Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars/Featherweight Championship

Featherweight Championship
Structure Information
Number of Competing Robots	18
Format	Knockout
History
UK Series	7
Champion(s)	DTK

The Featherweight Championship of Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars was a side competition broadcast during the heats of Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars. Aired as the Special Events of Heats B, E, M and P, the tournament featured 18 robots weighing no more than 12kg, and was the fourth Featherweight Championship to be held alongside the main UK Series. The competitors were split into three qualifying battles of between 4 and 7 robots, with two robots from each qualifier going through to the final round. The winner of the final would then be declared the overall Featherweight Champion.

Controversy

The Featherweight Championship was marred by controversy surrounding the extent to which the House Robots were allowed to be involved in battles. Concerned that the battles would not be entertaining enough, the producers gave the House Robots almost free reign of the arena in spite of the rule preventing them from leaving CPZs to attack mobile competitors. In the first battle, the three heaviest House Robots - Sir Killalot, Mr. Psycho and Growler - were all present in the arena and shown to attack the competing robots regardless of whether they were in a CPZ or not. Throughout the championship, several robots were damaged or destroyed solely through the House Robots' interference, with Mini-Maul and Micro Mute being especially affected.

"We pulled Storm Vortex out of this following a tip-off from the House Roboteers that as Mentorn were worried the footage might not be great, the HR's were under instruction to go for it. Suffice to say a sudden 'technical problem' caused us to withdraw... ...do remember Micro Mute, which was beautifully built being virtually destroyed by Matilda, so we felt vindicated for our choice"

— Ed Hoppitt on Storm Vortex's withdrawal from the Series 7 Featherweight Championship

In response to the House Robots being allowed to interfere, Team Storm withdrew their featherweight, Storm Vortex, from the competition to avoid the robot being potentially destroyed by them. Meanwhile, Rip's self-pitting in the Featherweight Final was motivated by Team Roaming Robots wanting to avoid it getting damaged by the House Robots; the producers intended for them to seek vengeance following Ripper's attacks on Shunt and Refbot during the main competition of Series 7.

Competing Robots

	Alienator
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Circular saw
From: Cannock, Staffordshire
Team Members: Karl Asplin & Sarah Asplin

	Alpha
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	2x 150W gold motors
	Weapons	Scoop
From: Leicestershire
Team Members: Alan Young

	Bernard
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Wedge & circular saw
From: Worcestershire
Team Members: Tim Jones, Arron Deakin & Daniel Holtom

	Cutlet
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Flipper
From: Stanwick, Northamptonshire
Team Members: Ian Lockhart & Scott Lockhart

	Cygnus X3
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Flipper
From: Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire
Team Members: Richard Comfort (presumed)

	DTK
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Flipper
From: Chertsey, Surrey
Team Members: Michael Lambert, Daniel Lambert & Steven Gadsby

	G2
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Window wiper motors
	Weapons	Low-pressure lifting arm
From: Leicestershire
Team Members: Dave Young

	Gi-Ant-O
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Rotary blade
From: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Team Members: Craig Danby

	Kitty
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	0.35m x 0.50m x 0.35m
	Power	3x 150W Gold Motors
	Weapons	Cutting disc
From: Redditch, Worcestershire
Team Members: Stuart Barnwell, Roger Barnwell & Amanda Barnwell

	Mammoth
	Weight	24kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Cutting blade
From: Southend-on-Sea in Essex
Team Members: Ian Burrell & Stuart Burrell

	Micro Mute
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Static spikes & scoop/wedge
From: Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire
Team Members: Adam Emmett & Jeremy Honcox

	Mini-Maul
	Weight	8kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	1 12v 3.2amp SLA Battery, 2 9.6v Drill Motor
	Weapons	Scoop and 50cm spike
From: Bristol
Team Members: Ewan Gimson

	Prince of Awe
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	0.20m x 0.45m x 0.30m
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Flipper
From: Thorney, Cambridgeshire
Team Members: Ian Bilboe

