Apex

Apex
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship II (Not selected with similar design) World Championship V (Not selected) World Championship VII (Withdrew)
Live	BattleBots Proving Ground
Other Names	WhamMow! (Original name)
Team Information
Team	Team Danby
Team Members	Chris Danby Craig Danby Jason Rogers (BB Proving Ground) Jenna Rogers (BB Proving Ground)
From	Burntwood, UK
Other Entries	Slammo!, Predator, Foxtrot
Robot Statistics
Weight	238lbs
Top Speed	14mph
Drive	2x Maytech 6396 brushless motors
Weapons	Bar spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Apex, formerly known as WhamMow!, is a heavyweight robot built by Team Danby which applied for BattleBots World Championship V, as well as World Championship VII.

It is a largely upgraded version of Team Terrafonics' heavyweight of the same name, which was entered into Series 9 and 10 of Robot Wars by Chris Danby, brother to Slammo! builder Craig Danby. In both guises, the robot is low-profile and armed with a large overhead bar spinner. Under its original BattleBots name WhamMow!, the team applied for World Championship V with it and SlamMow!. However, WhamMow! was not selected to compete and Team Danby fought with just the one robot.

With Mowbot no longer sponsoring the team, WhamMow!'s future was uncertain due to limited funds within the team. As such, Team Danby only applied for and competed in World Championship VI with SlamMow!, now renamed Slammo!.

"We were kinda in flux about whether or not to enter WhamMow when Mowbot didn't renew their sponsorship became clear we wouldn't have enough funds to build Slammo and WhamMow so we decided to just go with Slammo."

— Craig Danby in September 2021

Work on a brand new build commenced in late 2021, with Craig Danby posting regular updates in early 2022. Now returning to its original name Apex, the robot features three large omniwheels to allow for it to strafe in multiple directions as well as translate in a more traditional method. The team initially proposed this idea for the 2016 season, powered by a jet engine and sporting a 150lb blade prior to the introduction of the rule capping spinning masses to 80lbs. However, they were not selected with this idea at the time. Each wheel is mounted on a 'leg' - each of which contains three motors. It is armed with the same 63½lb spinning bar measuring 53" in length. The three legs are able to bend thanks to a hinge mechanism in the middle, which allows the 188mph primary weapon to tilt towards its opponent and propel the robot in a certain direction, in a similar way to gyro walkers.

In March 2022, Craig Danby posted a drive test featuring Apex's omniwheels and confirmed their application the following month. However, Apex withdrew from the competition and Danby's flagship build Slammo! was only accepted as an alternate.

In February 2023, Craig Danby teased a brand new Apex build, dubbed Apex 5. The team intend to enter Apex into World Championship VIII and it was confirmed in July that Apex would compete at BattleBots Proving Ground in December 2023, taking on Danby's other robot, Slammo!. Danby showcased a gold-colored weapon bar in October. similar to that of its first Robot Wars appearance. However, Apex lost both of its battles over the weekend by knockout.

Apex made its return in February 2024., where it took on Traves T.. Ahead of this second weekend of fights, the team planned to upgrade Apex's legs to feature the same motors used to power Slammo!'s lifting weapon. The spinner would also be powered by a hub motor inspired by that of DeathRoll in order to free internal space. With neither robot available to fight during the Saturday show, the Proving Ground match was postponed a day. Despite Apex's upgrades, Traves T. quickly damaged two of its drive wheels and Apex suffered a third loss by knockout.

A render of Apex ahead of BattleBots Proving Ground.

WhamMow! ahead of the team's 2020 season application.

Outside BattleBots

An early version of Apex fought in Series 9 and 10 of Robot Wars, where it bore a largely similar design, boasting a 242mph spinning bar weighing upwards of 80lbs. However, it lost in its debut melee and bowed out of the competition in the first round. Apex returned for Series 10 and made the head-to-head rounds, where it became well-known for its self-destruction against Track-tion. Apex originally planned to feature a shuffling mechanism for locomotion, though this failed in testing and the team opted for traditional wheels instead.

In September 2022, Apex was displayed at the UK event RoboNerd, brought by Chris Danby.

Apex during Series 9 of Robot Wars.

