Scrapheap Challenge s07e10 Episode Script

Flaming Flingers

(EPIC MUSIC) My name is Robertus Scrapilius, general to the Scrapheap Army.
We claim this land in the name of the Emperor.
Lisalius Minimus, fire the Scrapheap A ballista.
Welcome to Scrapheap Challenge, where two teams of trailblazing techno bodgers are playing with fire as they try to burn off the opposition and scorch their way through to our final.
Our teams will need to use all their ballistic brainpower as they must forge a fabulous flame-flinger using motor power to launch their flaming projectiles.
They'll need enough accuracy to send these targets and their opponents' hopes up in smoke.
ROBERT: Rewing up on the start line are The Anoraks, three off-roading enthusiasts from Surrey.
They won round one's dust-up with their six-wheeled sand racer.
And despite Captain Geoff's enforced absence, their mighty power rower stroked their way into the semifinals.
LISA: Lining up against them are the Up 'n Atoms, three atomic ex-pats from the European nuclear research facility CERN.
In round one, their super atomic collider rolled its way to victory.
And their winning spy car meant the atoms could live another day.
ROBERT: Anoraks! ALL: Yes! Up 'n Atoms! ALL: Yes! Welcome, teams.
Today you must forge a stunning siege engine that will strike fear into the hearts of all who oppose you.
Yes, teams, you must build a motorised flame-flinger! Whoa! LISA: Oh, yes.
Now, once constructed, your motor-powered marvel must fire its flaming projectiles into our combustible coconut-shy of a target range.
You'll score points for every target you set ablaze, and the team with the most points wins.
Anoraks, are you ready to set light to your coat-tails? BOTH: Yes! We're ready! Up 'n Atoms, are you ready to launch into orbit? ALL: Yes! OK, teams, the fuse is lit.
You have just 10 hours.
Go! LISA: Go! ROBERT: Standing by to give Up 'n Atoms their marching orders is Scrapheap veteran Richard Little.
He's a sergeant in the Royal Engineers, so a motorised missile launcher should be right up his street.
Waiting in The Anoraks' cloakroom is another Scrapheap veteran, Paul Denney.
He's an expert in siege weaponry, so a flame-flinger should fire his imagination.
Alright, chaps, this is what we've got to lob, and in the best traditions of Scrapheap Challenge, my plan is just keep it simple, OK? We like simple.
What I propose we do is we make a motorised sling.
LISA: The Anoraks plan on making a sling from a steel bar with a quick-release mechanism to hold the projectile in place.
The bar will be mounted on the hub of a large car or van, which will be supported in a frame to allow the arm enough room to spin round at several hundred r.
p.
m.
A mechanical trigger will release the projectile at a preset point, hurling it at the target.
We're gonna need to make the base as heavy as possible, 'cause if you've got all this mass on top rotating around, it really needs to be stable, doesn't it? If we can't get enough weight into the machine, it's gonna lunge around like a drunk on payday.
What I'm looking at is some sort of, um Any of you play tennis? Yep.
Yeah? You know the old bowling machines? Two wheels spinning Two wheels spinning.
LISA: Up 'n Atoms plan on mounting two sets of twin wheels on a large frame, one set above the other.
Powered by a lightweight but beefy engine, projectile will be fed into the spinning wheels and then be spat out the other side at high speed.
But to keep things simple, Richard just wants to power the top set of wheels, leaving the bottom set free-wheeling.
It'll make it easier to build, but could affect the speed and direction of the projectile launch.
I'm not convinced about only having one wheel driven, to tell you the truth.
'Cause as soon as you hit one wheel, all it's gonna do is start spinning the ball, rather than actually projecting it.
If they're close enough, it will just pop it straight through.
LISA: Plans in place, it's time for both teams to give their scavengers a wish list So we'll start with a van.
Engine.
We need something fairly low-torque, high-speed.
Box section, angle.
Lorry wheels.
A really big axle.
LISA: And send 'em out onto the heap.
Right, let's go! Come on! Will our teams catch fire? Or will they merely gently smoulder? Go on, boys! LISA: Bombing around in blue are the Up 'n Atoms, a team from the nuclear research facility CERN.
Um, can I get one welding set over in this corner? Get the MIG welder over there.
LISA: While Captain Ali issues the orders I want two power cables running up either side, please.
LISA: Scavengers Jimmy and David have made an important discovery.
These wheels are just what they need for their spinning-tyre design.
Yeah.
That'll be fine.
ROBERT: Green is an appropriate colour for The Anoraks because they're planning on bowling their projectile at the target.
Tax has only just run out.
ROBERT: It's not on a taxi rank, but this rank taxi could be just what they're looking for.
Morning, Lyndon.
Morning, Robert.
So this is your your taxi.
You've got a taxi.
We thought, if we can't throw the ball, we'll give it a ride up there, trundle it out and charge it five quid for the privilege.
So, basically, we've got an arm on the end of the axle approximately metre and a half in diameter.
Rotates around, throws a flame ball.
LISA: The Anoraks' plan is to build a motorised sling.
The projectile will be held on the end of an arm by a quick-release catch.
With the arm mounted on the drive axle of this cab, it'll spin up to several hundred r.
p.
m.
Before a trigger releases the projectile at a preset point, hurling it at the target.
It sounds good in theory, but if the trigger doesn't work properly, the missile could go anywhere.
You keep winning.
How does that feel, to keep winning? We're very happy with what we've done.
Though I think we have had a fair bit of luck along the way as well.
Right.
Well, I'll let you get on.
I look forward to seeing the monster bowling machine.
Cool.
Ah! Does that thing go up and down? LISA: Odd though it may seem, the Atoms' scavengers are looking at making this airport conveyor one of their main elements.
They're not gonna fire the flaming ball.
They're gonna sort of deliver it gently.
Yes.
It'll be next to a cuddly toy Yeah, it needs to have a I just found a height-adjusting machine.
It looks like one of those conveyor belts that they load, um luggage onto an aeroplane.
Well, as long as it's got the lift up and down, that's what we're after.
David, has it got a lift mechanism that goes up and down? I need to check it out, but it looks like we can get our elevation from this.
Up 'n Atoms! Well You've certainly gone for big.
Big is good.
It is.
It's a kind of chunky build, isn't it, this week.
Oh, yes.
How does this fit into your design? We're hoping this will actually be able to go up and down so we've got elevation if you want to hit the further targets.
LISA: Up 'n Atoms' design relies on two sets of wheels to launch their flaming ball.
One or both sets of wheels will be spun at high speed by a motor.
This arrangement could then be mounted on the end of this conveyor, giving the team control over the launch elevation.
The flaming ball will then be fed into the spinning wheels, which will flick it towards the target.
But if the wheels are too far apart, the projectile and their chances will drop like a stone.
Our expert thinks we only need to provide power to one of the wheels, whereas Jimmy seems convinced that we need to put power on two.
Once we've got our gear back, we're gonna look at that.
Alright, see you later on.
Best of luck with the challenge.
Thanks very much.
'Bye.
Have a good one.
LISA: Used to dealing with a L1.
5 billion nuclear particle accelerator, the relative simplicity of an airport conveyor seems to have flummoxed David and Jimmy.
And this is supposed to do what? Have you got an engine? Yeah, it's a 2.
25 diesel Land Rover engine.
Whoo-hoo! ROBERT: No such problems for The Anoraks.
Faced with an engine they know and love, they're quickly into gear.
(ENGINE STARTS) Ooh! I just heard something rev up out there.
Take me off this heap, cabbie.
ROBERT: Unfortunately for Ali, it's his opponents that have jump-started their build.
LISA: Captain Ali decides it's time to give his scavengers some encouragement.
Morning, gentlemen.
Talk to us.
There's a wire here hanging off, but we're not sure where it goes.
LISA: He might not know much about atomic physics, but expert Richard does know a thing or two about engines.
It just crossed the starter solenoid.
Say when.
OK.
Go on.
(ENGINE STARTS) You're a genius.
LISA: It would appear the same doesn't apply to Ali.
No! That's forward.
It's not.
It's reverse.
That's definitely forward.
No, look.
There's a big 'R' here.
But the wheel's turning forwards.
Forwards.
LISA: It isn't the first time expert Richard has pitted his wits against expert Paul.
They met two years ago in our car-flinger challenge.
Richard's bungee-powered catapult didn't fling his mini particularly far.
(PEOPLE CHEER) ROBERT: But he was handed victory when Paul's titanic trebuchet self-destructed on the launch pad.
That was awesome.
ROBERT: This time out, Paul's looking for revenge.
(GROWLS) Now, Paul, I know that you've had some previous experience at being up against Richard next door.
He's the only person that's ever beaten me.
And I don't intend to let it happen again.
A little bit of a grudge match going on? Possibly.
Right.
I still think my car-chucker was a more noble machine.
This will be completely different to that.
This will be so much safer.
Nothing can possibly go wrong.
(BLOWS RASPBERRY) (ENGINE RUMBLES) No! LISA: The Up 'n Atoms are in a spin.
Captain Ali can't find reverse gear.
Right.
That's reverse.
You're in reverse.
LISA: Sensing his rival might be sneaking into the lead, expert Richard steps into the breach once more.
Just select the gears again, as you were.
(ENGINE REVS) That's got it! LISA: Finally free of the heap, all Ali has to do is steer the conveyor safely back to the yard.
Just keep going! Easy! Easy! Easy! LISA: Taking a leaf from Richard's military book, Ali drafts in some extra muscle.
Oh, now Arggh! ROBERT: Oh, she's rippling with muscles, our Lisa.
