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Golden Bolt presentation 2021
Combat Robot Hall of Famer

Dara handed us the trophy and we couldn’t have been happier! Out of 40 robots, a team of three Bluecoats that no one took seriously in the pits at first had won Robot Wars. - Dave Young


This robot is in the Combat Robot Hall of Fame! It's considered one of the best combat robots in the entire world!

Overview[]

Tombstone is a heavyweight robot built by Hardcore Robotics which competed in the 2009 BattleBots Professional Championship and all seasons of BattleBots reboot. It is a two-wheeled box-shaped robot armed with a large horizontally-spinning bar, in which there are about 65-75 lbs. Its name was earlier used by a superheavyweight built by the same team which competed between 2004 and 2005. The name comes from computer networking's term "tombstoning" meaning to kill it and have it stay dead. The current Tombstone is basically a near-copy of the team's flagship heavyweight Last Rites which competes on RoboGames. This was because of the name exclusivity contract between BattleBots and the competing robots which would render the team's leader Ray Billings unable to use the name "Last Rites" in RoboGames anymore. Last Rites' (and with it also Tombstone's) design was allegedly inspired by M.O.E.

Tombstone is widely renowned for the amount of destruction dealt to opposition by its now-trademark blade, making it a constant fan favorite. It has several different kinds of the blade to use depending on the opponent it faces. There are at least three different kinds of the blade, which are coloured differently and are varying in weight. Tombstone constantly performed solidly in competition. It took fourth place on debut at the 2009 BattleBots Professional Championship, then finished runner-up in Season 1 of BattleBots reboot, won Season 2, reached Round of 16 in Season 3 and the semi-finals in Season 4.

Design[]

Tombstone has always been a two-wheeled box-shaped robot armed with a large horizontally-spinning bar that weighs about 65-75 lbs. Its offence is also its defence, as it took up the front of the robot so it was hard to get to the sides. Only two of the only parts from the 2004 design survived in 2015 from this model of Tombstone, which was the 250 lbs version of Tombstone's black blade.

The second Tombstone was basically a new version of the team's flagship heavyweight, Last Rites, as Ray did not want to contractually tie up Last Rites to compete in BattleBots, so he built a new Last Rites specifically for BattleBots. Its name was taken from the team's retired superheavyweight version. Last Rites to this day remains one of the most vicious robots on the robotic combat circuit and holds a spot in the Combat Robot Hall of Fame. Last Rites' design was inspired by M.O.E.'s but with Ray Billings wondering what it be like with just two wheels instead of four.

Tombstone BB2015

Tombstone as it appeared for BattleBots World Championship I

Tombstone's builder Ray Billings built a new version of Tombstone for the 2015 reboot of BattleBots on ABC where it finished as runner-up and earned the giant bolt for most destructive robot. Tombstone had at least three blades for the 2015 competition: the large silver one it used against its first two opponents, a black blade it used against its third opponent (originally used on the superheavyweight version) and the red blade it used against its last two opponents. It also had a top armor plate "cushion" added to absorb hammer attacks (labelled "Beta Blocker" after its intended target) but it did not get a chance to use it.

Tombstone 2 official

Tombstone as it appeared for BattleBots World Championship II

Returning for Season 2, Tombstone had rubber shock insulators added to the tire mounts to help prevent it from being loosened after being slammed into an opposing Bots' wedge from weapon collisions. A new S7 red blade with edges cut at a 45 degrees had been brought to the tournament, the design of which is stated by Ray Billings on the team's website to chip faster than as liked (as what happened against Black Ice after the blade hit the arena wall too many times) but cuts into opponents better. The blue blade used in Season 2 was actually the same red blade used in its previous season, just repainted.

Tombstone s8

Tombstone as it appeared for BattleBots World Championship III

Tombstone had a problem entering Season 3, as its weapon was spinning at 400 mph, to which at the time the tournament only allowed 250 mph, thanks to HellaChopper. Ray worked on reworking the machine to meet the new speed limit whilst making the weapons heavier.

Tombstone BBSeason4 2019

Tombstone as it appeared for BattleBots World Championship IV

Tombstone returned for Season 4 with a new black colour scheme and top armour plate, bearing a sticker of the team's Grim Reaper logo worn on their shirts and a sticker of the Bots' name to replace the "Tombstone" lettering in the armour. The team brought five interchangeable blades and a total of three frames to the season. Ray actually made sure the frame was stronger for that year by making Tombstone 1 inch shorter in all dimensions, allowing for a stronger frame.

Tombstone-bot-2020

Tombstone as it appeared for BattleBots World Championship V

For Season 5, Tombstone remained largely the same, using the same frames from Season 4, but with some damage repaired. The fire in Tombstone's fight against Rotator burnt the last of Tombstone's spare speed controllers, forcing it to upgrade to a new type of speed controllers for Season 5 and some change to the electronics. Tombstone's traditional grey bar with steel teeth was rebuilt after being sheared off during its match with Rotator and has a new black bar after it broke against Bite Force. New AR weapon bars (particularly I-shaped and rectangular shaped) were crafted and trialled, the inner hubs are now black as well, and the blades themselves have ten whole options.

