, Mike Regan set out to disable its chainsaw and damage its steel armor.

"I went into this match knowing that this robot could do no real damage to Vicious-1. All I was thinking was if I could get one good strong hit on the chain saw arm, I would probably stall out the weapon and then move in to try and damage the box! Well, this match went better than I could have imagined."
— Mike Regan, on Vicious-1's fight against Satan's Revenge[3]

Both robots tentatively approached each other, with Vicious-1 striking the front of Satan's Revenge a few times. Though its ground clearance was then breached from the left-hand side, it was relatively unaffected as Satan's Revenge tipped forwards during this exchange. Vicious-1 took advantage by briefly pushing Ken Swenson's machine back with its wedge shape. During this time, it fulfilled Mike Regan's strategy, bending and tearing the outer chain off Satan's Revenge's weapon. In doing so, it immobilized Satan's Revenge completely, by loosening a wire connected to its radio receiver. Vicious-1 pushed Satan's Revenge backwards a short distance, moments before it was confirmed to be the winner by knockout.[7][8]

Vicious-1 next faced Peaches, another invertible machine. For this battle, the spiked hammers were exchanged for the lighter steel blade assembly, as Mike Regan deduced that it would have been difficult to damage its opponent's 'solidly built' bodyshell. As an attempt to counter Vicious-1's wedge shape, Peaches' own spikes had been removed to prevent it from getting stranded on the walls.[3][4]

"This one surely was a strange match to fight... I knew going in that Peaches had a solidly built frame and shell. So, it would be difficult; if not impossible for me to cause any exterior damage. I changed Vicious-1's hammer arm out for one that was two chunks of steel on a piece of stiff cable. I figured I should save the points on the arm for an opponent with weaker armor!"
— Mike Regan[3]
Vicious-1 pushes Peaches

Vicious-1 pushes Peaches around; note the alternate spinning cable weapon

During an early head-to-head exchange, Peaches drove up Vicious-1's wedge shape. Vicious-1 began pushing Peaches back, while striking the the underside of Bill Nicoloff's machine with its blades. While the blades could not damage Peaches, Vicious-1 kept controlling it as the former kept driving up its wedge, then unsuccessfully attempted to puncture its right tire. A series of slow chases and pushing matches ensued, often resulting in Vicious-1 allowing Peaches to drive on top of it a few more times, or pushing Peaches using its rear weaponry.[4][9]

Following another separation, Peaches scrambled to the upper-right wall. Another nudge prompted Vicious-1 to again steer Peaches back, towards the spike trap, as the latter began slowing down noticeably across the arena. Vicious-1, however, was steered directly under the trap, which briefly struck down behind its right wheel. Escaping, it proceeded to push a smoking Peaches into and against the wall multiple times, as the latter suffered a drive malfunction. This additional pressure caused Peaches to become fully immobilized just before the end bell rang. The subsequent Judges' decision ruled Vicious-1 the winner, though accounts such as the Team Vicious website suggest that it again won by knockout.[3][4][9]

For its next battle, against The Bishop, Vicious-1 swapped back to its regular hammer weapon.

Thebishop vs vicious1

Sparks fly as Vicious-1 takes a swipe from The Bishop

Smoke erupted from the faster-starting Bishop as both robots approached each other in the opening seconds. Vicious-1 powered up its weapon as it nudged Stephen Gaudio's machine from the side, then escaped an attempt by The Bishop to attack with its front saw. Again, it started pushing The Bishop across the arena, while attempting to strike the latter's right-rear corner with the flailing hammers. One impact caused Vicious-1's hammers to stop spinning altogether, forcing it to start getting underneath and controlling The Bishop around again.[10][11]

More shoves and nudges ensued, with neither robot being able to aim their spinning weapons. While Vicious-1 kept pushing The Bishop, The Bishop attacked its stainless steel body a few times in response. Sparks flew during a number of head-to-head exchanges, where The Bishop's saw grazed Vicious-1's front wedge.[10][11]

"I realized that all the sparks given off by Bishops cut off saw on the stainless steel armor, might make the judges believe I was taking damage! I knew the only way to win the match was to disable the his weapon."
— Mike Regan, on his counter-response to The Bishop's sawblade attacks[3]

In retaliation, Vicious-1 hit The Bishop with its hammers multiple times, while still pushing it across the arena and into an arena flipper. One blow to The Bishop's weapon assembly caused the transmission for its opponent's saw to jam, and its engine to stall. Vicious-1, having successfully fulfilled Mike Regan's counter-strategy, kept pushing The Bishop around until the end bell rang. It would emerge as the winner on a Judges' decision.[10][11]

"This was one of my favorite matches, and my hat is off to the builders of the Bishop. You guys built one tough robot, good job!"
— Mike Regan[3]

With a place in the overall Face-Off Final at stake, Vicious-1 next fought Satoru Special IV, the latest incarnation of James Straus' long-competing middleweight.

