Review - 31062 Robo Explorer
Posted by MeganL,
On New Year’s Day, I hadn’t planned on buying any Creator sets. Then, when I was in the store looking at other areas, I spotted 31062 Robo Explorer. The three builds looked great and it appeared they used a lot of the azure blue. The price was right ($19.99). Then – irresistibly – I saw that it had a light brick. And that’s how I decided to buy a Creator set on New Year’s Day. It was only after buying the set that I saw that it did bear a striking resemblance to LEGO Boost, which was announced a few days later. How does this non-robotic version stand up?
The front of the box has a large image of the Robo Explorer, with smaller images of the alternate builds, a robo dog and a robo bird. The back of the box shows all three builds in different poses, each showing off the use of the light brick. Unfortunately, unlike 31058 Mighty Dinosaurs, there isn’t a fourth build included with this set. But I think the three that are included are quite satisfying.
Inside we have two unnumbered bags as well as three instruction booklets, also in a bag.
I decided to complete the builds in order of complexity. The simplest build is a robo bird. It uses the least number of bricks. I found the final build to be a little wobbly and you have to position it just right for it to stand on its own unaided. It’s very posable with the wings, head and feet all on ball joints.
The light brick is located in the bird’s head, with the button at the back of the head. Pressing the button allows the bird’s eyes to light up.
The intermediate build is the robot dog. I found this to be a fun build, with some great building techniques used to build the dog’s head. Similar to the bird, ball joints are used for all the legs in addition to the head, allowing for much posability of the final model. Unlike the bird (and thanks to the four legs), this model is quite stable when completed. For both the bird and the dog I like how the designer has balanced just enough blue in when the light and dark grey pieces to make the models visually appealing. In the case of the dog, the translucent yellow pieces are used to great effect for an accent.
The light brick is located on the dog’s back. According to the catalog it’s described as lighting up a jet pack. That made the accoutrements on the dog’s back make a lot more sense.
The primary build is the Robo Explorer. Like the other two builds, the designer has done a nice job of balancing the azure blue with the light and dark grey elements so it looks like a robot but has nice azure accents.
The robot is propelled by using some technic parts to link to two sets of cogs that are in turn covered in track. Each track is built by linking 20 chain M plate pieces together. As a result, the robo explorer can move about quite smoothly as well as move over uneven surfaces without major incident.
The arms and head are both on ball joints, allowing them to move freely. The bottom of the torso is on a ball joint that only allows movement in a horizontal motion, allowing the torso to turn/pivot but not lean forward. Although technically not needed, the robo explorer does have a somewhat expressive face, with a plate with bow for a “mouth” and the use of two lifebuoys with two 1x1 translucent green tiles for “eyes”.
The back of the robo explorer doesn’t look quite as attractive from the back as it does from the front.
The robo explorer lives up to its name through the use of its arms. They’re not symmetrical and are used for distinctly different purposes. Its left arm is much longer than the right and has an extra joint in it. At the end of the arm, there are a couple flag pieces on hinges that are used to suggest a claw/grasping type of feature. I found that it could hold some bricks (such as the ore pieces included with the set) but didn’t necessarily have a consistent grip.
The other arm does not have the extra joint but thanks to the ball joint can be pivoted in just about any direction. This arm used for a searchlight feature, so the robo explorer can see where it’s going as well as shine lights on the specimens it’s examining.
This is also where the light brick is located; pressing on the button shows that the searchlight can definitely light the way for our intrepid robo explorer.
Overall thoughts
I think this is a pretty terrific set. For the price point (205 pieces, $19.99, £17.99, 17.99€), you get three great builds, and a light brick. The primary build is well executed and balanced. The secondary builds are fun, especially the robo dog, which I think could be a set in its own right. The designer has done a great job showing the versatility of the pieces in the set, and has used the ball joints to great effect in each case. I think this may be the first time that I haven’t complained that the ball joints were grey! (Though I still wish LEGO would make ball joints in other colours.)
When you consider the price (again), this is a terrific value for the money. Creator has gotten off to strong start in 2017 with Mighty Dinosaurs and the Robo Explorer. Which other Creator sets would you like to see reviewed? Please let us know in the comments.
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17 comments on this article
One of the sets with a supercar, please
*actively wonders if I can fit Mindstorms elements in it*
I think the threads are around backwards. Preference or accident?
Do you like the wheel to aid in turning the threads? I think I'd prefer the treads to be independent of each other.
I look forward to grabbing this one!
I can't decide if I should get this or the Dino one...
My only criticism is the red "4227155 Bush For Cross Axle". The designer should used "4211573: 1/2 Bush" instead
Another thing, in the pictures the wheels are rotated backwards
I love this little set! Nice review :-)
@nashikens, yes, independent tracks would be nice and quite simple to add.
ball joints can also be dark brown. not sure it would be an improvement for this model.
This is an awesome set. The back is a bit of a letdown, but a light brick, treads, and azure for $20? Nice.
The treads aren't backwards. In the picture on the box the robot is rotated 180 degrees on the horizontal axis with the ball joint in the midsection. In other words, the robot is facing backwards giving the illusion that the treads are backwards in the article photographs.
So I guess you could say the torso and head of the robot are backwards.
The dog's rocket pack kinda looks like a butt rocket. It needs to be slightly forward, maybe.
I would really love to see a review of the Seaplane Adventurers (set 3`1064) as it looks really cool.
(pet peeve: the tread assembly needs to be rotated 180 degrees. Same with the bottom claw so the blue bit is facing down. But it's your toy. Keep it however you want)
Anywho, I love this set. You can get so much personality out of the little dude. But I have since taken him apart and used the pieces to make a tank.
This is a great looking set, very well priced also.
Is this the first set with an orange light brick? It is orange, not yellow, right?
I already had my eye on this one, but was going to wait and hope for a discount. Your review has me rethinking that... I'll probably go pick one up now. So much fun for the price. The robot and dog are really cute, and look fun to build. Also adore the color scheme. I didn't realize they were so poseable too - that's a definite plus. And the light-brick in the dog's butt is hilarious! :-)
Just bought this over the weekend! Super happy with the set. The Robot looks a tad bit smaller when completed but that's not a problem whatsoever. The build is very easy and the results are very nice. Recommend this set to anybody/everybody! Good job Lego, another CREATOR success and a super easy price on the wallet!
I'm like the reviewer, I bought this set New Years Day. I built the Robo Explorer and have plans to modify it somewhat. LOVE the light brick!