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"Hedgehogs are spiky and Edge Hogs are even worse!"
Jonathan Pearce in Extreme 2

Edge Hog (also spelled Edgehog) was competitor robot that fought in Series 6 and 7 of Robot Wars, as well as the New Blood Championship in the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. It lost in the first round in both its main series appearances, but reached its Heat Final in the New Blood Championship, losing to Thor.

Design[]

"Very strong, with polycarbonate and titanium armour. Lots of pushing power with self-righting mechanism, but we wonder if poor driving will send the Hog over the edge."
— Jonathan Pearce in Series 6
Edge Hog S7

Edge Hog in Series 7

Edge Hog was a box wedge-shaped robot armoured in polycarbonate and titanium with aluminium and titanium side panels. Its main weapon was a pneumatic titanium axe initially capable of striking 20-25 times at 106 mph. The axe doubled as a self-righting mechanism and was accompanied by a small front wedge which was intended to get underneath opponents.

"We've got about... 20, 25 strikes. The first ones are more powerful, and it slows down eventually as it runs out of gas, but the first few are the best ones, so we've gotta make the first ones count."
— Stephen Egerton on the robot's axe

While its axe was potent and the robot possessed fair pushing power, Edge Hog required precise accuracy to cause damage, and Stephen Egerton acknowledged "Poor Handling" as the robot's weakness in Series 6, and "Driver Control" as the weakness in Extreme 2. In all three appearances, Edge Hog was powered by two 750 Watt electric motors. The robot also had a history of reliability issues, breaking down in Series 6, and having problems with drive throughout Extreme 2, with "Breaking Down" being listed as the robot's weakness on its statistics board in Series 7. The version of Edge Hog seen in Series 7 also notably lacked a baseplate, which the previous version had, leaving components such as its gas canister and drive chains exposed from underneath.

In Series 6 and the Extreme 2 New Blood Championship, Edge Hog featured a grey, black and orange colour scheme, which was changed to silver and blue for its Series 7 appearance.

Etymology[]

Edge Hog's name is a pun on 'hedgehog'. It could have also been named after the robot's creator, Stephen Egerton.

The Team[]

EdgeHogTeamSeries6

The team in Series 6

Edge hog extreme2 team

The team in the first round of Extreme 2

EdgeHogTeamEx2

The team in Extreme 2, after the Heat Final

EdgeHogTeamS7

The team in Series 7

Edge Hog was entered by Edge Mecs[1] from Macclesfield in Cheshire. The captain was Stephen Egerton, the only team member present in all of Edge Hog's appearances. Stephen drove the robot and operated the axe. Stephen was joined by three different team members in each of his appearances, these being Chris Prest in Series 6, William Ashton in Extreme 2 and James Steele in Series 7.

In Extreme 2, Stephen Egerton and William Ashton were the credited members on the statistics board, and appeared together in Round 1 and 2, but for the Heat Final, Chris Prest rejoined the team.

Qualification[]

Edgehog S4

The Series 4 version of Edge Hog, which failed to qualify

Edgehog s4 insides

The insides of the Series 4 version of Edge Hog

An earlier version of Edge Hog, an invertible wedge shape armed with interchangeable circular saw and flipper weapons, attempted to enter Series 4. It fought Big Pants in its Robot Mayhem qualifier, but was left with mobility issues early on after suffering a blow from Big Pants's axe.

"The battle began and Edgehog proved to be a bit more nimble than BP. The commentator kept on shouting 'We want to see the axe' right in my ear, so as soon as I was in range I pulled the trigger. There was a yell from the commentator and the audience as they saw the axe fire just over-shooting Edgehog's back. A second firing and the axe cleaved into the side-pod of Edgehog. It quickly became clear that although there was still movement from my opposition, he had suffered from the blow."
— Team Panda website, on Edge Hog's Series 4 qualifier against Big Pants[2]

With Big Pants unable to retract its axe, both robots were soon pitted by the House Robots, and the fight ended in a draw. Neither Edge Hog or Big Pants successfully qualified for Series 4 as a result.

Edge Hog also attempted to enter Series 5, this time armed with an axe, but failed to qualify again after losing to Crushtacean[3].

At the Series 6 qualifiers, Edge Hog was drawn against Biothan, Chompalot and Rampage. Rampage was forced to withdraw before the battle, leaving the other three to fight[4].

EdgeHogS6qualifiers

Edge Hog at the Series 6 qualifier

Chompalot got behind Biothan and pushed it towards the arena wall, and Edge Hog got behind Chompalot and axed it. Chompalot turned around, allowing Biothan to drive around Chompalot and hit Edge Hog with its spikes. Edge Hog missed an axe blow on Chompalot as it turned around, and turned away from Biothan, then drove up the arena away from its opponents. Biothan drove up the arena as Chompalot drove at it, and Edge Hog tried to axe it, but missed as Biothan turned away. Biothan drove at Chompalot, but as Chompalot turned to try and use its jaws, Biothan turned away from it, so Chompalot drove around Biothan and attacked Edge Hog. Chompalot pushed Edge Hog across the arena against the arena wall, leaving it near the top corner. Biothan followed the two, and Edge Hog turned away from the wall after it, blocking it in the corner. Edge Hog turned around and pinned Biothan against an angle grinder, but narrowly missed with the axe. Chompalot drove around to Edge Hog's side, getting underneath with the jaw and grabbing hold of it.

