Overview[]
Merlin is a heavyweight built by Team MAD which competed in the pilot episode of Robot Wars: Series 8. Although the episode went unaired, Merlin made various cameo appearances throughout the main series, appearing in the pits, alongside with Turbulence and Monte.
Merlin was previously intended to compete in Series 7, but Merlin suffered from technical issues the day before the qualifiers, so had to withdraw from the qualification process.
Design[]
Merlin at the time of Series 7
The robot was armed with a very powerful full-pressure flipper, but was also invertible, similar to Raging Knightmare, another robot from Leicestershire (also a robot that the team would later own). It ran on a two-wheeled drive, and could still self-right in spite of being invertible.
Robot History[]
UK Robot Wars Series 8[]
Although Merlin did not compete in the main competition of Series 8, it was regardless invited to attend filming of the pilot episode on March 1st, giving it the opportunity to compete in front of a live audience, as part of a camera test.
Merlin takes damage from Dead Metal's blade
In its first battle, Merlin was drawn into a four-way qualifier against Reaper, Wraith and Monte. Wraith suffered from electrical problems before the start of the battle, and withdrew, turning the fight into a three-way battle. Monte quickly broke down, and was pitted, leaving Reaper and Merlin to fight alone until cease was called, with both robots qualifying. In the first battle of the head-to-head round, Merlin defeated veterans in Team Onslaught, winning against their new robot, Ka-Pow!, when Ka-Pow! drove into the pit in the opening moments of the fight. As the battle was so short, Merlin turned its efforts to attack Dead Metal.
Merlin, Turbulence and Monte make cameo appearances in Episode 4
Merlin's final battle was a loss against fellow flipper, Turbulence. After a close fight between the two flippers, Turbulence won the Judges' decision on the basis of aggression and control. Merlin never fought Reaper to complete the second round, and was eliminated at this stage.
Results[]
| Series | Event | Round | Opponent(s) | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roaming Robots | Malvern 2003 | Sunday Show - Battle 5 | Kan-Opener Ewe 2 |
Lost |
| Battle 17 | M2 Kan-Opener |
Lost | ||
| Roaming Robots 2003 | Maccleslfied Fun Day | Exhibition Match | Pussycat Ewe 2 |
Lost |
| Roaming Robots | Steel City Showdown 2003 | Session 1 - Battle 5 | Leveller 2 G-Man |
Won |
| Session 2 - Battle 8 | Thor | Won | ||
| Session 3 - Battle 4 | Ewe 2 Mighty Mouse |
Won | ||
| Heavyweight Face of Steel Final | Mute Big Nipper |
Lost | ||
| Robot Crusade | Cosford 2004 | Heat | Hydra | Lost |
| Roaming Robots | Denbigh 2004 | Whiteboard Fight | Tornado Scorpion |
Lost |
| Roaming Robots | Bury St. Edmunds 2004 | Whiteboard Battles | G-Man | Won |
| Behemoth | Won | |||
| Roaming Robots | Northampton 2004 | Whiteboard Battle | Ewe 2 | Lost |
| Whiteboard Battle | Splinter The Wall |
Won | ||
| Roaming Robots Winter Tour 2004 | Round 1 - Newport | Show 2 - Battle 5 | Terrorhurtz Ripper |
Lost |
| Round 2 - Edinburgh | Show 1 - Battle 5 | Ripper (2) Mute |
Lost | |
| Show 1 - Battle 7 | (1) Ewe 2 Ripper |
Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Battle 4 | (2) Mute Chompalot (5) Kan-Opener |
Lost | ||
| Show 3 - Battle 2 | (5) Kan-Opener Storm 2 |
Lost | ||
| Final Melee | Ripper (6) Thor Mighty Mouse (1) Ewe 2 Terrorhurtz |
Lost | ||
| Round 3 - Worcester | Show 1 - Battle 4 | Storm 2 Reptirron the Second Velocirippa |
Lost | |
| Show 1 - Battle 9 | Terrorhurtz Mighty Mouse (4) Big Nipper Bulldog Breed Storm 2 |
Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Battle 2 | Terrorhurtz Bulldog Breed |
Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Battle 9 | Terrorhurtz Judge Shred 4 Big Nipper |
Lost | ||
| Show 3 - Battle 3 | Kronic Chompalot Storm 2 |
Won | ||
| Round 4 - Kings Lynn | Show 1 - Battle 2 | Gravity 4 Chompalot Oneovernought |
Lost | |
| Show 2 - Battle 2 | Mighty Mouse (1) Ewe 2 Scorpion |
Lost | ||
| Show 3 - Battle 2 | (4) Big Nipper Weird Alice 2 |
Lost | ||
