Benefits/Considerations

Hammers:

Popular Bots - Hammertime, The Judge, Toe Crusher, Diesector

Hammers are a formidable weapon. They can be swung sideways, or overhead to produce a tremendous shock force to the frame and components of the opponent. Many bots use hammers as a primary weapon. Half are 2 wheel  (I call these push-toy bots) and half are 4 wheel. Normally the 2 wheel bots use the hammer as a horizontal spinning attack, while the 4 wheel bots primarily use the overhead downswing. Both methods produce a quick and powerful blow, issuing an impact-tremor  type hit. These hits can jar components loose or possibly disrupt the current flow by bashing the shell into a circuit or battery terminal. Like they say, the bigger the hammer, the bigger the dent! On the other hand, the faster the hammer, the deeper the damage. And since all the weight is on the end of the rod, it requires a significant amount of force to swing it with any efficiency (not to mention the durability issue) and power. When considering this weapon, make sure your powering mechanism has plenty of punch for the long run. If you lose your hammer (due to flimsy shaft, or lack of weapon power), you now have yourself a push-bot with a stick on top. On many bots this hammering weapon also serves as a righting mechanism. Again, if you lose weapon power, you have lost your ability to flip yourself back over (if you,re a one-side-drive bot). I've not been able to see any huge devastating blows from a 2 wheel bot as they are usually moving away from their opponent when their weapon engages. Imagine the difference in impact between the robot Toe Crusher (left), and The Judge. Huge difference.

One distinct advantage about these types of weapons is that they have a tendancy to shake components loose. Or if you use a side swung hammer, it can damage drive wheels and flipper mechanisms, or spinning blades.

Chainsaws:

No pics needed

I've seen these in action. The House-Bot Matilda from Robot Wars is the more recoginized one. They only do damage on  soft shell bots (i.e. lexan, tires, resin, wood, etc.), and usually hang up as soon as they hit the framework of the opponent. Sure they look ominous, but they have little effectivity in real metal shredding combat. If you're lucky enough to take out the drive tires of your foe with this weapon, you've done good. It is highly unlikely they will sit still and wait for you to do so.......

If you insist on using a chainsaw, be extra sure you have the power to be a push-bot too. Oh yeah, and they throw sparks from time to time.

Vertical Spinning Blade(s):

Popular Bots - Nightmare, Backlash, GARM, Sunshine Lollibot, Minion, Greenspan, Battlescar

ANY spinning blade has a huge potential in the arena. There is controversy as to which one is best, but it is usually a decision of the botmaster. The choice of direction is backwards. It would be a bad idea to have the blade turn the other way, as it would mainly serve as a means to catapault yourself up and backwards, and if you have a deep desire to fail miserably in the arena, then try this. Otherwise, run 'em backwards. The bots that made this weapon popular are Nightmare, GARM, and Sunshine Lollibot. IT is an awesome sight to see the infernal mayhem they betrothe on their opponents. I've seen these bots THROW the other bot 20 feet or more after totally destroying it first (all in ONE shot!). Keep in mind that spinning weapons create a huge amount of centrifugal force which in turn influences the behavior and steering characteristics of the bot. Also keep in mind that the framework for this bot must be stellar. The kinetic energy transferred from the weapon can accumulate to the force of being struck by a motorcycle at hi speed. This kinetic energy is transferred directly to the drive system and the suspension immediately beneath the wheel. I've seen Nightmare snap a drive axle from impacting  with a charging bot, and it damaged the wheel/drive system also. Be sure it's bulletproof. Be sure! Also keep in mind that large spinning wheels create a lateral force. I've watched Sunshine Lollibot sluggishly 'hover' while attempting to turn. Not to mention taxing the power system to steer. With this influence of centrifugal deviation in the steering system, the robot will have a large weight differential from one side to the other. Looking at the spin-bot from the front, it will be easier to flip it from its' left side, since most of the weight will be transferred to the right tire when the wheel is at full speed. This spinning force can easily double the weight on one side of the bot, but it also makes the other side considerably lighter.

While at slower speeds, a blade-bot is very controllable, but damage quality drops significantly. Even with large wheels with large teeth. It merely bounces the opponent around instead of shredding anything it hits. The best way to offset this centrifugal effect is to install stabilizing gyros if you can handle the extra weight. Another method is to keep the bot body low and flat (like Minion, or GARM). GARM is an excellent example of a low profile spin-bot. Note how the frame is designed to absorb impacts, and how the bottom of the frame is set low to transfer kinetic impact into the ground and solid framework. Not to mention the low, wide, deeply beveled sides. Great for stability and flipper-bot deterrant.

