ok, ive been doing some more thinking... and I think there is a flaw to this thread, and actually I dont think the issue is the FP Flippers at all.

it was inspired by craigs posts about loosing his mojo... about not being motivated.. however i dont think its because he doesnt have a FP flipper, he even said he could have won all the fights and would still feel the same, I think he just likes building unique robots... thats great, but we are in the world of ROBOT COMBAT and we build to fight, and build to win and entertain !
It is a competition at the end of the day... Robot Wars was about winning with the tools, and we have adapted to the set of rules we work with now.


I think the only issue is that the top robots are getting good, and possibly leaving the lower robots behind... we are all pushing each other to improve ...it doesnt matter what weapon they have, they are good.

For example...There is a standard now where your robot shouldnt breakdown in a fight, the top robots are built to such high standards that it is very unusual to see them break in the arena, they have either been battered by thor, driven / pushed in the pit, or flipped out !

The thing is being brutal, if people are getting beaten, build better robots, thats what we do, we build robots. Its like a marathon runner.. he wont win a race unless he trains, but shouldnt complain others keep beating him because they train harder !!
There are a lot of older robots being rebuilt...and people can build new fresh cheap robots... what these people can do.... is choose which white board fights they go in if they dont want to fight the top robots, We can allow white board fights to be organised by roboteers, get a group together who want to fight and fill it !!

John Bell built batter bot.... it entered events and entertained, it was polycarb, a bit of steel and two wheel cheair motors... didnt get killed !

Ive taken the list of robots coming to barnsley and added a few others who are active regularily....

Beast - FP Flipper
Corkscrew - Nothing
Double Action - FP Axe / Flipper with a difference
Eruption - FP Flipper
Maelstrom = FP Flipper with a difference
Meggamouse - LP Flipper
Mr Nasty - Nothing
Ripper - FP Flipper
Scorpion = Electric Axe
Stinger - Tail
Stormforce - LP axe and flipper
Steel Avenger - LP axe
Tilly - FP Flipper
Toon Raider - LP Flipper
Toxic - FP Flipper
Xterminator - not sure
Iron Awe 5 - FP Flipper
Iron Awe 6 - FP Flipper
Preditor - LP Flipper different
Thor - LP Axe
Scorpion - Electric Axe
Fortis - Nothing
Kronic - FP Flipper
Merlin - FP Flipper different
UFO - LP front hinge flipper
Envy - LP front hinge flipper
Full Tilt - Electric lifter

FP Flippers conventional = 7
Nothing = 3
Other / Unique = 6
LP Flipper = 5
Axe = 6

So I dont think there is an issue with FP flippers dominating at all, there is the variety in the show already !!