The design of the robot is similar to Craig Danby's Robot Wars entry Foxic, though Predator is instead themed around a wolf, and is armed with a clamping jaw with a separate self-righting mechanism. According to Danby, the original premise was a similarly-designed robot called Hell Hound which would set itself alight before each battle.[1] However, this was scrapped with a short turnaround time of just six weeks.
Predator in the BattleBox.
Due to the robot being lost in the mail and sent to New Jersey a week before the competition, Craig Danby had problems getting the robot tuned up at the event. Predator was built over the course of five days, and three of these were filming days.[2] Predator had a tendency to break down prematurely, which cost Danby in all three of his fights. Predator was also relatively underweight, 20lbs short of the limit for BattleBots heavyweights in the reboot era.
After World Championship III, Craig Danby would enter Foxtrot into World Championship IV, whereas teammate Rory Mangles split off to assist with Team Monsoon for the 2019 competition onward.
Predator made a one-off appearance at Robot Ruckus in November 2021, alongside the World Championship V build of SlamMow!.
Under the name Black Shuck, it beat a turtle-themed smothering bot similar in design to Mega Tento called Orly, and lost to Drift King, a repurposed and weaponless version of the 2018 season build of HyperShock. Since 2021, it has again been renamed Black Dog and Danby considered registering it for RoboGames 2024 before entering Slammo! instead and then withdrawing altogether.
Robot History[]
World Championship III[]
Predator vs. ROTATOR
Predator's left side drive is destroyed by ROTATOR.
Predator is attacked by ROTATOR.
Predator first found itself against ROTATOR and attempted to box-rush Victor Soto's bot early on, but struggled to drive straight. Predator then over-steered as ROTATOR approached and began grazing Predator's armor. Craig Danby's bot moved in a circle before taking a shot to the wedge and lost both of its ears, courtesy of ROTATOR's top disc. Predator wasn't moving as ROTATOR came in and ground down on the right side, not causing much trouble. When Predator did move again, it turned directly into ROTATOR's disc, and the collision knocked off both Predator's front right wheel guard and wheel. It stopped again as ROTATOR moved in to cause more problems, but it got away as ROTATOR attacked the broken wheel. Predator stopped moving once more as ROTATOR delivered another bone-crushing hit that broke the full left side drive, sending the front left wheelguard and wheel off, but also dislodging the rear left wheel. ROTATOR came in again and tore it off fully, leaving Predator with only one wheel attached to the body. ROTATOR backed off as Predator was being counted out with just over a minute gone, falling to 0-1 for the season.
Predator vs. Valkyrie vs. Bale Spear
Predator takes a hit from Valkyrie.
Predator's next battle was its first televised battle in the 2018 season with Valkyrie and Bale Spear in an undercard rumble. As the rumble began, it was pretty even for all three robots. However, Predator took a big hit from Valkyrie's weapon and stopped moving. It remained motionless for the remainder of the rumble, of which Valkyrie was ultimately declared the winner.
Predator & Petunia vs. Double Dutch & Bale Spear
Predator is hassled by Bale Spear.
Predator's final match was an untelevised Tag Team with Dutch robot Petunia in the USA vs. The World side event, here it faced USA representatives Double Dutch, and again Bale Spear. When the match began, Predator hit a seam on the floor before running into Bale Spear and then Petunia. It then wandered off before coming back and crowding in with the other bots. After some more of running around, it hit the lower blade of Double Dutch. It hit the blade again after some more running around before Bale Spear charged at it. Predator raised it's jaw and tail, which remained in this position for the rest of the match. Bale Spear used this as an opportunity to push Predator around and rammed it into the wall. As Predator backed away, Bale Spear charged again and attempted to push Predator. Predator then reversed into Double Dutch. After wandering off some more, Predator was grabbed on by Petunia. After being let go, it reversed into Bale Spear and ran off again. Just as Predator was about to charge into Bale Spear again, it got stuck on one of Bale Spear's tires that came off earlier. By then, Predator started smoking. Petunia came and freed Predator, only to push Predator back on the tire next to an incapacitated Bale Spear, which stopped working after a small bump on Petunia not long after Predator got stuck. Predator was left there for the rest of the battle, leaving only Petunia and Double Dutch to duke it out. Predator and Petunia won this match, but this proved to be Predator's final battle in its rookie season.
"It's the Schwarzenegger of bots. There's no way to stop her. Ahh! Get to the chopper! It's PREDATOR!"
"Ah, he's come back! The Schwarzenegger of bots. Watch your keister or the last words you'll hear are, "Hasta La Vista." It's PREDATOR!"
"From the UK, it'll serve up a full English wreckfast, full of beggars and mash, and if you're still hungry, chow down on some fish and flips. It's PREDATOR!"
