Could someone fill me in on whats happened? Did they go broke or something?

Mentorn couldn't find a TV channel interested in broadcasting an 8th series as they all deemed old and people would be getting bored of it, which may be ture with the way Mentorn put the show together. Mentorn had alway treateed Robot Wars as a kids show, and thats how the marketed it, espicaially with the merchandise.
Also the arena was deemed un-safe by OH&S so Mentorn sold it for scrap. The arena was brought by Phantom Productions and is now going to be used as the venue for the FRA World Championships.
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Get Some!!!

Secretary of the Queensland Robotics Sports Club inc.

Has anybody thought of whats happening with the house robots. The only one i can see being able to compete in a comp is shunt becauise its only 5kg overweight, maybe matilda but doubt it. Thats if they will compete with them anyway's

Are they just going to tear them to pieces or keep them or sell them or something.
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

well for a start shunt is more than 105kg
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Team KO

killalot is really like 600kg aint it? only 400kg over what they said it was.
Matilda weighs like 250kg, so do you really think that shunt is 105kg?
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Mr "squirt"
Team Blazing Star

karmond knows the story.

none of the weights they state are right, i believe killalot was like 600kg and over.

besides all of them bar growler are fragile as all hell being thin fibreglass.
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www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

I've been following the FRA and the demise of the old Robot Wars production. I understand that the house 'bots have been dontated to charitable organizations for static display use .

The FRA is reportedly building new house 'bots for their tournaments. The first tournament is set for next month and will be televised as a series of seven shows on an undisclosed network.

My team was selected to compete as one of 8 American teams in the heavyweight division, but I elected to stay closer to home this summer and support a regional event that needed my help. Next time for sure!
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- Mark Joerger
Run Amok Combat Robotics

I think the house Robots had a lot to do with the Downfall of Robot Wars myself..

Once the house robots started getting ridiculously powerful and heavy, it turned into amore of a "watch us chew the competitors robot to bits" - that'll make good tv.. for a while until people get bored with the lack of serious competition and start wearing chickens on their heads to try and get some airtime..

Imagine if the football allowed a team of 10 foot gorilla's into the season who promptly wiped the floor with every other team.. you can viewership would vanish as soon as people got bored with the spectacle of humuorous carnage.

People respond well to realistic competition between equals. a well matched battle is much more fun to watch on a regular basis than a slaughterhouse.

Even the arena-hazards of battlebots turned the game into a you-vs-the arena on occasion. I dont mind the occasional obstacle but not 30 Hp kill saws or 50lb hammers.. again it might make good tv, but it doesnt make for a good sporting event, which is what I think will ensure the long term growth of robotic combat.

The sad thing being, the target audience of kids aged 8-15 liked the house robots

that doesnt surprise me.

With unlimited weight they could "look cooler" than most of the competitors robots by being able to add purely cosmetic parts, and they were a "constant" throughout the show each eipsodes that the young viewers could identify with, and they could always be counted on to do something spectacular thanks to their lack of restrictions.

Aiming at the 8-15yo market is always going to be a "flash in the pan" though. Kids seem to get bored easily and need a constant input of novelty to be entertained.

Finding the balance between keeping the game as a pure-sport for enthusiasts, and adding a little bit of pizazz to make it palatable to the general population is the tricky balancing act the every Event-Organiser tries to pull off.

It would be a lot easier if our toys didnt need a many-thousands of dollars arena to play in safely that has to be paid for somehow. The RC Car guys can hold a full on race in any old car park. Our toys are a bit more dangerous though..

Well since getting playpens for all the crazy powerly spinners popping round is to have a event in any open area like robojoust but just spinners cant run. Just weopons like flippers/lifters/clampers etc.

Or even cooler have an event like robotica or something or even better Gary's idea with king of the hill.
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

I was thinking about holding a Robojoust style event so the public could get up close and see the bots with out getting too close, while not requiring a bullet proof arena. Still might hold one some day...........
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https://www.halfdonethings.com/

I completely agree, a fun event where there isnt too big a chance of a robot getting totalled. Also public can look round and ask questions and get ideas on this crazy sport.,
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

Thats not a bad idea. Similair to an idea we had back when there were about two robots in the whole of melbourne...

We were going to load up the robots into a car, along with a TV and Video recorder (running off a 12v inverter), and take a drive around saturday mornings to the RC Car and Plane clubs, Shopping Centers, Dick Smith and Jaycar carparks etc. to hand out some flyers, give a demo of some non-spinner bots, and show them the tapes of what a serious event looked like.

If each state got a few builders together one saturday morning and "did the rounds" of a few likely hang-outs for techie people, youd be sure to pickup a few new builders.

Well Glen has been doing that for a while now. He would one day throw cobra in teh car and show it off at some of the super awesome hobby stores round his area. I was tempted to do it with castle Hill hobbies up the road but there a crappy hobby store anyway's. WIll send them a picture when i get a good shot of scrap finished.
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Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics