- "Built around a complex chassis with 2 x 12V Sinclair C5 motors....weapons include a motorised forklift and the honour of the samurai!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
Shogun was a competitor from the first series of Robot Wars. It was designed by Rolls Royce employees Robin Woodhead, Brian Carrington and Peter Fairbrother. After surviving both the Gauntlet and Trial, Shogun was beaten in the Arena Semi-Final by Killertron. It was over 3kg over the heavyweight limit at the time.
Design
- "As you would expect from Rolls Royce, Shogun was beautifully machined with CNC bits everywhere."
- — Oliver Steeples[1]
Shogun was a rounded box-shaped robot, with two hydraulically-driven ramming spikes on its sides and a small forklift device on the front and a small bladed axe at the rear (which was not mentioned on the show). The power came from a two-stage gearbox and the robot could travel at 7mph. The side spikes were interchangeable in size and thickness, making Shogun the very first robot to use interchangeable weaponry. It also featured a set of plastic lips that could be protruded from the robot to "blow a kiss", as seen after its loss in the Sumo. The team members were all work colleagues at Rolls Royce, so Shogun was constructed by some donated parts of a Rolls Royce.
Robot History
Series 1
Shogun, having fallen off the ramp in the Gauntlet
Shogun made steady progress in the Gauntlet, crossing the first ramp allowed it to easily beat the 2.93 metres set by Barry. However, upon going up the second ramp, it fell sideways off.
- "Officer, breathalyse that driver!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
It was the first robot to tackle the Sumo trial, but it was pushed off after 21 seconds. Grunt's suicidal leap put Shogun through against Killertron.
Killertron smashes Shogun into submission
Shogun had hideous control in the final, driving very near the grills and only managing a few feeble circles before it drove onto them, essentially eliminating itself. Killertron struck twice before cease was called, knocking Shogun out of the competition.
- Philippa Forrester: "How come you ended up on the grille?"
- Robin Woodhead: "We had problems with the speed controller, we burnt one of them, we put another one in - it didn't match."
- — After the battle
Results
| SHOGUN - RESULTS | ||
| Series 1 | ||
| The First Wars - UK Championship Heat Semi-Final | ||
| Heat A, Gauntlet | 10.71m (5th) | Qualified |
| Heat A, Trial (Sumo) | 21.51 seconds (4th) | Qualified |
| Heat A, Semi-Final | vs. Killertron | Lost |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| Series | Shogun Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Heat, Arena Semi-Final |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Trivia
- Shogun was the smallest heavyweight in Series 1.
- Shogun was the only robot Shunt defeated by himself in the Sumo during Series 1.
- Technically, the Shogun team started the first Gentleman's Agreement, as before its battle with Killertron, it asked the Killertron team not to cause too much damage to their robot.
References
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