UBTECH JIMU Robot Astrobot Series: Cosmos Kit/App-Enabled Building and Coding STEM Learning Kit (387 Parts and Connectors), Orange

My 8-year-old son has been asking for a 'real' robot for months now. This one finally met his expectations. I helped him build it and now that it is built, he has having a ball with the remote control and coding lessons. When we take it apart to build a different model, I'm hoping he will need less help. One thing we had to figure out the hard way - the long white thing is a tool to help get tight pieces out when you are taking it apart. This wasn't explicit in the instructions that I saw and I damaged a few pieces trying to use other tools to get them out. Also, the Jimu app can't be loaded to Kindle Fires unless you sideload Google Play.

My son who is 9 did need some help assembling but he’s is not super skilled with these type of things yet. Great for kids who live LEGO’s as the app is 3D and makes the build easier. We have built two of the three options in this kit. My son is still learning and figuring out the coding stuff but still lots of fun to be head with the pre-programs functions.

So easy to assemble!! The app tells you step by step which piece is next for assembling three different robots. My kid is 5 so I had to help him but it was easy and clear instructions. All pieces are marked down so there is almost no room for mistakes. Works perfectly and kids love using the remote to control the robot and its functions!

Pros: my 8 year old son was able to make the robot on his own. I showed him a bit of programming techniques and then he made programs on his own. He's very happy with this kit.Cons: no paper instructions. You need iphone or android phone for everything: instructions, remote controls, programming.My grief is - the blocks are not compatible with Lego

We downloaded the app on my son's tablet, he built it, and found out that the battery was a dud. It would not hold a charge. We wrote to UBtech and they sent us a replacement battery.Round 2: He took it apart and rebuilt it, ensured the new battery was fully charged, and selected the "control" option in the app to start remote controlling. It would not sync as it had before. After an hour of troubleshooting and reading suggestions online, we decided we'd try deleting and redownloading the app. We discovered that the app is no longer supported or even available for Android devices. It simply doesn't exist. There is no way for him to control what he spent hours building. If we follow the QR code for the app download, it takes you to an error page.Both my husband and I have tried contacting the company again and have received no reply. We spent a lot of time and money on this now and are very disappointed.

Got this for my little boy and he absolutely loves it. We built it and the coding is amazing. Which he’s only 6 years old, but when he plays. He tries to write code.

My granddaughter loves this thing. I had to help her get started building it and how to start the programming process. It would be nice if there were accessories like a remote contact and a camera. But over all it's a great experience for her. she's 9.

I cannot say from personal experience about this robot, but I got the cutest letter (I live 6 hours away) saying that he absolutely loved his Robot. There has been no problems with it, so I have to assume that it was a happy purchase.