Check out this fight in BattleBots Season 6, Episode 7.
It works! It works! It finally works like it’s supposed to!
We didn’t know what to expect heading into this fight. Retrograde was a beautifully machined robot built as an offshoot of the skilled team behind Bloodsport. While HUGE had plenty of time in the test box, we only had 10 seconds of fight time in the arena and were left with the uncertainty of new-robot gremlins yet to appear. Retrograde’s first career fight against Rampage also lasted about 10 seconds, where they showed good control and use of both of their weapons. So we had very little fight time with which to judge the capabilities of their robot and of our own, plus no idea what surprises Retrograde could have had in store!
As a lifter/undercutter hybrid robot, Retrograde presents a unique challenge to every team to decide their configuration. HUGE has a poor track record against fast tough lifter-bots, having lost to Mammoth and Whiplash (twice) in the last few years. Our only recent win over a lifter was over Slap Box. We correctly assumed that this would lead them towards a lifter-first approach when fighting us. Retrograde was actually able to remove their spinning blade, allotting that weight towards a significant amount of extra frontal and top armor. This layout was very reminiscent of Whiplash’s configuration in 2020, and would be a good test of all of the improvements made since that time.
We knew from our fight with Riptide that we would be prioritizing our Tegris wheels for the rest of the event, to reduce the possibility of getting stuck in the screws. Because tegris is less dense than UHMW, these wheels also had the benefit that they would have smaller holes, giving Retrograde’s lifter less catch points with which to lift or control us. They are ALSO designed and intended to fight horizontal spinners, so any tricks up Retrograde’s sleeves would mitigated. Our strategy was to test our upgraded weapon against their armor, maybe try to chew up their wheels, and hopefully dig deep enough to cut up something important.
Our updates worked to perfection, tossing away most of the armor that Retrograde mounted. We were able to peel off their extra top armor and some of their lifter forks, before cutting through the front of their frame and destroying their drive electronics. After a few seconds of fire, Retrograde was down for the count. The last hit on Retrograde’s upper armor sent a piece flying off the driver’s box, giving us the loudest moment (and biggest adrenaline spike) we’ve likely all ever had!
Thanks to our offseason changes, our fast spinup allowed us to combine multiple attacks in a row, while our drive and design kept Retrograde from gaining a control advantage. What may not have looked like a close fight was only the product of a lot of hard work, improvements, and preparation by our team! The cost to us was just a single angry-eye, which Retrograde hit with one of their lifting forks. This was a well-earned gift to their team, and they gave us an awesome trophy in return: their torn up wheel.
Photo Gallery
A peek inside Retrograde! The machined aluminum components, especially for supporting the undercutter blade, were beautiful. We wish that came across more to the viewers at home. Note their hidden internal front wheels; attacking the large rear wheels would not be enough to kill Retrograde.
After bouncing off the glass, Retrograde’s top armor flew straight at the photographer!
Cuts through Retrograde’s front wall
The front wall was also bent in
Cut through Retrograde’s top armor. This was the killshot!
Retrograde’s wheel
Keen eyes may have noticed something in our interview during Episode 2!
Fantastic fight recap video from the team behind Retrograde!
Photo Credits: Dan Longmire, JCRB Photography, and the Retrograde team