Tantan Robot

[RELEASE]Tantan — A 'Fierce-Looking Yet Adorable' Orange-Red Little Rascal

If you drew two puffed-up eyes on a battle bot and then tucked it into a round, chunky wedge-shaped shell — it would look pretty much like this.

Tantan is an orange-red 3D printed small module that looks like it's angry or brewing some mischief.

It's not a standalone large robot, but a "sub-robot" — you can think of it as DLC or a "pet".

How does it move?

The rear structure is very minimalist:

- Two side walls extend from the rear of the chassis, forming a U-shaped bracket
- An optical axis runs horizontally through the chassis
- Three parts are strung on the axis: a storm wheel in the middle (suspended about 1-2mm above the ground), and a ground-contacting side wheel on each side

The two side wheels are responsible for gliding, and the middle storm wheel is responsible for launching — a full set can be printed in half an hour, and assembly is extremely simple.

Storm wheel usage is as follows

How to play — Sub-robot rules

Tantan is positioned as a "sidekick" for the main battle bot. The rules are as follows:

- Simultaneously with the main robot completing a turn, Tantan can also complete a turn
- Flipping over does not use a turn; it can be flipped back over directly next time to continue playing
- Tantan being eliminated does not affect the continuation of the game

In actual combat, we found that when it is closely attached to the main robot, it can unleash considerable energy — sometimes even directly eliminating the opponent's main robot. This would be impossible for a real 220-pound combat robot, but at desktop scale, small things offer such surprises.

From a distance, it can also cause minor impact to the enemy, but don't expect much effect from too far away.

An effective (and somewhat devious) strategy

When the opponent's robot is flipped over, send Tantan to rush up close. When the opponent flips back over in their next turn, they'll be met with Tantan's impact — sometimes that's enough for an elimination (material from actual combat — we also found the tile-out elimination method quite fun).

Of course, Tantan isn't that strong either. Colliding with a large robot from a distance barely moves it, and if pressed too hard or with incorrect technique, it might directly fly across the entire arena and self-destruct, which is not uncommon.

Why did I make it?

- Reward supporters: Give friends who have supported the model an extra little toy
- Balance strength differences: If the skill gap between two people is too large, the weaker player can control the sub-robot, occasionally relying on Tantan to turn the tide
- 2v2 Tactical expansion: When one person has two main robots (only one can be controlled per turn), if accurately aimed, in the first turn, let Tantan run next to one opponent, then control the main robot to run next to the other — this puts both opponent's robots in a situation where "one hit will knock them off the table," and in the next turn, one will definitely be eliminated

Drawbacks? Aiming requirements are very high, and as the saying goes — one wrong move and it self-destructs😂

Why is it called Tantan?

Because its fierce-looking yet adorable appearance is very similar to Tantrum from BattleBots — that little guy who punches repeatedly. The name Tantan is a tribute.

It's not the strongest weapon, but it's the kind of thing you "secretly pull out of your pocket." You'll find that when the battle truly begins, it often becomes the variable that determines victory or defeat.