First Impression
When seen in the store, it’s hard not to be impressed by Roboreptile. It’s striking black and white design and colorful packaging promise a “cool” experience. It is very long and takes up a large amount of shelf space. Due to its size in relation to other toys, it’s usually fairly easy to find. There is also something to be said about the fact that it is a robotic dinosaur. I’m over 30 yrs old now, but when I was 10, I dreamed of someday owning a robotic dinosaur similar to this, even though the technology didn’t exist yet. This is cool stuff!
Unpacking
I unpacked this robot after unpacking another robot called Robosapien V2. This robot was much easier to unpack. The wires were thinner and there were less of them. It seemed reasonably simple to unpack with a pair of scissors.
As is traditionally the case, once you have the robot unpacked you will need to install a large quantity of batteries.
Features
- The ultimate herpetological species. Don't be fooled by this beast's size -- he is fast, ferocious, cunning and intelligent.
- A sly and ruthless creature, Roboreptile uses advanced technology for greater intelligence. He can be programmed with movements and animations and is packed with personality.
- Roboreptile's powerful infrared vision and sonic sensors swiftly alert him to disturbances in his environment. In Guard Mode they make him a formidable sentry. In Free Roam his sharp sensory systems make him a ruthless predator.
- Roboreptile can be extremely hostile or harmless, alert or asleep. He has four moods aggressive, ferocious, passive or tammed. Can be controlled directly, programmed or put into Free Roam, Demo Mode, Guard Mode or Sleep Mode.
- 8 and Up
Probably the first thing that you will notice about Roboreptile is the way that he moves. He has the kind of snake-like movements that you would expect a dinosaur to have. As he moves, his long neck and tail move from sided to side in a sinuous motion. Using the neck and the tail for balance, he moves well on carpet and flatter floors. Roboreptile can walk on 4 legs or on 2, but most of the time he is on 4 legs with the back 2 legs propelling him forward. This ability to move well on carpet probably has a lot to do with his 4-legged design.
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A view of RoboReptile in the box. Get out the wire cutters, this robot is tied into it's packaging by multiple wires. |
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A close-up of the box. |
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Roboreptile is faily long and measures about 33" long. The length of Roboreptile means that it needs a pretty big room to run around in. It does a fairly good job when navigating objects but it's size means that it often gets it's long neck or tail stuck when turning. |
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This robot walks on both 4 legs and 2 legs depending on the walking mode that it's in. Because RoboReptile walks on 4 legs most of the time, it does well on both hard floors and carpet. It moves very well on all surfaces. |
You may notice that he is not the smartest robot around. This is not to say that he is not well-made, just that he acts like a “reptile”. He is mostly interested in growling at anything he bumps into and in searching for food. He doesn’t speak like RoboSapien V2 or do tricks like Robopet. In this respect, Roboreptile captures the personality of a reptile/dinosaur very well. As reptiles go, he is relatively fast and action-packed. Of the robots that we have tested, this is the fastest moving and most aggressive robot.
Sometimes his speed can get him into trouble. There were times when he would bump into things with his long neck and not seem to “see” them. Instead of immediately turning around, he would continue to ram the object and I was a little concerned that his neck might break if this happened too often. There was one specific situation which happened more than once – while letting Roboreptile explore my office he would often have trouble seeing my book cases and would charge ahead and get stuck in between the books. He seemed to be unable to see the books or to get out from this situation.
His size also limited his movement at times. Most of his length was in his head and tail which would sometimes bang against objects as he moved around. Because of his length, he needs a faily large space in which to turn around. He seems to navigate things fairly well, but he needs a space about equal to his total length in which to move and turn in.
The remote control offers a nice degree of control over his various features. You can also feed him when he gets hungry by pressing the feed button.
Roboreptile is well constructed but being as long as he is and as aggressive/quick, I’m not sure if the thinner parts of his head and tail would break if given too much pressure. You may want to get the warranty on this one just in case.
While he is interactive, he may not have the depth that Robosapien V2 and even Robopet have. It may be that these other robots are based on real-life models which have a lot of personality, while Roboreptile is based on the reptile personality. This can be both an asset and a disadvantage. Roboreptile is not as warm and fuzzy or as cute as the other 2 robots mentioned above. So you do not get as attached to him as you do to the others. Yet he not sold as “cute” and for those who are buying a robotic reptile, his personality is perfectly suited.
Probably the most important thing is that Roboreptile is exciting and fun. It makes an entertaining toy.
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The back of the box. |
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The back of the box. |
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The box has a hitech appeal. |
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Roboreptile is much smaller than the RoboSapien V2 but it's also the longest of the robots. |
Value
At the time of my writing this review, Roboreptile is currently $120. Due to its size and impressiveness, this is a reasonable amount to spend on this robot, although $100 or lower would be better. $120 just seems a little high for this one.
Target Audience
This toy robot seems well suited to children (especially boys) who are responsible enough to keep it out of harms way. Older people who are interested in a robot with more depth may want to look at Robosapien V2. If you are looking for cute, you may want to look at Robopet.
Bottom Line
This is a fun toy for older kids and is worth the money. Although not as cute as other robots, he was not designed to be cute. His personality is aggressive, hungry and reptile-like. He is also a very cool looking toy that moves well on a variety of surfaces.
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VIDEO FILES: AVI FILES ( "SAVE AS" TO YOUR COMPUTER, THEN PLAY )
