BattleBots Wiki
BattleBots Wiki

Punjar was a heavyweight robot built by Ramiro Mallari of Team Punjar which competed in five BattleBots events from Long Beach 1999 until Season 3.0.

Throughout its appearances at these events, it was a silver machine with a checkerplate shell and a large ramming scoop, propelled by two wide rollers acting as wheels. Punjar's main offence was to use the scoop in tandem with its high speed, allowing it to push, ram and occasionally throw or deflect opponents away. This, coupled with Mallari's driving skills, enabled it to earn nine victories and a Best Driver Award in its BattleBots career, with two semifinal finishes at Las Vegas 1999 and in Season 1.0. However, Punjar would not earn another win after this, only finishing in the Round of 32 in its remaining championship appearances before retirement. Punjar was also likely to have been signed up for Season 4.0, but dropped out for unknown reasons.[1]

Outside BattleBots[]

Earlier incarnations of Punjar originally competed in the 1996 and 1997 US Robot Wars competitions, both also as heavyweights. The 1996 incarnation featured a lower box-wedge shape and a rear-mounted spinning chain flail as weaponry, reaching the quarterfinals before being eliminated by fellow debutant Vlad the Impaler.

For 1997, the flail was exchanged for a bigger front-mounted scoop similar to the BattleBots incarnations. However, Punjar would only reach the second round of the main heavyweight bracket before being eliminated by Blendo in a one-hit knockout. This, incidentally, contributed to Blendo being forced to pull out on safety grounds.

Robot History[]

Long Beach 1999[]

Punjar vs. Namreko 3000

PunjarvsNamreko3000

Punjar slams and topples Namreko 3000.

Punjar's first match was against Namreko 3000. Punjar won by KO and advanced to the next round.

Punjar vs. KillerHurtz

Punjar next fought KillerHurtz, captained by John Reid. KillerHurtz won by crowd vote and Punjar was now in the loser's bracket.

Punjar vs. The Mauler

Here, it took on Mauler. Punjar won by crowd vote and continued on.

Punjar vs. frenZy

Punjar advanced to the next round, where it faced frenZy. Punjar again won by crowd vote and advanced to the next round.

Punjar vs. Ronin

In the next round, Punjar took on Ronin. Punjar once again won by crowd vote to move on.

Punjar vs. Nightmare

Next up for Punjar was Jim Smentowski and Nightmare. Punjar sent Nightmare flying numerous times during the fight as its opponent's blade was spinning backwards. Because of this, Punjar won by crowd vote and advanced to the next round.

Punjar vs. Tazbot

TazbotvsPunjar lb99

Tazbot lifts Punjar.

Punjar's next opponent was Tazbot. Tazbot charged and rotated its sharpened weapon under the side of Punjar. Both machines kept spinning around and Punjar only got a small lift on Tazbot. It was then lifted by Tazbot before it was set back down on the the wedgelets. Tazbot dragged Punjar to the killsaws right before the time ran out. Tazbot won on a judges' decision and Punjar was eliminated from the tournament.

Gigabot Royal Rumble

Punjar also participated the Gigabot Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament but lost out to Razer.

Las Vegas 1999[]

Punjar vs. Tatar (Forfeit)

Punjar was scheduled to fight Tatar first, but Tatar had technical issues and was forced to forfeit. Punjar won by default.

Punjar vs. Blendo

Punjarvsblendo lv99

Punjar and Blendo collide.

Blendo Punjar 2

Punjar slams into Blendo, sending the latter into the entrance ramp.

Blendo Punjar 3

Punjar rams into Blendo for the final time.

As a result, Punjar advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Blendo in a rematch to Robot Wars 1997. Punjar spent the match charging at Blendo, unfazed by the destructive power of the latter, sending it flying across the BattleBox. After continuing to attack Blendo, Punjar knocked it into the wall of the BattleBox, where Blendo spun back up on the entrance ramp. Punjar slammed into it again, this time getting Blendo high-centered on the entrance ramp before it could spin back up. Blendo was counted out, giving Punjar the win by KO.

Punjar vs. KillerHurtz

PunjarVsKHz

KillerHurtz bounces off Punjar.

