[NOTE: This is an unpaid review of a prototype version of the product currently funding on Kickstarter. As such this will be an honest review of the product in its current form, with the prototype/product possibly changing with future revisions.]
Build
Gameplay
Operation
Verdict
Pros & Cons
When Hong Kong-based Team Mongda got in touch to ask if I’d like to review their non-electric, laser-cut wooden robot arms (no, you didn’t read that wrong), I found it hard not to be intrigued. I mean that sounds like some next-level ingenious stuff.
Last year I reviewed the UGEARS wooden tabletop gizmos and I liked the laser-cut-ply aesthetic (for the most part) and found many of the more mechanical devices delightful just as objects.
What’s more, having watched Team Mongda’s promo site, this looked like the perfect socially distanced game for the current climate.
Plus I couldn’t help thinking it would just be a giggle to get some mates round, ply them with booze and watch them flailing robot arms around.
Of course the advantage with the more mechanically complex UGEARS stuff (like their deck box or dice holder) was that I didn’t have to build the things myself – the review copies came pre-assembled. But according to Team Mongda, half the enjoyment is in the build, so ARMPAL arrived in kit form.
Yes, ARMPAL. I guess the name makes perfect sense, but at the same time sounds a bit literal-translation, and also vaguely amusing, in a peurile, schoolboy kind of way which I won’t digress to.
The box that turned up was about the size of (*glancing at game-packed Kallaxes for suitable comparison*) the box for Star Trek: Ascendancy – so smaller than the 2001: Space Odyssey monolith (or Gloomhaven), but too big for a Kallax.
Worry not though, as you won’t be storing anything in the box. It’s just transport for a dozen or so laser-cut wooden sheets, some bags of components and several metres of plastic tubing.
Oh, and a book of assembly instructions. And I do mean book. We’re all used to the term “rule book” referring to what’s more accurately a “rule-brochure/mag”, but this baby is properly hefty and comes in at 128 pages.
Build
As it happened, it was all a little like assembling a LEGO Technic kit (or helping out your 8 year old with the LEGO Hogwarts that nanny spoiled her with at Christmas), i.e. fiddly and tricky at times, but for the most part pretty straightforward and geekily satisfying.
Any of you that like LEGO, Airfix/Tamiya or (obviously) laser-cut stuff are gonna lap this up, but I wouldn’t say the complexity makes it kit-builders-only.
You do occasionally require some hand strength to make tighter fitting components pop together or to attach (or detach) hydraulic hoses, so if you do consider getting this for some child prodigy, just bear in mind they’ll need some help physically, even if they can figure out what bits go where.
I took around 12 hours in total to build everything, with the second arm predictably being quicker and easier to complete. What I’m not including is the couple of hours I spent later, going back and taking stuff apart again to correct errors I made in construction, mostly due to me not reading the instruction tome properly. Oops.
For example, on the first arm I failed to lubricate many of the hydraulic cylinders’ push-rods with provided silicone grease. This meant they were harder to operate, and those that needed to return to their start position after activation (like the handle triggers), did so too slowly, if at all.
Again, with experience of building two arms, I’m now more adept at accessing the hydraulics without taking other bits apart, and when I do have to dismantle stuff it’s relatively straightforward.
But the fact remains – pay attention to instructions, and don’t get carried away with the construction and omit prep work (like lubricating the push-rods!).
The instructions themselves are well-laid out and easy-to-follow, although I’d like to have seen more clear indication in some images of the part numbers – sometimes it’s printed clearly, other times the instructions rely on an image of the part with the visible part number that’s printed on it, and it’s not always very legible. But then I’m old and half-blind.
That said I was sent an updated version of the instructions that ironed out a few problems, so I’ve no doubt that between now and fulfilment, any issues reviewers and play-testers have with the instruction book will be corrected by the designers.
Another slightly confusing set of steps in the instructions comes with the directions for filling the hydraulic system. Mongda have already addressed this with a short tutorial video that’s actually excellent, which also redeems the instruction book slightly, whose directions become more obvious after you’ve filled one of the five hydraulic lines.
