What sort of drill motors are you using - do they have the gearboxes attached, or is it just the motor? If it's just the motor on its own, it won't have the power to drive. The best thing to do would be to buy two argos drill motors and hack them (plenty of guides on the net) into drive motors, or buy some Gimsons Robotics GR02 gearmotors that are ready to go, but at a bit higher cost. Likewise, I'd have two motors that run on the same voltage, makes things a lot easier and you'll run into problems using, say, a 12v and a 16v motor at once for drive.

Basic shopping list for you (Sorry if you already know this)

You'll want a pair of ESCs, I recommend the Turnigy TZ-85As from BotBitz, about £100 but they're extremely good

A radio set (receiver and transmitter) - 2.4GHZ, will need to failsafe - I'd recommend a Spektrum or Orange RX, but there's alternatives to either of those

A battery/charger - most roboteers go for LiPos, but it might be that you don't feel comfortable using these straight off, NIMH Model batteries are also usable (there's a big list of usable chemistries in the build rules)

Wheels - these can be made from scratch, or bought - I used some 75mm caster wheels mounted to drill motors for my first machine, but you can also buy wheels that are directly made to mount to drive motors. This all depends on your drive system, of course

Armour - this all depends on what you can get your hands on - to start with, MDF is fine for prototyping, but you'll likely want something stronger, like HDPE or steel. Again, it's all dependant on your design, but weak materials will prove extremely problematic in the arena.


As for your weapon, I have literally no idea how to do pneumatic flippers, so you'd be best consulting the build diaries thread and reading up on any machines that have flippers in them to see how they've done it - sorry about that one!

Best of luck with your build!