"In the melee, it was all about Edge Hog and us, them with their axe trying to do some damage and us trying to inflict some damage on them with our jaws. We eventually found a soft bit towards the front of their machine where Chompie did some damage but it didn't stop them."
— Chompalot website on its Series 6 qualifier
Robot_Wars_Qualifier_Match_(Part_1)

Robot Wars Qualifier Match (Part 1)

Edge Hog's Series 6 qualifier against Biothan and Chompalot

As it did so, Biothan got behind Chompalot and hit it with the spikes. Eventually, Chompalot let go of Edge Hog and went back after Biothan, grabbing onto its front and pushing it to the corner. Biothan pushed back and Chompalot let go, and as it reversed away, Edge Hog tried to axe it, but turned too far, causing it to miss with the axe. Biothan drove in front of Edge Hog, and Edge Hog turned to try and axe it, but again turned too far, causing it too miss with the axe. Edge Hog turned around, missing an axe blow at Biothan. Chompalot pushed Biothan away, pushing it towards the arena wall, and as Chompalot let go and turned away, Edge Hog drove at it, but Chompalot was too fast and drove past, so Edge Hog missed. Edge Hog turned, but spun around on the spot. Chompalot drove around Edge Hog, and as it drove past, Edge Hog turned around to try and axe it, but turned too far and missed. Chompalot drove into the corner, and Edge Hog drove in front of it, axing it. As Chompalot pushed back, Biothan drove across the arena into the back of Edge Hog. Chompalot grabbed Edge Hog and pushed it to the arena centre. Edge Hog struggled against it, firing the axe a couple of times, but Chompalot held on. Biothan drove at the side of Chompalot, and tried to drive between it and Edge Hog, whilst Edge Hog tried to axe Chompalot, but could not land a blow whilst Chompalot held on. Chompalot let go of Edge Hog and turned away, then turned back for another attack. As it did so, Edge Hog landed an axe blow on one of Chompalot's wings[5]. At the end of the battle, Edge Hog was declared the winner by the Judges, so automatically went through to Series 6[6]. Chompalot was given a discretionary place, whilst Biothan was not selected to compete.

Robot History[]

Series 6[]

"Another wedge with an axe, always difficult to beat though."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog enters the arena

In its first appearance, Edge Hog faced the 12th seed and Extreme Warriors International champion Tornado, returning robot Terror-Bull, and fellow newcomer Inshredable.

Philippa Forrester: "Any one of those that you're most worried about?"
Stephen Egerton: "Tornado, definitely."
Philippa Forrester: "Why Tornado?"
Stephen Egerton: "Just the power really, the pushing power on it. You just can't stop it, it keeps coming at you!"
— After Philippa Forrester informed the Edge Hog team of their Round 1 opponents
Terror-Bull vs Inshredable

Edge Hog is lifted by Terror-Bull

At the start of the battle, Edge Hog charged at the seeded Tornado as it drove forwards, but Tornado drove past, and Edge Hog missed with its axe. As Edge Hog pulled its axe back, Terror-Bull was nearby, and tried to get under Edge Hog's side. Edge Hog turned around to avoid the lifter, and tried to axe Terror-Bull, but it turned too far, causing it to miss with the axe. As it did so, Terror-Bull turned around to Edge Hog's front, got its lifter underneath and lifted Edge Hog, but as it pushed, Edge Hog slipped off the lifter. Edge Hog turned away from Terror-Bull, and drove away as Tornado drove up the arena, and stayed away from its opponents as Tornado rammed into Terror-Bull. Inshredable drove at Tornado, and Edge Hog tried to axe it as it drove past, but missed as it was not close enough. Edge Hog waited until Tornado stopped pushing Terror-Bull, and as Tornado turned away from Terror-Bull, Edge Hog drove at Terror-Bull, but it missed its axe blow.

"...an attack by Edge Hog, got the axe blade down there, the pneumatic weaponry, and at the moment is at the centre of most things."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog tries to axe Terror-Bull, then drove down the arena
Tornado Edge Hog Inshredable

Edge Hog is attacked by Tornado

Edge Hog turned around on the spot, then drove down to the bottom of the arena. As Tornado drove away from Inshredable, Edge Hog drove at Tornado and fired the axe, but missed. Tornado pushed past and drove around Edge Hog and went back after Inshredable. Edge Hog drove away as Tornado reversed away from Inshredable, having rammed it into the arena wall. Edge Hog drove onto the pit square and started spinning on the spot, and Tornado charged at it, ramming it to the arena wall. Edge Hog got away, and drove away to the top of the arena as Tornado rammed Terror-Bull into Inshredable. Tornado pushed Terror-Bull across the arena, and Edge Hog charged at Inshredable. As it did so, Inshredable rode up Edge Hog's side, so Edge Hog missed with the axe. Tornado rammed into Edge Hog as Inshredable was up on its side, hitting the back with the spinning drum and damaging the rear armour as it pushed it. Tornado's pushing got Edge Hog out from under Inshredable, and it turned to try and axe Inshredable, but narrowly missed. Edge Hog fired the axe again, hitting the disc support as Tornado rammed into the other side of Inshredable.

