A

From Cincinnati, Ohio and Bowie, Maryland, this is behind the Bots, the podcast that brings you the stories and the people behind the bots. I'm Jake.

B

I'm Brandon.

A

And on today's podcast we have our interview with the three pound world champion, Alex Wang. If you like our show, please rate interview us on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Tunein, Cat Player FM and podbean. Follow us on Facebook at Behind the Bots and tell a friend we appreciate. Brandon, what's going on in the Combat Robotics calendar? What is going on in the coming months?

B

All right, so first we're going to do December, since we're still in it, and then looking forward to January 2026. So for December in the United States, there are two more events. There's Scars December to December in Walnut, California, featuring all the bigger robots and hobby weights, featherweights and sportsman classes featuring 19 of those machines. The second one is the West Coast Combat Robot League's December holiday bash where 32 fairies, plants and ant weights will be competing. That'll be rounding out our year 2025. Looking forward to 2026, where in January alone we will have 405 insect weight robots competing in the United States, particularly in, and let's count it off. California, Oregon, Utah, New Jersey, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma and New York, as well as the Kilobots event in Saskatchewan, Canada. So lots of activity all across the United States. The largest of these events being the Robot Renegades kickoff event in Jensen Beach, Florida on January 17, where it's going to be 89 robots across Nianzac weight divisions. Get details on this event and more at robotcommitteevents.com builders db.com and bristolbotbuilders.com now we head into interview with Alex.

A

Alex Wang. How are you the new three pound champion?

C

I'm pretty good, yeah. I mean, I can't say it gets much better than this, but yeah, I'm pretty good, man.

B

You, you just won NHRL World Champion. So that means that not only did you win probably among the most prestigious events in this, in the sport, but even one of the biggest classes in the sport and some of the best robots in the sport. Is that not just like the most exciting thing? Alex, are you not bouncing off the walls, excited?

C

Honestly, I thought I would be more excited like in my dreams when I played it over and like when I envisioned holding up like the golden, just a golden box of any sort of shape, whether it was gonna be a dumpster or Brett. But then it like kind of happened and it Was like, that was pretty cool, but it, like, took a lot out of me to get there. So, I mean, yeah, it was a ton of fun, but I think I kind of. Kind of knew that, like, it was gonna happen one day. And it just. That was the day that it happened,

B

so that was the day that it happened. So I guess then we have to imagine leading up to it. So before NH Robo championship, even before pine victus and leatherbacks, what did you do before? Like, what was the. The origin story of Alex before the combat robot world?

C

So I think, like, a lot of other people, I did FRC in high school. And like, I know Liam talked a lot about that. He is. He was a lot better at FRC than I was. So the FRC team that I came from, I joined in its second year ever with everyone else that was brand new. And the whole robot was all together with zip ties and duct tape. And there were. There were more zip ties than, like, screws on the robot. Like, but I remember like, like trying to drill holes in my plates and they never lined up. And then I turned them into slots with, like, my hand drill and it was a mess. But, like, that was a lot of fun. And then.

A

Is that the one we're looking at here?

C

No, no, no, that was my FRC robot. That was in high school.

B

Oh.

A

Oh, oh, sorry. I'm sorry.

C

No. So those are like, I didn't learn how to build good robots there, but, I mean, I got really excited about it. And then I also started building drones in high school and I, like, I crashed my first drone into the side of my house and it broke. And then. Oh, no. Like, I did a lot of stuff like that. And then I showed up at school and then I was like, looking at clubs to join. And then there's Brandon and then there's this other guy, Misha, and they were talking about this thing called Warlock. And I was like, what? What the heck is that? And then I thought it was like the coolest thing ever. And then I went to NHR all that my first semester, and it was. It's pretty brutal. And then I went into, I think like three more before I got my first win. But, like, it was a lot of fun. And then that was. That was the first version of Pine Victus. And then I built like this 12 pound undercutter thing that I try not to think about that much.

A

A 12x Wang?

C

Yeah. And then I built a bunch of more pine Victus versions and I built another 12 pounder that I also tried to not think. Think about it too much. But. And then this year I was really focused on. On getting the. Getting pine victus to be really good. And I think it. It worked pretty well.

B

I would agree. I certainly think so. Would you? Let me see. So I guess going back a little bit. So you mentioned like the Leatherback stays. So me and Misha, good old Misha. By the way, he. What was his name of his hovercraft shell spinner robot that he brought to nhrl? I believe it's earlier this year. Do you remember its name, Alex? It was, it was a really cool machine. I'm sure others might be able to remember it and they could probably bring it up. But anyway, Misha. Misha's made excellent robots. I joined Leatherbacks as well. So with Leatherbacks in particular, we overlapped a little bit in time. You were there before I graduated and after I disappeared off into the great wide world, you're able to stay there and did some things. So how was Leatherback stays for you, Alex? Especially like the, I guess the ants and stuff?

C

Yeah, yeah. So that, that first semester was. I went with you and Misha. We went to nhrl. It was a lot of fun. And then afterwards it was like, now you're gonna be the chief engineer of the Leatherbacks. And I was, I was a freshman kid that was 02 at NHL and knew literally nothing, but it was a big learning experience. And then after you guys left, I kind of had to figure out a lot of things on my own. But I mean, when I look back at it, I think of it fondly, but in the moment it was always quite painful. And then like running all these events was so much work and people didn't finish their robots on time. And then things like caught on fire and. But overall it was a lot of fun, I would say.

B

Nice, nice.

A

So what kind of motivated you to initially like seek out the Leatherbacks and get on the Leatherback? You know, one thing that we have at UC is like, like, you know, gaining members and holding on to members. You know, that can be difficult, especially when you're first starting a club. So what made you interested in the club and then what kind of retained you?

C

I think

A

so.

C

I mean, like everyone else, like I watched BattleBots as a kid. It was like my favorite thing, but I just didn't know that that was the thing that I would actually be able to do without, like building a 250 pound robot and going on a TV show. So actually over the summer before school started, I was like just looking at robotics clips because I knew I wanted to do robotics of some kind because I was like my favorite thing in high school. And then like I saw a video of Lynx and I mean, I don't. It might not be obvious, but Lynx is my favorite robot. And then I was like, I saw Lynx at my first event and I think he won it. And I was like, to be that guy winning and blowing everyone up, like, that's like the coolest thing ever. So that was. I kept going back and then I never looked back.

B

Never looked back indeed.

C

Yeah.

B

So I guess sort of going off. We're going with that. So the 12 pounders, like the Beatles are great. Well, they had a nice regression. Pine has a very long story career, which I want to come back to, sort of leading up to finals a bit more. But before we get on the glory, I want to get on to the. With the pain. So tell us a bit about a 12x Wang if you'd be so generous.

C

So I don't, I don't even know where to start. Like, like when I was a. My second semester of college, Brandon and Misha told me to apply to work in the machine shop, which was called Terrapin Works. And I was like, well, you mean unlimited access to make robot parts like whenever I want? Like, that sounds pretty cool. And I mean, I didn't love being a machinist or doing the actual job. And the only reason I wanted to do it was to use like the water gen CNC machines, like off hours. And then that summer I was like, well, I have a whole summer to myself and I know how to use a water jet. So let me try to build a 12 pounder. And I, I mean, I think I spent like two weeks cutting it and it was, it definitely showed. And I, I drilled all the holes with the, with the hand drill for some reason. I don't know why I did that, but like, none of the holes were straight. You can see like half the screws are missing. There's like slots in the top plate because I couldn't like line up the hole. So I just re. Water jetted a top plate with slots in it. And then I was like, this is also when I realized that I could put text in solidworks so you can see like I have like a bunch of. I started putting my name and everything. That was like, that was my big thing. And then, yeah, my first fight ever was against Jameson and I fought attrition.

A

Oh, geez.

C

And I remember he was like, it was great. He was like, oh yeah, this Robot is like, I haven't touched it in 20 years. And then I'm just taking out and we'll see how it does. And on the other side, I was like, well, I know the weapon's not even going to spin up, but I put the belt on to try and psych him out, to make him think

B

that it would psych out Mr. Go.

C

And then the next thing we're gonna see here is gonna be kind of funny.