I guess it’s a balancing act between wanting to keep the hydraulics instructions brief and straightforward in a book already over 120 pages, and giving enough information for the complete novice. I think in this case though, a bit more guidance wouldn’t have hurt. But hey, the tutorial vid is spot on..
With only half a dozen small puddles of water on the table, I now had two fully-functioning, hydraulic robot arms, a bunch of attachments and accessories, and a playmat to test it all out on (neoprene – note to self: lay out wetsuit material before water-filling).
It was time to have some fun!
Game Play
Okay, spoiler. This is really fun. Even for someone as jaded as me.
The building of the kit was satisfying more than fun, but it’s a joy to watch your wooden hydraulic robot arm respond to your commends and start picking up and manipulating things, or magnetise stuff, or scoop stuff up.
But the real fun comes going head-to-head against a buddy or partner, which you can do via the system’s three main game modes, utilising the three attachments.
There’s Stack Tower, like reverse Jenga, where you take it in turns to use the calipers/pincers to place a wooden block on a tower you’re collaboratively building. You knock over the tower, you lose.
Then there’s the snappily titled Magnetic Crane Transferring Race, where you compete to swipe as many of the shared metal resources (paper-clips work well) as possible until they’re all gone.
Finally there’s the Excavator See-Saw using the ‘dozer-bucket attachment, where you try to transfer as much material from your own personal supply to your side of a see-saw. Whoever transfers the most within a time limit wins.
Since then Mongda have sent me details of other game modes they’ve added (there are now eight in total at the time of writing) including hurling bricks at an opponent’s wall, or working with a friend as a team controlling your robot – one hand control each.
Operation
You might think it would be a pain to change the attachments between each game mode, but it’s quick and easy and although the attachment methods differ slightly between Caliper, Magnet and Excavator, the basic principle is the same.
Everything functions as you’d expect and is a hoot, with perhaps the only drawback to game-play being that those with more experience manipulating the arm will obviously trounce a novice. But it’s easy to handicap that skill difference, and besides, there are a few games around beyond simple luck-fests that don’t reward player skill/experience.
But as I’ve mentioned previously, letting complete novices loose on the system is where a lot of joy and hilarity can be found.
So it’s all good, right? Well, not quite everything is totally rosy.
For a start, it’s possible (as I proved myself) to make some minor errors in construction that can compromise functionality, particularly with the first arm when you’re finding your feet. Obviously if one arm functions better than another then that’s an unfair advantage.
Thus it might be necessary to tweak an arm, such as bleeding and refilling a hydraulic line, in order to ensure both arms are as close in functionality as possible.
Also I’ve noticed that with prolonged usage certain hydraulic loops seem to require the same bleed-n-refill process, particularly the arms left-right rotation.
Once you’ve done this a couple of times it’s all pretty straightforward and you can bleed and prime the line in a matter of a couple of minutes, but it’s still a chore that eats away a little at your enjoyment.
I’ve also (admittedly just once) had to re-lube the plungers of the lines on both arms from the trigger that operates the activation of the various attachments. I guess because they see a lot of use. Luckily this is simple to get to, but again, it’s another little maintenance chore.
Which I guess is my point here – if you’re expecting to just build your Armpal(s), fill the hydraulic lines and never have to deal with the mechanics of it again, then guess again. It looks like the occasional maintenance tweak will just be par for the course.
Whether this is just a bedding in process (say, as new hoses expand slightly with use) that will ease as the system beds in, only time will tell. I’ll try to update this review over the coming months so it’s more accurate by the time Armpal hits retail.
That said, none of the maintenance is that much of a bind, and things like bleeding and refilling hoses is straightforward enough to even carry out during a game session – if your gaming buddies get the drinks in you’ll probably be done by the time they get back to the table.
It’s a little bit like owning an FDM 3D printer – expect to tinker with it. Okay maybe not that much tinkering.
I also have a slight issue with the fact that the control unit and the arm can shift around from their start positions during the heat of game play, and during play-testing my wife even cheated by deliberately shifting the arm by moving the control unit! I guess the incorporation of feet suckers would go a long way to eliminate this.