"Edge Hog meanwhile, getting to grips with Inshredable, the meat in the sandwich."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog and Tornado attack Inshredable
EdgeHoghitbyMatildaflywheel

Edge Hog is hit by Matilda's flywheel (background)

Tornado pushed Inshredable, pushing Edge Hog with it, forcing them both into Matilda's CPZ. Matilda trapped Edge Hog in the corner, and though Edge Hog got around the House Robot, it drove into the wall trying to escape the CPZ. It reversed into Matilda, who hit the back with her flywheel, knocking the back panel loose. Edge Hog became stuck in reverse drive, and it reversed into the pit release button. As the other competitors continued fighting, Edge Hog was stuck by the pit release button.

"What's happened their to Edge Hog? It's not impaled, but it's sort of grappled onto the arena side wall, it's caught there, it's snagged!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog is stuck by the pit release button
EdgeHogCountedOut

Edge Hog is counted out

It fired the axe, which became stuck in the fired position. Refbot came down to the bottom of the arena to try and push it away from the button, but despite a number of attempts, could not get it away from the wall, so began to count Edge Hog out. After Edge Hog was eliminated Tornado eventually pitted Terror-Bull, putting it and Inshredable through.

Stephen Egerton: "We just got stuck in rear drive, so there wasn't much we could do!"
Philippa Forrester: "So we can see the damage this has done on the outside, what did that mean on the inside?"
Stephen Egerton: "Not sure yet until we look. It probably won't be much, I would have thought we'd probably get it fixed fairly quickly, but I would have thought it's just a wire that's come loose somewhere, why we've been taken out."
Philippa Forrester: "There really is very little point in fixing it quickly!"
— Post-battle interview

Extreme 2[]

Edge Hog participated in the New Blood Championship in Robot Wars Extreme 2. In the first round, it was drawn against Chip and walkerbot RT 81.

Philippa Forrester: "OK Edge Hog team, you're new to this really aren't you?"
Stephen Egerton: "We are really, yeah."
Philippa Forrester: "But you're up against a walker, that's good news!"
Stephen Egerton: "Yeah it is, we'll be trying for him first, so try and get the axe in there. He's got quite thin armour on the top, so we'll try and get in there, but it depends how good my driving is!"
Philippa Forrester: "What's going to be your biggest problem?"
Stephen Egerton: "I think I'll have to look out for Chip, 'cause I think they're gonna try and come in and get the back end of us, so we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen!"
Philippa Forrester: "You mentioned your driving, are you worried about your driving?"
Stephen Egerton: "I am, yeah. I'm not very good!"
— Pre-battle interview
Chip vs Edge Hog

Edge Hog sustains damage from Chip

Edge Hog started by reversing a little, then turned and drove at Chip. However, as it did so, it turned too far, and missed Chip when it fired its axe. Chip drove down the arena past Edge Hog, and Edge Hog drove after it, but Chip was ready, and turned around and hit Edge Hog's side with its spinning disc. As Chip turned around for another attack, Edge Hog spun on the spot, and Chip drove at the side again, clipping it then driving past. Edge Hog followed Chip into the arena centre, but Chip was too fast for it, driving around it, and Edge Hog was too late with the axe so missed again. Chip drove around Edge Hog again, clipping the side, and reversed away before Edge Hog could fire the axe, so Edge Hog missed again. Chip's attacks on Edge Hog had caused it to lose drive on one side[7], and it was only spinning on the spot.

"Edge Hog I think trying to get broadside so that it can get its axe down with deadly affect onto the Chip team..."
— Jonathan Pearce as Chip runs rings around Edge Hog and Edge Hog tries to axe it
PushingRT81

Mr. Psycho pushes RT81 into Edge Hog

Chip speedily drove around Edge Hog, hitting its front with the disc, then turning around and hitting the side. Edge Hog managed to turn over towards the side wall, but Chip drove at it again, hitting the side with its disc, then driving around its front. Chip drove away and hit the pit release. Meanwhile, RT 81 had been too slow to leave the CPZ, and was being attacked by Mr. Psycho. Chip drove around Edge Hog again, hitting the back. Edge Hog turned around, but narrowly missed with the axe. As Chip drove away, Mr. Psycho pushed RT 81 down the arena, straight into Edge Hog, which hit it repeatedly with the axe, hitting the axe mechanism. Chip drove back down the arena, hitting Chip's side with its disc. Edge Hog landed an axe blow on the rubber tyre of RT 81, but struggled to get free.

