- "They say the top has the shape of a woman’s back – strange woman! The tail is made of spring steel blades with a harpoon tail point. Inspired by the film, Alien."
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Alien Destructor in Extreme 1
Alien Destructor was a Dutch competitor robot which fought in both series of Dutch Robot Wars as well as the first series of Robot Wars Extreme. It reached the second round in Dutch Series 1, losing to Twisted Metal, but lost in the first round of Dutch Series 2 to Krab-Bot; both as a result of Jury's decisions. In Extreme 1, Alien Destructor fought in a one-off International Mayhem battle against double UK champion Chaos 2 and Belgian machine Philipper, which it also lost on a Judges' decision.
The robot's design in both versions was largely inspired by the Xenomorphs, the antagonistic alien creatures from the Alien film franchise.
Versions of Alien Destructor
Alien Destructor
The original Alien Destructor
Reverse side of the original Alien Destructor's chassis
Alien Destructor was an invertible, box-shaped robot with six-wheel drive and armed with a front pneumatic spike as well as a long steel harpoon tail at the rear. Its two-piece fibreglass shell featured a head and hands resembling an alien female gorgon, along with alternate top and bottom panels resembling a 'woman's back' on one side, and a skeleton on the other. Most of these extra decorations, as well as a large portion of the rear tail, were removed for Alien Destructor's appearance in Robot Wars Extreme, following damage sustained during Dutch Series 1.
The first Alien Destructor was later converted into Das Gepäck, which competed in Dutch Series 2 alongside its successor as well as the UK vs Germany Special.
Alien Destructor 2
Alien Destructor 2 retained a similar design to the original robot, although it was now four-wheel drive and the harpoon tail was discarded. The robot was equipped with a larger pneumatic spike as well as a set of smaller static spikes on either side of its front end, and was painted lime green with a similar female alien design to its predecessor. This version of Alien Destructor proved faster and more nimble than before, but its fragile shell and high ground clearance both contributed towards its early elimination from Dutch Series 2.
Robot History
Dutch Series 1
Alien Destructor is spiked by Scraptosaur
- "She smells blood!"
- — Frank Vaan
The original Alien Destructor made its combat debut in Heat B of Dutch Series 1, and fought Scraptosaur in its first round battle. It drove around Scraptosaur in the opening moments, attempting to punch its spike through the latter's armour. The two robots dodged each other until Alien Destructor hit Scraptosaur at last, although without damaging it at all. Alien Destructor's tail whacked the side wall as it drove into Sir Killalot, who lifted it with his jaws and attempted to turn it over. Sergeant Bash caught Alien Destructor's tail as it backed away, dragging and pushing it across the arena before letting go. Alien Destructor turned round to run its spike over Scraptosaur's front wedge, before ramming it head-on and into an angle grinder, getting its spike firmly impaled in Scraptosaur's side while doing so.
Sergeant Bash and Refbot freed both robots from each other and the wall, before Alien Destructor rammed into Scraptosaur again and pressed the pit release button as the two competitors circled round each other. This allowed Scraptosaur to spear Alien Destructor's left-hand side with its own spike, and both robots continued pushing and nudging each other until 'cease' was called, with Sir Killalot causing more damage to Alien Destructor's tail in the closing seconds. Despite the damage inflicted by the House Robots, Alien Destructor was declared the winner by the Jury, advancing to the second round.
Alien Destructor escapes the pit in the closing seconds
There, it faced the spinning disc of Twisted Metal. Both robots rammed straight into each other in the opening seconds, with Alien Destructor briefly getting under Twisted Metal before slamming into its disc, losing part of its fibreglass head. Alien Destructor was hit from the side by Twisted Metal as it drove near the Flame Pit, and both its armour and tail sustained more damage from the latter. The two robots briefly locked together as Alien Destructor's tail folded under Twisted Metal's side, before Alien Destructor rammed the tail completely under Twisted Metal. Both robots were quickly separated, with Alien Destructor taking more damage through each successive hit from Twisted Metal’s disc. Alien Destructor appeared to lose speed rapidly before it became wedged against Twisted Metal again, and had part of its tail ripped off by Sir Killalot as he came in to separate both competitors. In the closing seconds, Alien Destructor drove off the pit just as Twisted Metal activated it, surviving to a second consecutive Jury's decision. The Jury ruled in favour of Twisted Metal, eliminating Alien Destructor from the first Dutch Series.
Extreme 1
- Julia Reed: "...you've quite cleverly decided to do this as a two-on-one. Why?"
- Kees Sicking: "Yeah. I think one against one, one against Chaos, is impossible, so we're gonna bang it against the wall. If we fail, okay. We love flying!"
- — Kees Sicking explains his and the Philipper team's decision to team up on Chaos 2 in the International Mayhem
Chaos 2 throws Philipper on top of Alien Destructor
Alien Destructor's only UK appearance came in the first series of Robot Wars Extreme, where it represented Holland in a one-off International Mayhem against the then reigning double UK champion Chaos 2 and Belgian robot Philipper, a fellow Dutch Series 1 competitor. As the International Mayhem was filmed after Dutch Series 1, Alien Destructor competed with most of its tail and fibreglass armour removed, as a result of the damage sustained during its main Dutch Series battles.
As the battle started, Alien Destructor lifted its tail and avoided the initial action as Philipper pushed – and was flipped by - Chaos 2, before driving itself into an angle grinder. It drove towards both of its opponents and spun round, although without hitting them with its tail, before driving back and forth towards a CPZ as Chaos 2 threw Philipper over again. Eventually, Alien Destructor rammed and pushed Chaos 2 into a CPZ using its tail, briefly pinning the two-time champion against the wall before the latter flipped Philipper on top of it.
- "...the Alien Destructor is a reminder of what The Netherlands can do."
- — Jonathan Pearce as Alien Destructor rams Chaos 2
Alien Destructor receives damage from Dead Metal
Alien Destructor briefly gets itself pinned underneath Philipper
Seconds later, Alien Destructor was flipped over itself, but swiftly drove away, only to be simultaneously attacked by Chaos 2 and Dead Metal as the House Robot pushed it over the Flame Pit. Chaos 2 flipped Alien Destructor onto Dead Metal's saw, before Alien Destructor pushed and broke free from Dead Metal's grasp. It momentarily speared Dead Metal with the spike as Chaos 2 flipped Philipper over once again, before ramming Chaos 2 several more times and briefly getting itself pinned underneath the overturned Philipper. Once it broke free, Alien Destructor attacked Shunt, and survived to a Judges' decision after it and Chaos 2 spent the remainder of the battle dodging each other. Despite finishing strongly, the decision went against Alien Destructor, with Chaos 2 being declared the winner of the International Mayhem.
Dutch Series 2
Alien Destructor 2 is trapped between Dead Metal and Sergeant Bash
Dead Metal, about to slash Alien Destructor 2's tyre
The returning Alien Destructor 2 competed in Heat C, fighting Krab-Bot in its first round battle. Both robots dodged each other in the opening moments, before Alien Destructor 2 drove into Krab-Bot's front, briefly getting caught by its claws before reversing away. Alien Destructor 2 rammed Krab-Bot's side and pushed it into an angle grinder, with Krab-Bot being caught by Dead Metal as it backed into his CPZ. It then attempted to push Krab-Bot again, but was lifted by one of Krab-Bot's claws as it clamped onto Alien Destructor 2's top panel. The two robots drove in circles around the arena, before Krab-Bot let go of Alien Destructor 2, allowing the latter to push it back into a CPZ. Krab-Bot retaliated by grabbing Alien Destructor 2's side, pushing it and dragging it in its grip, although not without backing into Sergeant Bash. Dead Metal came out of his CPZ to help Sergeant Bash attack both competitors, slicing through Alien Destructor 2's top panel a few times as Krab-Bot escaped. Alien Destructor 2 struggled to escape from the CPZ as Sergeant Bash's pincers held a firm grip on its chassis, before having one of its tyres slashed by Dead Metal's saw. Despite seemingly becoming immobile on one side, and having lost much of its speed, Alien Destructor 2 survived to a Jury's decision, which ruled in favour of Krab-Bot. This eliminated Alien Destructor 2 early on from the second Dutch Series.
Results
| ALIEN DESTRUCTOR - RESULTS | ||
| UK Series | ||
| Extreme Series 1 | ||
| Single Battle Events International Mayhem (with Philipper) | ||
| International Mayhem | vs. Chaos 2 | Lost |
| Dutch Series | ||
| Series 1 | ||
| Dutch Championship Heat, Semi-Final | ||
| Heat B, Round 1 | vs. Scraptosaur | Won |
| Heat B, Semi-Final | vs. Twisted Metal | Lost |
| ALIEN DESTRUCTOR 2 - RESULTS | ||
| Dutch Series | ||
| Series 2 | ||
| Dutch Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat C, Round 1 | vs. Krab-Bot | Lost |
Wins/Losses
The team in the pits with Alien Destructor 2
- UK Wins: 0
- UK Losses: 1
- Dutch Wins: 1
- Dutch Losses: 2
Series Record
Dutch Series
| Dutch Series | Alien Destructor Series Record |
|---|---|
| Series 1 | Heat, Round 2 |
| Series 2 | Heat, Round 1 Entered with Das Gepäck |
UK Series
| Main Series | Alien Destructor 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 | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | UK vs Germany with Das Gepäck |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Not selectedCitation? |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Entered |
| Series 2 | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars
While not being successful in either the Dutch or UK versions of Robot Wars, Alien Destructor was a regular competitor in live events hosted across the UK and Europe. An earlier version of the robot achieved significant success in the Dutch Robot Games, where it won the Dutch championship and finished runner-up in the international championship, losing to Bigger Brother in the final.
A newer version of Alien Destructor, armed with a front clamping mechanism and without the decorative fibreglass body, continued to fight in live events after the original series of Robot Wars ended. It competed in the 2006 Fighting Robots UK Championships, where it took Killer Carrot 2 to a Judges' decision, but fell in the group stages after being flipped out the arena by Behemoth. Paired with Leveller 2, it also finished runner-up in the concurrent Tag Team Championships to Velocirippa and Merlin. Alien Destructor retired after this event, but in 2013 it returned to compete in the Robots Live! European Championship. After losing its heat to Big Nipper, it fought former UK series competitors such as Tornado, Tough as Nails, Ripper and Bulldog Breed in a number of melees held alongside the main championship.
After Robot Wars entered its hiatus, the Alien Destructor team also bought the Belgian robot Hard, and built a featherweight called Wood Pecker.
Trivia
- The first Alien Destructor was converted into Das Gepäck, which was entered into Dutch Series 2 and in the UK vs Germany Special when the producers needed an extra competitor to make up the numbers.
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