"I went into this match thinking that I had it in the bag. This was a big wooden robot that was having weapon and steering control trouble. I figured I'd go in, knock some chunks off it and that would be it."
— Mike Regan, on his initial thoughts about fighting Satoru Special IV[3]

Initially, it scooped under its faster-starting opponent, pushing Satoru Special IV into the upper-left wall. While pinning it in place, Vicious-1's hammers and right wheel were caught by Satoru Special IV's pickaxe, though this had no effect on Vicious-1 as it pushed the latter into the flipper paddle. There, it began chipping off part of Satoru Special IV's wooden armor, before pushing it across the inner-left perimeter with its wedge shape following an initial escape attempt.[12][13]

A few seconds later, Vicious-1 switched back to attacking with the hammers, smashing into Satoru Special IV's shell a few times. One attack tore open Satoru Special IV's axe mechanism, the motor for which was 'smashed' and left dangling from its opponent. Vicious-1 bumped, then continued to pressure and dig into Satoru Special IV's wooden sides. These attacks, however, caused a weld within the hammer arm to break. One half of the weapon folded in on itself, severely compromising the balance and effectiveness of Vicious-1's main weapon.[3][12][13]

Vicious-1 attempted to attack with the milling saws, but these had little effect on Satoru Special IV. In the closing seconds, it landed one last blow on Satoru Special IV, with both competitors bumping each other a few more times as they survived to a Judges' decision. Based on the damage it inflicted, along with a more aggressive performance, Vicious-1 won the decision and its place in the overall Middleweight Face-Off final.[3][12][13]

For the 1997 title, Vicious-1 was intended to duel with Alexander, the successor to 1996 Middleweight champion Agamemnon. Upon being advised by safety personnel about the broken spinner weld, Mike Regan called on the assistance of Team Delta's Dan Danknick to weld and 'reinforce' the spare arm in the pits.[3]

"I told him that I was scheduled to fight either his robot The Alexander or Pokey as my next match, to which his reply was something like... "Cool! I knew it would come down to just us." After welding the part for my robot, Dan went in and fought Pokey... Dan went in and beat Pokey!!! It was just his robot against mine! This would be the final match to determine the middleweight champion! Now was the moment of truth... Unfortunately, a moment that would never happen..."
— Mike Regan, on the events leading to the 1997 Middleweight Face-Off Final[3]

However, while fighting Pokey in its penultimate match, Alexander suffered major damage to its internal systems, including a blown drive motor. While Mike Regan supported Dan Danknick and Team Delta's request to have extra time to fix their machine, the request was ultimately turned down by the Judges. An attempt to defer the Final to a later part of the day also proved unsuccessful. Consequently, Alexander could not be ready in time to fight, awarding Vicious-1 the 1997 Middleweight Face-Off championship by default. To make up for the lack of a final battle, Vicious-1 performed a short arena demonstration as its title victory was officially confirmed.[14][15]

"So, because twenty minutes could not be spared, Vicious-1 was declared the winner by default. Not exactly the way I wanted to win and I'm sure not the way Dan wanted to be beat. Unfortunately, we will never know who would have won the fight between Vicious-1 and The Alexander..."
— Mike Regan, ruing Alexander's forfeit[3]

Later on, Vicious-1 would get to fight with Alexander in the arena, as both robots were drawn together in the opening stages of the Middleweight Melee tournament. The duo fought Pokey and Stuffie in their preliminary round, with Alexander having previously faced both opponents in the Face-Off.

