In its debut season, Retrograde was a four-wheel drive, cut-off wedge shaped robot with a flat front to mount two long, hinged forks. In between these, the robot featured a pair of AR500 steel lifting forks, designed to overturn opponents and aid it in self-righting. The forks were connected in the middle by two beams, and had the ability to 'suplex' robots in a similar vein to Slammo and Big Dill. Due to their shape, Retrograde was able to get under robots, hook them in place with the serrated lower forks, then keep it in their grasp as the forks lifted up. At the rear, Retrograde sported an undercutting disk also made from AR500 steel, spinning at the maximum tip speed BattleBots allows - 250mph. This was heavily inspired by ROTATOR, as mentioned in a cut post-fight interview with Aaron Lucas.
Chris Rose: "Did you study some Victor Soto and ROTATOR tapes recently or something?"
Aaron Lucas: "We have. We've looked at all the pictures of ROTATOR we could find online; we've watched all their matches. ROTATOR's definitely a huge inspiration for us."
— Aaron Lucas to Chris Rose after the team's win over Mammoth during BattleBots: Champions I, cut from the Discovery edit but shown in full during international airings
Retrograde during World Championship VI hero shots.
These two weapons could theoretically be used in conjunction with one another, with the forks lifting an opponent into the already-spinning undercutter. However, Retrograde struggled with this in practice, and dropped their undercutter entirely for their second Fight Night battle in favor of heavier top armor. It was a non-factor in their third fight as it had not been wired properly in the rush to get Retrograde ready, with its second and third fights being filmed on the same day. The lifting forks often struggled to lift as intended, though the team remedied this by adding reduction from their weapon motor. Going from 2:1 reduction to 5:1 allowed for considerably more torque behind their primary weapon. Retrograde was also supposed to be fitted with a flamethrower as a tertiary weapon, however this was unable to be implemented in time for filming of the main World Championship. Bots 'n' Stuff Robotics competed with two robots in the 2021 season, with Retrograde captained and driven by Aaron Lucas, who previously filled the role of weapon operator for Bloodsport. Their first fight came in the form of a YouTube exclusive battle against the returning Knox family and Rampage, which they won in quick and efficient style. However, this was followed up by a destructive loss to Jonathan Schultz and HUGE. Retrograde's third and final Fight Night battle came against fellow lifter Defender, but Bots 'n' Stuff Robotics lost the judges' decision after going the distance.
Retrograde returned for BattleBots: Champions I as a last-minute replacement for Rusty.[1] After getting the better of Mammoth in Round of the ROTATOR bracket, Retrograde fell to Glitch in the semi-finals.
In the team's recap video covering their third battle, they confirmed their intention to upgrade Retrograde and apply for World Championship VII, confirming their application in the same video.[2] Bots 'n' Stuff Robotics revealed their CAD in April 2022, showcasing four external wheels, large front forks and a lifting arm which had a considerably larger range of motion. Dubbed Retrograde v2, The lifter could retract back into a central cavity to double up as a front-hinged flipper if necessary. Now invertible, Retrograde v2 retained a rear-mounted undercutter from the previous season, upgraded from 28lbs to 56lbs in weight, as well as a flamethrower to shoot purple flames. However, in September 2022, Seth Schaffer confirmed Retrograde had not been selected to compete in the main competition, only as an alternate. As such, the team opted to withdraw Retrograde without the guarantee of a main season fight, and put their energy into Bloodsport.[3]
With the confirmation of a brand new robot named Fireball, Curtis Honeycutt confirmed Retrograde would not be applying for World Championship VIII.[4]
Retrograde's CAD for World Championship VII, prior to their withdrawal.
Retrograde in the red square during World Championship VI.
An inside look at Retrograde during World Championship VI.
Retrograde's undercutting disk seen during World Championship VI.
The team work on Retrograde during World Championship VI.
The team tease Retrograde in June 2021.
Retrograde's original CAD for World Championship VI.
Retrograde overturns Rampage in the opening seconds.
Retrograde rips a tire away.
Retrograde's BattleBots debut came against a rebuilt Rampage. The fight commenced with Retrograde charging at the front of Rampage, leading with their lifting forks. They were immediately able to breach the ground clearance of their opponent, overturning Rampage within the first ten seconds of the fight. Rampage was able to free itself from the arena barrier it was leaning against, but it then became apparent that its rear wheels were not large enough to allow the bot to run inverted. Retrograde spun around and attacked with its undercutter, tearing a wheel away from Rampage before landing several more glancing hits to its top side. Unable to show translational movement or right itself, Rampage was counted out, awarding Retrograde a debut win by knockout.
Retrograde vs. HUGE
"We didn’t run the spinner bc it wouldn’t have done anything effective to the HUGE’s wheels and we would rather have some form of top armor."
— Aaron Lucas of Retrograde explains their pre-fight adjustments[5]
Retrograde is chased down by HUGE.
Retrograde is immobile and missing a fork.
HUGE celebrates its victory on the Upper Deck.
Following its win over Rampage, Retrograde found itself drawn against a 0-1 HUGE. Retrograde ditched their rear undercutter in favor of additional top armor. In response, HUGE opted for its black Tegris wheels for this battle, as well as it’s shorter bar. Retrograde immediately tried to face HUGE head-on and attack, but quickly found itself being chased by Jonathan Schultz's bot. Retrograde was able to circle its opponent and largely avoid the spinning bar until it tried to push one of HUGE's wheels. It caught an uppercut from the blade of HUGE which overturned Retrograde and snapped off a lifting fork. Retrograde self-righted, but left itself vulnerable to another assault, and HUGE tore away the extra top armor. Retrograde was now struggling for mobility and a fire began inside the bot. HUGE landed one more hit before Retrograde was counted out, and HUGE celebrated by climbing on top of the Upper Deck and spinning around. This put Retrograde to 1-1 for the season.
Retrograde vs. Defender
Retrograde and Defender meet in the BattleBox.
Retrograde is pinned against the wall.
Retrograde's final Fight Night opponent was a fellow 1-1 bot in Jason Vasquez and Defender. For this fight, the team re-equipped Retrograde with its asymmetric undercutter. In the first few seconds, Defender was able to get to the back of Retrograde and clamp down with its top arm. Though it was unable to lift, Defender instead opted to send Retrograde to the screws. Retrograde was unable to drive away, but the screws reversed and handed it back to Jason Vasquez's bot. Due incorrect wiring, the undercutter failed to work, allowing Defender to attack without fear. Retrograde was again gripped by Defender and this time, driven to the arena barrier in front of both teams. Again, however, it was unable to lift its opponent and eventually released. It was now Retrograde's turn to show aggression as it drove and got its forks underneath the side of Defender, but did not have the leverage to throw it over. It then shoved Defender into the arena barrier and back in the center of the BattleBox. The two bots drove around one another as it became evident Retrograde's rear undercutter was not working. This was due to the wires leading into the weapon motor being mislabelled prior to the fight. Retrograde found itself stuck in the killsaw slot momentarily, but Defender used its primary weapon to pull them out and drive them to the screws of the Upper Deck. Retrograde escaped and exchanged shoves with Defender in the short corner, but was again rammed into the Upper Deck's screws for a second time. However, Retrograde was able to slide its forks under the front of Defender and forced it into the wall and then over the now-active killsaws. Neither robot was able to incapacitate the other and as Retrograde began smoking in the closing seconds, the judges awarded the fight unanimously in favor of Defender, putting Retrograde to 1-2 for the Fight Night rounds.
In a recap video, the team confirmed Retrograde's fights versus HUGE and Defender were filmed on the same day, with a very short turnaround time between the two. This was due to a delay in the Main Event recording between SawBlaze and End Game.[6]
BattleBots: Champions I[]
Retrograde vs. Mammoth
Retrograde meets Mammoth in the center of the BattleBox.
Retrograde entered BattleBots: Champions I and in the opening round of the ROTATOR bracket, met Mammoth. This fight was highlighted in the televised episode, and shown in full on Facebook and YouTube. Retrograde went into this fight with its undercutter and flamethrower weaponry working. Retrograde and Mammoth approached one another as Ricky Willems' bot spun its trunk but failed to gain any meaningful purchase on its opponent. Leading with its undercutter, Retrograde appeared content to drive into the path of Mammoth's weaponry as it dealt glancing shots to its framework, bending the front legs outwards and ultimately snapping a weapon chain. Mammoth's left-side drive motor began to smoke and soon after, its right-side wheel loosened. Mammoth tried to pin Retrograde against the barrier as time ran out on the match. Retrograde took the win by a unanimous judges' decision and advanced in the bracket.
Retrograde vs. Glitch
Retrograde pins Glitch against the wall.
Glitch and Retrograde duel in the corner.
In the next round of the Sin City Slugfest bracket, Retrograde faced the unbeaten rookie Glitch. Immediately, Glitch drove towards Retrograde and swerved, throwing its rear into the front forks of its opponent. Retrograde drove away and turned to face Glitch, though could not capitalize on getting underneath slightly as Glitch's primary weapon made contact and buckled a fork inwards. Retrograde raised its lifter into the path of the spinning weapon, which further warped it as Aaron Lucas instead opted to lead with the undercutter. This proved effective as Retrograde was able to land clean hits to the sloped armor of Glitch, and sparks flew as driver Anthony Moody struggled to escape the blue square. Retrograde took advantage of this, delivering glancing shots to Glitch's armor before deflecting away. Now Glitch's leftmost fork was bent out of shape, but it turned to land a blow to the right tire of Retrograde. With half the fight gone, Retrograde landed another glancing hit to the back of Glitch, ripping away an armor panel. Retrograde pinned Glitch against the wall, who struggled to escape. Soon after, however, Glitch tore into Retrograde's left wheel, tearing the tire clean off its hub. Glitch took a hit from the killsaws before tearing Retrograde's other tire, damaging the hub and opting to go spinner to spinner for the remainder of the fight. Glitch bent one of Retrograde's forks again in the closing seconds, but the fight went to the judges, who voted 2-1 in favor of Glitch, meaning Retrograde was eliminated from the tournament.
"From Venice, California, the West Coast killer who'll put avocado on your grave and charge you extra. It's RETROGRADE!"
"From Venice, California, he's here to read your horror-scope. It's RETROGRADE!"
"From Venice, California, he's one of the toughest bots to beat because you have to take the 5 to the 134 to the 101 to the 405 to the 10 just to get to him. Give it up for RETROGRADE!"
"From Venice, California. The team from Muscle Beach here to flex on their competition. Give it up for RETROGRADE!"
Trivia[]
Though not visible from the exterior of the robot, Retrograde has two powered internal wheels, which allow for it to drive even if both external wheels take damage.
Retrograde was the first 2021 season competitor to feature in more than one YouTube Exclusive battle, having first fought Rampage and then Defender.
Later in the year, Retrograde featured in a third fight which was originally shown in full to Facebook Supporters before later being shown in full on YouTube, against Mammoth.
