Product Review: CaDA “King of the Monsters” (C51063)

It’s no secret to anyone who follows my blog or social media that I’m a huge fan of all-things dinosaur robots – I can’t get enough of these toys and already have quite the collection of remote-controlled dinosaurs. So, as you might imagine, I’ve been keen to get hold of the “King of the Monsters” RC Godzilla building set since I came across it just after Christmas. 

This is the first brick building set that I’ve ordered from AliExpress, and I must admit that I was a little surprised that it came in a bag. I was aware that I wouldn’t get a retail box, but I assumed it would arrive in some sort of box. It wasn’t a big deal; it was just a little surprising at first.

While the packaging didn’t impress, the shipping did – this product took just over a week to arrive, despite the New Year holiday. I ordered it on December 30th, and it arrived on January 8th. 

To give that a little context, I’ve got another order on its way for a Brachiosaurus brick set from Forange, which I ordered before Christmas, on December 8th, and as far as I can tell, hasn’t even left China yet. So, kudos to CaDA for doing such a stellar job on shipping.

This set has a total piece count of 688-pieces, but don’t let that fool you. In terms of actual pieces, the count is closer to 500 – with 150+ being small connecting pieces and not bricks. These ship in 9 separate plastic bags. It also includes a rechargeable motor block with a built-in 3.7v 300mAh lithium battery and remote control, which needs 2 x AAA batteries to power.

It comes recommended for kids aged 6+ years, which I think is about right, given the limited features and functionality of the finished model. That said, when it comes to the build itself, don’t expect a six-year-old to complete it without a bit of help from mom or dad. 

The build

The build is separated into three sections; the torso and head, the arms, and the tails and legs. All in all, there are a total of 127 steps to complete this model. It was relatively straightforward, with the build taking around 3-4 hours to finish.

While the instructions are clear for the best part, I ran into a handful of issues during the build. The most significant of these were rebuilds on the legs and tail, as I’d made a few errors in putting them together. These were no big deal, as they were easy enough to rectify, needing to go back no more than a few steps for each fix. 

One thing that stood out for me was the grey rod piece used in step A5, which could have been a little longer, as it keeps popping out from time to time when using the robot. It sticks out as it’s a bit fiddly to put back together, needing the leg to be popped off each time it needs fixing. 

Far more complicated than the instructions were finding the pieces, as, unlike LEGO, there was no logical order to how they’re bagged and sorted. This added more time than anything else to the build, and eventually, I gave up and just threw all the pieces together, as keeping them in separate bags wasn’t of much help. 

A sticker sheet is included to finish the robot off once complete – with 42 stickers in total. Each of these is numbered, and the instructions on where to place them are super clear in the manual. 

Playing with it

It’s pretty impressive built – standing at just over a foot tall and measuring 16″ from head to tail. It’s a good size, being large enough to impress on a shelf or display with the rest of your collection, yet small enough for kids to be able to pick it up and play with it without any difficulty. 

The left stick controls its movement, with the robot moving forwards and backward, while the right stick controls the head and fires the two projectiles, which load into Godzilla’s chest. 

There’s also a button for sound effects, which plays a few different Godzilla effects – with sounds of whirling helicopters, gunfire, and roars. It’s a little quiet, and there’s no volume control, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially for parents.

While it’s fun – and my 4-year old has so far been loving the time she’s spent playing with it – I doubt there’s much beyond the initial build to keep the interest of older kids for too long, so this is something worth keeping in mind, depending on who you intend to buy it for. 

It’s a bit fragile once complete. My kid has been playing with it all afternoon – and sure, she’s a little rough with it – but several times now, I’ve had to put the tail section, back section, and legs back together, having had various pieces fall off. It’s a bit of a pain, but not too much of a deal. 

More annoying are the projectiles, which constantly go missing, being a real pain to hunt for. Parents might want to think about setting these aside, both for safety and to avoid all the time I’ve so far spent trying to find them.

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The battery life is pretty good. We got around 1-2 hours play out of it from an hour charge, which isn’t bad – it’s certainly better than some of our other electronic toys. We’ve also had no problems with the remote, quick and easy to sync with the model and operate. The controller is also a pretty good size for kids and adults alike, not too big and not too small. 

Price and value

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this set is its very affordable price tag, with it costing me a little over $50, including shipping. For those of you who like to keep track of cost per brick, this set comes in at just under $0.06 per piece – which is almost half what you typically get with a LEGO set.

It’s also worth remembering that this building kit is motorized and remote-controlled – the cheapest LEGO sets with these features start from $100+, 2-3 times the price of this set – which in my view, makes this set pretty good value for money. That said, there simply aren’t any dinosaur LEGO sets like this, making alternative brick builders your only option for sets like these.

You’re going to pay a little more if you want the retail box – and if you’re picking this up as a gift for someone, you’ll probably want to stretch the extra few bucks for it.

So far, my kid has used it to terrorize her other toys for a good few hours already – and showing no signs of tiring of this RC dinosaur toy yet. Combine that with the 3-4 hour build time, and it’s difficult to deny the value that this construction set offers.

Final thoughts

I really liked this Godzilla-style dinosaur robot from CaDA – it was fun to build, affordable, and while not as high quality as LEGO, the product certainly didn’t feel cheap or inferior. 

I’ll definitely be picking up a few more products from the Chinese brick brand, as they’ve got quite an impressive line-up of original, creative sets, with everything from weapons and military vehicles, to remote-controlled models and even those with more advanced touch and gesture sensors.

I would like to have seen some lights on this thing. Its semi-translucent back and tail plates would pair perfectly with a few LEDs – this is something I might look to add myself as a tinkering project, as I think it would add a lot to the look of this toy.

My experience with this brick set has been great. From price to shipping, the build itself, my daughter and I had fun playing with it after. For the money, you’ll struggle to find a set with as much to offer as the “King of the Monster” (C51063) set from CaDA – in my view; it’s certainly worth picking up.

Buy it (new): From $46, AliExpress.com