Horizontal Spinning Blade(s):

Popular Bots- Mechavore, Surgeon General, UniBite,  MOE

Another offensive master in the ring is the horizontal spinng blades. These envelop a whole different genre of bots than the vertical spinners. To the left are Mechavore and Unibite. Just 2 examples of horizontal blade-bots. They can do just as much damage as the vertical spinners. These bots still pack as much punch as the vertical ones, but they have a different set of pros and cons. Even though they still have to contend with centrifugal force from the wheel, it helps the bot by adding additional weight to one side making them harder to flip. . Bots like mechavore can have a distinct advantage by their configuration, due to the fact that its weapon is at drivetrain height. You can also shred the sides of another bot, but without tires, you can't move much. Any bot with external tires can expect to lose one or both by tangling in close with this type of weapon. As with vertical spinners, horizontal spinners exact somewhat of an advantage over wedge-bots. While this is not always the case, the blades tend to jettison away direct forward advances, along with 'catching a charging bot by surprise'.

As with spinning blades, hammers, spikes, spin-bodies, or other weapon system, when you lose your weapons you are back to being a push-bot. Make sure you have power at the wheels.......

Axes/Picks:

Popular Bots - Killerhurtz, Tazbot, RoboChicken, Shunt

These types of weapons can be hazardous to your foe. As you can see on the left, there are a multitude of types. Tazbot not only has a side swinging spike, it also has a lifting mechanism (also a push-bot). KillerHurts has a spike. These kinds of weapons pose an ominous threat just like the hammers, but they have more potential to pierce the other bot's armor, therefore greatly increasing the chances for damage to the mechanical or electrical system. If your armor is not up to par for these puncturing weapons, you could find yourself leaking battery acid all over the innards of your mechanical warrior. For the most part, the spike-bots have more offense than defense, but if they lose their primary weapon they usually have enough power to play pushy-pushy too. Most of the puncturing weapons use air cylinders as part of the lever actuating scheme and many of them pack a huge punch (also see the 'Hammers' category up top). Side swinging weapons as mentioned before, have less energy as pertaining to this particular type of bot. Even some of the spike weapons I've seen are puny at best. Mecha CatBot has a spike tail, but it won't even scratch lexan. It's weak, and can merely 'tap' the other bot. Here's a tip - if it won't do any damage, leave it off, as it only wastes you resources.

Also be sure that your weapon can develop a damaging swing. If you use a large weapon, be sure that you have the pneumatics to make it effective. Inadequate pneumatics make for a slow swing (sometimes giving your foe time to flee after it slams you), and a less effective impact.

Flails:

Popular Bots - Flailbot, WhirlyGig

These bots sport a powerful, yet flexible weapon. Usually some huge, spiky, metal somethingaruther on a chain. The damage inflicted by these bots is huge, especially the 2 wheel tube like bots. When they get themselves spinning, those flails can tear up some metal, and give you a bit more shop-time repairing the damage. The main advantage of these types are the type and extent of damage they produce. The down side is they are usually 2 wheelers, and are a bit harder to drive than the usual 4 wheel bot. I'll be updating this section soon......

Spikes:

Popular Bots - Drillzilla, Tornado, Ogre, Botzilla, Tricerabot, Rosie the Riveter,

This bot ype is more like a fanged battering ram. Built for power, they inflict heavy damage either by impact, or by slamming them into a wall or hazard. Usually equipped with 4 or 6 wheels (even tank treads) they transfer most (if not all) of their power straight to the treads.Many of these types are highly agile despite their stance and weight. Now any bot with a weapon up front can vaguely classify as a spiker, even those whose spinning blade no longer spins. I've seen mechavore do this after taking damage to the blade motor (or something). More often than usual, the tires/wheels seem to be their Achiles heel. If a 4 wheel bot loses 1 tire, he loses 25% of his mobility. Also if the weapon is not high quality, and ends up bending due to numerous impacts, it can severely cripple it. By this, I mean, if a spike is bent downward from impact, that spike now becomes 'drag' as it pierces the floor (not actually penetrating, but you know what I mean......). I've seen bent spikes completely eliminate any forward movement because of the way it contacts the ground.

Bludgeons:

Popular Bots - Bambino

Well, they're not really hammer weapons, or spikes, or anythiung like that. They are other things like a wrecking ball, baseball bats, things like that.More on this later.

