Razer

Razer
Razer, in its Series 6 appearance
Participation Information
UK Series	2-6, Extreme 1-2
US Season	1-2
German Series	1
Team Information
Team	Team Razer
Team Members	Ian Lewis Simon Scott Vincent Blood (Series 3-6, Extreme 1-2)
Robot Statistics
Weight	91.5kg
Dimensions	0.41m x 1.14m x 0.60m
Top Speed	11mph
Power	2 x 1KW electric motors
Weapons	Hydraulic crushing arm and front scoop
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"...overall it would have to be Razer...a beautiful and distinctive design and technically very impressive..."

— Mat Irvine on the robot that most impressed him

Razer was a robot that competed in the British television game show Robot Wars originally constructed from steel with an aluminium chassis and wheel guards and a top speed of 11mph. A misconception perpetuated by Jonathan Pearce in Series 2 was that Razer was named after Neil "Razor" Ruddock, a West Ham footballer. In reality, its name was simply an extension of the verb "raze", which means "To level to the ground (e.g. a building)".

It is statistically the greatest robot in the show's history, with forty-one battle victories against only six losses and eight championships to its name. It was a roughly wedge-shaped robot with a powerful mechanical claw weapon exerting 9 tonnes of pressure (3 tonnes at the tip), looking somewhat similar to a scorpion's tail, running off a 3000PSI, 5-piston radial hydraulic pump powered by a 12V car starter motor. This weapon, described as "part bird, part reptile" by commentator Jonathan Pearce, was one of the most powerful weapons in Robot Wars history, being able to penetrate deep into robots and damage their inner mechanics. It was filled with over 450 holes that were drilled to keep Razer within the permitted weight boundaries. The original Razer took 3 months, and the team spent 4 months improving the weapon, adding a self-righting mechanism and improving the general reliability.

In Series 3, two "wings" were added to the side of the crushing arm to serve as a self-righting mechanism, should Razer ever be flipped over (as well as making it able to give its infamous "salute"). The mechanism worked twofold; it fired the wings and locked the beak in the full upright position, so that when Razer rolled back over the tip of its scorpion tail would cushion the impact of hitting the floor, protecting the vulnerable underbelly from damage.

During Extreme 1, the armour was upgraded, the transmission improved and a heavier wedge was added to the front of Razer to allow it to drive robots on to the immediate mercy of its claw (it used this to great effect against Firestorm, Dantomkia and Tornado in particular) making it viciously nimble and accurate. In addition, Razer had an adjustable 'torsion bar' suspension that allowed very precise positioning of the front wedge 'snout', ultimately allowing it to lower or raise the wedge. It may have been remotely adjusted, but this is unclear.

Despite all this, Razer did have one glaring and persistent weakness in that it was heavily unreliable. In its first three wars, it lost due to various mechanical and electrical faults. These were mostly fixed by Series 5, but in its very last battle in Extreme Series 2, it broke down once more after its motors, which were from a trolley shop caddy, burnt out. In Extreme 2, the team spent £1,000 worth of new batteries and speed controllers and the wheels were redesigned with small spikes for additional traction.

The robot competed in Series 2-6 of Robot Wars, winning the fifth series and several side competitions, including the first two Robot Wars World Championships. Razer was created by Simon Scott (the team captain), Ian Lewis (whose main hobby was swimming with sharks) and Vincent Blood, from Bournemouth.

For its tremendous success in Robot Wars and the innovations in both its appearance and design, Razer was inducted into The Combat Robot Hall of Fame in the year of its opening. It was the only UK robot to receive unanimous selection.

In 2016 Ian Lewis was interviewed about whether he would enter Razer for the reboot. He said there was a high possibility that Razer would return.

"If we did enter Robot Wars again, which we are interested in doing, it would be a slightly updated version of Razer."

— Ian Lewis, Wired.co.uk

Following the announcement, several new images of Razer have appeared on the team's official Facebook page, one with Ian Lewis working on it and another with the caption "the force awakens".

Rivalries

Tornado

Razer and Tornado duel for the first time

Razer's most famous rivalry was with the Tornado team. The two robots first met in the All-Stars final in Extreme Series 1, in which Razer immediately grabbed hold of Tornado and tried to pierce the tyres of its opponent. Tornado briefly escaped but Razer grabbed hold once again, doing more damage and leaving it immobilised. This left Razer able to easily push Tornado into the pit. Their next encounter was in the semi-finals of The Second World Championship, which ended with a similar outcome. Once again, Razer quickly grabbed hold of Tornado and pierced through its armour. Razer then picked Tornado up and held it over the pit, eventually dropping it in.

Tornado wielding the controversial anti-crusher web

"Many people could not believe what we had built, and even Craig and Philippa came into the pits specially to see the weapon..."

— Tornado website

Following these easy Razer victories, Tornado developed a special weapon for use in future battles between the two machines. It was a front-mounted spinning blade, supported by a large metal frame around the whole robot. The first time this weapon was used against Razer was in Extreme Warriors, in the semi-final of the International Championship. In this battle, Tornado was able to push Razer around easily, but when it pushed Razer into the CPZ, the House Robots attacked the cage when they weren't supposed to. Razer also ripped out Tornado's weapon motor in one of the attacks. The judges, however, gave the match to Tornado. Team Razer were so appalled, they confronted the judges directly. The judges had ignored the attacks on the cage by the House Robots, which they deemed should not have happened, but it became clear that they had accidentally mistaken Tornado's motor for Razer's wheel. The decision stood, but judge Noel Sharkey later said it was one of the worst moments of his career.

The two robots met again in the Grand Final of Series 6, and Tornado used its anti-crusher device once more. In response to this weapon, the Razer team added an extended claw to the end of its beak, but all it could do was grab the frame of Tornado, and Tornado was able to push Razer around the arena and slam it into the arena walls. Eventually Razer was able to lift Tornado and carry it over to the pit, but Tornado's frame meant that it could not be dropped into the pit.

"They can't get them down the pit! Look at that, it's an anti-pit device as well!"

— The anti-crusher web plays a pivotal role in the outcome of Series 6.

