PlanToys Build a Robot

I gave this to my nephew for Christmas 2011. He was only 2 1/2 at the time, as apparently I didn't realize it was for age 3 years & up, but nevertheless he REALLY loved it. You can remove and change the head and legs. The doll's torso has 2 "socket" positions for the legs: either underneath, so the robot can be standing up, or on the front of the torso, so he is sitting down. The set includes a total of 4 different heads: a round sphere shape, a round cylinder shape, a triangle head, and a rectangle/block shaped head, with little grooves for -hair? Super cute. Each head has a different facial expression, which was fun to talk to him about (like, "Oh, THIS robot looks angry!" or "which one should we put on for the happy robot?") I think he felt proud to have his own little thing (kind of an alternative version of a "doll") that he gets to decide when to change around the parts. He just had fun putting the pieces on, carrying it around, taking the pieces off... and, at least on Christmas, he kept repeating, for a couple hours, "MY Robot! Look! It's my Robot!"

The only thing at the time that was a little bit difficult for him was putting the legs in, especially in the sitting-robot position, since it was a different angle of assembling it compared with the relative ease of putting the head(s) on the top of the torso. It might be easier now for him, now that he actually is a little bit older. There are multiple pieces that end up kind of laying around: there are the extra heads, loose, when you have your Robot "built," so a little drawstring bag or big gallon-size Ziploc freezer bag might be a good thing to have on hand for when the child is not playing with it, so you don't loose the parts.

I think the Build-A-Robot is a great toy for a child from about age 3 to maybe 6 or so. The older ones can use it for imaginary play, kind of like a doll or figure. He would also look awfully cute sitting on the dresser or bookshelf while he's waiting to be played with! So I guess he can be both a toy AND a decoration, especially in a Robotor space-themed room.

My biggest complaint with this product is that if you buy it from this seller, you're paying 10 bucks more than if you buy it from Amazon.

Regarding the product itself, it's very cute. We have a LOT of other Plan toys, but this item doesn't stand up well at all. The threading is carved out of the wood itself, and it easily falls apart. So the legs didn't screw in after a short time of use. At least for us. We have an 18-month-old and a 4-yr old.

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