So a few days ago I bought 2 EV3s. One was to build and one I'm keeping MISB. Here is my issue, so we all know that you can build different models as shown on the box, but did anyone know that there is only instructions in the box to build one of the models? The rest of the models (including the main attraction, the robot that is prominently displayed on the front of the box) can be built but you have to download the instructions from a website. That isn't really a huge deal or so I thought but when I printed out the instructions for another build, it was 117 pages!! Seriously? With ink costing more than my actual printer that just isn't worth it to me to be wasting all that ink. Probably not the end of the world but just had to vent a little.

So a few days ago I bought 2 EV3s. One was to build and one I'm keeping MISB. Here is my issue, so we all know that you can build different models as shown on the box, but did anyone know that there is only instructions in the box to build one of the models? The rest of the models (including the main attraction, the robot that is prominently displayed on the front of the box) can be built but you have to download the instructions from a website. That isn't really a huge deal or so I thought but when I printed out the instructions for another build, it was 117 pages!! Seriously? With ink costing more than my actual printer that just isn't worth it to me to be wasting all that ink. Probably not the end of the world but just had to vent a little.

I did not get the EV3, but when I received my NXT 2.0, they included one instruction booklet for a beginning design and all the rest of the designs were on a disk that I downloaded onto my laptop. When I need instructions, but do not have any printed, I just use a PDF version and it works fine, but I look at the computer screen while I am building the set.

that is disappointing. you'd think for $350 they could include all the booklets to build each version

That doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I mean, you see how big all the Creator books in a single one of those sets can get? Considering it is a Mindstorms set, I wouldn't mind if there was a USB stick or maybe DVD with the other instructions on there but this seems odd in comparison to other large scale detailed builds. Downloading the instructions should be optional; not mandatory.

Maybe they did it because of changes they may make would be easier to address in an electronic version?  Anyway, it is bogus to not have a nice booklet with an expensive set like that.