"What we've done is we've crossed out our side panels, we've machined and drilled and tapped all the inner rails for this frame; The frame is inside a fixture that I built to duplicate because we take three frames at a time to a competition, we want to make sure that if we have too much damage we just swap the frames out."
— Rick Russ from team Hardcore Robotics in Skorpios Builder Blog episode 4
Tombstone BB2021

Tombstone as seen at BattleBots World Championship VI

For Season 6, Ray said that he'd be working on upgrading Tombstone further to be much more durable and have a weapon that won't break down as easily. Specifically, the frame is surprisingly small, about 3" shorter than its previous frames. The whole robot also sits 1" lower to the arena floor, allowing Tombstone to avoid more hits whilst having the same weapon diameter. Originally, the front frame had a lot of cross-bracing, but it was removed and thicker armour was going to be integrated into the frame itself, so the torsional support on the nose of the frame will also be the armour pieces, not just the steel frame. The weapon motor is also being modified for a faster spin-up time and better performance. Tombstone's new frame is very different from the previous frame in the fact that it has less pipes, only four of which stretch from the front of the bot all the way back. With fewer weld points and fewer failure points, Tombstone can be more durable in battle.

Robot History[]

ROBOlympics 2004[]

See Tombstone (Superheavyweight).

2004 Southwest Division Championships[]

See Tombstone (Superheavyweight).

BatleBots 2004 NPC Charity Open[]

See Tombstone (Superheavyweight).

2004 RFL Nationals[]

See Tombstone (Superheavyweight).

RoboGames 2005[]

See Tombstone (Superheavyweight).

BattleBots Pro Championship 2009[]

Tombstonesuperheavyweight

In 2009

After initially benefiting from a bye in the main winners' bracket, Tombstone's first match of the 2009 Pro Championship occurred in the second round against Shrike. Tombstone and Shrike both got up to speed, but Tombstone was able to inflict more damage by ripping off one of Shrike's arms, then rip a side of armor loose. These two hits seemed to immobilize Shrike, gifting Tombstone the win by a 12-second knockout.

Tombstone advanced to the next round, where it faced the four-bar flipper of Team UI's Vault. Little is known about this match, though official BattleBots records confirm that Tombstone again won by knockout after 43 seconds. In the process, its spinner caused significant damage to the front end of Vault, forcing the latter to forfeit its next match in the losers' bracket.

Following this pair of destructive victories, Tombstone met Team Think Tank's vertical spinner VD6.0. The fight started with Tombstone taking a hit to its blade from VD6.0's disc, before the two heavyweights exchanged some weapon-on-weapon attacks. After this, Tombstone took a hit to the rear which bent part of its top panel upwards. In the process, its weapon batteries were also damaged and the blade itself was now struggling to spin up properly. VD6.0 then hit Tombstone, flipping it, before pushing it on to the screws where some of its electronics came loose. Tombstone was eliminated after a total match time of 43 seconds, with official BattleBots records listing it as having gone to a Judges' decision.

This damaging loss consigned Tombstone to the loser's bracket, where it faced the Robotic Death Company's shell spinner Megabyte. Limited highlights of this match were aired in the intro for Episode 4 of Discovery Season 3, showing both machines delivering powerful blows to each other with their spinners. At one point, Tombstone sent Megabyte ricocheting into the BattleBox corner directly opposite Hardcore Robotics' control area, ultimately winning the match by knockout after one minute and 32 seconds.

Tombstone moved on to face Donald Hutson and the 220lb version of Root Canal. When the fight began, Root Canal charged at Tombstone, but Ray Billings' machine was able to avoid the attack, and Root Canal hit the screws. Tombstone started attacking Root Canal's plow, causing minimal damage. However, Root Canal started going on the offensive, pushing Tombstone under the pulverizer. Tombstone then experienced driving issues, and after repeatedly getting hit, the left drive motor caught fire. With Tombstone no longer moving, Ray Billings tapped out, eliminating his machine from the 2009 Pro Championship. However, Tombstone's performance enabled it to finish fourth overall with a 3-2 match record.

BattleBots World Championship I[]

Tombstone 2015

In Season 1

Tombstone was scheduled to fight Beta in its qualification match and had a special plate dubbed the "Beta Blocker" added to the top of it, but Beta had technical issues and was forced to to forfeit. Tombstone instead went up against Counter Revolution in the round of 24.

TombstonevsCounterRev BB2015

The final hit between Tombstone and Counter Revolution.

Both machines spun their weapons up and Counter Revolution approached Tombstone. Tombstone then struck the front of Counter Revolution, severely damaging the body and immobilizing it. Tombstone struck Counter Revolution several more times, causing large amounts of damage before landing one last hit that launched Counter Revolution through the air and into the wall. Tombstone won the match by KO in 37 seconds and advanced to the round of 16 with a No.1 seeding, where it faced the No.16 seed Radioactive.

TombstonevsRadioactive BB2015

Tombstone destroys Radioactive.

At the start of the match, Radioactive mostly spun on the spot, while Tombstone taunted it by driving around without using its weapon. As soon as Tombstone started to use its weapon on Radioactive, major damage was sustained and Radioactive was counted out. Tombstone won by KO at 1:09 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where it faced the No.9 seed Witch Doctor.