Blades:

Popular Bots - MOE, Hazard, Odin

This weapon class is similar to the horizontal spinning saw blades, but uses steel bars or blade type weapon. Although quite close to the horizontal saw-blade bots, these opponents are very capable of tearing your bot to pieces very quickly. The reason being that the blades are usually made of thick and heavy steel, much like a lawnmower blade on steroids. A metal of choice for these is hardened tool steel, since most bots have an aluminum or col-rolled steel frame, tool steel will bash right through them. These bots are usually low to the ground, and very much favor the tires, and other low profile hardware (even wedge-bots). Many of these bots are sporting tiny tires which lowers the center of gravity for one, and also shrinks the amount of ground clearance. This makes it much more difficult for flippers to get under if the blade stops working. Hazard also employs a wedge. This wedge serves 2 purposes. It can be wedge-bot if need be, and it also lifts the other bot into its spinning blade path. Also, as you can see in the pic on the left (Hazard), the electronics are open game for any hammer-bot or spike-bot.

Brute Force:

Popular Bots - Ogre, Tornado, Punjar, Drillzilla, Rosie the Riveter, Tricerabot, Whyatica, Extreme Damage

Extremely agile, and powerful enough to pull a truck, the brute-bots use their power as an asset to the primary offense. Biohazard is typically classified as a lifting bot, but with 8 - 10 total horsepower beneath that ground hugger frame, it has plentiful amounts of power. Brute force has just as much chance to win a bout than flipper-bots, or blade-bots. Skill and technique are the primary powers that be. Let's face it, if you insist on consistently charging head on into Nightmare, or Toro, you will perpetually get your bot back in a box. You may as well be one-on-one with the kill-saws.

Attacks going broadside are very strategic and remove most of the traction that the other bot has. But then again, bots are made for smashing, and nothing beats watching bots slam together like the Smash-em-Up Derby game. Flying schrapnel gets my blood pumping. I have to condition myself not to watch these things right before bed, as I start matching up bots in my head, and see who would win (hmmmmm let's see......there are close to 1,000 bots now.....). There is a new bot in town at robotica that is a powerful force to be reckoned with. Made by the Whyachi team, this brute sports 24 Horsepower! Ever see a bot 'lay rubber'? This thing has the pushing power of a John Deere riding mower, and with a giant shunt-like plow wedge in the front, it's sure to wrinkle some bot-skin.

Flipper Mechanisms:

Popular Bots - Toro, T-Minus, Gemini, The Matador, Chaos 2

These bots always seem to be somewhere in the final rounds of competition. There are so many popular ones and types it would be impossible to cover all of them. T-Minus, Toro (left), Gemini, and other HD flippers have 1 primary weapon, but most often that is all they need. These power flippers have the ability to literally send their opponent airborne, flipping, sailing, spinning...... the impact of them hitting the ground alone is enough to cripple it. With the ability to lift hundreds of pounds in less than a second their prowess preceeds them. And with flippers this powerful, they can also be used to right themselves if turned over. If anyone has ever seen T-Minus right himself, you know exactly what I mean. Lifting mechanisms on these beasts are pneumatic powerhouses (sometimes activated by an accumulator, which is like the blast before the bang), with some bots even claiming to be able to flip 1,000 pounders (haven't seen this happen yet).

They will generally push you around, and play tag with you throughout the match, and when they get themselves situated, BAM, up ya go! Just like spin-bots, sometimes 1 hit is all you need. Since they are usually only armed on 1 side, that leaves 3 open. If you can manage to get behind them effectively, you have a chance to inflict a little damage of your own. Seems to me, agility and good driving are the keys. Even multibots have a good chance provided you have the power to take him out. There are some flipper bots out there that have the look and image of being flipper-bots, but lack the power to be highly effective (no names).

Lifting Mechanisms:

These bots are generally pushy-bots with a lifting mechanism up front. They can ram you, push you, turn you over, and cause overall mayhem if you're not on your game. I've seen The Probe tear pieces off another bot, I've seen Vladiator destroy his competition, and then lose his spike to a flipper bot. It's anyones trophy. For the most part, lifting bots are brutal  in their onslaught, but you can usually see them coming a mile away. Lifting bots have slower mechanisms which tend to give a bit more time to the opponent so he can escape. But when this method is implemented into the side of another bot, they usually go over because they have lost their traction, and lateral impact versus friction with the help of the lift, they go belly up.

