Thor

For the fictional robot with the same name, see Thor (Arenas of Destruction).

For the American robot, see Thor's Hammer.

Thor
Thor in Series 9
Participation Information
UK Series	6-9, Extreme 2
Robot Wars Live Circuit	2013-16
Team Information
Team	Team Thor (Series 6-9, Extreme 2) Team Twisted Metal (2017 onwards)
Team Members	Jason Marston Lee Cornish (Series 6-7, Extreme 2)
Robot Statistics
Weight	105-108kg
Dimensions	0.60 x 1.0 x 1.0m
Top Speed	30mph
Power	8 horsepower electric motors
Weapons	Pneumatic axe
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"How would I best describe Thor? Relentless, savage, and powerful."

— Jason Marston

Thor is a robot that competed in Series 6-9 of Robot Wars, as well as the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. In its first iterations, it wielded a powerful hammer (as a nod to the weapon of the Norse god from which it took its name), though this was exchanged for a pneumatic axe in Series 8-9. Jason Marston and Lee Cornish dressed in Viking costumes during Series 6 and Extreme 2. Lee Cornish did not return after the end of Series 7.

Thor reached the second round in Series 6 and 7, and finished third in the Extreme 2 New Blood Championship. It had a substantially better performance in Series 8, receiving a wildcard into the Grand Final despite losing its qualifying episode to Shockwave, and ultimately finishing fourth overall. In Series 9, it reached the Heat Final and was defeated twice by Concussion.

Jason Marston appeared as a mentor in Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars, competing alongside football pundit Robbie Savage with their robot, Robo Savage. Together, they managed to finish as runners-up in Episode 2.

Versions of Thor

Thor (Series 6 and Extreme 2)

Thor in Series 6

Thor from Extreme 2

The original Thor was an flat triangle robot with two pincers at the base. The hammer rested on a line from the base of the triangle to the apex, so that it would strike an opponent directly between the pincers. The hammer was capable of self-righting and could puncture 15mm polycarbonate. It had a top strike speed of 70mph.

In Extreme 2, the robot was a similar shape, but the claws were removed, and the front was now wedge-shaped.

Thor (Series 7)

Thor in Series 7

The robot was upgraded for Series 7 through over 300 hours of work, with a new thinner wedge-shaped design, a shorter and more powerful hammer, and a higher top speed of 20mph. However, the armour was also thinner overall. Whilst the hammer was very powerful, the robot also proved a little unreliable.

Thor (Series 8)

Thor in Series 8. Note the anti-spinner plate

Thor with the alternate wedge to deal with flippers

The Series 8 version of the Thor used a high-speed bladed axe, in place of the traditional hammer used by the previous versions of Thor. The robot was armoured in approximately 80% aluminium and 20% HARDOX, and could fire its weapon more times per match than previously. At 30mph, Thor was the fastest robot in the series, and its drive motor is four times more powerful than it was in Series 7. This version achieved far more success than its predecessors, mainly due to its incredible speed and much more potent weaponry.

Thor with Jason Marston in Series 8

Thor used interchangeable axe heads and wedges, dependant on its opponent. Thor can use floor-hugging wedges to get underneath opponents and negate wedges and scoops, or a wide plate to protect it from spinning discs. Thor's axe heads vary from its signature head based upon Mjölnir to a spiked head. These adjustments cause Thor's weight to vary between 105kg and 108kg.

Thor (Series 9)

Angela Scanlon: "Your axe looks bigger!"

Jason Marston: "The axe is the same size, but the robot itself is smaller!"

— Jason Marston on Thor's new design

Thor with Jason Marston

Thor's turntable shot in Series 9

Following on from Thor's destructive loss at the hands of Carbide, Jason Marston designed a new version of Thor, which is much more resilient to spinning weapons, as it is guarded by a low wedge at the front, creating a much lower profile in general. The Series 9 version is also 20% smaller than its predecessor, allowing it to have more emphasis on armour than the previous edition of the machine, with approximately 90% of the robot armoured in HARDOX and 10% in aluminium. Its wheels were moved more towards the back of the machine, and were coupled to a set of Mag motors which gave Thor a power output of 32hp. This version of Thor has a high ground clearance surrounding most of its sides, but its front wedges were interchangeable.

Robot History

Series 6

"A mighty hammer-axe, of course - but wait until you see the team!"

