Back in March 2013
I looked at a cool Kickstarter Project called the Grabit Robot Multipurpose Holder. Designed as both a tribute to vinyl toys and a household storage device the Grabit features a very simple, clean design style that is quite appealing. If you're interested in learning more about the product and the design process behind it, check out
this interview I did with designers Leo and Angie Fajardo! If you're interested in learning about this cool toy, which you can purchase at
Trinkits' website, you had better keep on reading as I'm about to put this bad boy through standard Epic Review process. Join me after the break....
The Grabit stands about 5 inches tall and is about 6 3/8 inches wide (it has very thick arms). You'll notice that the design is very simple and clean with little detail and no paintwork. It's incredibly minimalistic which is a big part of the appeal. While the Grabit certainly has roots in vinyl art toys, it has also been designed to function as a holder for various household objects. Pens, paint brushes, toothbrushes, and other similar objects can be stored in the Grabit's hands.
The Grabit only features two points of articulation: swivel shoulders. This allows you to rotate the arms at different angles to store different objects in them such as pens, screwdrivers, toothbrushes, spoons, and a variety of other home and office goods. The hands are simple C-shaped grips, although the way the hand is designed does allow for you to slide a pen or something between the tips. Not every pen I tried fit, but some did. I'd actually really be interested in seeing a version of the Grabit that used a harder, more rubbery material. This might allow for much more flexibility in what can be held by these guys.
At a glance, the shape of the Grabit always reminds me of
Twiki from Buck Rogers. It's a simple robot with a cylindrical shaped body, a dome shaped head, and rounded arms and legs. There's not much sculpting in a traditional sense, but the design is incredibly eye catching. It definitely manages to stand out. Part of this is probably due to the bright, bold colors as well. The Grabit is available in Green, Blue, Orange, White, and Red and it is simply molded in colored plastic (no paint). On the bottom right foot the "Trinkits" logo is engraved into the plastic.
The plastic feels very solid; even though it's hollow it feels very durable. Part of that is probably aided by the chunkiness of the toy. One criticism of it I will make is that some of the seams are a little off. Nothing major, but minor overlaps do detract from such a minimalist sculpt.
The Grabit itself doesn't come with any accessories but mine did come with a cool little art print from Leo Fajardo of he and Angie next to a little Grabit. It's marked with an edition number of 1/1 and says "Jerry, Thank You for Kickstarting our Dream". I don't know if every Kickstarter got one, so I'm going to pretend that I'm just so awesome that the Fajardo's sent me one. You know how it is.
Overall, I'm giving the Grabit a Good and a 1/2. It's a great little desktop storage device that also looks cool on your toy shelf. I like the grips and the functionality, although I'd love to seem them rubberized in the future. Grabit's a fun, funky little fellow that does a job and does it well. I'm glad that I was able to get involved with this Kickstarter project and hope to see more cool product from Trinkits in the future. They hinted at minifigures, so let's hope that even more exciting things are to come.
If you're interested in owning a Grabit, head on over to
Trinkits and pick one up today! They come in five colors for all of your robotic decorating and storage needs!
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