wrapping paper. Strangely enough, End
Result proved to be remarkably
effective.
With the blade spun up and its
one drive wheel, it could gyro dance
with pretty good directional control,
and the blade hit with surprising
effectiveness. The five Ratbots fought
round-robin, with End Result being the
clear winner.
In the Sportsmans class, again we
had more bots than last year. The usual
winner of the class — pneumatic
flipper, Upheaval — was absent and
that left a group of regulars and some
newcomers competing for the first
place prize.
Back was the other pneumatic
flipper, Phoenix (Figure 28); acrobatic
flipper, Überclocker Advance; and
kinetic energy flipper, Magneato
(Figure 29). There was also the
adaptable Nyx (Figure 30) with its
multiple weapon choices, and the
reliable Power of Metal (Figure 31)
with its bar of rotating teeth.
There were some interesting
newcomers, as well. The tracked
Clawed Crawler (Figure 32); the
hydraulic crusher/shuffler Fission
Product (Figure 33); conventional
motor driven crusher, Lock-Jaw (Figure
34); Spanky (Figure 35) with its saw
blade or chain saw; Swordfish 2
(Figure 36) with its giant drill bit; and
Hortinator (Figure 37), which used a
tire as armor and a tire iron as a
hammer.
Sadly, Phoenix and Magneato
were knocked out early; Phoenix due
to mediocre flipping power, and
Magneato due to an unlucky judge’s
decision and a late failure to self-right.
Clawed Crawler did pretty well; its
tracks proved to be remarkably tough.
Given a little more speed and agility, it
could prove to be a serious competitor
next year.
Crusher Lock-Jaw was effective but
got knocked out when one side of its
drive failed against Power of Metal.
Überclocker Advance looked
unbeatable, until losing drive first
against Nyx and then in the loser’s
brackets against Power of Metal.
In the first finals, Nyx used its
hammer against Power of Metal but
lost in what must have been a very
close judge’s decision, then lost again
in a cloud of smoke in the second
finals, giving Power of Metal first place.
The 30 lb Featherweights are
usually the biggest hitters at
Motorama. Thirteen bots took part — a
30% increase. Last year’s winner,
Figure 24.
Hobbyweight -
Ripto Ultimate.
Figure 25.
Hobbyweight -
Attrition.
Figure 26. Ratbot -
Harbor Freight
Figure 27. Ratbot - End Result of a
Series of Bad Decisions.
Figure 28. Sportsman - Phoenix.
Figure 29.
Sportsman -
Magneato.
Figure 30. Sportsman - Nyx.
Figure 31. Sportsman -
Power of Metal.
Figure 32. Sportsman -
Clawed Crawler.
38 SERVO 05.2015