Wedges:

Popular Bots - Voltron, Wedge of Doom, Wedgebot,  The Crusher, Bad Attitude, Double Agent

The very idea of combat robots not arming themselves puzzled me at one time (being that they used to be kinda boxy), but they have progressed at a rapid pace. Wedge-bots have that certain ability to get underneath their attacker, and take them for a joy ride straight to the hazards (or house-bots). And while they get their daily spanking, the wedge-bot slips back out and watches the carnage. Another ability of them is, if they are fast enough, they can pop a bot right up in the air (sometimes overturn them) with a swift lift. Their center of gravity is all over the place now. Many of the wedgies are also flat in the back (sometimes with small weapons in the back for protection) which serves quite well for pushing other bots around. Wedge bots are more difficult to turn over simply because their body design has almost no ground glearance. If the floor is smooth enough, the wedge tip can actually be contacting it, but still allowing the free movement.   It's like trying to slide a razor blade under a slab of marble (although a giant razor can move the marble backwards).

A lot of these bots are shaped like an eraser (remember the ones you got with your school supplies?), so they have the ability to run upside down, while maintaining their same offense. A strong power/drive setup will send these types to the playoffs every time, since they just seem to keep on ticking.......

Spin-Bots:

Popular Bots - Ziggo, Joker, Phrisbee, Whyachi, Revolutionist, Chronic the Wedgehog

These type of bots are an amazing technical advance in the arena. Their best offense is their defense (provided they are spinning). Centrifugal force plays a huge part here also. The weight of the entire outside shell is usually set to spin at over 100 mph. The primary method of damage by these type are usually in the form of teeth, tabs, spiraling wedges, and other tooling. At 100 mph even a small screw protruding can do significant damage. But with large plates attached to the shell (like Ziggo, left) it can easily throw a persuing bot across the arena floor in shreds. The spinning body type have a tendency to lose their tops (as they are usually attached at only 1 point in the center). This becomes a weak point for spin-bodies as the strength of their outer body is dependant mainly upon the strength of the hardware that also serves to spin the body. The spin bodies usually don't have the power to be a push-bot, so when their spinning mechanism becomes disabled, there is not much they can do to inflict damage. It is difficult to inflict damage on spin-body bots because they usually transfer any incoming damage back at the opponent ten-fold (provided they're spinning fast). Keep in mind the energy built up by spinning at 100mph and being contacted by an outside force will usually leave the opposing force in pieces. Now I'm not saying bots like Ziggo are the perfect choice, as with any other design, they have pros and cons. It all depends on which set agrees with you. Thin skinned spin-bots (say that 5 times fast) can have their armor torn completely away if they're not careful.

On the other hand, there are bots that aren't really spin bots and they're not really spinning blade bots - they're kinda in between. Enter Whyachi. With 3 tool steel heads spinning at over 150 mph, (and a 10hp motor) there is real damage to be done. He's made quick work of Nightmare (no easy task) I'm talkin gearbox oil splashing all over- tires rolling around by themselves... (you get the jist). The motor that drives the spinning heads has over 2,000 oz/in. of torque and nearly 10 hp. This packs an AWESOME punch, but when it slows down or stops, it is wide open to a multitude of attacks, since without the primary weapon it is highly vulnerable (and very sluggish). Fantastic defense agains most any type of robot, which leaves many of them as scrap. But if those wedges are slowed down or stopped, this kind of bot is fresh meat to a batter-bot or a flipper-bot.

This category holds many 'iffy' bots. By this I mean they could be classified as either hammer type, bludgeon type, or spin type. Nonetheless, they are generally horizontal assault weapons.

Clampers/Cutters:

Popular Bots - Tripulta Raptor, Diesector, Sir Kill-a-Lot, World Peace, Dead Metal, Raser, Complete Control

This class is quite impressive. Their purpose in life is to crush things. Period. Raser jabs a steel beak into you with 9 tons of force. Tripulta raptor flattens you out in the middle like an hourglass. Diesector crunches you in his jaws while bashing you with hammers at the same time. World Peace will just pick you up and shake your nuts off. Then there,s Dead Metal...... His job is to clamp you down so you can't move, and then he drives his chop saw into your skeleton, and cuts you to pieces. There's only one thing Dead Metal is afraid of................ Sir Kill-a-Lot. This warrior is not allowed to compete in the wars (except as a menace to his corner.....usually). Weighing in at about 600 lbs +, he only has 2 weapons. The Jaws of Life and a mining drill. The jaws will cut through tube stock and other materials quite easily, and will put a huge gash in diamond plate steel. His drill is effective, but not used very often. If he manages to grab hold of you, get ready for a swirly and a free flight. Even though he's all that (and a bag of chips), he still has vulnerabilities. If you have big enough pneumatics he'll go over ( this one's for you Toro). I'm guessing Mechavore could take a track off if he wanted to. If Nightmare were quick enough, he may do some damage to the claw if it were hit from the side.......