Apex during Series 10 of Robot Wars.

Apex at RoboNerd in 2022.

Robot History

BattleBots Proving Ground
Apex vs. Slammo! (12/16/2023) Apex being readied. Apex made its BattleBots debut in Proving Ground, where it fought Slammo! on the weekend of December 16-17, 2023 as part of the live show, BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon. Slammo! hunts Apex down. Whereas Slammo! was very quick out of its starting square, Apex was comparatively slow. This allowed Slammo! to charge at Apex before it got its horizontal spinner up to speed, slamming it into the screws but losing its googly eye. One of Apex's wheels appeared locked up as Slammo! looked to get a good angle on its opponent, and Apex struggled to drive away as a result. The knockout shot. Slammo! then caught Apex in its lifting arms and crashed it against the Upper Deck. Despite losing its left-side wheelguard, this proved the knockout shot as Apex's two undamaged wheels could not get sufficient grip on the BattleBox floor. With its wheels spinning hopelessly, one of which was visibly split, Apex was counted out and Slammo!'s win by knockout was confirmed.
Apex vs. Slammo! (12/17/2023) Keen to earn revenge, Apex fought Slammo! for a second time during the weekend. Slammo! lands a suplex on Apex. This time, Slammo! charged Apex into the arena wall, breaking one of its omniwheels and flipping it over almost immediately in an impressive suplex move. Apex was caught by Slammo! again and driven in the opposite wall, losing a wheel in the process. Apex is inverted and counted out. Slammo! then rammed Apex into the short corner, but this cost Craig Danby's robot its central fork and part of its mohawk. Apex was unable to self-right and finished the weekend winless.
Apex vs. Traves T. (2/3/2024) Apex vs. Traves T. as advertised on the BattleBots website. Apex performing a spin-up test before the postponement. Apex was set to return on February 3, 2024 and take on Traves T., but suffered technical issues concerning its weapon. Similarly, Traves T. suffered two fires while testing during the week leading up to the fights. Although repairs were made to Traves T. in time for the Saturday show, Apex needed rewiring so both teams mutually agreed to postpone their fight until Sunday.
Apex vs. Traves T. (2/4/2024) Apex returned to combat on February 4, 2024, where it eventually took on Traves T., built by Kurt Krueger. The team were experiencing problems with their omniwheels pre-fight, shredding them on the BattleBox floor during tests. Without enough time for new omniwheels, Chris Danby had to enter this fight with more traditional Fairlane wheels instead. Chris Danby enters the BattleBox to check up on Apex. During the readying sequence, Chris Danby suffered further issues with Apex. This saw Danby, team member Jason Rogers and Trey Roski enter the BattleBox to assess the situation, though Apex was eventually readied to fight. Both robots collide. Traves T. approached Apex with its weapon angled at the height of its wheels, but did not have its primary weapon spinning to start. Kurt Krueger quickly spun up his robot's weapon as Apex tried to power up its bar at the same time. Traves T. landed a glancing blow before Apex swiped at its opponent's leg. Neither attack caused significant damage. The knockout shot. Apex remained in the corner of the arena as it finally got its weapon up to dangerous speeds, and Traves T. escaped to the middle to spin up its own blade. Both robots went weapon-to-weapon but Apex came off worse, losing two of its three wheels on impact and stopping the bar completely. Apex is immobile in the corner. It was counted out soon after, sealing a third defeat by knockout in as many fights for Chris Danby's robot. Post-fight photos show the head-on impact tore chunks out of both weapon bars, and also ripped the material around the points where bolts hold in its thick Lexan top armor.

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 3

Competition	Wins	Losses
BattleBots Proving Ground	None	Slammo! Slammo! Traves T.

See Also

• Apex (Robot Wars)
• Apex FW (King of Bots)
• Apex BW (Bugglebots)

Trivia

• Hailing from Burntwood in England, Apex became the first European Proving Ground competitor in December 2023 as well as the second international entry into Proving Ground, following Canadian robot Orbitron.
• Apex is the second robot since the reboot of BattleBots to utilize its original Robot Wars name following Conquering Clown, and the first robot to do so that also appeared in the Robot Wars reboot.