The LEGO VIDIYO theme officially launched at the beginning of the month to mixed reactions. From the cryptic teasers and announcement that really didn’t show much of the products to extremely bad reviews of the companion app, it doesn’t bode well for this partnership with Universal Music Group. I purchased the Hiphop Robot BeatBox (43107) just to see how everything works together and offer my opinion whether to purchase it or not. Keep in mind that the BeatBox sets cost $19.99 each.
I chose the Hiphop Robot BeatBox simply because the helmet/hair piece reminded me of Daft Punk and the iconic helmet they wear. The torso has printing that shows some a USB cable wrapped around the neck. The legs have some circuit board printing going down to some microchips. Attached on the back are some extra arms for accessories including a microphone. The head is robotic gray and the most inter sting piece for me is the helmet/hair piece that shows a graphic equalizer.
Each of the BeatBox set comes with a container that has some headphones going around it. The back of it has unique designs to the specific character and this one looks like a boombox or a robotic face. The other designs are a spray can and a wrench. When you pull it out, there are two parts to this area. One is the stage where the Hiphop Robot goes and surrounding him are 12 BeatBits that you use to scan into the app. Inside the white case are slots to store the included BeatBits.
On to the companion app, it is available on Google Play and the Apple App Store. When you first use it, you’ll have to download a huge chunk of new data to be able to use it. Scanning in the minifigure and BeatBits along with the stage is easy and everything is automatic. From my testing, there are lots of bugs with the app. You’ll need a large area to use it on but sometimes it won’t even let you set the stage even though you have plenty of space. It also tends to freeze up and not show anything and you’ll have to close out the app. Once you are able to get everything set, it’ll play your selected song and you can use the scanned BeatBits to add effects to your bandmates and that works pretty well. The selection of songs is also decent with some more recent hits and I’m curious to see if it is updated with new songs. I can’t show you any of this because the app doesn’t allow you to export any content from the app. I assume this is part of LEGO’s initiative to promote child safety but they forgot that adults can also use the app.
Overall, the LEGO VIDIYO Hiphop Robot BeatBox (43107) is a very mixed bag indeed. I do like the minifigure and the BeatBits have some very nice designs that can be used for other builds but for what you get in terms of physical parts, it’s very expensive due to the large molds that are included. The bugginess of the app also doesn’t help the overall experience of the set if you intend on using it that way. If you do want some of these characters, I would highly suggest waiting for a sale which shouldn’t be too long as I hear that not many people currently are interested in it and store shelves are still full of inventory.
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