Its most famous feature was a full-pressure pneumatic flipping arm made from titanium, operating with a force of 3,000lbs (later 3,500lbs), similar in shape to that employed by the team's superheavyweight Toro. As well as allowing it to toss opponents across the BattleBox, this weapon often caused T-Minus to throw itself into somersaults while self-righting, earning it the "Coolest Robot" award for Season 3.0.
T-Minus on display in 2020.
T-Minus' combat records also reflected the power of its flipper; in Season 3.0, it reached the quarter-finals and emerged as champion of the Middleweight Royal Rumble. In Season 4.0, it was defeated at the Round of 16 stage by Heavy Metal Noise, but redeemed itself spectacularly in its final appearance in Season 5.0. T-Minus sported one less CO2 tank and had smaller batteries to save weight. This allowed Inertia Labs to add wheelguards to the robot's previously exposed 10" foam Carefree tires.
The team also swapped the top panels to titanium and added a crumple zone at the front to defend against spinners. Having pulled off a shock victory over the previously-undefeated Hazard in the semi-finals, T-Minus would defeat S.O.B. in the final to secure itself and Inertia Labs the middleweight championship title.
T-Minus resides with Inertia Labs with this day, displayed alongside their other robots.
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Season 3.0[]
T-Minus vs. Halo
T-Minus flips Halo.
T-Minus's first ever fight in BattleBots was against Halo. T-Minus flipped Halo immediately and was counted out at 1:09. T-Minus won by KO and advanced to the next preliminary round, where it faced Kraken.
T-Minus vs. Kraken
T-Minus didn't really have to do much as the first few flips were able to shut down Kraken completely, T-Minus won by KO at 43 seconds and advanced to the final preliminary round, where it faced Cheap Shot.
T-Minus vs. Cheap Shot
T-Minus won by KO at 1:01 and advanced to the TV rounds, where it faced Bumper Bawt.
T-Minus vs. Bumper Bawt
T-Minus flips Bumper Bawt.
After multiple flips from T-Minus, Bumper Bawt was eventually flipped on its side and was counted out. T-Minus won by KO and advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Sunshine Lollibot.
T-Minus vs. Sunshine Lollibot
T-Minus throws Sunshine Lollibot into the air.
The two drove out, and Sunshine Lollibot hit T-Minus with its saw, causing little damage. The forces of the blade eventually cut the belt to the chainsaw motor, and then T-Minus flipped Sunshine Lollibot into the air, sending it flying. Sunshine Lollibot cartwheeled in the air and landed back on its wheels, and another flip knocked Sunshine Lollibot onto its back, where its saw cut into the floor before finally stopping. One more flip from T-Minus and Sunshine Lollibot stopped moving and was counted out. T-Minus won by KO at 1:16 and advanced to the quarter-finals, where it faced T-Wrex.
T-Minus vs. T-Wrex
T-Wrex hits T-Minus.
In the match, both robots went straight at each other and T-Minus got near T-Wrex, but T-Wrex starts spinning and T-Minus backs off. As T-Wrex started spinning again, T-Minus attempts to flip T-Wrex, but it manages to flip itself onto its back and self-rights with a 540° flip. For the majority of the fight, T-Minus was trying to flip T-Wrex, but T-Wrex kept spinning and T-Minus retreated. At some point in the match, T-Wrex was hitting T-Minus multiple times with its tail. As T-Minus was still having trouble getting underneath T-Wrex with its flipping arm, T-Minus pushed T-Wrex onto the killsaws and sparks were being produced. T-Minus attempted to flip T-Wrex again, but it managed to flip itself onto its back. The first self-righting flip from T-Minus didn't quite do it, but the second one did put it back onto its feet. T-Minus went back to the center of the BattleBox and T-Wrex delivered another hit on the front of T-Minus. This hit broke the power switch for the radio receiver for T-Minus and it was now immobilized. Team Inertia Labs began to try to fix the joystick base and T-Wrex started pushing T-Minus. T-Minus got popped by the hellraisers and T-Wrex pushed T-Minus onto the piston. With only 40 seconds left, T-Wrex pushed T-Minus onto the killsaws and T-Minus was being counted out. T-Wrex won by KO at 2:34 and T-Minus was eliminated from the tournament.
Middleweight Royal Rumble
T-Minus flips Deadblow.
