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"It's pretty mean, it's tough... it's got a two stroke horsepower petrol engine which gives us lots of power, lots of speed and it's gonna kick butt!"
— The Terror Australis team introduce their eponymous robot

Terror Australis was an Australian competitor robot which competed in The First World Championship and the International League Championship, both filmed as part of Series 3 of Robot Wars. Having been forced to arrive at the studio in pieces following an airport search during transit, it proved unsuccessful in either competition; being eliminated in the first round of the First World Championship after failing to move at all against Mortis, and forced to abandon its first International League battle due to technical issues.

For the rest of the International League Championship, Team Nemesis lent the Terror Australis team their original competitor, Nemesis, which was repainted and modified under the name of the original robot. However, this version of Terror Australis proved equally unsuccessful, being eliminated in the Group Stages after losing to Nemesis' successor, Diotoir.

Design[]

"A four-horsepower lawnmower engine provides plenty of kangaroo hop here. The fuel tank's actually a plastic model aircraft inside a steel box. Weapon; a horizontal circular saw."
Jonathan Pearce introduces Terror Australis in the International League Championship
Terror australis official

Official photo of Terror Australis

The original Terror Australis was an invertible, box-shaped robot made out of solid steel, which featured four large wheels with protruding axles, and was armed with a front-mounted circular saw and three rear ramming spikes. The robot was powered by a two-stroke petrol engine sourced from a lawnmower and giving it 4hp of drive, although Jonathan Pearce cited it as having a top speed of only 3mph during its introduction in The First World Championship. Terror Australis was painted green with scowling eyes on the front top panel, narrow black and yellow hazard stripes along the top and bottom, and featured an Australian flag on the end of its aerial.

"They’d travelled all the way from Australia and their robot had broken down. At the time we were introducing the new Diotoir and we had Nemesis in our van, just in case. So we said, look guys, your robot isn’t working, you’ve come all the way from Australia and your robot isn’t working, it’d be a shame to go home without doing anything, you can use our robot, Nemesis."
— Peter Redmond[1]
Nemesisaustralies

The replacement version of Terror Australis (Nemesis) in the International League Championship

Following Terror Australis' withdrawal from the International League Championship, an altered version of Nemesis was substituted and entered under its name. This incarnation of Terror Australis was largely unchanged from the Series 2 iteration of Nemesis, featuring a 2mm stainless steel body-shell, a yellow and green colour scheme in place of Team Nemesis' signature fur, and static front and rear claws complementing its pneumatic ram, sword and spike weapons. Its wheel covers and top armour were also decorated with several Australian flags, black/white hazard tape lining, and a snarling monster face drawn on in permanent marker.

Etymology[]

Terror Australis' name was a pun on Terra Australis, one of the names given to a hypothetical continent that appeared on European maps from between the 15th and 18th Centuries, once believed to be the location of the geographical South Pole.

Robot History[]

Series 3[]

The First World Championship[]

Terror Australis competed in two international competitions held during filming of the Third Wars, representing Australia in both. In The First World Championship, it faced English representative and UK series veteran Mortis in the first round.

Mortisvsterror

Mortis strikes Terror Australis

However, success was limited; Terror Australis failed to move at all within seconds of the battle starting, with Jonathan Pearce stating that its clutch broke three days before the competition. Mortis immediately charged towards and under the immobile Terror Australis, and after initially struggling to aim its tantō blade properly punched a few holes through its top armour, in between Terror Australis' 'eyes'.

"...and it's Mortis doing all the attacking, and Terror Austral- 'Terror' Australis? Terror?! Are you sure? 'Wimpy Australis'... and 'Menacing Mortis!'"
— Jonathan Pearce as the immobile Terror Australis is attacked by Mortis
Mortis Terror Australis

Mortis lifts the immobile Terror Australis

Mortis Terror Australis 1

Mortis pushes Terror Australis around

Terror Australis was then lifted by Mortis, whose lifting arm became lodged through the gap in its front panel and tore part of its front plating out of shape. Mortis proceeded to push Terror Australis around the arena and onto a grate using its tantō blade, with the Australian machine being eliminated from the First World Championship as a result.

