Mega Tento

Mega Tento
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship II
Other Names	Megatento
Team Information
Team	Robot Action League
Team Members	Lisa Winter (Captain) Mike Winter Ryan Hasty
From	Berkeley, CA
Other Entries	Plan X, Tentoumushi, Whirl Wep, Spin Orbiting Force
Associated Robots	Deviled Egg (Ryan Hasty)
Robot Statistics
Weight	250lbs
Power	Thunder Power RC LiPo battery
Weapons	Grabbing shell Drum spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Mega Tento, also spelt Megatento, was a heavyweight robot built by Lisa Winter of Robot Action League which fought exclusively in BattleBots World Championship II.

It was a scaled-up version of fan favorite Tentoumushi from Comedy Central BattleBots. Dubbed a "capturer" by the team, the robot featured a LDPE plastic shell measuring 5ft in diameter, made from a modified kids' sandbox. The aim was for it to lift over the top of opposition robots and obstruct their driver's view.

Mega Tento and Lisa Winter in November 2022.

Mega Tento also sported an 8" diameter drum spinner made from steel and weighing 30lbs total. This was positioned underneath the shell to begin with, but was later moved to the rear as according to Lisa Winter, this change vastly improved traction on the rear wheels and made Mega Tento easier to control. Outside of this, the main chassis and framework was machined from aluminum.

As was the case with the original middleweight robot, the sandbox was purchased from Toys 'R Us. However, the one for Mega Tento originally had a crab-themed design. It was reshaped and painted to look like a ladybug, with antennae added and angry eyes made from spoon rests. It performed poorly in the competition, winning only one battle against Stinger in a controversial upset, but lost to Poison Arrow and Yeti. Lisa Winter and Robot Action League had also entered Plan X into World Championship I, with similar success.

Though Lisa Winter stated improvements she intended to make to the robot, including larger wheel guards and a more potent spinning weapon, Mega Tento would not return to BattleBots after its debut season. However, Lisa Winter would become a full-time judge for the show from World Championship IV onward.

Robot History

World Championship II
Mega Tento vs. Poison Arrow Mega Tento's first ever match in BattleBots was against Poison Arrow. Mega Tento taking aim at Poison Arrow. Mega Tento was quick to smother Poison Arrow using its shell as the black and green robot lost its decorative tail. It then maneuvered Poison Arrow towards the screws as its drone tried to melt the ladybug shell. Poison Arrow lay stationary beside the screws for several seconds before returning to life, only to be captured by Mega Tento's shell again. The Caustic Creations robot got its drum up to speed as Mega Tento gave chase, splitting the shell towards the back as Mike Winter gave instructions to his daughter. Poison Arrow breaks Mega Tento's primary weapon. Time passed as both robots jockeyed for position, but this break in attacks ended by Poison Arrow slamming into the front of Mega Tento's main chassis and causing its shell to separate from its mounting point. Mega Tento with Poison Arrow captured as time expires. By this point, Mega Tento was unable to raise or lower its shell due to damage sustained, but this did not deter it from attempting to swallow Poison Arrow again, which used its drum spinner to keep hitting the frame of its opponent as time ran out. Poison Arrow won by unanimous judges' decision. However, Mega Tento was awarded one of the eight wildcards and continued on in the tournament regardless.
Mega Tento vs. Stinger Mega Tento catches Stinger's side and turns it over. This put Mega Tento into the Round of 32 as the No.28 seed, where it faced No.5 seed Stinger. Before this match, the team moved Mega Tento's spinning drum from inside the shell to the rear of the robot. The match started out poorly for Mega Tento as it was being pushed around the BattleBox by Stinger, losing an eye after being hit by the pulverizer. Mega Tento continued to attack with the drum and Stinger tried to flip Mega Tento over, but was unsuccessful. Stinger then shoved Mega Tento into the wall, bending the sandbox shell in the process. Mega Tento eventually escaped and it managed to smother its opponent, but Stinger started used its flamethrower to try and damage Mega Tento's shell from the inside. Mega Tento then turned its attention to Stinger's minibot, targeting its wheels with its spinning drum as Stinger continued to attack with its flamethrower. Mega Tento continued and tore off one of Stinger's wheels, though this did not affect Stinger's drive too much. Lisa Winter's machine managed to overturn Stinger and flipped it onto its back, but it recovered. Neither robot was able to do much before in the closing moments, before time ran out. The judges ruled in favor of Mega Tento in what proved to be one of the most hotly-contested decisions of the reboot era to date.
Mega Tento vs. Yeti Mega Tento with an eyepatch. Yeti destroys Mega Tento's right wheel. Advancing in the tournament, Mega Tento took on the No.12 seed, Yeti. To show its injury from Stinger, Mega Tento added an eye patch over its left eye for this fight, and kept the drum at the rear of the robot. Yeti was able to attack and managed to severely damage Mega Tento's right wheel. With limited mobility, Mega Tento was then pushed on top of the screws and was deemed immobile. Mega Tento was counted out as Yeti finished off the destroyed wheel. Yeti won by a quick KO at 44 seconds and Mega Tento was eliminated from the tournament. Mega Tento was originally going to fight in a three-way rumble against Nightmare and Creepy Crawlies, but the rumble was canceled in favor of others going ahead in its place, as well as time constraints.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 1
• Losses: 2

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship II	Stinger	Poison Arrow Yeti

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"Nighty-night. Don't let the red bug bite. It's MEGA TENTO!"

"Nobody knows whats under the hood, but we all know it's no good. It's the bot with the sassy chassis. It's MEGA TENTO!"

"It's a thrilla! This insect-zilla is a straight-up killa! It's MEGA TENTO!"

Trivia

• The Tentoumushi name derives from the Japanese word for "ladybug."
• Zoe Stephenson of Chomp alluded to an unused "drum-fouling modification" which was intended for Mega Tento's fight against Poison Arrow, but it us known what this consisted of, or why it was not used.
• Away from robot combat, Lisa Winter is a keen violinist. She was also diagnosed with Celiac disease in January 2019.