The Crash & Burn Tournament 3

[kodster]

So€¦we are a fourth of the way through our heats and the road to the Series Semi-Finals€¦why stop now? Let€™s push on to Heat E!

Heat E
Round 1, Eliminator 1
Another Night at the Bar (9) vs. Death Threat 0.2 vs. Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a Half vs. Nitro-Gene 5.0

From Enschede in Holland, seeded number 9, Another Night at the Bar!
Knocked out by SUNCUST in Round 4 last time, but still very decently seeded. Have a drink on us!

Melissa: Martijn, you are back again! Not so lucky last time, were you€¦
Martijn: Not at all€¦but I€™m confident my bar spinner will do quite good here.
Melissa: That spinning bar looks plenty dangerous I must say.
Martijn: That it does, and it€™s going to cause some serious harm out there.
Melissa: Not worried about the opposition?
Martijn: Not really.
Melissa: You lot are all too confident.
Martijn: Nope, just optimistic. Though I do confess my chances are good.

Good chances€¦with a 75kJ spinning bar, that€™s not too bad a prediction. It€™s a 4WD axlebot, powered by S28-400 MagMotors, and the said spinning bar spins up quickly with that LEM130 powering it. It€™s highly unstable, though, so watch out for another Son of Whyachi!

C&B1: Did not compete.
C&B2: Got through Round 1 when Spawn Again flipped Son of Wedgie OOTA, and then knocked Mousey 4 out in Round 2 with a close JD. Its Heat Final saw it against 12th seed Turbo Tails, but disposed of it quite nicely. However, a brutal match followed in the Semis with newcomer SUNCUST, and it got a case of nasty wheel.

From Bedford, Death Threat 0.2!
Are threats all it has? Or will it carry out its sworn words?

Melissa: Threatening, innit?
Danny: That was a bad pun. And yeah it is.
Melissa: Those tracks look quite grippy.
Danny: Grippy enough to push stuff around, you bet.
Melissa: And who is your target for those claws?
Danny: I€™m not sure, probably anything that€™s exposed or flat. Walk Don€™t Run however seems to fit nicely in the claws, though.
Melissa: And hopefully you find something in there, exposed or flat. Good luck to you!

The titanium jaws come out with each giving 6.25 tonnes of force at the ram, and it€™s Lynch-powered€¦underpowered probably, but it€™s toughened up. There€™s plenty threatening about this bot!

C&B1: Did not compete.
C&B2: Did not compete.

From Vancouver, Canada, Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half!
Err€¦strange name for this newcomer shuffler, but we€™ll see what€™s jogging it!

Melissa: So it€™s a shuffler, it runs on a rotating system for its feet?
Samuel: Yep.
Melissa: And so you have plenty of extra weight for this nice spinner, don€™t you?
Samuel: Sure do.
Melissa: What€™s the plan?
Samuel: Get rid of the 9th seed. It has exposed wheels.
Melissa: Why do you all like to attack exposed wheels?
Samuel: Because that way they can€™t move!
Melissa: Ah yes. Well, have fun out there. *aside* It doesn€™t even have wheels itself€¦

It€™s disc-shaped€¦so wouldn€™t it be lower? Ah, the outer ring is Hardox, and it€™s massively powerful dealing out 125kJ per blow, and spinning up quite quickly so it€™s nothing to scoff at, and for a shuffler it looks quite quick, but it will encounter stability problem as with every spinner, and the top armour doesn€™t look too good.

C&B1: Did not compete.
C&B2: Did not compete.

From Orpington in Kent, Nitro-Gene 5.0!
Oh dear, another newcomer! Oh dear, a powerful flipper! Oh dear oh dear€¦

Melissa: That arm looks very dangerous, I daresay.
Paul: You would indeed, it€™s run off of Nitrogen tanks and can toss quite a bit into the air.
Melissa: And your tactics would be?
Paul: I€™d say take out Another Night at the Bar, because it looks to be the most threatening. No offense to Death Threat.
Melissa: And we have found another bad punner today€¦right good luck out in the warzone!
Paul: Thank you.

It has VERY powerful flippability factor, but it has quite a limited amount of flips so it must conserve them. It has strong monocoque of armour and a good drive. It says it runs invertibly, but€¦looking at the ground clearance and dimensions, I€™d say that€™s doubtful.

C&B1: Did not compete.
C&B2: Did not compete.