Cease was called and Tornado took Razer's crown of UK Champion. This decision was arguably the most controversial of all time, and spawned an undying feud between Razer and Tornado fans.

"Incredible controversy! I mean, all our fans have been emailing us and saying "You were cheated!", "You were robbed!", so we've got to get our revenge for the fans!"

— Vinnie Blood, interviewed in Extreme Series 2, speaking of the Sixth Wars Grand Final.

Tornado used the spinning blade and framework again in the semi-final of the European Championship in Extreme Series 2, but Razer had developed a new add-on in the shape of an upward-facing hook, which would be used to grab hold of Tornado's frame. The hook worked well, and Razer was able to lift Tornado by the frame. Razer opened the pit and tried to carry Tornado towards it, but the motors burnt out and it was unable to finish Tornado off. The judges went for Razer, but the team later decided to give the victory to Tornado as they felt that they had been immobilised.

Robot History

Series 2

The original Razer in Series 2, without self-righting wings

Razer pushes back Shunt

In the Gauntlet, Razer went straight for the ramrig, but found it hard to point straight down the ramrig and in its delay was trapped by the saws. The saws soon retracted, and Razer was able to get through to Shunt. Razer drove in underneath Shunt and pushed the house robot straight back to the endzone.

"Razer to take on Shunt, and pushing him back! Now that's enormous power! Oh, what a tremendous run! That was formidable!"

— Jonathan Pearce on Razer's Gauntlet run

In the football trial, the Razer team attached a metal bar to the crushing claw of their robot, which allowed it to push the ball much more efficiently. Razer raced to the ball, taking it towards the goal at a great speed. However the ball went wide. Dead Metal, whilst trying to push Razer back accidentally pushed the ball into the goal. As Razer was last to touch it, it went through.

Inquisitor get crushed by Razer, losing its flail

Having finished first in the Gauntlet and Trial, Razer went into the Arena stage as the favourite for the Heat. At the Heat Semi-Final, Razer was drawn against Inquisitor. Here, Razer rammed Inquisitor into the arena wall. With Inquisitor trapped Razer began to crush the robot, breaking its flail mechanism. Then Shunt began to hammer at Inquisitor's armour, all though it didn't cause much damage. By now the Inquisitor team had given up but Razer kept on crushing the bodywork of Inquisitor, this time almost peeling a panel off. The house robots began to close in on Inquisitor, Matilda cutting into it with her chainsaw.

"And Razer's in problems, I don't think Razer can move, I think they've broken down... Razer, can't move, and Razer is out, what a turn up!"

— Jonathan Pearce

The now immobile Razer is attacked by Matilda

However, Inquisitor was still mobile and escaped, while Razer was suddenly unable to move, the first example of its infamous early unreliability. The house robots then proceeded to attack the immobile Razer, with Matilda turning it on its side with its tusks (prompting the addition of the self-righting wings in the next series) and Sergeant Bash setting one of its inner sections on fire. Simon Scott later admitted, somewhat ironically, that the night before the fight he had advised that Inquisitor attack them rear on to give them more of a chance. Had he not said this, it is likely Razer would have caused much more damage, and possibly beaten Inquisitor.

However, Razer received the Best Design award at the end of the Series, on account of its power and unique weaponry.

Series 3

Official artwork of Razer's Series 3 appearance

File:Razer vs backstabber.JPG

Backstabber is pitted by Razer

Razer came back again for Series 3, having been improved over 3 months. Its wheels were better-protected with new wheelguards, sleeker and more lightweight hardened sheet steel armour was fitted, and most importantly, self-righting wings were added. In its first round battle, Razer drove straight at Backstabber but could not get a grip of it with its crushing arm, with the tip sliding off its sloped sides. Backstabber was not moving, so Razer immediately pushed it into the pit. After cease was called, Razer tried to attack Matilda but caused no damage.

Razer crumples Aggrobot

Razer pinned on its arm

In the second round. Razer was drawn against Aggrobot, Razer initially struggled to do damage due to its opponent's tall size and slanted sides. Still, it maintained control of the match, pinning down Aggrobot repeatedly and making some visible scratches. Eventually, Razer found a weak point - the hole in Aggrobot's shell that accommodated the spike. Razer stuck its beak in and crumpled Aggrobot's back panel.

"Well Razer's gone up, in a pirouette of delight, and, I think, has immobilized itself!"

— Razer is pinned on its rear spike

But Razer then ran into problems - the crushing arm malfunctioned and raised to its maximum height, whereby the rear spike lifted its wheels off the ground. The team couldn't get the beak to lower, and Razer was immobile. Dead Metal came in and cut into its beak.

However, Razer would go on to win the Best Design Award for the second year running. Razer was also nominated for the Best Engineered Robot Award, but lost out to Chaos 2.

Razer was also going to take part in the Series 3 Soccer competition, in a match up against Miss Struts, but due to an accident behind the scenes filming was rescheduled and Razer was entered in the Pinball tournament instead. Here, Razer knocked over most of the barrels, hit two of the targets guarded by House Robots, hit the multiball release, pushed the giant sphere into the pit and opened the car door gate. After clearing most of the targets in the arena, Razer won the Pinball tournament with 210 points.

Razer was brought into the International League Championship of Series 3 as a substitute for Cassius 2, who for reasons unknown, was unable to compete. Razer was drawn against Prometheus in its first battle, but Prometheus suffered internal damage in its own first battle, rendering it unable to battle Razer. Razer was awarded three points and went on to fight Techno-Lease.

Techno-Lease crushed by Razer

At the start of the battle, Razer quickly darted around to the side of Techno-Lease and crumpled into its top armour.

"Can it withstand the crushing claw of Razer? No!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Razer pierces Techno-Lease's top armour

Razer crushed into Techno-Lease again, this time crushing down one of its side panels. Razer pushed Techno-Lease into Shunt, but Shunt attacked Razer instead. Shunt picked up Razer with his front bucket and carried it a fair distance across the arena. Shunt dragged Razer back into the CPZ and flipped it. Razer used its self-righting wings to get back up, resuming the attack on Techno-Lease. Razer punctured its armour again before using the spike on the rear end of its crushing claw to lever Techno-Lease up. Techno-Lease was immobilised after this and attacked by the House Robots. Razer then got its revenge on Shunt by crumpling his front bucket shovel. Razer then chased Matilda, trying to break off her chainsaw. The battle ended at this point.

