Builder Interview: Brenton Barber
From discovering BattleBots on TV to diving headfirst into Midwest competitions, Brenton Barber’s journey into combat robotics has been filled with broken parts, hard lessons, and unforgettable fights. In this interview, Brenton shares how his bots have evolved, the community members who helped him along the way, and the moments that made it all worth it.
What is Your Name
Brenton Barber
What is Your Robot(s) Name(s)?
Rest in Pieces: antweight.
Doom Dimension: Beetleweight
E=MC^2(pronounced energy): Plastic ant
How did you first discover combat robotics, and what made you decide to actually start building?
I first found robot combat by finding season 2 of Battlebots on ABC when scrolling the on demand viewing on my TV. I was instantly hooked and started searching the internet for content. I eventually found Robot arena 2 and its associated discord servers and that’s when my excitement and involvement in the sport increased. Fast forward to 2022 and I hear about an organization on Facebook called the Midwest Robot Combat Association and even see they have an event happening about an hour from my house in Des Moines Iowa. I went to the show and even helped as a judge. Fast forward to April of the next year and when I got my taxes back I purchased a Viper Kit from Palm Beach Bots and also its overhead spinner module.
What was the first bot you ever built, and what do you remember most about that experience?
It was truly a new era in my life. Starting a new hobby and also I had just moved out of my parents house for the second time. I went to that event in Des Moines and after my drive not working in the first fight because my connectors kept falling off the motor terminals and the second fight after soldering my ESCs to the motors(thanks Casey) I actually fought him in the losers bracket where my weapon motor ejected from the chassis tearing frame open and destroying my only in weight front plate as my Ti armor was to heavy.
Who were the early influences or people who helped you learn the ropes when you were just starting out?
Pretty much the entire MRCA server though I will shout out Casey from RSL and Remy/Rachel as they also helped me a bunch as I was next to them. Also folks like Jacob of team experimental designs and TJ from Force Nova robotics have been great help and also great friends. I’m grateful for all the info I’ve gotten from various builders over the years
How has your current bot evolved from your first version or first idea?
When I first bought the kit I immediately ditched the silver spark motors in favor of then repeat mk2 brushed. Sense then it’s had two different top plate designs one being lazer cut aluminum(which was total overkill) and the other being 3d printed cf nylon(basically a dust cover). I’ve also had two different front configurations. One that’s just the flat wedge. One that has a small cutout in front of the weapon motor for weight purposes and also the fingertech V wedge and some forks I found on thingiverse
What’s one thing you wish you knew before building your first bot?
Knowledge of different materials and also how to be less stubborn
Do you prefer building, driving, or strategy — and why?
Driving for sure. My most recent comp in Nebraska proved this. I had hardly and drive but still had two competitive fights one of which I won.
What was your favorite fight you’ve ever had and why?
"Ice Breaker in Lincoln, Nebraska or Holey Pokes in St Charles, MO
Ice Breaker was my first actual win with my beetleweight and I roofed the offset horizontal spinner many times with my custom 4140 steel beater and even removed the Hubmotor from half of its mounting. I even received one of the top plates from the team and it was actually owned by the person who was running the event. My aforementioned drive issues ment I could mostly only crabwalk but I was able to keep the weapon forward and introduced ice breaker to the arena ceiling several times. TJ even welcomed me to the custom beater club then and it’s genuinely one of the most exciting moments of my robot combat career.
Holey Pokes was an interesting matchup. It was fighting Rest in Pieces and it had a reciprocating spike for a weapon. This was probably one of the most brutal fights I had been in and basically retired the robot after it had a loss to cheesecake from Alex in the round before. I had removed both tires off the bot and the spike even came out of the robot. Also I consider this fight a bit of a flex as it’s both the only time I’ve won by exposing a battery and also I KOed them after they took cheesecake to a decision."
What keeps you excited about the sport?
The constant improvement and innovation. We see new designs pop up all the time and people are truly pushing the envelope of what combat robots can do.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about building their first bot?
Do your best and have fun. Your first event probably won’t be great but you will learn from your mistakes and grow from them. Even if it takes 3 events of not using loctite on my screws to finally start using it
What are your goals for your next event?
My next two events are Winter Wars in Doniphan, MO and RSL in Hastings, MN. I hope to do better than 2-2 at these events as 2-2 is the best I’ve done at any competition. I also hope to improve my MRCA ELO rankings and maybe event qualify for MRCA Finals this year
Brenton Barber: https://havocrundown.com/en/builder/brenton-barber-1764040311732