	Rampage 2
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	'Electric-powered flipper'
From: Unknown
Team Members: Ian Gillett & James Gillett

	Rip
	Weight	12kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Flipper
From: Newcastle, Staffordshire
Team Members: John Findlay

	Staglet
	Weight	10kg
	Dimensions	0.7m x 0.5m x0.1m
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Horizontal Crushing Claws
From: Newcastle, Staffordshire
Team Members: Terry Martin, David Martin & Mark Pepper

	Typhoon Cadet
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	2x rotating blades
From: Edinburgh, Scotland
Team Members: Gary Cairns

	Whipper
	Weight	10kg
	Dimensions	0.5m x 0.37m x 0.4m
	Power	300W Parvalux motor with magnetic clutches
	Weapons	Flipping arm
From: Newcastle, Staffordshire
Team Members: Terry Martin, David Martin & Mark Pepper

Withdrawals

	RC2
	Weight	Unknown
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	Unknown
	Weapons	Lifting Forks
From: East Sussex
Team Members: Jason Halsey, Stefan Halsey & Stephen Halsey

	Storm Vortex
	Weight	11.6kg
	Dimensions	Unknown
	Power	2x Bosch 35W motors
	Weapons	3kg disc
From: Ipswich, Suffolk
Team Members: Ed Hoppitt & Tim Bence

Qualifiers

Rip vs Kitty vs Alpha vs Mini-Maul vs G2 vs Prince of Awe vs Cygnus X3

Prince of Awe slides underneath Rip as Cygnus X3 is overturned

Rip started the battle strong, as it got underneath and flipped several of its opponents including Mini-Maul, G2 and Prince of Awe, with Mini-Maul being immobilised by this attack. Meanwhile, Growler ventured out of his CPZ and charged into Kitty, before Alpha shoved the immobile Mini-Maul across the arena and into the side wall.

Mr. Psycho crumples Rip with his claw

Next, Rip targeted G2 with two consecutive flips after having flipped Prince of Awe again. Kitty and G2 jostled for position with one another, while Rip toppled Cygnus X3 onto its side before being flipped over itself by Prince of Awe. After Rip came back down, it knocked Cygnus X3 onto its wheels again. An overturned Alpha then charged at the group of three, with Prince of Axe flipping it back the right-way up. Suddenly, Mr. Psycho showed his intentions by slamming his hammer down onto the arena floor, before he then picked up and crumpled Rip, immobilising its flipper for the rest of the fight.

"Oh dear - poor Rip! It's like, just crumpling up a sweet packet."

— Jonathan Pearce as Rip is squeezed by Mr. Psycho

The tattered remains of Mini-Maul

Down the other end of the arena Growler grabbed hold of Alpha and activated the pit release button, but Alpha escaped further punishment and scuttled away after Growler opened his jaws. The other two House Robots also continued to punish the competing machines, with Mr. Psycho hammering the underside of the overturned Cygnus X3, and Sir Killalot spinning around with Mini-Maul trapped under the front of his body. Prince of Awe got underneath and flipped G2, with an attack from Kitty and a follow-up flip from Prince of Awe removing G2's safety link, leaving it immobilised.

Cygnus X3 and G2 are sent flying

Sir Killalot then backed away from what was now a mutilated Mini-Maul and turned his attention on the immobilised Cygnus X3 and G2, placing them on the Floor Flipper. The resulting flip sent G2 clean over the arena wall, while Cygnus X3 was catapulted high into the air before it crashed down and tumbled into the Pit of Oblivion.

"That's come down with snow on it!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Cygnus X3 and G2 fly sky high

At the end of the battle, four robots were still mobile and the judges went for the two flipping robots, Prince of Awe and Rip.

Qualified: Rip & Prince of Awe

Bernard vs DTK vs Staglet vs Typhoon Cadet vs Alienator vs Cutlet vs Mammoth

Cutlet is slowly edged towards its doom

DTK carried out the first moment of note by flicking Bernard over in the opening seconds. The invertible machine was then attacked by Alienator, whose spinning weapon sent Bernard over again. Staglet grabbed hold of Cutlet, before loosening its grip after it was met by the presence of Alienator, which knocked Cutlet backwards with contact from its disc. Alienator then chipped away at Mammoth for a short period, with Cutlet and Staglet also trying to attack the walking machine, but neither able to affect it.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Cadet spun stationary on its own while the other robots tussled with one another. Bernard was next to drive at Mammoth, with DTK also joining in but only managing to lift Mammoth up slightly with its flipper. Staglet clasped Alienator - whose weapon had stopped working due to a chain falling out of place - and moved it into Typhoon Cadet, which continued to show little signs of movement. DTK attacked Mammoth once more, and nearly toppled it over after a side-on drive and flip.

Typhoon Cadet is flipped over by DTK

DTK continued to flip the opposition, with Staglet turned over twice, while Alienator charged into the Pit release button, although it came to a halt in doing so. Cutlet was the next machine to be flipped by DTK, and was unable to self-right. Mammoth used this as an opportunity to shuffle Cutlet towards the Pit, while DTK flipped Typhoon Cadet over, leaving it in Sir Killalot's CPZ. After a drawn-out trundle, Mammoth finally dropped Cutlet into the pit.

"Here we go! Very slow! Oh! Oh! Oh! Well done!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Mammoth edges Cutlet down into the Pit

Alienator begins to make its retreat from Refbot

Staglet soon followed in joining Cutlet down the Pit as it erroneously turned too far away in trying to escape DTK. Mammoth was then finally flicked onto its back by DTK, with its legs left flailing away at thin air. Alienator still remained stationary next to the Pit release button, which triggered Refbot into starting his countdown, although halfway to being eliminated from the fight, Alienator sprung back into life again and shot away, stopping Refbot's count. Typhoon Cadet wasn't able to prevent its own elimination though, and was nearly sent out of the arena by the Floor Flipper after being counted out. Mammoth was the next to be punished by an arena hazard after its own count out, as a cooker crashed down onto it from the Dropzone. Despite this, Mammoth was relatively undamaged and was able to exit the arena after the fight under its own power, although this was not shown on the televised broadcast

"Bernard... Don't think about taking on Sir Killalot... He's pushing Sir Killalot! Bernard was trying to push Sir Killalot into the Pit! That's like an ant pushing an elephant!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Bernard nudges the rear of Sir Killalot

Sir Killalot then pushed both Mammoth and Typhoon Cadet into the Pit, while Bernard poked around the rear of the House Robot as he carried out his duties, much to the amusement of Jonathan Pearce. In the remaining seconds, DTK shovelled Alienator towards Matilda, before cease was called, with three robots still mobile. The judges decided that Alienator had not done enough to progress, and sent Bernard and DTK through to the final.

Qualified: Bernard & DTK

Micro Mute vs Rampage 2 vs Gi-Ant-O vs Whipper

Rampage 2 drives Whipper backwards

Rampage 2 and Whipper immediately engaged in battle, but neither was able to launch a meaningful attack on the other. Meanwhile, Micro Mute had failed to move out from the CPZ and was approached by Sir Killalot. Micro Mute continued to spin around sharply next to Sir Killalot, while Gi-Ant-O was having problems of its own with its restricted movement. Whipper and Rampage 2 continued to tussle, with Rampage 2 then being clipped by the spinning weapon of Gi-Ant-O. Whipper suddenly came to a stop, with Rampage 2 using this as an opportunity to lift Whipper slightly off the arena floor.

"Is Whipper still mobile? It's being edged away."

— Jonathan Pearce

Ramage 2 hobbles around while Whipper sits immobile

Suddenly, Micro Mute shot across the arena floor and into the adjacent CPZ, where it then got stuck underneath the rear of Matilda. Micro Mute finally slipped free from Matilda, but in doing so was clipped by the House Robot's flywheel, sending Micro Mute outside the CPZ. Matilda followed this up with further attacks from her flywheel on Micro Mute's back end, while Rampage 2 carried the immobile Whipper across the arena.

