Star Wars - Hero Droid Bb-8 - Fully Interactive Droid Review

Title: Hero Droid BB-8 Fully Interactive Droid

Release Date: September, 2017

Manufacturer: Spin Main

Retail Price: $239.00

Reviewer: Colin Borden

Review | Give-and-take

Droid Please!

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Review

Think back to that beginning Teaser we saw for The Force Awakens and that very first time nosotros saw BB-8 rolling across the sand. Everyone assumed that this little rolling soccer brawl HAD to exist CGI, information technology just seemed incommunicable that this ball was able to roll while keeping his head on. Then we saw BB-8 curl his manner out on stage at Star Wars Celebration in 2015 and the commonage customs began scratching their heads trying to figure out what dark magic Disney employed to brand this droid a reality. One time the fans saw this droid was possible, everybody wanted their own!

Enter Sphero, the visitor behind the ollie and robotic ball, who introduced us to the first commercially available BB-8 that we could bulldoze around and bask with the employ of our tablets and smartphones and information technology was so much fun.....for a solar day or 2, Auction sites were FILLED with these little rolling droids for nearly a third of their retail price. And when I say footling, I do mean lilliputian! My offset idea when I bought 1 was, "Wow! This thing is and so tiny!" Another thing that really irked me nigh the Sphero was the sounds and how they only came out of the phone/tablet and not the bodily droid. Another issue I found was that despite existence in modern times, many young children did have tablets or smartphones of their own. I know that my niece drove me INSANE asking to borrow my telephone to drive it around and I thought this was a pretty significant result.

Enter Spin Master! The first fourth dimension I saw this Hero Droid BB-8 being used, my jaw dropped. First, I was blown abroad by the sheer size of the droid. It is basically the same size every bit the Jak'south Pacific Deluxe BB-8 coming in at 16" tall (or 19" tall if yous include the antenna!) and this droid actualy moves! Thank you to Spin Main, I am able to bring you this total review on the Hero Droid BB-8, so let'southward get into the nitty gritty and accept a await at everything this rolling soccer brawl has to offer.

What'southward in the Box?

This is a pretty large droid, and then lets face it, information technology comes in a VERY big box! Nonetheless, it is a very strudy box and has a plastic handle at the peak to be able to behave information technology easily. Inside the box, you lot observe the BB-8's caput or dome, the giant body, the remote control, ane DC adapter to charge the body, one micro-USB to accuse the head, directions, and a quick get-go guide (which is of import, so keep it handy for awhile!). Start things start, information technology is required to FULLY accuse both the caput and the trunk.

This is noticeably different from the Sphero BB-8 which charges only the body since the head has no electronics in it. It takes about 3 hours to accuse the body with the DC Adapter (which volition begin blinking ruby when it is charged) and about two hours to charge the caput with the micro-USB cablevision (unfortunately, it does not include the charger base, but who really needs another ane of those anyway? The lite wiil turn light-green when information technology is fully charged). Both charging ports are subconscious nether panels that flip open on both the body and the head, but they remain nearly invisible when not in use.

Dissimilar the Sphero, the Hero Droid BB-8 comes with its own dedicated remote controll which requires three triple A batteries. Some may non be fond of reverting to an old remote control in favor of not implemeneting a bluetooth apllication to bulldoze, but I'll explain why I adopt the former afterwards. The remote style is VERY elementary and VERY easy to apply. Anyone who has played a video game before volition have no issues using this controller at all. At present that both the caput and body are charged, it's time to see what this thing can practice! Plough both the head and the body on with the switches located near the charger input and BB-8 immediately springs to life every bit you affix the head to the body.

Drive Mode

Hero Droid BB-8 has three unlike modes of play that tin be alternated using the remote command. Turning the switch on the command all the manner too the left allows us to test out Drive Mode. Much like the Sphero, the head affixes to the body uses some magnets and wheels to permit the caput to roll forth the trunk equally it moves. The reason that the droid needs to charge both parts of his body will get rather credible soon. The controller features a left analog stick, or joystick, to let BB-8 to move forward and backward and a right analog stick that allows you to turn BB-viii or take him lean left or right every bit if peaking from behind a corner.