A

Oh, there's the belt. The intimidation belt.

C

The.

B

Yeah,

A

look.

C

There's, like, some motion, but I don't even think the motors are, like, plugged into anything.

A

Oh, geez.

B

Yeah,

C

so that was a little bit rough. You can see me over there. But that was my first time interacting with Dremo. And then I kind of got embarrassed. And I remember there was like a. There's like a tour going through the. Like, the cages, like, right next to me, and they were like, oh, like, this is going to be a great 12 pound matchup. Let's. Let's stay and watch. And then it was, like, on the Instagram live stream, too. And I was like, yeah, this is gonna be rough.

B

Just every level of embarrassment possible. Just, like, being dumped on you.

C

I know. So, I mean, like, I just. I didn't really know what I was doing, but, like, it was a lot of fun. So I don't. I wouldn't say I regret it. And then I don't. The next fights after that, I don't even know what happened. Like, then I got the great idea. Like, let's put it, like, my one pounder, like, mini butt in there.

B

And then Percy fights, Jamie fights Zoe.

C

Yeah. Then the fire right at the beginning.

A

Oh, geez.

B

Is that immediate smoke, Alex?

C

Yeah. Yeah. Go back to the beginning, like, literally immediately. And I tried to spin it up.

B

Oh, man.

A

Oh, geez.

C

Yep.

B

Beautiful. Immediate smoke screen. I love it. Immediate smoke screen.

C

Yes. I think we turned, like, 0% of the electrical power into mechanical power in that one.

A

It turned it all into smoke.

C

It turned it all into the nice smoke. But, yes, that was. That was. That. And then I went. I took it back to another competition, which was in, like, November. It was. It was in the fall. And then I remember I. I machined a new hub for it when I was really excited about it because I, like, I used the kuma to, like, do the spline profile, and then I, like, put it on a lathe and I did the V belt groove, and I, like. And it, like, fit in the water jetted weapon. That took, like, it Literally took like four hours to cut because it was like a half inch thick thing and the water jet was half broken. And I was there like. Like, I think that was when we were. We were also building Warlock at the same time and we were in the IFL in the machine shop until like 5am for many nights in a row. And it was like that, that was like really painful. But yeah, and then, and then we show up and then my weapon like smokes itself in the test box five minutes before my flight. And then I think, I think I had to forfeit the side apple. And that was probably like the lowest point in my.

A

That's gotta blow the dust off that name. That's.

B

So it's side apple.

A

So November. That would have been November of 2022. That was my first NHRL. And I very specifically remember scouting your robot because it was one of the only other. There were three undercutters that fought that November. And it was. Or man, maybe it was. It was November. It had to have been. And it was me and it was Liam Buzzkill and then it was you. And I remember the spline and how it perfectly fit on the weapon. I was like, that's pretty dope. So you're.

C

You're.

A

It wasn't for nothing. I did, you know, everyone noticed how nice the fit was. You know, it didn't go nowhere. So you did get one fight. That event. It was against Corey's like 12 pounder.

C

Oh yeah. I remember looking at it and I.

B

He's had a couple of them.

C

I forget which one that one had. It had a really cool like bent top armor and I was like, that's like super cool.

A

Yeah. Really?

B

Oh yeah.

A

Oh yeah. Wow, this is some amazing camera work for you. Those of you guys who haven't watched classic nhrl this, if you think the camera work was terrible, now look at this fight. Just.

B

You have like the one stagnant camera. The cage. Yeah. Like the mobile crew or anything like that

A

broken. You can.

C

What was their robot called?

B

Like tank cappuccino

C

multi bottles over there.

B

Oh, man.

A

Did your robot even make it? Yeah, no. The entire fight goes by.

C

There's no proof that like my robot was even there.

B

Yeah, I mean, that's the secret. There was no proof of the £12 there.

C

But like there's. We haven't even seen the robot yet.

A

Yeah, yeah, there it is.

C

There it is.

A

Look how long Corey's hair is.

B

It's funny, man. So long ago and yet just like yesterday, man. So. Wow, they already stuff. Yeah, yeah.

A

Incredible. It's not even on stream. That's awesome. Wow.

B

So, like, how far exactly how far, truly, how far have we come? Incredible stuff. So, like, in addition to a 12x wing, we also have Ratchet. So what's like, Ratchet story? Good old Ratchet.

C

Let's see. I remember I saw, like, JMO's clutch video from Megatron. I was like, oh, that's pretty cool. I want to build a hammersaw and do that. And then I was like, what if, like, hammerstall, you need to, like, win the ground game? And I remember hearing Liam talk about, like, all his ground games on Bumble Blitz, and I was like, what if, like, you just didn't have to do that? And then I was like, yeah, what if you just, like, put an undercutter on the back and then like, oh, no. And then it's like, oh, yeah, Then you can, like, cut their forks off, and then you just win as hammerslaw. And then it's like, it's amazing.

B

Ratchet first Blackjack. That's sort of the hope.

C

This was not exactly the vision I had in my head. And you can see, like, on the back, there's like. Like, the whole, like, horizontal mounting thing was like, just one big billet. And it was. It was like. I was like, yeah, we'll just make, like, hot leaf juice and also, like, Megatron, but in the same robot, and it'll, like, win everything. And I was like, yeah, it'll be unbeatable. But then it was. It was a little too much. And it was also, like, just so much work.

A

What was crazy about Ratchet was actually legitimately, I know it didn't win any fights, but how small it is. So what. How is this all working? Like, I don't understand how you fit this all in a working package.

C

That's why it didn't work. It wasn't exactly a working package. But I don't even, like. Like, at the time, I mean, in all of my robot histories, it was like, the amount of room left for the electronics was, like, literally none. And this one, I think the plan originally was to have two batteries in it, and then we had to take out a battery so that we could have room for EOCs. So, like, this robot was only running, like, it was, like, a success, like, 1300 milliamp hour battery to run two weapon systems. So, like, I don't even think it would have lasted, like, more than a. Like, a minute in, like, a real fight. So there. There are a couple. Couple compromises that had to Be made towards the end to get it into the room, into the box. But actually against Kilojoule, that was its closest to like winning a fight. And this second event was really funny because the whole like clutch thing, like we had dialed it in and I was working really well. And then like two days before the event, we're just like testing the arm and then like it starts like just dying. Like it just starts pooping out like the springs and like it just like doesn't work. But like at least the robot can like drive and move and like I can like. Oh, stuck on the mini bot.

B

Mini bot days as well actually like do stuff.

C

Yeah, yeah. So the mini bot was necessary because it's also like £13 or whatever. But like, yeah, like I can actually like do things.

A

Used to be all 12 pounds. All 12 pound fights were a 13.2 pounder with a three pound sports. Yeah.

C

And like now the beetle fights are four pounds, but that's okay.

B

But even so, actually the hell out of him.

A

Wow, I've never seen this fight.

C

So we're getting right here. Right, like died and then like that was. That was the moment. And we were like right on top of his like his link, I think. Or switch.

A

Yeah.

C

And it was like. Then I was like, well we could, we could still get get self righted. And then I accidentally pushed the stick button instead of the. The unstick button. I think that's a pretty common mistake. So we can see like, oh, I thought they were gonna like push me off from the front, but then it's.

B

No, they just pushed you forward into the.

C

Then it was. Then it was over. Then I was like, okay, yeah, now we're cooked.

B

Yeah, that's the, that's the beauty of unstaking in nhra.

C

Perfectly stuck. So that one was. I wish that I. I don't know, like, I wished a lot of things. But I think the fact that the robot didn't randomly die at this event in either of its fights, like against Caldera, I think he like he like not knocked off both wheels or something. I don't know, something stupid. But at least it wasn't like it. It just randomly died in the event before this. And yeah, yeah. Honestly, watching that fight back, I haven't watched like I don't think I've ever watched that fight like that.

B

You don't go to the film on Ratchet every day yourself. How Ratchet 2 is going to become the best robot ever.

C

Like that actually looked like it was doing pretty decently. So it makes me even More excited to actually build another 12 pounder again one day.

B

There's the tease, everybody. There's the tease. You said it. 12 pounders.

A

Got plenty of money to do it, you know. You got plenty of money.

