A warrior in white who can't do much
19.3.2018
Translation: machine translated
Video: Manuel Wenk
Robot manufacturer UBTECH from Shenzhen is venturing into the world of licensed toys with this Stormtrooper. Compared to the established manufacturers, however, the Chinese still need to step up a gear. Unfortunately, the look alone is not nearly enough.
UBTECH was founded in 2012 and specialises in humanoid robots. In addition to their service robot Cruzr, they focus in particular on educational robots, such as the AstroBot. Now they are venturing into the world of licensed toys with the First Order Stormtrooper. Thanks to this move, their brand is now recognised worldwide. However, I doubt whether their Stormtrooper will stand out in comparison to other toy manufacturers. You can find out more in this test report.
His looks are convincing, despite the big head
Before we put its robot skills to the test, let's first take a look at its appearance. Because the little one definitely looks the part. You can see the resemblance to the original at first glance. The designers at UBTECH have recreated the Stormtrooper in great detail and put a lot of effort into its realisation. Only the proportions don't match. He looks a bit like he hasn't done enough sport and has eaten too many burgers. Just a bit chubby. His head and feet in particular are not true to the original.
Despite these small deviations, I find his look very successful. Perhaps precisely because of these inconsistencies, I find it cute in a certain way.
The scope of delivery also includes a weapon for the Stormtrooper. You can attach the blaster to your stormtrooper's hand. So he's ready for any battle. But whether it hits its target is another question. In this set, however, the weapon is just a model and has no functions. The blaster merely emphasises the look of the Stormtrooper.
The back of the Stormtrooper looks less spectacular. The on/off switch is disguised as a belt pouch. It is so oversized that even an AT-AT could switch it on. It also has an opening on the back for the charging cable. UBTECH has definitely saved money here. The charging cable looks like that of a mobile phone from the nineties. A large, round plug. Hello? 2018? I would definitely have expected more from a robot that costs over 300 francs. And if a plug is used, why not put it at the bottom of the feet? At least it won't be visually noticeable!
The connection to the tablet was a gauntlet
After you press the oversized power button on the back of the Stormtrooper, the white warrior starts talking. He addresses you as Commander and gives you a long sequence of numbers. You have to write this down so that you can connect to him via WLAN. He repeats this number in a continuous loop until you have successfully established the connection. This can take a good five to ten minutes on the first attempt, as the app interface is not really tidy. If it annoys you too much with its chatter and you switch it off, you can start again from the beginning.
The story mode is moderately interesting
Once you're connected, it's time to try out its functions. You have three different modes to choose from. "Training" is pretty boring. Apart from testing a few functions, there's not much you can do. In "Sentry" you can scan your face and teach the Stormtrooper that you are his boss. The story mode is hidden under the "Mission" function.
In story mode, you are on the desert planet Jakku. Your task is to search for and decrypt various hard drives. You will see several symbols on a grid map. By clicking on them, the Stormtrooper runs to this position. He then walks around for about two to three minutes. During this time you can do nothing but wait. The stormtrooper runs across the table at a snail's pace and makes an enormous mechanical noise for its size. Once it has reached the position, you have to move its head using a "joystick". He then looks around and finds the object you are looking for somewhere. And that's it. On to the next mission. The first mission takes about 15 to 20 minutes. More than half the time you can just watch the Stormtrooper strut around. An exciting story mode is definitely something else.
Conclusion
The Stormtrooper from UBTECH looks nice, but unfortunately doesn't have much to offer as a robot. Its technology is not up to date and the app's story mode is not really exciting. It's a shame really, I was looking forward to a cool Stormtrooper robot. However, if you are a real Star Wars fan and have your whole home full of merchandise, the purchase is at least visually worthwhile. The Stormtrooper certainly looks good in a display case. But spending over 300 francs on a figure is, in my opinion, way beyond the financial pain threshold.
Riding my motorbike makes me feel free, fishing brings out my inner hunter, using my camera gets me creative. I make my money messing around with toys all day.
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