I have just seen the 3rd episode of Robot Wars series 8 and overdoser is revealed as a
wooden robot-mdf if you please and was apparently built in a week.

If you cant weld or are on a budget its got to be an option, my second robot Death Warmed Up
was 50% wood 50% fibreglass on the bodywork, of course spinners were rare in those days.

I think overdoser's mistake was to use mdf just screwed together-not the most durable solution.
If I were given the spec to build one out of wood to take on spinners and full pressure flippers
heres my solution and shopping list.
High quality 16mm plywood
8mm steel angled brackets
6mm polycarbonate off cuts
30mm long bolts
set of hardwood chair legs
Method-Any shaped robot is ok but a box shaped robot is the most vunerable-too much
surface area, so angled round or wedge shape is better.
So the steel brackets are bolted wherever theres a join in the wood and the chair legs
are placed internally,cover the whole robot in polycarbonate off cuts or other durable
material ie late steel and bolt it through the plywood.
If you are using hardox, titanium or carbon fibre-better stick with that