Interchangeable Weaponry is the name given to a modular BattleBots competitor which can be fitted with a variety of weapons depending on its opponent. This term typically excludes robots which sport different configurations while keeping their primary weapon the same.
History[]
Renders of Bombshell's array of weapons.
Interchangeable weaponry tends to be many different types of weapons all belonging to one robot: for instance, Bombshell has a vertical disk with a wedge, a horizontal bar on an extension, and a pickaxe. Robots who possess so many weapons can only use one at a time and all the weapons must have offense potential to be eligible. The first recognised BattleBots competitors to use interchangeable weapons were Junior and The Missing Link from the 1999 Long Beach event. When Comedy Central's series began, only The Missing Link returned, but it was not alone: the walker Gammatron was also an interchangeable. Other robots such as The Master were able to swap out entire modules to suit different opponents.
Interchangeable weapons can be beneficial as they allow better odds of success than a robot with only one weapon, as these robots can choose which is the most advantageous. Additionally, if the current weapon gets damaged beyond hope of repair, it can be replaced, and a weapon that doesn't help at all can be discarded. They also make it hard to counter for opponents.
In more recent years, notable robots with differing primary weapons include Ribbot (armed with a vertical disk, an undercutter, and initially a lifting arm resembling a frog's tongue) and MadCatter (armed with a hammer and also a vertical disk spinner).
Advantages & Disadvantages[]
Advantages[]
- They can offer better chances of success than just one weapon. Bombshell was able to reach the finals in its debut season after using all but one of its interchangeable weapons en route to the final.
- Some weapons can offer an element of surprise for an opponent.
- Ready-made interchangeable weapons offer a backup for when a primary weapon option is damaged irreparably.
Disadvantages[]
- Some weapons may give the user a weakness that it otherwise never had. For example, Warhead found it could not self-right with its dinosaur head grabber, whereas it could with its disk.
- Manufacturing numerous different weapons and weapon systems takes up more of a team's resources, including time, effort and money.
Notable Competitors[]
| Robot | Seasons | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Bombshell | World Championship II World Championship III World Championship IV |
 |
| MadCatter | World Championship IV - Present |  |
| Ribbot | World Championship IV - Present |  |
| Ultimo Destructo | World Championship II World Championship III |
 |
| Warhead | Season 5.0 World Championship I World Championship II World Championship III |
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| More... | ||
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