We did provide this Con with technical notes about BC in advance but they got lost over the months. This becomes a recurring theme of BC over the years and is a major reason this Website exists, to allow folk to find out things whatever the Con's publishing/ admin problems are (Face it, they have a whole Con to arrange!). Though Tek hadn't been briefed in the preceding year, they improvised a last minute Pitch Boundary from rolled up carpet and Equipment boxes and supplied mike, background music and 'disco' lighting. All praise be to Tek.
BC becomes Official! We get beer and a place in the timetable. The BBC films us for the 'Hotel' TV series. As the Con is too well organised to present enough 'Conflict' for TV, it's not shown (It's in their archives somewhere. Ask them!). In 10 months, Robot Wars is on BBC 2. There is no connection: we both ripped off the idea from Leonardo Da Vinci. M@ and Miche begin their first Con ever by lugging a carload of robots into the hotel. The technical looking apparatus wielded by Sms is the same as the one held by 'Iban Spice' in 'The Spice Women Of Dune'. One of the Cychotics (Standing in for Ewok in operating Webster) also manufactured and operated 'Hammerstein' in the Judge Dredd film. Sms drew Hammerstein in 20000AD. That's quite enough of that.
Under the Acronym 'Knitted Integrated Electronic Tatty
Heap'; KIETH answered the BC1 demand for a knitted Robot. With
an unnerving 'nodding' motion and LED's suggesting a
crazed face… KIETH posed more of a psychological danger than
his whirring metal 'bow tie' fanbelt did a physical threat.
By Matt and Miche (Then, Neo's!).
The Robot Shops of Ewok excelled themselves in this massive black
spider that backed onto its prey, embedded hooks attached to
fishing twine in their bodies and then tied them up in it. Also;
due to it's black paint not sticking to its body; tends to
leave its victims marked… Sadly a casualty of the 1999 Law of
Motion as it's remote control mechanism interfered with Road
Worrier/ K 4.5 or KIETH. It's subsequent disappearance has
generated many conspiracy theories but has nothing to do with the
black spider-shaped spraypaint mark on the Adelphi service stairway
floor, or its discovery by cleaners when it was drying off in the
bath… Note for all you Trivia/B5 fans, Websters
'shadow' was still spotted at Reconvene. By Ewok.
A 'Boddingons' beer box, that moved in mysterious ways. (Later revealed to be Bimblebot in a cunning disguise and so, thankfully, disqualified).By Eira and Sms.
A more successful 'Sacrificial' entry. The annoying plastic toy with flashing lights, revolving upper body and mechanical squalking noise has rewardingly fallen over and come to pieces at every match to date. Its party piece is fighting its way out of a paper bag (No success to date). Powered by two batteries, it walks… very badly indeed. By Eira and SMS.
Road Worrier. K 4.5 Skaro Surprise. One I Prepared Earlier.
Road Worrier. Predictable but popular.