B

Speaking of money, tell us about the new pine thickness. Because people remember seeing pine, old pine, back in teams days. In fact, Alex could actually ask about, well, actually more than just Anthony from Nubis asked about the evolution of like modern pine, but even ancient pine, it grew a long ways. So tell us about like pine's evolution from the, the original way back in 2021 to the modern day.

C

So this 2021 guy, there's a lot, a lot of things to say about him. Like one thing was you can see there's like a rubber band instead of like a timing belt on the weapon.

A

I didn't notice that at first. That's hilarious.

C

I remember at the event I was like this, like, I was looking at everyone else's robots. They were like, super cool. And then I was like, man, I can't wait to like come back and have a better robot. And I was right. But then Ray Billings came over to like, he comes over to the table and then he like, just starts asking me questions and he like picks it up and he's like, oh, this is cool. And I'm like, oh, yeah. And then he's like, he like touches the rubber band and like, I'm just like crying on the inside.

A

Just the ultimate disrespect.

C

I'm like, oh man. Like, this was like, I thought I'd be excited to meet him when I like, met him, but that was, that was pretty cool.

B

Mr. Tombstone? Yes, this is Ray Billings examining your rubber band timing belt for the original pine.

A

So did you machine or. Oh, you water jet all this? Uhmw, I see the water jet, like edge now.

C

Yeah, well, so yeah, I think those outer side rails got machined. But this is all with the help of Brandon and Misha. I think, like, at least for this guy, like, I wasn't trained on anything yet, and that was kind of where I learned how to do things. But yeah, like, Misha went to that event without his own robot just so that he could help me like, like troubleshoot our motors that like, would only spin in one direction and. But like. And then I think, I think I sent you another picture of the drisk version.

A

Yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, this is the drisk. Oh, and then you went to this. So is this the second version?

C

Like, no, this was the fourth version.

A

Oh my God. Okay, so wait

C

okay.

A

Sorry. I have so many pine Victus tabs right now. Huge fine head.

C

So where.

A

Where are we? So this is the first version.

C

There's a. There's a. Like, a CAD screenshot. I think you hovered over.

B

Okay, there we go.

C

Oh, yeah. So this was. This was the second version. I was, like, still, like, learning things, but, like, all the belts, like, were sized properly, and they were, like, actually bearings and the weapon and things. But then I think it, like, it's still in 02, but, yeah, it doesn't really matter. And then.

B

Don't worry, it was still a huge improvement. Like, there was. He was getting the fundamentals at this point, and we were happy to see anyway.

C

Yeah. And I think what happened was I didn't have any covers on my drive motors, like, because I wasn't using outrunners before. And then, like, all my wires got sucked into my motor. And then I think it also, like, rubbed my battery, like, half apart. But, yeah, that's okay.

B

Young Alex. Young Alex. Oh, no, I picked X, I believe.

C

Well, they're all. They're all under the same guy.

A

Are they all on the same. Okay. So you've really been running this Robot. Wow. Since 2021. So it's a very. It's actually a very pretty old robot.

B

It's quietly ancient.

A

Yeah. That's wild.

C

Actually, I think, like, one thing about this robot was, like, I built the first version of this robot. Like, that was the first thing I'd ever cadded. That was the first thing I'd ever, like, made custom parts for. It was, like. It was definitely a learning process of, like, everything that. All the skills that I would learn over the next couple years. But, like, that's why I ended up not changing the name, because I was like, it's kind of fun to. To, like, think about the journey that. That I've been on with this stupid thing. But. Yeah, but eventually. Yeah, eventually we made the dress that, like, the one that looks like a certain kit robot. And I remember. Yeah, so this one. This was the first NHR win I had ever gotten. And I was like, I think I also beat WAR Hard at the same event. And I was like, that was, like, the highlight of my whole life.

A

You fought.

C

It was in. Oh, wait, No, I beat Warhard in March, but in that November 2022. That was my first NHRO win.

A

This one. So you bought. You brought a 12 and a three to this event.

B

That's.

A

I mean, that's pretty bold to run two robots at one event, especially, like, for a new Build, you know, that's.

C

I mean, yeah. So, like, I had no idea what I was doing and I thought that the more that I built, the. The better they would be. And then it paid off eventually. I do think that if I had spent more time focusing on, like, one thing, it would have been better. I think in this match, I don't think my weapon spins, but I, like, fixed that for later.

B

It looks like it's.

A

It's trying.

B

It's trying.

C

I think it was trying, but then I was like, it actually didn't work. Actually, there's a fight. I think it's against Ukfont again. That was my first ever roof shot. And then I was like, okay, now I feel, yeah, like links. And then the funny thing is, like, basically immediately after that, like, one of my wires, like, broke and then I turned on. So that was like a. I feel like that was a moment where, like, I really decided to, like, start focusing more on all the little details. So, like, using the right kind of wires, making sure everything's like, strain relieved and like, just not like being as, like, I don't know, just putting more thought into everything. So. Yeah, like, right.

A

Yeah, yeah. Nice.

B

You caught him.

A

You caught him in, like the perfect vert hit where you are right side up and he's upside down. And then the, like, weapons just like, mash. Did you see that?

B

That's.

A

That's pivotal.

B

He'd lean forward and down, get close to the robot.

C

That's a change.

A

That's a mentality point of view.

C

And then actually I think what happens first is my weapon nut, like, fell out or something. Or something. Like something broken. The weapon, like, stop spinning.

A

Yep.

C

And then I was like, man, it was going, like, so well. And then. Then I, like, stopped going so well. Yeah. And then I'm pretty sure in this one was like, this was before I knew about, like, silicon stranded wires. And I was using like some random wire with like four strands in it. It was like it broke like, super easily. And I don't know, but there was a lot of. There was a lot of learning from him right here. And I think. I think that is it the moment of great sadness.

B

But at the same time, he tasted glory. Because for a few seconds you got your first taste. He was listening.

C

Yeah, I know. So, yeah, I think I went 2 and 2 at that event, but that was pretty fun. And then I was like.

A

And then Warhard was your big, like, kind of the first, like, heavy duty opponent that you were able to beat.

B

Yeah.

C

So it didn't start off super well, but then I like, I think I probably watched that one hit like every single day for like six months.

B

You see, that's the point though, because he's bouncing Warhard off the arena like he's winning exchanges. It's already pretty good. The robot's still functioning, which is even better. And now we're hard's on his face. He's doing the thing.

C

His like weapon motor desoldered or something. So then I was able to like control the rest of the fight. And you can see standing next to me is Steven from the Leatherbacks. And that was his first NHR ever. And I think or no, that wasn't his first one because that was in the spring. But I remember talking about this with him a lot and we were like, did I actually just beat Warhard? That was crazy. And then. Yeah,

B

it was good times. It was good times.

C

Oh yeah. And then. Yeah, good. So this, this version was also the Motorama. Day two. Undefeated.

B

Exactly. Day two champion. Ok.

A

Okay.

C

So yeah, you know, like Motorama, like two day event, double elimination bracket. And I, I mean I won all of my fights on day two.

B

So yeah, he just didn't win day one, but day two, everyone's around for crutches and so you just beat them all up.

C

Yeah.

B

Champion.

A

So when was the turning point when you, when you went to the. The beater bar? Because that's really like, that really changed the robot a lot, you know, from its look.

C

Yeah, yeah. So actually I think that the 2023 spring was when I, I brought two robots

B

and.

C

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. So unfortunately we have to search for. I actually forgot the name of it for a second.

B

Happy Apple was the first answer to

C

Sad Apple because we had to Sad

B

Apple and Sad Apple was sad. Everyone knew it was sad, but actually it was side apple. We called it Sad Apple. And then we made Happy Apple. And Happy Apple was a dual iteration.

C

Yeah.

A

You fought un again. That's crazy. With a different.

C

So many times.

A

Wow.

B

Oh yeah.

C

And this one, this one was. I. I don't even remember what was going on in my mind. Yeah, yeah. I was overweight.

B

I thought you were. Yeah, There we go.

C

Yeah, I don't need wheel guards. So I mean, I mean we do

B

see the same stuff come back later on.

