Bodyhammer

**Bodyhammer** was a cone-shaped robot with a flat side on the front (described by Jonathan Pearce as a "copper-coloured coal scuttle") which was entered by Team Cold Fusion in the first two series of Robot Wars.

In the First Wars, it was armed with a small Hammer at the front of the robot, but it failed to work, and was later covered over for the arena battles. Despite this, Bodyhammer managed to win its heat by using its superior 9mph speed, steep wedge and pushing power driven by four 18V domestic drill motors, and advanced to the Grand Final. Despite being the only other robot to survive to the end of the battle, it lost on a judges' decision, having been less aggressive than the eventual champion Roadblock. The chassis and shell were made of a very tough polypropylene-glass composite material supplied by Andrew Dayton-Lovett, an expert in thermoplastic composites, with the shell being covered in stainless steel sheet used to make razors. This was heat treated producing a light oxide that gave the copper colouring.

A brand new Bodyhammer returned for the Second Wars with new weaponry. Despite being still being called Bodyhammer, it no longer had a hammer- it was now armed with a fast Reciporating Spike (Oddly referred to as a "Flipper" by Jonathan Pearce) powered by a garden strimmer and a 6" Circular Saw blade, both concealed in its front wedge. This new Bodyhammer consisted of a very lightweight plywood chassis, mounted into a steel shell some 5mm thick. This was made from a special steel used for military armour plating that was very hard to bend. This was formed and welded by an engineering fabricator in Bath. However, its very low ground clearance ultimately proved to be its undoing, since it was eliminated in the Gauntlet after getting stuck on the ramrig. It also entered the Internet Insurrection in the Grudge Match special, where it lost to Griffon after immobilising and getting stuck under Dead Metal.

Both of the Bodyhammers now reside in the late Alan Gribble's workshop, alongside the chassis of the Pussycats from Series 3 and 4, apart from the original Bodyhammer shell, wheels and many internal components which Robin Herrick still has. Robin Herrick would later enter the 2016 Series with Kill-E-Crank-E and the 2017 Series with Crank-E.

## Robot History

### Series 1

Dubbed 'The Copper-Coloured Coal Scuttle' it was a favourite due to its interesting design, fearsome weapon and team of nuclear engineers. It completed the Gauntlet in convincing style and progressed far enough in the labyrinth to guarantee a place in the arena. Its hammer unfortunately broke before its first battle so the team replaced it with a large spike. Its speed and power allowed it to easily overcome Torque of the Devil and attack Dead Metal in the process. It started well in its heat final using its weight advantage to slam REALI-T into a pyramid but poor driving got it stuck on a grille. It was released controversially by Shunt, and this gave it the opportunity to finish its limping opponent off by pushing it onto the side railings as it had done with Torque of the Devil in its first arena clash.

It progressed to the grand final where it was still highly fancied to win, it launched a thrust on Robot the Bruce, but it couldn't compete with Roadblock's purge of the arena, as it defeated Recyclopse and Robot the Bruce and the demise of T.R.A.C.I.E. and Cunning Plan having already happened. Finally with just Bodyhammer and Roadblock left Roadblock closed in getting underneath the cone with its scoop when the match was handed to the judges who unsurprisingly gave the win to Roadblock.

### Series 2

Bodyhammer, seeded third, returned for the second series, but this time the hammer was replaced with a strimmer-powered reciprocating spike made from a plugging chisel running on an engine crankshaft (Strangely referred to as a flipper at one point) salvaged from a garden rotavator and 6" circular saw. The robot was not able to repeat its success of the previous series as it got stuck at the start of the Gauntlet and was eliminated, having only travelled 3 metres after getting wedged on the ram rig before being attacked by Sir Killalot.

Bodyhammer returned with a new design on its front for the Internet Insurrection. Throughout the fight Bodyhammer charged around the arena ramming its opponents. Soon Killerhurtz and Corporal Punishment were immobilised, which left itself and Griffon. However Bodyhammer drove at Griffon and missed, instead hitting Dead Metal and getting stuck underneath the house robot. The judges decided that Griffon was the winner.

## Wins/Losses

* Wins: 4
* Losses: 3