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Robot Kits There are several "kits" to choose from. Not all of them are strictly meant for combat robots but they provide a good way to get into the hobby. |
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| Basic Supplies There are some basic parts that you will need that you only need to buy once and can share between your robots like a 12volt Power supply, battery charger, radio setup along with a set of basic building tools. Regardless of how big or small your robot is, you'll need these things before you get started. This means there is a fairly big investment (~$300.00) in your first robot. |
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Lynx Motion
is a good source for generic parts and has several sumo robot kits that
can serve as a good base for a beetle robot. I've built several
Viper Sumo Kits. They are fairly inexpensive at a little over
$100.00 without electronics. Get the
GHM-03 7.2v motors and run them at 11.1v with a
3
cell lithium polymer battery. Add a
speed controller and you are good to go. I've built several of
these robots and know from experience that this setup is durable and at
11.1v will give you plenty of power and speed to push another 3 pound
robot around. Total Cost ~$225.00 |
 Viper Sumo Kit from Lynx Motion makes a good 3 pound base |
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Team Think Tank
sells a VDD (Vertical Disk of Destruction) kit.
This "kit" is a collection of parts to build the chassis along with an
easy to mount weapon. Carbon rods and carbon fiber panels are
glued together to create a custom shell for your robot. They have an
instructions page but you can pretty much build it to the shape you
want. This building technique is a bit tricky at first but
with a little practice you can be very creative. The carbon rods
tend to be a bit brittle and can break but they are very easy to repair
with the provided glue. The generic kit costs $100.00 and you can
get the kit at the
Robot
Marketplace. You will still need to purchase
batteries
and a
speed controller. Tip: The glue in the kit is excellent
but it takes a long time to dry, you'll need to get some CA glue
accelerator. |
 VDD Antweight kits are a little harder to build but allow for a lot of creativity |
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| Inertia Labs has a new Antweight chassis that they are selling. I've never used this one but the Inertia Labs guys really know their stuff and they typically put a lot of research into their projects. The plus side to their kit is that when done, the mobile chassis comes in around 6oz, leaving a lot of weight for adding a weapon and armor. The down side is that in order to fit everything into the small chassis, you don't have any flexibility on motors, batteries or electronics. The mobile chassis comes in around $220.00 + a little bit more for a speed controller. You can add a VDD Weapon if you like. |
 The Inertia Labs Antweight chassis is light and strong. |
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| Team Rolling Thunder makes a 12 pound robot kit. I haven't actually seen the kit but it uses a similar building technique as the Lynx motion robot described above. It should be durable and fairly easy to assemble. You can pick the parts you want, for example you can get just the chassis or the drive system. They offer options on batteries, electronics, motors, and even have a titanium armor option. If you are interested in building a larger bot and want the convenience of a kit, this isn't a bad way to start. Total Cost $900.00 - $1300.00 |
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The Robot Marketplace has several packages to
choose from. These kits are mostly a collection of parts without
any real set of directions. If you are unsure of what to buy for
your robot, it may be a good way to figure out what you need. They
have a range of "kits" that will work on small and large robots. |
 Ant Weight Kit Light Weight (60 pound) |
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| Finger Tech Robotics has an Antweight robot kit similar to the one from the Robot Marketplace. You get everything you need except for a battery charger for under $200.00. If you are looking for a cheap way to start off in the sport this kit may be for you. |
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