"Well, Terror Australis, as menacing as a koala bear. And... they've shut up shop, and they're heading back to Ayres Rock, and Mortis didn't have to do a lot, let's be honest."
— Jonathan Pearce as Terror Australis is eliminated from the First World Championship

International League Championship[]

TerrorADerekF

The Terror Australis team attempt to get their robot working, as Derek Foxwell watches on

Terror Australis also competed in the International League Championship, where in the Group Stages, it was allocated to Group A. It was due to face Belgian representative Depoppesaurus Rex in its first battle, but immediately hit problems when its engine was unable to start, forcing the Terror Australis team to enter the arena in order to try and get it working again. After Derek Foxwell came over to examine Terror Australis and consult the team, the battle was immediately postponed, with the team revealing to Philippa Forrester afterwards that Terror Australis' control box and electronics had completely burnt out. While they stated that Terror Australis was repairable, they could not undertake the required repairs within the allotted time limit, raising concerns about its participation in the rest of the tournament. Fortunately, in a sporting gesture, fellow Group A competitors Team Nemesis lent the Terror Australis team their original robot, Nemesis, and helped repaint it in The Pits.

"Let's hope that the Nemesis-Terror Australis team don't turn out to be a duck-billed-plata-wuss! Like your last entry, Aussies!"
— Jonathan Pearce at the start of the substitute's battle with Depoppesaurus Rex
Depoppesaurus Rex vs Terror Australis

Terror Australis (aka Nemesis) is lifted by Depoppesaurus Rex

The substitute Terror Australis first fought against Depoppesaurus Rex, and began by trundling towards and attempting to spear Depoppesaurus Rex’s side with the spear. Terror Australis was pushed around in circles and lifted by Depoppesaurus Rex in return, but not turned over, and slowly chased the Belgian machine across the arena. However, it turned away and spun on the spot, the two robots momentarily touching each other, before driving up Depoppesaurus Rex's lifter and backing away towards the centre of the arena. It continued to turn, bump and spin around near Depoppesaurus Rex, before getting lifted again and almost being turned over. Terror Australis escaped once again, retreating towards the wall before twice driving into and trying to push Depoppesaurus Rex a few more times. Again, it was lifted by Depoppesaurus Rex, before pushing and nudging the Belgian robot once more before 'cease' was called. With both robots surviving to the end, the battle was declared a draw, with Terror Australis and Depoppesaurus Rex scoring one point each and jointly leading the Group A standings.

"Sure they had the flipper, which kind of worked towards their advantage, but they didn't manage to flip us in the end. So, I think a draw is as good as we could've hoped for, and I think we're quite happy with the result."
— Peter Aigner's opinion on the draw
Diotoir vs Terror Australis

Diotoir pits Terror Australis

Next, Terror Australis faced Irish representative, Diotoir; the circumstances surrounding the team's collaboration with Team Nemesis ensured that it was effectively fighting its successor. At the start, it trundled towards and bumped into Diotoir, spinning around as both robots bumped into each other and Diotoir tried to lift it twice using its lifting arm. They kept bumping and nudging each other for some time, all while Terror Australis was pushed back a few times by Diotoir and tore large segments of the latter's fur off using its claws. Terror Australis momentarily drove away before ramming Diotoir head-on, which allowed Diotoir to lift and push it back again. Eventually, Terror Australis was pushed into the pit by Diotoir, to the satisfaction of both teams, and relinquished its Group A points lead to the Irish machine. As a result, it was eliminated from the main competition of the International League Championship.