— Jonathan Pearce on Thor

Thor hammers Judge Shred 2 ½

Thor participated in Heat G of the Sixth Wars, for its debut Robot Wars appearance. In the first round of the heat, Thor was drawn up against the experienced Judge Shred 2 ½, Team 101's walkerbot Anarchy, and newcomers Revolution 2. In the battle, Thor and Anarchy almost immediately swapped axe blows, but it soon became evident that they and Revolution 2 were targeting Judge Shred 2 ½. Judge Shred 2½ had to fend off assaults from the axes of Thor and Anarchy, and the spinning blades of Revolution 2, denting Judge Shred 2½'s armour in several places. In the midst of all the attacks, Thor's front pincers were both bent, but it carried on. Revolution 2 rammed Judge Shred 2½ into the arena side wall and in turn was attacked by Dead Metal. Anarchy flipped over Revolution 2, where the supposedly invertible machine got stuck. With three robots remaining, Thor hammered Judge Shred 2½ yet again before doing the same to Anarchy. Judge Shred 2½ almost turned over Thor right at the end, but Judge Shred 2½ was eliminated due to all the damage it took, putting Anarchy and Thor through to the next round of the Heat.

Thor is slammed by Tornado

In the second round, Thor was placed up against the number 12 seeds and eventual champions Tornado.

"Bring it on, bring it on! We'll give it out best shot, or several in fact!"

— Pre-battle confidence from Jason Marston

Thor loses a side panel

In this battle, Thor's weak pincers were bent straight away, but Thor got a couple of hammer blows on Tornado early on. Tornado slammed Thor into the pit release button, breaking off part of Thor's side panel. Tornado however, was rammed by the stormy pace of Growler. For a little while, Thor tried to hold onto Tornado between its hammer and its body, but after Tornado got free, Thor very nearly reversed into the pit but drove away. A shove by Tornado had Thor trapped in the CPZ by Sergeant Bash and Growler, and both Thor and Sergeant Bash almost drove down the pit of oblivion.

Thor's badly buckled pincers.

"A team of Formula 1 and Liverpool football fans - well, their road to Wembley, as it were, is about to end here! Last on the grid!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Thor is attacked by the House Robots and Tornado

Thor just survived for another judges' decision, but the decision went in favour of the seeded Tornado, eliminating Thor from the competition.

Extreme 2

"From the halls of the Vikings, comes the hammer of the Gods"

— Jonathan Pearce in Extreme 2

Thor strikes Night Raider

Thor participated in the New Blood Championships as a completely rebuilt robot, with no claws this time. It didn't start Round 1 against Night Raider and Hell's Teeth very well, as it tried to hit Night Raider and missed more times than it hit. Fortunately for Thor, Team Blades' robot broke down and was demolished by the House Robots, allowing Thor to go through.

In Round 2, Thor faced Chip and one hammer blow on the Welsh machine was enough to immobilise it. Thor, having beaten Chip, turned its attention to Growler, landing a hammer blow on the dog of war. Growler retaliated, using its massive power to slam Thor against the arena wall, but in doing so beached itself on the arena wall. Meanwhile, Mr. Psycho hammered Chip, before knocking it into Growler, helping to free its stricken pet.

Thor's one-hit KO blow

Growler is pinned on the side wall

"What damage has been sustained by Thor having rather rashly taken on Growler in a one-on-one?"

— Jonathan Pearce

Thor, also freed, hit the pit release button, and Mr. Psycho nearly reversed into the pit, whilst Chip was counted out by the Refbot.

"Thor is very impressive, there's a very big hammer there. I would say possibly they could slightly hone their driving skils, as a lot of their hammer blows hit the floor and not the opponent, but when they do hit the opponent, it certainly shakes!"

— Mat Irvine before the Heat Final

Thor hammers Edge Hog

A blow from Thor that briefly immobilises Edge Hog

In the Heat Final Thor faced Edge Hog. Both robots used their weapons on each other but missed more times than hitting each other. Thor then pushed Edge Hog into Sir Killalot who picked it up, spun it around and let go of it. Edge Hog broke down after self-righting.

"Could hammer a final nail in any coffin!"

— Jonathan Pearce as Thor enters the arena for the Grand Final

Thor was in the Grand-Final and up against Storm 2 for a place in the final battle.

Philippa Forrester: "I mean, you are God of thunder, which really means that you should win this!"

Jason Marston: "Yeah, they should bow down and worship their God, I think."

Philippa Forrester: "Do you reckon they will, though?"

Jason Marston: "We'll have to punish them for being insolent."