| Finals - Doncaster | 10th Place Qualifier | (4) Big Nipper | Lost | |
| Heavyweight Melee | Leveller 2 Pressure The Wall Judge Shred 4 Behemoth |
Lost | ||
| Heavyweight Melee | Spearhead Pressure (5) Kan-Opener The Wall |
Lost | ||
| Roaming Robots Winter Tour 2005 | Round 1 - Merthyr Tydfil | Qualifier | Velocirippa | Won |
| Melee | Ripper Mighty Mouse |
Won | ||
| Round 2 - Portsmouth | Qualifier | Terminal Ferocity | Won | |
| Finals - Folkestone | Round 1 | Taurus | Won | |
| Quarter-Final | (1) Terrorhurtz | Lost | ||
| Loser's Melee | (6) Kronic Tough As Nails |
Withdrew | ||
| Fighting Robots UK Championships 2006 (Seeded 6th) |
Heat E | Head-to-Heads | Hannibal | Won |
| DisConstructor | Won | |||
| Hammerhead 3 | Won | |||
| Finals | Round 1 | PulverizeR | Lost | |
| Tag-Team Terror (With Velocirippa) |
Round 1 | Terrorhurtz & Tough As Nails | Won | |
| Final | Alien Destructor & Leveller 2 | Won | ||
| Roaming Robots Winter Tour 2006 | Round 1 - Doncaster | Qualifier | UFO | Won |
| Round 2 - Portsmouth | Qualifier | Hades | Won | |
| Finals - Folkestone | Round 1 | Knightmare | Won | |
| Quarter-Final | Ripper | Won | ||
| Semi-Final | Iron-Awe 3 | Lost | ||
| 3rd Place Play-Off | Storm 2 | Won | ||
| Robots Live! | Hemel-Hempstead 2007 | Sunday - Show 1, Fight 1 | Storm 2 Hades Toxic Behemoth Saint |
Lost |
| Sunday - Show 2, Fight 4 | Bigger Brother Behemoth Ka-Pow! |
Won | ||
| Sunday - Show 2, Fight 10 | Turbulence Bigger Brother Weird Alice 2 Saint Tiberius 4 |
Won | ||
| Fighting Robots UK Championships 2009 | Round 6 - Portsmouth | Qualifier | Envy Hydra Tilly 2 Evo |
Lost |
| Fighting Robots UK Championships 2010 | Round 1 - Barnsley | Qualifier | (6) Tilly 2 Evo Tiberius 4 |
Lost |
| Round 2 - Whitwick | Qualifier | (8) Thor | Won | |
| Round 4 - Burgess-Hill | Qualifier | (3) Ripper Evo White Knight |
Lost | |
| Round 6 - Norwich | Qualifier | (7) Iron-Awe 5 | Lost | |
| Fighting Robots UK Championships 2011 | Heats | Heat C | (3) Iron-Awe 6 Dantomkia Stinger |
Won |
| Finals | Round 1 | Scorpion (1) Iron-Awe 5 (7) Thor |
Qualified | |
| Quarter-Final | (1) Iron-Awe 5 | Lost | ||
| Robots Live! | Worthing 2011 | Show 2 - Battle 2 | Eruption Corkscrew |
Lost |
| Show 3 - Battle 2 | Behemoth Terminal Ferocity |
Lost | ||
| Show 3 - Final Melee | Ripper Toxic 2 Terminal Ferocity Cherub Eruption Behemoth |
Lost | ||
| Robots Live! | Team Championships 2011 (As Part of Team Saints & Sinners) |
Show 1 - Speedway | Thor | Won |
| Show 2 Opener | Toxic 2 Tilly Evo Ripper |
Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Speedway | Corkscrew | Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Speedway | Toxic 2 | Lost | ||
| Show 3 Opener | Ripper Toxic 2 Iron-Awe 5 |
Lost | ||
| Show 3 - Speedway | Beast | Lost | ||
| Show 3 - Final Melee (With Saint) |
Iron-Awe 6 Ripper & Meggamouse Eruption & Weird mAlice |
Lost | ||
| Robots: Extreme Wars Live! | Maidstone 2011 | Show 1 - Heat 3 | Predator Maelstrom Toon Raider |
Won |
| Show 1 - Final | Ripper Thor |
Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Opener | Predator Iron-Awe 5 |
Won | ||
| Show 2 - Heat 3 | Iron-Awe 5 Thor |
Lost | ||
| Show 2 - Final Melee | Saint Terminal Ferocity Maelstrom Scorpion Weird mAlice Eruption |
Lost | ||
| Robots Live! | Whitwick 2012 | Show 1 - Whiteboard Battle | Eruption Apocalypse |
Lost |
| UK Robot Wars Series 8 | Pilot Episode | Round 1 | Monte Reaper Wraith |
Qualified |
| Head-to-Heads | Ka-Pow! | Won | ||
| Turbulence | Lost |
Outside of Robot Wars[]
Merlin with its flipper up
Since Robot Wars, Merlin has been rebuilt several times, but has experienced great success, particularly in the Roaming Robots circuit. Arguably Merlin's greatest triumph to date was when it won the Tag Team Terror Competition alongside Velocirippa in 2006.
Merlin still fights competitively today, reaching the Quarter-Finals of the 2011 UK Championships, after beating Dantomkia and Iron-Awe 6 in its heat, but then Merlin lost to Iron-Awe 5.
Trivia[]
- Despite Team MAD making several robots for Robot Wars, Merlin was the only heavyweight at the time of Series 7.
See Also[]
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