So first things first, I'm completely and utterly new to all of this. I've never done any real mechanical or electrical work before and while I've been an avid fan of robot wars since the very first series I've never before attempted to venture into the world of robot building.

I've got a rough mockup of a design that I would like to build, planning to build a featherweight flipper but one that uses a slightly unusual mechanism for the flipper but that's not the issue here.

The problem I have is that I'm completely clueless when it comes to choosing components! I've read around a fair bit but honestly there's so much information out there it's all a bit overwhelming.

Are there any good resources out there that would help me understand more about what to look for with motors and the various electronic components? Or alternatively is there something that's kind of accepted as the standard for featherweights?

Thanks for any help you guys can give me and apologies for being a bit (very) clueless!