"The tyre has offered protection to the mechanics, there you can see the axe of Edge Hog has caused no real problem. It has impaled itself onto RT 81, but it's not doing any real damage."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog gets its axe stuck in RT 81's tyre
NewBloodBRound1.2

Edge Hog attacks RT 81

Smoke was rising from RT 81, and Sir Killalot came out of his CPZ to give RT 81 a little push as Edge Hog tried dragging it. Edge Hog pushed and pulled against RT 81, and RT 81, but the axe was still stuck in the tyre. Chip attacked RT 81 a couple of times, and after some more struggling, Edge Hog managed to get its axe free. Edge Hog missed an axe blow on RT 81, and Chip drove around RT 81 to attack Edge Hog. A fire could now be seen coming from RT 81, and it could not move, whilst Edge Hog was only turning back and forth. Edge Hog narrowly missed another axe blow on RT 81, and it spun around on the spot. As it did so, it drifted to the edge of Mr. Psycho's CPZ, and he hit Edge Hog with his hammer.

"Edge Hog trying to spin away, and get another...OH! Attack in on RT 81! That's not going to happen now! Mr. Psycho's great hammer came down, and Edge Hog withstood the blow!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Mr. Psycho hammers Edge Hog
Mr Psycho Edgehog

Mr. Psycho drives Edge Hog across the arena floor

As Mr. Psycho struggled to pull his hammer back up, Edge Hog turned back and forth, firing its axe at thin air. One time, Edge Hog's axe clipped Mr. Psycho's head as the competitor pulled it back. Chip was attacking RT 81, and Edge Hog managed to turn at RT 81 and land an axe blow, but suddenly, Mr. Psycho, who had not been able to pull his hammer back up, came out of the CPZ and bulldozed Edge Hog across the arena to the CPZ on the opposite side, slamming it against the wall. Mr. Psycho backed off, leaving Edge Hog in the CPZ. Edge Hog turned back and forth, but could not escape the CPZ, and stopped moving. Sir Killalot came into the CPZ, and Edge Hog could do nothing but swing its axe as Sir Killalot grabbed it with his claw and picked it up, carrying it out of the CPZ and dropping it on its side against an angle grinder.

"What's happened to Edge Hog? Spinning around like a maddened thing! Crowd love it! ... Poor old Edge Hog did all the work in this for me, and the House Robots hate him for it!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog spins around in the CPZ, then gets picked up by Sir Killalot
SirKillalotholdsupEdgeHogwithclaw

Sir Killalot holds up and overturns Edge Hog with his claw

Edge Hog tried to use its axe to right itself, and with help from a little push by Sir Killalot, was able to use its axe to flip itself back over, though it was left against the wall, firing its axe against the wall. Meanwhile, Mr. Psycho pushed RT 81 against the opposite arena wall. Refbot counted RT 81 out, and Sir Killalot went over to attack the beaten competitor, putting it on the Drop Zone. Despite being immobile and having spent most of the battle only working on one side, Edge Hog was through to Round 2, along with Chip.

Before the second round, the team sorted out the problems with the drive before its fight with Hell's Teeth.

Philippa Forrester: "Right then chaps, you're in problems?"
Stephen Egerton: "Yeah, we've had a job getting it back together again after our last fight, we've had trouble with the drive. We've got that sorted now. The axe is working great, so we're just gonna hopefully put as many holes in them as we can!"
— Pre-battle interview
NewBloodBRound2.2

Edge Hog axes the stricken Hell's Teeth

Edge Hog started by cautiously driving forwards, and Hell's Teeth charged towards it, but drove past, with Edge Hog missing an axe blow. Hell's Teeth turned and drove at Edge Hog, which turned to face it and fired the axe, but narrowly missed, firing just a second too early so the axe landed in front of its opponent. Hell's Teeth tried to attack Edge Hog's front with its spinning disc, but the front wedge prevented the disc from hitting Edge Hog, so it turned. Edge Hog missed with the axe, then turned to try again, but turned too far, so missed again.

"I thought Edge Hog did well in its first battle, and was cruelly treated by the House Robots. Hell's Teeth played a quieter role, has that rear flywheel though that is so destructive."
— Jonathan Pearce in the early moments of the battle

Hell's Teeth had lost drive on one side, and was turning around in circles. Edge Hog drove forwards, and cautiously approached Hell's Teeth, before driving into it and hitting it with its axe, hitting one of the tyres. Hell's Teeth stopped moving as Edge Hog turned and fired the axe at its body, though the axe failed to puncture. Edge Hog turned a little and tried again, with the axe landed in one of the wheel hubs.

"You'll see him spinning away, Hell's Teeth, to try and line up an attack, but Edge Hog is wary of that. Edge Hog's top speed, 12 miles per hour, slightly the faster in the arena, and now getting pinned on with its axe..."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog axes Hell's Teeth

Edge Hog landed a couple of blows on the top, but failed to puncture, but its next blow on the top punctured the armour, and Edge Hog pushed Hell's Teeth into an angle grinder. Edge Hog landed another axe blow, which also punctured, then drove away to the middle of the arena. Refbot came over to count Hell's Teeth out, and Edge Hog drove around him to axe Hell's Teeth some more, hitting the top, then hitting one of the tyres repeatedly.

