29.4.2018

My 10 yearold daughter built and configured this fantastic toy almost entirely without my help and the result is an exceptional educational toy. All the build instructions apart from the very first connection of the controller unit and battery are supported with animations via the app. We installed it on a >5 yearold iPad (iOS 10.3.3) and a >3 yearold iPhone 6 with no problems. I haven't tried on any non iOS platforms.Here's what we loved+ The concept of component electronics building without the skills and motivation necessary to use breadboard or other basic circuit methods.+ The near instant link between hardware and app software - we got the whole thing made and working (minus some of the stickers on the casework)in 15-20 minutes.+ The app both informs (explains what some of the components are) and encourages with game-like progression to unlock Droid capabilities.+ The app has a built-in coding graphical interface (a lot like the highly successful MIT Scratch Junior interface) which allows your child to start thinking in logical sequences to navigate obstacle courses, deliver recorded messages and the like. It's highly intuitive and we had the Droid dancing around our living room in a few minutes of playing with the code blocks.+ The components fit together easily and without tools+The Star Wars co-branding gives it a lot of personality from the movie with the familiar sounds of R2 and his kind.+ If you want to get creative, there are white stickers supplied that will take your own colouring or designs.+ Using this as an excuse I have been able to talk about servos, motors, pcbs etc. with my daughter. She has the usual curiosity about the world and science but rarely turns her attention towards mechanical or electronic toys. This is a fantastic gateway into a world of electronics and coding which appeals to girls and boys in equal measure. Read up on the entrepreneurial origins of Little Bits for the inspiration behind this - I salute what they are trying to do 100%.Now I'm a spacecraft operations engineer turned robotics project engineer so the tech appeals to me of course but what I really loved is how enthusiastic is has made my daughter.There are some 'could be betters' in the overall scheme of things. Here for completeness as none of them would stop us buying more in the range.- The stickers are a fiddle to apply straight and into the grooves on the casework- The legs are held by a set of pins at the shoulder that aren't very robust - not the most durable of casing- At the outset the app advises cleaning all the contacts between the magnetically clipped components. We didn't heed this advice at first and had problems with the controls but after a quick rub with a soft cloth the system cooperated perfectly.- It is quite expensive overall. Given it currently costs about two to three times what a premium family board game costs I find the price acceptable but hope that as Little Bits continues to expand and succeed, the range will become more affordable.Overall one of the very best introductory electronics / coding toys I've encountered and with an immediate charm of a much loved Star Wars character we are going to enjoy this for a long time to come.

3.7.2019

This is quite an amazing toy for boys and girls alike. littleBits are keen to get children interested in STEM projects, the inventors, engineers and constructors of the future. An added bonus, this is a Star Wars-themed project, with children having the opportunity to build their very own R2-D2.You need a smart phone in order to download the app which will help you to build the robot and control it. There are some paper instructions included, but the app is much easier to understand and more interactive. It breaks down the construction into very easy 10”-20” videos, ensuring you have all the correct parts to hand and making sure that you have done each section before moving to the next one.I had two nephews aged 10 and 7 who were desperate to try this.

16.9.2017

I first came across littleBits through my daughter’s school who use their products for STEM and coding lessons. She frequently tells me how much she enjoys these classes and using littleBits to create and make things, so thought it would be fitting to purchase this Droid Inventor’s Kit for home use (being a Star-Wars fan myself, I secretly bought it as a boomerang present, and give it a go myself!!).The kit comes with magnetic modules which are colour-coded (depending on its function). It also comes supplied with the plastic outer shells (R2D2 body) as well as different stickers for decorating the droid once assembled. The mobile app (which includes the assembly instructions and allows interaction,

12.10.2017

My 10 year old daughter had a fab time with this and spent 2 days doing barely anything else. We have had a small Little Bits electronic set before and so we knew the quality would be great but the casing of the droid really captured her imagination. All the instructions come as part of the app which can be downloaded on apple or android devices and works very well. It takes you through each connection step by step and make you test each bit is working before you carry on.I feel a bit worried that my daughter was coming at it more as a Lego kit type of thing and just mindless following the instructions but once she’d built the first experiment and got R2D2 moving around and making noises then

21.10.2017

This is so cool. Wish I had been born 30 years later. Another Star Wars kit...Disney milking it for all it can with this awesome kit by littleBits!So here we build R2D2 using a variety of parts included in the box ("motor, proximity sensor, speaker, etc."). Works with Android and iOS devices via the app which will walk you through building the droid.The great thing about this is the ability to customise your droid - you aren't just stuck to re-creating r2d2/bb8/whatever - there really is the chance to create your own custom robot.Force mode is very cool but quite a few toys out these days with that functionality.My 6yr old stood next to no chance of assembling this himself but loved seeing it come together and handing parts across.