Now, y'all can't spin his head actually on it's own, but that brings me to the controller push. On the controller is a big button in the heart that allows BB-8 to....well, emote. I couldn't fifty-fifty tell y'all how many different things he does, considering it almost seemed endless. Push this push and maybe BB-8 will move forwards and backward while spinning his head and making some noise. Next push may cause him to do a sort of trip the light fantastic toe. With this button, his head does motion separate from the trunk.

As for the driving, this little guy MOVES! I mean, he really flies for such a big droid. I recommend y'all go REALLY slow until you go the hand of it. He turns really well and drives very well too, but when you drive him on hard floors, he gets a little move tricky to handle. Not to say the command is bad, it's just dissimilar and a little more than slick and quick than on a carpet. I could drive BB-8 effectually for hours and button his emote button.

He actually is a smash to drive effectually and one of the greatest things about this droid is that the sounds actually come out of the droid and NOT the controller. When I said it would become apparent every bit to why you need to charge both the caput and body, this is why! Dissimilar the Sphero droid (where the sounds only come up out of the phone or tablet you bulldoze with), Hero BB-8 makes TONS of sounds and they're loud and coming from the actual droid. Non only does the actual droid make sounds, just he has lights in ALL the right places. This is some other thing Sphero lacks (if you dont count the blue charging low-cal that illuminates the ENTIRE droid blueish), the Hero BB-8 has lights everywhere he does in the movie and he looks absolutely fantastic!

One thing that both the Sphero BB-8 and the Hero BB-viii share is the problem of the head coming off during a crash, although I found that even though the Hero BB-8 has a MUCH heavier caput in comparing, it doesn't come off at much. As long as you lot don't drive it full speed at a wall, you should be fine, simply it may take a fleck of driving practice. Another attribute of the droid is multiple frequencies. If you have friends using a Hero BB-8 or perchance some new Hero Droids come out, you lot can gear up your BB-8 to a different frequency so that you tin can drive mutliple droids in one area without crossing frequencies with your friends. So now that we drove it around, allow'due south move on to the next manner. Vox Command!

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Voice Control

What practiced would a huge BB-8 with lights and sound be if y'all couldn't talk to it and interact with information technology similar whatever other droid? To activate this style, push the remote switch to the middle which will cause the light on the remote to turn off and now yous tin set it down or clip it to your back pocket (you'll see why afterwards!). Don't worry! This is supposed to happen for voice command mode! Remember that Quick Star Guide I told you to hang on to? Now's the time to pull that puppy out and become some use out of information technology!

Listed on the back of the Quick Start Guide are the Vocalisation Commands y'all can use to collaborate with BB-viii. This mode is really very fun and my niece got a kicking out of this. If yous say, "Scout Out! Kylo Ren!", BB-viii will react in a very scared and freightened way making all the necessary sounds to convey his terror. Some other scared, but different, action volition occur if y'all tell BB-8 there are Stormtroopers. You can ask BB-8 if he'south seen Rey, and he will acknowledge that he has in his own little mode,

One of the funniest vox commands happens to be "Droid Delight!" That phrase that Finn says to BB-8 on the Falcon. This phrase makes BB-eight rotate his head as if he had a neck and was saying, "Daughter Please" with his arrow finger upward. If you're standing across the room, tell BB-8 to "Come Here," and he will happily roll his way towards you lot. He didn't become close plenty? That's okay! Just say, "Closer" and he will inch his fashion a scrap closer to yous.

That's not all. This mode has it's own litte mode within a way. This is by far mine and my nieces favorite phrase to say and she played for hours with this phrase lone. Tell BB-8 to "Stand Guard!" and BB-eight will spin around, scan the area, and enrer Guard Mode. If someone happens to intrude on your area, BB-8 will go haywire rolling in circles and spinning his head while making a loud alarm racket. This is pretty entertaining to lookout man and even more entertaining to sentry the reaction of unsuspecting visitors. And when yous're done and need a break, just tell BB-eight to "Get to sleep" and he will lower his head and brand a ability downwards noise just like you would hear from a movie. There are several other phrases as well that include things like "Where is Poe?" and a few other fun phrases.