C

So you see my nice little fork limiter not doing anything and did I lose again? Am I owing three against. Oh, no.

B

Or Happy Apple? I think it was Lego tires back then. So I just sort of came off

A

to his mom too.

C

So I actually Oh, I felt so bad. He, like, sucked in my LEGO time. That was how I beat his mom. And I was like, oh, my God. This is like.

B

That. That's getting.

C

This is, like, the worst moment of my whole life. I've had a lot of those. Like, this is the worst moment. Like, I'm like, oh, my God, Just

B

say worse so far. Always get worse. You'll find a way.

A

Which, by the way, if your robot is not in weight and there's been a lot of discourse around your robot not being in weight in the 12 pound server, just take the armor off and just get it to the box. This is a perfect example of just get it to the. Because you might win, you know, you might get your wheels and win the fight. So just get it to the box and you'll learn something, you know? That's awesome.

B

And now went for Happy Apple.

C

So this whole event was rough because that was also, I think, Warlock's, like, last showing, and I. Yeah, it was Warlock and side Apple's most recent showings, and I was working on both of those. And I remember that I didn't get to test my three pound robot because we were building Warlock and stuff, so I was a little salty about that. But that's.

B

Oh, yeah, I remember that.

A

You want to watch a Warlock.

B

Yeah. I mean, you should just use the Jade fight. That's like, Warlock's only high moment. Dude, we played the Warlock. Highlight of it hitting jade for every single scram event at Maryland, every sort of showcase. See this? This one hit, and this is the chassis. Like, that's our connection.

A

Oh, my God, it moves great.

B

Yeah, yeah. Warlock is key. When it actually was good, it just. I mean, it killed the weapon to do it. But, like, Warlock actually had a lot of potential to be a decent robot. It's just that it was, you know, left to die. Yeah, it was left to die.

A

Yeah.

C

Yeah. So I think we were all a little bit burned out at Warlock because that last event, it kind of had a lot of.

A

Oh, my God, four events.

C

Wait, no. Even more. Oh, my gosh.

B

Warlock. Memory lane is always some answer.

A

Oh, pain lock.

B

But. But that's also part of the teaching, though, because this is also where we're kind of looking as a team and said, okay, Warlock is intending to get people into doing stuff.

A

Yeah.

B

You have students who want to do stuff.

A

Yep.

B

But independently. So we're gonna pivot to that. So that's really started getting more into, you know, like, pines is pretty good, and then other beetles and whatnot.

C

So no, really? The turning point. Oh, sorry.

A

Oh, sorry. I was gonna say. So this was kind of a turning point for the club where you guys had one big robot and then you split into a bunch of, like, smaller robots is what you're saying.

C

Yeah, because kind of before this, we had Warlock, we had Side Apple, and we had me. I kind of just, like, built a new Beetle every, like, month. And then. Yeah, so the turning point really happened because right after this, I was like, what am I doing with my life? And then I built Redemption. Yeah, that was my first. My first RO. Robot podium. My first event where I actually won more than, like, two fights in a row. That was my Plastic Ant version one. And after that, we were like, let's start building plastic ants. And then that was kind of the focus for that next semester was. Well, the next semester was an interesting one, but it was, let's have all the normal club members build plants instead of building metal robots. And then we can, like, iterate more, build more, and it's a lot less hard to manufacture everything. And then I think that year was our. That was the best SCRAM to date. We had, like. Like, me and Brandon fought our plants, like, 17 times in a row because no one else's robot worked.

B

Yeah,

C

but, like, that was scram. Oh, SCRAM stands for Showcase Combat Robotics at Maryland. So that was like, our semesterly tournament competition thing. And then in the spring, there's this thing called Maryland Day, which is like, Maryland campus is open to the public, and everyone comes to see demos of, like, engineering and just what the school's up to. So that's kind of like our big spring event. And there'll be, like, hundreds of people walking through. And, like, that was pretty fun.

B

Yeah, that was. That was sort of.

C

That.

B

Excuse me. Change. We realized that if we wanted to have people be competent enough to work in bigger robots, cut the teeth in small ones, because people started graduating out from the first generation. So, for example, like, Bob had graduated out with me, so we already were leaving. So that means that people who worked on things like Professor Hex, they are now gone. It's a lot of new students coming in. They're trying to figure stuff out. New plastic ants. And the benefit is as he had more access to PLA 3D printing through TerraformWorks, which is the whole point of UMD and, like, clubs and stuff. Okay. We can make them do good there. We can have them rapidly iterate as they iterate. They can make better, bigger bots. We can teach them how to do stuff. And so Galax was a prime example of that, because he would bring in redemption. And it's like, all right, finally someone who can challenge me. And so I fought him a bunch.

C

Finally fought him a bunch of robot

B

to be able to showcase the people. It also really worked because he had the dean, who later became the president of the university, come by, and he was like, neat. And we're like, so then we try to convince them to support us, and then, like, Liam and Steven and all them, like, now get to lean into that more. Like, you had the mechanical engineering department interested in doing stuff. Terraform Works used us as, like, an example, like, students using tools and whatnot. So you had lots of growth as a result. So all to say, Warlock had to die for Leatherbacks to live. So we salute Warlock's death. But it was. It was pine time, and we're moving towards that. Towards that era.

C

Yeah. And then that following semester was Liam's first semester at UMD and also Owen's first semester. And that was when we really leaned into the plant thing and started like. Like the Leatherbacks Fight Night, which was Tuesday and sometimes more, but at least every Tuesday. Me, Liam, Owen, Mitchell, and Steven, and no one else, because no one else had a robot. But the five of us would always fight our plants against each other. And literally every week, we would blow things up and then make changes and then do it again. Yeah. That was probably one of my fondest Leatherbacks memories, because that was, like, the most competitive thing, because everyone was like, you don't want to lose to Mitchell, for example, because if you lose to Mitchell, then your life is over.

A

But for reference, this is the famous Leatherbacks apartment where they just, like, don't go outside, don't do anything. Just sweat plants and just try hard plants for weeks at a time every week. This is the cage. This is the. I don't know if this many 3D printers. Candlelight over here, I think, is what it is. So they're working because there's no other lights in this photo. There's, like, packages strewn. There's, like, isopropyl alcohol and a scale on this table. It looks like.

B

Yeah, it was a prime laboratory for how to sweat plants.

C

Yeah. So I actually. I missed the apartment days because I think, yeah, the first year, they. Or they moved in, like, this semester, and I graduated last semester. But we had our. That was when we were in Cyprus. We had our cage, and we called it, like, the Leatherbacks dungeon. And I mean, Brandon knows all about this, but, like, it's like a. Yeah. It's like a musty building. We have our arena, and there's one light that is like 100ft away. So we're using our phone flashlights to, like, see inside.

B

Dude, they.

A

They were only gross videos that are. They look like they're shot in an alleyway of just, like, plants and in this, like, dark cage. And people are just like. You know, there's, like, dudes with tattoos, like, placing lots in the background. Just like, I got that one. And like, that's.

B

That's so.

A

You know, what's cool to me about that is how much effort, you know, even though it's like, it's just a plant, like, week over week, you're doing and you're thinking about something, and that's so. That's so exciting because, you know, sometimes we're months away from the next competition, and that can be really, like, you know, especially for someone who's beginning, it can be hard for them to work on such an abstract goal for an extended period of time. So, like, you know, for people who are listening, who are from colleges, like, get a plant program, because that will get people who are new involved and give them something that's, like, very, you know, very. You know, the time horizon is very limited. You know, you can fight this. You know, if you want to build this this week and then fight it next week, you can do that instead of working on a 30 or a 12 for months at a time and then having it go 02 and get blown up. Sorry. Sad luck. So. So, you know, I think it's so important for the college program. Yeah, I think you guys are such a model of why that's, like, so successful. And I think your success at the most recent competition is so evident of, like, putting work in and, like, you know, on a consistent time timeline and then just, like, slowly building up a great robot. You can see the way that pinevic, this was, like, such a simple concept. It's just, like, build links and then, like, make it much, much better and. And I think that's very cool. And as a driver, too. So would you like to get to more recent pine victus stuff? Is that. Is that where we're headed?

C

Yeah. No, this is good. This is a lot better than talking about a 12x wing.

B

Wait, where. Where's old pine? Where. Where is the team's pine? Old pine is good.

C

I. I didn't send a picture.

A

Oh, because that's right.

B

Team is fine.

A

Teams, you were.

C

Find a picture the weather back.

B

To be fair,

C

we were never there,

B

but well, that's weren't really there, but

C

allegedly, they say allegedly competed at teams for some reason and may or may not have done anything there.

A

I don't know. I've seen.

B

We were allegedly Blue Mario. Allegedly.

C

Well, there's no reels of me being there, so at least that's good.

B

Which is the ironic part because like, allegedly, if Bob and I were there, supposedly Red Marlin and Dark Orion both got destroyed, like completely obliterated.

A

Did you. Did you guys all go Owen 3 or something?

B

No, he won.

C

He was our only fight against positively hysterical.

B

Okay, okay. But here's the thing. But here's the thing. But his fights against links and liftoff, which again, crazy pull for a team. We're excellent fights.

A

Bob. Bob won his fight against.

C

Yeah, Bob beat Shifty.

A

Yeah, Shifty.

C

Yeah.

B

Yeah.

A

It wasn't all for nothing.

B

Oh, true. I mean, yeah, if he was there maybe, but otherwise.

A

Okay. Pine.

B

Yeah, like this. And this is old time like to call it. And old Pine was also a really good example of. Of innovation because that was a solid robot.

C

Yeah, yeah. And then I remember we did the like G scroll double header this weekend and then I also went to a G scroll, so that was. That was kind of okay.

B

But they were also good fights though. Like here, here's the thing. I'm gonna have to keep doing Z. His fights were very good fights. Like, his losses were a case of like judges decision losses because he took them to like the full three minutes and he like either lost drive or like lost one too many exchanges near the very end of the fight. Like sub 30 seconds where it's just

C

enough to like points at the same time.

B

Like, great fighting. So like old Pine was solid. I still respect old pine. I loved Alpine.

A

Oh, this. This had the welded beater on it. Yeah. Sweet.

B

Yeah.

C

Yeah. So this was against. I don't know what it will say. This was Steven. He did all my. At this point I was like, I really didn't like machining that much anymore because I had spent too much time like using the water jet. And yeah, Steven helped me out a lot to like get this guy over the finish line.

A

We have a picture. We're glad for it. Of that group. Zoe. Zoe is in chat sending pictures, supplementary images of your team.

B

Super zoom on Lee's face.

A

Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to zoom in. So this is Liam. This is.

B

I'm sorry, That's Stephen.

A

Stephen.

C

And then Owen and then Mitchell.

A

And then Mitchell. Okay.

C

Yep. So that was the gang. Yeah. We would fight our plants we'd go eat dinner, we would go home, fix the plant, do it again the next day, not do any homework. Like, yeah, that's great.

B

It was good times. It was good times. I mean, for them. I wasn't there. I'm old. I had adult money, so I could just.

C

You know, this. This fight was actually good until it was not good. But the beginning is good.

A

So. So you're fighting Links, kind of the robot that you base it based your robot off of, like, in both drive style and kind of, like, you know, general aggression. What is going through your head, like, going into this fight? What are you thinking about? I know it was a while ago.

C

Yeah. I mean, at this point, like, I felt like an outsider at this competition because, like, my robot was, like. I didn't personally think it was that good compared to everyone else I knew. So I think that was. That was a little bit tricky. You can see the giant L on the bottom. That's nice. Oh, and I've got stuck. I think after I get on stick, it gets better.

B

I mean, you get free.

C

Yeah, I was. I think I was kind of nervous, but I didn't have, like, super high expectations. And at this point, like, I hadn't really done a whole lot in my robot fighting career yet. So, like, I wasn't. I wasn't expecting to, like, do anything crazy. Oh, no. What happened?

B

It's good. It's buffering. Yeah, you're good, you're good, you're good.

C

No, it's fine.

B

We're dancing now.

C

Oh, no, wait. What happened to the part where I was winning?

B

Like, you see? So he's bouncing around. He throws links. Links inverted. Now he's chasing down links while inverted.

A

Yeah.

B

Not sure. Doing the dance at the verticals.

A

Okay, now you're not.

C

Oh, no.

B

Well, I won't listen. Yeah, but you notice, like, I'm still driving. Well, it drives very, very good. It's throwing links just as much as Links is throwing it. Like, that's. First of all, that's why I. I knew, because I picked him for teams anyway because I knew he's gonna be good.

A

Right.

B

And second of all, that's why I keep standing Old Pine, because Old Pine actually is way better than anyone thinks it was.

C

Yeah, well, you see, the real reason was Brandon picked me so that I would be motivated by getting beat up by all these good robots.

A

Well, you're not getting. Look, you're pinning. You're pinning with your weapon off here. This isn't. I mean, you're not. You're you are certainly holding your own in a fight that, like, you wouldn't expect. Like, you'd expect to get.

C

Oh, no. Yeah, that's cool.

A

You know, like, he's.

B

He's fighting the reigning champ. You have to remember this. He's fighting the best robot in the world at that point.

A

Right.

C

And I remember fighting him and, like, you can see James, like, on the cage side with Calvin. And I was like, I was just happy to be there, honestly. And then actually I broke his beater bar, which, like, it doesn't stop spinning, but it, like, cracked and he gave it to me. So I have.

A

Oh, that's cool.

C

I got a link speeder bar out of that fight. So that was pretty cool.

B

See what I mean? Like, last 30 seconds, it gets pretty rough, a little bit sad. But Pine's still in there. Pine's still in there. So once again, old Pine, but at the same time, like, you have to. I have. And I really wanted to acknowledge this point too. The original Pine two year, a little less than two years down the line. This is June 24th, so that's about.

C

It's like two.

B

About three years. About, like two and a half years a change from the first one. That's great. Growth between surviving lynxing to whatever one of these wires to the other one. I think. Listen, look, rubber band pulley to actual belt.

A

Yes, yes. Like, I think there was a most improved Brett winner, like, start to finish all time Pine Victus. 100%, like, looking at where it started to where it is now, like, is, you know, of the recent prop, like, it is an entirely different beast than when it started, you know?

C

Yeah. I think a big part of that is just, like, it started when I didn't know anything and then I just kind of stuck with the same. Same idea of, like, I wanted to win the whole thing with a beater bar. And that was like, that was my whole goal from the beginning. So I think it was just, like, a lot of dedication to make sure that that happened.

B

That's right. But that's when I say rats. And I would generally tribute to, like, the getting good begins to kick in. Because even if you didn't think old plan was great, this is when you started moving towards the next one. Remember, explicitly, like, after going at G's 4 and coming back, I think we did sword event, like, in the summertime. Yeah, Yeah.

C

I did a sword on my. It was on my birthday and I. I, like, didn't really want to go, but then I was like, well, I'll go with Brandon. And then that one was pretty good. I think I got, like, fifth or something. But then after that, I was like, yeah, now it's time for a new version. So that new version was version seven that I won my first ever event with. That was Vector Space. That was in fall of 2024. And that was because I. I debuted NHRL in, like, October, and then I lost to Voxel, and then I lost to Chaos Upright as well. And then I was, like, pretty sad. So I went to another competition the next week, and I drove, like, four hours to get there, and then I, like, then I swept that event, and I was. That was my first, like, event win. And then I was, like, I was ready to go to the next NHRL in February, and that was where I qualified

B

exactly. Like, you had the growth there. Actually, I think you might have a photo of this one, Jake. We can flash that really fast. Yeah, it's the red and cyan one.

C

Yeah, it's on the. On the wiki. The one on the wiki?

B

The one on the wiki. Yeah.

A

Oh, I'm sorry. You're good.

B

Yeah, it's like the one at the top.

A

Yeah.

B

Yeah, that's the one.

C

Yeah.

B

Yeah, that's the one.

C

So I remember, like. Like, I remember watching the finals from home, and I was like, yeah, I want to. I want to be there next year. So that. I think that was kind of like, my biggest motivator, was, like, I wanted to be. I wanted to be good.

B

And this one was because I'm not mistaken, this one qualified in February, right?