This put Punjar in the quarter-finals, where it faced KillerHurtz again. KillerHurtz drove straight at Punjar and fired its axe, but it bounced off Punjar's wedge and sent careening away. Punjar attempted to get underneath KillerHurtz and push it, but KillerHurtz drove out of the way before being slammed against the arena wall. There, it managed to axe Punjar, but failed to cause any damage. Punjar managed to stay on top of the fight, pushing KillerHurtz around into walls and hazards, occasionally flipping it up. In the end, Punjar won on a unanimous 9-0 judges' decision and advanced to the final four.

Punjar vs. Voltarc

Voltarcvspunjar lv99

Voltarc drags Punjar to the killsaws.

Now in the semi-finals, Punjar took on Voltarc. Both robots drove straight at each other and Punjar pushed Voltarc against the spikestrip. Punjar then drove itself onto the wedge of Voltarc. Punjar was freed and Voltarc got caught on the arena spikes. Voltarc got underneath Punjar and dragged it towards the killsaws. Voltarc did not let go of Punjar before the time ran out. Voltarc won on a unanimous 9-0 judges' decision and Punjar was eliminated from the tournament.

Season 1.0[]

Punjar vs. Mr. Bonestripper (Forfeit)

Punjar was scheduled to fight Mr. Bonestripper first, but Mr. Bonestripper had technical issues and was forced to forfeit. Punjar won by default and advanced to the Round of 16.

Punjar vs. Kill-O-Amp

Punjarvskilloamp sf00

Punjar pushes Kill-O-Amp against the arena wall.

In the Round of 16, Punjar was drawn against Kill-O-Amp. After getting underneath the rear of Kill-O-Amp and then pushed it against the arena wall, the match ended and Punjar won on a close 5-4 judges' decision. This win put Punjar to the heavyweight quarter-finals.

Punjar vs. Gammatron

Punjarvsgammatron sf00

Punjar and Gammatron collide.

In the quarter-finals, Punjar met Gammatron. During the battle, Gammatron got a few hits on Punjar with its axe, but Punjar mostly maneuvered Gammatron's blows and started pushing Gammatron against the arena walls and the killsaws. The match lasted the whole three minutes and it came to a judges' decision. Punjar won on a 7-2 decision and advanced to the heavyweight semi-finals.

Punjar vs. Vlad the Impaler

VladvsPunjar1.0

Vlad flips Punjar against the wall.

In the final four, Punjar faced the defending champion, Vlad the Impaler. Both robots drove slowly and cautiously to each other, not landing any hits until the 20th second, where Vlad the Impaler attempted to ram Punjar, but lifted the forks too early to get underneath. Punjar then turned around and got Vlad in its scoop, which allowed it to push the champion across the arena. Vlad managed to escape before Punjar pushed it into an arena hazard, however, so the fight continued with no decisive hits. Both robots then attempted to charge at each other, but the killsaws were activated at just the right moment to send Vlad the Impaler flying backwards across the arena. Vlad then got stuck on a section of the BattleBox's floor, but managed to free itself and charged once more at Punjar, nearly getting underneath but Punjar slid out of the attack and pushed Vlad again. The fight looked one-sided at this moment, until Vlad the Impaler charged across the arena at top speed, got its left fork successfully underneath Punjar, and rammed it into the spikes. This resulted in Punjar sitting on top of Vlad the Impaler. Vlad then reversed Punjar into the pulverizer, which caused a few dents in Punjar's armor. Eventually, Punjar was let free, and drove itself over the killsaws. Vlad then got underneath Punjar again, and nearly flipped it onto its side. Vlad the Impaler continued ramming Punjar, and pushed it into the pulverizer once more and to the killsaws, which tore up some of Punjar's armor. Punjar returned the favor. One last ram across the arena impaled Punjar into the wall on its side, before the fight ended. Vlad won on an 8-1 judges' decision and Punjar was eliminated.

Heavyweight Royal Rumble

Punjar also participated the Heavyweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. It was one of few robots still moving in the end, but lost overall to BioHazard.