With her help, the airport conveyor finally makes it to the Atoms' arrival lounge.
We are here, are we! ROBERT: Designing weapons to fling fire is nothing new.
Various types of catapults and trebuchets have been used since the time of the Romans to hurl burning missiles at their opponents.
One man who knows more about these than most is Colin Herriett.
A qualified armourer, he's built a range of artillery devices from catapults to cannons.
But what will he make of our teams' efforts? I don't think any medieval lord would sort of tremble in his castle if they brought any of these devices out the front of them.
Now, The Anoraks' machine seems to be a high-speed insane bowling arm.
It's supposed to whiz around at a fantastic speed and eject its projectile in one direction or the other.
My biggest worry about it is which direction it's gonna throw it.
I'm not gonna be anywhere near that when it goes off.
Now, the Up 'n Atoms have managed to already fill their build area with this enormous conveyor belt thing.
The actual mechanism is like the things that fire tennis balls.
And fine for tennis balls.
Yeah.
Great flaming projectiles, I don't think so.
One because the tyres are gonna have to be spinning at an enormous rate to give them at least 200-feet-a-second velocity for the projectile.
Second thing is, of course, that the tyres are made of rubber.
I think that whole thing's gonna catch fire.
But if you had to put your money on one idea Must I really? I think you really do have to, yeah.
Then I would just go with The Anoraks slightly ahead and probably not quite so much alight as the other ones.
Ah, superb.
It's definitely strong enough, isn't it? I think so.
I think it might just take the weight.
LISA: This piece of framework should be ideal for lifting the back of The Anoraks' cab up.
They've also got their hands on some raw materials for the trigger.
So before I take them all off, are they gonna be suitable for the job? Yeah, these inner ones should be fine, I think.
LISA: All they need now is something to make their spinning arm from.
It's a bit bent, but I guess it'll do.
LISA: But Captain Geoff has his doubts.
If it's a bit bent, surely that won't do, 'cause it's got to be balanced, hasn't it? It's the weight at either end that's gonna affect the balance, not whether it's slightly, marginally bent.
LISA: Any object that spins at high speed needs to be carefully balanced to stop itself shaking to pieces.
But balancing the arm on The Anoraks' machine will be particularly tricky because of the sudden change caused when the missile is released.
To solve the problem, The Anoraks are going to balance for half the weight of the projectile.
It'll mean the arm is never balanced perfectly.
But because the arm is so heavy in the first place, the team hope that the imbalance won't be significant.
It should work, but if they're wrong, their arm will tear the machine apart come test day.
I think what we can do now is concentrate on knocking this up together.
And, um, really, then, once we've got that done, it's just the arm and the trigger mechanism.
We're gonna be hours here.
I haven't a clue about engines.
ROBERT: Up 'n Atoms are getting the blues.
They need an engine to power their spinning-wheel design, but their scavengers are struggling to coax this Volvo back to life.
Have we got any fuel in it, do you think? One, two, three, up! LISA: It's green for go in The Anoraks' cloakroom.
(ALL YELL) Actually, I think it was better with it on.
LISA: While his team-mates get stuck into the chassis, expert Paul is getting to grips with the design for the all-important trigger.
But three hours of peaceful coexistence has obviously been too long for the argumentative Anoraks.
The important thing is we've got to get that rubber almost touching the top of that.
No, we don't.
Yes, we do.
We could just jack the thing up higher, make a bigger base.
No, we tried already.
It was getting silly.
Afternoon, Anoraks.
Looks like a right old conflab going on here.
What's the problem? Well, we've got a large arm and we've got to get enough clearance so it'll actually rotate properly, so we're trying to look at ways of raising the axle a little bit up.
OK, so you're going to attach the arm to this wheel? That wheel, yeah.
She's gonna have our biggish arm, which will obviously be then used to throw the fireball.
But surely when it spins, if it's sort of there, is it gonna hit your cab? Well, it'll hit it the first time.
(ANORAKS LAUGH) We may have to modify the cab slightly to allow for the free passage of missile.
Right, so basically chopping the cab around.
Yeah, just chop it here, it'll come straight off.
Once we've got all the back sorted out, it's just really the arm and the trigger and we're there.
Have you had any ideas about the trigger? Uh Have you got 20 minutes? (ANORAKS LAUGH) LISA: Good to know their trigger design's nice and simple, then.
(ENGINE SPLUTTERS) (ENGINE FIRES) Oh, you beauty! Oop! Something sounds good.
ROBERT: David and Jimmy have finally got "Up 'n Atom" with that Volvo.
Wasn't exactly gone in 60 seconds.
More like gone in 60 hours.
ROBERT: Lts arrival sets off a chain reaction as the Atoms finally spin up to speed.
(LAUGHS DRAMATICALLY) Flaming balls of flaming! I'm so excited about this.
So are we.
So are we.
Just think.