The House Robots show no mercy to Micro Mute

Suddenly, Rampage 2 started to suffer from problems itself, as its right-hand drive had ceased to function, and it was now only able to spin around in circles. With Micro Mute's elimination confirmed by Refbot, Matilda threw it over with her tusks. The punishment didn't stop there for Micro Mute, which was then picked up by Sir Killalot, who dangled it in the circumference of Matilda's flywheel. Micro Mute sustained notable damage during this attack, which prompted Micro Mute team member, Adam Emmett, to leave his booth for the rest of the battle.

"A lot of painstaking work goes into these machines, but once you enter the arena you know what will happen if you are a beaten machine."

— Jonathan Pearce as Adam Emmett expresses his displeasure at the damage inflicted to Micro Mute

Gi-Ant-O's hopes come to an end

After their concerted attack, the House Robots worked together again to finally dispose of Micro Mute, with Matilda activating the Pit release button before Sir Killalot dropped it down into the Pit. Rampage 2 continued to drive around in circles next to the stationary Whipper, but despite their problems, the two machines progressed through to the final after Refbot carried out his countdown on Gi-Ant-O, with cease following afterwards.

Qualified: Rampage 2 & Whipper

Final

DTK vs Rip vs Prince of Awe vs Whipper vs Bernard vs Rampage 2

All six featherweight finalists do battle with each other

The robots engaged in battle, except for Bernard which drifted into the distance and activated the Pit release button. Prince of Awe tried to flip Rampage 2, but was flipped itself by DTK and was forced to self-right. Whipper then flipped DTK, which was showed off its own self-righting capabilities to get back onto its wheels. After being involved in a tussle with Prince of Awe, Rip drove at Bernard and tipped it up against the arena wall, with only another flip from Rip preventing Bernard from being completely stranded.

"Bernard in trouble and against the arena side wall, and there will be no way back from there for Bernard - unless it is given a helping hand, and it was by Rip! Why!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Rip flips Bernard back into contention

DTK slides Bernard into the Pit with Rip

The two machines continued to fight each other, with Rip sliding under Bernard and driving it towards the Pit, before flipping it over again inside the CPZ. Rampage 2's roll-cage then carried out its purpose twice in quick succession after flips from Prince of Awe and DTK. Meanwhile, Rip had started to lose power to its motors, and drove itself into the Pit to avoid being attacked by the House Robots, which the producers had warned Team Roaming Robots about prior to the match. Around the same time, Rampage 2 started to spin around on the spot, making it technically immobile as well.

"Rip drove itself into the Pit, Rampage 2 is moving on one wheel only. So, suddenly, they start to falter and drop."

— Jonathan Pearce as the first of the finalists start to be eliminated

Prince of Awe becomes the third robot to end up in the Pit

Rip was soon joined in the Pit by Bernard, which was slid to its doom by DTK after it found itself unable to retreat off DTK's front. Prince of Awe was then put under pressure by the other remaining machines, as it was flipped over by both Whipper and DTK. Rampage 2 was finally counted out by Refbot and placed onto the Floor Flipper by Sir Killalot, but before it was thrown, DTK had edged itself behind Prince of Awe and eliminated it from the competition by making it join Rip and Bernard in the Pit of Oblivion.

"And Prince of Awe has gone! And then, there were two..."

— Jonathan Pearce as Prince of Awe is eliminated, leaving only DTK and Whipper to fight

Rampage 2 lies outside of the arena

Whipper hobbled over the line in the remaining seconds as it began to lose drive on one side, while Rampage 2 was finished off in spectacular style as it was thrown out of the arena by the Floor Flipper. Cease was called, with the Judges called upon to decide between Whipper and DTK. They went in favour of the latter, and DTK was the new featherweight champion. Featherweight Champion: DTK

DTK, the Series 7 featherweight champion