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"The flags of nine countries flutter, as the flames of ambition burn bright. Because in the blink of an eye, as fortunes rise and fall, and old cultures meet new, we'll have a World Champion tonight! Twelve machines, our dirty dozen, come to fight from all over the globe! Old heroes live on, old philosophies too, but tonight we'll have... a World Champion anew!"
Jonathan Pearce's introduction

The Third World Championship was the last of three special Robot Wars championships in which robots from all over the world competed against each other, representing their respective countries. The Third World Championship was broadcast as part of Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars and was originally broadcast on Five on 28 March 2004. It was the last episode of the original UK Robot Wars series to be broadcast on TV before the show was rebooted in 2016. The championship was hosted by Craig Charles, the pit reporter was Jayne Middlemiss and commentary was provided by Jonathan Pearce.

On 7 March 2024, the entire Third World Championship episode was uploaded by the official UK Robot Wars Facebook page, nearly twenty years after its initial premiere.[1]

Format[]

The championship featured 12 robots from around the world, representing their respective countries. Before the championship, seven qualifiers were held to decide which robots would qualify for the tournament. Five other robots were given automatic places in the tournament. The robots were drawn into four melees, featuring three robots each. One robot from each melee progressed to the semi-finals, with the two winners of the semi-finals moving onto the final.

Competing robots[]

Spartacus 2 in S7
Spartacus 2
Weight 92kg
Dimensions 0.95m x 1.09m x 0.82m
Power 2 x 650W Electric Motors
Weapons Hydraulic Claw
Strengths Weaponry
Weaknesses Speed
From: United States of America
Team Members: Jim Rowland & Dom Neeley
Hard
Hard
Weight 99kg
Dimensions 0.34m x 0.60m x 0.85m
Power 2 x 750W electric motors
Weapons Flipper
Strengths Armour
Weaknesses Unprotected wheels
From: Belgium
Team Members: Geert Kevaerts, Jan Huyan & Frank van Rist
Supernova
Supernova
Weight 95kg
Dimensions 0.26m x 1.02m x 0.68m
Power 750W electric motor
Weapons Spinning disc
Strengths Fast with powerful weapon
Weaknesses Thin armour
From: Sri Lanka
Team Members: Suren Balendran, Nishani Balendran & Thuvaaragen Balendran
PulverizeR
PulverizeR
Statistics not displayed
From: The Netherlands
Team Members: Mischa de Graaf, Ruud van Buren & Remco Doffer
Snake Bite S7
Snake Bite
Statistics not displayed
From: Switzerland
Team Members: Paul Koch & Marco Streich
Crushtacean front
Crushtacean
Weight 99kg
Dimensions 0.40m x 0.85m x 1.30m
Power 800W electric motor
Weapons 2 Crushing claws
Strengths Indestructible
Weaknesses Poor driver
From: South Africa
Team Members: Ian Visser, Dominic Visser & Michaela Visser
Ansgar 3
Ansgar 3
Weight 200kg
Dimensions 0.24m x 1.20m x 0.87m
Power 12HP electric motor
Weapons Rotating blades
Strengths Weight & armour
Weaknesses Manoeuvrability
From: Germany
Team Members: Joachim Thomsen, Sascha Thomsen & Sünje Thomsen
Storm II S7
Storm 2
Weight 100kg
Dimensions 0.67m x 0.78m x 0.68m
Power 2 x Electric motors
Weapons Lifting arm
Strengths Unrivalled speed
Weaknesses Often hard to control
From: United Kingdom
Team Members: Ed Hoppitt, Tim Bence & Meral Kolac
Tornado flail
Tornado
Weight 100kg
Dimensions 0.25m x 0.85m x 0.75m
Power 2 x 750W electric motors
Weapons Interchangeable weapons
Strengths Durable chassis
Weaknesses Vulnerable to flippers
From: United Kingdom
Team Members: Andrew Marchant, David Gamble & Bryan Moss
Typhoon 2
Typhoon 2
Weight 98kg
Dimensions 0.68m x 1.00m x 1.00m
Power Petrol driven engine
Weapons Four rotating blades
Strengths Agility & devastating weapon
Weaknesses Unstable at low speeds
From: United Kingdom
Team Members: F.O. Peter J. Bennett, Cpl. Gary Cairns & Sgt. Graeme Horne
Rawbot
Rawbot
Statistics not displayed
From: Sweden
Team Members: Anders Sandberg, Tomas Ramdal & Stefan Bergstrom
Tough As Nails
Tough as Nails
Weight 98kg
Dimensions 0.37m x 1.25m x 1.15m
Power 2 x 1600W electric motors
Weapons Horizontal crushers
Strengths Strong armour
Weaknesses Electrical problems
From: The Netherlands
Team Members: Jeroen van der Loo, Stefan J. Raaijmakers & Niels R. Schotten

Heats[]

Spartacus (USA) vs Hard (BEL) vs Supernova (SRI)[]

SupernovaHitsSpartacus

Supernova hits Spartacus

HardtriestogetunderSupernova

Hard tries to get under Supernova

At first, Spartacus and Hard appeared to be ganging up on Supernova. Supernova hit both of them with its spinning disc, immobilising Hard and damaging Spartacus' body. This impact thrusted Supernova onto the flame pit, but it escaped again. Supernova hit Spartacus again, which not only broke the drive for one of Spartacus' wheels, but also sheared a tooth on Supernova's disc, causing it to struggle with movement as it violently shook about in place, rattling its internals. Refbot counted out Hard, who was still firing its flipper but without any forward momentum. Once Hard was deemed immobilised Dead Metal sliced into the back of Hard, creating a shower of sparks which spewed onto the arena floor.

"You can flick your flipper as long as you like, but you need to move across the arena floor"
— Jonathan Pearce commenting on Hard's still active flipper
Supernova side profile Series 7

Supernova sits motionless on the Floor Flipper

With the unbalanced Supernova twitching over the floor flipper, Refbot came in to count it out, which could have afforded Spartacus the victory. However, Supernova turned off its disc at this moment, and when Refbot's count made it to '2', Supernova drove away freely and evaded the count-out. Immediately afterwards, Supernova turned its disc back on and started to struggle with mobility again as it edged towards Spartacus.

"Is anyone going to survive this?"
— Jonathan Pearce commenting on the lack of mobility from all three robots
Hardwc3

Hard is counted out by Refbot

Supernova hit Spartacus again, whilst Hard was taken to the familiar Drop Zone where it was pelted with several computer monitors. Hard's flipper was still working, as it tried to flip one of the falling computer monitors, but it had already been counted out. Just before Spartacus was counted out Supernova entered another spasm and could only twitch. As the count was finishing Spartacus spun around and whacked Supernova's flywheel.

Spartacus Derobed

Spartacus is derobed

"One of them's been counted out and I've a funny feeling it's Spartacus"
— Jonathan Pearce predicts which robot was counted out.

At the very end of the fight, Supernova clipped Spartacus again, as did Dead Metal's claws, which caused its armour to come off completely.

Winner: Supernova

PulverizeR (NED) vs Snake Bite (SUI) vs Crushtacean (RSA)[]

CrushtacenPushesPulverizerIntoTheArenaWall

Crushtacean pushes PulverizeR into the top arena wall

Snakebitewc3

Snake Bite standing stationary

Crushtacean instantly pressed the pit release button, then started attacking PulverizeR. PulverizeR attacked Crushtacean with its flywheel, but caused no damage; the initial hit also caused the flywheel to stop working. Crushtacean responded by slamming and chasing PulverizeR, eventually grabbing and pinning it against the wall. Snake Bite, meanwhile, struggled to move from the start as a result of hydraulic fluid leaking and soaking its tyres, resulting in it being unable to gain any traction on the arena floor. This resulted in the Swiss machine being counted out by Refbot as Crushtacean continued pushing and grappling with PulverizeR.

"It seems to me that Snake Bite is already a beaten machine."
— Jonathan Pearce
Snakebite2wc3

Snake Bite attacks, despite being counted out

SnakeBiteGrabsCrushtacean

Snake Bite grabs Crushtacean after being counted out

Dead Metal attacked the defeated Snake Bite, creating a shower of sparks in the process, before Snake Bite eventually regained mobility as its tyres dried out. Snake Bite attempted to grab PulverizeR, with the Dutch representative caught by it and Crushtacean. PulverizeR stayed out of the action as Snake Bite and Crushtacean attacked each other, with the battle eventually going to a Judges' decision. The decision ruled in favour of Crushtacean.

Winner: Crushtacean

Ansgar 3 (GER) vs Storm 2 (UK) vs Tornado (UK)[]

Ansgar3wc3

Ansgar 3 burns...

Ansgar32wc3

...before being pitted

Predictably, Storm 2 and Tornado ganged up on Ansgar almost right from the start, whose spinning blade didn't appear to be working. The two slammed Ansgar into Growler's CPZ, the arena side wall, the flame pit and finally the pit itself, with the German machine powerless to attack due to its stalled blade.

