The Vex instruction manual, aka “Inventor’s Guide,” is broken down into robot subsystems. It covers them in the same order a robot builder would attack the subsystems when building a robot from scratch.
Following their convention, I started with the structure subsystem. Similar in appearance to the Erector Sets of yore, the bumpers, rails, panels, beams, and bars are considerably sturdier. Metal pivots and gussets are included for attaching the pieces to one another, and a plethora of hex screws, keps and lock nuts, and collars are provided to hold your robot together.