"...I think Edge Hog are headed for victory here, and that's disappointing: Hell's Teeth simply did not get going in this Round 2 tussle! Down comes the axe of Edge Hog, onto the exposed tyres, puncturing them. Hell's Teeth are out, Edge Hog the winners, but I think they wanted a better fight than that!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog axes Hell's Teeth as it is counted out
EdgeHogaxesDeadMetal

Edge Hog axes Dead Metal

Edge Hog reversed away as Refbot finished counting Hell's Teeth out, and Dead Metal and Sgt. Bash attacked the beaten competitor, and as Dead Metal pushed Hell's Teeth, Edge Hog drove beside him, hitting it with the axe, which caught in his frame. Sgt. Bash intervened to help his fellow House Robot, blasting his flamethrower at Edge Hog.

"Ahey! In comes Edge Hog! Splendid to see the newcomers with bravery enough to take on the House Robots, but um, I think they'll have to learn painful lessons if they are to succeed in the wars arena in the future, and Sgt. Bash wants a bit of revenge!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog attacks Dead Metal
NewBloodBRound2.2

Sgt. Bash's back is dislodged by Edge Hog

Edge Hog pulled his axe free then turned on Sgt. Bash, hitting his flamethrower with its axe a couple of times three times, with the last one hooking the end and bending it down. Refbot intervened, reversing into Edge Hog and pushing it away from Sgt. Bash, forcing it to pull the axe back. During Edge Hog's attack, Sgt. Bash's rear armour had fallen down, and he reversed away, but as soon as Refbot moved away from Edge Hog, it drove back at Sgt. Bash, hitting the flamethrower with the axe again. Refbot intervened again, reversing into Edge Hog and pushing it against the wall. Edge Hog pushed past Sgt. Bash and drove to the other side of the arena. Dead Metal drove at Edge Hog, and Sgt. Bash drove across the arena after it. Dead Metal tried to grab Edge Hog, but Edge Hog turned away, and hit Dead Metal with its axe. Dead Metal turned around and blocked Edge Hog, getting his arm around it and bringing his disc down on the top.

"Dead Metal about there, in the arena, looking for revenge on Edge Hog! Edge Hog caught between the two robots! There the saw blade of Dead Metal. Now it could be deadly if they lose the weaponry because they foolhardy in attacking the House Robots, and Dead Metal will be trying to cut off that axe blade, I can tell you."
— Jonathan Pearce as Dead Metal pins Edge Hog against the wall and cuts into it
HouseRobotsfightbackagainstEdgeHog

The House Robots fight back against Edge Hog

Edge Hog kept firing its axe, and actually managed to push Dead Metal's disc back with it. Dead Metal kept Edge Hog pinned by the wall as Refbot pushed Hell's Teeth onto the floor flipper, but Edge Hog managed to turn away and escaped down the arena. Edge Hog held back from the House Robots as Refbot pushed Hell's Teeth onto the Drop Zone, and after a load of balls was dropped on it, backed it into the pit.

Craig Charles: "Woo! What a robot, what an axe"
Stephen Egerton: "It surprised us! We spent all day fixing it, we didn't think it was gonna go at all, but yeah, we got it in there, seemed to be working fine."
Craig Charles: "I mean what did you do to them, it was like, over in seconds!"
Stephen Egerton: "Yeah, I think we just got a lucky hit in. We got one hit and then it just seemed to stop after that."
Craig Charles: "I'll tell you what, impressive robot! People are out there talking, saying you could go all the way! How do you feel?"
Stephen Egerton: "Erm yeah, I think we'll have to check how the drive's going, I think we've still got problems there, but if it goes like that then yeah, maybe got a chance!"
— Post-battle interview

Edge Hog was through to the Heat Final, but a lot of repairs had to be done after the damage sustained from the House Robots.

Philippa Forrester: "Right, now what happened? What damage, let's have a look."
Stephen Egerton: "Well, Sgt. Bash put his claw just through here, caught on this chain. We already had a bent axle, and he bent it a bit more for us!"
Philippa Forrester: "That's nice of him, yeah!"
Stephen Egerton: "So we've taken all of this wheel out, straightened the axle, put it all back in, now we're lining everything back up again."
Philippa Forrester: "How long's that gonna take then?"
Stephen Egerton: "Erm, another hour, we should be done."
Philippa Forrester: "Oh another hour! Yeah, well you've got about five minutes!"

— Philippa Forrester interviews the Edge Hog team as they make repairs before the Heat Final

In the Heat Final, Edge Hog faced Thor, who had been in its heat in Series 6.

Edge Hog vs Thor

Edge Hog lands a blow on Thor

NewBloodBFinal

Edge Hog, flipped and immobile

Both robots started cautiously, waiting a moment, before Edge Hog drove towards Thor, with the two reaching each other at the Disc of Doom. Edge Hog turned to try and line up its axe for an attack, but turned too far. Thor fired its hammer and missed, and Edge Hog missed with its axe. Both robots turned to try again, and Edge Hog fired the axe again, but it was not close enough to Thor, so it missed. Thor also fired its hammer, but narrowly missed, the hammer landing by Edge Hog's side. Thor reversed, then drove at Edge Hog's side. It fired the hammer, but Edge Hog turned, dodging the hammer blow.