In building a great clamp bot, you should also assure that you have the means to incapacitate your opponent. Just grabbing on for life won't cut it (enter Jaws of Death). It's a great idea, but there's too many innards exposed (cue The Judge, or Sgt. Bash). Put some armor on it, and you have a formidable foe.

A primary consideration for having a clamper is the force behind the jaws. Pneumatics are good, Air/Hydraulic is better, and Hydraulis is best. Hydraulics have the abiliy to work at pressures FAR greater than compressed air systems (somewhere around 2000 psi). A good example is the Jaws of Life (Sir Kill-a-Lot). Pneumatic pincers will grab and hold very effectively, but hydraulics will cut and sever, and bend, and rip, and twist. This is where hydraulics shows best. Hydraulics in a small bot can be a problem when attempting to utilize a fast acting weapon. Hydraulics are inherantly slower than pneumatics for a reason. Their incredible power is developed by forcing uncompressable fluid into a heavy duty reservoir, which forces a ram out or up. Imagine hydraulics working the same way as a water cannon. Water is not compressible (technically, as I don't really want to get into atom splitting). Pneumatics is rapid, but air is resilient and compressable. Even in 2,000 psi systems, the air still has the characteristic of being compressed even more. Accumulators work well to fix this, but then comes the weight calculation. Hydraulic systems ebb and flow much slower because the fluid is viscous (like syrup), but air (or CO2, or Nitrogen) is a gas. It escapes quicker because of its inherited properties. Another thing to keep in mind on CO2 or Nitrogen systems is that the cylinders have the real possibility of freezing. The properties of these types of gasses is often misunderstood. When gas like this is drained off quickly (activating a weapon), the rush of gas can freeze the valve. Also, the rapid warming of the gas can cause the contents to 'boil' because of rapid volumetric loss (increased molecular activity) and.............OOP.....I'm rambling again ain't I?

Anyway, these bots have warped many a frame, and will continue to do so far into the future.

The 'No Weapon' Class:

Popular Bots - Punjar, PyramiDroid, Wedgebot, Bad Attitude, Double Agent, Crusher

This bot type is peculiar. It relies mainly upon its ability to withstand assault but relies more upon its ability to push the other bots around. Usually built with 0 ground clearance, it is difficult to get under them. Their main defense is usually a thick skin and a bunch of power. Nowadays there are bots sporting up to 24 HORSEPOWER! That is awesome power, provided it can be transferred to the tires, and to the arena floor. Without traction, these guys are targets. Their speed and agility is a great diversion to the prophetic thrashing and pounding of the carashbot variety.

Multi-Bots:

Popular Bots - Pack Raptors, Gemini, The Swarm, Agsma, No Tolerance 2

This type of bot can be a real handful. It is classified as a single bot in many tournaments, but it has the ability to detach itself for a multi-prong attack. What would be assumed as a one-on-one combat quickly becomes a big reason why one should not assume. The flipping mechanisms found on Gemini are alone good enough reason to avoid. Gemini bots could easily be prime heavyweight contenders all their own, but with two of them after you, you can bet there will be some 'flying time' for you. They are not huge by any means, but their lifting power is phenominal for their size (much like T-Minus). The Swarm breaks up into 3 smaller push/wedge type bots that can bash you from 3 different sides at one time, while the Pack Raptors have some killer lifting power, not to mention speed and durability. They can even run upside down......if you can call it that.......

As one combined unit, they usually become middle/heavyweights, but seperated they are lightweight class. This could bring them the disadvantage of being grossly overpowered and outweighed. Once seperated, their counterparts can be battered, rammed, pounded, flipped, or other incident leaving them pint sized and running. And with that being said, if one of the multi-bots becomes incapacitated, then the bot as a whole is incapacitated, which normally ends the bout. This is normally the opponents' tactic. Another general weakness with multibots ( or most any other bot for that fact), is that they lack the ability to right themselves after being flipped. On the other hand, many of these sections are able to operate either way. 6 of one, half dozen of the other, either way you look at it, you've got your work cut out for you.

I Dunno.....

They're kinda a mixture of a little of everything, but nothing specific. Push-bot, saw-bot, bludgeon-bot, spike-bot, well I dunno, but they sure have a way of breaking things......