Roboteers, stand by€¦
Teams, then€¦Paul Cuomo and Martijn Benschop on the booth on the left, that€™s Booth 1 by the way, and the other booth has Daniel Bailey and Samuel Park. AND FOR THE HOUSE ROBOTS, we have Triple Whamlet€™s axability factor, and Ancalagon the Black€™s major jawage.

3€¦
2€¦
1€¦
ACTIVATE!

And off to the quickest start, indeed VERY quickly, is Nitro-Gene 5.0, and it€™s right after the 9th seed, Another Night at the Bar, and smacks into it immediately! The bar smacks it but indeed doesn€™t cause much harm to the monocoque, and that gives Paul the time he needs to get in a lovely FLIP! Already Martijn is in trouble, as the weapon axle rolls over, but in comes the shuffler, Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half, and Nitro-Gene pushes against the 9th seed to try and keep him there. And of course he doesn€™t get his wish, as Another Night at the Bar€™s side panelling helps it slip off the wall€¦but Paul€™s work is done, he€™s kept Martijn at bay long enough for Samuel to slip in front of the bar spinner, who is NOT spinning and in a very big predicament: between the two newcomers! Death Threat 0.2, seemingly unnoticed by any of the other three, goes after the pit release button and hammers it, as Nitro-Gene begins to push Another Night at the Bar into Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half, and the results don€™t look pretty!

CRASH!!!

Lord almighty, that right front wheel just got hammered, and the rubber€™s been BROKEN OFF! The tread of the wheel is broken off and it looks like Another Night at the Bar€™s mobility is highly hindered, but look at that! Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half has gone flying across the arena in a Mauler-style dance, crashing down onto its back€¦and is not spinning at all anymore! It seems to have killed itself by giving its internals a right good rattling from that entire debacle, not just from the initial hit mind you! Paul looks across at Samuel in disbelief, as The Watcher moves in to survey the situation. HOLY - HE€™S SPINNING LIKE CRAZY!!! Another Night at the Bar€™s tried to spin up it€™s weaponry, but the entire stability€™s been thrown completely off, and sent it into a Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half imitation!!! What a spectacle! What a disaster for the 9th seed€¦is it moving anymore I wonder - ah, but Nitro-Gene€™s under it again, and pushing it€¦and thrown it into€¦the pit. That was bloody good, and now Death Threat 0.2, hardly mentioned in this battle, seems to have been given a free ride into Round 2 as it clamps Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half and pushes it down the pit before the count out.

CEASE!

Another Night at the Bar goes home to sober up, while Walk Don€™t Run 3€™n a half slips and falls straight on its face!
Nitro-Gene 5.0 & Death Threat 0.2 advance to Round 2!

Next battle courtesy of Andrew Jackson. Enjoy!

[andrewj]

Round 1, Eliminator 2
The May Tracks Has You (25) vs. Thor vs. Exertion vs. Y4

From Gainsborough, seeded number 25, The May Tracks Has You!
Did anyone remember to take the blue pill? Anyone?

Melissa: Ooh, another tracked machine.
Frank: Well if I had other mobility, the pun wouldn€™t be fitting.
Melissa: And it€™s a good pun, unlike others I could mention. What€™s your strategy?
Frank: Anybody that€™s nearest, I rip their tyres up. Anybody€™s that€™s looking weak, I flip over the fence. Or maybe down the pit.
Melissa: You look a little€¦
Frank: Wet, yes. It always rains in Gainsborough, and I just came from there. :sad:
Melissa: Aww€¦well hope your luck turns around in the battle!

Do not enter the May Tracks, because it once it has you, there is no escape. Or so Frank tells us. It€™s got a flipper and spikes, which in combination can shred your tyres into oblivion, and it has Hardox armouring and plenty of power from the Lynch motors and tracks, and it€™s quite fast and compact.

C&B1: (as Enter The May Tracks) Flipped Son of Ripper 5.0 over the fence, and got Mother Of All Bricks: IE down the pit in Round 2. It got Terrorhurtz down the pit in its Heat Final but then€¦Orka MK4 got it down the pit in the Finals.
C&B2: Flipped Panic Attack over the fence in Round 1, did the like to FBSDS in Round 2€¦but took quite a bashing in the Heat Final, which did it in, and BIACS-LE moved on to the Semis.

From Northampton, Thor!
The hammer of war strikes the Battlegrounds floor! We hope not, actually.

Melissa: Thor€™s hammer! That looks immense!
Shane: Yep. What do you think we should do to them, Jason?
Jason: I think we€™ll go after Exertion first, then Y4. They look like targets we can take out quite easily.
Melissa: It looks like it can do it too.
Shane: And it will, just you wait.
Melissa: Now now, save the overconfidence for the arena.