Razer pits Diotoir to win the International League.

In the Final, Razer faced the Irish Diotoir. Razer began the battle by driving into Diotoir and getting its wedge underneath it. Razer crumpled and punctured Diotoir's armour, immobilising it. As Diotoir was already finished, Razer pitted it, there by winning the International League Championship for England.

Having won the International League, Razer also represented England in the First World Championship. In the first round against All Torque, Razer quickly got underneath its opponent and pierced through the armour with its hydraulic claw. Razer continued to attack and crumpled the stainless steel armour of All Torque. Eventually, the damage from Razer's claw became too much and All Torque broke down.

Razer attacks Chaos 2

In the quarter finals Razer faced UK champion Chaos 2, which managed to get underneath Razer but was unable to flip it over completely. Razer was then able to drive up behind Chaos 2 and catch it with its crushing ram, piercing Chaos 2's gas bottle in the process. Razer then dragged Chaos 2 into the reach of Dead Metal, which used its saw to slice into Chaos 2's flipper. With the flipper left unable to work from the earlier attack from Razer, Chaos 2 broke free from Dead Metal and reversed into the pit, avoiding any further damage.

Razer crushes 101

Razer faced 101 in the semi-finals. Before the battle, Team 101 were understandably worried their robot was going to be destroyed, so wrote several messages on the robot saying "Don't hurt me Razer!", and pointing out the most expensive components. The Razer team obliged, and avoided doing terminal damage. Razer started by chasing its opponent into the pincers of Dead Metal and then easily cut into its armour. Razer continued to pierce the shell of 101 and ripped off a section of its steel armour. 101 hardly left the clutches of Razer and major damage was caused to the armour of 101 throughout the battle. However, despite the massive amount of damage caused to the robot, 101 survived for the whole battle and the decision went to the judges, who went for Razer.

Behemoth pins Razer down

Razer fights back, crushing Behemoth's frame

The Grand Final was against Behemoth, which was soon able to get underneath Razer and flip it onto its side. Behemoth then pushed it around which left Razer unable to self-right until Matilda interfered and Razer was able to break free. Behemoth again managed to flip Razer over and pushed it onto the flame pit. Razer tried to self-right, but its wing was caught on the grille of the flame pit and it was stuck on its side. Dead Metal eventually nudged Razer off the flame pit which allowed Razer to self-right and attack Behemoth. Razer gripped onto the side of Behemoth and easily crushed through the armour, causing damage. Razer continued to cause damage to Behemoth for the rest of the battle with three separate attacks. Cease was called with both robots still mobile and the judges decided, with a 2 to 1 split decision, that Razer was the first World Champion.

"I fell in love with Razer the first time I saw it"

— Robot Wars creator Marc Thorpe, presenting the trophy to Razer

This victory made Razer both the World Champions and International Champions.

Series 4

Series 4 appearance

Official shot of Razer, for Series 4.

"Will this be Razer's championship at last?"

— Jonathan Pearce at the start of Razer's first round battle

Despite their early exit in the main competition of the Third Wars, Razer was seeded number 3 in this wars due to its status as reigning World and International champion.

Razer carries Robochicken

Razer holds Velocirippa over the flames

Placing against Robochicken and Velocirippa, the three met in the centre of the arena, and Razer picked up Robochicken. It carried Robochicken over to the flame pit while Velocirippa bumped into Razer. Razer left Robochicken for Dead Metal to deal with and turned its attention to Velocirippa. It pierced with its claw taking out the front steering servos and put it over the flame jet, but Velocirippa got away, but with no steering and no reverse, Velocirippa crashed into the wall and became effectively immobilised. Robochicken qualified with Razer.

Razer drags Milly across the flames

The ruins of Milly-Ann Bug

Razer fought Milly-An Bug in the second round. Milly-Ann Bug tried to avoid Razer, but Razer caught them, piercing the rear dom and lifting it into the air. Razer pulled Milly-Ann Bug over the flames, setting Milly-Ann Bug's hair alight, before herding it towards a corner. Razer sank its beak in between the two domes in an attempt to break its opponent in half. The coupling proved to be too tough, and Razer repositioned and pierced the front dome of Milly-Ann Bug. Razer attempted once more to break Milly in half, succeeding in breaking off its previously crippled wheel, but failing to break it in two. With one wheel gone, Milly-Ann Bug could not escape, so Razer came in again, capturing Milly and slicing off its front right wheel, followed by the front left wheel.

"What a horrible torture this is! Its like watching some maniacal, horrible schoolboy pull the legs off a spider."

— Jonathan Pearce

Once the final wheel had been cut free, Razer pulled back and did its famous salute. Shunt and Razer bumped Milly-Ann Bug around, with Shunt's axe slamming down and ripping its hair free. With Milly-Ann Bug immobilised, Razer went through to the Heat Final for the first time, where its opponent was the 19th seeds Pussycat.

"You haven't broken down yet!"

— Craig Charles tempts fate.

Pussycat attacks Razer.

However, in the Heat Final, The two robots shot forward, bouncing off each other upon collision. Pussycat was too fast and unusually shaped for Razer to gain easy purchase with its claw, but Pussycat managed to land a few minor blows with its blade on the rear and side of Razer. Pussycat became briefly wedged beneath the claw, and Razer shot towards the side wall. Once it slammed Pussycat against the wall, it spun in a circle and ran back into the wall. Pussycat pulled away but flipped onto its side. Whilst it floundered around, trying to land on its wheels, it became apparent that Razer was not able to move away from the wall.