The Ashes

Terror Australis is left stranded after being turned over by Mortis in The Ashes

Despite its elimination, the ex-Team Nemesis Terror Australis made one more appearance later on in the International League Championship, this time in the one-off Ashes battle. There, it faced English representative, Mortis, the second time in which both robots' teams faced each other. Terror Australis immediately drove towards Mortis in the opening seconds, attempting to push it from the sides, but not causing any damage with the claws or spear. The two robots brushed each other, with Mortis missing with its axe, and Terror Australis again struggling to pierce Mortis' sides or front. Terror Australis was then pushed back by Mortis onto the Floor Flipper, and hesitated before being pushed and lifted towards – and against - the wall. Mortis hoisted Terror Australis alongside a flamethrower as it pushed it into Shunt, who axed through Terror Australis' top armour and lifted it on top of Mortis. With both robots now stuck together, Mortis dragged Terror Australis away, before pushing it towards the wall and turning it over against the railings. Terror Australis was left helpless as Mortis, Shunt and Dead Metal attacked it again, before the latter placed it onto the Floor Flipper with assistance from Matilda. It was swiftly thrown across the arena, again landing upside-down, before being shoved into the pit by Dead Metal. With this, Terror Australis lost The Ashes to Mortis.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Terror Australis, you'll be left to rust."
— Jonathan Pearce's rhyme as Terror Australis is thrown by the Floor Flipper

Results[]

TERROR AUSTRALIS - RESULTS
Series 3
The First World Championship
Representing Australia, Eliminators
Eliminator vs. Mortis (ENG) Lost
International League Championship
Representing Australia, Group Stage
Group A, Battle 1 vs. Depoppesaurus Rex (BEL) Draw
Group A, Battle 2 vs. Diotoir (IRE) Lost
The Ashes vs. Mortis (ENG) Lost
NOTE: The team used a modified/renamed version of Nemesis for much of this competition, as the original Terror Australis failed to start up for the first battle.

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 0
  • Losses: 3
  • Draws: 1

NOTE: As Nemesis, the replacement Terror Australis lost two battles and drew another

Series Record[]

TATeam

The original Terror Australis with its team

Series Terror Australis Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars World Championship, Round 1
International League Championship, Group Stage
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

NOTE: Nemesis, the robot which adopted the guise of Terror Australis for the International League Championship, originally competed in Series 1 and 2 of the UK series.

Outside Robot Wars[]

Nemesis 2020

Nemesis in 2020, sporting the Terror Australis paintjob

TerrorAuNemesis

Nemesis / Terror Australis at RoboNerd in 2021

The shell of Nemesis is still intact and currently resides in Ciarán Byrne's workshop. The shell still retains the Terror Australis paintjob as well as some bits of fur and the eyebrows from the Nemesis machine. It was rediscovered by Peter Redmond in 2020 whilst clearing out the workshop, and would later be brought to RoboNerd in September 2021 alongside Diotoir.

Trivia[]

  • Terror Australis is one of only two Australian robots ever to compete in Robot Wars, the other being the stock robot Bondi Titch.
    • Neither robot ever won a battle, although the Terror Australis team did manage to draw one of their battles using a replacement robot (Nemesis).
  • The original version of Terror Australis was the only robot built in Australia ever to fight in the original run of Robot Wars.
  • Terror Australis' statistics board in The First World Championship featured the stats for the substitute version borrowed from Team Nemesis, not the original robot.
  • In The First World Championship, Terror Australis' image on the team caption appears to be a cropped version of the pre-battle shot of it under the arena spotlight instead of a studio shot like almost all other competitors' statistics boards. This also happens in the International League Championship.
  • Terror Australis was the first occurrence of one machine in each World Championship failing to work and losing its only battle by default. This would go on to happen to Yeborobo in the Second World Championship and Typhoon 2 in the Third World Championship.
  • In its battle against Diotoir, the Terror Australis team used Nemesis, Diotoir's predecessor, so this was one of very few occasions where two robots of the same team competed in the arena at the same time.

References[]

Navigation[]

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