Predator is a heavyweight robot built by Team Danby, which competed exclusively in BattleBots World Championship III.
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 during World Championship III hero shots.
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.
Outside BattleBots[]
Predator was on display at the Charlotte Mini Maker Faire in late 2018. It made another appearance at Robot Ruckus in November 2021, alongside the World Championship V build of SlamMow!. At Robot Ruckus 2021, under the name Black Shuck it lost to Extinguisher, 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[] |
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Predator vs. ROTATOR ![]() Predator's left side drive is destroyed by ROTATOR. ![]() Predator is attacked by ROTATOR. |
Predator vs. Valkyrie vs. Bale Spear ![]() Predator takes a hit from Valkyrie. |
Predator & Petunia vs. Double Dutch & Bale Spear ![]() Predator is hassled by Bale Spear. |
Results[]
PREDATOR | ||
World Championship III | ||
Fight Nights 0-2 | ||
Fight Night #1 (Untelevised) | vs. ROTATOR | Lost (KO) |
Fight Night #2 - Rumble | vs. Bale Spear, Valkyrie | Lost (KO) |
USA vs. The World Representing the Rest of the World | ||
Team Match (with Petunia) (Untelevised) | vs. Bale Spear & Double Dutch | Won (JD) |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 2
Competition | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
World Championship III | Double Dutch & Bale Spear (Untelevised USA vs. the World Tag Team with Petunia) | ROTATOR (Untelevised Undercard Match) Valkyrie (Undercard Rumble) |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]
"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!"
Trivia[]
- Predator was built in just five days.
References[]
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