Razer pitted by Dead Metal

"Whats happened here? Razer, I think, is stuck on the Arena wall! Oh no, not again!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Razer was stuck in forward gear, and it attempted to shimmy its front to one side so that it could drive sideways and steer away. However, it had driven right next to a spike, and this obstructed its escape. Pussycat, having righted itself, landed a blow on Razer's back, carving a gouge in Razer's rear armour. Before long, Razer was completely immobile, with the wheels destroyed by Pussycat's blade. Dead Metal fetched Razer's limp form and pushed it into the pit.

At the end of the episode Ian Lewis gave an interview to the camera heavily criticising Pussycat's tactics of assaulting Razer long after it had been immobilised, implying they had gone against an unspoken roboteers' code of going easy on immobilised robots. Lewis also used the previous battles from the heats of examples of them not using Razer to inflict further damage when they had ample opportunity to do so.

"Some of us are gentlemen. Some of us hold back. When you're out of control, you don't just go for it, do you? A Gentleman's Agreement...and around here we are kinda a bit...hold-back-ish. We've got three tonnes of pressure underneath there, and when we were against Milly-Ann Bug earlier, we held back, because we knew we were on top of those expensive pieces. But those guys {Pussycat}, for some reason, ran out of control after about ten seconds and they just laid into it."

— Ian Lewis after the battle

Razer also took part in the Pinball and Sumo Basho tournaments of Series 4: it did not perform particularly well in either, failing to defend its Pinball Warrior title, scoring only 95 points after abandoning the run to attack Sir Killalot, and being knocked off the Sumo podium by Shunt in less than 5 seconds.

Razer crushes Vercingetorix

However, it did win the "Southern Annihilator" Christmas special. In the first round, Razer picked on Vercingetorix, puncturing its shell, before attacking Attila the Drum. However, due to Attila's shape, Razer was unable to damage it, so attacked Vercingetorix agian, which caused it to break down.

Onslaught lifts both Razer and Spawn of Scutter

It had a scare in the second round, as after piercing Spawn of Scutter, Onslaught and Behemoth thrusted Razer onto its side by the flame pit. Attila the Drum, Behemoth and Onslaught pressurised Razer, preventing it from self-righting but finally Razer got back onto its wheels only for Onslaught to toppled it again. Razer self-righted, was flipped again, but self-righted again and got a grip on Behemoth's scoop and then got in on the sides. Behemoth was too slow to get away and suffered major damage. Spawn of Scutter rammed into Razer but stopped moving and Behemoth was only just moving. Razer pierced the front of Spawn of Scutter before the cease was called. The judges were called upon and despite the damage to Behemoth they ruled that Spawn of Scutter was totally immobilised and Behemoth was still just moving. However, the damage Razer caused to Behemoth caused them to withdraw.

It had another brief scare in the fourth round, as it was unable to harm either Attila the Drum or Onslaught, but Attila ran into Sir Killalot, and became immoblilised.

Razer crushes Matilda at the conclusion of the Southern Annihilator

In the final, Onslaught started well, avoiding Razer, and when Razer did catch Onslaught, it was unable to pierce it initially. Razer eventually got hold of one of Onslaught's rear wheels and shredded it, before Onslaught drove into Matilda's CPZ, where it was flipped over and immobilised.

"And Matilda, pressurised and punctured by Razer!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Razer celebrated its victory by attacking Matilda and caused horrible damage such as wrecking the chainsaw weapon, filling the back end full of holes and setting it on fire.

Extreme 1

Razer is toppled while holding one of the Gemini twins.

Razer had a successful Extreme, winning 7 out of 8 battles in 3 events. It competed in the All Stars where, in the first round, it met the clusterbot Gemini. From the off, Razer was able to grab one of the twins and crush it. The second twin rescued the first by flipping Razer (and the first twin) over. The process repeated, but with the twins swapping roles. Razer again attacked the second twin, and after it was released, the robots spent the rest of the match avoiding each other.

Unbeknownst to the viewing audience, however, further drama occurred after the fight appeared to stop. As Razer drove over the arena floor flipper, it activated, throwing Razer into the air and back into the mechanism, threatening to crush it. Razer was freed, but rendered immobile on one side. It eventually caught one of the Gemini twins again by the flipper mechanism, which fired its flipper to try and escape just as Razer was crushing down. Under extreme stress, Razer's hydraulic system ruptured, rendering it completely immobile. The fight was stopped at this point, and the judges chose to put Razer through having judged the battle up to the point the arena flipper had fired. The controversial moment was edited out of the broadcasted episode.

Razer Crumples Behemoth's scoop

Razer then faced Behemoth for the third time. (They were also in the same heat in Series 2, but didn't fight each other.) From the beginning, Razer crumpled Behemoth's scoop, but Behemoth fought back, pushing Razer into Shunt's CPZ Razer was forced to release Behemoth. A lot of dodging and driving around each other occurred, until Behemoth got to Razer's side and flipped it right over, pinning it down with its scoop at the same time. Doing this prevented Razer from righting itself, and Behemoth drove Razer against the arena wall, still pinning it down. However, due to the "no-pinning" rule, Behemoth was forced to retreat. Instead, it attempted to flip Razer just as its "wings" stretched out to their furthest, preventing it from self-righting. The second attempt backfired and Razer landed on its wheels. It then charged at Behemoth from the side, buffeting it and forcing underneath, before crushing straight into the side armour. In the last five seconds, it was forced to let go, but Behemoth retaliated and managed to flip Razer just before Cease was called. Despite this last spurt of aggression, a unanimous judges' decision gave Razer the win.

Razer picking up Firestorm

In the Semi-Final, Razer faced Firestorm 3. Firestorm began straight away by driving in at Razer, allowing Razer to grab Firestorm and piercing its flipper, before piercing Firestorm's body, lifting it up while performing its 'salute'. Razer made a third hole while pushing Firestorm into Matilda's CPZ, where Firestorm was attacked by Matilda and Shunt. Cease was called with Firestorm having received large amounts of damage. The judges put Razer into the final, where it faced Tornado. It was the first time the robots met.

Razer got hold of Tornado almost instantly, and refused to let go of it properly in the battle at all. Razer's beak always sunk at least 2cm inside Tornado's armour. Tornado lost drive on one side as Razer cut its chain, and then on the other side as the drive pin on the motor pinion came out. There was nothing Tornado could do, as Shunt found out when the House Robot was able to pit it.