Season 2.0[]

Punjar vs. FrostBite

Frostbitevspunjar lv00

Punjar and FrostBite collide.

Punjar's first and only match in the main Season 2.0 divisions was against FrostBite. Both robots met in the middle of the arena and it became a pushing match. After Punjar got caught on the killsaws, FrostBite went straight at Punjar, but gets caught up the sloped front of Punjar, who drives FrostBite into the arena wall. Frostbite escapes and pushes Punjar into the killsaws. The shoving match continues, and although both can push about equally, the speedier FrostBite gets more good shoves of Punjar into the killsaws and the pulverizer. The match ends with more shoving of both robots while time runs out. FrostBite won on a 30-15 judges' decision and Punjar was eliminated from the tournament.

Heavyweight Consolation Rumble

Punjar also participated the heavyweight consolation rumble at the end of the tournament. Punjar performed exceptionally well in this rumble, shoving Scrap Daddy HW into the spike strip, and attacking several other robots as it maneuvered around the arena. Most notably, around halfway through the rumble, Punjar charged Bigger Brother, and proceeded to shove all the way across the battlebox at high speed, ramming the British bot into the Lexan wall. Despite briefly being caught on the exit ramp towards the end of the rumble, Punjar managed to free itself and continue attacking until time ran out, In the end, Punjar and OverKill were declared the winners of the consolation rumble and both robots came back for the Heavyweight Royal Rumble.

Heavyweight Royal Rumble

TazbotRumble2.0

Punjar in the Heavyweight Royal Rumble.

Punjar returned to compete in the Heavyweight Royal Rumble, being introduced first. Despite getting flipped by BioHazard, it got back onto its feet and survived the rumble. Tazbot ultimately won by crowd vote.

Season 3.0[]

Punjar vs. Sharkbyte

Sharkbytevspunjar sf01

Sharkbyte pushes Punjar to the killsaws.

Due to previously competing in Season 2.0, Punjar was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 3.0, where it eventually fought Sharkbyte. In the match, Punjar suddenly stopped moving and Sharkbyte pushed it on the killsaws before it was counted out. Sharkbtye won by KO at 1:08 and Punjar was eliminated from the tournament.

Heavyweight Consolation Rumble

PunjarHWRumble sf01

Punjar almost gets flipped by Little Sister.

Punjar also participated the Heavyweight Consolation Rumble at the end of the tournament. Unfortunately about five seconds into the rumble, Punjar stopped moving immediately and was hit by Greenspan. It was later pushed against the spikestrip and was almost flipped by Little Sister at one point. In the end, Little Sister and Kill-O-Amp won the consolation rumble and Punjar retired after this.

Competitive Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 11
  • Losses: 6

Exhibition Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 1
  • Losses: 4

Total Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 12
  • Losses: 10
Competition Wins Losses
Long Beach 1999 Namreko 3000
The Mauler
frenZy
Ronin
Nightmare
KillerHurtz
Tazbot
Razer (Rumble)
Las Vegas 1999 Tatar
Blendo
KillerHurtz
Voltarc
Season 1.0 Mr. Bonestripper
Kill-O-Amp
Gammatron
Vlad the Impaler
BioHazard (Rumble)
Season 2.0 Rumble FrostBite
Tazbot (Rumble)
Season 3.0 None Sharkbyte
Little Sister, Kill-O-Amp
(Rumble)

Honors[]

PUNJAR
Las Vegas 1999
Best Driver Award
Season 2.0
Heavyweight Consolation Rumble
(shared with OverKill)

Mark Beiro Introductions[]

"From San Francisco California, weighing in at 208lbs with a No.9 ranking from creator Ramiro Mallari. Introducing PUNJAR!"

"Weighing in at 204lbs. He's on a malicious mission to put every BattleBot out of commission. Welcome the rising star PUNJAR!"

"He pushes and shoves. He's the BattleBot that everybody loves. Its PUNJAR!"

"He May be lovable, but he makes other BattleBots shove-able... it's, PUNJAR!"

Merchandise[]

Any appearances by Punjar in merchandise are listed below:

See Also[]

Referencess[]

Navigation[]