- "Mechadon was my love letter to BattleBots."
- — Mark Setrakian in BattleBots: The Official Guide
Mechadon was a superheavyweight robot built by Team Sinister which made appearances in three separate BattleBots events.
It was a large walkerbot known as a 'Stompbot' built to resemble a spider, featuring six articulated legs shaped like metallic claws. These claws also served as the robot's weaponry, with the ability to pin down or lift up opponents, and to 'roll' over sideways in case it was inverted or stranded against the side walls.
Mechadon debuted at the inaugural 1999 Long Beach event, where it fought Ronin in an exhibition match, though it is not known who won.
Although primarily used by Setrakian as a design and engineering showcase, it would go on to compete in the main superheavyweight divisions of Las Vegas 1999 and Season 1.0, reaching the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively.
Sektrakian's stompbot later returned for Season 4.0 filming to perform demonstrations inside the BattleBox - this time on its own.
It is unknown what happened to Mechadon after Comedy Central BattleBots, but Mark Setrakian continues to work on the show, building a walking robot known as Stalker to filming of World Championship VII in 2022. Mechadon remains one of the most well-known and identifiable walking robots, not only within BattleBots, but combat robotics as a whole.
Robot History[]
Long Beach 1999[] |
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Mechadon vs. Ronin (Exhibition) Even though Mechadon did not compete, it went up against Pete Abrahamson's Ronin in an exhibition match to demonstrate Mechadon's mobility. It is not known whether a winner was officially declared for this battle. |
Las Vegas 1999[] |
Mechadon vs. Ginsu Mechadon fought Ginsu in the first round of the competition. Early on, Ginsu was dominant, ramming Mechadon about in the BattleBox. However, Mechadon would soon knock Ginsu on its side after ramming it against the wall. With no way to self-right, Ginsu was counted out and Mechadon advanced to the semi-finals against Ricon. |
Mechadon vs. Ricon (Forfeit) However, one of the motors that powered Mechadon was broken during its battle against Ginsu and the team was unable to repair it in time for the fight, so Mechadon forfeited the match. Mechadon could not participate the Superheavyweight Royal Rumble due to damage from its last match against Ginsu. |
Season 1.0[] |
Mechadon vs. Prompt Critical Mechadon first fought Prompt Critical. In this match, Prompt Critical stopped working before Mechadon could even move out of its square, meaning Mechadon won the fight by knockout. |
Mechadon vs. Rammstein Mechadon advanced to the quarter-finals, where it faced Rammstein. Mechadon slowly moved out of it's square as Rammstein moved in and reversed into Mechadon, slamming it into the wall. The walker moved away as Rammstein backed up. Mechadon rolled four of its legs over to quickly get it away from the wall. Mechadon then used its two middle legs to roll the other four back over. Rammstein rammed Mechadon into the wall as it was trying to roll itself over again. Mechadon appeared to be caught on the spike strip as Rammstein continuously rammed it. One of these rams broke one of Mechadon's actuators for its legs and immobilized that leg for the remainder of the match. Rammstein continued to ram Mechadon as Mechadon feebly tried to move away from the wall. Eventually, Mechadon was able to get one of its legs underneath Rammstein and lift it, but it was unable to completely turn Rammstein over as it drove away. Time ran out as Rammstein was coming in for another ram, and an 8-1 judges' decision eliminated Mechadon from the tournament. |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 2
- Losses: 2
Competition | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
Las Vegas 1999 | Ginsu |
Ricon (Forfeit) |
Season 1.0 | Prompt Critical | Rammstein |
Honors[]
MECHADON | ||
Long Beach 1999 | ||
Coolest Robot Award | ||
Las Vegas 1999 | ||
Best Design Award | ||
Best Engineered Award |
Mark Beiro Introductions[]
"From Los Angeles, California, weighing in at 485 pounds and a number 1 ranking. From creator Mark Setrakian and supported by Team Sinister. Introducing MECHADON!"
"Weighing in at 472 pounds. It's the crawling, brawling claws of annihilation. The very popular MECHADON!"
Merchandise[]
Any appearances by Mechadon in merchandise are listed below:
Trivia[]
- Mechadon was created mostly to visualize what people would have thought when asked about BattleBots.
- A photo of Mechadon from its Season 1.0 appearance features on the front cover of the 2003 book Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports, written by Brad Stone.
- Mechadon was the first robot to win two Best in Show Awards in the same BattleBots competition, a feat not replicated until Season 2.0 when Snake won Coolest Robot and Best Engineered.
References[]
- ↑ Image courtesy of Team K.I.S.S.
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