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"...a completely new concept, a clusterbot, called Gemini. Twin sisters of mercy, or double disaster for the rest?"
— Jonathan Pearce in Series 4

Gemini was the first clusterbot to appear in Robot Wars, competing in Series 4-5 and the first series of Robot Wars Extreme. Built and entered by Team Mace, it was not as successful as the team's previous robot, Mace, reaching the Heat Final in Series 4, being eliminated in the second round in Series 5, and losing both its All-Stars and Mayhem battles in Extreme 1. However, Gemini won the Series 4 Pinball Warrior Tournament, as well as the 'Best Design' and 'Most Original Entry' awards in the same series.

Gemini was unable to enter Series 6 as a result of rule changes disallowing the soda stream bottles it used to power its flipping arms. With Team Mace being unable to fit suitable CO2 canisters without pushing the robot over the weight limit[1], it was not entered, and retired completely from Robot Wars shortly afterwards[2].

Design[]

"A first for British Robot Wars! Here, we have – long-awaited, I might add – a clusterbot."
Julia Reed introduces Gemini in Series 4
Gemini mag

Front view of the Gemini twins

Gemini was a two-part clusterbot, with each half armoured in fibreglass, reinforced with Kevlar (a lightweight choice of armour made to help ensure the two halves did not exceed the weight limit) and each half was equipped with gyro stabilisers and a pneumatic flipping arm capable of hoisting 250kg, operated by 1000 psi pneumatic rams. Each half of the robot had a top speed of between 5 and 6 mph[3], and the speed remained the same after the weight limit was raised for Extreme 1, despite each half being 10kg heavier[4].

"The “twins” idea came about because we didn’t want one machine to have a big weapon (like a big axe) and the other to have a weak one. We didn’t want one of them to stand out as being different from the other – otherwise the weaker one would always be a target. Also we wanted them to be able to keep up with each other. So we made them the same."
— Shane Howard, interviewed in Ultimate Real Robots magazine Issue 34[5]
Gemini arena

Gemini in the Series 4 arena before the Heat Final; note the red stripe on top of the right-most half's flipping arm

The chassis was made from 10mm thick fibreglass and 6mm aluminium. Each half of the clusterbot had 4 wheelchair motors, which were actually 15 years old at the time. The speed controllers were also taken from wheelchairs, with a turbo fitted to bypass the safety cut-off feature on the wheelchairs.

"We used the same on the other robots and we've stuck with them because they're simple and robust. ...You can't use the controllers as they have come straight off the chair because they have a built in safety feature, if the wheelchair runs into a kerb, the current automatically shuts off so the motors don't burn out - you don't want that on a robot. So we had to fit some heavy relays."
— Brian Fountain, interviewed in Ultimate Real Robots Issue 34[6]
Geminitogether

Gemini's official Series 4 image

During early builds, the flipping arms were made from 40 x 40 x 2mm thick aluminium window frame, which had a tendency to bend upwards with the force of the arms hitting the end stop of the rams, which left a gap from the floor when at rest, so steel plates were added to each side of the arms to brace and reinforce them to stop this from happening.[7] For Series 5, the arms were upgraded to 6mm thick, 500 mm diameter aircraft grade aluminium, which were much stronger.[8] The tyres were changed to solid tyres to prevent punctures, as one of Gemini's tyres had been punctured during its Series 4 battles[9].

"Gemini's had a few little modifications since last year, we've got solid arms this year, solid wheels, the shells have beefed up, and we're hoping to do really well this year"
— Brian Fountain lists the improvements to Gemini in Series 5
Gemini S5

Gemini in Series 5

Both halves entered the arena joined together, attached by a rear spring loaded 'Hook and Loop' mechanism with metal hooks on each half which latched onto rings on the other half. Upon the start of a battle, the Gemini twins would pull apart and operate as individual robots, which would allow them to attack independently or team up to dispose of fellow opponents. Each twin was painted black and red, with red wheels, silver flipping arms and yellow logos; in Series 4, one half also featured a red stripe on top of its flipping arm to distinguish it from the other.

For its appearance in the Series 4 Celebrity Special, Gemini was paired up with Anthea and Wendy Turner, with each half adopting eyes and wigs specifically for this special.

Gemini

The Series 5/Extreme 1 Gemini in the arena

In Series 4, Team Mace found that the Gemini twins had a tendency to wheelie, causing their front ends to lift whenever they accelerated too quickly. Although both twins could easily self-right, they were vulnerable whenever they were left in this position, so for Series 5 (as well as their Mayhem in Extreme 1, which was filmed at around the same time), wheelie bars were added to the back of both Gemini halves in order to alleviate this problem. The wheelie bars were made from fibreglass with a ball-bearing on the end that acted as a wheel[10]. However, they failed to resolve this problem in combat, and created a serious design flaw in that they prevented a Gemini half from self-righting or rolling back onto its wheels if it landed on one, usually leaving them beached on their backs and immobilised. This directly contributed to Gemini's losses to Napalm 2 and Reactor 2, despite having fought strongly in both these battles. Brian Fountain admitted in 2021 that the wheelie bars were quickly knocked up before their last battles and were completely untested.[11]

"It's a pity we made the last minute decision to pop wheelie bars on, we literally knocked them up during the time before we were on next so we broke our golden rule of test, test and test again and the rest was a very embarrassing moment, but that's life and the rest is history"
— Brian Fountain in April 2021 on the fault of the wheelie bars (edited)

The Team[]

Main article: Team Mace
Team mace

Team Mace with Gemini during Series 5

Gemini was entered by a team from St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex called Team Mace, who had previously entered Series 2 and 3 with Mace. Shane Howard was the team captain, and he and Brian Fountain both controlled one half of Gemini. Shane's son Daryl was also part of the team.

Brian Fountain revealed in 2021 that the idea of Gemini had actually been in the team's mind as early as building the first Mace for Series 2. According to Brian, he thought up the idea of a clusterbot when he received the information pack in the post regarding the rules of the show and robot designs.[12]

"Gemini was a brainchild I had as soon as we got the information pack through the post, giving all the rules and types of robot designs suggested and clusterbots was on the list. Mace was well underway by then so we went with it. So after the filming of Series 2, we got together to discuss what next, I popped the question to Shane "What about a clusterbot?". Shane dismissed it saying we would not stand a chance against a normal heavyweight bot and would take a lot of working out to produce something that would be effective, so we upgraded Mace to Mace 2 for Series 3. After Series 3, Shane said "Let's build a clusterbot for Series 4", so after many months of building and testing, Gemini was born"
— Brian Fountain on the origins of Gemini in 2021 (edited)

Qualification[]

Gemini qualified automatically for the Fourth Wars, being seeded 8th for the main competition due to Mace 2 reaching the Semi-Finals of the Third Wars.

Gemini did attend the Series 5 qualifiers, however it was later granted entry to the main competition and seeded 18th in recognition of the team's success in previous wars.

Robot History[]

Series 4[]

"A unique and brilliant innovation, the clusterbot, which will split into two machines on entering the melee. Fibreglass and Kevlar shells, pneumatic flippers, but Gemini, Killalot's a Leo, and lions rule our jungle!"
Jonathan Pearce after assessing Gemini's statistics

The eighth seeds Gemini made its Robot Wars debut in Heat F of the Fourth Wars. In its first-round battle, it faced newcomer, and future success robot Tornado and fellow series returnee Kater Killer.

