Customer Reviews

Bossa Nova Prime 8 Gorrilla Robot

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this for my 5 year old son for Christmas. He had asked for a remote controlled robot, and when these became available, we jumped on one. My initial impressions were very favorable. The product was very easy to assemble out of the box (but make sure you have a package of AAA batteries on hand, as the remote takes 3). It's largely plastic and a rubber-like material, but it's very sturdy. Not flimsy at all!

We've played with it for an hour or so, and it works pretty well. It's not very easy to get it to do exactly what you want unless you carefully read the manual. It's far too complicated of a toy for a 5 year old. That's not Bossa Nova's fault, but I thought I'd mention it. I'd say the appropriate age for this toy would be 7+. Maybe 8+. And to really enjoy all of its features, you need to be able to read and understand complex instructions. The controller isn't really intuitive. Until I memorized the manual, I found myself pushing buttons expecting one result, and getting something entirely different.

I should also note that if you value your house, don't plan on playing with Prime 8 indoors. He's very heavy and he moves FAST. He's slammed into my baseboards with enough force to make dents. So he's now banished to the basement. This is definitely a toy that can (and probably should) run on a sidewalk or in a driveway. Oh -- it didn't work at all on carpet. Not once. So if you have wall-to-wall everywhere in your house, you'll be disappointed.

I'd probably have given Prime 8 five stars if he was easier to use and if he ran on carpet. But I'm still happy with my purchase. I feel like I got a well-built and well-engineered toy at a reasonable price.

This is by far the most fun I've had with a toy in years! Since, I admit, I haven't read the manual, I keep discovering new little quirks in Prime-8's personality that are just a blast :) I keep wondering what was going through the folks' minds at Bossa Nova when the created these things. It clearly shows they love what they do, and it all translates into the fun personality of the robot. That was what makes it so much fun for me. Other than that, Prime-8 moves much faster than I expected, and is very, very solid.

My 10 year old just put it together, and it is kind of a let down. The controls are definitely not intuitive, and it doesn't seem to do all the tricks it is supposed to. We may be returning it. When we press demo, it does nothing, and when it rolls it ends up on its face and says, "sorry." I'm sorry too, bud. You are a bad, bad ape.

Interesting robot! Never seen anything else like it! Fun for both kids and adults too! Is more for entertainment than educational purposes. Hasn't broken down yet, after crashing into walls numerous times! Launchers are very easy to dislodge and fall off, but they are not a neccessity. One note: works best in a LARGE open area, preferrably hardwood or tile floor or flat carpet.

Prime 8 makes a crowd laugh and even adults like me smile. I bought it for my friend's son, so I don't use it all of the time but we did knock it over and drop it so I know that it doesn't break. Although it won't work on 2" carpet, we have made it run all over on normal carpet and rugs. This guy has an attitude - he gets angry when you knock him over and then picks himself back up and growls. Then, if you tickle him, he giggles...plus he shoots little plastic things and lasers. Actually he does more than your child will ever know...I'm actually buying another one because it is better to have two so they can fight each other.