LEGO Robo Explorer Review

The 3-in-1 LEGO Creator sets are some of my favorite sets the LEGO Group has ever released. The ability to put 3 sets in one box was a wonderful new addition to the LEGO line up when it was introduced a number of years ago. These sets offer variety, many rebuild options, and hours of play, and are generally priced very well. Recently, we took a look at the LEGO Robo Explorer set, and thoroughly enjoyed the build, the playability, and the contents included. Read on past the break for our detailed thoughts!

LEGO Robo Explore

Set #: 31062

Pieces: 205

Theme: LEGO Creator

Price: 19.99

Even before you dump out the contents of the box, the image of the Robo Explorer on the front looks fantastic. When you flip the box around, you will see the other buildable sets on the back, but for full disclosure for this review, we only completed the main attraction: Robo Explorer.

The Build

LEGO deems the Robo Explorer set to be appropriate for ages 7-12, although after putting this together with my seven year old son, I would argue that this build aims for the higher ages in that range. The base of the robot is particularly difficult to put together because of the numerous LEGO Technic pieces included. The instructions, while pretty understandable throughout, are a bit harder for a young child to figure out. Still, without the help of myself in any way, my seven year old did put the set together all on his own, showing that LEGO’s age range for this is about right.

Although difficult, I never noticed my son getting frustrated. Some things did take longer than others to figure out, but he pushed through each obstacle and onward, continuously muttering, “This will looks so great when it’s done!” And that, I believe, was the driving force behind putting this set together. Often, my son and I will purchase sets at the store that might compliment something we are putting together, or solely for the pieces it includes. There have been times where we have purchased sets that we never actually put together. This one, however, was different. As a reviewer, it is often hard to balance all of the ongoing projects, and for clarity and organizational reasons, you schedule certain reviews on certain days. This build was scheduled to be done on Thursday of this week, but my son was asking about it Monday already.

This is a build that will draw kids in, and for 19.99, it makes a very reasonable ‘just for the heck of it’ purchase for any child.

Aesthetics and Playability

I often talk about one or the other of these two categories, because frankly, it’s not often that LEGO launches a set that fits both categories. Most sets have huge amounts of playability, and although they might look nice on the shelf, they aren’t ‘shelf toys.’ This set, however, easily serves both purposes. It looks great next to all my LEGO Dimensions sets and figures, but is also very functional if your child wishes to play with it. My son took this to bed with him last night after completing it, and was busy pushing it around his bedroom floor this morning.

It looks good, it plays great, which adds to the value of the set overall.

Unique and Rare Pieces

As far as I can tell, there is nothing unique to this set, but there are a number of rare pieces that make purchasing Robo Explorer worth it, even if you don’t plan on completing the build. First, the number of light blue pieces in this set is phenomenal, and are great for doing custom builds. These are not as common as your standard LEGO coloured bricks, so being able to get a few dozen here is a great value.

The treads for the robot are what caught my eye next. The set comes with 42 links in total, but when put together, create two create 21 link treads that will be very usable in a custom build. I already have asipiratiosn of creating a new construction vehicles for my LEGO City in the near future.

The final unique item I want to point out is the light up brick. Although I wouldn’t classify these are rare, my quick research shows that they are usually found in much more expensive sets. Two of my sets that include a light brick are the old Lighthouse Set (5770) which retailed for 39.99, and a LEGO Minecraft dragon set (21117), which retailed for 59.99. To get this brick in a 19.99 set is somewhat unheard of, and if you are looking for this specifically – and want extra pieces for your LEGO collection – this is an ideal purchase.

Conclusion

For the price (19.99) the LEGO Robo Explorer set is a fantastic purchase for young and old alike. It will look great on a shelf for display purposes, it is a great set for kids to play with – including having multiple build options for more hours of entertainment – and provides a number of unique and hard to find pieces that will be a great addition to any LEGO collector, or those attempting to create custom builds. Head over to shop.LEGO.com and order your own! You won’t be disappointed!