- "New machine from the Ming Dienasty team, let's hope they're luckier with this one!"
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Zorro
Zorro was a competitor robot that solely participated in the seventh series of Robot Wars. It was built and entered by Team Ming, which also entered Series 7 with the seeded Ming Dienasty and had previously competed in Series 3-6 with the Ming series of robots. Zorro was equally as unsuccessful as Ming Dienasty, being eliminated in the first round after being flipped over by Ripper.
For Zorro's appearance, Team Ming exchanged their usual Ming costumes for Zorro outfits.
Design
Zorro in the pits
Zorro was a box-shaped machine made out of an RCV unit from Cotterell's new company Robogeddon, like Ming Dienasty. In place of Ming Dynasty's drill, however, Zorro was armed with a red, 500W driven tri-bar spinning blade, very similar to American robot and BattleBots heavyweight champion Son of Whyachi. The robot was stable and fast, due to its four-wheel drive and skid-steer system, and the weapon had destructive potential, with Andrew Cotterell stating that it destroyed two other as yet unidentified robots in a qualifier round during a pre-match interview.
- "We did the trials the other day, and we did muller two robots..."
- — Andrew Cotterell raises expectations in an interview with Jayne Middlemiss
However, Zorro was untested in the arena and used a lot of battery power, which drained the robot of energy to power the weapon and a special self-righting mechanism within the weapon, which failed to work. Additionally, Zorro was initially found to be over the weight limit before it was due to compete in Series 7, resulting in Team Ming making several adjustments to its body and weapon which stripped it down to its bare RCV chassis and caused the weapon's strength balance to be out.
Robot History
Series 7
Zorro is thrown over by Ripper
Zorro entered Heat P, fighting Ripper, Aggrobot and Reptirron The Second in its first round battle. It started by dodging Ripper's initial charge as it got its weapon up to speed and drove around the arena, before slamming into Aggrobot and tearing off the stuffed toy fixed to its right-hand side. However, the impact stopped Zorro's weapon and bent one of its beams, leaving it defenseless as Ripper charged in and flipped it over. With Zorro's srimech failing to work, it was counted out by Refbot and hammered by Mr. Psycho, who picked Zorro up and carried it around the arena as the three surviving robots fought each other.
Mr. Psycho places the defeated Zorro close to the Drop Zone
He placed Zorro on the Drop Zone square, but released it from his grasp, allowing Zorro to land back onto its wheels and escape. Zorro continued to drive around the arena before slamming into Ripper and getting picked up by Mr. Psycho again, who spun it around before dropping it into the pit seconds before 'cease' was called. Zorro was eliminated from the Seventh Wars, along with Aggrobot following the subsequent judges' decision.
- "Just because you've got a hat, doesn't mean you're gonna get ahead! No tomorrow for Zorro!"
- — Craig Charles, after the fight
Results
| ZORRO - RESULTS | ||
| Series 7 | ||
| The Seventh Wars - UK Championship Heat, Round 1 | ||
| Heat P, Round 1 | vs. Aggrobot, Reptirron The Second, Ripper | Lost |
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record
| Main Series | Zorro Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Entered with Ming the Merciless |
| The Fourth Wars | Entered with Ming 2 |
| The Fifth Wars | Entered with Ming 3 |
| The Sixth Wars | Entered with Ming 3 |
| The Seventh Wars | Heat, Round 1 Entered with Ming Dienasty |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Entered with Ming 3 |
| Series 2 | Did not enter |
Trivia
- Chronologically, Zorro was the last robot to enter the Robot Wars Arena in the original series.
- It is also the last UK Series competitor when listed alphabetically.