TombstonevsWitchDoctor2 BB2015

Witch Doctor snaps Tombstone's blade.

For this fight, Tombstone used a new black blade. Witch Doctor put up a very good show in the opening moments, overpowering Tombstone and flinging it into the air several times, also slamming it into the arena wall. Witch Doctor maintained its lead until Tombstone was able to disable Witch Doctor's disc. With no weapon, Tombstone was able to charge into Witch Doctor, and hit it so hard, Witch Doctor was overturned while Tombstone's weapon snapped in half and Tombstone was flung across the BattleBox. Despite Tombstone being left with no offense, Witch Doctor was unable to right itself and it was being counted out. Tombstone won by KO at 1:01 and advanced to the semifinals, where it faced the No.4 seed Bronco.

BroncovsTombstone1 BB2015

Bronco tosses both itself and Tombstone in the air.

In the beginning of the match, Bronco moved to the corner of the BattleBox and Tombstone started spinning its blade. Both robots slowly moved toward each other and Bronco flips Tombstone onto its back. Tombstone hits the front of Bronco and Bronco misses a flip. Bronco tried to get underneath the left side of the flipped Tombstone, but it misses and takes a hit from Tombstone's spinning blade. This hit damaged the left side of Bronco and it was now moving in circles. Tombstone started hitting the rear of Bronco and moves to the corner of the BattleBox. Tombstone hits the right side panel of Bronco and tears it off. After this, the severely damaged Bronco managed to get a small flip on the front of Tombstone. Bronco got another flip on Tombstone, but Bronco flipped itself onto its back from the impact. After seven attempts, Bronco managed to flip itself back onto its feet and takes a hit from Tombstone's spinning blade. This hit ripped the front right wheel off of Bronco and tossed it out of the BattleBox. Tombstone went straight at the immobile Bronco and the hit nearly flipped Bronco onto its back. Bronco kept using its flipping in order to get moving again, but it wasn't successful and Bronco flipped itself onto its back. As Bronco was being counted out, Tombstone started spinning its blade and Bronco flipped itself back onto its feet. When the count reached 0, Tombstone gave Bronco one more hit from its spinning blade and sent Bronco flying to the corner of the BattleBox. This hit also sent Tombstone flying across the BattleBox and its batteries came out from the impact. Tombstone won the match by KO at 2:26 and advanced to the finals, where it faced the No.3 seed Bite Force.

TombstonevsBiteForce BB2015

Bite Force shoves Tombstone.

Bite Force had the early advantage, lifting Tombstone and Tombstone's batteries started smoking. However, Bite Force also had issues with Tombstone's blade and the driving of Ray Billings and started moving oddly. Time ran out and the battle went to the judges, who ruled in favor of Bite Force. Tombstone got the award of most destructive robot as it destroyed Counter Revolution, Radioactive, Witch Doctor and Bronco.

BattleBots World Championship II[]

BB2016TombstoneHitBlackIce

Tombstone hits Black Ice

Tombstone's first match in Season 2 was against Black Ice. Black Ice was able to deflect a couple of minor blows from Tombstone's spinning blade, but Tombstone managed to get one good pop into Black Ice and this hit did something to the electronics of Black Ice which simultaneously killed the left drive motor and stuck the right motor into a state of permanent forward. Black Ice was barely moving around the BattleBox and Tombstone pushed Black Ice into one of the corners of the BattleBox for an easy KO at 1:01. This win put Tombstone to the round of 32 with its No.1 seeding, where it faced the No.32 seed Escape Velocity.

BB2016TombstoneHitEV

Tombstone collides with Escape Velocity

Both robots circled each other for several seconds before Tombstone's blade made contact with one of the aluminum panels on Escape Velocity, tearing it off. Tombstone continued attacking and eventually Escape Velocity stopped moving as the impact had destroyed both the master power switch and the weapon switch, and tore a 2" gash in the side. Escape Velocity was counted out and Tombstone won by KO at 45 seconds. This win put Tombstone to the round of 16, where it faced Brutus.

BB2016TombstoneHitBrutus

Brutus & Tombstone meet weapon-to-weapon.

For this fight, Tombstone went with lightweight blue tires and a heavier, thicker blade. When the match began, Tombstone was attacking and eventually tore off both of the added armor plates on Brutus. After another hit, Tombstone managed to disable Brutus' drive on one side, leaving Brutus to drive in circles. Tombstone continued attacking and one hit sent it flying but left the robot intact. Tombstone landed a final hit that flipped Brutus over and Brutus was unable to move. Brutus was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO at 59 seconds. This win put Tombstone to the quarterfinals again, where it faced the No.9 seed Beta.

BB2016betaDeflectTombstone

beta bounces Tombstone off the wall.

For this match, Tombstone went with its blue blade. Although the team originally wanted to use the red bar for this match, it was too damaged from hitting the arena wall in the match against Black Ice, resulting in Ray choosing the blue one instead. As the match began, it was relatively even, though Tombstone had trouble dealing damage to Beta. Lots of sparks were being made and Tombstone suffered a hit to the top, which had been reinforced for this match. However, after being flipped by Beta, Tombstone managed to gain the upper hand by taking out the support for Beta's weapon, then damaged Beta's weapon itself. At this point, the clock had stopped prematurely, resulting in some confusion although the marshals were still able to keep time by other means. By the end of the match, Tombstone was up on top of Beta and neither bot was able to move. In part, due to the confusion caused by the clock, both drivers agreed to let the fight go to a judges' decision. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision for Tombstone, allowing it to advance to the semi-finals where it faced No.12 seed Yeti.

