Meccano Micronoids: Basher (age 8+) Review

Meccano have recently raised their game immensely, including expanding with the amazing Tech range of award-winning programmable Meccanoids. Brand new for this Autumn are 3 smaller models, the Micronoids, and we are lucky enough to be among the very first people to try one out. We've been sent Basher to review...

Basher has 139 pieces and is really quite a technical build, so is recommended for age 8+. The packaging is a mix of the simple and the annoying, but minimal and mainly recyclable.

Inside the box you have the robot head, a bag of angled joining pieces, a bag of nuts, bolts and washers, 3 bags of plastic parts, multi-purpose Meccano screwdriver and spanner, and the instruction booklet. Helpfully there is also a card with the number to ring in case of any issue or problem.

My son has never really used tools, so had to really use his brain, and as he built practised valuable skills which he'll use throughout his life.

The build was okay for my 8 year old, and he got a lot of pride from completing it, but he definitely found it challenging. The hardest bit is towards the beginning attaching the orange plates to the side of the head, and you will probably need to help younger builders unless they already have 3 hands.

There are 3 types of fixings in this Meccano model - push-fit, clip on, and the more traditional nuts and bolts. They all work very well and are right in the positions where they appear. The finished model is really very sturdy and will easily survive walking into corners or even falling down a step.

Special mention to Meccano for their incredibly clear instruction book, and the lifesize images for fixings. It made it so clear that my son didn't make a single error in construction...impressive. Boo for the image on the box which shows 5 digits on each hand - that confused us!

And here he is - our programmable Meccano robot, Basher.

His head turns, and he moves around the floor really well thanks to his leg construction and clever wheels and tyres under his feet.

The Micronoid is controlled by a panel on the top of his head. He has 4 modes:

• Sleep - this is your basic 'off'.
• 8-Ball - Your Micronoid will answer yes/no questions with a positive or negative response, and sometimes a very uncertain one. He has a great deep voice and is very colloqial and friendly! 
• Dance - Yep. Your Micronoid can dance!
• Autonomous - Your Micronoid does whatever he fancies. Among other things he chatters and whistles, walks around, passes wind, his eyes light up and he turns his head.

In 8-ball mode you can also record and play back sound and movement, so you can programme your Micronoid to wander around the house. His movements are a little jerky, but with a bit of practise you can get very good at it. His sound playback is brilliant. Sound is transformed and speeded up a little, making everything he repeats sound like you are breathing helium. 

Here's our short video so that you can really see what Basher is capable of...

As it says in the video, we think he's brilliant. You get a lot for your money and he's very impressive. Your child will learn a lot of skills as well as have fun. Micronoids are likely to be incredibly popular, in my opinion definitely one of the best toys in the £50 range, and one which I'd be more than happy to buy for my child.

There are 3 different Meccano Tech Micronoids which will be available soon in the UK - Basher, Socket And Switch. They are distributed by Spinmaster. Priced around £50, but often cheaper on Amazon, Micronoids will be at the top of a lot of Christmas lists for 2016.

ET Speaks From Home and Susan K Mann reviewed the other two Meccano Micronoids, click through to read their reviews of the red Micronoid, Socket and the green Micronoid, Switch.

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We were sent our Meccano Micronoid for review.