Author: shygal - Page 6 - Shy Gal's Building Blog

Review of nanoblock Spotted Seal NBC_133

August 8, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Spotted Seal build. Spotted Seal is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_133

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Spotted Seal mother build front 3/4 view

This build has both a momma seal and a baby seal. The momma seal is the main part of this build.

The momma seal’s build begins with laying out the cream stomach. I used my nanoblock pad to lay out the bricks. The main body goes up in layers, adding ball joints, eyes, and spots.

Then, the build is flipped over. At this point, the nose is added, and the stomach is closed. Lining up the nose was a bit tricky to get centered.

The final step to finishing the momma seal is to add the flippers and tail. Each section is slightly different, so I needed to be careful when building and attaching each section.

The baby seal is a simple 4 layers of bricks. Because of how the base layer is added, I couldn’t use my nanoblock pad. However, because the seal is so small, it was easy to keep everything lined up.

Things I liked:

I like that there is a momma seal and a baby seal
I like that the flippers and tail are posable

Things I didn’t like:

I wish the baby seal was a bit bigger so that the eyes and nose didn’t seem as huge

Review of nanoblock Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle IST_003

August 6, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build and package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build. Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle is part of the nanoblock Insect collection. Wondering what else is part of the Insect collection? Click here for a list.

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build front view

Number: IST_003

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 2

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build side view

The build begins with a base layer of bricks. I laid the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. It made layering the bricks for the second layer of bricks much easier.

The rest of the body goes up in simple layers that are straightforward.

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build back view

The next step is to add the horn of the beetle. I like the amount of detail in the horn.

The final step is to add the legs. Each leg is a chain of 4 black bricks added to a clear brick. The chains are fairly easy to build, but posing the legs is difficult.

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I like how the horn of the beetle looks

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t like how hard it was to pose the legs

Review of nanoblock Teddy Bear NBC_047

August 1, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Teddy Bear build. Teddy Bear is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_047

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2

I think the bear looks super weird and more like a zombie bear because its build is so small. It also looks super blocky and less like a teddy bear. However, I do like how the gift box looks.

I bought this used kit, knowing I would at least get the instructions. Sadly, the kit was missing some of the bricks, so I needed to order bricks via the Dia Block Rakuten site. Since I wanted to make sure the browns would all match, I bought bags of all the different bricks I would need.

The bear begins with the body. It starts small and gets bigger as the layers go up. Each layer nicely locks in the bricks, so you don’t need to worry about there being towers of bricks that can fall out.

The next step is to build the head. Several layers include putting bricks into the bottom of the overhangs. It is a bit tricky to keep everything squared up. I’m not sure that pink is the best color for the eyes. Maybe black or blue would look better.

In addition to the bear, there is also a gift. The gift is fairly straightforward, but it isn’t all held together until the third layer. I do like how the bow is created at the top of the gift.

Things I liked:

I like that nanoblock tried to make a teddy bear even if I don’t love how the final bear looks

Things I didn’t like:

I feel that the bear looks really blocky and more like a zombie bear

Review of nanoblock Asian Giant Hornet IST_005

July 30, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Asian Giant Hornet build. Asian Giant Hornet is part of the nanoblock Insect collection. Wondering what else is part of the Insect collection? Click here for a list.

Number: IST_005

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 4

This build has 3 major sections. There is the body, stinger, and head.

I had a hard time following the directions for the body. Part of the reason reading the directions was so difficult was because the instructions are so cramped together. They are also are not lined up in a super logical order. I was able to build the body in the end but it took longer than I expected.

The stinger is a very straightforward tower of bricks, creating stripes of yellow and black. The stinger is attached to the back of the body section.

The head is also very straightforward. After building the head, I attached the head to the body to complete the build.

Things I liked:

I feel that the build is highly recognizable as a hornet

Things I didn’t like:

The instructions were hard to read for the body section

Review of nanoblock Duck NBC_021

July 25, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Duck build. Duck is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_021

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 1

I bought this kit used, knowing I would at least get the instructions. I also ended up getting all the bricks to complete the kit. Sadly, however, the white has become yellow with age. The discolored bricks may be visible in my photographs.

This build has 2 sections. There is an adult duck and a baby duck.

The baby duck is very straightforward. There are a couple points where the direction of the brick matters or where the brick isn’t centered.

The adult duck is all white. It began as a layer of white bricks that I laid out on my nanoblock pad. The body of the duck went up in layers, creating the body of the duck.

The trickiest part of the duck is creating the head. I think the directions aren’t very clear in part because the instructions are cramped. The beak is the most confusing because of how the bricks line up.

Things I liked:

I really like that there is a mom and baby duck in the finished build and that both ducks fit on the plate

Review of nanoblock Universal Globe

July 23, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Universal Globe build. Universal Globe is one of the Universal Studios Japan (USJ) nanoblock kits. Wondering what else is part of the USJ builds collection? Click Here for a list.

This build has 3 distinct parts. There is the upper hemisphere, the lower hemisphere, and the Universal sign.

The upper hemisphere is a fairly normal nanoblock build. I could lay the first layer out on my nanoblock pad; it took up a lot of the pad. It built up in layers, continuously getting smaller until the hemisphere closes up. I needed to be careful to ensure that I used the right color and size for each brick I placed.

The lower hemisphere was by far the hardest part of the build. Like the top section, I needed to be careful to ensure I used the right brick. However, the lower hemisphere is built upsidedown. Building upsidedown is challenging because it is tricky to ensure things are lined up and square. It was also hard to tell where there were gaps because so many sections of bricks were built in a previous step.

The last section of the build is the Universal sign that surrounds the globe. There is a fairly straightforward diagram for how to make the sign. It is a bit hard to tell which bricks are clear and which are white. When it came time to attach the sign, the directions made no sense. I attached it close to what the directions say, but not exactly right.

Things I liked:

The final sphere actually looks round, like a sphere

Things I didn’t like:

The directions to attach the Universal to the globe made no sense

Review of nanoblock French Bulldog NBC_050

July 18, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock French Bulldog build. French Bulldog is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_050

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 2

The build begins by creating the dog’s body. It goes up in simple layers. I used my nanoblock pad to build the body.

The body flows into the main section head. There are great head details like rounded bricks to create the nose.

The next step is to add the 4 legs and the 2 ears. At this point, I attached the dog to the base.

The last section is the little food bowl. Loose bricks represent kibble in the bowl. I don’t like loose bricks in the build, so I placed the bricks in the bowl.

Things I liked:

I feel that the shape of the dog’s head makes the build highly recognizable.

Things I didn’t like:

The food is supposed to be loose in the bowl. I don’t like loose bricks in final builds.

Review of nanoblock Jurassic Park – Velociraptor

July 16, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

Jurassic Park - Velociraptor build and package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Jurassic Park – Velociraptor build. Jurassic Park – Velociraptor is part of the nanoblock Universal Studio Japan collection. Wondering what else is part of the Universal Studios Japan collection? Click here for a list.

Jurassic Park - Velociraptor build front view

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 2

Jurassic Park - Velociraptor build front 3/4 view

The build begins by building the body of the Velociraptor. I laid the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The body goes up fairly straightforward layers creating a curve to the body.

The next step is to build is the build. The head is built separately and attached to the body.

The build is now flipped over, and details are added to the bottom of the build. First, some details are added to the bottom, and the arms are added.

Jurassic Park - Velociraptor build side view

The legs and tail are added. The legs aren’t symmetrical, which was a bit surprising and unexpected.

The velociraptor is then attached to the base. It was a bit tricky to get the dinosaur to stand on the base. I ended up popping off the bottom of the legs and placing the feet on the base. Then I added the grass around the dinosaur.

Jurassic Park - Velociraptor build back view

Things I liked:

I like the sign that comes with the kit. It was just 1 large brick, so the sticker lay smoothly

Things I didn’t like:

I feel that the grass isn’t really needed for the finished build

Review of nanoblock Rabbit NBC_030

July 11, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Rabbit build. Rabbit is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_030

Number of Pieces: 90

Difficulty Rating: 2

This kit was re-released as part of the Zodiac Set. It is the kit with the lowest number in the Zodiac, so the cycle started with the rabbit.

The rabbit began with a layer of white bricks that I laid out on my nanoblock pad. The body of the rabbit goes up in fairly straightforward layers.

The front legs are then attached to the front of the build. Since I wanted to put the rabbit on the base I needed to put the feet together so that the paws were properly spaced for the base. After attaching the front legs, I put the body of the rabbit on the base.

The next section to build is the head. The head is straightforward, with very clear directions. The head is then attached to the body.

The final step is to add the ears of the rabbit.

There are materials to build 2 carrots. I reversed the carrots so that they could stand on the base because I didn’t want loose carrots on the base of the build.

Things I liked:

I like the shape and how recognizable the build is

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like that there are supposed to be loose carrots in the build. I was able to find a workaround for this build

Review nanoblock Zodiac Set NB-055

July 9, 2024August 15, 2024shygal

In 2022, nanoblock completed a set of Chinese Zodiac animals, which was the year of the tiger. The collection began with the year of the Rabbit. Each year, they release an animal that matches the Chinese Zodiac animal for the current year. I was super excited they put this collection together because several builds weren’t common.

I’ve written a review for each of the separate NBC builds instead of a review for the set as a whole. There is a link below for each review.

Number: NB-055

Number of Pieces: 2020

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Based on the back of the box, the following sets are included in the set:

NBC_301 – Rat and Lucky Mallet
NBC_330 – Ox
NBC_361 – Tiger
NBC_030 – Rabbit
NBC_044 – Dragon
NBC_066 – White Snake
NBC_101 – White Horse
NBC_128 – Mother Sheep and Baby Lamb
NBC_162 – Mother and Baby Monkey
NBC_207 – Rooster
NBC_237 – Dog
NBC_285 – Boars (Pigs)

Things I liked:

I’m super happy they released this collection. I had tried to collect the zodiac but had a hard time finding some of the pieces. It was nice that a complete set was released.