China’s Monkey King Robot Challenges MegaBots’ MK III

If you recall, this summer we’re in for a robot duel. MegaBots, the team of American engineers who build piloted bots, have challenged Japan’s Suidobashi to an open fight. Their mechs are set to face each other this August at a secret location. The news of their duel spread like wildfire so naturally, now China wants to participate. Greatmetal is the name of the company behind China’s gladiator robot, Monkey King #robotmagic

China’s bot is completely different from Kuratas and Mk III. Greatmetal’s steel bot is an 8,000 lb quadrupedal gladiator. Just like an animal, it can walk on four legs and stand on two. Instead of heavy artillery, it features a metal staff. A rotating head completes the picture of the Chinese robot which is appropriately called Monkey King.

While MegaBots MK III accommodates two pilots, Monkey King can only handle one leader. That could be a disadvantage for China in a robot fight, although MegaBots hasn’t accepted the challenge yet. If it does, this mech could be a participant in the final fight, confronting the winner, whether that is Kuratas or MK III.

Remember, Mk III is a 16-foot giant that weighs 12,000 pounds while Kuratas is much lighter, at 9,000 lb. Both of them are expected to wear weapons, although Japan favors melee combat: “Just building something huge and sticking guns on it. It’s Super American … If we’re going to win this, I want to punch them to scrap and knock them down to do it.”

In the end, MegaBots promise a “nation-on-nation robot combat. Multi-ton behemoths will swing punches, tearing steel armor panels off each other until one mech is left standing, while the opponent is left a heap of scrap metal.” We don’t know if the battle will have a physical audience or if you’ll have to watch the battle from home, but stay tuned: August is a couple of months away.