John's bid for robot victory

ROBOTS beware: the fearsome four-wheel fighting machines Terror Turtle and Steel Sandwich are in town.

Designed and made from spare parts by Lewes man John Frizell, the remote controlled creations were recently entered in the BBC TV series Robot Wars.

The programme pits custom-built robots like John's against one another in a dual to demolition, gladiator-style. Team Terror Turtle, comprising John and his seven-year-old son JJ, took a trip to Nottingham recently for the filming of the show.

'We were very pleased with how we performed,' said John, of St John's Terrace, who works as a Greenpeace campaigner by day. 'We didn't win everything, but we certainly didn't lose all our battles either.'

Both robots are equipped with some serious damage-dealing accessories. John explained: 'Terror Turtle is a heavyweight robot. He has ground-level spinning rotor blades with axe heads attached.

'Steel Sandwich the sandwich that bites back is middleweight. He has spikes and a ramp to lift up opponents and flip them over. He also runs upside-down.'

But building robots is no mean feat. Terror Turtle is built around the chassis an old disability carriage, donated to John's cause by Seaford Volunteers, and a discarded car axle. Steel Sandwich was moulded from scratch from sheets of metal.

'Harder'

John said: 'I watched Robot Wars on television and thought, "I could do that!" But it was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be. I had lots of help from my friend Dave who lives locally and has his own workshop.

'Most of the parts were things that people had thrown away. I found them at the boot fair and the ever-reliable Lewes tip. The outer design and decoration was done by my wife Michi, who made the fibreglass shell for Terror Turtle.'

When John and JJ reached the Nottingham studios of Robot Wars, they were invited to take part in a special Commonwealth Games competition. A Canadian, John agreed to represent his home nation but says the competition's results must be kept firmly under wraps until the show is aired.

'We will definitely take part again, if we have the opportunity,' said John. 'We will be back, and better than ever.'

Robot Wars series six, which will feature Team Terror Turtle, starts on BBC 2 on November 8.