T-Minus also participated the Middleweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. In the beginning, T-Minus got its flipping arm under the left side of Sunshine Lollibot and flipped it onto its back again. After this, T-Minus tried to get its flipping arm under the front of Deadblow, but it missed and T-Minus bumped into Zion's front wedge. T-Minus then got its flipping arm under the rear of Deadblow and flipped it over Twin Paradox and Village Idiot. After T-Minus tried to flip Zion, Twin Paradox and SABotage at one point, T-Minus got its flipping arm under the rear of Twin Paradox and flipped it. T-Minus was then slammed by Alabama Slammer's rear spike and T-Minus almost flipped Zion onto its back. As T-Minus tried to flip Zion again, T-Minus went straight at the right side of Instigator and flipped it onto its back. After this, T-Minus was chasing Hazard around the BattleBox and tried to get its flipping arm under Hazard, but it wasn't successful and drove itself straight at the spikestrip. T-Minus was then being pushed around the BattleBox by Hazard and Bad Attitude. For the rest of the rumble, T-Minus was moving around the BattleBox before the time ran out. T-Minus was one of few robots still moving in the end and it was declared the winner of the Middleweight Royal Rumble.
T-Minus flips Zion.
Season 4.0[]
T-Minus vs. Ravager
T-Minus flips Ravager.
Despite reaching the quarter-finals in Season 3.0, T-Minus had to go through the qualifiers again in Season 4.0. However, due to lack of participants, T-Minus received two byes in the final preliminary rounds. Because of this, T-Minus was already back in the TV rounds, where it faced Ravager. As T-Minus tried to get underneath Ravager, T-Minus flipped itself as it missed a flip on Ravager and self-righted immediately. Ravager then managed to get a flip on T-Minus, who self-righted over Ravager. T-Minus finally got underneath Ravager and flipped it. Ravager couldn't self-right and it was now being counted out. T-Minus won by KO and advanced to the Round of 32, where it faced Short Order Chef.
T-Minus vs. Short Order Chef
T-Minus flips Short Order Chef onto its back.
In the match, both robots went straight at each other, but hesitate to come too close to one another. Short Order Chef tried to turn to go at T-Minus' side, but it wasn't fast enough to do that effectively. T-Minus tried to get under Short Order Chef's low body, but almost stopped over Short Order Chef's flipping arm. T-Minus escaped before it could be flipped. T-Minus got under the hinged skirt, but when the arm went up, it didn't catch anything but the skirt. T-Minus went onto its back while Short Order Chef stayed on the ground. T-Minus launched itself into the air and landed on Short Order Chef. T-Minus tried to flip Short Order Chef again, but got underneath the skirt again and flipped itself. After T-Minus self-righted itself, T-Minus got underneath Short Order Chef and finally flipped it onto it's back. Short Order Chef couldn't self-right and was being counted out. T-Minus won by KO and advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Heavy Metal Noise.
T-Minus vs. Heavy Metal Noise
T-Minus flips Heavy Metal Noise.
T-Minus is immobilized by Heavy Metal Noise.
Immediately, both robots chased each other, trying to go head to head but as soon as Heavy Metal Noise attempted to turn, the gyroscopic force from its disc tipped it onto its side and it began to spin sideways for quite a while, with neither robot doing any attacking. Eventually, once Heavy Metal Noise recovered, it resumed its pursuit against T-Minus, with T-Minus attempting to flip but missed, emitting CO2. Heavy Metal Noise then went straight at the front of T-Minus but got flipped. It then attempted to cut into T-Minus' tire but backed off. Not much happened for a while before Heavy Metal Noise began having control problems, ramming itself into the spikestrip and then coming to a halt in front of the killsaws. T-Minus flipped it once more, and Heavy Metal Noise came back to life. T-Minus got in another flip, stopping Heavy Metal Noise's disc before getting in three more flips. However, when it tried again, Heavy Metal Noise managed to strike T-Minus on its failsafe, incapacitating the bot. With its arm up not being able to move, Heavy Metal Noise chewed at T-Minus' wheel before pushing it over the killsaws, winning by KO in 2:48. This KO surprisingly eliminated T-Minus from the competition again.
Middleweight Royal Rumble
T-Minus flips both SABotage and Heavy Metal Noise.
T-Minus flips Summoner.
T-Minus got its left wheel ripped off by T-Wrex.