Can you imagine if you said to, like, a 7-, 10-year-old boy That's us.
Yes, that's what I'm saying.
1,000 degrees, apparently, they burn at.
That's hot, isn't it? That's hot.
But this is big, though.
I mean, that is just mad.
Are you gonna use that? Yeah.
I've only heard the gist of what you're doing, but it sounds like a golf ball-firing but huge.
I believe so, yes.
With contra-rotating wheels.
It's like that, isn't it? That's it.
And then the thing goes pa-toong! Only one's gonna rotate at the present time.
The top two set of wheels will spin and the bottom set will stay still.
Right, so it's top and bottom.
Yeah, it's top and bottom.
Because the lateral movement is going to be from positioning of the, uh, monstrosity.
You're considering that these wheels are gonna be running at the speeds a car would do on a motorway? Can we just change something in that little phrase? It's not "You're".
It's "He is".
It's all yours.
It is all gonna be your fault.
How quickly will it become "ours" when the first one fires straight over and hits the target instantly and blows it up? Oh, no, as I was saying, with all our experts The only reason we're here today is 'cause of our experts.
That's very big of you, but that's not altogether true.
You want to put no offset on that or as zero offset as possible because No, I agree, but this bearing here will last a million years.
It will.
LISA: Like the cabbie from hell, The Anoraks have lost sight of where they're going and have degenerated into endless argument.
If we get this in balance, when that thing fires, if we're not careful, this whole thing is gonna rattle itself to death.
LISA: And Anorak Paul's getting all hung up over his tricky trigger mechanism.
Richard! Ali wants to cut through it.
Richard! ROBERT: Not to be outdone, expert Richard has his hands full with the less-than-high-powered Atoms.
You're my hero.
Nothing to do with the teams this week.
It's to do with the experts.
They've met before, they've clashed, and Richard won.
Paul is not used to losing, is he? No, he didn't like losing at all.
I have a horrible feeling as well that Paul's desire for revenge may drive him to make the biggest, angriest, fastest machine possible.
The only thing I am sure of is I will be standing a very long way away.
No, this is gonna be a binoculars-only thing, isn't it? Lot of zoom lenses.
Uh, teams, attention, please.
You have five hours remaining.
No problem.
No problem.
LISA: Both teams are starting to struggle.
The Anoraks have no trigger.
And down and down and down.
ROBERT: And the Atoms haven't finished splitting their component parts, never mind recombining them to actually make a machine.
Will our teams' aim be true? Or will they shy away from the challenge? Lisa, Lisa.
Let me show you how you do it.
(ROBERT LAUGHS) ROBERT: A great ball of fire! It must be a sign.
It means time is running out for our two teams of battling bodgineers to complete their marvellous motorised flame-flingers.
That way.
It's going that way.
It's that way.
OK.
LISA: Taking their engine for a spin are the Up 'n Atoms.
No, it's the other way.
LISA: Determining which way their Volvo engine turns is crucial if their conveyor-mounted spinning-wheel design is going to work.
So that's got to go uh LISA: And it's good to see there's no sense of confusion in the team whatsoever.
There's no point chopping the door off if we're gonna ditch it Just take the door.
It's gonna be easier.
ROBERT: Across the hallway are The Anoraks.
If there was a Nobel prize for arguing, they'd beat the Atoms hands down.
get the whole door off, because it'd be good, wouldn't it, just to keep it as a taxi? ROBERT: Unfortunately, the challenge is actually to build a flame-flinger.
Work has stopped due to the industrial unrest, and expert Paul's been struggling to put his finger on the trigger.
The judge too has his concerns.
I mean, The Anoraks have got to build a very solid structure, then, to hold the taxi in position.
It's got to be very solid indeed, Robert.
Once this thing starts spinning, centrifugal force could rip the whole thing to pieces.
Lot of work to do.
There is a lot of work.
And they're not doing a great deal yet.
But the other thing that worries me is the trigger mechanism as well.
No sign of a trigger.
I haven't seen one.
Unless they're hiding one somewhere.
They might be.
I haven't And I've looked quite hard.
Have you? Yeah, I have.
No, I'm afraid my confidence in The Anoraks is actually going Oh, is it going down? It wasn't very high to start with.
It hadn't got very far to fall.
LISA: Speaking of things that could fall Um, bear in mind I'm scared of heights, so OK.
That's not a problem.
I can appreciate that.
LISA: Driven on by the desire to beat his opposite number, expert Richard tries to keep the Atoms focused.
Should we weld the bottom wheel on first? I was actually gonna do the other way round.
No, because you've got to get the engine and all that lot into place.
It'd be easier Oh, if you put the engine above Sort of adjust on the bottom, then on the top.
Yeah, yeah.
OK.
Do it that way.
LISA: While Ali gets his nose to the grindstone, Richard issues Jimmy and David new orders.
