MECCANO Erector Meccanoid XL 2.0 Robot-Building Kit, STEM Education Toy for Ages 10 & Up (Amazon Exclusive)

Before purchasing this product we searched as many options as we could find. I had put my 10 year old son to work reading review after review as together we wanted to get the best buy for our home school dollars, yet, most education experience as possible. We did not just want a 'new toy,' rather a challenging, educational STEM experience that would be used and used. WELL, in spite a number of negative reviews my son has said to me, "Mom, I want you to write a review so this product isn't overlooked by people searching for a really cool 'robot,' because it shouldn't get a bad review at all. Its just wonderful!" So here I am. I took a hundred pictures from opening the box and its contents to the process of Aden, again a 10 year old, following every page of the perfectly presented and diagrammed instructions book for a period of about 5 days to completion of this robot building project. He worked independently totally, slowly and meticulously able to follow the instructions without a hitch! My only assist was holding a couple pieces in place so his small hands could operate the tools to install. IN addition, helping him safely place it, due to size, during 'off building-time.' He attached all wires properly with ease. HE downloaded (me by his side of course) information. WE struggled a bit with getting the battery cover off and called the company for instructions. I helped with this simply because his hands weren't strong enough to open it. As it turns out, he opted to removed the battery case (a very good problem solving decision) giving me better access to open it. The instructions were presented perfectly, I had just hesitated as I didn't want to 'force' it open, yet it did need a little extra pressure to get open. Before that, I called support for help and was answered immediately and helped immediately. They were prompt, friendly and really awesome! Once Meccanoid's Meccabrain was updated, Aden was off and running! I can see there is much to be learned with this product. Too, Aden began his coding journey with Dash and Dot, after successfully completing all coding, we moved to Cue, which he still codes, and now Meccanoid. This is a really cool project! EDUCATIONAL, FUN, INTERESTING, DELIGHTFUL, & ENTERTAINING. As a mom who is very careful what my son is doing with his gift of time, I'm delighted to have made this decision to purchase Meccanoid. Aden began Lego's when he was very young and has been able to put together any age kit, which I expect was in part his ease in following the instructions to build Meccanoid 2.0XL (the 4' one). HE and I highly support other parents who are considering this product and we're happy to answer any questions you may!

Based on value for money I give this product 5 stars. I helped my 9 year old granddaughter build it and we managed it in about 10 hours and had fun doing it. First power up was thrilling and it worked first time, barring a few minor adjustments that had to be made. Meccano aficionados (or snobs) may not like the fact this kit is made from poly-carbonate rather than metal but it makes sense and is very strong and stable. Battery life is excellent and voice recognition works well. The programming app downloaded and connected via bluetooth to the robot first time. So far, after about 6 hours heavy use, no cables, motors, nuts or bolts have come loose. I guess this could be different, depending on how carefully you build it. We took our time and screwed everything tight. The rag doll mode on the app works well and the programming mode, although just a basic flowchart design, works too and will probably challenge the age range intended for. The experience should be a great inspiration to aspiring young robot builders.Overall I am pleasantly surprised that we got this little guy up and fully running without any major hiccups, so I cannot fault Meccano's design. Sometimes the manual was a little difficult to follow. Some intuition needed! I guess if you don't some parts right first time then treat it as part of the learning process.If this product was much more expensive I would expect - 1. Better mic to provide better quality recording in LIM recording mode, 2. A more advanced programming section in the app, 3. the ability to convert text input into speech so the robot can be programmed to talk rather than just play back your recorded voice (the robot Meccabrain mic can record music and voice played to it directly but playback is quiet. Any voice/sounds recorded via the app on your smart device are not transmitted to the robot but played back on the smart device while the robot does the accompanying movements.

First and foremost.....this takes a long time to build. Took my 10 year old daughter and I 10+ hours to build.... but it was worth every minute. As detailed s the build is, the fun she had when it was running was amazing. We followed the directions and updated the meccabrain before doing anything. Very important. If you are experienced with building Lego kits then this kit is not hard to understand. This us why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5. Like Lego, the assembly section does not have words, just 3D renderings of the items to assemble. You have to pay close attention to the orientation of the parts in each step. Would be nice if the manufacturer had posted some YouTube construction videos for clarification of the complicated parts. now on to the good part.... WOW at the interactive fun this toy brings. Tells stories, walks around the house with you and even gives high fives. I am looking forward to seeing my daughter program her own 'moves' into this bot.

I know this is discontinued. (It is still supported on their website.) But if your kid likes legos or electronics, buy it. Hubby is a electronic technician, and im sure that helped. But really he had no problems, and everything worked perfectly. My 8 year son was able to make both legs by himself, but the body he mostly handed parts. It took them a good week plus. Only because they worked for about 30 minutes at a time, as soon as our son would lose interest, they would stop. That really helped keeping him excitedly waiting to build more of his friend. I admit that the finished robot lacks enough interactions to keep his attention long. But the build itself was rewarding. And he does get turned on occasionally. For the current price, its an awesomely cool robot thats as tall as my son.