BB2016TombstoneYeti

Yeti loses its wheels and Tombstone loses its weapon.

Initially, the match was fairly even, but Tombstone eventually tore off Yeti's front wheels, forcing the drum to bang the BattleBox floor and become virtually useless. However, the two collided in a huge collision that caused Tombstone's weapon chain to slacken and prevent the weapon from turning, but Tombstone managed to keep control. Yeti was pushed onto the screws by Tombstone before time ran out. The judges awarded Tombstone a 3-0 unanimous decision, eliminating Yeti from the tournament and allowing Tombstone to advance to the championship and face No.19 seed Bombshell.

BB2016TombstoneHitBombshell

Tombstone destroys Bombshell.

Bombshell's goal was to break Ray's chains, but Bombshell was unable to mount an attack on Tombstone due to its blade being mounted too high to hit the weapon chain as intended. This left Bombshell very vulnerable and Tombstone continued to attack, tearing off wheels and eventually disabling Bombshell completely. Bombshell was counted out and Tombstone won by KO at 53 seconds to take the giant nut.

BattleBots World Championship III[]

TombstonevsMinotaur bb2018

Tombstone and Minotaur collide with a massive hit.

Tombstone's first match in the third season was against Minotaur, a fight desired by fans since ABC Season 2. When the match began, Tombstone and Minotaur started off slowly before Tombstone started dealing blows, one of which flipped Minotaur over before it quickly self-righted. Minotaur tried its best to get around Tombstone but only managed to take more damage as the initial impact between the two bots had caused damage to Minotaur's drum such that the weapon could no longer reach its maximum speed. Each impact Tombstone dished out caused Tombstone's frame to bend and eventually the frame was bent enough so that Tombstone's weapon struck the arena floor and tore a gash out of the floor. Both robots then collided with such force that Tombstone was sent backwards into the arena screws, then returned to the arena center. After a few more blows and more damage to the arena floor, Tombstone managed to disable Minotaur's drum. Eventually, Minotaur got hung up on one of the damaged areas of the arena and couldn't move. Minotaur was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO at 2:22 to advance to the next stage, where it fought Gigabyte.

TombstonederobsGigabyte bb2018

Tombstone decapitates Gigabyte.

When the match began, both robots got their weapons up to speed, but Tombstone's first hit on Gigabyte caused the attachment on top of Gigabyte to fly off, leaving the shell to remain attached only by gravity and the gyroscopic forces of the shell as it was spinning. Both robots collided again and this time, Tombstone caused Gigabyte's shell to fly off and bounce around a bit. However, Gigabyte was still functional and was forced to continue as tap outs weren't allowed. Eventually, Gigabyte stopped moving deliberately and Tombstone held back any further damage, taking the win by KO to advance to the next stage of the tournament.

Tombstone's next opponent was Whiplash. The fight was off to an okay start for Tombstone as they were sent flying from their attacks on Whiplash, but didn't take any damage as a result. Tombstone then tore off one of Whiplash's wheels and front scoops. Tombstone then found itself being shoved up against the arena barrier near the pulverizer where it couldn't move. Once released, Tombstone continued its assault, tearing off another tire. After one final hit, Whiplash was motionless up against the arena barrier as smoke began to pour out. Whiplash was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.

Next on the list for Tombstone was DUCK!. In response, Tombstone went with a shorter blade for more reliability and to reduce the stress to its frame. When the match began, Tombstone made contact with DUCK! and tore off one side of DUCK!'s lifting plow. Tombstone dished out another hit but this one only caused marks on the plow that remained on DUCK! Tombstone delivered another hit and tore off the other side of the plow, leaving on the middle with DUCK!'s face on it. By the fourth hit, Tombstone was tearing into DUCK!'s wheels but DUCK! pressed on. Tombstone continued to hit, though its impacts were reduced thanks to its blade being bent downward. Tombstone took off one of DUCK!'s wheels but DUCK! still had full mobility. Tombstone attacked again, this time tearing into another wheel. This left DUCK! having some drive issues but Tombstone stopped moving as it was suffering an internal short that was made worse by the bar spinning. Seconds went by and Tombstone spun down its bar before coming back to life just before DUCK! took a shot from the killsaws that disabled its last wheel. DUCK! was now unable to move and was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.

Tombstone vs Bombshell 2018

Bombshell deflects Tombstone.

Up next for Tombstone was a rematch of the 2016 heavyweight championship against Bombshell. Things were pretty even to start as neither robot had the upper hand with the attacks, but Tombstone took a hit that caused the half-link in the chain that had been added due to the shortening of the body's length over the course of the event, leaving its weapon to spin down. This hit also disabled Bombshell's weapon, resulting in a pushing match. Tombstone was then flipped over near the pulverizer, but escaped. Tombstone then tried to head back to the corner for a better shot, but ran over its weapon chain that had come off and got high-centered. Tombstone was unable to free itself and was counted out, eliminating it from the tournament and ending its current championship reign.

