COYOTE
Coyote wasn't originally accepted back after getting torn apart by Carbide last year, but when clamp-bot Deadlock pulled out, Coyote were promoted from the reserve pool. I'm glad they were given a second chance, because the new Coyote looks amazing, and its 20mm steel chassis should weather blows much more nicely this time. The copper piping wheelguards, on the other hand, will be fragile as hell... but they'll look nice while they're still intact.
Another new addition to Coyote's arsenal is a minibot, Roadrunner, to distract opponents while Coyote grabs them. Nuts proved last week that minibots can be effective, but sadly, I don't think it's going to make much difference to Coyote. It looks vulnerable against all its competitors in this heat: the flipper of Push to Exit can get under its high ground clearance, the axe of Thor can get at its exposed mechanics, and of course, the various spinners will be gunning for those wheels.
My prediction: As impressive as it looks, and as happy as I am to see it back, I fear that Coyote may not last very long in this heat.
EXPULSION
The first version of Expulsion, built by a team of Essex schoolkids, was bulky and slow, but looked fantastic, with its intricately-crafted sacrificial armour. This version is also bulky, with a new boulder-like shape, but at 15mph is much faster. Instead of the ninja-star spinner with the retractable blades, the weapon is a rounded bar similar to Fluffy's, which the team say "will keep spinning no matter what". A minibot, Detention, is intended to strand opponents while Expulsion strikes.
Expulsion 2 might look poorly-constructed, but that's the entire point: the outer HDPE panels and exposed wires are meant to be torn away, absorbing the impacts from spinners and potentially entangling them. The wheels at the back are also exposed, allowing it to be partly invertible, but they're also vulnerable to attack. The weapon is also slow at 90mph, and at a lightweight 70kg, it looks like it'll struggle against flippers.
My prediction: Will do better than last series, but unlikely to trouble the two main contenders in this heat.
HOBGOBLIN
Yet another returning Series 9 debutant, Hobgoblin felt like a bit of an unfinished prototype when it debuted last year. The drive motors were slow and weak, the innovative eggbeater weapon had no force behind it, and it was defeated after it was flipped over and its own weapon propelled it into the wall. It's now properly invertible, and the drive motors are faster and more powerful, but the weapon is still painfully slow at just 90mph.
There's more bad news - Hobgoblin no longer has a front wedge this series, so it's a little more vulnerable to frontal attacks. I like the design of Hobgoblin, and I still feel like it has potential, it just needs a little more work to bring that potential out.
My prediction: Like Expulsion, Hobgoblin should make a better account of itself, but isn't a contender for the heat.
MAGNETAR
After a patchy Series 8 performance in which it still reached the Grand Final, I'd hoped to see Pulsar's reliability improve for Series 9. Instead, it got even worse, and Ellis Ware evidently so got fed up of it setting fire to itself that he slam-dunked it into the trash and started again. Magnetar has the same ultra-compact box-wedge design, but with a new black-and-gold colour scheme and an even more intricate drum, spinning at a mind-blowing 250mph. It also has electromagnets to keep it glued to the floor, hence the new name.
If Magnetar can fix Pulsar's infamous reliability issues - and that's a very big 'if' - Magnetar is a contender not just for the heat, but for the series. Even if the reliability isn't fixed, I'm guessing that Ellis Ware will have brought enough spare parts to keep Magnetar ticking over until at least the heat final. Either way, I fancy Ellis' chances of joining that elite group of roboteers to reach the Grand Final with two different robots.
My prediction: An absolute nailed-on heat finalist, and the favourite to win the heat outright.
PUSH TO EXIT
Shane Swan's front-hinged flipper looked promising last year, but was sadly KO'ed before it could really do anything. Back for a second chance, it now has entanglement chains on the sides, to jam up spinning weapons (which there are plenty of in this heat), as well as decorative spikes on top of the machine. There haven't been too many other improvements, but there didn't need to be: it's a fast, tough-looking machine.
If Magnetar and Thor are the favourites for the heat, then Push to Exit is probably my favourite to win the 3rd-place playoff and reach the 10-Robot Rumble. This, of course, depends on its reliability being a little better than last year. We didn't really get to see what its flipper was capable of in Series 9 either, so let's hope it's a little more reliable than Iron-Awe's was.
My prediction: Best of the rest. One way or the other, expect it to make the heat semi-finals at least.
THOR
Jason Marston's axe-wielding terror returns for a fifth series, which means for a fifth time I'll have to listen to my dad ranting endlessly about how useless axes are and how Thor has never done anything ever. Except, you know, come 4th that one time. Anyway, Thor is a little slower than before at 25mph, but has extremely powerful drive motors, and new interchangeable axes that fire twice as fast.
Thor has always been susceptible to spinners, and after being knocked out by Concussion last series, it'll be wary of Magnetar this time round. There's also the issue of its limited CO2 supply, but all in all, Thor is a worthy contender in this heat. I'm backing it to reach a third consecutive heat final - and if Magnetar's reliability gets the better of it, this is the machine that will pick up the pieces.
My prediction: Unlike Magnetar, it's not not a title contender, but Thor could still make the Grand Final with a little luck on its side.
My prediction: Unlike Magnetar, it's not not a title contender, but Thor could still make the Grand Final with a little luck on its side.
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