T-Minus also participated the Middleweight Royal Rumble at the end of the tournament. In the beginning, T-Minus got rammed from the right side by 2925 Jack Rabbit, which spun T-Minus around. As 2925 Jack Rabbit prepared to ram T-Minus again, Bad Attitude got underneath the flipper and 2925 Jack Rabbit rammed into the rear of T-Minus, which flipped it onto its back. T-Minus self-righted immediately, narrowly avoiding Alabama Slammer's flipping arm. After this, T-Minus got its flipping arm under SABotage and flipped it onto its back. From this impact, T-Minus also flipped Heavy Metal Noise and tossed it against the arena wall. T-Minus was now trying to flip Huggy Bear, but it couldn't get its flipping arm under Huggy Bear and missed. As this was happening, T-Minus drove over the front of Huggy Bear and it got caught on Huggy Bear's "hug zone". T-Minus managed to escape Huggy Bear's "hug zone" and T-Minus flipped Psychotron onto its back. T-Minus almost drove over Alabama Slammer and tried to flip Huggy Bear again, but it only lifted shredded pieces on top of Huggy Bear. After this, T-Minus was being pushed around the BattleBox by Bad Attitude and Summoner, and the latter pushed it against the base of the screws. Summoner backed away and T-Minus got its flipping arm under the rear of Summoner, flipping it onto its back. T-Minus then tried to flip T-Wrex's thwacking tail, but it missed. T-Minus flipped Summoner back onto its feet and T-Minus was being pushed around the BattleBox by Bad Attitude. At one point, Bad Attitude pushed T-Minus against the entrance ramp. Psychotron got underneath the left side of T-Minus and pushed it into T-Wrex's thwacking tail, which caused T-Minus to lose its left wheel. Despite this, T-Minus was still moving without its left wheel and it, as well as Alabama Slammer, Bad Attitude and T-Wrex, were pushed against the spikestrip by Summoner. After this, all the robots that were still moving were going after T-Minus and T-Minus tried to run away. It was then being attacked by Bad Attitude and T-Minus was pushed against the screws. Bad Attitude continued attacking T-Minus before the time ran out. In the end, Bad Attitude was declared the winner of the Middleweight Royal Rumble and T-Minus lost overall.
Season 5.0[]
T-Minus vs. TriDent
T-Minus flips TriDent.
Due to previously competing in Season 4.0, T-Minus was allowed to skip the preliminary rounds of Season 5.0, where it eventually faced TriDent. The two robots met in the center of the BattleBox and TriDent got its arm under T-Minus. Coolrobots' middleweight lifted it, but it simply drove off. T-Minus appeared to be having trouble steering itself to get under TriDent. TriDent lifted its body off the BattleBox floor before being flipped from the side. The lifter robot drove itself onto the killsaws and sent sparks across the BattleBox floor. As TriDent was still on the killsaws, T-Minus went straight at TriDent and flipped it again. As TriDent was balancing on its front, T-Minus got underneath it and sent TriDent tumbling onto the killsaws. Both robots wandered around the battlebox with T-Minus carelessly cut by the killsaws. TriDent got under T-Minus and started to lift it. It failed its attempt to push T-Minus, who fell off. T-Minus then gave TriDent another full flip from the rear. TriDent went over the killsaws again while its opponent is in pursuit, flipping it onto its back again. TriDent drove across the BattleBox into another set of killsaws while T-Minus dealt with a seam in the BattleBox floor. TriDent drove over the killsaws once again, and T-Minus attempted a flip once more, but it failed. T-Minus then succeeded in the next attempt. Toward the end of the match, T-Minus flipped TriDent once again and pushed it against the spikestrip. TriDent tried to escape, but T-Minus lifted it onto its front, relentless on overpowering the other's struggle. TriDent managed to escape the spikestrip and soon got back on the BattleBox floor. T-Minus missed a flip and the time ran out. T-Minus won on a 33-12 judges' decision.
T-Minus vs. Double Agent
T-Minus flips Double Agent.
T-Minus advanced to the Round of 16, where it faced Double Agent. In the beginning, both robots were moving around each other and T-Minus flipped Double Agent from the front. Double Agent landed on T-Minus' flipping arm and got flipped again. Double Agent started spinning and T-Minus tried to flip Double Agent, but it only managed a small lift and drove over Double Agent's wedge. Double Agent went straight at the front of T-Minus and T-Minus flipped it onto its back, landing on the killsaws. T-Minus got its flipping arm on the side of Double Agent and tried to flip it again, but Double Agent escaped and T-Minus missed. Double Agent started spinning again and T-Minus missed another flip on Double Agent. Double Agent ran away from T-Minus and drove itself onto the killsaws. The killsaws were lifting the front of Double Agent and it was flipped again by T-Minus. Double Agent was back onto its feet and it got flipped by T-Minus again. Double Agent went straight at T-Minus again and got itself flipped by T-Minus once again. Double Agent was on its back again and landed on the killsaws. T-Minus pushed it off the killsaws and T-Minus was tossed from the killsaws. T-Minus got a small lift on the side of Double Agent and Double Agent went straight at T-Minus, but it got flipped again. Double Agent started spinning once again and T-Minus pushed Double Agent toward the spikestrip. T-Minus missed another flip on Double Agent and T-Minus drove over Double Agent. Double Agent got underneath the front of T-Minus and tried to push it toward the spikestrip, but T-Minus slipped away and Double Agent went straight at the spikestrip. After this, Double Agent drove itself under the pulverizer and reversed itself toward the screws. Double Agent moved to the center of the BattleBox and T-Minus drove over Double Agent again. T-Minus flipped the front of Double Agent two more times and the time ran out shortly after. T-Minus won on a 31-14 judges' decision and advanced to the quarter-finals.
T-Minus vs. Huggy Bear
In the quarter-finals, T-Minus faced Huggy Bear. T-Minus attempted to get Huggy Bear at the side, but Huggy Bear kept its "hug zone" facing T-Minus. Huggy Bear then went toward T-Minus who retreated. T-Minus managed to get around Huggy Bear but failed to flip it. T-Minus went in and successfully flipped Huggy Bear, but Huggy Bear pursued T-Minus and grabbed hold, but T-Minus broke free by activating its flipper. Huggy Bear grabbed hold again, but T-Minus managed to escape the same way, all while both take a shot from the killsaws. T-Minus then flipped Huggy Bear again, and Huggy Bear retaliated by pushing T-Minus into some killsaws. Huggy Bear then attempted to play dead (looking like it lost its mobility), but T-Minus never took the opportunity at first, but eventually did and nearly flipped Huggy Bear, who took off. Huggy Bear almost grabbed T-Minus three times and began pushing T-Minus until the timer sounded. T-Minus won on a 27-18 judges' decision.
T-Minus vs. Hazard
T-Minus executes its plan, disabling Hazard's bar.
T-Minus ends Hazard's title defence.
Now in the semi-finals, T-Minus took on the undefeated Hazard. Having previously observed the strategy enacted by Donald Hutson and Diesector in its fight against Final Destiny, Team Inertia Labs opted to modify their robot with a flipping arm extension, with the intention of reaching under and lifting one of Hazard's hinged wedges into the blade. In the fight, Hazard came out with its bar spinning up full speed, whilst T-Minus came out with nerves of Hazard. Hazard went to slam into T-Minus, but backed away when the flipper went up before going back to slam into T-Minus, and again it backed away as the flipper flipped up. T-Minus got under Hazard's front wedge, jamming one of Hazard's wedge skirts into its own weapon. T-Minus drove to Hazard's back end and flipped Hazard over, ending its winning streak. T-Minus won by KO in a major upset and advanced to the middleweight finals for the first time.
T-Minus vs. S.O.B.
T-Minus flips S.O.B. into the air.
T-Minus pushes S.O.B. onto the spikestrip.
T-Minus flips S.O.B.
Having defeated the middleweight champion, T-Minus faced S.O.B. in the title-decider. The two robots approached each other slowly, not wanting to expose itself to the opposition. Eventually, S.O.B. scooped up T-Minus' side in its tray and brought its circular saw down, causing some sparks. T-Minus tried to flip but missed before being driven into the spikestrip by S.O.B., where it used its saw to grind part of T-Minus' flipper. T-Minus flipped at that moment however, and pushed S.O.B.'s arm back, disabling S.O.B's saw. T-Minus then chased S.O.B. across the BattleBox with the latter driving over the killsaws. T-Minus then got its flipping arm under S.O.B.'s dustpan and tried to flip again but flipped itself. T-Minus self-righted after a few attempts and continued the fight. T-Minus then went around the rear of S.O.B. and flipped it successfully, but S.O.B. landed on its wheels. Following a shot from the killsaws, S.O.B. was able to reactivate its circular saw but received damage to its drive-train, allowing T-Minus to get under again and flipped S.O.B. upside down. In the midst of self-righting, T-Minus pushed S.O.B. into the spikestrip, where part of its pan prevented it from getting off. It tried slamming its saw into its pan and on the BattleBox floor but had no luck and was counted out in 1:53. This meant that T-Minus won the middleweight championship.
