CONSTRUCT & CREATE Tobbie the Self-Guiding AI Robot Build Your Own DIY STEM Kit - Robotic Toy for Children from 8 Years

Very popular with my son - the fun of the toy is, I think, mostly in the making, but even given that it was well worth the price for the entertainment value. My son (who is 7 but very good with construction kits) was able to build this with minimal adult help in about 3-4 hours.

This was a lot of fun to put together for my son (10). he enjoyed the whole process of building something, and making it work. I've recommended it a few times to other friends, and they've been similarly impressed. It's a sturdy little unit, works better on some surfaces than others and it kept him well entertained. I think if it was for much younger kids then there's not enough variety in what it does once built to keep them entertained, but I would recommend. This was for my 10 year old son, and he found it just right in challenge and in terms of build process.

I'm 58 and you might think I'm a bit too old to be messing about with robot toys. Well, I've wanted a robot pet since before they were even a thing. So I thought I'd start small – and more importantly, cheap. Tobbie comes as a construction kit, like the old Airfix kits of my childhood, except you don't need glue because everything simply clicks together. The instructions are very clear, but my advice is to really pay attention, because there are some stages where you're sure you're following those instructions to the letter and maybe you get a bit cocky – then several stages down the line you find that something won't click into place. So you have to unscrew a lot of fiddly screws and backtrack until you find where you'd done something silly. I had to do that, and it turned what should have been a two hour build into one that stretched overnight (my eyes are old and I have to work in daylight these days). Anyway, everything was fixed the following day and I'm pleased with the result – although Tobbie is only just what you could describe as a robot: don't expect to be able to program it to do things; all it does is avoid obstacles or follow your using its proximity sensor. And it's very noisy on hard floors but it gets stuck on anything but the smoothest carpets. Nevertheless, as soon as it got going, I began to treat it like a living thing – albeit a very stupid living thing. So now I want a bigger, brighter one – maybe even an army of them!

Good quality product

It’s a project but once built, is a bit boring. Doesn’t do much. Has to be in range if you want it to follow up. More a 5 minute wonder.

Bought for my 9yr old daughter. Was built with the help of her dad, I’m not sure if children would be able to build this by themselves with no help. Took around 2-3hrs and seems to all be working well! The video shows Tobbie in discovery mode where he just walks around exploring. Also has a mode where he will follow you if you put your hand in front of him and another mode where he will back away from your hand being in front of him. Daughter is so pleased with it. Is noisy but that doesn’t bother us and I can imagine it draining batteries quite quickly but haven’t used it for long enough to know how quickly! Those in the reviews where it is not working I think it’s going to be down to the build process. It’s a long process and requires a lot of accuracy and attention to detail to get it right.

Bought as a santa sack gift for my 11 year old. He struggled to construct this. It was eventually built (and rebuilt) by 2 different adults. We have been unable to get this working. It's been really disappointing, as it looks great. Unable to speak to anyone regarding the item. It's little but good for its size. Instructions ok for an adult, bit my son struggled.

Strangely, I loved the fact it deliberately had a bit left over "there's always a bit left over"...showing how well thought out the kit is (...its a jig to align the drive cogs, which then has to be removed once everything is placed and screwed together). If I built another one I may try lubricting all the moving parts with petroleum jelly, as its a bit noisy when operating. I found it very easy to assemble, the instructions being well laid out and clear. My little Grandson is facinated by it, especially when it "flinches" when he waves his hand at it. Overall, I think its great value for money, even if it is not as durable as I would have liked - my grandson picked it up by one leg and it made graoning noises!