Tombstone wasn't finished yet, however as it participated in an exhibition match against Tantrum. The match was off to a good start for Tombstone as their weapon bar was quick to get up to speed while their opponent only gingerly approached. Tombstone hit the side of Tantrum and tore off one of the front fists. Tantrum was still moving enough to avoid a count out so Tombstone struck it again, not causing any major damage. Tombstone moved in again and ripped off the other fist, this one embedding itself in the arena wall. Tantrum was no longer able to move and was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by a quick KO.

BattleBots World Championship IV[]

Tombstone's first match of 2019 was a rematch from 2009 against Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw. For this match, Tombstone went with its trademark bar with steel teeth. When the match began, Tombstone was hitting only Lock-Jaw's rear defensive plate, causing it to go flying and leaving Lock-Jaw relatively unscathed. After the 2nd impact, Tombstone opted to show its backside to Lock-Jaw. When Lock-Jaw approached, Tombstone turned and took off Lock-Jaw's entire left drive wheels, immobilizing Lock-Jaw entirely. Lock-Jaw was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.

Next for Tombstone was Jamison Go and SawBlaze. Tombstone opted to reuse the silver bar with steel teeth from the Lock-Jaw fight. When the match began, Tombstone attacked SawBlaze but didn't cause any damage. Tombstone continued to attack and was eventually pushed around by SawBlaze, ending up getting freed by the pulverizer when the two bots came underneath. This allowed Tombstone to get back up to speed and it began tearing into SawBlaze's protective wedge. As the match went on, Tombstone tore more of SawBlaze's wedge off and now SawBlaze had a bent wheel, reducing its mobility by half. Tombstone then found itself balancing on one wheel before landing upright. With SawBlaze still somewhat mobile, Tombstone ripped off one of SawBlaze's wheels and SawBlaze was no longer moving. SawBlaze was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.

RotatorvsTombstoneBB2019

Rotator slams into Tombstone.

Tombstone's next match was against Rotator. In response, Ray Billings planned on going with his red blade, but ended up going with its traditional gray bar with steel teeth to have a longer reach and prevent Rotator's weapon from striking the weapon chain. When the match started, Tombstone was taking the worse of the impacts as every hit sent it flying but not causing much damage. However, Tombstone was becoming a bit unbalanced as the first impact had caused Tombstone to lose part of a tooth. This meant that the electronics were taking much more abuse than they were meant to. Smoke began to pour out of Tombstone and Tombstone spun down its weapon. Rotator had also lost the use of its weapon but Tombstone was now fighting to stay alive. Fire began to appear from Tombstone's rear as a result of the weapon power supply's main wires shredding their own insulation, causing a short circuit. As Tombstone moved around, the fire began to spread, eventually reaching Tombstone's drive system. Tombstone took a few more taps from Rotator before its drive system finally gave out from the heat. Tombstone was counted out with just 2 seconds left, giving Rotator the win by KO.

Tombstone was next placed against newcomer Gruff, which had been competing off and on outside of BattleBots. In response, Tombstone went with a brand new frame and its thick toothless black bar. As the match got underway, Tombstone was sent flying through the air, landing on the spot for the killsaws and causing damage to the cover. Tombstone recovered and attacked Gruff again, bending the forks. Tombstone was then sent flying, landing upside down in the process. Tombstone tried to cause damage, but its weapon was now too high to make much of an impact to even cause sparks. Tombstone continued attacking and eventually got back upright before being shoved under the pulverizer by Gruff. Tombstone began to dig into Gruff's side, tearing into the housing for the flamethrower. Tombstone then attacked Gruff again and got shoved onto the screws before escaping. Time ran out with Tombstone getting in one final hit and the judges gave it a unanimous 3-0 decision.

Tombstone knocks Quantum over

The killer blow between Tombstone & Quantum.

Looking for a 2nd title, Tombstone was now in the Top 16 where it faced newcomer from China, Quantum. In response, Tombstone was equipped with its S7 tool steel red blade that was initially chosen for its match against Rotator but later swapped for the traditional bar with teeth. Tombstone started off quickly by throwing Quantum on its back. When Quantum self-righted, Tombstone's weapon was underneath the bottom of Quantum's chassis and began to tear it apart. After a final hit to the back and ripping off a tire, Quantum was no longer moving and was counted out, giving Tombstone the win in 35 seconds by KO to advance to the quarterfinals.

Tombstone then entered the quarterfinals with a rematch from last season against Whiplash and Matt Vasquez. Ray continued using the red S7 tool steel blade and as the match got underway, Tombstone hit Whiplash hard, sending both robots flying and costing Whiplash one of its front scoops. Tombstone continued to attack and was sent flying but landed upright. As the match wore on, Tombstone ripped off Whiplash's other front scoop and one of its tires. Tombstone then damaged Whiplash's right rear wheel. Whiplash then had little mobility and took a final hit or two before being counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO and a spot in the semifinals.

Tombstone Bite Force

Tombstone is eviscerated by Bite Force.