"Razer, worthy winners of our All-Stars Final, worthy winners of Robot Wars Extreme, as all that is left to do is snuff out the Tornado, dampen down the hurricane, quieten the whirlwind! "We have put the wind up you" said Razer, and in the end, lets be honest, it wasn't even a close shave"!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Razer attempted to take its vengeance on Pussycat after being defeated by Team Cold Fusion's machine in Series 4 due to a malfunction. Razer seemed the stronger as it pierced Pussycat's tough shell and holding it over the flame pit. After a slight tussle, Pussycat shook free and its blade hit one of Razer's front wheels. This attack jammed the wheel and impaired Razer's movement. Another attack by Pussycat on the side of the chassis immobilised Razer completely. Pussycat continued to attack Razer while it was being counted out, although not causing as much damage as in Series 4 due to Razer's improved armour. Shunt then pushed it into the pit. The Razer team were much more gracious in defeat this time, but they still requested another re-match for the future.

"Will the score EVER be settled?""

— Craig Charles as Ian Lewis requests another battle

Razer pierces The Revolutionist...

...and then takes on Diotoir

Razer also entered the Second World Championship, representing the UK, the places allocated to the four semi-finalists of the All-Stars tournament. This competition was also broadcast during Extreme Warriors: Season 1. In its heat, Razer faced The Revolutionist, Diotoir and Flensburger Power. Razer's first target was The Revolutionist. It was unable to cause any damage on the first attempt, but made a massive hole on the second attempt. Diotoir had just immobilised Flensburger Power, apparently just by pushing it around the arena, and attempted to attack Razer, only for Razer to pierce the fur and armour and hold it over the flame pit. The judges were called on again, but as The Revolutionist was virtually immobilised, it was an easy decision for them, and Razer was put through.

Tornado is dropped into the pit

In the second round, it faced a Grudge Match in the form of Tornado. By now all of Tornado's disc teeth were well past their best, so to give it half a chance, the team changed to the charity event weapon, the bulldozer scoop. The fight was much closer this time, and Tornado managed to push Razer about for a bit, while Razer got several nips in on the red machine. The turning point came when Tornado opened the pit and Razer's beak got stuck in Tornado's top armour. Razer held Tornado up above the pit and dropped it in.

"Now you can see why they're the reigning champions!"

— Craig Charles to Team Tornado after the battle

Razer traps the shuffling banks of Drillzilla

The American walkerbot Drillzilla was Razer's opponent in the final. Straight away, Razer grabbed hold of Drillzilla's shuffling mechanism, and attempted to crush it, but to no avail. Razer then tried to grab hold of Drillzilla, but could not get through the armour. Drillzilla escaped, but Razer managed to catch it and clamped hold of Drillzilla again. Cease was called and the judges decided that Razer, being the dominant robot throughout the entire fight, were the winners.

"And still, the undisputed Champions of the World- Razer!"

— Craig Charles

Unbeknown to many, Razer was also due to take part in the People's Challenge event, where it would fight Hypno-Disc. However, both teams withdrew, believing it would not be worth the damage to their robots, and the event never went ahead.

Series 5

Series 5 appearance, with new front scoop system

Big Nipper is hoisted by Razer

Razer, now seeded fourth, faced newcomers Big Nipper in the first round. As the two machines charged towards each other, A with the impact causing visible damage to both machines. One of Big Nipper's claws was bent slightly, and one of Razer's self-righting wings broken off. Razer then chased and pierced Big Nipper from the side, all the while dragging it around the arena. After coming in for another attack, Razer successfully lifted Big Nipper aloft and held it above the flame pit. Big Nipper flapped its weaponry around in an attempt to get down and eventually did so.Razer pushed Big Nipper over towards Shunt who perforated its armour, and inevitably, the damage taken from Razer took its toll, leaving Big Nipper immobilised. The Refbot counted out the wrecked Big Nipper

Razer breaks a panel on Widow's Revenge

"Let's be honest Razer team, if you win, you've got no homes to go to, it's your decision!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Razer fights Widow's Revenge

In the second round, the Razer team faced the all-girls team Widow's Revenge. For entertainment value, the Robot Widows were masqueraded as the Razer Team's wives and girlfriends. Widow's Revenge was destroyed by Razer who broke its top panels before Matilda's flywheel caused plenty of further damage. Part of Widow's Revenge had become stuck underneath the floor flipper, before Razer drove into the pit attempting to pit Widow's Revenge. Widow's Revenge had already been counted out, therefore reinstated Rick was the opponent in the Heat final.

"We were in big trouble after that one."

— Simon Scott, after they defeated their "other halves"

Rick comes under attack from Razer and Shunt

Razer attacked Rick's exposed tyres as soon as this Heat Final begun, but couldn't cause any significant damage. Razer then crushed through Rick's plexiglass top panel, and almost got its claw into Rick's innards when Rick opened its flipper. Rick closed it just before Razer could capitalise. It attempted to use its flipper to ward away the consistent onslaught of Razer, but afterwards, Razer sunk its claw into the right hand side of Rick, lifted it into the air and placed it onto the flame pit, where it was counted out. Razer and Shunt positioned Rick on the floor flipper, where it was flung, straight onto the closed pit. As Shunt was finishing off Rick, Razer began to attack Sir Killalot from the rear.

"They've beaten their wives and girlfriends and opponents, and now they're taking on the house robots, too!"

— Jonathan Pearce

The house robot turned around and chased Razer across the arena, until Razer grappled onto one of its arms. Sir Killalot used this opportunity to turn Razer over and drag them into the descending pit. However, Razer was already through to the Semi-finals for the first time.

Razer pushes Spawn Again into the pit

In its first battle in the series semi finals, Razer fought Spawn Again. Razer immediately got under Spawn Again, pinning their flipper down with its crusher, before puncturing the thirteenth seeds armour and flipper. Spawn Again tried to get away, but Razer pushed them straight into Shunt. Spawn Again attacked by Shunt and Sergeant Bash, and its flipper broke. Spawn Again ran into the pit release, and broke down, so Razer came in and pushed Spawn Again down into the pit.