"This is really what we wanted to see, in this heat - Tornado and Storm 2."
— Jonathan Pearce

Afterwards, the two British machines pushed each other around the arena. At one point, Tornado pushed Storm 2 into Dead Metal's pincers, who bruised the strong titanium armour, but no damage to the exposed wheels. Upon exiting, Storm 2 lifted up Tornado with its lifter and carried it to the arena wall. A well controlled drive by Storm 2 slammed Tornado into the arena wall, knocking it upside down and almost out of the arena. This impact almost thrust Storm 2 upside down as well.

Tornado Storm 2 2

Tornado shovels Storm 2 into Dead Metal

Storm II vs. Tornado vs

Storm 2 nearly sends Tornado flying out of the arena

"This is gonna go to the judges, and I wouldn't like to be in their shoes, will it be Tornado or will it be Storm 2..."
— Jonathan Pearce

Again, the judges were called upon, and Storm 2 was the robot chosen.

Winner: Storm 2

Typhoon 2 (UK) vs Rawbot (SWE) vs Tough as Nails (NED)[]

"So Storm 2 through. Next up, the UK champions Typhoon 2, Rawbot and Tough as Nails. Looks a great fight. Oh! Typhoon 2 have withdrawn! Technical problems, what a disaster!"
— Jonathan Pearce moments before the battle starts
Tough as Nails vs Rawbot vs Typhoon 2

Typhoon 2's withdrawal is confirmed

Before the fight had begun, Team Typhoon had used their last set of batteries for the concurrently-filmed Series 7 Middleweight Championship, forcing Typhoon 2 to withdraw as the team focused on defending their Middleweight title with their original Typhoon machine.[2] This action surprised Jonathan Pearce, who expected Typhoon 2 to perform well as the recently-crowned UK Champion, with technical issues being cited as the reason for it pulling out on the televised episode.

"Absolute stunner. Typhoon 2, recently crowned UK Champions, withdrawing late on because of technical problems in the pits."
— Jonathan Pearce, as the melee starts without Typhoon 2
Tough as Nails Rawbot 1

Tough as Nails begins to line Rawbot up for the Pit after activating the Pit Release tyre

Rawbotwc3

Rawbot is disposed of

This left Tough as Nails and Rawbot to fight alone. The fight didn't last very long, as Tough as Nails instantly grabbed Rawbot, who had a problem with its control box and left it immobilised right from the start. The Dutch robot repeated its patented tactic and slammed Rawbot into the pit release button and pushed Rawbot towards the pit. Several shoves later and the Swedish robot was in the pit.

"Just watch for Tough as Nails in these World Championships, could go all the way."
— Jonathan Pearce as Rawbot is pitted

At the end of the fight Refbot could be seen spinning round in a victory dance.

Winner: Tough as Nails

Semi-Finals[]

Supernova (SRI) vs Crushtacean (RSA)[]

SupernovaHitsCrushtacean

Crushtacean suffers early damage from Supernova

Crushtacean charged right at Supernova, which resulted in it damaging itself. For the rest of the battle, it found itself unable to move freely around the arena. Supernova hit Crushtacean again, knocking the bolts that held the claws away and rendering it immobile.

Crushtaceanwc3

Crushtacean is plucked up by Sir Killalot after being counted out

"And you know, I think that first assault by Crushtacean on Supernova did the damage, I think they did themselves in!"
— Jonathan Pearce

Sir Killalot picked it up and placed it on the floor flipper, the resulting flip damaging the claw even further.

Winner: Supernova

Storm 2 (UK) vs Tough as Nails (NED)[]

Storm 2 Tough as Nails Mr Psycho 1

Mr. Psycho drops his hammer down on Tough as Nails

Storm 2 drove straight into Tough as Nails' pincers and used its eighteen horsepower drive to bulldoze Tough as Nails around the arena and into the arena wall, where one of Tough as Nails' tyres broke off. Mr. Psycho also threw his hammer into equation, slamming down on the Dutch machine during one of its spells in the CPZ.

"Storm 2 again, quite happy to be in there."
— Jonathan Pearce as Storm 2 uses Tough as Nails' pincers to dictate the battle
Tanstorm2wc3

Tough as Nails on the edge of the pit. Note the shedded tyre

Storm 2 drove into the pincers again and edged Tough as Nails towards the pit where, after a major struggle, the Dutch machine finally fell in.