2.10.2017

This is an absolutely fantastic toy/gift for any child (or adult) Star Wars fan.Essentially, it is a build-your-own R2D2 that can be controlled via an app. The app is fun to use, billing itself as an "Inventor training" device (all the instructions for building R2 also in the app), and once the construction stage is done the app becomes the controller for the droid.R2 can be customised with stickers, and the droid hardware can be use to create custom droids (ie, a child can build a robot body from cardboard, and attach it to the R2 droid motor to make the robot come to life).The droid is also very smart, with sensors allowing it to avoid obstacles ahead of it,

15.9.2017

Spotted several of the tech websites raving about this kit, so bought this as a gift for my niece, who both loves Star Wars - especially Rey! - and toys that you can customise. It's perfect for her. She had R2-D2 built in no time - no help from me (and I really WANTED to play!!), loving the fact that she was constructing her own droid, from 'brain' to body to colours (the kit has a ton of stickers in it). She's now onto sending her droid on adventures via the app - the look on her face when she powered R2 with 'The Force' was priceless. I see that you can customise the droids still further - this will give me some great 'Auntie time' projects with her in the coming months,

3.1.2019

I ordered this for my 8 yr old son for Christmas. It is his favourite toy and has been playing with it everyday since. There are so many combinations for him to create and do with the droid. It has been an amazing gift to see him use his skills to make the droid work and do what he wants it to do. It comes with circuits that can be hooked up in different orders to make the droid respond and move in different ways. He has already learned to add voice and sounds as well to his. I would definitely recommend this for any child interested in how things work and making them move. The app works great as well on his tablet.

29.9.2017

With the help of the associated app's instructions this kit can be used to build an actual moving model. My grandsons and their stepdad love building things, especially moving things, and anything associated with Star Wars. So this kit was onto a winner straight away and Grandma has provided the answer to all their birthdays at once. The whole family can join in as this set is simple enough for even the eight year old to manage. The pieces all go together easily and are all easily identified as to what goes where so there's no frustrated yells of 'I can't find the right bit'. The model can be customised to make it look different and perform in different ways and there are add on sets available

9.10.2018

I bought this for my five year old son and he loves it. After some initial help to get going, he can complete the missions on his own even though he cannot read very well - the instructions are very easy to follow. He hasn't tried the coding part yet - that appears to be a bit more complex than the coding apps he currently has. So, he has room to grow with this toy. I hope there are extra bits we can buy for it - he already wants to add more complex functionality. I had to explain to him that full-blown AI is still not readily available ;) The software didn't work on our older ipad - so a newer ios device is needed (I believe it requires at least ios ver 10).

11.10.2017

Overall a fun toy for families to have fun with together but here are a few thoughts and issues to think about:The directions on the app missed out on using a piece when putting the body together, thankfully this was shown in the leaflet that came in the box:The head, when it doesn't have the motor attached, is very loose and can easily get knocked off:It could do with more scope to expand with spare parts to be able to do multiple functions;andThe app was not compatible with all of the android devices that you may have.But this all said the droid gives lots of options for adaptability for it to do different things and it kept us all amused.

23.3.2018

My two boys (14 and 12) were really excited to put this together- it was easy to assemble, using instructions on their ipods (which they loved). I think kids younger than mine could also handle this fairly independently. once together, they kept discovering things they could do with the robot - making it draw with a marker, recording sounds that upload to play from it, and running it through obstacle courses. They were so engaged there was no watching screens all evening! They both gave it a 5 star rating when I asked how much they liked it. I think they will have fun with it for a long time, and would recommend it.

16.10.2017

A great inspirational piece of kit that is a toy, robot, and Star Wars collector piece all in one. Build quality is good, as were the instructions to follow. I like that it’s officially licensed as the R2D2 sounds are perfect – bringing you right back into the films. It also has a high quality feel to it.Designed to be tinkered with is a big plus point. After the initial build you can modify and customise it which makes it a lot of fun. I’ve had no problem using the app on my Android phone either.It now lives on my work desk where it gets a lot of attention.All in all, highly recommended for all ages.

9.7.2020

Our kids love playing with this droid! Assembly was easy, and it's been a nice balance of easy-to-use while still providing ways to figure out new things. The only thing to keep in mind is that if you have older kids (10/11 +), you might want to consider something more challenging.There was a little glitch with the front wheel - it would drift to the right when it supposed to go straight, but I believe we may have figured that out. (Little Bits support is helpful in replying quickly!)

31.10.2017

This is a fairly easily assembled little robot - larger than we first thought and expected, but great fun.You need the app to assist in operation, but it works and entertains.There's not a lot of real 'invention' here though - more operational activity. We also found the stickers a little frustrating to attach and our droid looks a little 'shabby'!Not as good as BB8, but fun and worthwhile.

littleBits Droid Inventor Kit (Star Wars) - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail