Neon

**Neon** is a British featherweight robot which competed in the 2018 *King of Bots* UK International Championships. Built by Ellis Ware of Team Ranglebots, it was eliminated from the qualification rounds of the main championship after picking up one knockout victory and two losses, and subsequently throwing itself out of the arena during the 8 Way Melee. However, Neon would redeem itself later on by winning the Annihilator, throwing BANE out of the arena before defeating Chinese competitor Naughty Snake in the final round. It also participated in the Gladiator battle, but lost after getting thrown out of the arena by DB12 early on.

Prior to its 2018 UK International Championship run, Neon also competed in Season 1 of *King of Bots* as **Remora**, a minibot accompanying the Australian heavyweight Great White. For more information on Remora's Season 1 performance, see Great White.

## Design

Neon is an invertible, two-wheel drive robot armed with a large undercutting bar spinner. It was originally built by Ellis Ware in a space of two days, using spare components from Team Ranglebots' heavyweights as well as a single-piece watercut HDPE chassis with HARDOX plates and 6mm polycarbonate top and bottom covers.  Neon’s spinner features a total mass of 4.3kg, and is cut from a piece of 8mm HARDOX. The robot itself has a top speed of 25mph, and at the time of the 2018 UK International Championships featured a black and bright pink color scheme.

## Robot History

### King of Bots UK 2018

Neon’s first battle took place at the end of the second qualification round, where it faced drum spinner X-303 and axlebot Straddle 2.

Immediately, it pursued and drove its spinner under X-303, shredding one of X-303’s wheels and leaving it immobilized on one side. Neon drove away and proceeded to attack Straddle 2’s own wheels, causing minor damage to Tom Brewster’s machine. However, as the two remaining machines exchanged blows, Neon had its top panel torn open by Straddle 2’s spinner, which also ripped part of the robot’s electronics out. As a result, Neon lost the use of its spinner as it drove around the arena, and stopped moving beside the remnants of one of X-303’s wheels. Upon being counted out, Neon finished the battle second to Straddle 2, scoring its first two points of the main competition.

"*…went really well to begin with, and then the inevitable happened. He caught me on the top, and all the guts came out!*"
— Ellis Ware, in a post-battle interview with Samantha France

Next, Neon faced The Claw and Red Hot Tilly Pecker in its second melee.

In the opening moments, it repeatedly drove around and into the sides and front of Red Hot Tilly Pecker, causing damage to Team Tilly’s axebot and sending it recoiling a few times. These hits were sufficient to tear Red Hot Tilly Pecker’s wheelguards off and leave its wedge dangling loose. Unrelenting, Neon proceeded to attack the rear of Red Hot Tilly Pecker, ripping off its rear panel and flinging it across the arena with two more successive blows. Red Hot Tilly Pecker was left immobile on one side as a result, and stopped moving altogether shortly after The Claw – itself suffering from mobility issues – was counted out. Neon shuffled and darted across the arena as both of its opponents were eliminated; it threw itself into the air while spinning in celebration, landing spinner-first on the floor. Neon recoiled violently and balanced on its rear panel just as the battle concluded, darting and spinning across the arena again as soon as it landed back on its wheels. With this, it scored its first knockout victory, and four more points.

For its third and final qualification round, Neon faced the vertical spinner of Binky and the rear-hinged flipper of Mini ACE.

It initially waited to get its bar spinner up to speed, but darted away from an approaching Mini ACE, and proceeded to strike the side of ACE Robotics’ machine. Neon reversed away from Binky, before driving around both of its opponents and charging into Mini ACE again. With a violent slam, both Neon and Mini ACE were sent recoiling in opposite directions; the attack launched Neon off the floor and out of the arena, instantly eliminating it from the battle and relegating it to third place.

"*I think Grant needs to change his underwear!*"
— Gabriel Stroud reacts to Neon’s self-eliminating hit on Mini ACE

With a total of seven points, Neon finished twenty-fourth overall in the qualification rounds, making it eligible for the 8 Way Melee. There, it fought Calabash Bros, Barróg, Blunt Force Trauma Remix, Naughty Snake, Cobalt, Utopia and Orpheus, for a chance to secure the final place in the knockout round.

Neon started the Melee tentatively, getting its weapon up to speed as it made a few initial lunges at Utopia and Barróg. After driving alongside Cobalt and missing Calabash Bros, Neon eventually attacked Orpheus, tearing its weapon and several large pieces of its armor off. The attack left Neon balancing on its wheels, before Ellis Ware’s machine stabilized and darted into Blunt Force Trauma Remix. Immediately, Neon turned round and drove into the vertical spinner of Naughty Snake; the collision sent the Chinese machine spinning, and Neon hurtling out of the arena for its second successive battle. With this, Neon was eliminated from the 2018 UK International Championships.

