Post by lewis on Dec 4, 2009 12:46:01 GMT -5
Hello and welcome to tonight’s thrilling episode of Mechanical Maelstrom, the first of the Annihilation series.
6 robots will enter the Annihilation Stadium, but only 1 will live to fight again in the series final. One robot will be eliminated each round until only the winner remains in classic annihilator style.
First off, let’s meet tonight’s competitors!
From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team and currently ranked #4, Wedga Triton!
This blue box wedge is no stranger to Mechanical Maelstrom, as it finished in a very high 4th place in season 2.0, reaching the heady heights of the semi-finals before it fell to eventual champion Dantu. It is unchanged from then, and still packs the full pressure rear hinged flipper that sent robots tumbling out of the arena last time around. The S28-400 magmotors in the drive easily move the robot around, and the hardox armour gives adequate protection, but the the co2 supply is limited as with any pneumatic flipper.
From Pontefract in West Yorkshire, representing Team Picus, Nidhogg Cubed!
Also a veteran of Mechanical Maelstrom, this lifter/crusher lost in the opening melee of Mechanical Maelstrom 2.0 when it was outclassed by Autoism 3.0 and Back to Rock III and dumped from the competition. It returns unchanged, with front lifting forks and overhead hydraulic crusher, perfectly capable of a lot of damage, but more commonly used to clamp opponents and drop them in the pit. The hydrostatic drive gives very precise and easy control, but the base armour is only aluminium and the main titanium armour quite thin by vapourbot standards.
From Patricia in Canada, representing Team Alt, SOTAR!
This season’s first newcomer is a powerful ring spinner that can also run inverted. With both drive and weapon being powered by meaty PERM motors this machine packs some serious punch, and with the name Sit On This And Rotate to scare away opponents what could possibly go wrong? Everything, if it meets any axes as with such powerful weaponry and motors top and bottom armour has paid the price with just aluminium to protect itself, and the shape isn’t ideal to push other robots around either.
From Onehouse in Suffolk, representing Team Dinowarrior, Orka RV!
The latest version in the Orka line of robots is a simple box wedge with a rear hinged flipping arm on board. It’s a newcomer to Mechanical Maelstrom, although the team has previous experience as Leprosy Infection reached the semi-finals of the first season and also competed the second time around along with Mega Masher 2. This machine is a very good all rounder, with tough 7mm titanium armour, a durable and powerful flipping arm and also a 6 wheel drive that can work upside down! However, it isn’t the best at turning.
From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Wedginator 9.0!
Perhaps the most original robot in this opening annihilator, the ninth robot in the Wedginator series has a set of long eletric lifting prongs coupled with a powerful pneumatic spike that can not only damage but also flip robots after they are lifted by the arms. The 4mm hardox monocoque armour has bolted to it a 5mm titanium/vanadium alloy cage for extra defence and the lynch motors in the drive provide plenty of power for shoving other robots around the arena. The omni-wheels at the rear work well with the normal front wheels giving Wedginator both power and manouevrability to use against opponents, but it is an untested design.
From Glasgow in Scotland, representing Team Braveheart, Mornington Crescent!
Another unusual competitor is Mornington Crescent, a nice innovation in the crowded world of vapourbot ring spinners. This machine packs not one, but two spinning rings into the robot. It can still run when inverted, and has magmotors in the drive for controlled movement, while lynch motors power the weaponry. Each ring spins in a different direction, cancelling out any gyroscopic forces and allowing the robot to drive around easier. However, with two spinning rings perhaps each one lacks power compared to wepaons like the mega-ring of SOTAR in this fight.
Roboteers, standby!
Booth Red: Team???, Team Picus, Team Braveheart
Booth Blue: Team Dinowarrior, Team Zlayerz, Team Alt
3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!
Activate is called and Mechanical Maelstrom: Annihilation gets underway, with all six machines moving across the arena towards one another, as all 3 spinning rings get up to speed and Wedginator 9.0 makes the first onslaught very quickly, ramming straight for Orka RV, catching Chris by surprise as the attack was so swift and unexpected! Wedginator drives the forks under the 8mm side ground clearance of Orka, lifting the arms and taking Orka off the ground very quickly, firing the spike and turning Orka over very quickly! SOTAR takes advantage of Orka being on its side and runs in on the attack just as Orka self-rights, hitting the base and ripping a gash in it as well as flipping Orka back over!