Because of the electronic system that it runs, obviously, keeps the car running out there, I don't want to cut the cables if we can actually get in the back of the dash and pull 'em out.
I hate jobs like this.
LISA: Neither Jimmy or David is an expert in engine electronics.
But with the Scrapheap final beckoning, they get stuck into stripping the wiring out intact.
Maybe not.
Have a steering wheel.
Throw that.
Uh, teams, you have four hours remaining.
ROBERT: Four hours remaining.
MAN: Four hours! Hey! Right! Easy job, boys.
Easy job.
Excellent.
ROBERT: Arguments over for the moment, The Anoraks are actually getting down to some work.
That is much better, isn't it? ROBERT: Even the long-absent trigger is coming together.
LISA: Paul's trigger relies on a series of catches and springs to release the projectile at the right point as the arm spins round.
A spring-loaded bar, held in place by a catch, forces the jaws of the device together, holding the projectile in place.
To fire the missile, the team will release a pre-positioned pin which is mounted on the cab chassis.
It'll knock away the catch holding the bar in place.
The springs will then snap the bar back, allowing the jaws to open and the projectile to fly off towards the target.
Oh, look at that.
Now, afternoon, chaps.
There.
Looks like that'll hold that up when that's not on.
Was that a good guess? It's a very good guess.
That was a pretty damn good guess.
Is it roughly this angle it'll be at? Yeah.
Alright.
This is roughly its end height.
We've got this height as it is.
And that's a hefty arm.
Yeah.
So that will go on there.
Have you got all the bits you need, though? Roughly.
We've got 99%.
Right, right.
And all the bits for the trigger? Yeah.
Sorry to go on about the trigger all the time.
I promise next time I see you, I won't mention the T-word.
Yeah, just say the 'T'.
"How's the 'T' coming along?" That is about eight inches deep.
I just so hope we've got this the right way round.
As long as we've got it the right way round.
LISA: Ali's still worried about the engine's direction of rotation.
If they've got it wrong, they could be mounting the whole assembly on the wrong side of the conveyor, which means it'll fire the projectiles backwards.
OK, so you can pull the whole dash out your side, yeah? There we go, boys and girls.
One wire loom.
Oh, awesome.
LISA: Like all good scientists, they want to check the engine's rotation one more time.
And the wiring loom is just what they need for their final experiment.
Goes anticlockwise.
LISA: Disaster has been avoided.
They'd been about to make a monumental mistake.
But thanks to David's perseverance with the wiring loom, the Atomic future looks bright.
Excellent.
Hey! Up 'n Atoms! We have a working engine.
Yeah, I'm a bit stunned, actually.
Really? I said, "Keep me away from engines.
I don't do engines.
" And what have I been doing here? Getting an engine started.
And it worked.
How far away are you from actually mounting this? Literally, as soon as he's welded that, we're gonna lift it on.
We're that close.
Excellent.
Once we've got the engine in place, we know where it's gonna sit, we can then weld on the back axle straight onto the coupling there and then we've got our drive, and then we've just got to fit the two wheels on the top and then we can arrange the mounting of the two wheels underneath.
There's still quite a substantial amount to do.
Still a lot of work there.
And not that much time left.
Are you starting to get nervous yet? No.
Got to get it on central and it's got to be strong.
ROBERT: There's no flapping about for The Anoraks.
They're determined to win.
(LAUGHS) That's fantastic.
ROBERT: The support frame for The Anoraks' cab is finished.
It's a major milestone in their build.
Nice and flat.
Stable.
Get those wheels on the front and that'll just spin on the jack.
Cool.
I'm a happy bunny.
ROBERT: But not everyone's celebrating Lyndon's success.
Expert Paul has just welded several of the trigger components on back to front.
I'm afraid after having a rather dodgy takeaway last night, I had a bout of food poisoning, and so I've been awake since 3:00 yesterday, getting very tired at this point of the build and starting to make silly mistakes.
Uh, teams, it is time to get some fire in your bellies.
You only have two hours remaining.
Two hours, teams! Ha-ha-ha! LISA: Both teams are now struggling to get their flame-flingers finished in time.
Right.
There's your pivot, as such, as it is.
It doesn't work very well.
You put the nut in there.
Keep going.
That's the way.
There we are.
That's it.
Right, that's a bit too high, then.
Just roll that back a little bit.
ROBERT: In the Atoms' laboratory, the build has reached a crucial stage.
The engine and drive shaft need to be lined up precisely or the vibration will wreck their machine before a ball can be launched.
That's gonna shake itself to bits, old fruit.
You reckon? ROBERT: But expert Richard still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
If we can jack up a little bit more No, no, sorry, on this one.
That is not far off spot-on.
OK, don't touch it.
Weld it.
Is that close enough, then? Weld that there.
Yeah, yeah, OK.
Alright, mate.
I'm getting there.