"Watch for the split – there, straight away, the twins break up! Sisters of mercy, or daughters of doom, Gemini?"
— Jonathan Pearce as both halves of Gemini split up
Tornado,gemini kater killer

Tornado rams Kater Killer into one half of Gemini (top-right)

Immediately, both halves split up, whilst Tornado drove past them, got at the side of Kater Killer and rammed it down the arena, straight into Refbot, before pushing it into the wall. Tornado reversed, then drove back up the arena at Gemini, only to turn around and drive away when it got close. The red-topped half of Gemini drove at the side of Kater Killer, but Kater Killer reversed, so the half of Gemini turned and reversed away. Tornado charged into Kater Killer, pushing it into the red-topped half of Gemini, knocking it onto its back. The Gemini half wheelied away, and Kater Killer drove at the other half of Gemini, getting under the front, but the Gemini half reversed. Suddenly, Tornado rammed into Kater Killer's side and pushed it against the red-topped half of Gemini, which flipped Kater Killer over. Kater Killer tried to self-right, but its lifter did not open far enough to right itself, so it was deemed immobile. Tornado pushed it down the arena, then back up, tipping Kater Killer back upright. Before it could get away, Tornado rammed it to the top of the arena by a flamethrower, then pushed it into Shunt, who axed it and lifted it with his scoop. Kater Killer broke down at this stage, and Shunt pushed it out of the CPZ, but the red-topped half of Gemini drove up to it and flipped it back into the CPZ.

"There's part of the twins there, Gemini. A little nudge, and a great attack as well from the pneumatically powered flipper!"
— Jonathan Pearce as one half of Gemini flips Kater Killer back into the CPZ
Gemini vs katerkiller

Gemini throws Kater Killer into the CPZ

That half of Gemini drove down the arena, whilst the other half of Gemini flipped Tornado over. Tornado turned around, then charged into one half of Gemini, knocking it onto its back, but it reversed away. Whilst Sir Killalot grabbed Kater Killer by the lifting arm and pulled it out of the CPZ, Tornado rammed the red-topped half of Gemini, ramming it to the arena wall, right by an arena spike. Tornado reversed, and the Gemini half was undamaged. Both halves of Gemini stayed away from the other robots as Sir Killalot held Kater Killer on the flame pit, and Tornado started ramming Shunt around. However, Tornado rammed into the back of the red-topped half of Gemini, tipping it on its back and getting its spike in the armour, then rammed it by the pit as it opened.

"...the Gemini bots are spinning madly all over the place! This is bamboozling, bewitching stuff from Gemini!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini tussles with Tornado
GeminiflipsTornadoRound1

One half of Gemini flips Tornado over

Whilst Sir Killalot picked up Kater Killer, spun it and tossed it aside. Tornado kept chasing after the Gemini twins, one half tried driving at the front of Tornado and getting under it with the flipper, but reversed at the wrong moment and fell onto its back. Tornado pushed it and the Gemini half reversed, bumping into the immobile Kater Killer. Tornado pushed it against Kater Killer and turned to face it, and though the Gemini half tried getting the flipper under Tornado, it fell backwards as it drove forwards, allowing Tornado to get it away. The other half of Gemini got behind Kater Killer and flipped it, but could not overturn it, as Sir Killalot was nearby, and it only managed to flip it against his claw. Meanwhile, Tornado rammed the other half of Gemini into Kater Killer, then pushed it against Sir Killalot. The Gemini half reversed away, and Tornado rammed Kater Killer across the arena, into the arena wall, then pushed it down the wall into a CPZ at the bottom of the arena. Whilst Dead Metal grabbed Kater Killer and cut into it, Shunt attacked Tornado, flipping it over and pushing it around. Tornado sped away from the House Robot, but drove straight into the pit, before Dead Metal pushed Kater Killer in with it. However, as Kater Killer was immobilised first, it was eliminated, and Gemini and Tornado went through.

Julia Reed: "How has your clusterbot been performing so far, in the melee?"
Brian Fountain: "Pretty well, as we thought it would, except the last fight, we had a little technical trouble with one of the arms, wouldn't fire, but hopefully, we've had it sussed this time!"
— Brian Fountain discusses Gemini's problems in Round 1 before the second round

Unseen on the televised edit, after Tornado was flipped by Gemini, Shunt axed a hole in the underside, and Tornado drove into the pit as it was descending. The pit was raised to get Tornado out, with Gemini attempting to flip Tornado out of the pit as it was raised. When Tornado got out, Gemini flipped it over again, and Tornado began to have radio reception issues due to the damage to the aerial[13].

In the second round, Gemini faced The Creature, successor to Twn Trwn.

Julia Reed: "So you're both, the responsibility is shared between the two of you, two drivers."
Shane Howard: "Not just me anymore!"
Brian Fountain: "It's a proper team effort now."
Julia Reed: "Exactly, it's brilliant. And you're [Daryl Howard] going to be the lucky mascot, aren't you?"
— Julia Reed to Team Mace before the battle
Gemini vs the creature

The Creature is flipped by Gemini

As before, both halves split up straight away, whilst The Creature reversed. The two halves of Gemini drove to opposite sides of The Creature to launch a pincer attack, and whilst the red-topped half of Gemini held back, the other half charged into the side, getting under the ground clearance and flipping The Creature up on its side. One half of the fibreglass decoration became dislodged and fell off as The Creature fell back onto its wheels.

"Gemini splitting there, from the word activate to come in with a pincer movement on The Creature, and immediately flipping The Creature up and over! [Laughs] The Creature goes naked! Ho-Ho! Sheds its skin!"
— Jonathan Pearce as one half of Gemini flips The Creature on its side, causing half the decoration to fall off
Gemini vs The Creature

Gemini double-teams The Creature

After this flip, The Creature became immobilised. The red-topped half of Gemini tried to flip The Creature again, but didn't have the flipper properly underneath and fell on its back, and as it reversed for another attack, it fell on its back again. It got under the side of The Creature again, throwing it a full 360-degrees as it flipped it against the wall. Both halves of Gemini surrounded The Creature, pinning it against the wall, and the unmarked half flipped The Creature up on its side against the wall, though the red half did not line its flipper correctly, missing The Creature and getting its flipper under the other half of Gemini's flipper. Both halves of Gemini reversed, then got their flippers under The Creature, though the unmarked half had some problems as it wheelied a couple of times whilst trying to line up the flipper. When both halves of Gemini had their flippers under The Creature's wheel, they flipped together, throwing it over the fence and out of the arena, nearly hitting the camera with The Creature.

"Out of the arena – look at that – both of them, flipping it up and over! Tremendous attack from the Gemini! Whoa, look at that! Oh, you nearly hit our camera! Watch out Gemini, they're expensive!"
— Jonathan Pearce as both halves of Gemini dispatch of The Creature

In doing so, Gemini became only the second robot to throw another out in the show's history, and progressed to the Heat Final.

Craig Charles: "That answered all my questions! And you were saying you were going to build a bigger one!"
Shane Howard: "Certainly did! Yeah, a bit more powerful!"
Craig Charles: "I mean, that is the most powerful thing I've seen, that looked more powerful than Chaos 2, the reigning champion!"
Shane Howard: "Well, we've got two lifters, he only has the one, so we have a bit of an advantage, but I still think he's more powerful"
— Post-battle interview

There, it faced Tornado again, for a place in the series semi-finals.

"Well, it's very tense here, and looking at the robots, and their previous performance, I don't know who my money's on actually! We've got here, two sort of baby Chaos 2's have we not? Which could be formidable opponents..."
— Julia Reed on Gemini before the battle
Tornado vs gemini w refbot

Tornado rams Gemini into Refbot, shunting both robots towards the side wall

In the opening seconds, Tornado drove across the arena, keeping its distance as Gemini split up. Whilst Tornado turned around, the red half of Gemini approached it, but as it got close, Tornado drove around it and charged at the other half, ramming into it, knocking it onto its back, then drove past. As Tornado turned around, the unmarked half of Gemini reversed, and Tornado drove at it. As Tornado pushed the unmarked half of Gemini, the red half tried getting under Tornado's side, but then reversed as the unmarked half got its flipper under the front of Tornado and lift it up, but it only managed to lift Tornado a little, and as it slipped off the flipper, the Gemini half fell on its back.

"Now, each of those micro-bots then, half the weight of Tornado, but still, each can flip Tornado up into the air! Which makes it doubly impressive for me!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini tries flipping Tornado
Gemini immobilised

Tornado rams one half of Gemini towards the spike

This gave Tornado an opportunity to ram it against Refbot, and as Refbot reversed, Tornado rammed Gemini into the arena wall, then push it along the wall into an arena spike. The other half of Gemini came over, but Tornado reversed past it, then drove up the arena. Tornado turned around and rammed the unmarked half of Gemini against the arena wall. As Tornado reversed, the red half of Gemini drove between it and the other half, and tried to help it off the wall, but it turned as Tornado charged towards it. Tornado slammed the other half against the wall, then reversed for another charge, and before the unmarked half could get away, Tornado rammed it against the arena spike.

"...at the moment, Tornado is the heavyweight of this clash! Slamming in on part of Gemini, and I think impaling Gemini there! Not quite impaled on the arena spike, but Tornado coming back in to make sure, and I think half the robot is impaled on the arena wall!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Tornado rams one half of Gemini onto the arena spike
Gemini vs tornado

The surviving half of Gemini flips Tornado

The red half of Gemini drove at Tornado, but wheelied, and Tornado reversed, then charged at the red half of Gemini, ramming it against the arena wall. Tornado pinned the red half of Gemini against the wall as it tried to use its flipper to free the other half, and although it got the unmarked half off the spike, it had become immobile. Tornado reversed and rammed into the red half of Gemini, but it suddenly drove on one side due to one of the chains dropping off, leaving Tornado only able to turn back and forth. It drove into the side of the red half of Gemini, and Gemini fired the flipper, but missed as the flipper was not under Tornado. Tornado continued to turn back and forth, and the red half of Gemini tried getting under it, but Tornado turned around. The red half of Gemini followed, but then turned away, driving at the other half of Gemini, but one of its tyres had become punctured. As the red half of Gemini drove into its fellow half, Tornado rammed into it and reversed, and the red half of Gemini turned around and drove at Tornado.

"Gemini, the clusterbot, against Tornado, with the more orthodox look. And I think, part of the clusterbot trying to get the other side of the machine, the other twin off the wall."
— Jonathan Pearce
Gemini helping hand

Gemini helping each twin out

Despite steering difficulties due to the punctured tyre, it got under the front of Tornado and flipped it over, then went back to its fellow half, getting behind it and pushing it off the spike and flipping it, but it was still immobile. The red half of Gemini drove into the other half, tipping it on its back, but then turned away.

"...and the twins helping each other out there as well! Trying to breathe life into its twin sister there. But is it too late? They were warned! If part of a clusterbot is immobilised for more than 30 seconds, they would be dead and out of it!"
— Jonathan Pearce reiterates the 50% immobilisation rule as the remaining half of Gemini attacks Tornado
Gemini vstornado

The active Gemini twin flips and immobilises Tornado

The remaining Gemini then turned away, driving at Tornado and flipping it over again. Tornado reversed, driving onto a flame jet, but quickly turned off. The red half of Gemini drove at Tornado, and Tornado tried turning away, but Gemini got under the side and flipped it over. This caused Tornado to lose all power, completely immobilising it, and Cease was called.

"Tornado meanwhile, a clever game! It can work either side up, so flipping and tossing Tornado won't work! Will it go for the Judges, what's the decision here? Very close!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini's last flip immobilised Tornado

Although the red half of Gemini had managed to immobilise Tornado, the 50% immobilisation rule meant that Gemini as a whole was deemed immobile. As a result, it was eliminated from the main competition of the Fourth Wars; it was revealed afterwards that the impact with the arena spike had knocked the power leads off the batteries from inside the unmarked half[14].

Craig Charles: "Well lads, it was an amazing engineering feat, but you were aware of that rule!"
Shane Howard: "Oh yeah, yeah. They beat us fair and square!"
Craig Charles: "So it was quite a risky strategy really, wasn't it? What went wrong with half of it then?"
Shane Howard: "Yeah, yeah. It got rammed on that spike over there, and we think it's taken out the speed controllers, or one of the batteries or something."
Craig Charles: "See, when you've got two robots acting independently of each other, you've got two chances of going out, haven't you really?"
Shane Howard: "Yeah, but we got two big weapons as well, so two times more chance of getting thrown up in the air as well!"
— Post-Heat Final interview

Gemini later reappeared for two events held as part of the Fourth Wars, the first being the Pinball Warrior Tournament.

"Don't forget, this is a clusterbot! They can break apart, dash around the arena in different directions! ...Gemini in the pits, dark horses to win the Pinball Warrior challenge..."
— Jonathan Pearce during Gemini's Pinball Warrior run
GeminiSgtBashPinball

Gemini gets round Sergeant Bash in the Pinball

Both halves drove forward together, before splitting apart. The unmarked half drove to the edge of the see-saw, but then reversed, whilst the red half drove into the right-hand side set of barrels, easily knocking over all but one of them. Both halves approached the 50 point target area, guarded by Sergeant Bash, and Sergeant Bash targeted the unmarked half of Gemini, blasting his flamethrower as it approached, then blocking it, but this allowed the other half to easily get around him and hit the target. The red-topped half then drove to the multi-ball release.

"This is a great run by Gemini! Perhaps built for the Pinball Warrior Tournament, but once one half of Gemini is immobilised, that's it, that's the end of the run!"
— Jonathan Pearce as both halves of Gemini made rapid progress
GeminiPinball

One of the Gemini twins clears the see-saw

However, as it turned away, it drove straight into Sir Killalot, which pushed it forward a little, then turned around, pushing the Gemini half with his claw, allowing it to get free. It drove into the bottom semi-circle, guarded by Dead Metal, but quickly drove out. The unmarked half of Gemini pushed the ball away, and both halves quickly moved away as Sir Killalot drove between them, the unmarked half reversing, and the red half driving at the car door, which it hit to gain more points. Meanwhile, the other half drove up the arena and drove over the see-saw, getting the whole way over to get more points.

"...and a completed run, that's a rarity in the Pinball Warrior challenge! This is a magnificent run by Gemini!"
— Jonathan Pearce as the unmarked half of Gemini clears the see-saw

As it completed the see-saw, Sir Killalot drove at it, but the Gemini half reversed away, and Sir Killalot drove over the end of the see-saw, and up the arena past it. Meanwhile, the red half of Gemini managed to get around Matilda to hit her target, and the two halves drove past one another as the red half drove at Dead Metal and his target. Despite Dead Metal getting the red half of Gemini in its pincers, the red half of Gemini managed to hit the target. Whilst it was doing this, the other half of Gemini drove at Matilda, getting in front of her, then turning as she tried pushing it. It then drove out of Matilda's zone and towards the other set of barrels, but turned away without hitting any of them.

"Very strange they didn't go for the other barrels!"
— Jonathan Pearce whilst reviewing the highlights after the run

In the last few seconds, the unmarked half drove down the arena and into Matilda's zone again, driving at the target which the other half had already hit, and Matilda pushed it against the wall. The red half of Gemini drove out of Dead Metal's zone, but Sir Killalot blocked its path, so it turned around and drove through the car doors again just before time ran out.

"This is a magnificent run! The car door option swung again, that was Gemini! Points tallied everywhere!"
— Jonathan Pearce at the end of Gemini's run

Gemini had scored an exceptionally high score of 255 points, which was narrowly enough for it to displace Spawn of Scutter from the top of the leaderboard, only by 10 points, and it eventually won the Pinball Warrior Tournament outright.

"Well a great run right from the start! ...Action everywhere on the arena floor, up over the bridge, this was tremendous driving skill! ...They'll go close, very close! ...They're on top!"
— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights after the run

Gemini also made an appearance in the Celebrity Special, paired with TV presenters and journalists Anthea and Wendy Turner, who coincidentally both had Gemini as their star sign. As with the other celebrities, they decorated their robot, so Gemini was decorated with Kevlar wigs and eyes.

Wendy Turner: "This is the clusterbot! Which means it goes into the arena as one, then it comes out as two, which means double the trouble!"
Anthea Turner: "Which could be said about us!"
— The Turner sisters in their introduction

In its first-round battle, it faced former Grand Finalist Killertron and boxer Chris Eubank.

Julia Reed: "So are we gonna see the ferocious side of the lovely Turner sisters out there in the arena? The twin personality!"
Anthea Turner: "Oh yes!"
Wendy Turner: "Oh, the heavenly sisters? I'm not sure!"
Julia Reed: "Not too heavenly, we want battle ladies!"
Anthea Turner: "No, we're going out there to win! We're not messing about!"
— Pre-Round 1 interview
Killertronvsgemini

Killertron swings but misses Gemini

Both halves of Gemini hesitated before splitting, with the red half driving towards Killertron, whilst the other one stayed still. The red half drove in front of Killertron, and turned away as Killertron fired the axe, dodging the boxing glove. The Gemini half turned around and pushed against the axe handle. Killertron reversed, then drove back at one half of Gemini, firing the axe, but narrowly missing. That half of Gemini reversed and got the flipper under the side of Killertron, flipping it up, but not managing to get it over, and the other half of Gemini drove into the side of Killertron as it fell down. Together, both halves of Gemini pushed Killertron onto a flame jet and flipped it, but as they were facing different directions, one half being at Killertron's front and the other at Killertron's side, they did not manage to flip it over, instead flicking it back.

"You can hear the Turners squealing in delight"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini flips Killertron over the flame jet
CelebKillertronvsGemini

A Gemini twin flips Killertron over

One half of Gemini drove at the front of Killertron and tried flipping it, but it did not line the flipper up properly, getting it under a corner, so only managed to lift it a little. The Gemini half reversed, and got at Killertron's front and tried flipping again, but this time, it toppled forwards as it flipped Killertron, because Killertron had hit it with its boxing glove axe as it tried flipping. The Gemini half was stuck on its side, but suddenly Matilda rushed out of her CPZ, pushing past the Gemini half and knocking it back upright. As she charged forwards, she charged into Killertron and flipped it over with her tusks.

"Unbelievable, isn't it - Chris packs a punch 4 times bigger than Killertron, but not as big as the Turner girls!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Killertron is flipped over by Matilda
Geminivskillertron

Gemini flips but gets stuck on Killertron

Meanwhile, Sergeant Bash had also come out of his CPZ, and the other Gemini half drove away from him. Matilda used her tusks to flip Killertron back over, and the two Gemini halves surrounded Killertron, one half driving at its side, and the other getting under the front and flipping it up. Killertron went up, but fell back on its wheels. Killertron held its boxing glove over the flame jet, and Sgt. Bash blasted his flamethrower at Killertron. One half of Gemini got under the side of Killertron and flipped, but could not get it over, because the flipper got stuck under one of the wheels, and also because Sergeant Bash was in the way.

"There's one half of Gemini, are they sisters of mercy?"
— Jonathan Pearce as one half of Gemini holds up Killertron
CelebKillertronvsGemini2

Gemini overturns Matilda

The Gemini half pushed Killertron over the flame jet, but Sgt. Bash drove between Gemini and Killertron. Whilst Sergeant Bash roasted Killertron's boxing glove and Matilda used her chainsaw on it, one half of Gemini got under the side of Matilda and flipped her over. The other half tried getting under the side of Sergeant Bash, but couldn't, so turned away. Sir Killalot came over and used his lance to push Matilda back upright, and Dead Metal grabbed hold of one of the Gemini twins, but time ran out.

"Have a look at the tenacity of the Turner girls, straight from the start, attacking Chris Eubank and Killertron, trying to flick it up and over. ...Gemini did more of the attacking for me!"
— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights

The battle went to a Judges' decision, which went in favour of Gemini and the Turner sisters, putting them through to the second round.

Craig Charles: "You're through!"
Anthea Turner: "I know, I can't believe it! And I can't believe the tension, the excitement! However much you look at these models out there, we went into a little practice ring, nothing is like what it is out here!"
— Post-battle interview

During the battle, the wig fell off one of the Gemini halves and wrapped around the drive shaft, nearly immobilising it.

"I had to reverse to release it, an we nearly lost."
— Shane Howard, interviewed in Ultimate Real Robots magazine[15]

In the Semi-Final, they faced Diotoir and Vic Reeves.

CelebGeminivsDiotoir

Diotoir is flipped

Immediately, both halves of Gemini split up, with the red half driving past Diotoir. As Diotoir turned to face the red Gemini half, Sergeant Bash drove across the arena and fired his flamethrower at Diotoir, setting the side alight. The Gemini half tried to get under the side of Diotoir whilst avoiding the flipper, Diotoir pushed against it, knocking it onto its back. Diotoir fired the flipper, but Gemini was not on top of it, so this did nothing except knocking the spectacles loose. Diotoir drove down the arena away from Gemini, but as it turned around, Sergeant Bash came out of his CPZ again and torched Diotoir again, causing the other side to catch fire. The red half of Gemini got under the side of Diotoir and flipped it over, with Diotoir landing on top of the other Gemini half as it turned around nearby. The other half flipped Diotoir off, but this righted it.

"What is crucial in Robot Wars is that machines should have a low ground clearance. Diotoir has, but still Gemini could get in underneath and flip it up and over!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini flips Diotoir over
Gemini vs diotoir vs sgt bash

Gemini flips the flaming Diotoir on top of Sgt. Bash

The red Gemini half got under the front of Diotoir and flipped it over again, only for the other half to get under it and flip it back upright. As Diotoir fell back onto its wheels, the red half of Gemini rushed at its side and tried to flip, but did not get the flipper under Diotoir, causing it to miss. Both Gemini halves reversed, and Sergeant Bash came out of his CPZ again, driving around Diotoir and setting the back fur on fire. The red half of Gemini tried getting under the side of Diotoir and flipping, but didn't manage to overturn it, flipping it up on its side before it fell back down. The red Gemini reversed as Diotoir got away from Sergeant Bash, but drove into Matilda. Diotoir turned round, and the red half of Gemini drove at the front of Diotoir and tried getting underneath, but instead Diotoir got its flipper underneath, tipping the Gemini half on its back, although it quickly self-righted.

"She's hopping as much as Gemini! I did notice she wasn't driving at the time!"
— Jonathan Pearce sees Anthea Turner jumping up and down in delight as Gemini rights itself
Diotoir vs gemini

Diotoir pushes the immobile Gemini

It reversed into Matilda, but quickly got away, and both halves of Gemini drove at Diotoir and tried to get underneath, the unmarked half driving at the front, but failing to get its flipper underneath, whilst the other half drove at Diotoir's side, but Diotoir moved forwards, causing the red half of Gemini to miss its flip. One half of Gemini lost radio contact and stopped moving as Diotoir turned around, then reversed against the red half of Gemini, pushing it across the arena to one of the bottom CPZs.

"Ciarán there, Zulu, has spotted something I haven't. If that's true, and one part of Gemini is deactivated, then they're out! If one half of Gemini is immobilised, then both of them are out! If one half of Gemini is silenced, then both halves are silenced! Perhaps that goes for the Turner girls as well, I don't know!"
— Jonathan Peace as one half of Gemini becomes immobile
CelebGeminivsDiotoir2

Both halves of Gemini end up in the pit

The red half of Gemini turned around, and tried getting its flipper under the back of Diotoir as it tried getting away, but suddenly it broke down as well. The House Robots were too busy chasing Diotoir to notice Gemini's lack of movement, with Sergeant Bash chasing after Diotoir, trying to burn off the remaining fur. As he fired the flamethrower at Diotoir, the red half of Gemini regained mobility, and drove away up the arena. The pit opened, and Sir Killalot pushed the unmarked half of Gemini around with his claw, pushing it into the pit. Meanwhile, the other half had stopped moving again, and was put on the evil ejector, but was not thrown far as they put it on the front of the evil ejector. Shunt pushed the red half of Gemini down the arena and into the pit with the other half, eliminating Gemini and the Turner sisters from the Celebrity Special.

