OWI Robotic Arm Edge

I got this for my 5th grader for his birthda, but unfortunately I was gone with the Army on his birthday and it arrived a day after I left so I didn't get to give it to him myself. Upon opening it my wife advised him to wait until I returned to assemble it. Upon my return a few weeks later, we began the task of assembling it. Imagine a model car but with the addition of wires and screws and you'll have an idea of what assembly takes. I definitely would not recommend assembly by anyone younger than about 8th grade. It took a box knife to separate the pieces and shave off the excess plastic. It was fun going through the steps with him, as we had with Legos many times before. The instructions were very clear and easy to follow. If there was one thing I would change, however, it would be the packaging and labeling of the screws etc. If they were packaged individually and labeled it would be easier not to use the wrong one. For instance, there are small metal rods that the gears go on. In the package there is one that was slightly shorter than the others, a fact that I missed until the product was almost complete. We had to shake it to see which gear bow rattled and then disassemble it to replace the rod with the correct one. It wasn't a huge issue as it isn't glued together, but one that better packaging/labeling would have prevented. The operation is smooth and easy to master. Admittedly, my son is a test have geek, so this was right up his alley. It gives a very basic intro to robotics. Overall it was a great experience with a quality product.

my 9 year old loves this thing!

It was real hard to do. Except I lost a screw

Yes. It is a Christmas present for one of my grandsons. He is almost 11 years old. I think it will keep him entertained.

Package came to house in timeframe promised and was delivered in great condition. Based on pass experience I am confident my 9 year old grandson will enjoy this item when he receives it this year for Christmas.