ROBERT: It can only be Richard's determination to beat Paul that is stopping him from beating up Ali.
That's gonna go in there.
With the pin set, it will knock that out.
That'll shoot down.
That'll open up.
And the flaming ball will fly out and hit our target.
I flaming well hope so.
LISA: With Marc's help, The Anoraks' trigger is finally taking shape.
All it needs now is the Lyndon Camidge seal of approval.
I think we should start from scratch.
I really do.
Work out what we want.
Cut it in cardboard and then remake this whole thing from scratch.
Uh, teams, your lights are burning low.
You have one hour remaining.
One hour remaining to complete your machines before we snuff you out, teams.
One hour left.
Thank you.
Hello, Anoraks.
Hello.
You're, uh, looking like you're almost finished.
Or am I wrong? We're getting there.
We're just debating the brainy bit.
We're just down to the fiddling now.
Is this the trigger, by any chance? This is the trigger.
Do you want to talk me through it? Right.
Well.
This spring will be compressed.
There'd be another spring to go in there.
OK.
And there'd be a space in here.
Mm-hm.
And our loop, attached to our missile, goes here.
Now, what happens is, mounted on the chassis, we've got our little spring-loaded bowl.
Now, that comes down as the wheel comes round and knocks that out of the way, which allows that to drop down, which then allows that to move like that, and off goes the missile.
It's like that game Mouse Trap, isn't it? It is, yeah.
It is.
My immediate reaction is there's so many little bits that could go wrong.
Are you confident you're gonna be able to make it solid enough that it doesn't? Yeah, yeah.
Well, we're gonna get some fiddle about with it, tinker with it and get it just as we want it.
'Cause you've not had the easiest day, have you? Been a bit of a tough day for me.
ROBERT: It's not exactly been a cakewalk for Richard either.
With Ali stressed out, he's getting it in the neck.
Richard.
Yo.
We've got three-quarters of an hour, OK? OK.
That's not a problem.
We should have both sets of wheels on by then.
Both sets of wheels, and I want this thing turned over.
OK? ROBERT: Incredibly, with minutes to go, Up 'n Atoms are out looking for parts.
They still have to build their projectile-feed mechanism.
Don't want to keep you 'cause I know you're up against it a little bit, but I just wanted to catch up with what's going on.
There's a wheel on.
There's an axle on.
There's a rubber doughnut.
And it turns.
The doughnut turns.
And it turns? It all turns? Give it a spin.
Give it a spin.
Watch this.
Oh, nice.
That's joined on.
How is that for a smooth engine? That's joined-up engineering, isn't it? So there's another wheel going un Underneath.
You'll set the engine up at a set speed and just leave that going 5,000 r.
p.
m.
Fifth gear.
Right.
Right.
We're gonna hang this thing through.
Yeah, yeah.
What speed would that be doing on the road? About 100 mile an hour.
Oh, I see.
100 miles an hour.
That's quite impressive.
Bonnet's not gonna close.
Failing on the tyres.
Oh, well.
We're gonna lose the taxi shape.
LISA: These wheels, mounted on the front of the cab, should allow The Anoraks to aim their flame-flinger with ease.
So we jack the back up And see if it works.
And see if it works.
It'll work.
It's a Lyndon Camidge design.
As you're jacking it up, it's moving.
(LAUGHS) That is so cool.
Awesome.
That works really well.
Said it'd work.
Can you lower it down now? Yeah, before it falls apart.
Come on, guys, get to it! Yeah.
Chop chop.
ROBERT: There's no time for testing in the Atoms' laboratory.
They've still got to build a mechanism to feed the projectile into the tyres.
Something like that, then.
Something like that will do.
ROBERT: I bet they don't do it like this at CERN.
The Up 'n Atoms' machine is now looking like I mean, things are gonna spin round, aren't they? We can see that.
Yeah.
They will spin round.
They've been quite technical and clever with keeping the speedometer and rev counter of the engine.
That's very good, so then they know what revs they're doing.
How they can translate that to power, we'll just have to suck it and see, won't we? And what about for The Anoraks? I think if they can get that to spin properly, that could be the kitty.
That could be the one that does the big throw.
I'm happy.
LISA: This pin is the last piece of the jigsaw that will operate The Anoraks' complicated trigger mechanism.
They're almost home and dry.
It's like Windy Miller.
620.
And the ball's 20.
So you want 80 Or 200.
ROBERT: The same can't be said of the Atoms.
They still haven't mounted their second axle.
And getting their wheels the right distance apart is critical to the success of their machine.
Needs to come back out Needs to come out a bit.
This needs to come out.
There's that spotty dog, David.
ROBERT: Too far apart and the projectile won't get enough flick from the wheels and will land short.
Too close together and the projectile won't go through at all.
Well, that's out there.
Yep.
OK, guys, close your eyes.
Close your eyes.