Orka is beached for a few seconds before the flipper resets, but then it’s invertibility enables it to drive away and press the pit release button before it self-rights! Meanwhile Wedga Triton has taken advantage of SOTAR’s momentary stationary pause after its connection with Orka RV and rams the new ring spinner onto the killsaws! A shower of sparks and SOTAR is thrown away across the floor as it spins up the weaponry again. Mornington Crescent remains in the background at this point, both rings spun up to speed, but staying out of the action for the time being. Nidhogg Cubed is playing a similar game, seemingly just waiting for that opening to attack an opponent.
Orka RV seems to be Wedginator’s main target in this match, as the distinctive alligator wedge drives at Chris again, this time failing to get around the side as Orka runs past Wedginator and pushes under the side of Wedginator, firing the flipper to send Wedginator over! Kody self-rights quickly with the arms and uses is rear to push against the side of Orka RV, using his more powerful drive to push Chris’ machine into the dual spinning rings of Mornington Crescent! Orka is tossed away with another gash, this time in the side and already the Team Dinowarrior entry is looking pretty beaten up!
It must be tough being teamed up on like this, but Orka RV sees an opening to attack Wedga Triton, ramming at Andy’s side as backs away from SOTAR, breaching the side of Wedga and firing the flipper to toss the blue box wedge robot up and over! It self-rights quickly, but in drives SOTAR, colliding with both robots and leaving Wedga Triton with scars in the hardox armour as well as ripping the gash in the side of Orka RV even wider! And now carbon dioxide gas is escaping from Chris’ robot, leading us to believe that the co2 supply has been ruptured, and so Orka RV can’t use its flipper!
Realising this, Wedginator 9.0 drives in quickly and lifts, using the spike a second time to send Orka RV tumbling over again just as Nidhogg Cubed sees that the time is right to attack and drives towards the pair of robots just as Orka RV lands on its backside, allowing Joey to drive under the side and lift it with the forks before the crusher comes down, digging into the gash SOTAR put into the base armour of Orka RV and holding on tight to Orka RV, turning and heading towards the pit that Orka RV itself opened earlier on in this bout. Chris has now lost control over his robot anyway as it would seem Nidhogg Cubed pierced through the radio receiver, and all the team from Suffolk can do is look on as Nidhogg dumps Orka RV into the pit of oblivion to disappear in a puff of smoke!
CEASE!
Orka RV is destroyed and pitted and is the first eliminated from the competition!
Battle-Board
Wedga Triton [#4] vs. Nidhogg Cubed vs. SOTAR vs.Orka RV vs. Wedginator 9.0 vs. Mornington Crescent
6 robots will enter the Annihilation Stadium, but only 1 will live to fight again in the series final. One robot will be eliminated each round until only the winner remains in classic annihilator style.
First off, let’s meet tonight’s competitors!
From Lincolnshire in England, representing Team and currently ranked #4, Wedga Triton!
This blue box wedge is no stranger to Mechanical Maelstrom, as it finished in a very high 4th place in season 2.0, reaching the heady heights of the semi-finals before it fell to eventual champion Dantu. It is unchanged from then, and still packs the full pressure rear hinged flipper that sent robots tumbling out of the arena last time around. The S28-400 magmotors in the drive easily move the robot around, and the hardox armour gives adequate protection, but the the co2 supply is limited as with any pneumatic flipper.
From Pontefract in West Yorkshire, representing Team Picus, Nidhogg Cubed!
Also a veteran of Mechanical Maelstrom, this lifter/crusher lost in the opening melee of Mechanical Maelstrom 2.0 when it was outclassed by Autoism 3.0 and Back to Rock III and dumped from the competition. It returns unchanged, with front lifting forks and overhead hydraulic crusher, perfectly capable of a lot of damage, but more commonly used to clamp opponents and drop them in the pit. The hydrostatic drive gives very precise and easy control, but the base armour is only aluminium and the main titanium armour quite thin by vapourbot standards.
From Patricia in Canada, representing Team Alt, SOTAR!
This season’s first newcomer is a powerful ring spinner that can also run inverted. With both drive and weapon being powered by meaty PERM motors this machine packs some serious punch, and with the name Sit On This And Rotate to scare away opponents what could possibly go wrong? Everything, if it meets any axes as with such powerful weaponry and motors top and bottom armour has paid the price with just aluminium to protect itself, and the shape isn’t ideal to push other robots around either.
From Onehouse in Suffolk, representing Team Dinowarrior, Orka RV!
The latest version in the Orka line of robots is a simple box wedge with a rear hinged flipping arm on board. It’s a newcomer to Mechanical Maelstrom, although the team has previous experience as Leprosy Infection reached the semi-finals of the first season and also competed the second time around along with Mega Masher 2. This machine is a very good all rounder, with tough 7mm titanium armour, a durable and powerful flipping arm and also a 6 wheel drive that can work upside down! However, it isn’t the best at turning.
