- "Bit psychedelic, bit flower power, bit expensive - £2000!"
- — Philippa Forrester on Hefty
Hefty (also known as Tank Slapper during construction), was a competitor robot that fought exclusively in Series 3 of Robot Wars. It was eliminated in the first round after being flipped and immobilised by X-Terminator, and its cost was the subject of staged drama on the show as the wife of team captain Stuart Reynolds, Karen, was unaware of its true cost. After Philippa Forrester revealed the robot's cost as being £2000, Karen demanded that Stuart take her out to dinner as compensation for Hefty's loss.
- "It'll be Karen's house paying for that dinner."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Hefty subsequently returned for Series 4 the following year, relatively unchanged from its Series 3 appearance. However, it failed to qualify for reasons which are currently unknown.
Design
The insides of Hefty
Hefty was a rounded, wedge-shaped tracked robot which was built on a tank-like chassis (hence its original working name) and armoured with a black composite shell. Its primary weapon was a retracting spear which fired at 150lbs of pressure, and the robot was painted yellow and blue with multi-coloured flowers all over its bodyshell. Hefty was also originally intended to feature a self-righting mechanism consisting of two arms built into its sides, which had to be removed as they made the robot 2kg overweight. This ultimately cost Hefty in its only battle once it was flipped by X-Terminator.
Robot History
Series 3
Hefty is spiked by X-Terminator
Sir Killalot finishes off Hefty
- "All peace and love - except that spike on the front"
- — Jonathan Pearce
In Round 1 of the Third Wars, Hefty went up against fellow newcomers X-Terminator. Both robots started quickly with Hefty dodging X-Terminator's axe. Then X-Terminator landed an axe blow and its axe got stuck, but when it attempted to retract its axe Hefty was lifted up and was pushed onto its back. Sir Killalot then came in and lifted Hefty up by the track, and dumped it into the pit, eliminating Hefty from the competition.
Results
| HEFTY - RESULTS | ||
| Series 3 | ||
| The Third Wars - UK Championship Heats, Round 1 | ||
| Heat K, Round 1 | vs. X-Terminator | Lost |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| Series | Hefty Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Heat, Round 1 |
| The Fourth Wars | Failed to qualify |
| 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 |