"*…that’s the problem with Neon – it’s storing ridiculous amounts of energy, and with the arena walls as low as they are, it just pops itself out… can’t be helped, really.*"
— Ellis Ware

Neon later reappeared for the Annihilator, where it fought alongside Cobalt, Legion, BANE, Mini ACE and Naughty Snake. In the first round, it tentatively approached and hit BANE with its spinner, before clipping the side of Cobalt and attacking Bane again. Seconds later, Neon turned and slammed into Mini ACE, the attack causing Mini ACE to recoil into the open pit. Mini ACE was eliminated instantly, allowing Neon to progress.

In the second round, Neon made an initial attack on Legion, slashing one of Legion’s tires and leaving it limping across the arena. It proceeded to reverse and drive towards BANE and Cobalt; a side-on attack on the latter resulted in both robots being flung across opposite sides of the arena. While Neon slammed into the nearby barrier, Cobalt was sent spinning into the pit release button, and overturned upon hitting the far wall. With this, Cobalt was counted out, allowing Neon to power its spinner down as it waited for the battle to stop.

At the start of Round 3, Neon remained stationary in the corner, before weaving across the arena and tearing a large chunk out of the left-hand side of Naughty Snake. Neon’s spinner momentarily grazed the floor, before it proceeded to drive away from its opponents and circle round an approaching Legion. Neon steered Legion towards the wall, but missed with its spinner, and retreated to the top-right corner as BANE drove into – and absorbed a blow from – its weapon. Neon reversed against the wall as Legion temporarily stood immobile; however, it reactivated its spinner as Legion drove across the arena, and was launched across the arena perimeter when BANE once again drove into its bar spinner.

Neon spun round and hopped, before driving into the side of Legion and the front wedge of Naughty Snake. The latter caused Neon to ricochet upwards over the top of Naughty Snake; destabilized, Neon balanced on one wheel and hopped over the arena floor again, before a blow from Naughty Snake sent it flying across the arena. Neon recovered by lunging at an approaching Legion, but missed. Seconds later, it darted towards BANE and slammed into its side, sending BANE flying into Naughty Snake and over the side barrier. Neon, meanwhile, was sent spinning and left balancing on its rear panel, but progressed once more with this knockout blow.

In Round 4, Neon approached and drove round Legion in the opening seconds, throwing Team Legion’s titular machine into the wall as the latter flipped itself over. It approached Legion again and slammed into its side as Legion self-righted, ripping one of Legion’s tires and leaving it immobile on one side. Neon hit Legion once more before the latter flipped itself again, and proceeded to drive into a nearby wall as Legion was counted out.

In the final round, Neon darted across the arena and into the side and back of Naughty Snake, locking one of the Chinese competitor’s wheels up in the process. This allowed it to circle round and attack the front of Naughty Snake; sparks flew as Neon sent Naughty Snake spinning away. With Naughty Snake evidently immobilized on one side, Neon sized up an attack on the other side of its opponent, eventually hitting the back of Naughty Snake a second time. Another front-on attack on Naughty Snake destabilized Neon, sending it gyrating on one wheel as its spinner again hit the floor. Landing on its wheels, Neon drove around the arena again, but could not line up a final blow before the count-out for Naughty Snake started. With victory secured, Neon powered its spinner down, shuttled back and forth across the arena and spun round, emerging as the 2018 *King of Bots* UK Annihilator champion.

Neon was also one of eighteen robots to compete in the Gladiator battle, which took place immediately before the main UK International Championship final. There, it competed against Crabsolutely Clawful, Take Cover, Impact, Aegis, Barróg, Meow, Orpheus, Mini ACE, BANE, Binky, The Claw, DB12, Hedgebot, Sabre20, Satanix, Luna-Tic and Raving Luna-Tic. Neon started tentatively, backing into the pit release button almost immediately as Barróg and Orpheus both got underneath it. In response it pushed both Orpheus and Raving Luna-Tic back across the arena, momentarily dicing with Orpheus before sustaining a hit from Take Cover and being pushed into the wall by Impact. This allowed DB12 to come in and push Neon along the wall; Neon spun round, but was promptly catapulted out of the arena by the fourth-place finisher’s flywheel. As a result, Neon was eliminated early on from the Gladiator, which was eventually won by Aegis.

## Results

### Wins/Losses

* Wins: 6
* Losses: 4

## Outside King of Bots

Neon was initially built by Ellis Ware for the 2017 FRA Featherweight International Championships, hosted at the Insomnia 61 gaming festival. There, it fought in five battles, and finished ninth out of fifty competitors in the main competition. In June 2018, Neon attended the *Extreme Robots* Guildford event, where it fought in several featherweight rumbles held throughout the event.

## References

1. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/teamranglebots/photos/a.1735472450090424/1735476356756700/?type=3&theater
2. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/teamranglebots/photos/a.1735472450090424/1735476656756670/?type=3&theater
3. ↑  https://www.facebook.com/teamranglebots/photos/a.1735472450090424/1735476030090066/?type=3&theater
4. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/teamranglebots/photos/a.1735472450090424/1735476136756722/?type=3&theater
5. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/teamranglebots/posts/1846335835670751