Bloody old€¦anyway, the drive is C40-300 MagMotor powered, and the hammer€¦oh yes, the hammer, is rack-and-pinion actuated, and able to wedge opponents easily with the frontal wedge. It€™s quite powerful as well, but it€™ll need some good aim to pull of those mighty blows they say it can produce.

C&B1: Did not compete.
C&B2: Did not compete.

From Shrewsbury in Shropshire, Exertion!
Fought as ForcePower 5.0 last series, but felt a little Turbulence.

Melissa: And now we have a boring box.
Andy: Excuse me? Boring? :P
Melissa: I just dislike boxes without any powerful weaponry, that€™s all.
Andy: It does have a 180 degree lifter that can easily flip another robot, you realize€¦
Melissa: Oh, er€¦carry on then. Ah, good luck.
Andy: Sigh€¦ :P

Now, Melissa, where are your manners? It€™s what€™s inside the robot that counts, and in Exertion, 4 S28-400s are plenty to boost this 5mm Hardox-armoured box to 15mph quite quickly. It has a 10mm titanium scoop that can work both ways and lift 200kg, and push it about the powerful drive. Will it exert too much, though?

C&B1: (as ForcePower 5.0) Beaten in a close JD by Tempest Evil-er-oution in Round 1.
C&B2: Got a bye into Round 2 when Flank Attack: DT got 10th seed ArchAngel of the Abyss down the pit, but at that 2nd round, it was bested, again in a JD, by Turbulence.

From Suffolk, Y4!
Why four? Erm€¦I really don€™t know.

Melissa: It€™s been a while since we€™ve seen this competitor.
Chris: I felt the need to bring him back, and we€™re going to fight the good ol€™ fight.
Melissa: And there€™s your flipper, I see.
Chris: Ready to send 300+kgs of robot into space.
Melissa: You don€™t think you€™ll go out in Round 2 again, do you?
Chris: Hell no, we€™re going all the way this time. And you still didn€™t give me your number€¦
Melissa:

Honestly€¦ah the body is 5mm steel and the wheelguards are 9mm titanium. The flipper can toss about 300kgs and right it, even though it is invertible, and it is quite fast€¦however, though the wheelguards are tough, they don€™t fully protect the wheels€¦

C&B1: Flipped NSBFR-X over the fence in Round 1, but then met Aquarius and met its own end on the other side, in Round 2.
C&B2: Did not compete.

Roboteers, stand by€¦
Teams€¦Christopher Mason on the left, Team Bud with Shane Swan and Jason Marston on the right hand side, and that is Booth 1. Booth 2 we have Andrew Jackson, and Frank Goacher. For house robots, ah€¦Taki III and Exa-Gore-Ic Evo.

3€¦
2€¦
1€¦
ACTIVATE!

And we are off again as the 25th seed makes a gangway for the nearest thing - Y4! Chris just gets away, only for Andy Jackson and Exertion to barge in from the side and shove Y4 into the arena wall! Thor is in the thick of things now, crashing into Exertion€™s own side and bringing down that massive hammer! BANG! That€™s some force, but luckily the top of Exertion proves the mightier as it€™s barely dented, but it€™s allowed Chris to sneak away. But nobody can escape the May Tracks, as Frank€™s bot chases after Y4. Quickly catching up, The May Tracks Has You scoops up Y4 on the front wedge and dumps it deep into the CPZ containing Taki III!

CRASH!!!

The house robot€™s rear spinning bar collides into the 5mm Steel of Y4 and causes a slice in it! The May Tracks Has You wisely escapes, but is quickly shunted back into the CPZ by Exertion! If things weren€™t chaotic enough, Thor joins in the action and then pushes Exertion into the CPZ! However Taki III is more interested in lifting Y4 up with its front lifting plate, and the other three competitors escape. The May Tracks Has You immediately seeks revenge on Exertion, getting under the side and flipping it up into the air. Exertion bounces down wrong way up, but as it is invertible it quickly makes a get away. The May Tracks Has You has left itself open for attack and Thor rushes in and rains a hammer blow down onto the top!

The attack seems to have caused little damage. Suddenly Y4 comes out of nowhere and thumps into the side of Thor! The flipper operates and Thor is tossed onto its side! The May Tracks Has You decides it can do better and gets under the inverted Thor and flips it again, causing the hammerbot to spin through the air. Y4 attacks again, flipping Thor once more, this time righting the Team Bud machine. Exertion meanwhile has hit the pit release, and the descending pit nearly catches Thor out as it runs to safety! The May Tracks Has You quickly gets Y4 with a cheeky flip and goes to join Thor, who is heading for Exertion.

