- "Driven by two 12v wheelchair motors, this nippy rodent travels at 15mph and threatens all opponents with a mean right hook, left cross combination!"
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Eubank the Mouse
Eubank the Mouse (shortened to The Mouse on results tables) was a lightweight stock robot which competed in Series 1 of Robot Wars. Built by Derek Foxwell, it was entered along with W.Y.S.I.W.Y.G. and Grunt to make up for a shortage of genuine competitors, and reached the Trial stage in its heat. As it was not allowed to qualify for the arena stage, Eubank the Mouse was eliminated there due to an alleged breakdown, allowing T.R.A.C.I.E. to progress despite being mobile for longer than the latter.
The robot is named after British middleweight boxer Chris Eubank, with the boxing gloves attached to the robot also being a further reference.
Design
Eubank the Mouse's official profile image
Eubank the Mouse was a grey pyramid-shaped robot with a small pyramid-shaped head designed to resemble that of a mouse. The robot was decorated with a pair of spectacles on the mouse's head and two flexible arms with boxing gloves attached to the end, as a reference to its namesake. While Eubank the Mouse largely had no weapons, both arms were referred to as such on its statistics board, as a 'Right Hook & Left Cross'.
With a top speed of 15mph, Eubank the Mouse was one of the fastest competitors in Series 1, and one of the lightest at 20kg. While fast and highly manoeuvrable, the robot suffered from top-heaviness and stability issues, the latter issue emphasised by it falling off the ramp during its arena introduction.
Robot History
Series 1
The Mouse dodges Matilda
- "And out of the mousehole he comes, past our own kitty cats!"
- — Jonathan Pearce as Eubank the Mouse starts its Gauntlet run
Eubank the Mouse competed in Heat F, and was the fourth robot in that heat to traverse The Gauntlet. In its run, it immediately darted off the turntable towards the right-hand route, past Sergeant Bash and into the side rails. Dead Metal nudged Eubank the Mouse away as it turned round, with Eubank the Mouse swiftly avoiding both House Robots before again bumping into the rails as Matilda came in. Eubank the Mouse bumped into a spiked pyramid and Matilda seconds later, before finally reaching the end zone.
- Jeremy Clarkson: "I've got to say, ordinarily I don't like to see my pets being beaten, but that was great."
- Steve Dove: "Yeah, it was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant!"
- Jeremy Clarkson: "Did you really expect to be able to beat them?"
- Steve Dove: "No. I was hoping to get them at half-way, and then I think, I thought they'd just get me."
- — Jeremy Clarkson and Steve Dove discuss Eubank the Mouse's Gauntlet run
Having completed The Gauntlet in the quickest time, this run enabled Eubank the Mouse to finish first overall in the results table, allowing it to qualify for the Snooker Trial.
There, it drove tentatively out of its pocket and approached The Blob, but avoided the balls as it turned round and reversed into Prince of Darkness. Eubank the Mouse bumped into the side nets, before reversing again and pushing several balls around in a corner of the arena. It continued driving around the top corners of the arena, nudging balls away and avoiding the other competitors, before suddenly driving into the side rails and seemingly becoming immobile there. Scoring no balls by the end of the Trial, and despite being mobile for considerably longer than T.R.A.C.I.E., Eubank the Mouse was eliminated from the First Wars, due to it being a Stock Robot and not allowed to progress to the Arena stage. The reason for Eubank the Mouse's elimination was attributed on-screen to it having 'irreparably broken down'.
- "Oh hard cheese, it was a bit of a tight squeak, and I'm afraid The Mouse has gone out."
- — Jonathan Pearce announces Eubank the Mouse's elimination
Results
| EUBANK THE MOUSE - RESULTS | ||
| Series 1 | ||
| The First Wars - UK Championship Heat Trial | ||
| Heat F, Gauntlet | Completed (1st) | Qualified |
| Heat F, Trial (Snooker) | 0 Balls with least activity (5th) | Eliminated |
Series Record
Steve Dove driving Eubank the Mouse
| Series | Eubank the Mouse Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Heat, Trial |
| The Second Wars | Entered with Challenger |
| The Third Wars | Entered with Challenger 2 |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| 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 |
This Series Record is reflective of Steve Dove, Eubank the Mouse's driver. He also joined Team Joint Effort in Series 6, competing with GBH 2.
Outside Robot Wars
Eubank the Mouse was originally created by Derek Foxwell for the 1995 UK Open Championship, which was held under the Robot Wars name. Eubank the Mouse, like the other British robots, did not fare too well and was eventually toppled over. However, during the same championship, it was known as House Mouse and it served as a makeshift House Robot.
Following its appearance on Robot Wars, Eubank the Mouse continued to appear at live events as both a static exhibit and as an active competitor. At the Bordon Charity Event, organised by the Plunderbird team in May 1999, it fought Cassius and Chaos in two separate battles. It continued to attend several live events and exhibitions as a static display until the end of Robot Wars' original run.
Trivia
- Eubank the Mouse is one of twenty robots never to have fought in robot combat, having only ever appeared in the Gauntlet and Trial stages.
- Eubank the Mouse was the only one of the three Stock Robots to complete The Gauntlet in the quickest time.
- Under the original weight limits, Eubank the Mouse was the only Lightweight competitor to appear in Series 1.
- Eubank the Mouse makes a cameo appearance in Series 2, where it is seen next to Ramrombit.
- Chris Eubank, the inspiration for the robot's name and design, took part in the Fourth Wars Celebrity Special episode, where he drove Killertron.
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