Make:

My son and I built the Mechamo Inchworm kit - actually, he built most of it himself, I helped figure out a couple of parts issues and put together some tiny bits. This is a great kit for kids! He's 14, but hasn't built a lot of kits before, and it went really well. He learned a lot of little things from the build, like how to stabilize a nut while tightening a screw. It's also a pretty forgiving design; twice he put something together backwards, but figured it out and was able to take it apart and put it back together correctly - a lot of kits won't let you take things apart.

I was impressed with how nicely it was packaged - the parts were well organized, and there was a parts list, and instructions in both Japanese and English - the English even made sense! It also comes with its own tools; the only thing we added were some containers to hold the tiny parts, and 6 AA batteries.

The directions were really clear and straightforward with lots of pictures. It took him about 4 hours total to build, and the payoff was fantastic! The Inchworm movement is kind of spider-y; it goes forward and backward and can turn 360 degrees. He noticed that you have to point the remote directly at the Inchworm, and that you can control it from quite a distance, maybe 15 feet. I highly recommend it as a kit for a teenager to do on their own, and I think a smart younger kid could build it with help from an adult.

Click "read more" to see the rest of the build.

In the Maker Shed:

The Gakken Mechamo Inchworm kit is available through the Maker Shed.

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