"...if Jason and Lee can get its [Thor's hammer] full effect, then I think Edge Hog will be a beaten team, but they're staying out of damage, and staying out of reach."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog avoids Thor's hammer
Thor vs Edge Hog

Thor lands a big blow on Edge Hog

Edge Hog drove down the arena, and Thor chased after it, soon catching up. Thor fired the hammer, but the handle hit the axe mechanism, so the hammer did not damage the top of Edge Hog. As Thor hit Edge Hog, Edge Hog landed an axe blow on Thor's top, but it did no damage. As Thor reversed, Edge Hog hit it with the axe again, but it merely slid off. Thor fired the hammer , but narrowly missed as it was not close enough. Edge Hog had lost drive on one side, and was turning back and forth. Thor got beside it and fired the hammer, but Edge Hog turned away to dodge the hammer. Thor drove around to Edge Hog's front, and Edge Hog could not drive forwards to attack with its axe, so tried firing the axe at Thor but missed. Thor tried to hammer Edge Hog, but turned a little too far and missed again.

"This is an interesting Heat 2 Final. Are they on the horns of a dilemma, the Thor team? Because if they can't get the hammer to work effectively, Edge Hog could well nag their way to victory! They're more persistent with their weaponry!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Thor misses with the hammer
Thor vs Edge Hog

Thor's KO blow on Edge Hog

As it did so, Edge Hog also turned at the wrong moment, causing it to miss its axe blow. As Edge Hog turned, Thor got behind it, and fired the hammer, but it landed just in front of Edge Hog. Edge Hog turned around and tried to axe Thor, but Thor reversed so Edge Hog missed. Thor drove at Edge Hog, but drove straight onto its front wedge, and Edge Hog hit it with the axe. The axe did no damage, and Thor reversed, with Edge Hog missing an axe blow as it did so. Edge Hog turned, missing another axe blow. Thor fired the hammer, which landed right on Edge Hog's top. Edge Hog appeared to stop moving, and Thor gave it another hammer blow, which hit the top, but Edge Hog fired its axe, pushing the hammer away and hitting Thor. Thor reversed, and Edge Hog turned around on the spot, then turned away, nearly driving onto a flame jet.

"That's a better blow from Thor! That had more might and meat about it! Edge Hog, their hammer's still coming down, can they still move? Yes, they're spinning. For a minute there I thought they'd been immobilised, but they're OK! A bit groggy..."
— Jonathan Pearce after Thor landed a big hammer blow on Edge Hog
ThorpushesEdgeHogintoSirKCPZ

Thor pushes Edge Hog into Sir Killalot's CPZ

It turned away from the flame jet, and Thor drove at it and tried to hammer it, but the hammer no longer had enough power, so it stopped halfway. Edge Hog turned to attack Thor, but turned too far and missed with the axe. Thor fired the hammer, which swung properly this time, but missed Edge Hog. Thor turned around for another attack as Edge Hog spun on the spot, and as it closed in for another attack, Edge Hog hit the top of Thor with its axe. Thor turned to use its hammer, and as it did so, Edge Hog missed an axe blow. Thor reversed, then charged at Edge Hog, ramming it up the arena into Sir Killalot's CPZ.

"Half a centimetre ground clearance from Edge Hog, that was all Thor needed to push it into the CPZ!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Thor rams Edge Hog into the CPZ
SirKillalotgrabsEdgeHog

Sir Killalot grabs the side of Edge Hog, crumpling the armour

Edge Hog fired its axe at the wall a couple of times, and Sir Killalot pinned it against the wall, then grabbed its front wedge and picked the whole robot up. Sir Killalot held Edge Hog up against the fence, then dropped it leaning against the wall. Edge Hog swung its axe to try and get down, but Sir Killalot kept it pinned there. Eventually, Sir Killalot reversed, and Sgt. Bash pushed Edge Hog off the wall, only for Sir Killalot to grab the side with his claw and carry Edge Hog out of the CPZ. Sir Killalot spun Edge Hog around, twirling it over the flame jet, then dropped it onto its back. Thor gave Edge Hog a push, allowing it to fall down, and it tried to self-right, but the axe no longer had the strength.

"Down it comes, will self-right from there I would have thought, or will it? It used its axe a heck of a lot earlier on, has that drained the power of the hammer? It can't self-right! I think we're near the end!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog struggles to right itself
SirKillalotpitsEdgeHog

Sir Killalot pits Edge Hog

Refbot pushed it into the Disc of Doom button, and Edge Hog was able to pull its axe up to turn the robot back over. However, it was now totally immobile, and Refbot came over to count it out. Once it was counted out, Sir Killalot backed it across the arena, then pushed it onto the floor flipper. After it was thrown, Sgt. Bash opened the pit, and Sir Killalot pushed it in.

"Terrific tenacity to get this far, but Thor is now the winner of this second Heat of the New Blood Championship! Edge Hog, battered into submission!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog is counted out

Edge Hog was therefore eliminated, whilst Thor went through to the New Blood Grand Final.

Craig Charles: "Guys, I thought you were unlucky there, I thought you were winning!"
Stephen Egerton: "Yeah, I thought we were doing not too bad, the axe is working well, but we've had problems with our drive all the way through, and it just didn't hold up this time, so we lost it on one side, then the other side went, and that was it then! We couldn't do anything!"
— Post-battle interview

Series 7[]

"Hibernated in the Sixth Wars and was beaten in Round 1!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog enters the arena

In the first battle of Series 7, Edge Hog faced former champion and 8th seed Panic Attack, another experience team in Mega Morg, and Spin Doctor, another robot that went out in Round 1 of Series 6.

Stephen Egerton: "We're gonna get out there, show 'em what were made of!"
Jayne Middlemiss: "What are you made of?"
Stephen Egerton: "Titanium! We've got titanium on the side, aluminium sides, titanium axe, so we're all ready for them!"
— In the pre-battle interview
Edgehog Mega Morg

Edge Hog axes Mega Morg

Edge Hog began tentatively, holding back as Mega Morg and Panic Attack drove towards Spin Doctor, then driving past them as Panic Attack pushed Spin Doctor. Mega Morg reversed at Edge Hog, and Edge Hog fired the axe, but narrowly missed, the axe landed just beside Mega Morg. Mega Morg hit Edge Hog with its rear disc, causing sparks, and Edge Hog turned a little and hit the top of Mega Morg with its axe, but it merely bounced off.

"...Mega Morg, surviving the axe attack of Edge Hog there"
— Joanthan Pearce as Edge Hog hits Mega Morg with the axe
EdgeHogaxesPanicAttack

Edge Hog axes Panic Attack

Mega Morg drove forwards away from Edge Hog, and as it did so, Edge Hog landed another axe blow on the top, but again it failed to damage it. Edge Hog and Mega Morg slammed into each other, with both robots jumping up a little on impact. Edge Hog fired the axe, but narrowly missed. Whilst Panic Attack turned Spin Doctor over, Mega Morg used its rear disc on Edge Hog's side, then drove around it, and after briefly driving into Panic Attack as it drove up the arena, Mega Morg reversed into Edge Hog's other side with its disc. Edge Hog turned as Mega Morg reversed at it and tried to use the axe, but Mega Morg blocked it by reversing into the side, so Edge Hog missed. Mega Morg reversed against Edge Hog, pushing it back, and Edge Hog turned, and tried to axe Mega Morg when it stopped pushing, but narrowly missed.

"Mega Morg, just backing onto Edge Hog, is that wise? Down comes the pneumatic axe. We heard from the Edge Hog team that that axe weakens as a battle goes on, they need to get their strikes in early..."
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog axes Mega Morg, then Panic Attack
Edgehog Mega Morg 1

Mega Morg puts Edge Hog onto its back

Mega Morg drove into Panic Attack, then reversed back at Edge Hog, and Edge Hog hit Mega Morg with the axe again, hitting the front but doing no damage. Mega Morg drove away past Panic Attack, and Edge Hog turned, exposing its side to Panic Attack. Panic Attack drove at Edge Hog's side and tried to get its forks underneath, but Edge Hog turned around, getting at Panic Attack's side and hitting it with the axe, smashing the light on the top. Panic Attack reversed a little, and Edge Hog hit the forks with its axe. Mega Morg drove at Edge Hog's side, but Edge Hog turned away before it could flip, backing into Mega Morg's side and pushing against it. Panic Attack drove in front of Edge Hog, and Edge Hog fired the axe, but missed. Panic Attack drove away, then turned around, and Edge Hog chased after it, but Panic Attack reversed as Edge Hog got close, so Edge Hog missed with its axe, jumping off the floor a little as it fired the axe.

"Edge Hog there, furious onto the attack! Hopping and skipping!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog misses its axe attack on Panic Attack
Panic Attack and Mega Morg pit Edgehog

The Welsh team up on Edge Hog

Edge Hog reversed past Mega Morg, then drove at Mega Morg, but it didn't line up its attack properly, so it missed with the axe, and it drove straight onto Mega Morg's flipper, which tipped it up onto its back. Panic Attack got behind Mega Morg and pushed it against Edge Hog, which knocked Edge Hog back down. Whilst Spin Doctor was being counted out, Panic Attack rammed into Edge Hog's side, getting underneath with the forks and lifting it up. Panic Attack pushed Edge Hog to a flame jet, but Mega Morg drove into its back, causing it to drop Edge Hog. Edge Hog reversed across the arena for a charge, then charged back at its opponents, but Mega Morg and Panic Attack both got underneath with their lifting weapons and held Edge Hog up off the floor. Panic Attack let go, drove around Mega Morg, and the two began pushing Edge Hog towards the pit. Edge Hog swung the axe to try and get free, but Panic Attack pushed it into the pit, confirming its elmination along with Spin Doctor.

