Thames & Kosmos

Thames & Kosmos Solar Bots: 8-in-1 Solar Robot Kit, Ages 6+

$17.00
(4) 4 stars out of 10 reviews 10 reviews
$17.00
$17.00
Free overnigh delivery
FSA and HSA eligible
Thames & Kosmos Solar Bots: 8-in-1 Solar Robot Kit, Ages 6+

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Customer reviews & ratings

4 out of 5stars
(10 reviews)
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Most helpful positive review

5.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
01/21/2021
Definitely a time consuming project
This is a great product to give kids to work on to help them divert away from always being online playing games. Definitely will keep your child engaged for a long time. Kids need to feel that they can accomplish anything they want. This is a project that will for sure help them feel accomplished. The project is definitely a kit that boys who like to build would love. I love the colors and the material. I would definitely suggest it for kids who love to build things.
Pennsylvania

Most helpful negative review

2.00 out of 5 stars review
Verified Purchaser
01/16/2021
2 Stars for the Concept, But Too Complicated!
Very excited to receive the Thames & Kosmos SolarBots: 8-in-1 Solar Robot Kit. We read the instruction booklet as they specified. But when it was time to assemble one robot, it became an unbelievable task. My son chose the dinosaur robot, as he loves dinosaurs. We cut all the proper parts needed for the dinosaur build, using a wire cutter. Aftern6 hours, we were unable to successfully put it together. By then, we were exhausted and our mood of excitement quickly soured. The instructions are all out of order. It is so difficult to understand. I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone, except maybe an engineering college student. Also, the parts you cut have sharp edges and it takes almost an hour to file those edges so they won't cut or scrape you. It is really something I cannot recommend due to the following: very difficult to understand the instructions and very sharp edges on the parts that time-stakingly must be filed for comfort. We will just stick to legos for now. ONLY
Tara
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    02/01/2021
    Great Educational kit!
    This kit was educational and entertaining for my 8 year old. She definitely needed help throughout the entire process. Most of the pieces are connected to a labeled plastic sheet and are taken out when needed. The kit can build 8 solar robot experiments. For our solar robot we used a flashlight to power it because there isn't much sunlight in the winter. In the back of the booklet there is a informational section about solar energy and was fun to read.
    K0612
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/30/2021
    Detailed instructions, fun and scientific
    The Thames & Kosmos Solarbots Robot Kit has detailed instructions on how to build a solar robot. This kit has 194 pieces that are anchored to plastic to be taken out piece by piece as needed. The pieces are pretty easy to find and take a little time to get out of the plastic. The book is very detailed and has instructions for 8 solarbots using the same solar panel. There is an introduction in the book of each solarbot with it's skills listed and some notes about each solarbot. It's fun to read about each solarbot and then decide which solarbot to put together. The first thing that needs to be done is to assemble the gearbox then use the gearbox to assemble each model. The solarbot has to be taken apart each time to assemble another one but the gearbox stays together. The gearbox needs to be tested in direct sunlight and if it's put together correctly the motorshaft should start spinning. There is a part separator tool that it comes with and it helps disassemble various parts. It makes it much easier to take apart the solarbot to build another version. The book has some interesting facts about solar energy and the solarbots are a great way for kids to learn about it.
    Cyndy
  • 3.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/30/2021
    It's okay
    This kit was easy and fun to build with my six year old. He was able to get the pieces together and the instructions were clear and easy to follow. It's good for an afternoon of play and for those kiddos who enjoy building and constructing things. I don't recommend mainly because the main draw is the solar power aspect, but we found that the solar power array is very weak. You need absolute full bright sun to give it enough power to actually life its own weight. Not partial sun, not the slightest bit overcast, full sun. It says you can charge it with interior lights that are 100 watts but we found that again it wasn't enough to really charge it enough to do what it is supposed to do. A better quality solar panel would have really improved the experience, as it's a little disappointing to build these and not be able to see it do what it's supposed to do.
    Rebecca
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/21/2021
    Great gift
    This would be a fun cute gift for one who loves the little pieces and building as well as adults. I didn't expect the prices to be the connected plastic cutouts but if you cut them nicely they work good. The instructions are very helpful. I like that they use the color picture of the piece you're working on at the time. It's pretty cool all of the options you can build
    Mamahen3
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/21/2021
    Definitely a time consuming project
    This is a great product to give kids to work on to help them divert away from always being online playing games. Definitely will keep your child engaged for a long time. Kids need to feel that they can accomplish anything they want. This is a project that will for sure help them feel accomplished. The project is definitely a kit that boys who like to build would love. I love the colors and the material. I would definitely suggest it for kids who love to build things.
    Pennsylvania
  • 4.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/20/2021
    Fun Great For Fine Motor Skills
