Flails are a loose-hanging and versatile type of rotating weapon found on a number of BattleBots competitors.
Design & History[]
A flail is a rotating weapon with spikes, blades or other objects that dangle loosely from the weapon mechanism, usually by a chain or cord. The mechanism can take any form, from simple axles to flywheels or discs and even revolving rings attached to the robot's chassis. When the weapon rotates at full speed, the objects at the end "flail" around, hence the name, with the intention of hitting opponents and causing cuts, scratches or dents to their armor or locomotion.
frenZy attacks the 1999 iteration of Mauler.
Flails were sometimes used in conjunction with other spinning weapons, such as shell spinners, their flexible designs helping to prevent recoils to the robot's main body and armor.
The earliest known robot using flails was SlapPest, who's member Slappy the Squirrel carried an overhead spinner with flails. In Las Vegas 1999, Blunt Force Trauma used them in conjunction with a spinning ring. Flails continued to be used throughout the Comedy Central series, with Mauler becoming the most iconic when during Season 2.0, one of its flails snapped off while fighting Bigger Brother and it became so unstable from its spinner's gyrating that it flipped itself over (this gave the action the name "Mauler Dance").
To date, no robots sporting flails have competed in the reboot era. Though HellaChopper attempted to compete in World Championship II, it suffered from reliability problems and was forced it to drop out.
Advantages & Disadvantages[]
Advantages[]
- Flails can still inflict damage while slightly obstructed.
- They are particularly effective when combined with a spinning weapon (as shown by several participants like Hamunaptra).
- The user will have no trouble being invertible with flails (as some like Junkyard Dog prove).
- Flails have a large range and radius, so they can hit a target from far away.
Disadvantages[]
- Flails tend to be softer than other weapons and therefore, easier to break.
- Flails may bring concern of safety when combined with a spinning-weapon (as proven by HellaChopper).
- They have a high chance of entangling with the opponent or the arena, or even the user itself, resulting in its defeat.
- Since flails are usually manually powered, they are not considered active weapons.
Notable Competitors[]
| Robot | Seasons | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Blunt Force Trauma | Las Vegas 1999 |  |
| Hamunaptra | Season 2.0 |  |
| HellaChopper | World Championship II (Withdrew) |  |
| Mauler | Long Beach 1999 Season 1.0 - Season 5.0 |
 |
| SlapPest | Long Beach 1999 |  |
| The Ripper | Season 3.0 Season 5.0 |
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| More... | ||
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