ROBERT: It's just the kind of job you want to try and knock off in the final few minutes.
Well done to The Anoraks.
Their machine is virtually finished.
Congratulations.
It looks completely bonkers.
I can't wait to see it actually working.
Well, the Up 'n Atoms have got their engine mounted.
They've got their wheels on.
They're just about to fit their loading tray.
So it's all there.
If the engine was still in the car, it'd be doing 100 miles an hour.
So that wheel is gonna be spinning like the clappers.
That could go a long way.
It's hard to call which one's gonna work best.
Or which one's gonna catch fire first.
(GROANS) You right down there, Jimmy? There you go, mate.
Your turn.
LISA: There's no moderation in the Atoms' reactor.
Instead, it's the mad scientists' dash to the finish.
ROBERT: Meanwhile, The Anoraks are all buttoned up and waiting to go home.
Ye of little faith.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
OK, teams, it's time to cool it.
Because tomorrow you'll be putting your armoury of incendiary ingenuity to the test on the searing sands of the Scrapheap shooting gallery.
Well done, teams.
Well done, Marc.
Righto.
Well done, Paul.
ROBERT: Will The Anoraks, with their taxi-powered slingshot, bowl their way to victory? LISA: Or have the Up 'n Atoms, with their conveyor-mounted, tennis-ball-inspired projectile launcher created the ultimate motorised flame-flinger? Our teams have had an hour to finetune their flingers.
At Jimmy's insistence, the Atoms have added a dolly wheel, transferring power from the top set of wheels to the bottom set.
It should give them more range.
ROBERT: And The Anoraks have finally mounted the actuator pin that will set off their trigger.
LISA: The teams will score points for each of the four targets they set alight, but they only have six shots to play with.
They must start with the nearest target and must hit it before they move on.
(APPLAUSE) ROBERT: The Up 'n Atoms are first to fire.
Up 'n Atoms, is your flame-flinger ready for action? ALL: Yes! On my signal, unleash hell! (SQUEEZES HORN) Right, I'm flicking the switch.
Pump! (ENGINE STARTS) ROBERT: The projectile is full of solid rocket fuel.
When the fuse burns out, it should burst into flame.
ATOMS: Yes! That was perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
Pretty conclusive, yes.
Right at the base.
Well, that was very, very impressive.
I am so chuffed and happy now.
And rightly so.
But look at that.
What we wanted to happen happened.
And the fact that we hit the target without hitting the floor in front gives me a lot more hope as we go along.
I always said the Up 'n Atoms were good, you know.
You did.
I always did.
ROBERT: It's the perfect start.
But can the Up 'n Atoms keep up this blistering pace? Stand by for your second shot, Up 'n Atoms.
(SQUEEZES HORN) (ENGINE STARTS) Yes.
Revs up, revs up! Oh! ROBERT: They've missed, but only just.
RICHARD: It's the wind.
LISA: Think the wind that took it? Yeah, had to be, had to be.
'Cause we were on target.
And she just curled away.
So it had to be the wind.
We'll aim off half the target for the wind on that distance.
ROBERT: A small correction for the wind and it's shot number three.
(HORN BLOWS) OK! LISA: Yes! MAN: Yes! Got it! ATOMS: Yes! Thank you very much.
That was a little bit better.
I reckon that would roll a lot further.
It wasn't slowing down.
But it does look like a rolling munition.
Yes, more than a bouncing one, yes.
ROBERT: There are only two targets left, and they've still got three shots to go.
Right.
Let's dance.
OK.
(SQUEEZES HORN) Let's go! COLIN: Oh, it's going to go.
ROBERT: That is going much faster.
LISA: Oh, oh OK.
No, I don't think we had the legs.
What speed did you get up to there? Round about five and a half.
What we're gonna do is we're gonna increase the speed.
Possibly lift it a little bit and increase the speed.
ROBERT: Looks like the judge was right.
They're starting to struggle with the range.
Up and at 'em, Up 'n Atoms.
It's shot number five.
(SQUEEZES HORN) Pull it.
Oh, go, go, go! ATOMS: Yes! That's gotta be a strike! LISA: Yeah! There we go.
Oh, yeah! (EXPLOSION) LISA: Ooh, an explosion! I think The Anoraks have quite an I think they're now getting very, very worried, aren't they? Yeah.
Uh, Rogers to Llewellyn.
Got a very urgent newsflash for you.
Uh, what's that, Lis? This time, to get the flaming ball as far as it needs to go, they are going to rev the engine to the red line.
I thought that might be a solution they would choose.
ROBERT: Can the Up 'n Atoms make it a clean sweep with their final shot? Right, boys, come on.
Let's do this.
I want to come back here, alright? I want this.
Up 'n Atoms, it's time for the big bang.
Your final shot! (SQUEEZES HORN) LISA: Go on! Go on! Oh! COLIN: That's very disappointing.
