It was a long, four-wheel drive robot armed with dual spinning bars and a rollover cage to assist in self-righting. Chrome Fly was joined by a flying drone. Its weapons were directly mounted to two large motors, which proved weak in battle as they were disabled under little force in both of its battles. The mesh protection underneath the roll-cage also proved a weakness, as it was torn off by Chrome Fly's own primary weapon against Bronco. Despite this, Chrome Fly scored a win and reached the Round of 32 in its first and only BattleBots season.
Team captain George Matus is CEO of the Utah-based company Teal Drones, and was just 18 years old at the time of World Championship II. He cited Icewave captain Marc DeVidts as his main inspiration for entering BattleBots in 2016. Although Team Ludicrous nor Chrome Fly would not return after the 2016 competition, team member Josh Coates would also become part of Sidewinder in 2019, and also fought in Clash Bots with Angry Frog.
It is unknown what happened to Chrome Fly after BattleBots.
Chrome Fly during World Championship II hero shots.
Chrome Fly with its alternative spinning bars and side skirts.
Chrome Fly's BattleBots debut came against Bucktooth Burl. For this battle, Chrome Fly was fitted with lighter spinning bars with weight-saving holes, as well as side skirts to protect from side attacks. Its drone was also fitted with a magnetic rake in an attempt to disable Bucktooth Burl's spinning drum.
Chrome Fly's spinning blade comes off.
Bucktooth Burl was unable to get its weapon working properly, but when both robots made contact, the impact cost Chrome Fly both of its spinning bars as one flew off and the other stopped working shortly after.
Both robots engage in a pushing match.
Now reduced to a pushing fight, Chrome Fly was shoved against the arena wall by Bucktooth Burl, which effectively took Team Ludicrous' drone out of the picture. The Canadian robot started shoving Chrome Fly towards the arena wall, but began experiencing issues with its left-side drive.
Bucktooth Burl begins smoking late on.
Chrome Fly charged at Bucktooth Burl, which resorted to spinning on the spot. Bucktooth Burl started smoking towards the end of the match, but time ran out with both robots still mobile. Despite its blades breaking, Chrome Fly took the unanimous judges' decision and moved into the Round of 32.
Chrome Fly vs. Bronco
This win put Chrome Fly into the Round of 32 as the No.31 seed, where it faced the No.2 seed, Bronco. Pre-fight, Chrome Fly was fitted with small wedge skirts on both sides to make it more difficult for Bronco to get underneath. After losing both spinning blades in its last fight, Chrome Fly was equipped with new bars for this battle.
Chrome Fly destroys itself, with help from Bronco.
Chrome Fly got its weapons up to speed as Bronco reversed into it, not wanting to take any early risks. One of its own blades then tore into Chrome Fly's top armor, exposing its wiring and leaving the robot immobile. The Inertia Labs machine backed into Chrome Fly again, causing one of its bars to fly away and the other to stop functioning. Bronco spun around to lead with its primary weapon, getting underneath Chrome Fly.
"Take 'em out."
— Alexander Rose of Bronco instructs Reason Bradley to flip
Bronco's final flip.
Bronco launched Chrome Fly, causing its opponent to twist through the air. A second flip saw Chrome Fly land upright, but sat atop the arena wall. Inertia Labs opted to leave its opponent stranded on the railing as Bronco turned its attention towards their drone.
"Oh my goodness... get outta here!"
— Kenny Florian as Chrome Fly is immobilized
Chrome Fly immobilized on the railing.
Chrome Fly's drone lay helplessly on the BattleBox floor, but Bronco was unable to land a flip on its considerably smaller target, instead shovelling it and debris from Chrome Fly around the arena as a count began on George Matus' machine.
Bronco won by knockout and Chrome Fly was eliminated from the tournament.
Results[]
CHROME FLY
World Championship II
World Championship Tournament #31 Seed, Round of 32
