To start, I do have to indicate that this review is more of a 9/10, and that I did pay the discounted price of $149 for it, rather than the MSRP.
-Overall
All things considered, this thing is great. It perfectly conveys that feeling of having a cute 'lil BB8 rolling around your house and for the price, it's a steal. For $150, its almost worth it just to have as a static display! It moves around fairly decently, and looks pretty good while doing it. The trained eye will certainly see room for improvement, but its not a bad place to start. It certainly has some quirks, but the thing that you need to understand is that unlike R2-D2, there is no single perfect working BB8 in existence. The BB8 shown on the big screen has been a combination of semi-functional robots, static puppets enhanced with CGI, and pure CGI. So, what should you expect out of a compromise solution in bringing BB8 to life? Keep reading.
-Scale
One of the first observations, and my primary observation when purchasing is that this is about 75% scale, instead of full scale. Some might ask, well why bother with a Big BB8 if its not even full scale? I was of that mindset until I saw it in person for the first time. The truth is that the spinmaster BB8 adequately conveys the feeling of having a full BB8 come to life right in front of you, while saving your wallet the brunt of the pain. Enthusiasts who build their own full scale BB8s frequently see their drive system (controllers, motors, sensors, batteries, etc) come to around $1000. That's not even counting the body! The fact is that since a 25% increase in height would result in a probable 200% increase in weight, they're saving you a boatload of money by making it smaller. It's true that mass production in China would certainly make it cheaper, but I don't think you'd see a mass production, full scale BB8 come to less than $750 MSRP. Although the scale isn't that much smaller, it is definitely saving you a boatload of money, and its not that much of a compromise anyway.
-Mechanical function
I was impressed with the design overall. Perhaps the magnets could have been a tad bit stronger to keep the head on, but the drive system seems pretty robust, and I found that having a smaller lateral weight on a track instead of trying to pendulum a single massive weight simultaneously on two axes was an elegant solution. The head stays on about as well as you'd expect, and there's certainly tangible power behind its movements.
-Cosmetics:
I found the looks of the BB8 to be impressive. I can't remember the last time I saw a Star Wars toy weathered and panel-lined, so this was a surprise, but a welcome one to be sure. My only real complaint would be that it still has that fake shiny plastic sheen to the finish. I took it upon myself to do an additional panel wash with some waterbase acrylics, and gave the whole thing a spray with some Lowe's brand flat clear coat (after masking off all of the mic holes, LEDs, lenses, etc.), and I am currently very happy with how it looks.
-Control
The robot has 3 control modes, R/C, Voice, and Follow Me. I'll talk about "Follow Me" later. The R/C mode works pretty well, but not much more, and the Voice command works a lot better than I expected. I wish you could have some control over the "random animation" that the center button does, but that's just peanuts. The robot itself is to some degree aware of its environment, and will typically correct itself so it is facing head up, which i found to be nice. I will say that the voice command "come here" frequently works better than the follow me command.
-The elephant in the room, the "follow me" command:
Let’s face it. It really doesn’t work. But why? To understand this, we have to understand how it works. From what I can tell, The Robot has two IR intensity sensors at the front of the head. The remote has a series of IR LEDs placed around it. My guess is that much like a Nintendo Wii, the Two sensors are designed to triangulate the source of the brightest IR source apparent, and steer the robot to follow it. However, this system is easily broken. The sensors frequently lock on to reflections and light sources, and thus the robot will either run itself into walls, lose tracking altogether, or just stop and look at your brightest lamp. The fact is that IR light is omnipresent and replicated easily. If you’ve ever turned your TV on by pointing the remote at the wall behind you, you’ll know what I mean. So what went wrong? My guess is that whoever built and tested this system did so in a very controlled environment devoid of light obstacles. But when you take a step back and understand what they tried to accomplish, you realize that this is the most reasonable way to try and do this. The next best option would have been to use a camera, ToF sensor, and QR barcode, but that could have easily run the pricetag up another $100 dollars. Even then, robot following and tracking is still an issue that we’re learning the basics about. Just think about how much money is being put into developing self driving cars, and we still have almost nothing to show for it. The fact is, that for a “consumer toy” pricetag, there is simply no way to implement reliable tracking and following at our current level of technology. I’m currently working on improving the tracking, and suspect that it will work better in open environments like atriums and outdoors. I’ll report back if I find anything.
In short, while this is far from a perfect BB8, I hope understanding the challenges of making BB8 will help some buyers understand why some of the engineering tradeoffs were made, and how those tradeoffs saved you, the customer, money. I also hope that this review helps to manage expectations, particularly in reference to the "follow me" command.
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From the manufacturer
Star Wars - Hero Droid BB-8
Always ready for adventure, BB-8 is the intrepid and loyal astromech droid who helps X-wing pilot Poe Dameron fight for the Resistance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Now you can have your own sidekick with Hero Droid BB-8! This interactive droid is an amazing way to bring this iconic character from Star Wars: The Last Jedi home with you.
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Responds to Voice CommandsThis little astromech has big personality! Use voice commands to engage your droid in conversation or request an action. You can set Hero Droid BB-8 in guard mode, sleep mode, and much more! With a loyal hero droid by your side, you’ll be ready to take on the First Order. |
Charge BB-8Charge the head via included micro USB cable. Once complete, the indicator light will switch from red to green. Charge the body via included wall mount charger cord. Once the red indicator light switches from solid to flashing, BB-8 is charged and ready to roll! |
Put BB-8 in Follow ModeSet BB-8 to Follow Me mode and this droid will loyally roll after you! Simply clip the remote control to your side and Hero Droid BB-8 will move toward you as you walk. Equipped with sophisticated technology and capable of 360-degree RC movement, BB-8 smoothly rolls over even surfaces! |
Authentic Replica with Lights and SoundsHero Droid BB-8 brings all the wonder of Star Wars into your home! Standing 16 inches tall (19 inches with antenna) this interactive droid lights up and makes sounds – just like in the movie! Hero Droid BB-8 also comes with detailed features and premium paint application! |
What’s in the Box/Battery Requirements:
Requires 1 400 mAH and 1 Ni-MH 1800 mAH battery (included), and 3 AAA batteries (not included).
- 1 BB-8 Droid
- 1 Remote Control
- 1 Wall Mount Charger for BB-8
- 1 USB Charge Cable for head
- 1 Small Antenna
- 1 Large Antenna
- 1 Instruction Guide
- 1 Quick Start Guide
Customer Questions & Answers
Customer reviews
Top reviews from other countries
CindyC
Amazing price for an awesome buy!
Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2019Verified Purchase
Amazing price for an awesome buy!
Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2019
My son absolutely loves this BB8 droid. This is the droid you're looking for! The controls are touchy so it takes a bit to get used to but once you do get used to it, it's not bad. My son is 3 and uses it pretty good, considering. The batteries in the head and body last for a while of play, the follow me mode is pretty cool- though if you don't keep walking he will run right into you! Ouch for the toes, he's heavy. He listens to the commands well, and if there's too much noise he will get confused. It is cute to watch my son treat this thing like his best friend, they talk to each other and all! I would recommend this to any star wars fan, droid fans, even kids who like to use remote controlled cars, fantastic!
Reviewed in Canada on August 1, 2019
Images in this review
Suzanne
So much fun
Reviewed in Canada on November 7, 2019Verified Purchase
Rolly
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2018Verified Purchase
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2018
Better than I expected looks great works awesome very strong durable love my BB8 THANK YOU
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2018
Images in this review
Jerry Danielson
Cool Toy
Reviewed in Canada on January 11, 2018Verified Purchase
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