"...and the Welsh here are ganging up on Edge Hog. Mega Morg from Swansea and Panic Attack from Cardiff, they're scrumming down together, and Edge Hog out as a result - celebrations in the Welsh camps!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Edge Hog is pitted

Results[]

EDGE HOG - RESULTS
Series 6
The Sixth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat G, Round 1 vs. Inshredable, Terror-Bull, Tornado (12) Eliminated
Extreme Series 2
New Blood Championship
Heat Final
Heat B, Round 1 vs. Chip, RT 81 Qualified
Heat B, Round 2 vs. Hell's Teeth Won
Heat B, Final vs. Thor Lost
Series 7
The Seventh Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat M, Round 1 vs. Mega Morg, Panic Attack (8), Spin Doctor Eliminated

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 2
  • Losses: 3

Series Record[]

Main Series Edge Hog Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars Did not enter
The Fourth Wars Failed to qualify
The Fifth Wars Failed to qualify
The Sixth Wars Heat, Round 1
The Seventh Wars Heat, Round 1
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 New Blood Championship, Heat Final

Gallery[]

Outside Robot Wars[]

EdgeHogDebenham

The Series 4 version of Edge Hog, armed with a flipper at Debenham Robot Rumble

After failing to qualify for Series 4, the original version of Edge Hog fought at Debenham Robot Rumble 2001, where it fought Tornado and Dantomkia, but lost[8].

"Edgehog's bodywork fouled one of its wheels, and one of Dantomkia's servo linkages got jolted round, so he only had full reverse, so we went through."
— Team Tornado website on its battle with Edge Hog at Debenham Robot Rumble
Edgehog dutch

Edge Hog at the Dutch Robot Games 2003

DRG Edge Hog vs Tornado vs Storm II

Edge Hog in its victory over Tornado and Storm 2

Between Series 6 and 7, Edge Hog found great success at the Dutch Robot Games in 2003, with a string of victories allowing it to finish in second place[9]. In the first round, Edge Hog defeated Mute and Hard, then won against Lizzard and Toecutter 2 in the second round by pitting Lizzard and immobilising Toecutter 2[10]. Remarkably, Edge Hog then won its third-round battle over the soon-to-be second and third place robots in Robot Wars later that year, earning a win over Tornado and Storm 2. Edge Hog also won its semi-final by pitting Bigger Brother and winning the Judges' decision over Tsunami[11], before finally being pitted by Tough as Nails in the Grand Final.

Edge Hog was less successful at its next show, Roaming Robots at Newark in 2003, where it lost all four of its battles; first to Leveller 2 and G-Man, then to Storm 2 and Dantomkia, then St. Agro, finally Roobarb and The Grim Reaper.

Edge Hog

Edge Hog after Series 7

EdgeHog2006NewOwner

Edge Hog in 2006, under its new owner

Edge Hog later entered the 2005 UK Championship, losing its qualifier to Ripper at the Macclesfield event.

Edge Hog was then bought by James Baker in 2005 and was heavily revised, internally and externally with new batteries, speed controllers, radio system, pneumatics system, armour and a new axe, however results were mostly poor. The team fought with Edge Hog in the 2006 UK Championships and fought well against Weird Alice, but lost, and also lost to Big Nipper and Hades.

Edge Hog later entered the 2007 Fighting Robot UK Championships, but lost in the Heats after losing its battles to Scorpion and Danotmkia[12]. It also took part in the Annihilator, where it made it through to Round 4. Despite becoming immobilised with 4 other robots in the first round, it qualified as Tanglefoot was the first to be immobilised. In Round 2 it did well again, dishing plenty of blows on the other robots before Iron-Awe 3 broke down. Edge Hog then unfortunately had a technical problem and had to pull out of the next round, meaning it was eliminated.

Edge Hog's last year of competing was in 2008. It fought at the Stoke-on-Trent event, where it fought Beast, Kan-Opener and Envy, but was swiftly flipped out of the arena by Envy[13]. It also competed at the Reading event, fighting Puck, Iron-Awe and Merlin, but was flipped out of the arena by Iron-Awe[14].

Fighting Robot UK Championship, where it lost its qualifier to Kan-Opener[15]. It also took part in an Axe Attack battle, against Terrorhurtz, Spike and Obsidian. It managed to land its axe in Terrorhurtz's inner workings, breaking a gas pipe and disabling its axe, but broke down and lost again.

After this, it was retired from combat events, though the team continued to use it for display purposes and demonstrations, with Edge Hog being used for demonstrations at birthday parties[16][17], and appearing on display at Welsh ComicCon in 2014.

The team, nowadays known as Team GlitterBomb, used Edge Hog was to compare dimensions during the build of GlitterBomb. Edge Hog's axe mechanism was then used in GlitterBomb after the team did not have enough time to design and build their own mechanism.

Trivia[]

Edge Hog S7

Official Series 7 photo

References[]

External Links[]

Navigation[]

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