'Robot Wars Series 10': The Grand Final!

THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR ROBOT WARS SERIES 10.

Five weeks of carnage (and a one week break due to the tennis), and it's time once again for the Robot Wars Grand Final!

It's been an action-packed series full of memorable moments: Apollo flipping a clusterbot over the wall, Apex blowing itself to pieces, and the joke robot Nuts 2 winning its heat!

With Magnetar taking the final guaranteed spot for next week's final episode, it's time for me to have a look at the finalists and predict who could realistically become the next champion.

Let's start from the top:

Behemoth

One of the mainstays since the early days of Robot Wars, Behemoth is a tough and durable robot that has always been the victim of bad luck; arena spikes, broken aerials and lucky children have all prevented Behemoth from becoming kings of the arena. This year might be their time though; their experience has shown with some great driving from Anthony Pritchard, aggressive assaults and durability, coming back from attacks from Apollo and Sabretooth and maintaining its power. Behemoth could face stiff competition from the other machines and the pesky bad luck that keeps following them could still strike. I personally hope Behemoth wins the competition, just for old time's sake.

Carbide

The reigning champions terrorised the arena with their "Death Drum," a sound no robot ever wants to hear. After making a complete mess of all its opponents last series, Carbide has been true to form again this time, although I personally noticed that they don't seem to be going in to completely wreck their rivals anymore, perhaps some compassion has seeped in? But the all-important question is: Can they retain their crown for two consecutive series and draw even with Chaos 2? I would like to see another winner this war, but Carbide still has more than enough power and ability to successfully defend their crown.

Rapid

Reminiscent of the classic robots Chaos 2 and Mortis and one of the best-engineered in the competition, no expense has been spared building Rapid, which has made some fans take a dislike to them. I'm not one of those fans and I really like this robot, the armour looks strong enough to stand up to "SPINNAHS" and the flipper is on par with the bigger ones. They did have reliability problems leading to their withdrawal from Series 9, and they haven't completely got rid of all those problems this time. As long as bad luck doesn't intervene, Rapid is one to watch and could easily win the war.

Nuts 2

No one, NO ONE, expected Nuts 2, the joke robot, to reach the grand final. This is Brexit and Donald Trump levels of "What just happened?!" Despite all the mocking and disbelief of pretty much everyone, Nuts has shown resilience in previous wars; swiftly rebuilding after Carbide smashed them up in Series 8, and dragging their fight with Terrorhurtz to a judges' decision. That being said, I think it would almost be a mockery if they won the entire series and even though luck may have got them this far, I'm not convinced it will be enough to win against the rest of the grand finalists.

Magnetar

This is how you upgrade a robot properly! Pulsar was a great machine that suffered from reliability problems and bad luck. Magnetar has corrected all the problems of its predecessor and buffed up to handle even the toughest of competition! Ellis is one of the most dedicated builders in the competition and it's shown in this monster of a robot. A destructive force to be reckoned with, Magnetar is one to watch in next week's final, and could even be the Carbide killer we've been looking for...

In the previous two series, the sixth place in the grand final was decided by the judges based on past battle performance. This time, however, a Robot Wars fans' dream has come true: The second and third placed robots from each episode will fight in a ten-way melee! Let's have a look at those contenders looking for redemption:

Sabretooth

The plucky and persistent yellow machine, that's been around for quite a few years but have only recently enjoyed much success. I have a soft spot for Sabretooth and the team are very likeable. The drum "SPINNAH", while destructive when it works, has broken down in a lot of its fights this year. Despite my liking for Sabretooth, I don't think they'll be able to win the melee as it's simply outclassed in every category by its competition.

Apollo

The fallen champions of Series 8 and fan favourites Apollo aren't out of the running yet. Always impressive in battle with a friendly experienced team have made them popular with roboteers and fans alike, I'm yet to meet anyone who doesn't like this robot. While they went out last series to some "SPINNAHS" they're a lot more durable this time and although the odds are stacked against them, they could win the melee, even if that just consists of them chucking everyone out of the arena!

Big Nipper

Another classic machine returning to prominence in recent years, ditching its signature claws for a more destructive "SPINNAH" which threw Smash out of the arena! Its inventive design and level of experience means it's a robot that isn't to be shrugged off, remember, only Carbide and Eruption were able to stop this machine this year.

(I promise this is the last time I will use the "SPINNAH" joke, in this article)

Eruption

One of the most powerful flippers in the new series and a veteran of the live circuit, this machine is often compared to Chaos 2 and the other great flippers of yesteryear. The team are very determined and take the sport very seriously, particularly Michael who put his exams on hold to compete. Despite their serious attitude, it never strays into sourness in front of the camera. The robot itself is more sturdy than last time and the flipper has a lot of force behind it. They have it in them to win the melee, and just maybe the full competition as well.

Track-tion

The only tracked robot in the contest this series, built by a team of school children with the assistance of Aftershock's builder, Will Thomas. Their crusher looks powerful, however, I feel they've been rather lucky this series; they won their redemption battle due to Apex self-destructing and have only made it through to this round due to Vulture not being able to fix themselves in time. While that is no detriment to the robot, I would like to see it fight properly and show us what it can really do, but when stacked up against the other robots in this melee, it would be a miracle if they did win.

Terrorhurtz

Team captain John Reid is often referred to as the "Daddy" of Robot Wars, having fought in every previous series since 1999. Terrorhurtz is his most destructive machine, although it has a stigma of always being the bridesmaid and never the bride. I like Terrorhurtz and watching the axe devastate robots is always satisfying to watch. I'm concerned that when up against nine other machines, that they might get ganged up on, but if they can hold their own and John can finally get a "good hit," Terrorhurtz might be able to win.

Iron-Awe 6

Veterans of the classic series and multiple winners of the live circuit championships, this team is one of the most experienced this series. Although, I think their performance hasn't reflected that, in no small part due to the flipper not working, and in any battle that is a fatal flaw, nevermind one with nine other robots. If they can get the flipper to actually flip they might be in with a chance, but if not, they simply won't win.

Concussion

Compared to Track-tion and Nuts 2, Concussion deserves the award for the unluckiest robot in the contest. Pushed into the robot redemption in its heat by a lucky hit from Nuts 2 and hoist by his own petard in the heat final. Their impressive debut in Series 9 made Concussion one of my favourite machines of the revived series and I'm confident they can redeem themselves with some good driving and aggression.

Expulsion

Expulsion has been greatly improved since its appearance last series and is durable enough to withstand attacks. However, I fear they have only reached the ten-way through luck as their aggression and control hasn't been the most impressive. Coupled with their lower weight and I think they will be quickly eliminated from the ten-wa battle.

Thor

Another case of always the bridesmaid, never the bride, Thor has been eliminated just before the final in every series of the new Robot Wars. The machine is capable of causing damage and Jason's aggressive driving has made Thor a powerful axe-bot in the heat stages. Jason has a lot of admirable passion for his robot and while I'd love to see it do well and progress further in the final, I fear it may be outclassed in attack and defence in the ten-way.

The finalists are ready. I'm hyped up. Roboteers, standby for next Sunday!

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