— Pre-battle interview

Storm 2 nearly pits Thor

Thor kept trying to land its hammer on Storm 2, but Storm 2 was too fast. Thor was then hammered by Mr. Psycho but got away. Thor was whacked into the pit-release tyre by Storm 2, then after one fire from Thor's hammer, it stayed in the fired position and Storm 2 continued to push a defenceless Thor around the arena. Thor was then nearly pushed into the pit by Storm 2, but it got away. After a few failed attempts from Storm 2 to pit Thor, the fight went to the judges to decide. The judges rules that Storm 2 had won and Thor was eliminated.

Thor then took part in the 3rd-place Play-Off against Cedric Slammer. Both robots attacked each other straight away, but did little damage. After two misfires from its hammer, Thor finally managed to hit Cedric Slammer, slowing it down. Cedric Slammer then rolled into the CPZ where it was slammed into by Growler and broke down, meaning Thor took 3rd place in the New Blood Tournament.

Series 7

"Our main aim is to get seeded this year, and anything above that would be a bonus."

— Jason Marston

Thor strikes Hodaf The Bad

At the start of Thor's second main series appearance was a melee against Dutch entrants Gravity, newcomers Hodaf The Bad, and previous Heat Finalist Hydra. Thor struck Hodaf The Bad several times, although this did not cause the newcomers much distress. Thor jumped in the air with the power of its hammer trying to hit Gravity and Hydra. Gravity mightily threw Hydra into the air again, and flipped it twice more, getting it out of the arena (and damaging the arena wall in the process), so cease was called early because of the safety violation. The Judges ruled in favour of Gravity and Thor in the battle up to that point.

"We had a battery go down inside, so we basically just jammed our way through! We lost drive, but we caught a robot with the hammer, caused damage so we got through luckily."

— Lee Cornish before Round 2

Thor is trapped in the CPZ

Thor heaves its hammer onto Lightning

Lightning pits Thor

Thor then faced off with Lightning. The majority of Thor's axe blows missed, while Lightning wasn't able get its sideways flipper into action. Both narrowly dodged Shunt, but it was appearing that Lightning was the better controlled, pushing Thor into another CPZ. Lightning hit the pit release tyre and drove straight on top of Thor, which all of a sudden had a very slowly swinging hammer, but was denting its foe's armour. Both remained right next to the open pit until Refbot separated the pair. Lightning got away quickly while Thor didn't, so Lightning got underneath Thor and used its flipper to dump Thor straight into the pit.

"I think we had a gas leak, I think we've had a battery go down as well. It's a new machine and unfortunately it's not quite reliable enough yet to keep winning fights."

— Lee Cornish after the fight

Series 8

Jason 'doing the Thor'

Thor was the first robot to be revealed as a competitor in Series 8 in a trailer where builder Jason Marston admires his robot to the tune of Grover Washington Jr's "Just the Two of Us", before cutting to clips of Thor engaging in battle with Shunt in the arena. In its first battle of the competition, Thor fought DisConstructor, Shockwave and Tough as Nails in the first round. Thor's entrance into the arena showed the first example of Jason Marston "doing the Thor", a hammering hand gesture. Thor entered the battle with its anti-spinner plate on the front, as a measure of defending itself against DisConstructor.

Thor immobilises Tough as Nails

Tough as Nails joins DisConstructor in the pit

Thor's first target in the battle was Tough as Nails, but it missed spectacularly, and flipped itself over. Thor continued to focus on Tough as Nails, but its axe was too short to reach the lengthy machine, which grabbed the top section of Thor and pushed it back. Although Shockwave rammed into the back of Thor after it had pitted DisConstructor, Thor continued its private battle with Tough as Nails, barely missing an axe attack from Shunt. Thor gained assistance from live circuit friends Team Shock, which helped Thor push Tough as Nails, driving it right up the arena wall, where the axe could finally gain a purchase. When Shockwave wedged underneath Tough as Nails, Thor repeatedly axed the Dutch machine until its removable link had fallen out, and pushed the immobile machine onto the lip of the pit. Thor nudged Tough as Nails in, and qualified for the next round with Shockwave.

"If we're judging on aggression alone, there was no shortage of it!"