"Well, what can we say, I can't believe the thing was still running after that!"

— Darren Hayden-Ball of Team Scutterbots

Razer cuts into S3

For a place in the Grand Final, Razer defeated reinstated robot S3. The 'hammerhead shark' was unable to hit Razer with its vertical spinning disc as Razer repeatedly pierced the aluminium shell before pushing S3 towards Dead Metal who use its circular saw. Eventually S3 started smoking and the spinning disc that had been so impressive in the loser's melee stopped. Razer unanimously won the resulting judges' decision to reach the Grand Final.

Firestorm 3 pushes Razer across the pit of oblivion

In the Grand Final Eliminator, Razer faced Firestorm 3 for the second time, but it was to prove much closer this time. Razer caused damage to the Durham machine's flipper, but Firestorm spent sizable periods of the match grappling with Razer, twice pushing the pair across the face of the pit of oblivion. Eventually cease was called, and for the second time in Robot Wars, the judges descended to inspect for damage. This was Razer's closest ever battle, and was declared the winner.

Razer lifts Bigger Brother

"And Razer's feel has the touch of cold steel. Slicing into Bigger Brother - a slice is nice. Twice!"

— Jonathan Pearce

Bigger Brother had taken major damage from Hypno-Disc in the other Grand Final Eliminator, but received help from several other teams to get it ready for the final against Razer. Here, Razer dominated the battle, slicing into Bigger Brother’s armour, even lifting them up into the air with its beak, while Bigger Brother did not get a single flip on Razer. The unanimous judges' decision awarded the win to Razer who, after two World Championship wins, was finally crowned UK Champion.

In addition to the UK Championship, Razer won its third Best Design Award. Razer was additionally nominated for the Best Engineered Robot Award but lost out to Derek.

US Season 2

Razer represented the UK in the International Championship of the second season of the US Series Extreme Warriors. It defeated Kat 3 in the first round after crushing into it several times until eventually piercing Kat 3's tyre, immobilising it. With Kat 3 defeated, Razer pitted its opponent, and progressed to the second round.

Razer lifts Tornado by the cage

In the second round, it faced Tornado, a machine Razer had defeated twice previously. For this battle however, Tornado was fitted with a large metal frame with a spinning blade at the front. Created especially for fighting Razer, the frame made it impossible for Razer to reach the inner parts of Tornado. Tornado's changes appeared to be highly controversial, but were deemed legal as the team had made it clear alongside all its other weapons before the series had begun. Much of the match consisted of Tornado pushing Razer around but Razer managed to use its claw to dig into Tornado's workings and then lift it into the air. Razer managed to push Tornado into the CPZs where the house robots caused damage to Tornado's frame and in the struggle, Tornado's weapon motor had broken off. The match went to a Judges' decision and despite the damage done to Tornado, the judges controversially gave the decision to Tornado, having thought that Tornado's weapon motor belonged to Razer.

Series 6

Razer, at the time of Series 6

Razer began the defence of its title against Raging Reality, Brutus Maximus and W.A.S.P. Razer almost immediately concentrated on the exposed wheels and wooden construction of Brutus Maximus, crushing one of its bicycle wheels. Raging Reality flipped W.A.S.P. into Sir Killalot, who dragged it into the CPZ, before drilling a large hole in its side, immobilising it. The limping Brutus Maximus rammed into Razer, who was now trying to attack Raging Reality, doing a bit of damage to the silver machine's front end. Brutus Maximus was beginning to fall to pieces prior to Razer peeling off one of its side panels. A flip by Raging Reality made a wheel fall out of Brutus Maximus, which rolled straight into the pit. Sir Killalot closed in and put the petrol powered machine on the flame pit which preceded it being counted out and flipped out of the arena by Raging Reality. Razer attacked the defeated W.A.S.P. before cease was called.

Razer pushes Cyrax into Mr. Psycho

Cyrax flips the reigning champions

In the second round, Razer grabbed its opponent Cyrax straight away, but did little damage. Another attack by Razer on the rear of the pyramid shaped robot crushed a hole in Cyrax's armour. Cyrax attempted to get its axe into play, but couldn't land more than glancing blows on the overwhelming favourite. Razer held Cyrax on the flame pit for a few seconds while scratching the side of the newcomers. Razer pushed Cyrax into Growler, who held onto Cyrax with its own jaw weaponry at the same time. Razer pierced Cyrax leaving another crevice in its armour then held it under Mr. Psycho's hammer. The new house robot hammered Cyrax twice, causing a small light to come off the top of the machine. Cyrax tried to use its axe again, before pushing Razer back and surprisingly managing to flip Razer over. Razer self-righted in the final 15 seconds and the fight went to a judges' decision, which went to Razer.

In the Heat Final, Razer got underneath the flipper of Raging Reality and rammed it into a wall next to Matilda's CPZ, causing Raging Reality to lose drive after attacks on the front of it. Slowly, Razer pushed Raging Reality into Matilda's flywheel, ripping a gash into its side and sending a piece of armour flying out of the arena. Razer finished the heat by placing the mangled Raging Reality onto the closed pit of oblivion and pressing the pit release button.

Craig Charles: "Then you take Raging Reality, this is so cheeky, and you put it on top of the pit, and then you go off and release it, and it just went down like a sinking ship"

Simon Scott: "We thought it would be a new idea, we haven't done that one before."

— Post battle interview

Razer lifts Wild Thing

Razer fought 9th seeds Wild Thing 2 in the first round of the Semi-finals. Its very first attack tore through Wild Thing’s side panel. Razer and Wild Thing 2 then spent the majority of the battle spinning around in an embrace, with both machine's weaponry causing minimal damage to the other. Razer eventually punctured one of Wild Thing 2's tyres. In escaping, the Adam's family machine drove straight onto the flame pit. Razer had another attack on Wild Thing 2, this time being able to lift it off the ground with its hydraulic crusher. Razer put its opponent out of its misery by activating the pit, holding Wild Thing 2 above it, doing its signature pirouette, before dumping the 9th seed in.

