A 100% necessary rundown of the 9 greatest House Robots on Robot Wars

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Robot Wars

by Ben Scott |
Published on

We all remember Robot Wars. Those pesky metal creations of untold destruction that lit up our Friday night telly will go down in history.

If you were living under a soundproofed rock when the cheers went up and down the country as the series return was announced, you might have missed one of the greatest days in recent memory.

One of the main changes (although we’re not best pleased about it) is Dara Ó Briain replacing Craig Charles to present the show. No biggie Dara, we just love Craig, that’s all.

But, to celebrate the return of one of the greatest TV shows of all time (RIP Crystal Maze), here's a rundown of the greatest House Robots on the show, ranked by menacing looks, bloodthirsty damage capacity and all round badassery.

Oh, and to get the nostalgia juices flowing.

9. Refbot

OK, let's get Refbot out of the way first. Not technically a House Robot in that it never competed against robots, but instead was introduced to count down immobilised robots and clear up their mess, replacing another bot named Shove. He was designed to look like an actual referee too, with a white striped shirt and a headset. We'll forever love Refbot for that time his counter completely screwed up.

8. Cassius Chrome

Cassius Chrome Robot Wars

We’ll forgive you if you don’t remember this crazy looking bot, first introduced in series seven. Complete with black eye and absolutely named after champion boxer Cassius Clay, Chrome was equipped with a front shovel and two spikes or two fists, both interchangeable. It was also the fastest House Robot, which helped cause massive damage when it successfully rammed another bot.

7. Growler

Introduced as Mr Psycho’s loyal dog, Growler’s main weapon was its terrifying steel jaws, capable of creating four tons of force. He was based on Bullseye the dog from Oliver Twist and was once the fastest of all the House Robots, a weapon in itself. There was also a flamethrower mounted to the rear, but it was removed for being a bit unreliable.

6. Matilda

Another of the four original House Robots, Matilda was often picked on as she was incredibly easy to flip. Resembling a hedgehog or a mutant triceratops, Matilda was equipped with flipping tusks at the front and a chainsaw at the rear. The chainsaw was replaced for a flywheel in a later series though, doing much more damage than it had previously.

5. Shunt

Bulldoze robot Shunt appeared in the first series (notably the first ever House Robot introduced on the show) and had the ability to pull a Land Rover and a diamond-edged axe if the scoop wasn’t enough.

4. Sergeant Bash

Undoubtedly one of our favourites, Bash was also part of the show from the first series. Designed to look like a military vehicle with the green colour scheme, this robot was equipped with a flamethrower and a hydraulic claw at the front. You did NOT want to mess with Bash.

3. Mr Psycho

You thought the top robots were all going to be the original ones, didn't you? Curveball. Introduced in series six, Psycho became one the largest and heaviest robot in the show, with a pneumatic hammer and claws to boot. He wasn’t immune to being flipped though, with just two contestant robots managing it.

2. Dead Metal

Dead Metal was one of the original four House Robots too, but was actually largely ineffective until the second series, where its massive arm-saw was upgraded to drop faster, do more damage and make sparks fly when cutting through opponents. After that, the unofficial robot scorpion of death took its rightful place as one of the most bloodthirsty bots ever.

1. Sir Killalot

The hero we needed, the hero we deserved. First introduced in series two, Killalot was built to resemble a knight (hence the play on Sir Lancelot) but was equipped with a rotating drill, hydraulic cutting claws and caterpillar tracks instead of wheels. Killalot was pretty heavy, but often seen as the House Robots leader and is rightly returning in the 2016 series.

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