C

Yep. So this is only qualified in February. I had a lot of hard fights to get there. So I beat. I beat Jackalope. I beat Spicy Toucan. I beat Sad Octopus Mako and Cold Snap, and that was my, like, qualifying run. And then I lost to Silent Spring. Yeah, this is pretty painful because.

B

Oh, this finals run was a bunch

C

of my fights from February, too. So this one, I, like, I rewatched it a lot, and, like, I'm, like, controlling the beginning, but I think I was a little bit too amped up, and I'm, like, driving insanely fast, and then that ends up being my downfall. But that was also, like, that kind of propelled me throughout the rest of the day, like, the really fast and aggressive driving style. But I had thought a lot about, like. Yeah, like, if I had, like, slowed it down a little bit for this fight, like, might it have gone differently? Yeah, that kind of kept me awake at night quite a bit.

B

Like, the. The craziness that he induces from the sick gyro and speed. And pine also let it open a bit more for Silent Spring. And so I remember watching. I've watched this a couple times, too. Ah, there's a sad moment. Smoke there. Smoke and pine.

C

He basically broke my beater bar and then it locked up against the wedge and then smoked out my weapon motor.

A

Oh, he didn't hit anything. I see. So it busted.

B

Well, he made you hit yourself.

A

Yeah, right?

C

Yeah, it was like a weird combo thing because he also hit my pulley

A

in new bread zone. Can I do. Oh, oh, oh, okay. Can I do.

B

I think there's still single cliff, right? Frame by frame.

A

No, I'm not gonna mess with this right now. All right, we're gonna take a quick break real quick. When we come back, we're gonna be reviewing Alex's fight from December, his run with many rematches, actually, which I did not realize. And we're gonna be reviewing those fights. Thank you, Alex. We'll be back in about five minutes. Thanks. We're back with Alex Wang, current reigning three pound champion. I've got some questions, though, mainly the fit. Okay. I think this took us all by storm. You know, you showing up at champs, you get a uniform on, you know, people want to look kind of, you know, kind of. Kind of out there kind of wild together. But you showed up in a Nike Navy sweatshirt. What? What are you thinking?

B

What's the vibes?

A

What's the vibe?

C

So I have, like, the leatherbacks jersey. I thought about it, but, like, I'm not a leatherback anymore, and I kind of just wanted to do my own thing. And then, honestly, like, I just. Like, I just wanted to win and look like I didn't care, and I thought that would be kind of funny.

B

Now I'm gonna do my own thing, and it's gonna be in the most chill way possible possible.

C

Yeah, yeah, I know. Like, Jake, you're talking about, like, me wearing my winter jacket at, like, the cage and how, like, no one wears their winter jacket. But Jameson Go wears his winter jacket. Sometimes, man,

A

it's such a nonchalant look.

B

This looks.

A

This looks like it could be a Nike ad.

B

This looks like this is an ad.

A

Like, if you crop this, like, you could have a banner of this. Yeah, Nike let it rip. What's their thing? Just do it.

C

Yeah, just do whatever.

B

No, man, that would go hard.

A

Just do it.

B

You got the full background of pine, and you had the nonchalant holding of the golden dumpster. You got it.

A

That's a website Banner right there. Just do it.

C

Yeah. So I just wanted to look, you know, nonchalant. That was really the big thing.

A

You pulled it off. You pulled it off. Let me tell you that. Okay, so going into champs, you had. You had four robots. These are all kind of configured differently. This billet thing is wild. So what part is this and what made you do this?

C

Yeah, actually, so we talked about Prime Victus being good in February.

B

Yeah.

C

Then I had a two in one run in May where I lost to Cold Snap, and that was another moment that kind of kept me up at night because then I lost the Silent Spring, and then I lost a Cold Snap, and I was like, what am I doing with my life? And then it only goes downhill because then. Hi, Hysteria. I'm doing, like, pretty well all day, and then in the final, if I. Lunatic. And he, like, in one hit, he, like, blows out my battery through the. It's like, where the billet thing is now. I used to have, like, a 3D printed thing. Yeah. And so this was rough because he ripped off my wedge when I was stuck, and that was like. I think, like, I. I don't like to say that I was, like, unlucky,

B

but, I mean. Yeah, good. He definitely aimed for the wedge. Knee wedge certainly did its job in that moment of taking all the energy for you, but it hurt doing so.

C

Yeah. And then, like, after that, like, he. I think he, like, hit my pulley and then locked up the weapon and it smoked. And then we'll slowly watch what happened to Repeater, where he, like, rips out my beater bar and. Yeah, the rest is kind of rough.

A

Yeah.

B

This is so.

A

Yeah. Hard. Oh, it's so gross, dude.

B

Yeah. Because, like, this is. Again, at this point or to this point, this is the best pine.

A

Yeah.

B

Qualified in February. It was on a monster run compared to its predecessors, but, yeah, it still

C

wasn't, like, just getting mauled.

A

Right now

B

you actually can see it peeling up in. In real time. Like, the frame rails are bent, the wheels are out the. So what.

A

Why did that fight prompt this?

C

So. Yeah. Yes. So it wasn't that fight. It was the next fight at Hive. Hysteria. No, sorry. I don't think it's. I hope it's not a video. I don't know.

B

Maybe we dive hard enough. I'm pretty sure that'll keep quiet for now. We'll go on.

C

Yeah. So I had, like, a tpu, like, electronics cover thing, but the way my frame is laid out, like, my battery goes long ways next to my weapon motor. So, like, there's no drive motors in between. Like, on most beater bars, that's, like, holding the battery in at the back. So in, like, a big hit versus Lunatic, basically just ejected my battery through the middle, like, right into the beater bar. And that was, like, one hit. And then, like, I got second at that event, but, like, I wasn't thrilled about it because that wasn't a good way to, like, lose. Then following that, I was like, well, this robot sucks, and I need to do something about it. But then I started in my new job, and then I was like, I have no more time at all to even think about robots. And then it kind of sat there, and I went to another HIVE event, and I fought impact. And then the same thing happened, except worse, because this time, like, my weapon was spinning full speed when the battery came out, and then it, like, fully, like, was on fire. And they had to, like. We had to stop for, like, 15 minutes. So that could, like, desmoke everything. So after that, then I was like, okay, yeah, I need to do something about it. And I was like. I had thought about ways to do it and, like, doing it with plates and. Or, like. Like, aluminum or carbon fiber plates. And I was like, I don't really like any of these. And I was like, well, I have a. I have a chance to make it, like, super cool. So then I was like, let's just make something cool. And then I catted something that I thought was cool, and then we turned out with this thing. So that was kind of how I. How it came to be.

A

Seeing this part in real life looked fake. I mean, it looked so cool. It looked like something, you know, it looked like the cat. You know what I mean? It's just kind of like an alien part. You don't know. Know where it goes on. Like, I couldn't point to you and tell you, oh, this is. This part of this robot. You know what I mean? So, yeah, this is doing three things. It's mounting to the top cover, right? Is that what I'm seeing here?

C

Yeah. Yeah. So that's what those, like, two screws in the back are.

A

And then it's mount.

C

So it's mounting to that. It's mounting the bottom, and it's mounting the sides.

A

Yep.

C

Right there and then. Yeah. Basically everything's, like, keyed together, so it goes together really nicely. And then it also holds the weapon motor, which is, like, keyed into there. And then I also. I don't know if it actually did anything, but I, like, I found Some thermal paste from when I built my computer a couple. A couple years ago.

B

Yeah.

A

Yeah.

C

So I just thermal pasted my weapon motors in there.

A

It helps.

C

That's kind of cool.

A

I think it helps a ton. I. I do the same thing. I do the same thing to this day.

C

Yeah. And then

B

bars, other configurations on there. Because I know Alex Pick asked about the tie beater bar and the top plates there. They also look very sick too.

C

Yeah.

A

Yeah. This is crazy town, dude. Holy moly. Um, so what is the tie? Is this a tie beater?

C

So here, if you go back to that picture with the. All four of them.

A

Yeah.

