Review: Custom Andy Android statue

[Big Cam]

I'm a Google type of guy. No Apple products in my house, although I did have a stint with an ipod nano a long while back. Android is Google's mobile device Operating System, and personally I think it's brilliant. Google has gone off and made up a little mascot for the Android OS, and his name is Andy. I saw this model for sale right here on EB, from AbbieDabbles. The following is a review of that set.

BASIC INFORMATION:

Set Name: Robot Companion (Android)

Set Number: none

Number of Pieces: 98

Minifigs: -

Price: $30.00 USD

Theme: Custom

Year Released: 2011

THE REVIEW:

The Box

Front:

As you can see this is a custom set. No official LEGO box, just a simple white box with a homemade printed cover.

Side:

I do especially appreciate the seller adding this label. It gives credit where credit is due(LEGO), and lets you know exactly what you've bought.

Instructions

Front:

Now the instructions are rather cheaply made, it is simply paper double folded, then printed on and held together with a single staple. Although it is cheaply made, I must admit, I was still impressed.

Back:

The back is simple and conveys the sellers information in a very professional fashion, which is why I left it in the review.

Random Page:

Although cheaply printed, I must admit I appreciate the content, it is almost as good as a regular LEGO instruction booklet. It's important to note that I edited these pictures quite a bit to bring out the colors, to be honest, they look better in my pictures than they do in real life.

All Pieces:

I've never admitted this, but then again this is only the 2nd or 3rd time I've done it. I hate sorting the pieces like this. It takes me forever, I'm just too clumsy. Although, I love the way it looks, after seeing a few other people do it, I know I had to suffer through it, although I'm not sure if I'll be doing it on larger sets, I don't think I'll have the patience.

Extra Piece(s):

Here it is, in all it's glory. I'm actually surprised I got one really, since this is a custom kit, and the seller knew exactly what was needed. It's appreciated.

Complete Set

Front:

Just as pictured! It really does look proportional to the Andy Android figure floating around the internet, I'm sure you've seen him on commercials with all the cats for the Nexus S 4G phone from Sprint, if not see below for the commercial, our just use the comparison pic from Google Headquarters.

Back:

The back is strikingly similar to the front, minus the eyes. Although simple, this is exactly what the Android Mascot looks like.

Left/Right:

Even more repetitive I know, can you even tell which side is which? Look carefully for the eyes.

Top:

The top of our robot shows his antennas which are cleverly built in. They bend to the point of straight up, as well as where they are positioned now.

Bottom:

The bottom of our friend is very fragile, it's actually got studs upside down.

Say Hello

Say hello to the finished Android Robot, Andy. His arms move, his head spins, and he's going to look great in my cubicle at work.

Totals:

Design: 9/10 I'd give it a solid 10, except it's quite fragile, it did score so high because the design is pretty well thought out and I appreciate that. After all it is a custom.

Parts: 8/10 There is alot of lime green (I'm awaiting someone to correct me, I'm sure I'm wrong.) and some random other bit's, but nothing that is super out of the ordinary, except the arm pieces.

Build: 8/10 The build was enjoyable, but a little tough, since once I blew up the model trying to add another piece, mentioning again how fragile it is. There were some clever techniques, which is the main reason I did not show any build pictures, to respect the designer.

Playability: Pose-ability 8/10 It isn't perfect, but the necessary parts move, just enough to make it a fun model to have. I've never seen his legs move so there isn't a reason for the models to move, plus he would be even less stable. That's another reason this is bumped down to a 7, with studs pointing downward, he can't be connected to other bricks.

Price: 8/10 I personally thought it was expensive for the price per piece, and if it was a regular set, it would be, but this is a custom and you have to account for the design time, and producing working instructions. Taking into account the creativity, I think it still could have been $5 cheaper, but hey, I still bought it.

Total: 43/50 There you have it, a review of this fun little model. Pricey, but worth it to some people, me being one of them. According to the website where I bought it, the seller is all out of them, there was mention of buying more pieces to make more, but not as of yet. I am quite happy with my purchase and this will be displayed proudly on my desl at work, along side a series 1 Zombie.

Bonus: This video shows Andy pretty well, and it's just funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9z_sZ06HE0

Thanks for reading.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks for the review and introducing us to your little green friend 'Big Cam' !

That little robot guy reminds me of these two robots in a way.....

and

At least you have plenty of colour 'Big Cam'......Brick On !

[Hinckley]

Great review, Big Cam. I'm surprised at the price, but like you said, it's a custom. I haven't looked at custom sets in such a long time I'm not even sure what's out there. It's certainly a clever little build and I'll check out here site to see what else she has. It's a very thorough and objective review. I will not comment on your un-necessary MAC-bashing but otherwise, the review is very well written. Thanks for posting.

[Big Cam]

Great review, Big Cam. I'm surprised at the price, but like you said, it's a custom. I haven't looked at custom sets in such a long time I'm not even sure what's out there. It's certainly a clever little build and I'll check out here site to see what else she has. It's a very thorough and objective review. I will not comment on your un-necessary MAC-bashing but otherwise, the review is very well written. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the kind words, I shouldn't be so hard on apple, their ipods are in fact the best mp3 players ever created, and for me personally I just never really got into macs. I think my real gripe is with Steve Jobs, I just don't like him, and I would have been an iphone guy if it wasn't so restrictive.

[prateek]

Great review. I've got to say, this is a really good custom. Nice design, and great part selection

[Rufus]

You've done a good job shooting all that lime, Cammo! Nice to see a great review of something a bit different!

I really quite like this. It's interesting and different. Now to find somewhere to index it

[Big Cam]

You've done a good job shooting all that lime, Cammo! Nice to see a great review of something a bit different!

I really quite like this. It's interesting and different. Now to find somewhere to index it

I was going to use this image for the academy, feel free to use it too, also since it's not official, I won't be hurt if it doesn't get indexed.

[Rufus]

I was going to use this image for the academy, feel free to use it too, also since it's not official, I won't be hurt if it doesn't get indexed.

Too late! It's in there!

[AbbieDabbles]

Thank you for such a thorough review! Andy is once again available :) You'll be happy to know that my New Years Resolution is to make my instructions with better rendering which will make for more crisp, true-to-life images. I really enjoyed the critical feedback! Just wondering--did you buy him online from my website or at BrickWorld Chicago this past year?

[Big Cam]

Thank you for such a thorough review! Andy is once again available :) You'll be happy to know that my New Years Resolution is to make my instructions with better rendering which will make for more crisp, true-to-life images. I really enjoyed the critical feedback! Just wondering--did you buy him online from my website or at BrickWorld Chicago this past year?

I can't believe I missed this question.!!

I bought him from etsy.com under your store. I don't remember how I got to him, but I thought about it for about a day because I thought the price was steep but then I factored in, a lot of that price is for the instructions, since it is custom.

I am overall happy with my purchase.