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"A flipper arm can dispatch robots with a 'bolt' of compressed air power!"
Jonathan Pearce's introduction on Bolt from the Blue

Bolt from the Blue was a robot that competed in Series 4 of Robot Wars. It reached the second round of its heat, losing to Firestorm 2 on a Judges' decision after an uneventful battle which saw neither robot inflict any effective attacks on each other. Team captain James Proctor was understood to be displeased with this decision after the battle.

Design[]

"Top speeds of 10 miles per hour, a zero turning circle - good specs, but do these newcomers have pecs?"
— Jonathan Pearce in Bolt from the Blue's introduction
Bolt from the blue arena

Bolt From the Blue in the arena

Bolt from the Blue was a black and silver wedge-shaped robot armed with a pneumatic flipping arm powered by compressed air and capable of lifting half a tonne. The robot was powered two 12 volt batteries[1] and wheelchair motors which gave it a top speed of 10mph and enough power to pull a small truck, which the team claimed Bolt from the Blue achieved several times during testing. The robot had foam wheels to give traction. It also used mechanical speed controllers instead of electrical ones in order to improve reliability.

"...which tend to go wrong less - we hope!"
— James Proctor on the mechanical speed controllers

Bolt from the Blue featured an exceptionally low ground clearance of 0mm[2] which made it difficult for other robots to flip and push it. However, it had a poor offensive capability, and an extremely limited supply of compressed air for its flipping arm, which only allowed five or six flips per battle according to James Proctor.

"The trio spent almost two years working on the finished machine, which James estimates to be worth around £800."
— The Westmorland Gazette on Bolt from the Blue[3]

The Team[]

BFTBteam

The Blue Army team

Bolt from the Blue was entered by Blue Army, a team from Kendal in the Lake District. The team captain was James Proctor, who also drove the robot. He competed with his father Lucien, and Chris Elleray. James Proctor and Chris Elleray were both 16 year old college students at the time of Series 4, who had previously gone to school together.

"James, now a student at Kendal College, and Chris, also 16, a student at Lancaster and Morecambe College, had already had experience making robots for a Queen Katherine School project and thoroughly enjoyed their day at Robot Wars."
— The Westmorland Gazette on the Bolt from the Blue team[4]

Qualification[]

Bolt from the Blue qualifiers

Bolt from the Blue as it appeared in the Fourth Wars qualifiers

At the Series 4 qualifiers, Bolt from the Blue fought Iron-Awe. Although Iron-Awe was suffering from control problems, it won the battle when a blow from their axe hit the robot's main kill switch, immobilising Bolt from the Blue. Regardless, Bolt from the Blue was given a discretionary place to compete in the series. [5]

Robot History[]

Series 4[]

Julia Reed: "Now apparently, if I stood on this {the flipping arm}, it would lift me right up to the ceiling, which is... what's that, 50 foot or something?"
James Proctor: "It's very high!"
— Julia Reed introduces Bolt from the Blue

In its first round battle of the Fourth Wars, newcomer Bolt from the Blue were placed up against two veterans; Ming 2 and the number 21 seed Diotoir. It had an advantage going into the battle, as Diotoir was overweight when it arrived, and the chain for the flipper had snapped, forcing it to fight with no top armour or weapon.

Diotoir quickly flipped

Diotoir is immediately disposed of

Bftb diotoir burns

Diotoir burns as Bolt from the Blue flips it closer to the flame pit

In the battle, Ming 2 immediately got in underneath Diotoir and flipped it straight away, before Bolt from the Blue pushed Diotoir over the flame pit, the seeded machine was unable to self-right due to its flipping arm being disabled even before the battle. Ming 2 then tried to push Bolt from the Blue onto the flame pit as well while Diotoir caught fire, but Ming 2 could only steer the newcomers into the arena side wall, at a very low speed. Cease was soon called and Bolt from the Blue was put through to the next round of the heat along with Ming 2.

"It doesn't stand a chance, this robot! It's gonna get battered!"
Craig Charles as he passes Bolt from the Blue before the second round

In the second round, Bolt from the Blue had an unfortunate draw as it was placed up against the number 5 seed Firestorm 2, in an infamously dull battle.

Firestorm lifted up

Bolt from the Blue gets a lift on Firestorm 2

Bolt from the Blue vs Firestorm

Bolt from the Blue backs into Firestorm 2

In this battle, the two competitors spent much of the battle pushing each other around, each being unable to flip the other due to their near-identical designs. The quicker Firestorm 2 machine rammed Bolt from the Blue several times, doing nothing in terms of damage or pushing Bolt from the Blue around at all. Bolt from the Blue eventually lifted up Firestorm 2 when the previous Grand Finalists beached themselves on its wedge, but Firestorm 2 then landed back on its wheels. This used up Bolt from The Blue's fourth and penultimate flip of the fight. The pit of oblivion then opened while Firestorm 2 drove right over Bolt from the Blue's wedge. The battle eventually ended and went to a judges' decision.

Bolt from the blue vs firestorm

Bolt from the Blue finds a way under Firestorm 2 again

"That was more like Torvill and Dean than mechanised mayhem. The audience aren't cheering, they're throwing flowers. Anyway, it's gone to the judges, but while we find for the decision, let's look at some of the - highlights? - of that last battle."
Craig Charles

The decision went against Bolt from the Blue due to its lack of aggression in the battle, much to the disgruntlement of James Proctor.

"We were robbed, if I do say so myself. Our weapon didn't break- it ran out of air, we could only use it 5/6 times. Plus we were 15/16 yrs old, and they were university engineering graduates."
— James Proctor takes the loss very badly

Results[]

BOLT FROM THE BLUE - RESULTS
Series 4
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship
Heat Semi-Final
Heat C, Eliminator vs. Diotoir (21), Ming 2 Qualified
Heat C, Semi-Final vs. Firestorm 2 (5) Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 1
  • Losses: 1

Series Record[]

BFTBinsides

The insides of Bolt from the Blue

Series Bolt from the Blue Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars Did not enter
The Fourth Wars Heat, Round 2
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[]

BFTBcake

A Bolt from the Blue cake made by James Proctor's wife

In 2017, James Proctor's wife posted an image of a Bolt from the Blue cake on Reddit that she presented to him, which states that he is 'still bitter' about his loss to Firestorm 2.[6]

When asked if Bolt from the Blue was still around, she stated that 'the internals were used in another robot and the rest has been lost to time' and that James had moved onto tinkering with cars.

Appearances in Merchandise[]

Trivia[]

  • Bolt from the Blue was the only robot to have qualified for the televised show that came from Cumbria.
  • Bolt from the Blue fought Firestorm 2 again in a Fantasy Fight in the original Robot Wars Magazine, albeit with Tornado present as well.
  • The surname of both James and Lucien Proctor was incorrectly spelled as "Procter" on the robot's statistics board.
  • In an article about Bolt from the Blue for local paper The Westmorland Gazette, the robot was incorrectly referred to as "Out Of The Blue".

References[]

Navigation[]

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