This win gave Tombstone a rematch from 2015 against Bite Force. In response, Tombstone went with a black S7 tool steel blade, which was lighter and thus could throw the most energy out. Unfortunately, Tombstone started off very badly as they were sent flying through the air with the first impact. By the 2nd impact, Tombstone's weapon bar lost a third of itself and cost Tombstone a wheel. Tombstone then violently shook itself around as they were pushed on to the screws before somehow getting free. Tombstone began smoking a bit and stopped moving before being counted out, giving Bite Force the win by KO. It was revealed afterwards that during the fight with Gruff, some minor cracks and chips were dealt to the blade, causing the fatigue and breakage for this fight.

re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2019)[]

Tombstone was selected as one of 10 robots to compete in a live stream event as Las Vegas, Nevada for a Giant Bolt trophy. Its first opponent at the event was a grudge match with Witch Doctor from 2015. For this fight, Tombstone went with a thicker version of its trademark spinning bar. When the match began, Tombstone collided with Witch Doctor, sending both robots flying. Tombstone and Witch Doctor recovered to take another hit, this time sending Tombstone into the arena barrier. This impact broke Witch Doctor's weapon as well but now Tombstone could only drive in circles near the arena barrier. Since its weapon was still going, Tombstone aimed for another hit and nearly went out of the arena but was unable to get out of the corner. Tombstone delivered a final hit, but it proved to be the fatal one as it pushed Witch Doctor into Tombstone's last working wheel, bending and disabling it, so it stopped moving as smoke began to pour out. Tombstone was counted out, giving Witch Doctor the win by KO. Unfortunately, because it lost, Tombstone was illegible to be selected by the audience to participate in the championship finals.

BattleBots World Championship V[]

End GameTombstone

Tombstone is thrown OOTA.

To kick off the new season, Tombstone was given a match against End Game in the first main event of the season. In response, Ray Billings opted to deviate from his usual strategy and used an H13 tool steel weapon bar but started off okay by getting a hit on End Game's wedge, sending End Game flying. However, Tombstone then turned right in front of End Game, allowing End Game to hit the right wheel and send Tombstone into the screws, where its left wheel got stuck. This left Tombstone very vulnerable and when hit by End Game again, Tombstone was sent out of the arena, giving End Game an instant KO.

Tombstone rips off Slap Box% 27s tires

Tombstone tears Slap Box's wheels off.

Tombstone's second match was against newcomer Slap Box. Before the match, Tombstone was equipped with an I-shaped bar similar to the one given to Perfect Phoenix. As the match got going, Tombstone quickly ripped off the left wedgelet of Slap Box, nearly going out of the arena in the process. Tombstone continued to attack and removed the second wedgelet as it was launched into the air. As Slap Box came around to the back, Tombstone got to the wheels and started ripping them off. When Slap Box was down to only a single wheel, Tombstone held back and waited for the count to begin. Slap Box was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO and its first win of the 2020 season.

Tombstone vs Skorpios

Tombstone loses a wheel.

Tombstone's next fight was against Skorpios. Tombstone went with the same I-shaped bar used in its fight against Slap Box. This fight started with Tombstone landing numerous shots on the front wedge of Skorpios while also taking punishment in return. Tombstone eventually tore a chunk off of the top left side of Skorpios and then sending Skorpios flying across the BattleBox twice. Skorpios' wedge and left wheel were absolutely mangled from those two giant hits and they were barely hanging on. However, one side of Tombstone's drive stopped working as well. Despite being down half its drive, Tombstone kept its weapon going and fought back, causing the failed drive wheel to pull out of the robot and become fully exposed. Tombstone spun up again and started spinning in circles as it delivered yet another shot to Skorpios, losing its right wheel assembly completely. Tombstone then found itself driving in circles as it took even more punishment from Skorpios. The referees deemed Tombstone immobile and began the countout. Neither team was unable to hear this countout as the speakers intended for communication during the pandemic were not working at the time. The countout finished and Skorpios won by KO, putting Tombstone to 1-2.

Mad Catter and Tombstone are sent flying

Mad Catter and Tombstone are sent flying.

Tombstone managed to make it into the Top 32 seeded the No. 21 seed and faced the No. 12 seed Mad Catter. Tombstone was equipped with a newly machined short and black I-shaped weapon bar made out of AR500 steel. Tombstone started off well as they dodged Mad Catter's box rush before clipping the edge Mad Catter's wedge and sent it spinning. Both bots began circling each other once again, with Tombstone taking a shot to its right wheel, but this dealt little-to-no damage, so Tombstone delivered a hit to Mad Catter's wedge again in the exchange. Tombstone landed a third shot to the front of Mad Catter, disabling its opponents weapon. After Tombstone ripped a chunk off Mad Catter's right side wheel amour, both bots charged and the impact sent Tombstone flying across the BattleBox. By this point, Mad Catter was down to half its drive, but Tombstone continued to attack Mad Catter, ripping off its bottom left and top right wheel's armor whilst continuously sending itself face-first into the Screws, causing the hazard to lose a chunk of itself as a result. Eventually, Mad Catter began crawling forward before coming to a halt due to a pulled motor on one side and a broken chain on the other. Tombstone went for one last hit before Mad Catter was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO.