— Angela Scanlon

Thor pins M.R. Speed Squared over the flame pit

Thor creates a gash in M.R. Speed Squared

Both robots are thrown by the floor flipper

Thor axes the exposed underbelly of M.R. Speed Squared

In the head-to-head rounds, Thor's first opponent was full-body spinner M.R. Speed Squared, so Thor kept its anti-spinner plate on the front. Knowing that the full-body spinner needed to have its momentum halted, Thor charged in at full speed, but missed, and needed to perform a U-turn to catch up, the deflection knocking M.R. Speed Squared into the pit release button. Thor gave its opponent no chance to start spinning, and bullied it into the clutches of Dead Metal, over the flame pit, where a strong blow dented the aluminium armour. Two strong slams into the arena walls sent M.R. Speed Squared ricocheting, before returning to Dead Metal where Thor punched a huge gash into its foe. After M.R. Speed Squared escape, Thor sustained a blow from the spinner, and then drove over the floor flipper where both robots were tossed, after which Thor needed to self-right. This flip had overturned M.R. Speed Squared, exposing its internals, as their bottom armour was missing. Although Thor was axed by Shunt, it axed the rim and chassis of M.R. Speed Squared, which drove into the pit straight afterwards, awarding Thor the win by KO.

Thor starts to break Shockwave's scoop

Thor's axe is kept away from Shockwave's body

A major blow from Thor's axe to Shockwave's wheels

Thor then faced the robot that assisted it in the first round, Shockwave, which had applied a bucket scoop specifically to deflect Thor's axe. This decision proved to be unwise, as Thor elected not to use their axe in the opening moments, pushing Shockwave into Dead Metal where it found an opportunity to damage the bucket. Thor's next attack took a complete third of the scoop away, continuing to push and attack Shockwave afterwards, nearing the house robots, and driving Shockwave across the arena, raining down several axe blows, eventually removing another piece of its scoop. Thor's next blow nearly struck Shockwave's wheels, although Thor was pushed into an empty CPZ in retaliation. Central blows to Shockwave damaged the top, and bent its lifting mechanism, and Thor buried its axe inside a wheel reservation of Shockwave. Simply ramming into Shockwave was enough to knock off the remainder of its scoop, but Shockwave pushed Thor into Matilda's flywheel, which ripped away one of Thor's wheel guards. Cease was called, and Thor was given the victory via unanimous Judges' decision, giving Thor a total of five points in the group stage.

Thor sustains late damage from Matilda

"Thor's hammer coming down, hammering it all the time, the aggression, using those criteria, we said Thor would win"

— Dr Lucy Rogers

Thor's final opponent in the round was Foxic, which had already been eliminated from the competition, but was very willing to fight Thor, intending to continue the team's record of defeating axes, hoping to chop Thor's axe off completely.

"Well he hasn't won anything since he's been here yet, so I don't think he's gonna start now!"

— Jason Marston, about Craig Danby

Thor's KO blow on Foxic

The battle opened similarly to Thor's last, with Foxic raising its weapon to defend itself from the axe, but Thor offered no axe blows to begin with, being pushed into the pit release button by Foxic. After this, Thor could easily expose Foxic's front ground clearance, and push it around the arena, nearing the pit. Eventually, Thor crept around the side of Foxic, landed an axe blow directly on top, leaving Foxic essentially immobilised, as it was pushed onto the flame pit, where Dead Metal attacked. After another blow, Thor kept its distance, having done enough to go undefeated in the head-to-head round, as Matilda flipped the immobile Foxic into the pit.

"Craig was giving it large, trash talking, trying to psyche me out, saying he's gonna chop the axe off - hasn't got the ability to chop the axe off, I'm the only one with the ability to chop the axe off! So yeah, meant nothing, straight over my head!"

— Jason Marston

Thor is immobilised very quickly

Thor went into the Heat Final as the favourite to win, meeting Shockwave for the third time. Thor collided with Shockwave, which had switched back to its metal scoop, and was knocked away in recoil. Thor was pushed into the arena wall and lifted by Shockwave, which surprisingly was enough to immobilise Thor. After being pushed into the wall a second time, Thor could only fire its axe as defence, while Shockwave pressed the pit release button, and put Thor on the edge of the pit. Thor rocked about, firing its weapon, and was pushed in.

Thor is pushed into the pit

"That's humiliating for a god of your stature to be dumped into a pit by that!"

— Dara Ó Briain

Although Thor had lost to Shockwave, it entered contention for a wildcard position in the Grand Final along with Behemoth, Dantomkia, Storm 2 and Gabriel. The Judges decided that Thor was the most worthy of the wildcard, and Jason Marston progressed to the Grand Final. In the Grand Final, Thor faced TR2 and Pulsar, where both teams expressed fear of Thor.

"They are in trouble, I'm gonna beat seven bells out of everything that gets in the way!"

