Shy Gal's Building Blog

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

Number: NBC_136

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

The build is mostly one large section building the main body of the Orca. It goes up in layers and can be built on the nanoblock pad. The layers create a hollow tube that is closed on the ends. The layers are pretty straightforward, but it is difficult to tell the eyes are rounded bricks, and I spent a lot of time looking for a square piece.

After building the body, the next step is to build the fins and tail. These are all attached using ball joints.

Things I liked:

• I like how posable the fins and tail are.
• I like how there is a clear base, so it looks like the orca is floating

Things I didn’t like:

• It was really hard to tell that the eyes were rounded bricks

Link to order:

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

Number: NBC_214

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

I purchased this kit open from Japan. It is not a very common kit, so I was excited to simply get a kit with the instructions. The finished photographed build may have some discoloration because it was built before I didn’t have control of the environment.

This beluga build is very unique amongst the large sea animals. Most of the sea animals are down on their stomachs. This build has the beluga up on its tail.

Since the beluga is standing on its tail, the build is basically a tower of bricks. The tower is much more narrow at the bottom than at the top. Building the tower consists of adding layers from a single 2×3 brick.

Building up from the 2×3 brick is very straightforward. The instructions are very clear, and it is easy to tell which bricks to add. There were also minimal places where bricks needed to be lined up or centered.

The only break in building the tower is to add the flippers to the side of the build via ball joints.

Once the main body of the beluga is built, the final step is to add the base and tail. Building the section is pretty straightforward. However, it is hard to tell where the tail section should connect to the main body. Based on the photos, I lined the tail with the back of the whale so has a smooth connection. However, it is possible that there is supposed to be a step between the back of the whale and the tail.

Things I liked:

• I really like the unique pose of the whale

Things I didn’t like:

• It isn’t clear how to connect the tail and body sections

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

Number: NBC_007

Country: 80

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This build is unusual for an NBC kit because it starts with building 2 sections that are both attached to a clear base. The white section is clear and goes up in layers in a fairly straightforward manner. The green section, however, is different. It needs to be built from the top down, which is tricky to hold while building. Once the white and green sections are built, they are added to a pair of clear blocks to create a base.

Once the sections are added to the base, the rest of the frog goes up in straightforward layers. Eyes are added as details.

The last step is to add the feet. I wanted to use the base, so I couldn’t put the feet on at angles, as shown in the final build.

Things I liked:

• I really like the frog, and I feel like it really looks like a tree frog

Things I didn’t like:

• I hate when the photos of the final build show the finished build in a position that can’t be done. In this case, it’s angled feet on the square base

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

Number: NBC_003

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 2

I bought this kit used, knowing I would at least get the instructions. I 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 kit is unusual for an NBC kit compared to the other kits I have purchased. The instructions are completely in Japanese. For most other kits I have bought, the colors are at least in English. I think that this could be one of the original kits from one of the early production runs.

The build begins by laying out the stomach. I did this by laying the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The dolphin goes up in layers and is very straightforward.

The final step is to add the stand, flippers, and tail. The stand is clear and straightforward. The tail adds layers to the bottom of the build, so the stand is needed. There are flippers that are connected by a stud. I think that it is used by a stud because of how old the kit is.

Things I liked:

• I like that there is a stand and a base so the bottom of the dolphin so that the stand can’t shift

Things I didn’t like:

• I don’t love how the flippers look. I think I prefer when the flippers are held on using a ball joint

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

Number: NBC_060

Number of Pieces: 120

Difficulty Rating: 2

I began by building the body on my nanoblock pad. It was built up by adding several layers that created the curved shape.

Next was building the head, which was very straightforward. I really like the red detail, which looks like bows behind the ears.

Next, I added the 4 legs and paws. It was a bit tricky to tell where exactly the legs connected to the body.

The final step was to build and add the final details. First, there was the tail. Then there is the bowl holding a bone.

The poodle can be attached to the included 10×10 green base. It was a bit tricky to attach the dog to the base.

Things I liked:

• I feel like the dog is properly shaped to be a poodle. It even has poofy ears and a poofy tail.

Things I didn’t like:

• Attaching the dog to the display base was tricky

Link to order:

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

Number: NBC_022

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 3

There are two Meerkats in this build. Both are standing on their hind legs with their paws pointing down. They are different heights, but the overall steps are identical.

The first step is to build the bodies. The body is fairly straightforward.

The next step is to build the legs and tail. These are attached to the body. The legs are a bit loose and difficult to keep straight, but I was able to keep them straight long enough to keep the Meerkat on the base.

The last step is to build and add the tail.

Things I liked:

• I like that there are multiple heights Merrkat as a part of the build

Things I didn’t like:

• There are a lot of points that are fragile, which means keeping the build together is difficult

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

Number: NBC_005

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 2

I bought this kit used, knowing I would at least get the instructions. I ended additionally 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.

The build begins with the body of the dog. I was able to lay the body out on my nanoblock pad.

Next, the head is built. The head is fairly straightforward. Once completed, the head is a little square, in my opinion, which doesn’t look like the actual dog breed.

The last step for the dog is to build and attach the legs. The Hokkaido Dog kit comes with a display base.

In addition to the dog, there are also bricks to create a dog bowl with kibble. The bowl is very simple to build. The kibble in the bowl is just loose bricks tossed into the bowl. I don’t like it when there are loose bricks in a completed build because I worry that the bricks will get lost.

Things I liked:

• I like the shape of the tail and the detail of the collar

Things I didn’t like:

• The food in the bowl is just loose bricks that can easily fall out. I don’t like it when there are loose bricks