Craig Charles: "What happened there? You had two robots for the price of one and you still lost!"
Anthea Turner: "I know, and did you notice, that when you were on your back, we flipped you back over, giving you another life! It was actually nothing to do with..."
Wendy Turner: "It was Brian and Shane actually, was feeling so generous! We'd have left you there, on your back!"
— Post-battle interview

In addition to its Pinball Warrior victory, Gemini also received the 'Most Original Entry' and 'Best Design' awards in the Fourth Wars, both in recognition of its pioneering clusterbot design.

"Gemini, a clusterbot, the first ever! Brilliant design, a feat of engineering skill! Double trouble, a twin set, and furlong for the future! ...The winner, the brilliantly original Gemini, has that set a trend for the future? ...and Gemini once again. Two pneumatic flippers, each half independently controlled. You'd have to be a genius or schizo to come up with this design! And we say genius! A second award for Gemini, deservedly so!"
— Jonathan Pearce reading the Most Original Entry and Best Design Award nominations and winners

Extreme 1[]

"A clusterbot - you see, it splits in two! With a high-powered flippers and experienced team. When they split though, are they too lightweight to cause danger? Twice as nice, or double jeopardy?"
— Jonathan Pearce introduces Gemini in the Extreme 1 All-Stars

Gemini made two appearances in the first series of Robot Wars Extreme, one with and one without the newly-introduced wheelie bars. Sans wheelie bars, it first fought in the All-Stars Tournament, where it faced the then-reigning World Champion Razer in the first round.

Julia Reed: "So Team Gemini, what do you think your chances are against the almighty Razer?"
Brian Fountain: "Ohhh, well we got two robots, two weapons, two drivers!"
Julia Reed: "Two pairs of eyes! Could you be twice as lucky, do you think?"
Shane Howard: "We could be, but with a machine as good as Razer, you never can tell!"
— Pre-battle interview
Razer vs gemini

Razer grabs one of the Gemini halves

Both halves split up as Razer charged at it, and Razer quickly got under one half of Gemini and crushed into the top. As Razer pushed the Gemini half, the other half of Gemini rammed into Razer's side, but this did nothing to free its other half. The Gemini half in Razer's grip struggled against Razer, turning them around together, but Razer kept a firm grip. The other half of Gemini got behind its fellow half, and tried flipping the other half free of Razer, but it turned at the wrong moment, causing it to miss. Razer tried pushing the Gemini half, but the Gemini half continued to struggle against Razer, turning Razer one way and another as its wheels were still touching the floor. Razer lifted the Gemini half up with its crusher, and whilst the other half pushed into the back of its fellow half, the Gemini half tried firing the flipper to get off of Razer's crusher, but this did not free it. The other half tried flipping its fellow half to get it free, but although it managed to lift both Razer and the Gemini half, it did not get the Gemini half free. Razer crushed through the Gemini half's armour, but the other Gemini half got around Razer's side, and flipped it and its other half over together.

"...oh look! They tumble together, there. You've ever seen fighting crabs on a beach? That's what they look like, tumbling over together!"
— Jonathan Pearce as one of the Gemini twins flips Razer and its other twin over
Razer vs Gemini

Razer is toppled while holding one of the Gemini twins

Razer raised its crusher and tried to self-right, but the free Gemini half flipped it again, which knocked the other half free. The freed half drove forwards away from Razer and turned around, but it drove close to the CPZ, and Matilda came out of her CPZ to push it, and tried to flip it with her tusks, but the Gemini half got away. Razer self-righted, and chased after the same Gemini half it had attacked before. It got underneath, but the Gemini half turned and reversed away. As Razer drove after it, the other half of Gemini drove at the back of Razer, but Razer quickly turned away, getting beside the other Gemini half, which turned and reversed away. The other half of Gemini drove at Razer's side, and Razer turned and got underneath it, and grabbed hold of its flipper. The Gemini half struggled against Razer, turning the two around together, but Razer kept a firm grip, and held the flipper down as it tried to fire. However, the other half of Gemini got under Razer's side and flipped it over, also overturning its fellow half.

"Gemini, brilliantly designed, but how much effective weaponry is there when they split? Well you've just got the answer to that! Razer has been turned turtle again..."
— Jonathan Pearce as Razer is flipped over again
RazercrushesthroughGemini

Razer crushes through Gemini's armour

Razer kept hold of Gemini, holding its flipper down as it tried to fire, but then had to let go as it tried to right itself. The Gemini half quickly righted with a single flip, but Razer failed to self-right as the other Gemini half was behind it, preventing it from falling back to its wheels. The Gemini half flipped Razer, but instead of preventing it from self-righting, Razer bounced back onto its wheels because of the flip. Razer reversed as both Gemini halves chased it, and one half of Gemini drove onto Razer's front wedge, but quickly turned off as Razer tried to crush into it. The Gemini half turned, but hit its other half, then turned to face Razer. Razer got underneath it and tried to grab it, but the Gemini half turned off the front of Razer. Razer kept in close pursuit, getting under the Gemini half again, and though the Gemini half quickly drove off, it drove into the other half, and Razer got behind it, and crushed into the armour just above the wheel. Razer's crusher easily went though the armour and damaged the wheel.

"...oh, and there is the damage! Listen to the popping of the tyre, like a balloon popping, there!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Razer punctures the tyre of one of the Gemini halves

The other half of Gemini tried flipping its fellow half free, but missed its flip. As it turned around and drove under its fellow half, Razer lifted the crusher to let it go. Razer kept chasing that half of Gemini as it drove close to an angle grinder, then past a flame jet. The other half of Gemini drove after Razer, and Razer turned around, getting underneath that half, but couldn't get it under the crusher and the Gemini half quickly drove off. Razer drove across the arena, turned around, and drove into the front of one Gemini half, but it bounced off, and Razer kept going forwards, driving onto a flame jet. The Gemini half drove into the front of Razer as it turned to get off the flame jet, but Razer pushed past it. 'Cease' was called, and the battle went to a Judges' decision.

"Gemini, the two robots took punishment from Razer, that's definite. That was the first attack that left a scar. Good work by the Gemini clusterbot to throw Razer, Razer self-righting. All this good point scoring by Razer, and indeed the Gemini clusterbots too. This was this crumpling moment, look at that, is that decisive? I think it may well be!"
— Jonathan Pearce reviews the highlights

Unseen on the televised broadcast, however, the battle continued after this point, with Razer driving onto and being thrown upwards by the Floor Flipper, resulting in its front wedge being damaged. With Razer's mobility impaired, Gemini easily managed to flip it over, and Razer could not self--right as the arm was no longer working. Sir Killalot righted Razer, but Gemini flipped it over again. The Judges decided to judge the battle up to the point when Razer was thrown by the Floor Flipper activating, and the decision went in favour of Razer, eliminating Gemini from the All-Stars Tournament.

"...as we were travelling over the arena flipper the operators got trigger happy. The flipper is not supposed to be fired unless an IMMOBILE machine is dragged onto it, but for some reason it went off (note - this part of the fight was not shown in the edited version). Instead of being thrown sideways we went up vertically a good 1.5 metres. From our vantage point in the control booth it looked like we would fall down the internal mechanism! The lid closed just in time and we bounced away but took impact damage to the front wedge. We limped around and were overturned easily by Gemini, we then found the arm wasn't functioning and we couldn't self-right. Sir K gave us a helping hand back over but before the fight finished we had been turned over again and an ominous pool of hydraulic fluid was oozing over the floor. When the judges decision was made, it was decided that the fight was only to be scored up to the point where the flipper had gone off and so Razer gained the decision - a bizarre fight to start the tournament off with and we had work to do..."
— Team Razer website on the unedited part of the battle[16]

With the wheelie bars fitted, Gemini also competed in a Mayhem battle, where it, Napalm 2 and The Spider fought each other for a place in the second Annihilator.

Julia Reed: "Gemini, Napalm or Spider - who are you going to go for first?"
Shane Howard: "Whichever one gets there first!"
Brian Fountain: "Hopefully Napalm, we've been waiting for a Napalm for a couple of years now. Just to get rid of it once and for all really!"
— Pre-Mayhem interview
The Spider vs Gemini

One half of Gemini throws itself over while trying to flip The Spider

Gemini separated immediately, whilst The Spider drove into the back of Napalm 2, hitting it with its spinning blades. One half of Gemini drove at The Spider and tried to get under the side, but fired the flipper too early, before it was under the side, so missed. The Spider pushed Napalm 2, then drove past as Napalm 2 turned away, and the other half of Gemini drove at The Spider, but as it tried getting at its side, The Spider reversed, causing the Gemini half to also miss with the flipper. The Spider turned away and drove away, but drove into the arena wall. It turned around, and as it drove past the flame pit, Napalm 2 and one half of Gemini charged at it. The Gemini half drove at The Spider's front, trying to get under the front and flip, but it was knocked aside on impact, and missed with the flipper, causing it to fall on its back, and the wheelie bar prevented it righting itself.

"One of those Gemini clusterbots is up on its end, it'll need to come down don't forget, if one part of Gemini is immobilised, the robot is out!"
— Jonathan Pearce as one half of Gemini gets stuck on its back
Gemini beached

Both halves of Gemini become beached on their backs

The Spider drove into the Gemini half as it fell on its back, keeping it stuck on the back. The Spider reversed close to the flame pit, where the other half of Gemini was. As The Spider drove into the side of Napalm 2, the Gemini half got at The Spider's side, but The Spider drove off the flipper before it fired, causing the Gemini half to miss. The Spider pushed Napalm 2, then as Napalm 2 tried to turn away, The Spider rammed it into the wall. As one half of Gemini went over to help out its other half, The Spider reversed and turned, but reversed onto the flame pit, where it broke down, its aerial catching fire. Refbot counted it out, whilst Gemini righted the other half, and both halves went after Napalm 2. One half got under the back of Napalm 2, but as it did not have the flipper properly underneath, it only managed to flick it up a little and threw itself onto its back. Napalm 2 turned, and the other half of Gemini got at the side and flipped it up on its side, but it fell back onto its wheels.

"That leaves Gemini, and also Napalm, and Napalm's on its side."
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini flips Napalm 2
MayhemNapalmGeminiSpider

Both Gemini halves are counted out

As Napalm 2 turned away, the Gemini half tried using its flipper to flip the other Gemini half off its back, but it didn't get the flipper underneath properly, causing it to throw itself onto its back, and its wheelie bar left it stuck there. Refbot began counting it out, and both halves were stuck with their flippers open, and couldn't right themselves, so it was counted out.

"So, Gemini...wobble, wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble! Is it going to be...Napalm, with victory on a plate?! Because Gemini are being counted out by the Refbot! Well somehow, Napalm has contrived an unbelievable victory, without hardly doing anything! How on earth did that happen? Gemini, once again, flattering to deceive, and The Spider was awful!"
— Jonathan Pearce as both halves of Gemini are counted out
ShuntPItsGeminiHalfandNapalm

Shunt pits Napalm 2 and one half of Gemini together

Shunt pushed The Spider to the floor flipper, and after it was thrown, Napalm 2 pushed against one half of Gemini, using its plough to tip it back upright. The Gemini half used its flipper to right its other half, then got under the side of Napalm 2 and lifted it up with its flipper, getting its flipper under one of the wheels. Suddenly, Shunt rushed over behind Gemini and pushed it and Napalm 2 into the pit. The other half of Gemini drove around the pit, and got at the side of Shunt and tried to flip it, but could only lift it a little, and threw itself in its back, becoming stuck on the wheelie bar again.

"Well, Gemini's finally come to life again, it's far too late! Counted out by the Refbot, and look, "I've had enough!" says Shunt "You can all go down there!""
— Jonathan Pearce as Shunt pits Gemini and Napalm 2 together

Despite being pitted, Napalm 2 went through to the second Annihilator.

Series 5[]

"The wonderful Gemini is the only clusterbot we've seen on Robot Wars, with two flippers. It's double the trouble, and leaves its opponents in a spin or out of the arena!"
Philippa Forrester at the start of the Heat

Gemini returned for the Fifth Wars as the eighteenth seed, ten places down from its last seeding. In its first round battle, it fought series newcomer Ruf Ruf Dougal.

"The original clusterbot! Brilliant design, won the Pinball Warrior event in the last series, but in battle the flippers haven't caused enough damage, and with the 100 kilos split into the two machines, it could again be too lightweight I fear!"
— Jonathan Pearce describes Gemini before the battle
Gemini vs Ruf Ruf Dougal

Part of Gemini lifts Ruf Ruf Dougal up

Both halves split up as usual at the start as Ruf Ruf Dougal turned around. One half of Gemini drove at Ruf Ruf Dougal's side and tried to get underneath, but Ruf Ruf Dougal turned against it, pushing that half around. As the other half of Gemini got the other side and tried getting underneath, Ruf Ruf Dougal reversed, with one Gemini half following after it, trying to get under the side. Ruf Ruf Dougal turned away, but the other half of Gemini drove at Ruf Ruf Dougal's side, getting the flipper underneath and flicking it up.

"So will Ruf Ruf Dougal concentrate on one machine, go for both, or simply concentrate on survival?"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini flips Ruf Ruf Dougal up
DougalpushesGeminiback

Ruf Ruf Dougal pushes one half of Gemini in reverse

Landing back on its wheels, Ruf Ruf Dougal reversed into the Gemini half that flipped it, but this allowed it to get under the back and lift it up with its flipper, holding it up for a time, before dropping it as the other Gemini half drove to the front of Ruf Ruf Dougal. Ruf Ruf Dougal turned and reversed against the Gemini half, pushing it across the arena, slamming it into an angle grinder. As the Gemini half drove away, Ruf Ruf Dougal turned and drove forwards, but drove straight into Sir Killalot's claw. It reversed straight away, but reversed into an angle grinder, and one half of Gemini was ready for it there. It tried getting underneath the side of Ruf Ruf Dougal, so Ruf Ruf Dougal drove forwards, but Sir Killalot used his claw to push it against the wall. Sir Killalot let Ruf Ruf Dougal go, and it reversed and turned to fight, chasing after one half of Gemini, but as it got close, the other half of Gemini rushed over, and as Ruf Ruf Dougal turned to face it, it pushed against Ruf Ruf Dougal and tried to get under the side. However, it couldn't, so it reversed.

"Gemini – nagging, and worrying. They look like two little fleas in the dog fur out there!"
— Jonathan Pearce as both halves of Gemini put pressure on Ruf Ruf Dougal
GeminiripsDougalcoat

Gemini rips through Ruf Ruf Dougal's fur

Ruf Ruf Dougal drove down the arena, driving over a CO2 vent, when blew upwards, knocking off one of its ears. As Ruf Ruf Dougal reversed, the two Gemini halves got around it, one at the side and one at the back. The one at the back tried getting the flipper underneath and flipping, but as the other half tried getting its own flipper underneath, it pushed against Ruf Ruf Dougal's side, pushing it off the flipper and causing the other Gemini half to miss. Ruf Ruf Dougal turned to avoid the flipper, turned and drove away from Gemini. It tried to reverse up the arena, but one half of Gemini intercepted it, pushing it against an angle grinder, getting the flipper under the side and flipping it up, but couldn't quite get it over. The other half of Gemini rushed in underneath Ruf Ruf Dougal, but couldn't flip it over.

"Despite being told we'd only last 5 seconds without a self righting mechanism, Gemini didn't get us over."
— The Ruf Ruf Dougal website on Gemini's struggle to flip Gemini over[17]
Gemini vs RRD

A Gemini twin finally turns the newcomer over

As that half of Gemini held Ruf Ruf Dougal still, the other half got around the side, getting the flipper under the fur and firing the flipping, ripping the fur loose. The half of Gemini underneath Ruf Ruf Dougal reversed, pulling Ruf Ruf Dougal with it, then managed to use its flipper to get out from under Ruf Ruf Dougal, then lowered the flipper to let Ruf Ruf Dougal go. Ruf Ruf Dougal drove down the arena towards the pit release button, but turned around as both halves of Gemini drove after it. One half of Gemini got under the front corner of Ruf Ruf Dougal and flicked it up. As it fell, the Gemini half pushed it against the pit release button. This knocked out its removable link, leaving it immobile[18]. One Gemini half got its flipper under the fur of Ruf Ruf Dougal and fired the flipper, ripping a large patch loose. The Gemini half reversed, then both halves rammed into Ruf Ruf Dougal, one half getting at the side and flipping at the side fur, the other half getting behind and lifting it up with the flipper. That Gemini half got stuck underneath Ruf Ruf Dougal, then used its flipper to get out from underneath, also flipping Ruf Ruf Dougal over. Without waiting for Refbot to count it out, Sir Killalot came over and grabbed Ruf Ruf Dougal by the frame, lifting it up and dropping it over the fence. Gemini was therefore victorious, and progressed to the second round.

There, it faced Series 4 returnee Reactor 2.

Philippa Forrester: "You feeling alright about them over there?"
Shane Howard: "Yeah, I think it should be quite a good fight."
Philippa Forrester: "You're slightly worried about their weapon though, I know, aren't you?"
Shane Howard: "A little bit, yeah. They can grab hold of us you see, apparently!"
Philippa Forrester: "Okay, but then double trouble, don't forget!"
— Pre-battle interview
Reactor2axesGemini

Reactor 2 axes one half of Gemini

Gemini split and drove at Reactor 2 as its opponent drove towards it. Reactor 2 drove at one half of Gemini, getting its flipper underneath, but the Gemini half quickly drove off, causing Reactor 2 to miss with the flipper. Reactor 2 turned and tried to use its axe on the same half, but missed, then reversed as the other half tried to get under its side. That half of Gemini reversed, and Reactor 2 drove after it, trying to turn under it, but turned too far and missed with the flipper. That half drove behind Reactor 2 and tried to get underneath and flip, but Reactor 2 turned so that the Gemini half would reverse and turn away.

"Gemini, the design is brilliant - they split, they move quickly, they nag, they worry, but I wonder how effective the flippers are of Gemini. The total weight is 100 kilos, but split between the two, are they powerful enough to upend a 99 kilo opponent? You see, they can… just irritate, and annoy, but unless they attack together like that – were they impotent? The answer - when they do attack like that, they can cause real peril!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini pursues and flips Reactor 2
GeminiFlipsReactor

Gemini flips Reactor 2 over

Reactor 2 reversed after it, firing the axe, but narrowly missed. The other half of Gemini tried to get under the front of Reactor 2, but failed. Reactor 2 turned around, and as it did so, it hit one half of Gemini with its axe, but the axe landed on its flipper as it fired and did no damage. As Reactor 2 turned, the other half of Gemini got behind it and flipped, but only managed to flick it up a little. Reactor 2 turned around, and one half of Gemini drove at its front. Reactor 2 flipped, but only managed to lift it a little as the flipper was not fully underneath. Reactor 2 turned around as the other Gemini half drove at it, and Reactor 2 managed to hit it with the axe. The Gemini half tried to flip Reactor 2, but turned at the wrong moment and missed with its flipper. Reactor 2 turned around and drove towards the pit release button. Both halves of Gemini drove after it, and as they got close, Reactor 2 turned, which exposed its side, and one half managed to flip Reactor 2 over.

GeminiHoldsReactoronFlames

Gemini holds Reactor 2 on the flame pit

Reactor 2 rolled, but hit the wall, preventing it from rolling back onto its wheels. Reactor 2 fired the axe, but this didn't give it the momentum to roll over, then tried firing the flipper, but this merely pushed the robot closer to the wall. Reactor 2 fired the flipper again, which knocked the robot over as it closed. Both halves of Gemini chased Reactor 2, which drove into Shunt, but as the two halves got close, Reactor 2 hit one of them with its axe, so that half turned away. The other half got close enough to flip, but Reactor 2 reversed, so that half of Gemini turned away, and Reactor 2 drove by the flame pit. As Reactor 2 turned around, one half of Gemini drove behind it and tried to flip, but Reactor 2 turned, causing it to miss with the flipper. The other half of Gemini drove at Reactor 2 and tried to get underneath, managing to raise Reactor 2 up and lift it onto the flame pit, holding it there for a short time, before dropping it. The other half of Gemini tried to flip Reactor 2, but could only lift it a little, and Reactor 2 turned off the flame pit. Reactor 2 drove to the arena centre and turned around, and one half of Gemini drove after it, tried to get the flipper under the side, but Reactor 2 turned, and though Gemini kept at the side, trying to get the flipper under the wheel, but couldn't get the flipper underneath, so it merely slid along the side. That half of Gemini chased after Reactor 2, trying to get under the front, but instead got under the flipper plate.

"Gemini worrying them. Been a good battle this. Intriguing clash of designs, temperament, driving styles..."
— Jonathan Pearce as the two Gemini halves try to get under Reactor 2
Geminihelpsfellowtwin

Gemini helps its fellow half to self-right

Reactor 2 spun around, and the two halves of Gemini surrounded it, with one half getting behind it, but didn't have enough power left in its flipper to lift Reactor 2. The other half tried getting under Reactor 2's side and flip, but didn't get the flipper under Reactor 2 properly, so missed. The other half of Gemini got at Reactor 2's other side and tried to flip, but also missed as it failed to get the flipper underneath. That half drove away, and the other half tried getting at Reactor 2's side, but Reactor 2 turned against it, so the Gemini half failed to get the flipper underneath and missed again. Reactor 2 turned against the other half of Gemini, but mistimed a flip and exposed its rear to the other half of Gemini, which drove in and flipped it over, but Reactor 2 rolled back on its wheels. One half of Gemini got behind Reactor 2 and tried to flip, but did not have enough power left to even lift Reactor 2. Reactor 2 drove forwards, and the other half of Gemini got behind and flipped, but only lifted Reactor 2 up a little. Reactor 2 turned, and both halves of Gemini blocked it. Reactor 2 reversed as one half tried to flip it. The other half tried to get under the side and flip, but fired the flipper prematurely, throwing itself onto its back, with the rear wheelie bar leaving it stuck.

"One of the Gemini machines is upended! If one goes, they both go! Have they been immobilised there!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini gets stuck on its back

The other half of Gemini was chasing Reactor 2, but when it saw the other half was stuck, it turned to help. This gave Reactor 2 the opportunity to get under it and flip it over, but the Gemini half managed to right itself, though the flipper was clearly low on power. The Gemini half flipped the other half onto its front, and though Reactor 2 drove into it and pushed past it, that half could still right itself.

"Brilliantly self-righting there! Shane Howard - great skill! Brian Fountain - superb control! And Gemini, the twins of terror, back on the attack once again!"
— Jonathan Pearce as the upended twin manages to self-right
Gemini on its back

Reactor 2 takes out the Gemini twins

The other half of Gemini tried to get under the side of Reactor 2 but failed to get the flipper underneath properly, so missed, then reversed away. One half of Gemini drove straight at Reactor 2, and Reactor 2 flipped it onto its back, the wheelie bar leaving it stuck. The other half of Gemini rushed in and tried to flip it over, but did not have enough power left in its flipper to right the other half. As the Gemini reversed to have another attempt, Reactor 2 drove underneath it and flipped it over. It tried to right itself, but did not have enough power in its flipper, leaving it stuck on its back as well, the wheelie bar holding it off the floor.

"Once more though, is that one of the twins in trouble? Is that the other twin in trouble? Reactor 2 here has been dogged and determined! They try and self-right once again. Is there enough power left in that flipper for Gemini to self-right? I think they've got real problems here!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini gets stuck on its back
Dead Metal Gemini

Dead Metal goes into the pit with Gemini

With both halves stuck, Refbot came in to count them out, leaving Reactor 2 as the surprise victor. Dead Metal grabbed one half of Gemini, cutting into it with his saw, and the pit opened. Dead Metal pulled the Gemini half, turned it around and pushed it into the pit, but drove too far, getting its wheels stuck.

"...and one by one, the Gemini twins, who have always promised so much but failed to deliver, will be dumped into the pit, and Dead Metal's gone in there with them!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Gemini is pitted

This was Gemini's last appearance.

Craig Charles: "Gemini, what happened? You were all over them like little busy little ants! You were doing so well, you were flipping them over, I thought you had it in the bag! And then, they flip you on your back, and it looked like you didn't have enough gas or air to flick yourself back over!"
Shane Howard: "We invented wheelie bars to stop that annoying wheelying, and that was the only thing that could have stopped us. And they jumped up onto that wheel, and when both are like it, we can't self-right!"
Craig Charles: "Unlucky guys, unlucky!"
— Post-battle interview

Results[]

GEMINI - RESULTS
Series 4
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship
8th Seed, Heat Final
Heat F, Eliminator vs. Kater Killer, Tornado Qualified
Heat F, Semi Final vs. The Creature Won
Heat F, Final vs. Tornado Lost
Pinball Warrior Tournament
Champion
Pinball 255pts 1st
Celebrity Special
Round 2
Round 1 vs. Killertron Won
Semi Final vs. Diotoir Lost
Extreme Series 1
All-Stars
Round 1
Round 1 vs. Razer Lost
Other Battles
Mayhem
Mayhem Qualifier vs. Napalm 2, The Spider Lost
Series 5
The Fifth Wars - UK Championship
18th Seed, Heat Semi-Final
Heat D, Eliminator vs. Ruf Ruf Dougal Won
Heat D, Semi Final vs. Reactor 2 Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 4
  • Losses: 5

Series Record[]

Main Series Gemini Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Entered with Mace
The Third Wars Entered with Mace 2
The Fourth Wars Heat Final
The Fifth Wars Heat, Round 2
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
Robot Wars Extreme Appearances
Series 1 Entered
Series 2 Did not enter

Gallery[]

Outside Robot Wars[]

Gemini in 2016

Shane Howard's half of Gemini in 2016

Gemini16

Brian Fountain's half of Gemini at his charity event in 2016

AWGemini

geMINI, an antweight version of Gemini

Following Series 5, Gemini was retired from robot combat and Team Mace disbanded in 2003.[19] Brian Fountain moved to Scotland and took half of Gemini with him, while the other half of Gemini, as well as Mace, remained with Shane Howard.[20] Presently, both members of Team Mace still own their halves of Gemini, while Mace has been deconstructed.[21] In 2016, both halves were seen on display. Shane's half appeared at an unknown event while the half owned by Brian Fountain was displayed along with Mini Mace at a local Tesco supermarket, as part of a charity event organised by Brian himself.

In February 2021, Team Asimov's Loophole were given permission by Brian Fountain to create an antweight replica of Gemini. The replica, named geMINI, has a working flipper, and was built in commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of Robot Wars debuting on television.

Appearances in Merchandise[]

Trivia[]

  • During construction, the team first built a full scale cardboard model to check how the internals would fit, then made a hardboard shell and fitted it to a working robot, before using the hardboard shell to make a fibreglass mould, which was used to make Gemini's shell[22].
  • Whilst testing the robot in the front garden, one half of Gemini wheelied, and as it slammed down, the turbo kicked in, sending it ploughing through several neighbouring gardens before coming to rest with its wheels churning up a flowerbed[23].
  • George Francis of Team Chaos acknowledged Gemini as his favourite robot from Series 4 on the Team Chaos website[24].
  • Gemini is one of only seven robots to score more than two hundred points in a Pinball Trial or side competition. The other robots to have achieved this are Roadblock, Killerhurtz, Spawn of Scutter, Panic Attack, King B3 and Razer.
  • The team intended to have a third battery in Gemini, which would kick in for extra power, but this could not be achieved within the weight limit[25].
  • Gemini was one of two robots to win two different awards, the other being the Plunderbird series. Unlike Plunderbird, however, Gemini won both its 'Best Design' and 'Most Original Entry' awards in the same series, the only time this happened for any robot.
  • Gemini and 3 Stegs 2 Heaven are the only robots originating from a team with a previous record of consecutive series Semi-Finals to never win a heat. Coincidentally, both of these robots were seeded eighth at the time of their first heat losses.
  • Gemini is one of only three robots to compete in multiple series and be seeded in each of them, the other two being Spawn Again and Wheely Big Cheese. However, it is the only one of the three not to win its heat in any of its appearances.
  • Gemini's defeat against Tornado made it the highest seeded robot in Series 4 which was a previous series Semi-Finalist not to reach the Semi-Finals in that series.
  • Gemini was one of six robots to never win a heat in any of the series in which they were seeded (not counting robots who were only seeded once). The others were 101, Behemoth, S.M.I.D.S.Y., Suicidal Tendencies and Team Hurtz.
  • In Series 4, Gemini was seeded eighth and in Series 5, it was seeded eighteenth, dropping down ten places.
  • Two of Gemini's defeats involved both halves being beached on their backs and being counted out by Refbot before one half was pitted.
  • Napalm was the only robot that beat Gemini not to fight Firestorm at any point nor appear in the same episode as it.
  • In both Gemini's appearances in the main competition, it won a battle where its opponent was thrown out of the Arena.
  • After Gemini's defeats in Extreme 1 and Series 5, caused by the wheelie bars leaving each half of Gemini stuck on its back, the team intended to make a spring-loaded version of the wheelie bars to prevent this, but this was never used as Gemini was retired after Series 5[26].
  • Both of the robots that beat Gemini in the main competition would then lose at some point in that series by getting flipped out of the arena by an eventual Grand Finalist.
  • Gemini made a cameo appearance in the Extreme Warriors: Season 1/Civil War.

Honours[]


References[]

  1. Robot Mayhem forum (Archived)
  2. Robot Gemini, Comments Section - YouTube
  3. Robot Wars: The Official Robot Guide
  4. Robot Wars Extreme: The Official Guide
  5. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 34, page 13
  6. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 34, page 15
  7. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Brian Fountain in April 2021
  8. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Brian Fountain in April 2021
  9. Robot Wars Extreme: The Official Guide
  10. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 35, page 14
  11. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Brian Fountain in April 2021
  12. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Brian Fountain in April 2021
  13. Tornado - Robot Diary - Series 4 (Team Tornado website)
  14. Tornado - Robot Diary - Series 4 (Team Tornado website)
  15. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 34, page 15
  16. [http://web.archive.org/web/20020802011119/http://www.razerlewis.fsnet.co.uk:80/RazerRWarsAllStars.htm Team Razer website - All-Stars (Archived)
  17. [http://web.archive.org/web/20160313080027/http://splashwomble.netii.net/filmingseries5.html Ruf Ruf Dougal website - Series 5 Filming (Archived)
  18. [http://web.archive.org/web/20160313080027/http://splashwomble.netii.net/filmingseries5.html Ruf Ruf Dougal website - Series 5 Filming (Archived)
  19. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Brian Fountain in April 2021
  20. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Brian Fountain in April 2021
  21. Private correspondence between RobotManiac and Daryl Howard in April 2021
  22. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 34, page 14
  23. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 35, page 14
  24. Team Chaos website, UK Robot Wars Series 4 (Archived)
  25. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 34, page 15
  26. Ultimate Real Robots, Issue 35, page 15

Navigation[]

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