"Blendo, a spinning top with thick steel blades protruding from its edges struck fear into the hearts of competitors. Its designers [M5 industries] estimated that a collision with the blades was akin to swinging a baseball bat at a tree from the window of a 120km/h car. Deemed too dangerous for the arena at that time, Blendo returned this year with freshly sharpened blades. After launching a good size chunk of Hercules in to the Plexiglas shield protecting the audience, Blendo was once again requested to withdraw from the event."

     "Conceived by artist Marc Thorpe in 1994 in San Francisco, Robot Wars is a yearly tournament in which robots of similar weight meet face-to-face in a hockey rink-style arena before a thousand screaming fans. Given the command, these robots, under the radio control of their creators, attempt to destroy each other. The winner moves foward through elimination rounds until its last foe has been overcome."