Team USA Launches Kickstarter to Upgrade Their Giant Fighting Robot

[PatrickJS]

Team USA Launches Kickstarter to Upgrade Their Giant Fighting Robot

MegaBots, Inc, has officially launched their Kickstarter campaign in order to fund upgrades to their giant battling bot ahead of duel with a Japanese firm's own mecha.

We originally posted about this story back in July [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141472-Japan-And-America-Will-Soon-Have-A-Giant-Robot-Duel], but here's a quick summary: Giant robots. Duel. Japan VS America. Caught up? Good.

Last we heard about this, Suidobashi CEO Kogoro Kurata agreed to duel American builders MegaBot, Inc, on one condition: there would be melee combat.

Until now, the American bot was strictly outfitted with ranged artillery, but a retrofit funded by a Kickstarter campaign [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/megabots/support-team-usa-in-the-giant-robot-duel] is hopefully going to bring the battling bot up to snuff against its Asian counterpart.

How, you ask? Chainsaw arm, obviously [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/142087-Bruce-Campbell-is-Back-Baby-in-the-Ash-vs-Evil-Dead-Trailer]. "The most American robot ever made," indeed.

Grant Imahara of Mythbusters fame is on board, as is a NASA engineer and the BattleBots company, among others. Pledge at certain levels and you can get scale models of the upgraded suit. And... are those steer horns?

Yes, steer horns and bald eagles. Also check out the Japanese battler, Kuratas, in the gallery below:

[gallery=4580]

If funding goes especially well, additional features include adaptive balancing technology to keep the bot on its toes, a new tread set-up, and if we're lucky, maybe some safety features for the pilots.

Yes, these will be piloted mecha battle suits [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escape-to-the-movies/7705-Pacific-Rim].. No, I don't know how the pilots will survive this.

I'm eager to see what Japan brings to the ring, as there is a lot at stake for them. "I cannot let another country win this," Kurata says. "Giant robots are Japanese culture [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141680-Robot-velociraptor-concierge-welcomes-you-to-the-best-hotel-ever-in-southern-Japan]."

As of this writing, the campaign has reached about 70% of its initial goal, with more than three weeks left to go. What weapons do you think Japan's robot is going to have? A mega-katana is a bit too on the nose, and yet... I really hope it's a mega-katana.

Source: Kickstarter [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/megabots/support-team-usa-in-the-giant-robot-duel]

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[Cowabungaa]

If they're going through with piloting, it means we won't see truly epic robot vs robot destruction ala BattleBots.


Oh well, maybe this'll be a prelude for what we all really want. It better be!

 

[PatrickJS]

If they're going through with piloting, it means we won't see truly epic robot vs robot destruction ala BattleBots.

I agree that it's not honest-to-goodness robot-on-robot action, but I think piloted mechas are even more exciting! Much more impractical and science fictional - we've already got real robots fighting battles.

 

[rcs619]

Hey, Suidobashi! We've all heard you make good robots, and that's fine and dandy. But there's a new wind a'blowing, brother.

There's a storm rising out of the west, and it's raining bald eagles, apple pie and a great big super-sized helping of whoop-ass. You answered the call, you even demanded melee combat, but I just have one question for ya, brother. What'cha gonna do when Megabot 2.0 runs wild over you?!

Ooooooooooo, yeaaaaaaaaaah!

 

[Jacked Assassin]

America: Brought a Paint Gun to a Robot Fight. We're going to get Japan's Robot dirty!
Japan: Brought Fists to a Paint Ball Fight. We're going to knock that American Robot out!
America: Bringing a Chainsaw to a Fist Fight. We're going Cut Japan's Robot apart!*
Japan: Insert Deadlier than Chainsaw Weapon here.*

*Warning: Mecha Fight may have to remove human pilots from the fight due to possible death.

 

[Renegade-pizza]

America: Brought a Paint Gun to a Robot Fight. We're going to get Japan's Robot dirty!
Japan: Brought Fists to a Paint Ball Fight. We're going to knock that American Robot out!
America: Bringing a Chainsaw to a Fist Fight. We're going Cut Japan's Robot apart!*
Japan: Insert Deadlier than Chainsaw Weapon here.*

*Warning: Mecha Fight may have to remove human pilots from the fight due to possible death.

Japan: Attaches robotic honey badger to stick. The face of war is changed forever

 

[Gorrath]

Hey, Suidobashi! We've all heard you make good robots, and that's fine and dandy. But there's a new wind a'blowing, brother.

There's a storm rising out of the west, and it's raining bald eagles, apple pie and a great big super-sized helping of whoop-ass. You answered the call, you even demanded melee combat, but I just have one question for ya, brother. What'cha gonna do when Megabot 2.0 runs wild over you?!

Ooooooooooo, yeaaaaaaaaaah!

America, fuck yeah!

Seriously though, that mock up looks less like something America would build and more like something Japan would think America would build. Playing into our own stereotypes for a laugh? Why not?!

 

[Fox12]

Hey, Suidobashi! We've all heard you make good robots, and that's fine and dandy. But there's a new wind a'blowing, brother.

There's a storm rising out of the west, and it's raining bald eagles, apple pie and a great big super-sized helping of whoop-ass. You answered the call, you even demanded melee combat, but I just have one question for ya, brother. What'cha gonna do when Megabot 2.0 runs wild over you?!

Ooooooooooo, yeaaaaaaaaaah!

America, fuck yeah!

Seriously though, that mock up looks less like something America would build and more like something Japan would think America would build. Playing into our own stereotypes for a laugh? Why not?!

If the robot doesn't scream out American rhetoric like the liberty prime, I'm going to be very disapointed.

 

[Gorrath]

Hey, Suidobashi! We've all heard you make good robots, and that's fine and dandy. But there's a new wind a'blowing, brother.

There's a storm rising out of the west, and it's raining bald eagles, apple pie and a great big super-sized helping of whoop-ass. You answered the call, you even demanded melee combat, but I just have one question for ya, brother. What'cha gonna do when Megabot 2.0 runs wild over you?!

Ooooooooooo, yeaaaaaaaaaah!

America, fuck yeah!

Seriously though, that mock up looks less like something America would build and more like something Japan would think America would build. Playing into our own stereotypes for a laugh? Why not?!

If the robot doesn't scream out American rhetoric like the liberty prime, I'm going to be very disapointed.

That would be amazing. If we're gonna have eagle heads with guns and a bull-face painted on it, we better own it.

 

[Smooth Operator]

While I appreciate the pantomime surrounding this and that giant robot development is getting more funding, but this shit will come bit them in the ass once they actually need to get out in the real world and show off how awkwardly these things work.
And people might completely give up on the concept once the reality of building a cheap giant barely movable box sets in.