ROBERT: Oh, what a shame.
Feeling a tinge of disappointment? Yep.
Just a little bit.
But we've still got to wait and see what the other boys can do.
It's not a bad performance.
We've got points on the board.
You've got points on the board.
Be pleased with yourselves.
Well done.
ROBERT: So that's 60 points for the Up 'n Atoms.
Will The Anoraks be able to do any better? They've really got to perform very, very well right from the start.
They have.
They've really got to get this bowling action off first time.
Just watch your fingers.
Anoraks, is your arm strong and ready? ALL: Yeah! On my signal, cast loose chaos.
(SQUEEZES HORN) Right, three, two, one, start.
Forgot.
Oh! Good grief! See the height! ROBERT: That's impressive.
COLIN: What happened? It went nowhere near the target, but it was very, very exciting.
Well, yeah.
So, what do we think happened there? 'Cause I heard it hit the back protective panel.
Yeah.
It scraped onto the chain and it's not released it at the right point.
It's held onto it for three-quarters of a turn before it's let go.
If it's going faster, will the g force open it a bit quicker? Is that the answer? (SIGHS) Possibly.
It definitely got the energy to throw that sphere miles, I mean, if it was let go at the right time.
Yeah, this has always been my point of contention - if it lets go at the right time - but I don't know how they can get it to do that.
I'm just changing Anoraks, prepare to bowl us away.
Shot number two.
(SQUEEZES HORN) Oh, I'm scared! (ANORAKS CHEER) Well done, Paul.
Paul, come here.
That was what was supposed to happen first time, right? When you make these machines the first time, you're always gonna get some teething troubles.
Well, now we know it works, you've got three more targets to hit.
So go for it.
See if we can hit them.
Was that good or what? Do you know what? If they can get that machine to do that for all the other three targets, they are gonna run away with this competition - over.
It looks like it.
They're already lining up for the next target.
Very exciting.
Anoraks, it's shot number three.
(SQUEEZES HORN) LISA: Whoa! It hit fuel tank.
It's on the fuel tank! ROBERT: The fire brigade are coming in.
Oh, it's all hands to the pumps.
It's all gone a bit pear-shaped.
That went very badly wrong.
LISA: That was quite dangerous, really, wasn't it? It was less than ideal.
Let's be serious.
And I think the revs got up too much, the g force was so great, it just ripped it out of the trigger.
So we left it to spin for too long.
We need to release the ball sooner? A bit quicker, yeah.
ROBERT: The Anoraks need their next two shots to be on target if they're going to match the Up 'n Atoms' scores.
They're relying on a slower rotation and gaffer tape to get their trigger mechanism working properly.
(SQUEEZES HORN) Whoa, yes! LISA: There we go, there we go! ANORAKS: Yes! Yay! Excellent.
We've got it sussed now.
Lovely.
We've learnt by our mistakes.
ROBERT: It's either a disaster or a huge success, isn't it? Yes.
There's no sort of wishy-washy, "Oh, we didn't quite make it.
" No middle ground at all.
ROBERT: Two shots left and two targets to go.
But they must hit with the next shot if they're to match the Up 'n Atoms' performance.
(SQUEEZES HORN) (MAN WHISPERS) It's coming.
LISA: Oh! Go on! Get in there! Yes, go on, go on, go on, go on! And straight there! ROBERT: Wow.
Wow.
I did not expect that.
It gets better and better.
That was very good.
That looked to me - a layperson, as I am - as close to perfect as you get, wasn't it? It wasn't far off.
We're definitely getting the hang of it.
Talk about being down to the wire.
Well, in this case, down to the grease and the hook.
I mean, this really is it.
If they hit that target this time, they've won.
If they miss, who knows what's gonna happen? I guess it's up to the judge, is it? It has to be up to the judge.
He's not happy about it, I can tell you.
How are you feeling? They're doing alright, aren't they? They've got it.
Got it in the bag.
Do you think so? Got it down.
Got the direction, they've got the legs.
Got the power.
Not a problem now.
ROBERT: 10 hours of build, five shots in, a place in the finals at stake, and it all comes down to this last throw.
Anoraks, it's time to make your opponents green with envy.
It's your final shot.
(SQUEEZES HORN) Start her up, Lyndon.
LISA: Oh, no! Is it gonna go? Is it gonna go? Go on, go on, go on.
LISA: Is it? Is it? Is it? Oh, I don't believe it! What can I say? Interesting.
That machine was so exciting.
It really was great.
And it was brilliant to watch and it worked superbly.
ROBERT: It's been a tight competition.
How is the judge going to call it? The team that is going to go through to the final of Scrapheap Challenge is the one whose ball got closest to the final target.
They're The Anoraks.
(ALL CHEER AND LAUGH) Still did well.
Well done.
ROBERT: So it's The Anoraks who are through to face the Hairy Hogs in our formidable final - don't miss it!
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