Apart from that the only real issue I have with Armpal is… what the hell do I do with two big robot arms and accessories when they’re not being used?
They obviously don’t fit back in the box the components came in, and there’s no easy way to break down the arm or even separate it from the control unit.
Some quick release push-to-connect fittings on the hoses between the arm and control box would allow assembly/detachment, but that still leaves a big arm on its base that has no easy storage solution.
For those with a Games Room or Geek Cave with plenty of space, the Armpals could sit on top of a shelf and be a very cool objet d’art and talking point, but for those more limited in gaming real estate their Armpals may end up in attic storage and thus be less likely to attract admiring glances and see table time.
Final Verdict
It may sound like I’ve listed a lot of niggles above, and that those have ruined by experience with Armpal, but they haven’t. I still think the system is mechanically ingenious, aesthetically attractive and a load of fun for everyone that’s had a go.
Of the three arm attachments I think I probably like the magnet the best, and I feel the excavator is probably the weakest, primarily due to the lack of a supplied ‘bin’ for material to be transferred from, and also because it can get pretty messy!
I guess I didn’t figure there would be as much ongoing tinkering, but like I said, I’m not sure whether this is just a bedding-in process, or if this might change with design tweaks by Team Mongda.
I think my main concern beyond storage is replayability. And by that I mean with your regular gaming group. I think after the initial novelty wears off it won’t see much play, although it does provide the perfect way of settling some end of game ties (or grudges!) and general fiddlingwhile you’re waiting for everyone to turn up on games night.
But it’s not an exactly compact filler game..
However in terms of longevity you’re good. Anyone seeing Armpal for the first time will immediately want a go, and there’s a great deal of enjoyment in seeing the pleasure folk get from manipulating their arm, and the general hilarity of novices flailing around ineffectually.
It seems pretty robust too and any part of it should be cheap to replace if ever needed.
I could also see folk getting some paintbrushes out to personalise their arm, especially if they’re buying a pair as a couple. In fact Mongda are giving everyone a sticker kit as an unlocked stretch goal on their campaign.
Of course there may also be some backers on Kickstarter who just want to build a funky wooden hydraulic robot arm, with the competitive game play being secondary or irrelevant. The Kickstarter campaign caters for that with pledges for single Armpal.
There’s fun to be had solo in stacking as high a tower of blocks as you can, or seeing how far (or how hard) you can hurl a wooden block into a wall of other blocks. In fact that forms the basis of one of the new 2 player games, called Angry Cubes. A name I adore.
Would I be happy if I’d backed this rather than just received a review copy? Yes, I think I would. When you compare the price to something like a large LEGO set or similar construction kit, its comparable and certainly has a good deal more functionality once it’s complete.
Obviously it’s been sitting on a table in the house for several days now, and every time I wander past I often can’t help stopping what I’m doing to have a little play. It’s weirdly addictive.
As I type this my 3D printer is working on a couple of garbage skips in wood filament to use with the Excavator/Scoop attachment. It’s one area I think Mongdal could maybe address with a laser cut version, as otherwise it’s hard to find a container that’s the right size and functions well in assisting the scooping up of material.
So all in all it’s been a ball, and a nice break from the norm of the usual tabletop fare I’m sent to review. I’m looking forward to seeing what other crazy contraptions Team Mongda comes up with in the future. They’ve certainly set the bar high with their first offering.
Pros:
- Fun to build, especially for a couple or friends building one each.
- Looks great. A talking point and something friends will want to try
- Ingenious construction with controls that functions great.
- Great fun to play with. Hilarity can often ensue!
- Pretty good value considering the content and the competition in the form of other laser cut kits and things like LEGO.
Cons:
- Big and bulky when built with no easy way to store.
- Easy to make some errors in construction that can be time-consuming to correct later. So take your time!
- Needs occasional maintenance.
- A table hog. You really need a 6ft long table to comfortably play.
At the time of writing the Armpal Kickstarter campaign has around a week left to run, so if this review piques your interest, then head over to the campaign page and check it out.