"Tough as Nails, argh, on the brink of oblivion, just holding on, and finally drops."
— Jonathan Pearce as Tough as Nails desperately tries to hang on while over the pit of oblivion

Winner: Storm 2

Grand Final[]

Supernova (SRI) vs Storm 2 (UK)[]

Storm 2 Supernova drive

Storm 2 pushes Supernova towards the arena wall

Supernovawc3

Supernova stuck against the arena wall

This was a rematch from the Seventh Wars, where Storm 2 had immobilised Supernova in Round 1 of Heat I. Storm 2 drove straight at Supernova and got underneath it, the disc doing no apparent damage. The two charged at each other, but missed. They tried again, but the two robots were deflected. Storm 2 slammed Supernova into the arena wall, where the Sri Lankan machine spun off it. Supernova drove back at Storm 2, but missed, with one wheel going up Storm 2's wedge. However, this threw Supernova out of balance, and it crashed, side on, into the arena wall.

Supernova2wc3

Note the damage to the arena floor from Supernova

Shunt axes Storm 2 Supernova

Shunt stacks Storm 2 on the angle grinder

"Look at that, churning up the arena floor!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Supernova's disc grinds into the surface

Supernova was unable to right itself, whilst Shunt, having left his CPZ, shoved Storm 2, back side up, against the grinder. Eventually, Refbot freed Supernova from the wall, and a few seconds later, Supernova freed Storm 2.

"And, I think y'know, Supernova may well have knocked Storm 2 back into the battle, why on earth did they do that!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Storm 2 is finally put back on its wheels
Storm 2 Supernova 2

An overturned Storm 2 clashes with Supernova in the closing sections

Storm 2 charged at Supernova again, but because it was upside down, it only caused itself damage. Cease was called and the judges had to make a decision. However, after watching the replay, they decided that Supernova had been immobilised on the arena wall for much longer than the thirty seconds allowed, and thus the fight should have ended. As a result, Storm 2 were given the victory.

Third World Champion: Storm 2

Craig Charles: "They came from all 'round the globe, to fight for the cause"
Jayne Middlemiss: "Now we've got a new world champ"
Both: "On Robot Wars!"
— Craig and Jayne's sign-off

Aftermath[]

"There was total confusion as to what was going on after the fight. No-one seemed to quite know what was happening."
— Ed Hoppitt, speaking about the Third World Championship final on the Fighting Robots Association (FRA) forum[3]

The final between Storm 2 and Supernova attracted minor controversy surrounding the circumstances in which Supernova was freed from the entry gate. Initially, Refbot had intended to count Supernova out as soon as it got stranded, but was unable to do so due to a faulty counter. This issue was not communicated to the House Roboteers, who along with Team Storm believed that Storm 2 had already won and so allowed Shunt to fight the Series 7 runners-up.[3]

After Storm 2 had been flipped and stacked against the angle grinder, it was decided by the producers that the fight was to continue, allegedly in order to obtain more footage for the televised episode.[3] As a result, Supernova was freed by Refbot despite being stranded long enough to have been counted out, and proceeded to damage Storm 2 sufficiently to immobilise it towards the end. However, many of Supernova's attacks were left out of the televised episode, to the disappointment of Team Supernova captain Suren Balendran; the Judges nevertheless took the time of Supernova's stranding into account while making their final decision.

"What was not shown in the coverage was that, 2 of the 3 titanium panels at the front of Storm had been torn away. We had some good hits on Storm, eventually immobilizing them. The judges decided the Storm had won the fight when we were propped against the wall and so gave the fight to them. The fight was a good one, wish they had showed more of us hitting Storm when they were upside down. Think it was a dodgy decision, think the judges owed Storm from a certain previous fight…"
— Suren Balendran, captain of Team Supernova, on the FRA forum[4]

Trivia[]

  • As the final episode of Robot Wars to be aired before its 12-year hiatus, this marked the last appearance of many robots, such as Tornado and Sergeant Bash.
    • This was also the final episode to feature Craig Charles and Jayne Middlemiss.
    • This also marked the final time the Drop Zone was used, and made its final appearance.
  • This was the fourth time a controversial battle involving Storm 2 occurred. Interestingly, it was said that this battle was a grudge match against Supernova from the first round of Heat I of the Seventh Wars.
  • The only other grudge match was between Storm 2 and Tornado with the same result albeit Ansgar was also in the fight.
  • This episode was released on DVD with Jetix Magazine issue 18.
  • This was one of only two episodes of Series 7 to feature all nine House Robots, the other being Heat H.
  • The Third World Championship Heats featured robots from as many nations as in the Second World Championship.
  • Including the Qualifiers, a record thirteen nations were represented in the Third World Championship.

References[]

External Links[]

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