Star Wars Science - Darth Vader Robotic Arm

by Star Wars

Product Features

• Assembles quickly with snap together parts
• Includes stand with built-in controls
• Grips and holds lightweight objects
• Funand informative learning guide
• No batteries required

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 16 x 16 x 7 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B001UZNI2Q
• Item model number: 15054
• Manufacturer recommended age: 6 - 15 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,051 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Darth Vader Robotic Arm assembles quickly with snap-together parts and includes stand with built-in controls. It grips and holds lightweight objects, just grip…turn…and extend. Easy to assemble.

Product Description

The Darth Vader Robotic Arm assembles quickly with snap-together parts and includes stand with built-in controls. It grips and holds lightweight objects, just grip, turn and extend! Easy to assemble and no batteries are required!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Toy and Fun, November 18, 2009

By 

ametraven "ametraven" - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Star Wars Science - Darth Vader Robotic Arm (Toy)

My 6 yr old recieved this as a gift. He and his father build it within one hour, it was a bit hard to put the pieces together for my husband's fingers - but perfect for little hands.

My son is been playing with it non stop and picking up items. He's mastered the controls within minutes.

This is geared for 8 year olds, I would recommend that age unless an adult is helping...

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Problem Solved, December 12, 2010

By 

BlueSmoke - See all my reviews

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Star Wars Science - Darth Vader Robotic Arm (Toy)

My son has wanted this forever. We picked it up yesterday and assembled it. I've been a model car builder all my life so it was a breeze. It is pretty straight forward, however the finger tendons are quite stiff. The gold finger inlays are hard to snap into place as well. A small pair of pliers with a cloth over the jaws made it quite simple. Once we got that out of the way we ran into an operation problem that most on here has mentioned. The fist would not close.

I followed the instructions very closely and they fail to mention a vital point. First go ahead and install both levers from the get go. This will come into play later. When inserting the actual arm into the spring loaded canister MAKE SURE you are holding down the gold rod, that attaches to the hand, with your thumb. While FIRMLY holding the rod down, line up the arrows and PRESS DOWN HARD while twisting. This will ensure that the rod is firmly seated in the mechanism that the handle operates. It is designed to compress together then expand and catch the inner lips of the cylinder. You can test whether you have done it correctly by holding the gold rod and turning the left handle back. You will not be able to hold the rod back when pulling the lever. Hence installing the levers first. On the other end when you attach the hand at the wrist, don't pull the gold rod up to place in the hole on the tendon unit. Simply pull the tendon unit down and the gold rod will fall in place. Once in the hole give it a firm push to ensure it is seated. Problem solved.

If you have assembled a non working unit. It is possible to take it back apart. The hand is fairly easy as one fastener sits in a straight groove along the palm. Push up slightly and you will see it raise up. Gently pop it out, disconnect the rod and raise the hand back up opposite of assembly. The shaft (arm) is tricky but can be done without ANY damage. Get a firm grip at the bottom and push down and gently turn. The plastic will begin to separate along the seams but very gently yet forcefully (oxymoron I know) twist it back and forth. It will pop out. Once done simply follow the directions above.

Another problem is the ropes that the levers pull. The one on the right, that twists the arm, must lay across a silver pin. If you extend the arm and look at the base you will see both the string and pin. I used needle nosed pliers to lay it back across the pin. This takes up the slack in the string and ensures the unit functions properly.

With better instructions or following these I have mentioned, this item is a blast to build. I would recommend to anyone using the information I have shared. This item is NOT JUNK.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Fun to build, but that's it., December 29, 2009

By 

Donald W. Mitchell (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:3.0 out of 5 stars 

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This review is from: Star Wars Science - Darth Vader Robotic Arm (Toy)

My son is in 3rd grade and had a blast building this. He ran into the issue (mentioned in other reviews) where the fingers would not contract...but found a step that was missed in the written instructions which fixed the problem. The illustrations in the instructions were pretty good. He was able to put the whole thing together pretty-much by himself in about an hour.

After building the device there was grave dissapointment. It's very hard to pick anything up! The smooth plastic on the inside of the fingers makes it almost impossible to grip objects. The base is too light, making the arm tip and slide when using the controls.