Mechanical Maelstrom: Annihilation

Time to wrap up another annihilator! :P

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, ranked #7, Corona!

From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team ???, PsycloniZer!

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Zlayerz
Booth Blue: Team ???

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

The two robots spin up and move towards one another across the arena, Psy being the quicker to run across the arena on the attack, but Corona uses that omni-drive to zig zag out of the way and drive around AJ€™s machine! PsycloniZer isn€™t falling for that though and reverses back into Corona, causing a clash of spinning weapons! Corona has the lesser traction and is flung across the arena into the barrier, while PsycloniZer is moved towards the spike strip.

However, both machines appear to be undamaged and go back on the attack, the whir of spinning weapons creating a threatening atmosphere in the arena as the two collide again, and on this occasion there is a huge clash as the 15kg hammer of PsycloniZer collides with one of Corona€™s blade head on! Unfortunately for Kody€™s robot the weight of AJ€™s hammer causes the blade of Corona€™s shell to fly off, leaving the orange FBS crippled and unbalanced.

Kody€™s far from finished though, and as the attack flung him in the direction of the pit release button he guns that omni-drive and slams into it, causing the chasm to descend. Andy looks on warily for a moment, but then spins up the ring and goes in the direction of Corona, who tries to spin up, testing the waters of the newly damaged weaponry. Corona looks nastily unbalanced though and begins to hop on one side slightly, just as Andy comes in on the attack! The two robots collide and Corona€™s underbelly is hit by the hammer of Team ???€™s entry, flipping it onto its side, causing the remaining blade to hit the steel floor with a large THWACK, sending Corona rolling up and flying against the wall like a hockey puck!

Psy didn€™t get off scot-free either though, because as the blade travelled around it came into contact with one of Psy€™s arms, bending it slightly! This leaves both robots with impaired weapons, and due to the nature of those weapons, impaired balance! Corona meanwhile has landed on its top, and is trying to use the pneumatic srimech to self-right. However, this close to the wall it flips up and back down uselessly, failing to successfully tip itself back over. Psy goes on an investigative nudge anyway, just as Corona finally finds the power to tip itself back over, as it had worked further and further away from the wall until it could successfully right.

The two spinners are now face to face, neither with a fully operational weapon. Andy gives spinning up a stab as Kody did, but the spin merely causes the hammer to knock against the floor and Psy jolts up, allowing Corona an opening to ram in underneath. The omni-drive may not have much traction, but now the sloped side of Corona is under Andy€™s robot and Kody powers forward. However, PsycloniZer€™s hammer sticks in the floor, causing it to merely flip over when Corona pushes forward, regaining its traction and also removing the hammer-to-floor problem as the bent arm now faces the ceiling.

This makes the fight a straightforward, one that the 4WD magmotor powered drive of PsycloniZer will be victorious in. The 3 A28-150s that drive Corona aren€™t the problem, but the omni-drive struggles to work against PsycloniZer€™s drive and Andy slowly but surely pushes Corona back across the arena and into the pit, where it disappears in a puff of smoke.

CEASE!

Corona [#7] bites the dust; PsycloniZer advances to the final!

Battleboard
Corona [#7] vs. Lime-y vs. PsycloniZer vs. Die-Reverta Tops vs. ISRRNY vs. Iron Awe 5

Next Time: The #8 ranked Traffic Warden returns to pit more opponents, along with 5 feisty newcomers!
Traffic Warden [#8] vs. Under Pressure vs. Magnitude vs. Cyrilium 5 vs. Gravity vs. Macduff the 5th

ugh :P

Macduff - go for whomever looks like they could cause me the most problems later on, pit them

good fights Lewis

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen, to Mechanical Maelstrom: Annihilation!

Today we begin our fifth annihilator of the series, and begin the search for another robot to join Nidhogg Cubed, Gehenna, Jinx and PsycloniZer in the final!

So with no further ado, let€™s get the match underway.

From Glasgow in Scotland, representing Team Braveheart, ranked #8, Traffic Warden!
This rigid U-shaped machine competed in Mechanical Maelstrom Season 2.0 and did very well, reaching the quarter-finals before it finally fell to Wedga Triton. This time around the bot hopes to be even more successful, and sporting a 38HP Etek drive, 3000psi hydraulic clamps and excellent traction on the arena floor can anyone stop this beast? Well, it does have a 10mm ground clearance all round, and that could be a problem.

From Enschede in the Netherlands, representing Team Varying Everyday, Under Pressure!
This is another horizontal clamping machine, but still it is quite different in design to it€™s opponent in that it has pointed claws for piercing the opposition€™s armour as opposed to flat clamps. Also though there are wedges on said claws to help it get underneath the enemy€™s side clearance, removing their traction and allowing Under Pressure to take them wherever Martijn pleases. However, these wedges won€™t work upside down and although the robot is invertible it can€™t self-right, so this one should watch out for the flippers.