Black Dragon pops Tombstone into the air

Tombstone is popped in the air.

Tombstone went on to face Black Dragon in the round of 16. As the fight began, Tombstone advanced forwards whilst Black Dragon inched slowly out of its square. Tombstone approached Black Dragon, pulling off a fake-out spin before going on the attack and testing Black Dragon's wedge. Tombstone began grinding on Black Dragon's wedge as it was being pushed around, soon being forced to spin around and avoid being shoved to the wall, then taking a shot to its left tire from Black Dragon's egg beater. Tombstone began to back away whilst swinging its blade at Black Dragon's wedge. Both bots go towards each other and meet in a weapon-to-weapon collision which pops Tombstone several feet into the air. Tombstone then proceeded to land a counter-shot right to the left side of Black Dragon's wedge. Tombstone continued to press on, getting struck hard before turning around and being sent completely out of control by Black Dragon again, landing near the top-right corner of the Battlebox. Tombstone is charged again by Black Dragon, attempted to be carried around and boxed in. By this point, both robots lost their weapons due to Tombstone's wire for the weapon contractor coming loose, and Black Dragon suffering from an unknown cause, reducing the remaining two minutes to a pushing match. Black Dragon pushed Tombstone all around the BattleBox with its wedge until the end of the fight. Black Dragon won a unanimous judges decision and Tombstone was eliminated from the tournament once again.

"...the failure here was really something that shouldn't have failed [...] the wire for the contactor pulled slightly, killing control for the weapon. There literally wasn't anything broken inside and once that wire was reconnected everything worked perfectly. Sometimes it's just not your match."
— Ray Billings on Reddit about Tombstone's weapon failure

BattleBots: Bounty Hunters[]

As a BattleBots legend, Tombstone faced a rematch with Gruff, who had earned the right to face Tombstone in the Bounty Hunter finals. For the first time since the 2016 season final, Tombstone was equipped with its lighter blue bar. The match started out with glancing collisions between the two bots, with Tombstone managing to chip some pieces off Gruff and landing some shots to the sides of it. Tombstone was then slammed into the rails by Gruff, bending the bots long attachment in the exchange. After more hits to Gruff's wedge and sides, Tombstone landed a blow which bent Gruff's attachment at a wonky curved angle pointing to its right and rendering its keep away function completely useless. Tombstone struck Gruff again, the impact sending both bots reeling across the arena. Both bots continued to tussle near the screws, as Tombstone's weapon motor started emitting a bit of smoke. Tombstone then inflicted another serious shot that burst Gruff's fuel tank, disabling the flamethrower. Tombstone continued to land strikes to exposed areas of Gruff, even taking off a section of the back right wheel, until Gruff was no longer able to show controlled movement. Gruff was counted out, giving Tombstone the win by KO and becoming the first team to protect their Bounty, along with earning a piece of the $25,000 in prize money.

BattleBots World Championship VI[]

Returning for the 2021 season, Tombstone's first opponent was against Captain Shrederator. Both bots spun up to begin the fight as Captain Shrederator ducked away before landing a glancing shot on Tombstone's front. With the next few shots, part of Tombstone's blade had come away and it began emitting sparks from its left-side drive. With the next impact, Tombstone popped up and started smoking, which quickly turned to fire after a barrage of quick impacts. Unbalanced, another coming together disabled the blade of Ray Billings' bot. However, despite the additional redundancy on Captain Shrederator's weapon, it too had now come to a halt. With a well-documented history of unreliability in fights they were often on top of, Ray Billings sensed the fight had evened out and continued to attack, despite still being on fire. It appeared to stop in the middle of the BattleBox momentarily, prompting Ray to question its mobility, but escaped a count. As Tombstone rode over Captain Shrederator one last time, it suddenly stopped. Much to the delight of Team LOGICOM, Tombstone was immobile and was counted out, earning Captain Shrederator a statement KO victory.

Eager to chalk up a Fight Night win, Tombstone's second opponent was Ricky Willems and Mammoth. For this fight, Tombstone replaced its batteries to prevent fires in future battles. The fight began with Tombstone spinning up as Mammoth charged weapon-first into Tombstone, sending Mammoth away on impact. Tombstone delivered another shot to the front of Mammoth which saw pieces fly away and the front stabilizing forks bend outwards, though its drive was unaffected. Tombstone gunned for Mammoth again, which saw more parts come away and the UMHW trunk bend to one side. From this impact, Tombstone's left-side drive was no longer functioning, however on landing, Mammoth's right-side motor dislodged from the robot with the wheel still attached to it. Neither robot was able to show translational movement after this exchange, so referees John Remar and David Sanfilippo organized a simultaneous incapacitation. Both robots were counted out, confirming a double KO, and a judges' decision followed. With Tombstone causing the most visible damage and landing more attacks in the short time both bots were mobile for, the judges awarded a unanimous decision in favor of Tombstone, put it 1-1.

Last up for Tombstone in the Fight Night rounds was against Free Shipping. This is also the first time Ray Billings and Gary Gin fought each other outside of RoboGames and not with their respective entries Last Rites and Original Sin. As Gary Gin led with Free Shipping's flamethrower early on, reluctant to throw its lifter face-first into Tombstone's bar, Ray Billings was allowed to spin up as it quickly tore away a tire from Free Shipping. It attempted to escape the corner, but saw two more of its tires sliced in the process. Now running on only one tire, Gary Gin was still able to spin the bot around to face Tombstone as it tanked another hit, this time to its front. However, Tombstone's blade mysteriously stopped spinning, forcing a pushing match which has favored Gary Gin so often in the past. Tombstone chased Free Shipping around before becoming stuck on its wedges momentarily but it escaped. Free Shipping was able to keep its front pointed at Tombstone even despite losing three tires, but Ray Billings got around to its side and shoved Free Shipping into the screws late on. With both bots mobile after the three minutes, the judges awarded Tombstone the unanimous decision. As such, Tombstone managed to claw its way back to a 2-1 record after its early Fight Night loss.

Ray Billings confirmed in a Reddit post that the reason for Tombstone's weapon dying was due to a sheared keystock. The motor itself was able to spin at full power, but could not transfer that power to the bar.

Through to the Round of 32 as the No.23 seed, Tombstone met No.10 seed JackPot, who had gone two seasons without losing a Fight Night battle. For this match, Tombstone was equipped with its hardened S7 steel blade. Out of the gate, Tombstone and JackPot charged at one another, with Ray Billings' bot making contact with the front plow of the Vegas machine. Both robots spun to opposite ends of the BattleBox to recalibrate. The second impact sent Tombstone flying into the screws and cost JackPot its top armor panel, as it also flew into the corner of the arena. JackPot's weapon was no longer spinning and two of its lithium polymer batteries hung loose, but Tombstone's left-side drive was not running. Both weapons came to a stop as Tombstone attempted to creep out of the blue square, but referee John Remar noted it could only crab-walk, so began his count. Tombstone was eliminated from the competition and JackPot advanced.

re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2022)[]

Tombstone was one of eight robots selected to compete in the second re:MARS all:STARS Challenge in June 2022. In the first round of the bracket, it faced HyperShock. After a brutal opening encounter, HyperShock had lost its front-right and rear-left wheels, but Tombstone began smoking heavily. Smoke filled the BattleBox, which obstructed the view of both teams. A count began on Tombstone as it became clear it could no longer move and HyperShock won by knockout with just a couple of seconds to spare, and Tombstone fell at the first hurdle once again in a re:MARS event.

BattleBots: Champions I[]

Tombstone returned for the final episode of BattleBots: Champions, where it faced the most recent Giant Nut winner, Tantrum in a rematch from 2018. Pre-fight, Ray Billings stated his intention to keep in the center of the BattleBox and away from the barriers where it would be vulnerable. Tombstone immediately spun up and delivered a shot to the front wedge of Tantrum, who spun away. On impact, Tombstone bounced upwards and its S7 tool steel blade made contact with the floor, propelling it into the wall. Tombstone returned to the middle of the arena but was pushed from behind, coerced into the short corner by Tantrum driver Dillon Carey. Tombstone swung from side to side and Tantrum's front plow tanked several glancing blows, but a chunk of Tombstone's blade flew away during the exchanges. The 2016 champion was again unbalanced, arcing on one wheel and driving itself into the short corner. Sparks flew out of Tombstone, followed shortly after by smoke as Tantrum shoved it under the pulverizer. Tombstone appeared to have lost drive on its left side, so was counted out. Tantrum raised its fists in celebration as Tombstone was eliminated from the Golden Bolt bracket.

Results[]

Competition Wins Losses
ROBOlympics 2004 Blue Max
Robo Loco
OUCH!!
The Judge (X2)
2004 Southwest Division Championships The Judge Alcoholic Stepfather
Little Blue Engine
BatleBots 2004 NPC Charity Open Zeus
Star Hawk 3.0
Mer Madd
The Judge (X2)
None
2004 RFL Nationals SHOVELHEAD
Blue Engine
Super Megabyte
Alcoholic Stepfather
SHOVELHEAD
RoboGames 2005 Kill Dozer
Buster
Super Megabyte
Star Hawk 3.0
BattleBots Pro Championship 2009 Shrike
Vault
Megabyte
VD6.0
Root Canal
BattleBots World Championship I Counter Revolution
Radioactive
Witch Doctor
Bronco
Bite Force
BattleBots World Championship II Black Ice
Escape Velocity
Brutus
Beta
Yeti
Bombshell
None
BattleBots World Championship III Minotaur
Gigabyte
Whiplash
DUCK!
Tantrum (Exhibition Match)
Bombshell
re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2019) None Witch Doctor
BattleBots World Championship IV Lock-Jaw
SawBlaze
Gruff
Quantum
Whiplash
Rotator
Bite Force
BattleBots World Championship V Slap Box
Mad Catter
End Game
Skorpios
Black Dragon
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters Gruff (Boss Battle) None
BattleBots World Championship VI Mammoth
Free Shipping
Captain Shrederator
JackPot
re:MARS all:STARS BattleBots Challenge (2022) None HyperShock
BattleBots: Champions I None Tantrum
  • Wins: 42
  • Losses: 22

Trivia[]

  • Tombstone is the only robot to win a Giant Nut as both a superheavyweight and a heavyweight.

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