Warhead is a classic Battlebot, newly outfitted with a firebreathing dragon head. The builders were honest about its chances, and I sincerely applaud the effort. The anatomy was mimicked with a mix of strings, springs, and ball joints – but what is most intriguing is the redundancy in the system so it can keep fighting even with failures. Loved the design and their detail to human anatomy was fascinating. It’s hard to imagine a human under the best conditions having much of a chance in the arena, and this humanoid version fared no better. A humanoid robot with puppeteered controls. KH: We have entered the avant garde part of the show. I may change that tune once I see more of the competitors, but I’ll be truly surprised of they don’t at least make the final four. As of this round I’m picking Bronco to make it to the finals based solely on their ability to drive this amazing robot. I don’t think Blacksmith’s hammer was sharp enough or heavy enough to deal enough damage to slow Bronco down, let alone stop him. Blacksmith never really had a chance vs Bronco’s titanium armor. Bronco has always been a fast and agile robot, but the extra pair of wheels make a huge difference with turning and accelerating. Best driving I saw all episode.ĪO: I love Bronco’s evolution from last year.
The flipper looks much more powerful than last year – sending crates flying in their montage. Bronco added wheels and the extra handling showed, easily outmaneuvering Blacksmith most of the match. KH: Did Blacksmith’s hammer hit the top of the arena? Bronco relentlessly flipped Blacksmith everywhere. I feel the spike on the back of the axe would have been more effective than the blunt edge of the axe. Bombshell’s axe was nearly ineffective vs. Their torch stepped the flame game up a few notches with significant heat and destruction. Ten seconds into the match and they’ve already picked Bombshell up and spun him around. The arena hammer mercifully put an end to this lopsided, but entertaining match.ĪO: Complete Control held true to their name and maintained complete control throughout the match. CC did not let Bombshell appropriately rest, as oil or some other fluid poured out on CC. With an epic lift lasting nearly 30 seconds, CC literally torched Bombshell in the most satisfying moment in the episode. Fire on the bots are usually just for the visuals, but we may have gotten our first true fire-based victory. Bombshell brought in a menacing axe, but CC seemed to improve their original lifter, along with the same powerful fire jet, and a decoy plant mini bot for show. KH: Last year’s villains, Complete Control, were back in the arena ready to avenge their early exit.
In the end Beta proved to be the better driver of these well-matched robots. Lucky was built tough and even took some solid hits to the flipper without obvious damage. As for the match, it was entertaining despite a lack of destruction. Lucky was well-armored and I liked the design and robust nature of the progressive four bar flipper. Beta put so much weight into the hammer that every swing really demonstrated Newton’s Third Law. a flimsier bot next round.Īnton Olsen: My son and I really enjoyed this match.
In the end, Lucky couldn’t get enough regular hits on Beta to advance. Have to give Beta credit, the hammer was so powerful that it would flip the entire bot. This battle looked like me trying to hammer in nails – lots of misses with a few satisfying hits. It went the distance with the decision going Beta’s way, even after surviving the curse of a fallen bot upon entry to the arena. There were a lot of bouts this week, so we’re just cutting to the most interesting ones. First up, the legend Adam Savage, who has some experience in the arena. This year also brings guest judges joining returning judges Fon Davis and Jessica Chobot. It’s a hokey addition that I can’t see having much impact on a match, but am I going to complain that much about more fire in the arena? In hopes of more creating visual drama, they also added the option of mini combat aerial drones, often equipped with fire. The field has doubled in size with 48 competitors, narrowing to a field of 32 for a single elimination bracket. Lots of new competitors as well, including many younger and international build teams – a welcome sight. Smartly, they brought back the show’s top competitors – Bronco, Tombstone, even controversial characters Creative Control and Ghost Raptor. Last year’s summer edition was a surprise hit, earning the show a second season. But does more bot carnage equal a better show? Your weekly bot guides Anton Olsen and Kishore Hari will have the answers. The Bots are back! Season 2 of BattleBots premiered this Thursday with twice the number of competitors and a supersized 2-hour show.