OWI Inc Robotics T4 Transforming Solar Robot, Solar Powered Energy Kit for Kids, 4 Robots in 1, Educational STEM Birthday Kits Ages 8 and Up

This was our son's 7th birthday gift request. He's still trying to decide how much he likes it- Here's why...1. It's Solar which is cool, but it doesn't "just work" like most kids want it to now days.2. We didn't have a gear we needed at first. I emailed the company and they offered to replace the part (super fast- I highly recommend their customer service!) but found another of the exact robots at a yard sale and picked it up for a quarter so we saved the company a few bucks and used the gear. Win-Win! Because of this delay, he lost interest and is sorta getting back into it.3. This does not transform on its own. Kids don't realize that. It's ok, but I think they expect something "Transformers"-like and this is not that. It's in another class.4. The motor is sorta touchy. Once we got it working, it was golden, but it did take a little "touch from Daddy" (The engineer of the family) to get the gears going just right and everything agreeing.5. Switching from robot to creature sometimes dislocates "daddy magic" which means it's not really as 7-year old friendly as I had hoped. He's a Lego lover so he can put the pieces together without trouble, but the mechanics get wonky when jiggled.Overall, this can be a fun toy, BUT I think Amazon may want to rethink classifying this as maybe an 8-year old toy? For the price, it's good, but it does take a little TLC from a big person to keep going :)

This toy did not last long. My8 year old son had broken it within 48 hours and he is not normally rough on toys. I do not recommend.

Not what I expected. I thought it was a DIY for beginners, but it's more for kids who have the hang of the techniques. You will need tools and other pieces to make this and some are not included. Assembling a toy may always be frustrating, but it's very educational and the fun of playing with it comes after. I brought this for my 10 year old kid, because we're a family of geeks and nerds and playing with Legos gets boring for him sometimes. So, he was thrilled to build this and with experienced assistance, it was fun to put it together. The assembling was more fun than playing with it. Being that it's solar powered, you have to wait until it's charged by light. Like anything charging, it's going to take awhile. This robot is so cute when it's powered on and working. He played with the robot for a short time until putting it up so it wouldn't get destroyed. He asked me for more so he could make a miniature team of robots. I have a Dr. Frankenstein on my hands.

This is a great kit, similar but less complex than the lizard made by the same company. My son took about 1 hour to build this. It is about the size of your hand. It doesn't transform like we think a transformer does; you have to take it apart and rebuild it to its new form. But, I think that is better as it adds more tinker time. We live in California and just had to walk outside into direct sun and it started working. No charging delay at all for us. It stops in shadows which really helps lessons on solar energy. This worked for us inside but only on the window sill in the sun. The pieces are sturdy quality too. Only reason I picked 4 stars instead of 5 was that it was super fast to build, which some folks may prefer.

My 11 year old son has enjoyed this a lot. His only complaint is that there isn't an on/off button. If it's in the sun it's on and if it isn't it's off. It doesn't store any power, so it can't run without being in direct sunlight.

My 5-year-old wanted a "robot that transforms" and when he saw this one, his heart was set on it. (We told him this wasn't a remote-controlled robot and he was fine with that.) We've had it for a week now, built 3 of the different models and he still loves it, so I've given it 5 stars. He's fascinated how it works off the power of the sunshine.Assembly mostly should be done by an adult, but he enjoys watching and helps with the stickers and the bigger pieces. I enjoyed assembling the gearbox. Once the gearbox is together and all the models have been built once, switching between models is simpler. He may be able to do it himself before too long. I do worry a little about the fragility of the wires. It won't last forever, but it's fun. I'd say it's a good deal for the price.

Many small parts need to be carefully cut away and deburred before assembling but the result is well worthwhile and will delight small kids around 8 years of age. I used a pair of small scissors and sandpaper. The gearbox needs careful assembly as it is the key power source for the models. Try out at various stages of assembly by exposing to sunlight and make sure it functions smoothly. You may need to remove small burrs and ensure the gears mesh properly. Remove parts from the mould by cutting away as they are required for assembly rather than all at once as identification could become a problem.

kids love it, but since play a few days later, it's finally broken.