CHIMERA 2
Chimera turned up last year looking very, very dated, and was knocked out pretty swiftly. I've been following its rebuild on Twitter, and the final result is a much better machine. It reminds me of a cross between Gabriel, and BattleBots legend Overkill: a hardy front wedge, interchangeable thwacking weapons, and inch-thick HDPE wheels. It looks great as well: I love the black body and blue detailing. I dare say this is the most aesthetically-pleasing thwackbot I've ever seen.
Defensively, Chimera 2 should be much, much tougher than last year. Offensively, I don't know whether its axe will quite be on par with that of Gabriel's, but I guess we'll see. It's also a little slow at 10mph, though if it was too much faster it'd likely become very difficult to control. All in all, much improved from last year - but up against some very good machines in the first round.
Prediction: Still no heat winner, but should put in a much better performance than last year.
CONCUSSION
The Concussion team are completely new to robot combat, but they've managed to put together a pretty impressive-looking machine. Its single-toothed drum spins at 6000rpm, and should pack a pretty impressive punch. Unlike a lot of spinners, the drive system is pretty strong too: Concussion tops out at 18mph and can theoretically pull almost two tonnes. That's pretty impressive for a drum spinner.
Sadly, Concussion suffers from the other weakness that spinners tend to have, which is weak armour. The sides are hardened steel, but the top is only polycarbonate and the baseplate - 3mm aluminium - might as well not be there at all. Mana from heaven for Thor. Concussion seems like an archetypal glass cannon to me: it could easily get to the heat final, but it'll have to to hit hard and hit fast.
Prediction: They might be from Wool, in Dorset, but there's not much woolly about this robot. Potential dark horses.
EXPULSION
Expulsion is the first of the heat's unique spinners, and not just because of the concave scaffolding-type stuff around the sides. Built by a group of sixth-form students, its horizontal spinner has four retractable blades that only extend once the weapon has spun up to speed. This means it can spin up faster, without worrying about air resistance or other robots trying to "jam it up". Expulsion can spin its disc in either direction, and even apparently has a KERS-style system to charge the batteries!
Now, I don't know how exactly the "retractable teeth" mechanism works, so this might be unfounded, but my main fear about this robot is that the teeth won't be able to take the strain. Last year, Supernova went out after its teeth broke off, and I fear Expulsion may meet the same fate. Even if the teeth hold, it still has to contend with a top speed of just 5mph, and a group match full of veterans. All things considered, though, they've done a fantastic job.
Prediction: Very good for a group of students, but sadly, I don't see it getting very far.
FOXIC
Suffice it to say that Foxic didn't have a very good time last year. It was curtailed by technical problems and didn't get to fulfil its true potential, but after a complete rebuild, it'll be looking to get revenge on MR Speed Squared and Thor, who beat it in the head-to-head round last year. Foxic looks the full package: extremely tough armour, 20HP drive for a top speed of 25mph, multiple weapon attachments, and a very experienced driver in Craig Danby.
Of course, I said most of this last year. (Not that you guys saw any of that, but...) What Foxic will be hoping, then, is that the reliability problems truly have been fixed, because if they have, I think this machine will be very tough to beat. And I'd love to see it prove its detractors wrong.
Prediction: Will comfortably make it through the first round, and in with a good chance of making the heat final.
HEAVY METAL
The second of the heat's unique spinners, though whether it really counts as one is up to interpretation. Built by the team behind semi-finalist 13 Black, this garish invertible wedge features a 360-degree rotating arm with various attachments, so it can lift, grab, or thwack. Like Foxic, it seems like a good all-rounder: good armour, good top speed, versatile weaponry, and a highly experienced team.
So what problems does this bot have? Well, firstly, Foxic is faster, and I feel like its weaponry will be more effective - they're in Heavy Metal's group battle. Secondly, while the wheels look to be armour-plated, they may still be vulnerable to the spinner of MR Speed Squared, who are also in its group battle. Honestly, the worst thing about this bot is probably the garish colour scheme, but I just feel that Foxic and MR Speed Squared are better.
Prediction: A good machine, but has been unlucky with the draw, and it'll take an upset for it to make it through.
MR SPEED SQUARED
When I debuted last year, MR Speed Squared was effectively a prototype: it was bulky, unreliable, and had no bottom armour, but still looked very impressive. This year, they've refined the concept, and it looks the full package this time round. Its spinning ring weighs 35kg and spins at 900rpm, which may not sound like much until you factor in that it's about four feet in diameter, the biggest spinning weapon in the competition.
The design looks a lot sleeker. It's faster, at 17mph. They've replaced the metal weapon bearings, which were the cause of its reliability problems last year, with rubber tyres, so it should be able to make it through a fight without breaking down. That's not to say it's completely infallible: a weapon this powerful is still going to be vulnerable to mechanical problems, as we saw - spectacularly - with PP3D last week.
Prediction: Much improved, and a definite contender for the heat - as long as that mighty weapon doesn't break down.
TAURON
The first and final unique spinner in this heat, Tauron are first-timers who, like Concussion, have nonetheless put together a very impressive bot. Its 13kg vertical hammers spin at 3000rpm and are mounting on a pivot, so if it's flipped over, they can reverse the weapon and keep on charging at you. It looks pretty powerful, and being fully invertible is a big plus, even if there are no Eruption-calibre flippers in this heat.
The armour is good, I like the glowing effects... honestly, for a first-time effort, this is a really good machine. It's up against some very tough competition in its first-round meleé, in the form of Thor and Concussion, but I feel like it can potentially hold its own against them. Who knows? Maybe it could spring a surprise. (This is proving to be a much more competitive heat than I thought it would be...)
Prediction: Not sure if it's good enough for the Grand Final, but it's definitely good. Another potential dark horse.
THOR
Last year's fourth-placed finisher took a real pasting in the Grand Final, and has been completely rebuilt to try and stop that from happening again. The front end is much thicker and sturdier, the armour in general has been beefed up, and yet it retains its lightning-fast top speed of 30mph thanks to an insane 32HP drive system. That's 291hp/tonne - the same as an Aston Martin V12 Vantage! (I'm a big car nerd.)
Thor was the favourite in its heat last year, and I feel like it's the favourite again here. The weapon is powerful (although my dad, who doesn't understand the concept of blunt-force trauma, insists it would be better with a giant spike), the armour is tough, and the drive system is just ridiculous, especially given that this isn't a rammer. It's up against some tough opposition, but I think it has enough quality to see them off.
Prediction: In a heat packed with good all-rounders, this is the best of the bunch. My favourite to win the head.
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