C

So honestly, I'm not like a big config guy. I don't really like to think too hard about it, I think. Oh, yeah. I tried to. I tried to keep it to, like, forks and wedge and then like a top armor, but. Yeah. So for the. The Thai top armor. So it's like a 2 millimeter water jet cut sheet that we then bent on the iron worker at umd. And that was another moment where Steven came in clutch to help me out with that. But I kind of designed the billet thing without thinking about top armor. And then I was going to cat up some top armor after I already had everything in hand, and I was like, the normal method is not going to work for this, so I need to do something else. And then I was like, well, I have my little, like, hypershock hex bug on my desk. And I was just looking at it, and I was like, let's just do some, like, bending for fun.

B

Let's go. Will Bales.

A

That's awesome.

C

So that's why, like. Yeah, there's four completely unnecessary bends on this thing, like between these two pieces, like, like those two in the corners and then the two on the bottom plate. Like. Yeah, there's just no reason to do this, but I just thought it looks cool. And I was like, we might as well just do it because we're here.

B

That's the human element, man. That's how you make it a lie, not just like a box.

C

I know. And then. Yeah. So I ended up also buying a titanium beater bar, just being like the exact same geometry in case I needed weight. And I ended up needing it to. To fit the top armor. So it came in at like. Yes. 3.00 pounds. So right on the dot,

A

this. This beater bar is titanium. And did you run this at you run this again?

C

Yeah. Yeah. So if we watch the one against the wall, I think that one I liked it really well,

B

all the Strats came into play. That's what I'm hearing. Which is good to hear.

C

Well, okay. Actually we can watch both against Mega. The top armor comes in handy, but against the wall, like the lower like moi of the Thai beater bar actually like made a big difference. And you can see like I'm driving in ways that a beater bar robot like shouldn't be allowed to drive.

B

Exactly.

C

Like, like I'm like getting fully around him in he's super mobile manner. That like shouldn't really be fair

B

because I think about remember, like, I just remember because we watched it earlier. Original Pines fight against Silent Spring versus this fight.

A

Yeah.

B

You were bouncing way more and this one's kind of like. Yeah, he'd been caught once or twice, but he's. Look at that, like pivoting around the sides of wall, catching the forks. Beautiful.

A

Moi allows you to turn and maneuver around and it's also allowing you to drive through those fork. Like you're not hitting the forks and then kind of failing out on them. You're ab. You're actually getting enough momentum where you're driving against them, getting bite and then driving through them.

B

Yeah. Like, because I'm convinced that beetle weights have excess, I'm giving speed away to have excess energy. Because they're, because they are so light. Their actual inertia is way bigger to just throw them instead of actually taking damage. So if you actually can minimize your weapon power, you can just do stuff like this.

C

Yeah, like, I like doing like a full speed turn and not gyroing. Yeah, I'm just like, like I'm just going from side to side and then like I realized I could get to the side of his long forks and then like we would just lock in these like rotating battles and then.

A

But here you're able to go completely around. Wow.

B

Yeah, we have like teleporting speed.

A

Yeah.

B

Because, like, because pine runs. What success.

C

Yeah, yeah.

B

So your speed is crazy because I imagine that's paired with like repeat pros or PGI pros.

C

Yep.

B

Yeah, exactly. So your top speed, especially in a three pound box, is probably just lightning, kind of like red storm. So you can just do mauling like that. It's brilliant.

C

I know. So like in this fight, honestly, like, honestly at this point in the day, I wasn't even, I wasn't nervous. Like the one I was nervous for was Silent Spring because that was what had been haunting me at night for the last like, whatever, since February.

B

Rematch if you will.

C

But like I was talking to Jamo and, like, it was funny. Like, I was talking to, like, his mom, and his mom was like, I hope you guys have fun or something. And I was like, oh, yeah, me too. And he was saying, like, don't do anything embarrassing on stream. And then it's like, I wasn't, like, super nervous, but it was just like, like a lot of built up, like, anticipation of this rematch.

A

Yeah.

C

And then, yeah, I was like, pretty locked in the whole time. And I think after this fight, it gave me the confidence to just kind of.

A

Yeah. Like, released.

B

Yeah. Because also, also, people ask, so, like, no wheel guards.

A

Yeah. What is that Is wild. I think between this decision and it's

B

so Cold Snap this and Cold Snap, people freaked out. They're like, no wheel guards. I'm coming.

A

I know.

C

I was like, I definitely, like, like, well, see right there, that was my. My own fault. Like, I don't think he hit me. Like, my screw just came out, which is stupid. But. Yeah, my thinking when I was designing the robot was like, well, I want to put all the weight I can into everything that isn't wheel guards. And if I'm gonna win, then I'll need to be driving really well anyway, so, like, I don't feel like I need it. And then against these two, my wedge config was heavy where I couldn't run, like, the belt guard. And really I figured, like, against the undercutter, like, they're getting under any guard I had anyway, so, like, it doesn't even matter. And it just came down to, like, I had to drive really nicely to. To win.

A

It's such a. It's such a, like, high risk, high reward strategy because you can take all that weight and put it into, like, a much better, like, look how much better your front wedge mounting is compared to the one that Cold Snap ripped off. It's very, you know, and this might be a weird comparison. It's very much in the same vein of, like, slam plan, where it's just like, okay, I'm not doing top. I'm gonna dump everything I can into, like, the chassis and the weapon to make the chassis and the weapon as good and as reliable as possible. And, you know, even though that's a completely different robot, it's the same logic where it's like, I can have a giant front wedge and a really well mounted front wedge, and that's going to do me way better than this wheel armor is going to do. And so it's such a cool decision, and it's so Cool to see it, like, work out, you know?

C

Yeah, no, for sure. Because, like, even in my other fights, like, I had the wheel guards, and they. They didn't save me.

A

Right, right.

B

I think you might have inspired people to do other similar stuff. Now people are going to think about, wait, what if I just make wheels strong?

A

Yeah.

B

It's kind of like a max does anyway.

A

But, yeah, why would I. Why would I take the weight from my drivetrain to have wheel guards when I can just make my drivetrain be able to handle direct shots? You know what I mean? Like, that's the logic. Right? It's better to have. The logic is it's better to have one good thing. Thing than a bunch of, like, kind of mediocre things. You know what I mean?

C

Yeah, exactly.

B

Exactly.

A

Yeah. So I. I think that that's interesting, and I. I'm interested to see what other designs, like, start to take after that logic. Like.

C

Yeah, I think.

A

I think these robots are very, like, generalist. Like, you have a wide. You have a configuration for a wide variety of opponent, or not a wide variety, but a wide range of opponents. So, like, Colton, you know, you've got your wedge kind of config. That's good for Cold Snap, that's good for Silent Spring, that's good for Caldera. But, like, min. Maxing each of those in their own, you know, category. Right.

B

Maximizing.

A

Yeah, well, yeah, I didn't want to say. Anyways, okay, so you did Silent Spring, and so the. The pressure is kind of off you, and then you're going into Cold Snow Snap for the final. What is. What are you thinking about going into that one? What. Where's your headspace at? Because that's also a rematch.

C

Yeah, well, so, like, I don't know. This. This kind of comes back to me not wanting to, like, actually, I don't even know what I'm saying. But, like, before the event, like, you know, there are all the. Everyone's making a spreadsheet. Everyone's, like, doing everything, and, like.

A

Okay, okay, okay.

C

Whoa, whoa. No, no. Like, every. I. I made a spreadsheet, but my spreadsheet. I looked at the spreadsheet, and I was like, well, I feel like I can win all these. And then I put myself at the top, and I didn't even fill out the rest of it.

B

That's awesome.

A

That's awesome. That's awesome.

C

And I saw, like, if I wanted to win, I would have to be Silent Spring Cold Snap. And, like, that would be a big, like, challenge to overcome because, like, that historically has not gone too well for me. But that was assuming I beat Repeater in my second fight and I actually lost that, and I wasn't really keeping it. Like, I hadn't accounted to lose that one. So I didn't really know, like, what was coming up. But then I ended up kind of like taking the same route that I.

B

Yeah, I definitely remember seeing that. I watched the fight before, which I think was Cold Snap Repeater, and when Cold Snap beat Repeater, I was like, okay, this is like much more analysis game now. At least now he knows how he's gonna fight him. That's much better direction how he wants to go, as opposed to just like a, like being double teamed again. That'd be. That'd be pain.