    My son had great fun creating these robots. He learned you have to follow each step precisely. It's not like Legos where you can skip a step if you want. I had to help him a few times to find the right parts but he eventually got them together and seemed to have fun doing it. But unfortunately we still have been unable to get the solar power to work. Left it in the sun for many hours and he took it apart and tried again. So I took it apart and reviewed the instructions with him. Come to find out he's missing P3 the red gear which is very important to making the solar gear box work. So the solar panel does intact work when in the sun because P2 will spin. We'll try and contact the company and see if we can get a replacement. So I would recommend this product but maybe with closer supervision depending on the age of your child to ensure the nobs get smoothed out and every part gets put together right (my son will be 7 next month).
    Marina
  • 2.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/16/2021
    2 Stars for the Concept, But Too Complicated!
    Very excited to receive the Thames & Kosmos SolarBots: 8-in-1 Solar Robot Kit. We read the instruction booklet as they specified. But when it was time to assemble one robot, it became an unbelievable task. My son chose the dinosaur robot, as he loves dinosaurs. We cut all the proper parts needed for the dinosaur build, using a wire cutter. Aftern6 hours, we were unable to successfully put it together. By then, we were exhausted and our mood of excitement quickly soured. The instructions are all out of order. It is so difficult to understand. I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone, except maybe an engineering college student. Also, the parts you cut have sharp edges and it takes almost an hour to file those edges so they won't cut or scrape you. It is really something I cannot recommend due to the following: very difficult to understand the instructions and very sharp edges on the parts that time-stakingly must be filed for comfort. We will just stick to legos for now. ONLY
    Tara
  • 3.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/14/2021
    A good kit with some limitation
    This is good educational kit for kids with some limitations. Pros. 1. Gives kids the opportunity to build something rather than starting at a screen. 2. A well illustrated manual (with minor issues see cons). 3. A brief-child-level introduction to Solar power and it's usefulness. Cons 1. There are minor mismatch between what the manual illustrate vs. what the actual parts may look or looks when assembled (gearbox assembly - there is a notch to guide the wires, but it looks different than in the manual, minor issue but confuses kids). 2. There is only 1 gear box (hence motor and solar panel). Given that this kit can build 8 models, I think you should include at least 2 gearboxes. That means the kids has to disassemble the robot they just build. 3. Small & tricky parts - even my 11 year child needed some assistance. Thus, it takes a decent effort to build one - this works in 2 ways. They get a sense of accomplishment once done since it is not easy, but then they have to cannibalize it to build the next one - which demoralizes them. Hence my #2 con. 4. Solar panel is too small, it needs really powerful light, at very close range to make it move indoors. Improvements: 1. Had they included a 2nd gear box, this would be a great kit. 2. After building, there is not much to do. Kids just watch it move when a light source is applied, but nothing much to do. Given that there are robot kits that do can perform simple tricks like following a line (yes they are bit expensive) for the same age group, this kit may falls short compared to skills & dexterity required to build vs one of those latter kits.
    OrganizedChaos
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/13/2021
    So entertaining for the kids
    What a great toy for the kids to build and then play with. I love toys that makes a child use their brains and imagination. Comes with a 48 page manual that explains how to build the toys and gives some informative scientific facts that the kids can learn. It's a quiet week here so we only built one of the robots to test it out. Of course it wasn't a full sunny day so we were only able to charge it up a little before the clouds completely took over the sky. Power lasted about 20 mins. So, will be able to get it back outside later today to fully charge it up for a day of play. And with it being outside, it's charging as it's being played with. Nice! When the other kids come next week, they'll sit and build the other robots. These will entertain the kids for a long long time. Even when they don't charge anymore, the kids will continue playing with them. Great educational toy
    Lorden57
  • 5.00 out of 5 stars review
    Verified Purchaser
    01/12/2021
    Thames & Kosmos SolarBots: 8-in-1 Solar Robot Kit
    Finally something that challenges my little one. This is a great kit for kids who really need a challenge. I would recommend this for someone who loves to put together brick kits, but brick kits are just too easy for them. Initially, getting acclimated took an extra minute as our other build kits are not this intricate. Our daughter decided to build Major (the drummer). Once we got our bearings, popping out the pieces left rough edges on some of the plastic pieces, so be careful not to scratch anything or yourself. We used the eyeglass screwdriver set we have to attach the tiny screws included in the kit. It was a lot of fun to watch her use the enclosed guide and figure out her build. You can charge the solar panel in the sun of course or with a 50+ watt light bulb. When she was assembling it, a beam of sunshine came through the window and Major started drumming to a steady beat! It was wild, unexpected, and super cool. This may prove frustrating for kids who may not be mechanically inclined and do not LOVE putting things together-start with an easier kit and definitely work up to this, so they don't get discouraged. This is an amazing kit and I highly recommend it for more advanced little engineer wannabes.
    PinkTulips
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