From Etobicoke in Canada, representing Team Zlayerz, Wedginator 9.0!
Perhaps the most original robot in this opening annihilator, the ninth robot in the Wedginator series has a set of long eletric lifting prongs coupled with a powerful pneumatic spike that can not only damage but also flip robots after they are lifted by the arms. The 4mm hardox monocoque armour has bolted to it a 5mm titanium/vanadium alloy cage for extra defence and the lynch motors in the drive provide plenty of power for shoving other robots around the arena. The omni-wheels at the rear work well with the normal front wheels giving Wedginator both power and manouevrability to use against opponents, but it is an untested design.
From Glasgow in Scotland, representing Team Braveheart, Mornington Crescent!
Another unusual competitor is Mornington Crescent, a nice innovation in the crowded world of vapourbot ring spinners. This machine packs not one, but two spinning rings into the robot. It can still run when inverted, and has magmotors in the drive for controlled movement, while lynch motors power the weaponry. Each ring spins in a different direction, cancelling out any gyroscopic forces and allowing the robot to drive around easier. However, with two spinning rings perhaps each one lacks power compared to wepaons like the mega-ring of SOTAR in this fight.
Roboteers, standby!
Booth Red: Team???, Team Picus, Team Braveheart
Booth Blue: Team Dinowarrior, Team Zlayerz, Team Alt
3...
2...
1...
ACTIVATE!
Activate is called and Mechanical Maelstrom: Annihilation gets underway, with all six machines moving across the arena towards one another, as all 3 spinning rings get up to speed and Wedginator 9.0 makes the first onslaught very quickly, ramming straight for Orka RV, catching Chris by surprise as the attack was so swift and unexpected! Wedginator drives the forks under the 8mm side ground clearance of Orka, lifting the arms and taking Orka off the ground very quickly, firing the spike and turning Orka over very quickly! SOTAR takes advantage of Orka being on its side and runs in on the attack just as Orka self-rights, hitting the base and ripping a gash in it as well as flipping Orka back over!
Orka is beached for a few seconds before the flipper resets, but then it’s invertibility enables it to drive away and press the pit release button before it self-rights! Meanwhile Wedga Triton has taken advantage of SOTAR’s momentary stationary pause after its connection with Orka RV and rams the new ring spinner onto the killsaws! A shower of sparks and SOTAR is thrown away across the floor as it spins up the weaponry again. Mornington Crescent remains in the background at this point, both rings spun up to speed, but staying out of the action for the time being. Nidhogg Cubed is playing a similar game, seemingly just waiting for that opening to attack an opponent.
Orka RV seems to be Wedginator’s main target in this match, as the distinctive alligator wedge drives at Chris again, this time failing to get around the side as Orka runs past Wedginator and pushes under the side of Wedginator, firing the flipper to send Wedginator over! Kody self-rights quickly with the arms and uses is rear to push against the side of Orka RV, using his more powerful drive to push Chris’ machine into the dual spinning rings of Mornington Crescent! Orka is tossed away with another gash, this time in the side and already the Team Dinowarrior entry is looking pretty beaten up!
It must be tough being teamed up on like this, but Orka RV sees an opening to attack Wedga Triton, ramming at Andy’s side as backs away from SOTAR, breaching the side of Wedga and firing the flipper to toss the blue box wedge robot up and over! It self-rights quickly, but in drives SOTAR, colliding with both robots and leaving Wedga Triton with scars in the hardox armour as well as ripping the gash in the side of Orka RV even wider! And now carbon dioxide gas is escaping from Chris’ robot, leading us to believe that the co2 supply has been ruptured, and so Orka RV can’t use its flipper!
Realising this, Wedginator 9.0 drives in quickly and lifts, using the spike a second time to send Orka RV tumbling over again just as Nidhogg Cubed sees that the time is right to attack and drives towards the pair of robots just as Orka RV lands on its backside, allowing Joey to drive under the side and lift it with the forks before the crusher comes down, digging into the gash SOTAR put into the base armour of Orka RV and holding on tight to Orka RV, turning and heading towards the pit that Orka RV itself opened earlier on in this bout. Chris has now lost control over his robot anyway as it would seem Nidhogg Cubed pierced through the radio receiver, and all the team from Suffolk can do is look on as Nidhogg dumps Orka RV into the pit of oblivion to disappear in a puff of smoke!
CEASE!
Orka RV is destroyed and pitted and is the first eliminated from the competition!
Battle-Board
Wedga Triton [#4] vs. Nidhogg Cubed vs. SOTAR vs.