C

Yeah.

B

So kind of funny how the direction turned out. But at the same time, I also was thinking, dang, goal snap hits really, really hard. Like, Silent Spring also hits hard. But I guess, you know, I mean, obviously Jameson had the. Had the issue with Silent with. With Silent Spring. Like, going into the Cold Snap fight, we're definitely thinking about like, okay, is that twice on a robot that's like, super wide, which is already, like, a really difficult thing to go against, because now you're being really funneled better into the blade. So that's gonna be big.

C

Yeah. So, I mean, how did I feel? I felt like if it was gonna happen, this is how I would want it to happen. Like, I wouldn't want to have won without fighting Cold Snap. Like, yeah, there was between, like, cold seven spring errors. No other robots that, like, worried me so much. And especially just having, like, the history with them. And it was.

B

Gosh.

C

Oh, yeah. Like, neither of us were like, that nervous, I think, because we kind of like, we made it. It was. It was just for fun, but, like, the pressure's on, and I was really trying to be locked in. And then there's a moment, like, in the beginning, it's going for. I'm like, oh, dang. I'm actually winning. Like, this could be possible. And then we're gonna get to it where I think, like, it's over and I'm gonna go home being second place. Like, right here.

B

Right here.

A

Yeah.

C

My wedge starts bending down.

B

Is that a dry belt or a.

C

Yes, that's a drive belt. My wedge is bend down. Two wheels are touching the ground right now. I'm like, oh, no.

B

Oh, geez.

C

This is exactly what.

A

Wait, you won this? I. Sorry, I don't remember any of this. You won this fight.

B

This is the final. Yeah, Wait.

C

And I'm like, okay, I need to get hit and unbend the wedge. And that happened. And then I was like, oh, that's good. But then, like, part of it, like, one side of it just falls off, and I'm like, oh, well, it's over again.

A

Right? But now he's upside down.

B

We're back. It's over.

A

So as soon as you see an under cutter upside down, by the way, for vert drivers in the chat, you hit the hell out of that thing because it is so vulnerable when it's upside down. It's so scary. For an undercutter, this is, like, the worst, like, life ending. Like, this is so scary because you're like, my weapon could come off, like, with any of these hits. You know what I mean? It's the scariest thing.

C

Spin as fast as possible and drive as slowly as possible. You see, like, half of my wedges just, like, hanging off.

B

Like, but the drive's not free, though, which is huge because now you're much more maneuverable.

A

Yeah.

B

Doing the things.

A

You get it back.

B

Oh, I see Miles and Jameson and Chad, they're both commentating.

C

Sorry, guys. Jake, it was so much fun to fight them,

B

but, yeah, like, are you saying Alex, like, the fight at the same point?

A

I'm sorry.

B

You also had good moments.

A

I told him the secret. I told him. I told him that we go into panic mode as soon as we're upside down. So what is failing in Cold Snap right now? So it kind of, like, winds down.

C

Yeah. So I'm not exactly sure what happened. Miles said he didn't see anything, like, physically wrong with it, but his weapon's still spinning and his drives are not driving.

A

Yeah. Miles, what happened? Design a better undercutter than Jake. Yeah, bro. Okay.

B

I'm trying to. Real time. Very fun.

A

Some of us went Owen to a champs. Okay. Yeah.

B

Like it. Yeah. Like, in your case here, cold snaps winding down, weapons still spinning, but you're also driving super well. Weapons are going. And then that's it. Like, you keep hitting them because you're like, I got to make sure I put him down for good.

C

Yes. Yeah. This is one thing I saw, like, in my earlier fight against Murphy's Law. Like, I didn't stop hitting him after he stopped moving. And I mean, me personally, like, I don't. Like, if I didn't hit him and I, like, gave him 10 seconds to come back to life, and then he kills me, like, I would be depressed. So, like, that is. That's not. Just not gonna, like, we let that happen, you know.

B

Do you prefer like a tap out

C

versus so yeah, no, I want to tap. I want them to tap out. I want to ko. I don't want to judge anything. Had a lot of bad times with the judges, so.

B

But that smile, the smile of a champion.

C

Nonchalant smile.

B

Nonchalant. Ah, then you did it, champ.

C

Yeah, so then I did it and like I had. I mean I thought about what I would say in like an interview where I'm like holding up a golden box. Like. But then it kind of all just happened so fast and I don't really remember any of that moment.

B

You.

A

Have you watched it back yet? We don't have that.

C

I watched it. I watched it one time. I think those.

A

It's like, it's really fine.

C

I don't know.

B

Yeah, it's, it's not the best.

A

Yeah, I, I won't play it for you but.

C

But like the funny thing is like, like I don't look that happy when I'm like there.

B

No, you look you.

A

This is something about you that I really like.

C

Pain. I don't know.

A

Every fight you finish, you finish smiling. Like even every fight we've watched tonight, like when they pan to you cage side, like even in the beginning you were smiling the entire like front to back. And this robot is good and I like this robot a lot because it's had a lot of changes. They've been positive the entire time and every like even when you have your ass kicked, like you're smiling at the end of the fight and like that's such a cool like even like with this fight with Calvin, look, you're smiling. I just clicked on a random fight and you're smiling. Like I need I say more like you're just smiling the whole time. So you know, I love that about you, you know. Congratulations.

C

Yeah.

A

Where to next? What is the plan?

B

Let's see for Pine especially because now Pine's a champ. Yeah. Three other robots copies also together. What are you thinking?

C

Yeah. So I like I have all these stupid robot parts. I don't. Okay, well. Okay, one thing that is an interesting thing is that my like uhmw. Uprights are basically consumables. And a lot of people have commented on this. They are like made out of air. Like there's no material there. And every fight that wasn't against Amerson basically like throwing away my uprights because they're getting bent or gold snap cuts through them or something's happening. And I think that's something that I Would rather not just like, I don't know if I want to just go buy 10 more sets of uprights and then just keep running, running them through fights and maybe I want to take some time to change something, but honestly I think it's, it's gonna take a little bit of a break. I. It kind of takes a lot now that I'm working to like go to events, so I kind of want to just chill out for a little bit, work on some bigger robots and pine Victus will sit around and I'm sure there'll be a lot of like Maryland three pound events that I'll probably go to. And then, I mean the goal is to try and defend next year. So. Yeah.

B

Nice, nice. And you brought the 12. So now I gotta ask big robots. Everyone's asking when 12. We need a 12x wing revival.

A

A 12x wing revival?

C

Yes.

A

That's what I wanted.

C

So I don't think that's what people want to see. Like, I don't.

A

I want to see. I want to see more rap.

C

I also don't know about that one.

B

So beyond ratchet, beyond a 12x Wang. What are you thinking?

C

So like, I like, one thing I really like about my robot is that it's exciting to watch. And I don't, I don't like, not even to other people it's exciting to watch, but it's, it's exciting for me to just be eating something and watching my own YouTube video and like, I need to be entertaining myself. And that's like the, the most critical audience because like, I'll even watch like, like the wall fight. I was doing pretty well. And like, my thought is there weren't enough roof shots and there might have been like one or two, but like, I was like, I wish it could have been three minutes of roof shots and like that would have been more fun to watch. Um, so the goal for the 12 is basically to build, I guess it's kind of to build another beater bar, but to make it a similar idea where I have super fast driving and a lot of like explosive potential. And it's really fun to, to watch and to drive. And it would be cool to have like. I think it would be cool to have a good 12 pounder because I'm not very good at 12 pounders currently, as we already talked about. So I kind of want to like, it's cool to be good at 3 pounders, but I want to be good at everything. So that's the goal.

B

Yeah, it's coming for you, Jake. Coming for you.

A

Yeah, well, yeah, I'm washed. This is the beginning of the end for me. I'm about to hang it up, so. All right, well, thank you, Alex. This has been awesome. It's been great getting to know you, getting to know your robot and it's rise to now its status as reigning NHRL world champion. Congratulations. Thank you for joining us. You can catch the recording of this on my YouTube channel or on the

B

Spotify, whatever, all the audio places, all

A

the audio, wherever you catch your podcast. Thank you for joining us tonight.