i made my first one a thwacker, was a great learning curve and its still the australian no 1 ranked robot despite having been retired for almost 3 events hehe.

your first robot need not be a tapped together, welded up master piece. take speed hump or tread for example. they use an old tire and some nylon ag pipe, kiddy cars and drill motors and old drill nicads and they never seem to break down, they always do well, they cost bugger all and they are (often) build literally the night before the event.

http://www.robowars.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=964&sid=d517a9d3ec16840b7f63e 38d8a7cf706http://www.robowars.org/forum/album_...3ec16840b7f63e 38d8a7cf706

http://www.robowars.org/forum/album_pic.php?pic_id=966&sid=d517a9d3ec16840b7f63e 38d8a7cf706http://www.robowars.org/forum/album_...3ec16840b7f63e 38d8a7cf706

i think the best advice anyone could give a new builder is to just go out and build anything you can, practice makes perfect..