The two collide head to head, with Thor quickly thundering the axe down onto the top of Exertion. But AJ doesn€™t seem to mind, as the front scoop starts to lift Thor up off the ground! The May Tracks Has You joins in and slots itself nicely under Thor, and Exertion lowers Thor onto the tracked robots wedge! A good bit of teamwork between the two vapourboteers in the control booth. The May Tracks Has You goes full steam ahead across the arena and hurls Thor into the CPZ of Exa-Gore-Ic Evo! Y4 dives into the CPZ and flips Thor with all its might, almost sending it OOTA! But the house robot is not pleased with this intervention and grasps Y4 between its claws and slams it into the arena wall!

This allows Thor to escape, but Exertion cuts it off and slams it against one of the Discs of Death! The sparks fly as the disc strikes Thor€™s armour, but no damage is apparent. Exa-Gore-Ic Evo finally releases Y4, but The May Tracks Has You is waiting and tosses Y4 over onto it€™s back again! Exertion then hurtles into Y4, slamming it hard against the arena wall! The May Tracks Has You sees an opportunity to attack and slides nicely under the rear clearance of Exertion€¦ and flips! The Team ?¿? competitor is sent head over heels and crashes down the other side of the arena! Y4 self rights and manages to get itself out of trouble, and heads over towards Thor. Thor goes right for Y4 with the axe, but Chris quickly outmanoeuvres it, causing the axe to strike the floor!

Y4 gets under the front of Thor and flips it over! But here comes The May Tracks Has You, and gets under the rear of Y4 and flips! It has done it again! Another surprise attack from behind and Y4 is sent tumbling over the fence! But The May Tracks Has You doesn€™t seem content there, as it drives in and under the inverted Thor€¦ and launches that out of the arena as well! Frank, you€™re only supposed to eliminate two!! The impressive looking May Tracks Has You spins in victory while the other three competitors are left outside The Battlegrounds.

CEASE!

Exertion has over-exerted itself, Y4 looked about as effective as T II
Thor & The May Tracks Has You advance to Round 2!

[kodster]

Excellent stuff, AJ, and now the Round 2 line-ups :

Heat E: The Round Two Draw
The May Tracks Has You (25) vs. Death Threat 0.2
Thor vs. Nitro-Gene 5.0

So...predictions, tactics are welcomed. Oh, and dont be surprised if AJ helps me with some more fights for a while.

[joey_picus]

Two incredibly good battles there, good to see the standard being kept up.

Predictions...May Tracks will probably get Death Threat over the fence, and I think Thor will beat Nitro-Gene on a judges decision based on damage.

[paulc]

WOOOOOOOOOOT! Nitro is through, in a good fight Nice fights Kodster.

May Tracks to win the first fight, as its already beaten Death Threat in the past.

Simple plan - straight in - straight out. Ive seen Thor live, and if it gets you in the front, youre doomed, but once youre side-on, its screwed. Get under the sides, push to the arena wall as quickly as possible and flip him out.

Good luck Shane...I would post a wink (I still am :wink but Ive just noticed that if either of us win, we get a rematch with May Tracks

[pcbore]

quote:

Good luck Shane...I would post a wink (I still am ) but Ive just noticed that if either of us win, we get a rematch with May Tracks

...Thats assuming I make it past Death Threat, Paul :P

Speaking of which, are the skirts all round or just on the side? Assuming theyre all over to be on the safe side, tacxtics are to aim for the corner to make getting under easier, then see if I can snap those tracks off.

[swanaldo]

thor is very difficult to get under the front but yes a bit exposed on the sides. never the less we will steer thor always facing nitro-gene and give it some. thor is agile robot and fast. powerslides nice with them vulcoln treads.

hopefully looking forward to getting revenge on May The Tracks has You.

good battle by the way i do like an interesting read and lifelike approach.

[dinowarrior]

As a word of recommendation, dont keep with the dating Melissa gags. Aside from the fact that it does go against my true personality, it may run dry.

[majinb]

well, you never know what may come of it Chris, if you keep on trying you might end up on a date with Melissa sooner or later

[samuel3764]

Well, I tried my best. Im not at all disappointed.

Nitro-Gene and May Tracks to go through, I reckon.