Razer crushes Dantomkia

Newcomers Dantomkia, who had to go through the loser's melee, was Razer's opponent in the semi final second round. Razer quickly grappled with Dantomkia, before it slammed Razer back into the arena wall. Razer fought back by puncturing Dantomkia a couple of times, then pushed it toward the flame pit, however Dantomkia used its flipper to free itself from the reigning champion's grip. Razer drove Dantomkia into Mr. Psycho, where a hammer blow reigned down. Bravely, just before cease was called, Dantomkia retaliated by ramming it into the other house robot, Sir Killalot. The resulting judges' decision put Razer into the grand final again.

Razer pierces Terrorhurtz

In the Grand Final Eliminator, Razer faced Terrorhurtz, who had defeated three seeded machines to qualify. In an extremely well controlled performance, Razer immediately drove around the swinging double headed axe and began crumpling the polycarbonate armour of Terrorhurtz, while John Reid's creation cleaved thin air. Razer proceeded to lift Terrorhurtz into the air, before the power of the axe made it crash back down. It took more punishment from the axe of Shunt. Razer clamped onto the side of Terrorhurtz one more time and pierced deep into its opponent before once again activating the pit and pushing Terrorhurtz in.

"We came against a serious opposition, and just couldn't do anything about him"

— John Reid of Team Hurtz

Standing between back-to-back UK titles was Tornado, once again armed with the Anti-Crusher Weapon. This time, Razer had added a hook to the end of its jaw to grab onto Tornado's cage and drag it towards the pit.

Razer is unable to pit Tornado

The final started with Tornado ramming Razer several times, although rather ineffectively. Tornado's lawnmower blade had stopped spinning at one point, and Razer grabbed onto the cage several times, but kept losing its grip due to the power and agility of its opponent. Razer's claw extension looked rather flimsy, unable to grab onto Tornado. Razer then got stuck behind the arena floor disc button, and Tornado began its usual method of repeated ramming. Refbot looked as if he would count out Razer, but actually intervened and freed it. Tornado continued its onslaught, pushing Razer into Dead Metal and Shunt. Tornado pushed the pit release button, but it was Razer who finally managed to get a grip on Tornado's cage who, to the delight to of the crowd, raising it into the air and almost overbalancing. The Series 5 champions drove Tornado straight towards the pit, but Tornado's wide frame prevented it from falling down. Razer held its adversary above the pit until cease was called. It took the judges 45 minutes to declare that, controversially, Tornado was the Sixth Wars champion.

Extreme 2

Razer, as it appeared in the European Championship, without the hook attachment

Razer in Extreme 2, with new front wheels and a shot of the hook adaptation

Razer’s final series saw it enter two competitions, the first of these being the All Star Championship. In Round One it met Chaos 2 for the second time and previous semi finalist 13 Black. Razer started by trying to gain a grip on 13 Black, but one of 13 Black's disc caused a gash in the side of Razer. Chaos 2 tried to flip Razer, but ended up flipping both it and 13 Black, so the machines both landed on their wheels. Razer then managed to grip onto one of 13 Black's discs, but could not pierce it. Razer let go and was flipped from the side by Chaos 2, but Razer rolled through the air and managed to land on its wheels. Razer gripped onto one of 13 Black's discs again before Chaos 2 had another attempt at flipping the two of them, but failed. Razer chased after 13 Black, but was wedged underneath by Chaos 2 and one of its self-righting wings was ripped off by 13 Black. Chaos 2 could not flip Razer however and tried to push it around. Razer eventually managed to escape from the flipper of Chaos 2, who was then immobilised from severe damage caused by 13 Black. Razer pierced through the rear armour of Chaos 2, and advanced to Round 2.

Spawn Again beaches itself over the pit

There, Razer met Team Scutterbots for the third time in Robot Wars. Spawn Again drove away from Razer in the early stages, while Razer tried to gain a grip on the rear of Spawn Again, but failed. Razer eventually managed to claw onto the front of Spawn Again, but the armour had been improved after its encounter with Razer in Series 5 and Razer could only put a dent in the flipper. Spawn Again drove away and activated the Pit, before driving over it as it descended, which left Spawn Again stuck. Razer tried to push the trapped machine into the Pit, but Spawn Again fired its flipper which caused it to fall down, leaving Razer to progress through to the Heat Final of the second All Stars Heat, where it fought 13 Black again.

Razer suspends 13 Black over the pit

13 Black immediately started spinning on its axis as soon as activate was called, causing Razer to bounce off upon contact. Razer tried a second attack, but it was deflected again by the spinning 13 Black. Razer chased after 13 Black, who then hit Razer and caused it to turn away, before 13 Black drove into the Arena wall and one of its discs became stuck on the barrier. Razer exploited this by getting underneath 13 Black from the side and crushing down on it several times, while Shunt used its axe on one of the discs. Razer let go of 13 Black after a while and pressed the Pit release, before gripping 13 Black again and dumping it down the Pit.

Razer's beak crushes Firestorm's hopes once again.

Razer then met Firestorm for the third time in the All Stars Final. The two darted around each other first, before Firestorm drove into Razer's front and pushed it into Dead Metal. Razer was attacked by Dead Metal’s saw but escaped from the Corner Patrol Zone with only superficial damage sustained. Firestorm became stuck under an angle grinder and Razer tried to grip it, before Dead Metal managed to free the machine of Graham Bone. Firestorm then got underneath Razer and tried to flip it, but could only lift it up. Firestorm then met Razer head-on once again and pushed it into Dead Metal, but it was gripped by the claw of Razer, who then managed to pierce Firestorm several times. Firestorm began to lose mobility, before Razer pushed it into the Pit release and dumped it in to become All Stars Champion for the second time.

"We had an offer of many thousands for it"

— Simon Scott reveals a mystery bidder

Razer also entered the European Championship, qualifying as World Champion. This competition was also broadcast during German Robot Wars. It faced PulverizeR, the Dutch Champion. It began by chasing the spinner into the activation button for the disc of doom. It grabbed hold of the Dutch robot by Growler and, once PulverizeR got away, Razer grabbed it again. It carried PulverizeR to the pit release button and activated it, before letting the Dutch robot go. However, Razer quickly grabbed it again, but it escaped. The World Champions then chased it around the arena. However, PulverizeR then drove into the pit and Razer went through.

