Thunderstorm

*Not to be confused with Thunder and Lightning from Season 1, or Thunder from Season 2*

## Participation Information

### Other Names

Thunder Hurricane
(direct translation)
Extreme
Extreme Electric
Thunderstorm
(Mech+ version)

## Robot Statistics

### Weapons

Vertical bar spinner

"*I want to tell everyone that the power of one person can also be very strong.*"
— Peng Changqi (Season 1, Episode 2, Mech+ subtitles)

**雷霆飓风** (romanized as **Léitíng jùfēng**, translating to **Thunder Hurricane**; also referred to as **Thunderstorm**, **Extreme** or **Extreme Electric**), is a heavyweight robot from Xinjiang, China, which competed in the inaugural season of *King of Bots*. Entered by the lone roboteer Peng Changqi, a mechanical engineer by profession, it reached the second round, where it was immobilized and defeated by Blue.

## Design

Described by Peng Changqi as 'the Lamborghini of the robotics world', Thunderstorm was a four-wheel drive, box-shaped robot with a yellow and black colour scheme and chamfer-style edges. It was armed with an asymmetrical vertical bar spinner, weighing 20kg and with a maximum rotational speed of 8,000rpm. According to the subtitles for the Mech+ version, the spinner was described as an 'alloy steel hammer'. An angled front wedge lead opponents into the spinner, which could alternatively be used to push opponents around or be removed altogether. Extended fairings on each side of Thunderstorm's weapon mount featured a pair of small unpowered castor wheels, potentially allowing the robot to run inverted if flipped over.

Thunderstorm had a top speed of six meters per second (21.6km/h or approximately 13.42mph), augmenting its sports car influence and emphasis on 'outstanding appearance and strength'. The robot's armament and overall design gave it a strong resemblance to the 2016-2019 iteration of three-time *BattleBots* champion Bite Force.

## Robot History

### King of Bots (Season 1)

Debuting in Episode 2, Thunderstorm fought the multibot Burning Twin Star in its first battle. Prior to the battle, Peng Changqi had failed to check the ESC for the robot's bar spinner after powering it up. To his own annoyance, the ESC was later found to have not initialized properly, leaving Thunderstorm without an active weapon as the fight started.

     The weaponless Thunderstorm approached and bumped into the black part of Burning Twin Star, before pushing the white part into one of the grinders. The black part of Burning Twin Star attempted to attack Thunderstorm, only for Thunderstorm to get underneath, turn and ram it into the grinder mount. The impact immobilized the black part of Burning Twin Star, which Thunderstorm pushed into the grinder before it and the white part rammed each other. Sparks flew from the white part’s drum, but Thunderstorm kept pushing it into the spikes, grinders and circular saws until time ran out – the white part of Burning Twin Star had also been flipped over prior to Thunderstorm’s final attack. The battle went to a Judges’ decision, which ruled in favour of Thunderstorm.

In the second round, Thunderstorm faced North American entry Blue; for this battle, Peng Changqi removed the robot’s front wedge, while its bar spinner was made operational for the first time.

However, Thunderstorm encountered more problems within the opening seconds; it initially spun round, allowing Blue to approach and deflect it into the wall spikes. As it attempted to move away and was slammed again by Blue, a drive chain broke and fell out of Thunderstorm’s left-hand side; Blue subsequently pushed Thunderstorm underneath a nearby hammer while simultaneously axing its top-left panel. Sparks flew as Thunderstorm’s spinner made contact with the descending hammer; it sustained two more blows from Blue, one of which stopped its spinner.

Thunderstorm was dragged back before Blue retracted its axe, allowing it to reverse and dodge another attack from the latter. It shuffled back and forth across the arena as it spun its weapon up again, but was unable to turn round and line up an attack as Blue strafed around it. Thunderstorm was pushed back under the hammer by Blue, its spinner damaging the hammer head in the process. Unable to drive away from the wall spikes or the hammer, Thunderstorm sustained two more blows from Blue before being counted out. As a result, it was eliminated from the competition, but not without Adam Wrigley of Bots FC praising Peng Changqi’s one-man effort.

## Results

### Wins/Losses

* Wins: 1
* Losses: 1

## Outside King of Bots

Prior to competing on *King of Bots*, team captain Peng Changqi finished third in the regional Xinjiang RoboMaster tournament. Also Thunderstorm, alongside fellow Chinese *King of Bots* competitor Chiyung Jinlun were registered on the waiting list for RoboGames 2018, but they ultimately did not attend the event.

## External Links

* Thunderstorm on the official *King of Bots* website (Chinese, archived)