DFROBOT Devastator Tank Mobile Robot Platform (Metal DC Gear Motor)

I don't write too many reviews, but had to step in for this item. I have a couple of other DF Robot products, and found them to be of very high quality and value for the price. The devastator tank kit is definitely no exception, and I can tell is was exceptionally well thought out in the design phases. The body is of (what seems like) anodized and brushed aluminum, so it's very sturdy at its core. The parts came in plastic bags, all clearly labeled, and the instruction manual was very thorough. Whoever designed this had to be a builder themselves. The bushings where the screws pass through the body weren't just empty holes, but were threaded. And all of the nuts included were nylon insert lock nuts, a fantastic touch that only a true builder would think of. The tank is fairly big too, standing about 4 ½ inches off the ground and about 9 inches wide. This might sound small but get a ruler and see this for yourself. The tank treads are of a hard plastic, which I thought I would prefer rubber when ordering, but definitely not. They look very cool and menacing but work well with the small motors. Together they are very quiet and efficient when moving.What you can't see from the stock picture is that the tank is hollow, and electronics go inside with a cover over it (seen in the picture). There are pre-drilled holes and slots everywhere making for easy attachment, and for a controller board there are holes inside that just happened to fit one of the other DF Robot products I already have: The Romeo BLE. It looks like this board was kept in mind for the design of this tank, and even appeared in the instruction manual photos. These two products seem a perfect match since the Romeo is essentially an Arduino plus motor driver shield (plus bluetooth low energy type, hence the BLE). I can't wait to try their bluetooth app with this to control it.While I found the kit to be outstanding I got two minor electronic parts that didn't work: A switch, and a wire connector (I tested both with a multimeter). I'm going to contact the manufacturer to see if I can get replacements, but these definitely didn't affect my overall impression of the kit. It even came with a battery pack and hook up if you wanted to use a LiPo battery, they loaded it very well with features, enough for me to not worry about two minor parts I can easily replace. Overall, this is a very well made tank kit and a huge step up from the toy tank kits I started with when I first began experimenting with robotics. Well done DF Robot...

I rely liked this tank track setup and i was very happy apon opening the package. All the parts were neatly labeled and the directions were excellent.I did however remove one star die to the tracks themselves and the difficulty they pose. Both tracks were un even and the pastic drive gear was flimsy.I would suggest upgrading running gear to aluminum as well as using metal tracs with plastic coating.This aside everything was great and the platform offers emense expansion, flexibility and addon possibilities.Will buy another for bot tag!

Excellent product. This is the second unit I've ordered. High quality construction with great assembly manual. All similar parts are packaged together in numbered plastic bags. Many extra hardware parts were included (mainly bolts, nuts and screws). Sturdy construction with ample room for electronics and battery. Lots of mounting holes and cutouts everywhere. Wheels and motors are plastic. I may replace the plastic motors with metal ones soon. I believe the plastic ones have carbon brushes and may be wearing out from use.I strongly recommend this product and would buy it again.

The good stuff first:Affordably priced.Solidly constructed.Not missing pieces. In fact there is plenty of hardware left over for mounting a few things to the chassis.Strong motors.Functional suspension.Decent instructions.Could be fully assembled by an adult in a couple hours - provided they had some skills and the right tools.Plenty of pre-cut slots and holes for mounting controller boards, sensors, or whatever.Now the not-so-good stuff.1) Requires an oddly sized metric nut driver (not included)2) One of the threaded inserts was poorly machined. Required vice-grips to get the screw through it. (not included)3) One of the tracks was one link too long. Required a very thin awl (not included) to punch out pins on both tracks so it could be properly sized. In addition, it took quite a bit of force to punch it through. Due to being disassembled, both tracks are now weakened, more likely to break, and require the purchase of replacement parts.4) The wiring is not pre-assembled. It requires a soldering iron and some skill with it to make the hook-ups.5) The biggest problem I've encountered is that the compartment is not sized big enough to properly mount a standard 7.4V Lipo RC battery. The bottom compartment needs to be 1/4" deeper and/or 1/2" wider to accomodate one.6) There are no standard connectors for standard 7.4V RC batteries. This will require a bit more soldering to fix.7) The drive cogs are plastic that will wear out sooner rather than later.Bottom Line:This product will most likely require someone high-school age or older (with some soldering skills) to assemble. It may require the purchaser to spend the purchase price of this product or more on tools. You're limited on your choice of batteries, if you want it to fit right or to be able to connect it without modification. Otherwise this would easily get 5 stars.

I have purchased so many different car frames. I have had to send almost every one of them back. This is because of missing parts, lack of proper documentation, and parts just tossed in a bag and left to you to figure out what is what.Well, I can say this one is not as bad but quality stinks. The did not drill the screw holes correctly as such 1 screw out of all of them will not go in. Sending this one back as well.