Thames & Kosmos Solar Bots: 8-in-1 Solar Robot Kit, Ages 6+

Finally something that challenges my little one. This is a great kit for kids who really need a challenge. I would recommend this for someone who loves to put together brick kits, but brick kits are just too easy for them. Initially, getting acclimated took an extra minute as our other build kits are not this intricate. Our daughter decided to build Major (the drummer). Once we got our bearings, popping out the pieces left rough edges on some of the plastic pieces, so be careful not to scratch anything or yourself. We used the eyeglass screwdriver set we have to attach the tiny screws included in the kit. It was a lot of fun to watch her use the enclosed guide and figure out her build. You can charge the solar panel in the sun of course or with a 50+ watt light bulb. When she was assembling it, a beam of sunshine came through the window and Major started drumming to a steady beat! It was wild, unexpected, and super cool. This may prove frustrating for kids who may not be mechanically inclined and do not LOVE putting things together-start with an easier kit and definitely work up to this, so they don’t get discouraged. This is an amazing kit and I highly recommend it for more advanced little engineer wannabes.

This was a gift for friends with children. They used it as their science project. The kids loved it

my daughter loved spending time with Dad putting this Robot together. She worked on making the spider and was thrilled when it was complete. Very cute and tons of fun. The solar panel works great, all parts are well-made, impressed!

This is a great product to give kids to work on to help them divert away from always being online playing games. Definitely will keep your child engaged for a long time. Kids need to feel that they can accomplish anything they want. This is a project that will for sure help them feel accomplished. The project is definitely a kit that boys who like to build would love. I love the colors and the material. I would definitely suggest it for kids who love to build things.

The Thames & Kosmos Solarbots Robot Kit has detailed instructions on how to build a solar robot. This kit has 194 pieces that are anchored to plastic to be taken out piece by piece as needed. The pieces are pretty easy to find and take a little time to get out of the plastic. The book is very detailed and has instructions for 8 solarbots using the same solar panel. There is an introduction in the book of each solarbot with it's skills listed and some notes about each solarbot. It's fun to read about each solarbot and then decide which solarbot to put together. The first thing that needs to be done is to assemble the gearbox then use the gearbox to assemble each model. The solarbot has to be taken apart each time to assemble another one but the gearbox stays together. The gearbox needs to be tested in direct sunlight and if it's put together correctly the motorshaft should start spinning. There is a part separator tool that it comes with and it helps disassemble various parts. It makes it much easier to take apart the solarbot to build another version. The book has some interesting facts about solar energy and the solarbots are a great way for kids to learn about it.

Hey these are fun. We received these and decided to make a family affair putting them together and playing with them. Our 6 year old and 12 year old grandsons were right there very interested in these. The parts seem to be well made and do go together ok. Some are a bit tighter then ithers but that happens with all toys it seems. I did think they would be a bit larger but they are still fine being smaller. I think the best part is being solar. No batteries to purchase. Time will tell how long they will work re energizing. The younger one has had fun taking them apart and rebuilding them. Good for motor skills. This is a good toy. It teaches about solar. It teaches building. It teaches patience. I would buy again. Also when finished they look nice on the shelf between playing with them.

The kids had a lot of fun putting this kit together. And felt that they really accomplished something when done. It says for 6 and up. Had a 9 year old doing it and still needed adult help.But that also gives everyone a challenge in building it. That's the only reason for a 4 star. Other wise a fun little vehicle to play with. Seems real sturdy. It does take direct sunlight to make it work. I would recommend these as long as the kids have some help.

This kit was easy and fun to build with my six year old. He was able to get the pieces together and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. It's good for an afternoon of play and for those kiddos who enjoy building and constructing things. I don't recommend mainly because the main draw is the solar power aspect, but we found that the solar power array is very weak. You need absolute full bright sun to give it enough power to actually life its own weight. Not partial sun, not the slightest bit overcast, full sun. It says you can charge it with interior lights that are 100 watts but we found that again it wasn't enough to really charge it enough to do what it is supposed to do. A better quality solar panel would have really improved the experience, as it's a little disappointing to build these and not be able to see it do what it's supposed to do.

this is a complete waste of time and money. very small parts, instructions very poor, very weak motor, parts hard to handle, do not buy

This was a good idea, but the execution didn't work very well. The motor doesn't work. I doubled checked it, using direct sunlight, on a clear day. Nothing. I did probe the solar cell with a voltmeter, and I did get some voltage, but they didn't give any details on the motor or cell. Too bad. I received this item as a part of a review program.