From Pontefract in West Yorkshire, representing Team Picus, Magnitude!
This seemingly ordinary wedged flipper sports a unique innovation in the lifting tusk built into the front wedge. This electrically powered mechanism serves to lift an opponent up, allowing Joey to push as far underneath the opposition as he pleases before firing the flipper and sending them over the fence! The tusk can also press down into the floor to help breach tough ground clearances, and the 1000psi nitrogen flipper should see plenty of robots go up and over, but is the 3.25mm hardox armour thick enough to deal with the hydraulic crushers?

From Richmond Upon Thames, representing Team Orr, Gravity!
This machine is Dutch by nature, but now it represents Jack Orr, who resides in England. The powerful pneumatic flipper proved deadly in the final series of Robot Wars as it tossed Hydra, 13 Black and Dantomkia out of the arena on its path to the second round of the semi-finals where it finally fell to then-reigning champion Tornado. The flipper is no less deadly than it was back then, but the armour is no thicker either and the rear ground clearance remains unprotected.

From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Macduff the 5th!
This 6WD rambot features not 2, not 3, not 4, but 5 interchangeable weapon set-ups that range from lifting forks to a pneumatic flipper to a hardened steel spinning drum. Since no set-up has been specified the forks, the main set-up, will be used for this match. The main weapon of this machine though is the ramming power supplied by the lynch motors in the drive that run at an immense 49.5v, giving all the speed, acceleration and torque neccessary.

Roboteers, standby!

Booth Red: Team Braveheart, Team Picus
Booth Blue: Team Orr, Team Zlayerz, Team Varying Everyday

3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!

And they€™re off! Macduff is the immediate aggressor in this match, circling the arena in an attempt to get around to the rear of Under Pressure, but Martijn€™s bot turns to meet the onslaught, deterring Kody€™s attack. Traffic Warden meanwhile heads out into the centre of the arena to meet Gravity, who rams in underneath the ranked machine and fires the powerful flipper, but due to the huge width of Team Braveheart€™s entry the warden is merely flicked sideways into the air before landing unhurt on its 4WD and going on the attack of Gravity, grasping the realie in its clamps and ploughing it across the arena onto the killsaws with the superior drive power and traction! However, Traffic Warden is too wide to squeeze Gravity into the corner and so is forced to leave the Dutch-built bot just outside of the saws. Jack is definitely scared off by that onslaught though and doesn€™t attempt a follow-up attack on Traffic Warden.

Meanwhile Magnitude is also on the prowl, pushing in underneath the side of Under Pressure, who is pre-occupied with Macduff the 5th. The lifting tusk of Joey€™s machine works excellently, lifting one side of Under Pressure up into the air, but before Magnitude can captilise on this Macduff rams in, taking Under Pressure off Magnitude€™s own tusk and using its forks to hold Martijn€™s wheels off the ground as it slams Under Pressure into the pit release button! The siren wails and the chasm descends, but the momentum carried by Macduff into the wall has knocked Under Pressure free of its opponent€™s grip and now the big white claw turns its attention to the side of Macduff, getting underneath and squeezing the blue rammer gleefully! The thick titanium holds fairly well though and the forks of Macduff dig into the floor, not allowing the wedged arm of Under Pressure a chance to get in underneath. This leaves Martijn in half control of his opponents machine, but Magnitude sees the opportunity for destruction and rams in underneath, firing his flipper to toss the conjoined pair high into the air!

They come crashing down onto the arena barrier with a slam Under Pressure€™s grip being broken in the impact and causing the Team Varying Everyday entry to slide over the barrier and onto the camera tracks, soon followed by Macduff, but it was Martijn€™s robot that landed out first and so Under Pressure is the bot unfortunately eliminated from the first round of the annihilator.

CEASE!

Under Pressure finally caved; Traffic Warden [#8], Magnitude, Gravity and Macduff the 5th advance!

Battleboard
Traffic Warden [#8] vs. Under Pressure vs. Magnitude vs. Cyrilium 5 vs. Gravity vs. Macduff the 5th

More tactics/predictions for next round pretty please? ;)

Damn, meant to post tactics for this. Awesomness all the same, Lewis. :D

Of the remaining bots, Gravity is probably the easiest to grapple. Quickly clamp the bugger and attempt a repeat of its World Championship qualifier with Tough as Nails. Anyone else want to help out? :P

I can try Steve - I'll try and keep Gravity busy and possibly flip it into the Warden if such an opportunity should arise.

Great fights Lewis :)

Macduff the 5th - Whew! The bot I didn't like facing is out. Now, on to next round...wait, you're all picking on Gravity?! Well I need to get Traffic Warden out since he can clamp me, so I'll team up with GRAVITY to try and get rid of Traffic Warden. Sound okay, Jack?

I'll use the solid lifting wedge here and try to lift Traffic Warden off its wheels, then pit it. If Magnitude decides to try and protect it, get around to its sides, and lift it over, but I'd really, really prefer getting rid of Steve here.

Good stuff again, Lewis! :)

sounds good to me!

Thanks for the quick response with tactics guys, interesting ones as well ;)

Really keeps up my motivation levels :)

More great battles! :) This next round should be interesting...

Thanks Andy :) and yeah, those were my thoughts looking at these tactics........ :| :lol: