- "The weapon's motor? That's a secret."
- — Jim Smentowski in BattleBots: The Official Guide
Backlash was a lightweight robot built by Team Nightmare which fought in all five seasons of Comedy Central BattleBots. and the untelevised NPC Charity Open in 2004.
It was a two-wheel drive robot armed with a powerful vertically-spinning flywheel. Backlash was designed to be a smaller version of their heavyweight competitor, Nightmare, and had a similarly-designed primary weapon made from ΒΌ" thick aluminum with two metal bludgeoners acting as teeth. The weapon was powered by a Hawker Odyssey 12V battery and controlled by a Vantec speed controller (RDFR23). Backlash was otherwise made from aluminized steel and sported heavy duty rubber wheels. At the rear, Backlash also had a wedge for deflecting spinners and keeping balance. Builder Jim Smentowski entered Backlash into all five seasons of the Comedy Central run, winning Season 1.0 outright after going unbeaten through the lightweight tournament.
For the Season 2.0, Backlash's armor was upgraded to 6061 aluminum, and fastened together by welds and Grade 8 bolts. Backlash sported a less box-shaped chassis, with its rear wedge now integrated into its design. It had 2400mAh NiCad batteries and new wheels. Backlash proved itself again this season, again making the title-decider but suffering its first BattleBots loss in the final to Ziggo.
Backlash had stronger and thicker armor, while slightly reducing the rear wedge length in Season 3.0, it also had a brand new disk that had more power than the original. Along with that, Backlash had a new motor, batteries, and a new shape to the robot which made it harder to flip over. After defeating Matts Bammer and Skid Mark early in the bracket, Backlash suffered a surprise loss to Wedge of Doom and was prematurely eliminated.
Backlash was yet again redesigned for Season 4.0. Its armor was upgraded to 7075 aluminum, and had another new titanium weapon disk. Backlash had now more traction thanks to its new tires, and now was being controlled by an Issac 16 controller and Victor speed controllers. Here, Backlash defeated Junkyard Dog but was beaten in its very next fight against Hexy Jr., which was able to flip Jim Smentowski's machine over, exposing its fatal flaw.
Returning for Season 5.0, Backlash was redesigned so that it could now drive inverted. Backlash again saw an overhaul of its motors, using a S28 MagMotor for its blade and Astroflight motors for drive. It also had a new battery system and interchangeable weaponry, although only one disk was used throughout its campaign as again, Backlash won just one fight against Burning Metal before being eliminated at the hands of Toe-Crusher.
After Season 5.0, Backlash returned for the BattleBots-sanctioned NPC Charity Open in 2004. Backlash went 4-2 after picking up wins over Slyder, Little Black Box, Agsma and Speed Bump, but losing to J.R.C.V. and eventual champion Goosfraba Steel. Backlash was retired from combat soon after, but remains under the ownership of Jim Smentowski.
Outside BattleBots[]
Backlash made its first outing at BotBash 2000, where it first lost to Toe-Crusher in an unspecified non-combat 'fight'.[1] It would then beat Carnage before being eliminated at the hands of Evil Fish Tank. Team Nightmare's machine won the Most Innovative Robot Award at this event.
Returning for the 2001 BotBash competition, Backlash picked up wins over Sublime 4 and Blue Vixen before losing out to Gamma Raptor. Wins over Wedge of Doom, Ziggo and Toe-Crusher followed before Backlash lost a rematch against Gamma Raptor late in the bracket.
Backlash fought briefly at the Robot Club Bar & Grille, owned by Team Toad's Fuzzy Mauldin. Its wins over Pea-nut & Pixie and Slight Inconveniencer were followed up by a loss to YU812 and then a loss in a rematch against Team Van Cleve's multibot, Pea-nut & Pixie.
In 2003, Backlash competed at Steel Conflict II but lost its opening battle against The Big B. It then earned revenge over Team Whyachi in beating YU812 before defeating ReticBot and Mini-Ginsu. However, it suffered a second loss to Agsma before ending on a win against Team Think Tank and MisDirection.
In 2025, the Season 4.0 version of Backlash was sold to BattleBots collector Lars Weaving Bakker.
Robot History[]
Season 1.0[] |
|---|
Backlash vs. Disposable Hero Backlash disposes of Disposable Hero. |
Backlash vs. The Crusher Crusher being tossed by Backlash and the killsaws. After the fight, Jim Smentowski gave the broken shaft to Gus Steyer, the driver of The Crusher, as a souvenir. |
Backlash vs. Endotherm Backlash is sent flying on the killsaws while fighting Endotherm. |
Backlash vs. Das Bot Backlash sends Das Bot flying. |
Backlash vs. Alpha Raptor Backlash destroys Alpha Raptor. |
Lightweight Consolation Rumble #1 Backlash sends Shrike's drive motor flying. Backlash strikes Thorn with its disk. |
Lightweight Royal Rumble Backlack qualified for the Lightweight Royal Rumble off the back of its Consolation Rumble win. Backlash started spinning its disk early on, but it stopped spinning shortly after and its disk was immobilized for the rest of the rumble. Backlash was also having control issues and Mouser Mecha-Catbot got its lifting arm caught through the holes on Backlash's spinning disk. The time ran out soon after and Backlash was still moving in the end, but lost overall to Mouser Mecha-Catbot. |
Season 2.0[] |
Backlash vs. Rampage Backlash rips the lid off of Rampage. |
Backlash vs. Scrub Backlash hits Scrub. |
Backlash vs. Sallad Backlash hits the top of Sallad. |
Backlash vs. Toe-Crusher Backlash hits the rear of Toe-Crusher. |
Backlash vs. Ziggo Backlash gets hit by the killsaws Backlash on its back. |
Lightweight Royal Rumble Backlash also entered the Lightweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. However, it was forced to pull out of the rumble due to unknown issues. |
Season 3.0[] |
Backlash vs. Matts Bammer Backlash destroys Matts Bammer. Backlash's Season 3.0 appearance. |
Backlash vs. Skid Mark Backlash hits the front of Skid Mark. |
Backlash vs. Wedge of Doom Backlash gets tossed by the killsaws. |
Lightweight Royal Rumble Backlash returned for the Lightweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. It first hit Sallad, then went for Reaper. It attacked Dr. Inferno Jr. until D.I.J. teamed-up with Gamma Raptor, the latter picking up Backlash and carrying it around. After being released, it got back at Gamma Raptor. It then got attacked by Dr. Inferno Jr. again, then Sallad. Backlash then went for Trilobot, then Wedge of Doom. It was then taken captive by Dr. Inferno Jr. who began ramming other robots with it. After being released, Backlash retaliated, but Dr. Inferno Jr. forced Backlash into a corner. While it was getting its bearings, Wedge of Doom attacked, simultaneously by Dr. Inferno Jr. and Sallad. Finally, it got scooped by The Crusher just before the timer resounded. It managed to go the distance and became one of the two judges' picks for the crowd to vote for, but it ultimately lost out to Ziggo. |
Season 4.0[] |
Backlash vs. Junkyard Dog After a significant rebuild, involving a more aerodynamic body shell, which enabled Backlash to self-right by using the disk to hit the ground and kick it back onto its wheels, slick tires and sharper teeth on the disk. Backlash's first opponent of the season was against Junkyard Dog. Both robots moved to the center of the BattleBox, with their blades spinning, and Backlash drove over to the side of Junkyard Dog and caught the side frame support, flinging Junkyard Dog into the air. After the impact, both robots seemed immobile. Jim flipped his controller over and hit the 'robot reset' button on the IFI, and Backlash suddenly started moving again just as Junkyard Dog was being counted out. Backlash won by KO at 59 seconds and put it through to the next round. |
Backlash vs. Hexy Jr. Hexy Jr. was the next opponent for Backlash. The former Giant Nut winner did some early damage to Hexy Jr.'s top frame, but Hexy Jr. managed to get underneath Backlash and flip it. Backlash could not self-right due to the disk slowing down and losing the momentum to kick itself back over, and so it was counted out. Backlash lost by knockout at 50 seconds and Hexy Jr. moved on to the quarter-finals. |
Lightweight Royal Rumble An overturned Backlash during the Royal Rumble. |
Season 5.0[] |
Backlash vs. Burning Metal Backlash tears off one of Burning Metal's front wedges. |
Backlash vs. Toe-Crusher Backlash gets hit by Toe-Crusher. |
2004 NPC Charity Open[] |
Backlash vs. J.R.C.V. Backlash fighting J.R.C.V. |
Backlash vs. Slyder Backlash tears into Slyder. |
Backlash vs. Little Black Box Backlash rips Little Black Box's front off. |
Backlash vs. Agsma The initial collision flips Backlash over. |
Backlash vs. Speed Bump Backlash attacks Speed Bump. |
Backlash vs. Goosfraba Steel Backlash is thrown through the air. |
Competitive Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 17
- Losses: 6
Exhibition Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 3
Total Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 18
- Losses: 9
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1.0 | Disposable Hero The Crusher Endotherm Das Bot Alpha Raptor Numerous Robots (Rumble) |
Mouser Mecha-Catbot (Rumble) |
| Season 2.0 | Rampage Scrub Sallad Toe-Crusher |
Ziggo |
| Season 3.0 | Matts Bammer Skid Mark |
Wedge of Doom Ziggo (Rumble) |
| Season 4.0 | Junkyard Dog | Hexy Jr. Dr. Inferno Jr. (Rumble) |
| Season 5.0 | Burning Metal | Toe-Crusher |
| 2004 NPC Charity Open | Slyder Little Black Box Agsma Speed Bump |
J.R.C.V. Goosfraba Steel |
Honors[]
| BACKLASH | ||
| Season 1.0 | ||
| Giant Nut | ||
| Lightweight Consolation Rumble (shared with Thorn) |
Mark Beiro Introductions[]
"Weighing in at 58 pounds and from the creative mind of Jim Smentowski. Under the assistance of Team Nightmare, Beau Cox, Doug Evans, Chris Herd and Carl Swenson. They hail from Navato, California. Introducing BACKLASH!"
"Weighing in at 58 pounds and created by Jim Smentowski. Introducing BACKLASH!"
"Also weighing in at 58 pounds and hailing from Nevato, California. Here is BACKLASH!"
"Like a rocket sled from hell, the returning champion. Introducing BACKLASH!"
"Getting anywhere near its deadly blade will turn you into robot-ade. Stay at arm's length away from BACKLASH!"
"Spinning disks will hypnotize, mesmerize and pulverize but never ever apologize. Ladies and gentlemen, here is BACKLASH!"
"It's not the size of the robot in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the robot and it's absolutely humongous in the defending lightweight champion, BACKLASH!"
Merchandise[]
Any appearances by Backlash in merchandise are listed below:
- Backlash/Battle Basher
- Backlash/Metal Mechanics
- Backlash/MiniBot
- Backlash/BattleBots: Beyond The BattleBox
- Backlash/BattleBots Video Game
References[]
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