Ripoff

Ripoff
Participation Information
Comedy Central Seasons	Season 2.0
Team Information
Team	Team Litewav
Team Members	Christopher Hannold Chris Crowell Angela Crowell Greg Hannold
From	Linwood, NC
Robot Statistics
Weight	270lbs
Weapons	28" Vertical sawblade
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Ripoff was a superheavyweight built by Team Litewav which competed exclusively in Season 2.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots.

It was a two-wheel drive robot armed with a small wedge and a large, 28" diameter saw mounted vertically at the front. It did not do well in competition, losing its only match against Atomic Wedgie. Ripoff's name had a dual meaning - referencing both its weapon and design inspiration.

"I called it RipOff for two reasons. One, hopefully it would rip off chunks of the competition. Two, it's basically a rip-off of several of the best ideas I've seen in other competitor's robots. I figured, "What the hell, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.""

— Christopher Hannold explains Ripoff's double meaning

Early CAD of Ripoff.

Team Litewav experienced multiple issues with Ripoff prior to and at filming, including breaking their speed controllers and discovering the robot would not move in practice. Originally due to weigh 325lbs, changes to its locomotion (from tracks to wheels) and batteries reduced it to 270lbs. It passed safety and Ripoff was ready for battle with under an hour before their first fight was scheduled. Unfortunately, Ripoff suffered further problems and struggled with mobility in its one and only battle against Atomic Wedgie.

Despite stating their intention to compete again in BattleBots with a rebuilt Ripoff and potentially a middleweight competitor also, Team Litewav did not return to the show. However, the team also built HandsOff! and Mini-Rip for the first and last seasons of Robotica as well as 6 Million Dollar Mouse for the first season of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors. The team previously built robots called VOID and XAK for local events.

Ripoff was originally intended to be brought to Robotica after repairs were made, but when the rules were revised, the team realized they were not going to be able to get the robot down to the new weight limit in time.

Robot History

Ripoff in the pits.

Season 2.0

Ripoff vs. Atomic Wedgie Atomic Wedgie scoops up Ripoff. Ripoff flipped by Atomic Wedgie. Ripoff gets upended by Atomic Wedgie. Ripoff gets pushed under the pulverizer by Atomic Wedgie Ripoff's first and only match in Season 2.0 was against Atomic Wedgie. Early on, Atomic Wedgie approached Ripoff, who was not moving. However, its sawblade was spinning as the untested equipment was set to a higher channel than normal, resulting in no control over the robot. Following this, Atomic Wedgie pushed Ripoff over the killsaws, then drove into Ripoff's side, flipping it over. Ripoff was then pushed towards the killsaws, and Ripoff started spinning around, using its saw to drive on the BattleBox floor. Ripoff was then driven into the saws again, and this time, Ripoff was fully flipped onto its back, blade still dragging it across the floor. Atomic Wedgie finished off Ripoff by pushing it to the pulverizer, where it managed to a few hits on both bots before the time ran out. Atomic Wedgie won by a unanimous 45-0 judges' decision and Ripoff was eliminated from the tournament. According to Team Litwav’s event report, the worm gears powering the wheels were completely destroyed due to somehow being back driven during the Atomic Wedgie fight. This issue is what prevented them from entering Ripoff into the Consolation Rumble.

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Team Litewav with Ripoff

Competition	Wins	Losses
Season 2.0	None	Atomic Wedgie

See Also

• 6 Million Dollar Mouse (Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors)
• HandsOFF! (Robotica)
• Mini-Rip (Robotica)

Trivia

• Team captain Christopher Hannold wrote the book Combat Robots Complete, which starred Ripoff on the front cover.