Toysmith 4 M Soda Can Robug

I bought this for my sons birthday party and was fairly simple to put together. Product worked well and has lasted. Would recommend to others. Also purchased Toysmith 4M Tin Can Robot and Robot Duck.

We had a lot of fun putting the parts together, but this little bug is really loud! It moves by vibration, so it doesn't really move a whole lot.

Look this isn't a kit from Nasa. It will not be the robot building experience of your lifetime. However, it will kill an hour or maybe two with a child and then leave something neat for them to have on their shelf. You will not be programing this as a droid for etiquette and protocol. It is meant to offer a little bit of fun on a Saturday afternoon just after lunch but before you start thinking about dinner. Treat it like the 10 dollar gift item it is and everyone will be thrilled.

For some time now, I've seen your Green Science products in catalogs, and have been interested in getting some of them to do with my son & daughter. So, it was with much excitement that we received the Soda Can Robug for my son's birthday last month. However, we were extremely disappointed with the quality of the product.



The experiment was an utter failure due to three main product deficiencies. First, all four of the wire solders were of very poor quality, and two pulled out despite gentle handling (one from the battery casing and one from the motor). Second, the motor casing was so tight around the motor that there was no room for the wires. When assembled, there was barely enough room for the wires to fit through two tiny spaces right in front of the wire connections. However, the wires were soldered pointing in the opposite direction of the casing openings. So, in order to fit the wires through the proper openings you have to bend the wires in the opposite direction which stressed the solders to the point of breaking. Lastly, the 3-legged design of the robug was extremely unstable, and it was difficult to get it to stand even with the power off.



Due to the wiring problems, we were unable to get the device to work, which was a complete disappointment to my son. I can fix the solders, but the instability of the unit makes me wonder if there's even a point. Before assembling the robug, I had hoped that it would be the first in a long line of Green Science experiments with my kids. However, after the incredibly poor quality and performance of this product, I won't be wasting my money. Perhaps I got a defective unit. I understand that not all solders can be perfect. But, the instability of the robug makes me believe that there's an inherent design flaw.



One last note on quality: My unit came with an extra screw and an extra leg. While I'd rather have more pieces than I need rather than less, this is another indicator that there might be a quality control issue regarding these products.

I bought this robot as a Christmas gift for my 13 year old brother. He has recently been taking apart electronics and trying to make robots out of the inside parts. The Robug let him see how the pieces fit together. I was worried at first because I thought it might be too childish, but he seemed to really enjoy it and thought it was 'super cool!.' It was simple and quick to make and I would recommend it to anyone. I ordered it from Hobby Shack. They delivered it quickly and I had no problems at all.