Now nosotros movement on to the tertiary and last mode, Follow Me!

Follow Me!

Okay, I saved the best for final (at least in my stance!), follow me mode. If y'all think well-nigh it, this mode isn't really all that special in actuality, but information technology is the mode it worked that really impressed me and sold me on this mode. Y'all ready the controller to Follow Me mode by pushing the switch all the way to the right and and then you lot'll want to clip the controller onto your back pocket (which the prune on the back of the remore) or wherever you choose and BB-8 will exercise exactly what the name implies. He will follow you!

I know, it might not sound all that heady, but it Really works well! I remember seeing this displayed in the showtime commercial I saw of the product and they simply walked back and forth and I was pretty impressed, but when I tried it out personally, I was fifty-fifty more impressed. I walked effectually and BB-8 followed me very, very well. I made my fashion around chairs, through doorways, and around other obstacles and he successfuly traversed and navigated them just as I did.

This made me think nearly the Sphero BB-eight that has a "describe design" feature which allows you lot to draw a pattern on your phone/tablet and have BB-eight follow it and everytime it went speeding off into a wall causing the head to launch into the air. This is what I one-half expected to happen from the Hero BB-8, only I was pleasantly surprised by how information technology worked. Not once did BB-8's caput come off and BB-8 followed me around making noises and having a good time. Once again, my niece had a really skillful time with this mode as well. Afterwards expecting it to run across everything possible, I was very glad to see this mode worked so well and with ease.

Overall Thoughts

One of the things I was concerned about was the longevity of the amusement that Hero BB-8 provided. Was it going to be a quick novelty that wore out over the course of a few days like the Sphero BB-8? Or would this Hero BB-8 actually keep me wanting to come back and play with it. I was so excited about the Sphero BB-8, but the fact is I used it very few times and lost all interest in the tiny droid. Simply this giant Hero BB-viii? I take hold of myself looking at it constantly throughout the 24-hour interval. Heck, if I even told you how many times I stopped to get up and play with information technology while I was writing this review, you wouldn't even believe me!

My niece calls me upwards nearly every day since i've gotten this droid and she asks me if I can drive over and allow her play with it. She wasn't this excited most whatsoever other toy. I call back it really has a lot to do with how screen accurate this droid is with the lights and sounds and it'due south size makes all the difference.

Now, I know some people may exist turned off by the dedicated remote control and not using an app, but I actually prefer this if I had to make a pick. Withal, what would brand this improve is an OPTIONAL app. If they could figure out how to allow for either the remote control or employ of an app for control this would exist a win. If they had an optional application, it would allow for updates like Sphero could do. They would've also have been able to make employ of the micro-USB port to allow for firmware updates, but all that aside, I much rather have the remote control they included instead of only existence able to utilise an app.

Another missed opportunity would've been finding a way to have the "torch" thumbs-upward from the motion picture integrated somehow. That would've been an amazing addition, simply I can see the issues with needing to make certain the droid was positioned in such a way to let for that function to occur. Overall, this is the all-time iteration of BB-8 that I take seen. This is not but a toy, this is fantastic for collectors too.

I had my Jaks Pacific Deluxe BB-8 displayed for awhile, merely now that I have the Hero BB-viii, it is much better to have displayed. And I believe that I will continue to enjoy this droid for as long equally I can. Heck, it's become my get-to procrastination mechanism! Whenever I am working, I observe myself staring at information technology and needing to drive it around a fleck. Once more, this might be the virtually overused phrase ever for anything droid related, simply this is ABSOLUTELY the Droid you're looking for!

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External Links:

• Buy on Amazon.com
• Purchase On Walmart.com

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Source: https://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=Star-Wars-Reviews&swop=showcontent&id=118

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