AU Thumper

## Overview

**AU Thumper** (Chinese: *黃金暴擊*) was a British robot built by **Team Thor** which competed in the first and only series of *Clash Bots*.

## Design

It was a two-wheel drive robot armed with a large, electrically-powered bladed axe. It also sported a steep, sturdy plow at the front with wedges on either side to get in underneath opponents before striking with its overhead weapon.

The robot sported a near-identical design to Jason Marston's flagship heavyweight, named **Thor**.

## Robot History

### Clash Bots

AU Thumper was one of two robots permitted to skip the initial qualifying rounds. As such, it did not need to fight to impress the celebrity captains, and it was eventually allocated to Angelababy. In its first fight, AU Thumper took on Spicy Newt, who entered with *BattleBots* pedigree as Poison Arrow. Immediately, Spicy Newt charged at AU Thumper, then rode up its wedge several times as it tried to attack. Spicy Newt was flipped over by its opponent's steep plow, and as it tried to engage, suffered a blow from AU Thumper's hammer. Spicy Newt recovered but was flipped over again, before righting itself with the gyroscopic forces of its own weapon. However, Spicy Newt was slow to move away and Jason Marston's bot drove at Spicy Newt's unguarded back end instead. AU Thumper then missed with a hammer blow, before landing several more in quick succession, pressing the American robot against the wall. It retreated before chasing Spicy Newt, firing its hammer and missing, instead overturning itself. AU Thumper recovered immediately, however, not offering any opportunity for Spicy Newt to take advantage. With Spicy Newt failing to engage with its drum spinner throughout the three minute fight, AU Thumper was declared the winner by judges' decision.

AU Thumper's next opponent was Toxic Fangs. Toxic Fangs was quickly able to get around to the back of AU Thumper and tore away its hammer head. Both robots collided and Toxic Fangs was flipped over. Unable to escape, AU Thumper was relentless in its attacks, landing blow after blow with what remained of its hammer. The drone of Toxic Fangs spewed fire, but could not cause any damage to the British robot. AU Thumper attempted to swing its weapon at the drone to swat it out of the sky, and made contact as the arm retracted from a missed hit. With a minute to go, Toxic Fangs remained upside down and AU Thumper continued swinging at its underside. The fight went the distance, and AU Thumper picked up the win.

AU Thumper's next fight came in a three-way battle against Brain Storm and Eggbeater. AU Thumper kept out of the action in the opening seconds, as Eggbeater spun up its weapon and chased down Brain Storm, whose disc was not spinning. Eggbeater caught up and ripped off Brain Storm's right-rear wheel, following this up with a big hit which launched AU Thumper into the air, landing inverted. AU Thumper was knocked out cold, unable to right itself. It was counted out and played no further part in the battle. Shortly after, Eggbeater ground to a halt, and Brain Storm picked up the win.

It fought in a couple of three-way rumbles, one of which it won. The British entry would pick up consecutive wins over Fire Kylin and Battle Ax, before getting the better of Soul Reaper and Dark Wolf in another three-way battle. Thor then had to face **Soul Reaper** twice more, winning both times. Although AU Thumper's run came to an end as it lost in a rematch against **Toxic Fangs**, Jason Marston's bot ultimately defeated Spicy Newt for a second time to finish third overall in *Clash Bots*.

At the end of the competition, Jason Marston won the Best Driver Award.

## Results

* Wins: 8
* Losses: 2

## Trivia

* AU Thumper featured a panel which read "24 carat pain", referencing its gold appearance.