— Jason Marston

A duel of axes

Thor axes Pulsar, taking damage from Shunt

Thor is flipped by TR2

Thor sustained early damage from its chosen target Pulsar, which ripped the top of a wheelguard from Thor, and bent its front wedges backwards. However, Thor left Pulsar alone once it lost full mobility, and pushed TR2. A combination attack from TR2 and Shunt saw Thor overturned twice, and took damage from the House Robot's axe. Thor landed a blow of its own on TR2 before returning to the fairly lifeless Pulsar to axe it, also being flipped by TR2 in the process. Thor and Shunt landed axe blows on one another. Ignoring Pulsar, Thor and TR2 battled again, trading blows, ending with Thor being stranded on its side and thrown towards the trench wall. Pulsar was finally counted out, putting Thor into the next round, despite it being flipped again by TR2.

Thor loses its "anti-Carbide plate"

In the head-to-head stage of the Grand Final, Thor first fought bar spinner Carbide. It went into the battle sporting a 10mm HARDOX "anti-Carbide" plate on the front, and a spiked axe head, to punch through Carbide's plastic top plate. The anti-Carbide plate offered good protection at first, minimising the damage from a blow which threw Thor onto the floor flipper, which turned it over.

Further damage sends Thor spinning away

However, Thor received much more damage when Carbide attacked its wheelguards, tearing into them and exposing Thor's wheels. A big blow from Carbide ripped away Thor's HARDOX plate, and threw it out of the arena. Two more blows threw Thor away, and over. When Thor self-righted, Carbide landed its knockout blow, and landed some final blows on Thor before it was counted out.

"It seems to be in pretty bad shape, it'll be interesting to see if it'll be battle-worthy the next one!"

— Professor Sethu Vijayakumar on Thor

Thor is flipped by TR2

A blow from Matilda which put Thor out of action

Thor had suffered immense damage, but was repaired in time for a head-to-head battle with TR2, where it returned to its signature bladed axe. However, Thor was thrown over immediately, and resorted to fleeing. Thor was thrown over four times in succession, and then flipped onto the top of Dead Metal by TR2, where it burned on top of the flame pit. A glancing blow from Thor's hammer struck TR2, but Thor was flipped over again. An attack from the flywheel and tusks of Matilda removed part of Thor's wheelguard once again, and overturned it.

Thor vents CO₂

Thor could easily self-right from TR2's flip, but it was clearly losing the battle, as it was flipped twice more, and struck by Matilda. Thor could hardly move after this attack, but managed to turn in a circle after firing its axe.

Thor is thrown into the trench

This meant that TR2 and Matilda needed to cause more damage, and Thor was left inverted, venting gas. It eventually self-righted, but was flipped into the CPZ, where Matilda threw Thor out of the arena.

"We spent a lot of time upside-down, which the pneumatic system doesn't like. When it's upside-down a lot, it starts to freeze up, the valve stops working and then you can see the gas being vented out."

— Jason Marston

Thor was eliminated from the competition at this stage, but would still earn third place if it could defeat Apollo. It entered the match as a shadow of its former self, repaired all over again after another destructive loss.

"Thor died many fights ago, this is now zombie Thor!"

— Dara Ó Briain

Thor is thrown by Apollo

The floor flipper turns Thor over

Thor places 4th in Robot Wars

Thor fled from Apollo, but drove over the floor flipper, and was left inverted once again, then was launched by Apollo. Armour fell off the back of Thor when it was thrown again, including vital components, leaving Thor immobile and unable to self-right. Thor was counted out, and lost its final battle of the series, but this still meant that Thor had finished fourth place overall in the series.

"To come fourth in the competition of Robot Wars? Spot on!"

— Jason Marston

Series 9

Thor competed in Episode 3. In its Group Battle, it faced the returning Chimera2 as well as newcomers Concussion and Tauron. It used its new single-headed axe blade, and the steeper of its two wedges.

Angela Scanlon: "What’s the plan?"

Jason Marston: "I'm just going to wait for a minute and let them all... do their thing and then I'm just going to go and pick on one that’s not expecting it."

— Jason Marston explains his key tactics before the Group Battle

Thor hammers Chimera2

Thor challenges Concussion

Immediately, Thor charged towards Tauron, chasing it through a CPZ before attempting to push it round from the side. Tauron’s spinning bar hit Thor's side, sending sparks flying, before Thor spun round and was briefly immobilised after getting squeezed between the wall and Tauron by a slam from Concussion. Thor fired its axe several times as Shunt approached, before suddenly kicking back into life and pushing the immobile Tauron aside. It proceeded to attack Chimera2, axing it a few times while pushing it into an empty CPZ, before briefly bumping into Concussion as the latter attacked Chimera2. After some time staying out of the action, Thor pushed both robots around inside the CPZ before forcefully separating them, with Chimera2 being left immobilised as a result. Thor slammed into Concussion, sustaining two hits from the latter's drum, but seemingly taking out half of Concussion's drive. Thor nudged Tauron again and hit the lip of the pit just as 'cease' was called. Both Thor and Concussion progressed to the Head-to-Head stage regardless.

Angela Scanlon: "Okay, Thor, I thought we were going to have to go in and resuscitate you for a minute. What happened?"

Jason Marston: "The drive is a little bit sluggish, it's very cold, so I'm just wondering whether the battery's - the chemistry in the battery's not very happy 'cause of the temperatures."

Angela Scanlon: "Okay."

Jason Marston: "So we'll try and... I'll put them down my trousers or something before then."

— Jason Marston explains Thor's temporary immobilisation in the Group Battle

Jason Marston explained afterwards that Thor's brief immobilisation was caused by cold temperatures affecting its batteries, and a loosened wire which was replaced in the pits. He also discovered that the force of Thor's axe was causing it to bend upon contact with the rear bump stop, leading to concerns about the axe sustaining fatigue and potentially breaking off.

Thor (background) escapes as Dead Metal goes 'rogue' on Concussion

In the Head-to-Heads, Thor first faced Concussion. Both robots slammed into each other in the opening seconds, with Thor pressing the Arena Tyre and allowing Dead Metal to leave his CPZ as 'Rogue House Robot' mode was triggered. Thor was pushed into another CPZ by Concussion, which was promptly caught by Dead Metal, allowing Thor to escape. It hesitated to attack any further until Concussion left the CPZ, with both robots bumping and driving around each other a few times. CO₂ vented from Thor as Concussion hit its side twice in rapid succession, before Thor drove away and launched Concussion over its front wedge as the two robots met again.

"Oh, that's not smoke, that is CO₂ venting!"

— Jonathan Pearce spots Thor’s gas leak after mistaking it for smoke

Thor vents gas as Concussion gets trapped on the pit

Thor gets on top of Concussion

Thor beaches itself on Concussion again as Matilda and Dead Metal intervene

Thor is flipped over by Concussion's drum

Thor drove into Concussion's drum several more times, and was buffeted away as Concussion was left unable to drive off the slightly lowered pit panel. Both robots became stuck on the pit as Thor charged in again, with Concussion briefly lifting Thor off the panel with its drum and shearing a small belt from underneath it. Eventually, Thor reversed away after firing its axe a few times, leaving Concussion stranded on the panel as it tried to activate the pit. However, Rogue House Robot was triggered again, with Thor axing Matilda as she rammed into – and got herself pinned on top of – Concussion. As it did so, Dead Metal came in to free Thor, allowing it to circle around the pit and back up for another charge on Concussion. As it drove towards Concussion, Thor was flipped over as Concussion's drum hit its left-hand wheelguard. With its axe out of CO₂ and leaving Thor unable to self-right, it lost the battle to Concussion and scored no points for this knock-out loss.

"Stupid Jay."

— Jason Marston rues his driving error in the Head-to-Head against Concussion

Afterwards, Jason Marston expressed his frustration at having misjudged Thor's final charge, and later discovered that one of its wheels had also seized up. This required more repairs prior to its next battle against M.R. Speed Squared, a rematch of their Head-to-Head from Series 8.

Thor launches a barrage of attacks on M.R. Speed Squared

In the battle, Thor started by driving around, axing and pushing M.R. Speed Squared into the wall, the latter unable to get its spinning weapon up to speed due to damage sustained in previous battles. It dragged M.R. Speed Squared back as the latter got stranded on its wedge, before axing it again, freeing both robots and leaving M.R. Speed Squared immobile near the arena spikes. Thor hit M.R. Speed Squared a few more times before pushing it into Sir Killalot, and drove away before 'cease' was called. Thor scored its first three points through this knock-out victory, putting it joint-second on the leaderboard along with its next – and last – opponent, Heavy Metal.

Thor drives underneath Heavy Metal

Thor steers Heavy Metal into Matilda's flywheel...