Vicious1 vs pokey

Vicious-1 drives underneath Pokey during their Middleweight Melee duel

Rekindling its Face-Off grudge, Vicious-1 clashed with Pokey in the opening seconds, moments before the latter was attacked by Alexander's saw. All four robots soon gathered in the center and lower-right pocket. Vicious-1, the furthest away from the wall, drove under and hit the base of Pokey with its spinning hammers. The newly-crowned Face-Off champion gingerly pushed Curt Meyers' machine towards the right-side bumper, meeting Alexander and Stuffie again in the process.[16][17]

While Alexander proceeded to push and remove the toy "Jeep" shell off of Stuffie, Vicious-1 pushed Pokey into Benjamin Chapman's machine, then towards the upper spike trap. After repeatedly pinning Pokey against the spike, it then shoved it into a nearby flipper, before being rammed by the plywood chassis of a now-deshelled Stuffie. Vicious-1 responded by damaging and tearing sections off of Stuffie's framework, including an entire panel at the front. After this, Vicious-1 resumed its pushing attacks on Pokey, pressing it against Alexander until the Team Delta machine drove away.[16][17]

All four robots converged once again opposite the lower-left flipper. Vicious-1 nudged Pokey aside, then scooped under it once more while chasing Alexander back. Pokey was boxed into the left-most wall by both of its remaining opponents, from which Vicious-1 continued pushing it across the arena. Both robots separated, only for Alexander to start ramming them individually, then push aside Stuffie's remains. Vicious-1 pinned Pokey beneath the lower spike trap, with Pokey also getting rammed from the front-left corner by Alexander. However, it was lifted off its wheels by Curt Meyers' entry, while having its back end targeted by Alexander's broken saw arm. Following further rams, Vicious-1 attempted to attack Alexander with its hammers, but with little effect. Alexander followed and drove over the top of Vicious-1's right wheel, leaving it vulnerable to a small lift from Pokey.[16][17]

With Stuffie having become immobilized by this point, all three remaining robots kept bumping into each other during the final ten seconds. Vicious-1 finished the Melee by pressing Pokey against the upper wall. Both, along with Alexander, were eligible to qualify for the Middleweight Melee Final, though Alexander would pull out after suffering further internal damage.[16][17]

In the Final, Vicious-1 and Pokey faced a total of four other machines: Satan's Revenge, Satoru Special IV, The Bishop (now minus its gas-powered saw) and Turtle Roadkiller.

Vicious-1 met Satoru Special IV and The Bishop near the center, setting up an early duel in which it attacked the former's pickaxe and plywood side. Embedding its 'spinning pike' into Satoru Special IV, it 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.[18][19]

Another hit from Vicious-1's hammers proved more crucial, as they ripped off the lower plate for Pokey's lifter. The weapon of Curt Meyers' machine was rendered useless at that point. Vicious-1 survived a few whacks to its left-hand side from The Bishop, only for Turtle Roadkiller to push Satoru Special IV into the duo and Pokey. In response, it eventually began pushing The Bishop back, while Turtle Roadkiller concentrated on attacking Pokey, then began ramming multiple opponents at various moments.[18][19]

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. It would then resume its duels with Satoru Special IV and Pokey, as Turtle Roadkiller wedged itself under the wall 'curb' and required an unstick. Once the separation was carried out, and the battle restarted, Vicious-1 next drove towards The Bishop, which was in turn being pushed back by Pokey. A last-second swerve by Stephen Guadio's entry allowed Vicious-1 to scoop Pokey up instead.[18][19]

Moments later, Vicious-1 became involved in a pile-up alongside The Bishop, Satoru Special IV and Satan's Revenge, inflicting further damage to the latter two machines. After this, it kept hitting The Bishop and Pokey with its hammers, before briefly attacking Turtle Roadkiller as it became wedged under the upper-left wall. Vicious-1 then got around the side of and began pushing Pokey again, disrupting the latter's attacks on The Bishop. Once it became separated, Pokey retaliated with a ram on Vicious-1 with just under a minute remaining, after which Vicious-1 began pushing it and The Bishop again.[18][19]

With just twelve seconds remaining, the Melee Final was stopped again for Turtle Roadkiller to be freed from the wall a second time, to the crowd's delight. Upon the battle restarting, Vicious-1 resumed its controlling pushes on Pokey, until the match finally reached its conclusion. While surviving to an audience vote, and gaining a substantial applause from the crowd, it would lose out on the 1997 Middleweight Melee championship to Turtle Roadkiller. On the Team Vicious website, Mike Regan revealed his disagreement with the decision, citing the moments where Turtle Roadkiller got itself stuck under the wall.[18][19]

"Vicious-1 once again proved it's [sic] toughness in the Melee rounds at Robot Wars 97'. I spent a good portion of the melee dominating Pokey and carrying it to all the hazards in the arena. I even had a brief run in with The Alexander! Vicious-1 was one of the robots left running at the end and proved itself worthy! However, the win of the melee rounds is left up to an audience decision, that went to a 10 year old kid and his uncle, who spent the last half of the match stuck under a hazard! Just goes to show you that the 'kid factor' will win out over a good robot any day!"
— Mike Regan on Vicious-1's Middleweight Melee run[3]

With the 1997 event proving to be the last to take place in the US, this marked the end of Vicious-1's short, yet extremely successful Robot Wars career.

