Nature Goes Cyber with the Mechanical Chameleon Brick Set by JMBricklayer

When I was growing up, I was a big fan of the Zoids robot kits. Still popular today, the Zoids kits are produced by Tomy and allow people to build small, motorized toy robots that are shaped like some kind of animal (usually dinosaurs). Along those lines is the Mechanical Chameleon brick set, which was recently released by JMBricklayer.

JMBricklayer's Mechanical Chameleon isn't a complete robot kit; it takes a cutaway approach, with the inner workings of the robot chameleon revealed on the left side and the robot's "skin" on the right side. As such, most of the kit's parts are used articulate the robot's inner workings.

Below is a picture of the kit's box, as well as a page from the kit's instruction manual that outlines different parts of the robot's build.

In terms of details, the Mechanical Chameleon kit knocks it out of the park. The pictures below show the completed kit from different sides--from its extended, semi-transparent tongue to its jointed, bendable tail-- as well as close-ups of the exposed side of the kit. The kit includes decals that add all sorts of technology-themed symbols to the build; even the name plate on the kit's base resembles some kind of technical display akin to Star Trek.

Even the tree stump base that supports the Mechanical Chameleon build is stuffed of details. It features leaves, branches, plants, and swamp water represented by green transparent bricks.

One of the kit's main features is its lighting tube, which is activated through a switch that's located in the exposed half's torso. The kit lights up on both sides, but the lighting tube on the robot side really adds to the kit's mechanical theme.

The kit's instructions are easy to follow, but I ran into some problems with getting the lighting tube to stay in place. (There's an alternate set of instructions available online in case you run into problems trying to follow the instructions in the manual.) The problem I ran into is that the lighting tube itself isn't very flexible, so I had to struggle a bit to get the tube in place. I eventually got it to stay put and it blends in perfectily with the rest of the mechanical parts, but it does look a little different from the completed kit shown on the box. Also, the Mechanical Chameleon is strictly a display piece; it has some moving parts but this kit is meant to be seen and admired, not to be used as a toy.

If you're a toy robot fan like I am who likes intricate details, you'll enjoy the Mechanical Chameleon brick set. The finished build looks fantastic, and the light up feature make the kit really pop out as a display piece. If you'd like to purchase JMBricklayer's Mechanical Chameleon Brick Set, you can either purchase it at Amazon (https://amzn.to/3XVK4kU) or at the JMBricklayer store (https://bit.ly/46UBzup). Use the discount code JMBMEM15 at either site to get 15 percent off of your purchase.