...before breaking Heavy Metal's wheel off

For this battle, Thor equipped its double-headed axe and flatter front wedge, and started by charging into Heavy Metal head-on, almost flipping it over. It pushed and axed Heavy Metal into and around a CPZ, the rubber treads for Heavy Metal's wheels coming off and scattering all over the arena floor as it did so. Thor skirted past the Flame Pit as it made another run at Heavy Metal, eventually slamming into it again. It was briefly pushed sideways by Heavy Metal, before driving away and nudging Heavy Metal as the latter lost traction and drive to one side. Thor capitalised on this by axing and pushing Heavy Metal into the wall, before catching the pit panel as it attempted to shove it across the arena. It recovered to push Heavy Metal over the arena spikes, where Heavy Metal was flipped over and was immobilised by contact with Matilda's flywheel. As Heavy Metal sat immobile, Thor pushed it into Matilda, before knocking its right-hand wheel off and pushing it into the arena tyre. Dead Metal came out to attack Thor, but Thor escaped to spin in victory as 'cease' was called, with Matilda later sending Heavy Metal's wheel flying across the arena with her flywheel. With three more points scored as a result, Thor finished the Head-to-Head round with six points, putting it second on the leaderboard along with Concussion.

"Concussion's a drum spinner, and with the front end that I've got, I think I can go straight underneath it, and then it's just a case of bludgeoning him to death."

— Jason Marston

Thor is briefly launched off the floor...

...before suffering another gas leak

Thor self-rights after getting flipped by Concussion

As the two highest-scoring robots in the Head-to-Head stage, Thor and Concussion faced each other for a third time in the Heat Final, with Thor reverting to the larger axe head and wedge used for their previous encounter. Thor began by slamming into Concussion, before driving away and being lifted up by Concussion's drum as the two robots clashed again. It struggled to get underneath Concussion as the two robots drove around and hit each other a few more times, before almost being flung onto its back after another blow from Concussion. Thor continued driving away from Concussion before slamming head-on into it again, before eventually withstanding a few more blows and dodging Concussion in an attempt to lure it into Dead Metal. As before, CO₂ vented copiously from Thor's axe mechanism as it deflected more blows from Concussion and steered it into the Arena Tyre. This activated the pit, with Thor sustaining damage a few seconds later as Concussion hit its side. After spending more time dodging and deflecting Concussion, Thor was flipped over by Concussion, but self-righted immediately in spite of its gas leak.

"...and he did have enough power to self-right! He was holding it back! Brilliant stuff from Jason!"

— Jonathan Pearce after Thor re-rights itself

The two robots nudge one another

Thor briefly stops moving as the Heat Final draws to a close

Thor slammed into Concussion a few more times, the repeated attacks buckling its front wedge as it made contact with Concussion's drum. The two robots attempted to push each other along the floor, with Thor missing an axe blow on Concussion's tyres as they spun round together and separated. Thor's axe got stuck in the half-way position in the process, and Thor itself momentarily stopped moving as Concussion attempted to nudge it. However, Thor regained mobility seconds later, and survived to a Judges' decision as it pushed Concussion over the Flame Pit.

"Good machine, very, very good machine. I was trying to get hold – it was like getting hold of a bar of soap, it was. I was trying to push them towards the House Robots or in the pit and I just couldn't do it."

— Jason Marston praises Concussion and explains Thor's difficulty in attacking it during the Heat Final

While the battle was closely-fought, Thor ultimately lost the decision - and the Heat Final - to Concussion. Its status as a Heat Finalist meant that it remained in contention for a wildcard place in the Grand Final, but this was ultimately awarded to the reigning champion Apollo, fully eliminating Thor.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 14
• Losses: 9

Series Record

Main Series	Thor Series Record
The First Wars	Did not enter
The Second Wars	Did not enter
The Third Wars	Did not enter
The Fourth Wars	Failed to qualify with Monkey Nuts
The Fifth Wars	Failed to qualify with Dorkus
The Sixth Wars	Heat, Round 2
The Seventh Wars	Heat, Round 2
Series 8	Grand Final, Fourth Place
Series 9	Heat Final Entered Battle of the Stars with Robo Savage
Series 10	Did not enter
Robot Wars Extreme	Appearances
Series 1	New Blood Championship, Third Place
Series 2	Did not enter

Robot Wars Live Events

Thor at Colchester 2016, unpainted

Thor has been one of the regular contestant robots to participate in the Robot Wars Live Events, it has fought in both friendly and competition fights with some good degrees of success. It took part in its first event in Barnsley in February 2013, where it got through to the final of the competition, losing to Maelstrom due to it getting its hammer stuck in the arena wall. Thor was also the winner of the Robot Wars Live Show in Guildford in June 2013.