Razer burns out

Razer then went on to meet Tornado again in the semi finals where Tornado used the cage again. Razer had built a new hook so it could lift Tornado by the cage. Tornado started pushing Razer around the arena but then Razer started using the new hook to lift Tornado by the cage. Razer dragged Tornado towards the pit release button where it tried to get Tornado in the pit but it couldn't fit it into the pit. During this, smoke started coming out of Razer because its motors were burning out. Razer held Tornado over the pit until time ran out.

"During our fight with Tornado we were immobile and had held on with the claw for far, far longer than the permitted one minute and should have been disqualified or counted out. We were then shockingly given a judges' decision which was never ours, and both myself and Simon immediately wanted to hand it back to Tornado. Ian, as team captain, refused and a long discussion was needed to resolve matters"

— Vincent Blood on the resulting judges' decision

In the end, a two-to-one split decision by the team resulted in Razer forfeiting its place in the final to Tornado. This was Razer's last ever appearance.

Results

Wins/Losses

• The insides of Razer in the pits in Series 2
• Razer in the pits, with some of its trophies
• The insides of the Series 6 version of Razer

1/3

• UK Wins: 40
• UK Losses: 5
• US Wins: 1
• US Losses: 1

Series Record

• Series 1: Did not enter
• Series 2: Heat, Arena Semi-Final
• Series 3: Heat, Round 2
• Series 4: Heat Final
• Series 5: Grand Champion
• Series 6: Runner-up
• Series 7: Did not enter

Outside Robot Wars

• Razer at a live event after Robot Wars ended
• Razer, as it appeared in BattleBots Las Vegas 1999
• Razer and Hypno-Disc appear together at a live event in Cosford, 2004
• Razer and Hypnodisc destroy a washing machine at a demonstration at Cosford, 2004
• Razer, on display at a live event in Derby, 2008

1/5

In 1999, Team Razer also entered Razer in the two unnumbered BattleBots tournaments, in Long Beach and Las Vegas, with mixed results. In the former, a double elimination tournament, Razer won three battles, including a victory over future 2 time runner-up Voltronic ("Voltarc" at the time). It was eliminated after losing to popular competitor Tazbot and Semi-Finalist Rhino. It also fought in the Heavyweight Rumble, and won due to the damage it inflicted on FrenZy among others.

In the Las Vegas tournament that same year, Razer received a bye only to lose in a re-match with Voltronic. Razer took part in the Heavyweight Rumble again, but did not end up winning. Razer never competed in a Battlebots tournament again.

Razer was retired from Robot Wars after Extreme 2 and did not take part in Series 7. The robot still belongs to Ian Lewis, and his new team Robo Challenge, and it still fights in demonstrations at events held by the team. Team Robo Challenge have also built a featherweight version of Razer called Venom (which still competes) and a robot with an electric lifter called Ploughbot.

Appearances in Merchandise

• Razer/Pullback
• Razer/Minibot
• Razer/Robot Wars: Advanced Destruction
• Razer/Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (GBA)
• Razer/Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (PC/Xbox)
• Razer/Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction

Trivia

Venom, Team Robo Challenge's featherweight version of Razer

• Along with Tornado, PulverizeR and the middleweight Typhoon, Razer is the only robot to have fought and defeated both a clusterbot (Gemini) and a walkerbot (Drillzilla).

• It was the only one of the three heavyweights not to fight either of them in the main competition.

• Razer is the only robot to fight 2 reinstated robots.
• Razer was the only UK Robot Wars Grand Champion to never lose a battle against an opponent armed with a Flipping Weapon at some point in its career.
• Razer was the only Grand Champion to ever attain the runner-up position in a series. In doing so it was the only occasion where the reigning UK Grand Champion was defeated by the robot that would go on to win the series.

Razer thrills children at a demonstration at a school

• Excluding Terrorhurtz, Razer was one of only two robots that didn't return for another series after reaching a Grand Final, the other being T.R.A.C.I.E..
• Razer, along with Nemesis in Series 1 and Corporal Punishment in Series 2, is one of three robots to finish the Gauntlet and Trial in first place, but then lose in the Arena Semi-Final. Robot the Bruce, Demolition Demon and All Torque were the other three to achieve this double victory.
• Razer is one of only seven robots to break 200 points in a Pinball tournament. Others to have achieved this are King B3, Killerhurtz, Roadblock, Panic Attack, Spawn of Scutter and Gemini, although Razer was the only one of the seven to break 200 points in the Third Wars competition.
• Razer was one of six robots to be a figurine for the Robot Wars Board Game.

The "eye" on Razer's beak, which first appeared in the Third Wars

• During a live event in 2012 , Razer's crusher was bent out of shape when attempting to crush a beer keg. Fortunately, it was later fixed.
• While Razer's weapon was initially designed as a claw, it evolved to become more of an eagle type design. Ian Lewis explained how the team changed the design to resemble an eagle, with the addition of the self-righting wings and the design of an "eye" to make it look more like a "bio-mechanical creature".
• Razer is the only robot to win the same award three times. (Team Nemesis won the same award three times but with different robots.)
• Razer holds the record for the most consecutive wins, at one point winning 18 battles in succession.

Razer as it is today.

• Razer is one of only two robots to never be seeded outside the top four on multiple occasions, the other being Hypno-Disc.
• Ironically, Razer didn't fight a single robot from outside the UK on the way to winning The First World Championship, fighting three English robots and one Scottish robot.
• Both times it reached the Semi-final, Razer fought the winner of the loser's melee in the second round. S3 in the Fifth Wars and Dantomkia in the Sixth Wars.
  • Both robots had knocked out the number 5 seed in the Heat C final of their respective series

See Also

• Razer (BattleBots)
• Warhead (BattleBots)

External Links

• http://www.razer.co.uk/