Robot Wars S10 - Week 1 Analysis

Robot Wars is back, with a new hazard - the Fog of War - and a new format that, I have to admit, seems unnecessarily convoluted. We'll get to the details later, but what it means for now is that each heat only has six robots, down from eight previously. This blog has a new format too - as well as the usual pre-episode analysis, I'll be posting my thoughts on each episode after they air. I didn't want to do this for Series 9 as I felt BattleBots Update did a good enough job of this already, but this time I'm gonna give it a go myself. It helps that I attended filming this year.

The first six bots are a tasty line-up. We have the deposed champions Apollo, looking to regain their crown; Behemoth, hoping to bounce back after a turbulent Series 9; Sabretooth, who have changed things up by not changing things up; The Swarm, Ian Watts' latest creation; Apocalypse, an axebot with a clever gimmick; and Donald Thump, which intends to make Robot Wars great again.

APOCALYPSE

Team captain Ed Wallace won the Series 8 pilot episode with Turbulence, and now finally makes his televised debut with a brand new machine. Apocalypse is a low box-wedge armed with an overhead axe and two grabbing arms on either side, to hold opponents in place while the axe delivers the pain. Its top speed is impressive at 18mph, the axe has "the force of an elephant" (I'm guessing that's a lot), and the team have plenty of combat experience from the live circuit.

Apocalypse looks like a decent all-round package. The arms are a clever gimmick, and should really help it rack up the blows, but my main concern is whether they're going to get torn off by Sabretooth or Donald Thump. We've also seen plenty of axe-wielding robots get curtailed by pneumatic problems during the reboot, so hopefully Apocalypse can avoid those and give a good account of itself.

My prediction: Apocalypse faces a tough task against some strong veterans, but it should put up a good fight.

APOLLO

Apollo's title defence last series didn't go nearly as well as I'd expected it to. Of course, being drawn in the same heat as Carbide didn't help, but seeing it limp to the Grand Final via wildcard and then crash out in the group stage was a little disappointing. The former champions are back though, and they've been busy. Apollo's speed has been dialled up to 20mph, its drive power has increased tenfold, and the front looks a lot more spinner-proof. The weapon power has been amped up too, and the flipper panel is now interchangeable, which will help if it gets bent again.

Will this raft of upgrades be enough for Apollo to reclaim its title? For me, it edges out Behemoth and Sabretooth as the heat favourite, but with such a competitive field this year, it's too early to call it the title favourite. I'm sure the likes of Carbide and Eruption have been busy with upgrades as well. At the very least, I expect Apollo to put up a more convincing fight than in Series 9.

My prediction: Apollo's upgrades should see it through to a third consecutive Grand Final, but will they be enough for it to reclaim its crown?

BEHEMOTH

If Behemoth didn't have bad luck, it'd have no luck at all. Suffice it to say that Anthony Pritchard and his iconic tiger-striped machine didn't have a very good time in Series 9, but they're back for a record ninth shot at the title. This time the pneumatics have been upgraded, and the axe that last featured in Series 7 makes an unexpected but welcome return. You don't see many flipper-axe combos these days. (A replacement for the infamous grabber, perhaps?)

I reckon Behemoth actually has a good chance of reaching its first-ever Grand Final. Its heavily-armoured ploughs should stave off Sabretooth and Donald Thump quite nicely, while The Swarm and Apocalypse are unlikely to have enough firepower to trouble it, so it all comes down to whether it can defeat Apollo. Time and again Behemoth has run afoul of bad luck in Robot Wars, but is this finally the year the stars align...?

My prediction: Barring disaster, Behemoth will easily make the heat final here - and it could even go one step further.

DONALD THUMP

Brace yourself. Trump puns are coming.

This brilliantly satirical team previously tried to enter as Terror-Bull, but were rejected. A coat of gold paint and some straw hair later, and here they are. The robot's vertical spinning bar isn't exactly yuge, but it's not to be trifled with: it weighs 16kg, and reaches its top speed of 145mph in under 2 seconds. Factor in its 16mph top speed, and Donald Thump clearly isn't a joke entry - it's here to win bigly.

However, the other bots in this heat all have ways of stumping the Thump. Its weapon chain, while hefty, looks a little exposed, and a good hit from Apocalypse can take it out. 3mm Hardox isn't that bad in terms of armour, but its flat sides will look very inviting to Sabretooth and the bar spinner segment of The Swarm. And I'm not convinced it can self-right, so it'll have to be careful around Apollo and Behemoth - or it might end up going over the wall.

My prediction: Sadly, any suggestions that this robot can win the title are fake news. It's likely to be impeached early on in its term - er, heat.

SABRETOOTH

Another robot that hasn't had the best of luck, Sabretooth finally won its first battle last series only to get completely dismembered by Aftershock. It's back, and for the first time it isn't a completely new design: instead, it's a refined version of the Series 9 incarnation. It feels like it's lost a little of its character, but it also looks a lot more robust, and they've at least kept the exhaust pipe.

Sabretooth is a capable machine, and it proved that last series with an impressive performance that was sadly cut short. This time around, the greatest threats to it are going to be Apollo and Behemoth, but especially the former due to its proven ring-out capability. It shouldn't have to worry about getting trashed again - especially as Gabe apparently brought enough spares to build an entire second Sabretooth.

My prediction: No need to #PrayForGabe this time - Sabretooth should put on a strong display. Potential heat finalist.

THE SWARM

After Or Te was turned away from Series 9, Robot Wars legend Ian Watts went back to the drawing board, and had returned with a very unique clusterbot. The Swarm comprises four individual robots: Duck, armed with a rear-hinged flipper that can toss a motorbike; Blenda, armed with a powerful horizontal bar spinner; Pinza, armed with a set of horizontal pincers; and Skye, a sit-and-spin thwackbot designed to tangle up spinning weapons.

The Swarm's primary strength is sheer numbers: you have to eliminate three of the four machines to win, and you can't focus on all of them at once. However, this is still four lightweight machines battling against superheavyweights. Ian Watts has tried this before in BattleBots, with Creepy Crawlies, and Son of Whyachi sent them home in tiny pieces. There are no Son of Whyachis in this heat, but there is Sabretooth - and two excellent flippers.

My prediction: The Swarm should last longer than Or Te... but not that much longer. Expect them to get sent flying.