How much does it cost to build a combat robot? An antweight budget, item by item (2026)

Short answer: a basic antweight robot (up to 150 g) without an active weapon costs 900–1,200 CZK (€37–49) in parts. With a spinning weapon budget 2,000–2,500 CZK (€82–103). On top of that you buy a transmitter (1,299 CZK) and a charging kit (about 300 CZK) once – both serve every robot you build afterwards. Prices are from our e-shop as of September 2026; 1,000 CZK is roughly €41.

What a combat robot needs

Before adding things up, look at what an antweight robot consists of. Every line in the budget maps to one function:

• Drive – two gear motors and wheels. The antweight standard is the N20 motor, or the smaller and stronger N10.
• Control – a receiver that listens to the transmitter and an electronic speed controller (ESC) that feeds current to the motors accordingly.
• Power – a 2S LiPo battery, a switch reachable from outside and wiring with connectors.
• Body – usually 3D printed in PETG or PLA; TPU or aluminium on more advanced machines.
• Weapon – optional: a wedge, a servo-driven lifter or a spinner with a brushless motor.
• Transmitter – one for all your robots.

How these parts talk to each other is explained in the tutorial How a combat robot works.

Budget for a basic antweight robot

This is the set-up most people start with at our workshops: a two-motor robot with a wedge and no active weapon. It fits the rules, can be built over a weekend and has nothing to lose in the arena.

Item	Qty	Price	Note
N20 DC motor with gearbox	2	198 CZK	99 CZK each; the N10 at 189 CZK is smaller and more powerful
Dual speed controller 5 A	1	199 CZK	drives both motors, supports braking
Flysky FS2A receiver	1	249 CZK	4 channels, failsafe as required by rule 5.1
Wheels for N20	2 packs	50 CZK	four wheels; a two-wheeler needs one pack at 25 CZK
Slide switch SS12F15VG4	1	9 CZK	externally reachable switch (rule 5.2)
JST PH 2.0 connectors + silicone wire	–	30 CZK	5 connector pairs 18 CZK, 26 AWG wire 6 CZK
Screws, threaded inserts, motor mounts	–	60 CZK	N10/N20 mount 19 CZK, inserts 8–12 CZK per 5
2S LiPo battery 300–450 mAh	1	150–250 CZK	not in our shop; any RC hobby store
Filament for the body (40–60 g PETG)	–	30 CZK	print at home, at school or via a print service
Total		≈ 980–1,080 CZK (€40–45)	without transmitter and charging kit

A few notes on the choices:

• N20 vs. N10. The N20 is cheaper and more robust; the N10 saves space and weight you can spend on armour or a weapon. For a first robot we recommend the N20 at 600–1,000 rpm – faster gearing is harder to drive.
• ESC. The dual 5 A controller handles both drive motors and the short overloads of pushing an opponent. Single-motor 3 A controllers at 99 CZK only make sense for special layouts.
• Malenki Nano HV. A receiver and dual ESC in one module at 849 CZK replaces items 2 and 3 (448 CZK together). It costs 400 CZK more but saves four cables and space in the chassis – worth it on robots where every gram counts.

One-off equipment: transmitter and charging

These you buy once and use with every robot you ever build:

• Flysky FS-i6 radio transmitter – 1,299 CZK. Six channels, memory for 20 models, pairs with FS2A receivers.
• 2S LiPo charger – 79 CZK.
• LiPo battery tester – 69 CZK. Shows the voltage of each cell, so you spot a flat or damaged pack before the robot dies mid-fight.
• LiPo safety bag – 149 CZK. Rule 3.3 of the CCRL rules requires supervised charging next to a fireproof container; without one you will not be allowed to charge at a tournament.

About 1,600 CZK (€66) in total. The entry ticket for a first robot including the radio and charging therefore comes to 2,500–2,700 CZK (€103–111); the second robot costs only the thousand or so.

What a weapon costs

Spinner

A spinner is the most spectacular and the most expensive route. You need a fast brushless motor, an ESC for brushless motors and the blade or disc itself:

• Brushless motor 1806 2400KV – 249 CZK
• 20 A brushless ESC – 199 CZK (for heavier discs the AM32 40 A at 349 CZK)
• Blade 48 mm – 219 CZK, blade 60 mm – 249 CZK; disc 48 mm – 349 CZK, disc 60 mm – 399 CZK
• Aluminium M5 lock nut – 15 CZK (CW or CCW depending on the spin direction)

That is 680–1,010 CZK extra. A spinner robot therefore lands at 1,700–2,100 CZK, and with a reserve for thicker walls and a spare blade plan on 2,000–2,500 CZK. How to design and balance a spinner is covered on the Spinner page.

Flipper, lifter and grabber

Lifting and grabbing weapons are servo-driven and an order of magnitude cheaper:

• SG90 servo with plastic gears – 59 CZK, for light flaps and claws
• MG90S servo with metal gears – 79 CZK, survives impacts and prying
• Powerful PTK servo for 8.4 V – 269 CZK, runs straight from a 2S battery without a regulator

The SG90 and MG90S need 5 V, so add an adjustable BEC at 29 CZK. 100–300 CZK on top. The pros and cons of each weapon are compared on the Weapon types page.

Where to save and where not to

Worth saving on

• Body. PETG or PLA from an ordinary printer is enough. First robots do not need TPU or aluminium – spend the weight on thicker walls around the electronics instead.
• Weapon. A wedge or pusher with no moving parts wins surprisingly often. Add the weapon in version two, once you can drive.
• Number of wheels. A two-wheeler with a skid at the back is cheaper, lighter and turns well.
• Phone control. An ESP32-C3 Super Mini board at 99 CZK replaces the transmitter and receiver (saving 1,548 CZK). The tutorial How to control a combat robot via mobile phone shows how. Great for practice and a first build; for tournaments we recommend a regular 2.4 GHz radio for signal reliability and failsafe.

Not worth saving on

• A receiver with failsafe. Without it you will not pass the tech check. Cheap marketplace receivers often lack it.
• Switch and connectors. Twisted wires and tape are the most common reason a robot suddenly dies in the arena. A JST connector costs 9 CZK for five.
• A spare motor. One extra N20 at 99 CZK saves your day when a shaft snaps in the first fight.

Running costs over a season

Once the robot works, you mostly pay for wear: motors (99 CZK), wheels (10–25 CZK per pack), a second battery so you do not have to worry about charge between fights, and some filament for spare parts. For a season with a few tournaments plan on 500–1,000 CZK (€20–41). We ship across Europe; rates for Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovakia and the rest of the EU are on the Shipping & payment page.

Beetleweight: an order of magnitude more

A beetleweight robot may weigh 1.5 kg, uses 22 mm and larger motors, 3S–4S batteries and steel or aluminium for the weapon. The rules cap the energy of a spinning weapon at 1 kJ, which for a good spinner means a motor and ESC costing thousands of crowns. A realistic budget is 5,000–10,000 CZK (€200–400) depending on the weapon. We compare both classes in Antweight vs beetleweight and the full rules are on the Beetleweight page.

The cheapest start: a workshop or camp

If you do not want to buy parts blind, come to one of our workshops – we build in Prague, Brno, Pilsen, České Budějovice and Karlovy Vary and you take the robot home. The price and what the kit includes are listed with each date. For kids we run a summer day camp in Pilsen.

Every part in this article is in stock in the e-shop and ships within 1–2 working days.