Results[]

VICIOUS-1 - RESULTS
1997 US Championship
Middleweight Face-Off
Champion
Round 1 vs. Pokey Lost
Loser's Bracket, Round 1 vs. Satan's Revenge Won
Loser's Bracket, Round 2 vs. Peaches Won
Loser's Bracket, Round 3 vs. The Bishop Won
Loser's Bracket, Round 4 vs. Satoru Special IV Won
Final vs. Alexander Won via forfeit
NOTE: Alexander forfeited the Face-Off final due to damage which could not be repaired in time.
Middleweight Melee
Final
Melee vs. Alexander, Pokey, Stuffie Qualified
Melee Final vs. Pokey, Satan's Revenge, Satoru Special IV, The Bishop, Turtle Roadkiller Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 6
  • Losses: 2

Series Record[]

1994-1997 US Competitions[]

Events Vicious-1 Event Record
1994 Did not enter
1995 Did not enter
1996 Did not enter
1997 Middleweight Champion (Face-Off)
Middleweight Melee, Final

US Series[]

US Series Vicious-1 Series Record
Season 1 Entered with The Brute
Entered with Silver Box
Season 2 Entered with Brute
Nickelodeon Did not enter

Outside Robot Wars[]

Following Vicious-1's 1997 run, Mike Regan originally worked on the robot further for an assumed entry into the canceled 1998 US competition. By March that year, it was suggested that the updated Vicious-1 was finished with only 'minimal' changes, with Regan also working on a 'secret project' for an unspecified weight class. The latter was later revealed to be the featherweight rammer S.O.B., which would compete in the lightweight class at Bot Bash '98 in early September.[20][21][22]

For more information on other robots built by Mike Regan and Team Vicious, see The Brute.

Trivia[]

  • Of the 1997 Face-Off champions, Vicious-1 was the only one to have lost, then fought through the Loser's Bracket.
  • Due to the 'double elimination' format of the 1997 Face-Offs, Vicious-1 was the only champion from the pre-televised era to have incurred a loss in its championship run.
  • By virtue of its championship victory, Vicious-1 also achieved the highest finishing position out of any 1997 Face-Off competitor to be reinstated through the Loser's Brackets.

Honours[]


References[]

  1. 'MIDDLEWEIGHT INDEX', Team Spike website (archived)
  2. 2.0 2.1 'Contestants: Middleweight Class', 4th Annual Robot Wars (1997) souvenir programme, p.3
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 'VICIOUS-1', Team Vicious website (archived)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 'MATCH: VICIOUS 1 VS PEACHES', Team Spike website (archived)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 'MATCH: POKEY VS VICIOUS 1', Team Spike website (archived)
  6. 6.0 6.1 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: Vicious-1 versus Pokey', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 17 2021
  7. 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: Satan's Revenge versus Vicious-1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 3 2021
  8. 'MATCH: VICIOUS 1 VS SATAN'S REVENGE', Team Spike website (archived)
  9. 9.0 9.1 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: Vicious-1 versus Peaches', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 4 2021
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: Vicious 1 versus The Bishop', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 5 2021
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 'MATCH: VICIOUS 1 VS THE BISHOP', Team Spike website (archived)
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: Vicious-1 versus Saturo Special 4', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 6 2021
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 'MATCH: VICIOUS 1 VS SATORO SPECIAL IV', Team Spike website (archived)
  14. 'MATCH: THE ALEXANDER VS POKEY', Team Spike website (archived)
  15. 'Robot Wars 1997 bonus video: Vicious-1 is awarded Middleweight champion', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 9 2021
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 10 2021
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 'MIDDLEWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 1', Team Spike website (archived)
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 'Robot Wars 1997 Final Middleweight Melee', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 11 2021
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 'MIDDLEWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 3', Team Spike website (archived)
  20. 'Vicious-1 New Stuff', Team Vicious website (archived February 19 1999)
  21. 'S.O.B', Team Vicious website (archived October 8 1999)
  22. 'Bot Bash 98'', Team Vicious website (archived October 8 1999)

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