Thor found great success at the Robot Wars World Championship in 2015. Thor qualified through Round 1 alongside Tiberius, after Tanto was thrown out of the arena by Iron-Awe 5, before Iron-Awe was eliminated on a Judges' decision due to damage sustained from Thor and Tiberius. Thor then won its second-round qualifier when TR2 could not self-right from a flip, while Thor won its second Judges' decision by hammering Eruption. In the quarter-finals, Thor met Nuts, and immobilised it with repeated blows, before pitting it. Thor won its semi-final through a third Judges' decision, after a close fight with Gabriel. Thor eventually finished second, after it was thrown out of the arena by Toxic 2 in the Grand Final.

Following the damage that Carbide caused to Thor in Series 8, it was scrapped and a new Thor was built. It made its Live Event debut at Colchester 2016, but it was still suffering from being untested at its first event, but these problems were fixed in time for a very successful event in Maidstone.

Outside Robot Wars

• Thor in 2004
• Thor at an event in 2005
• A rebuilt Thor in 2007 after a three year absence from robot combat
• Thor before being rebuilt in 2012
• Newly rebuilt Thor for late 2012 onwards

1/5

Following the end of Robot Wars, the Thor captain Jason Marston teamed up with Shane Swan from Team S.Tek to form Team Bud, which competed in various robot combat events across the country, both with an extensively modified Thor and with Shane Swan's newest machine called Envy, which largely resembles Firestorm.

Thor made its debut after Robot Wars at the 2004 Winter Tour in its Series 7 guise where it lost its only fight to Dantomkia. Thor then reappeared with a brand new design but still painted red in 2007 UK Championships but lost both of its fights to Kan-Opener and Das Gepäck by being pitted. However, it did finish second in the Annihilator.

It returned in the UK championship of 2008 with a new black colour scheme but lost to Dantomkia and then Terrorhurtz in the Winter Tour. In 2009's year long UK championship, it reached the finals at Wigan causing serious damage to such robots like Dantomkia on the way and when it fought And His Army and Terrorhurtz, with which it had a smashing contest with it lost due to losing drive in one side. In 2010, it fought Merlin but lost due to it damaging its own weapon following a rebuild and being unable to self right after Merlin flung Thor over. It then fought weaponless against Tiberius 4 and Cabrakan in a white board but was pierced by Tiberius 4 multiple times and pitted by Cabrakan 2. Thor did very well in the 2011 UK Championships which were held at the O2 Arena where it achieved fourth place. It won the 12PM Portsmouth Roaming Robots event 2011, in a final against Toon Raider and Cherub.

Thor (bottom) and Ripper destroy a caravan on Epic Win

In September 2011, Thor appeared alongside Ripper in the BBC One game show Epic Win, which challenged them to break two of four items in a caravan and then break out of it. The two robots started well, destroyed all four items, but after Thor got its axe stuck in the cupboard, the team were forced to give up.

Thor remains a consistently recurring robot on the live circuit, and has done in the entire time Robot Wars was off-air and beyond, competing at Robots Live!, Roaming Robots and Extreme Robots. At the first Extreme Robots event in Manchester, Thor had an opportunity to repeatedly batter the immobile Donald Thump with its axe, but was later defeated by Eruption, and had to leave the event early due to damage sustained.

Trivia

• When Robot Wars returned in 2016, Thor was the first competitor to be officially revealed.
• Thor was the fastest robot in Series 8, at 30mph.
• Thor's recent success has inspired many more hammer-wielding robots to be built, such as Asgard, a featherweight which greatly resembles Thor, built by Team Asgard.
• Thor was the first robot to have gone undefeated in the Head to Head league table.
  • Subsequently though, Thor became the first, and so far only, robot to win the Head-to-Heads outright but fail to win the Heat Final.
  • However, Thor also owns the dubious honour of losing the most fights in Series 8, with four.
  • Thor is also the first Grand Finalist to have reached the UK Grand Final despite having lost its heat, having been awarded the Series 8 wildcard.
• Jason Marston was also the only one-man team in Series 8.
• Both times Thor reached a podium position in Robot Wars, it featured in Heat B (New Blood Championship and Series 8)
• Doing so in both Series 8 and 9, Thor is the only robot so far to have been nominated for a wildcard twice.
• Thor was one of eight competitors from The Sixth Wars to enter the New Blood Championship, alongside Doctor Fist, Mr Nasty, Revolution 2, Cedric Slammer, ICU, Edge Hog and Roobarb.

External Links

• Thor Robot Facebook page
• Thor Robotwars Twitter
• Thor (Series 8) on the Robot Wars website
• Thor (Series 9) on the Robot Wars website