This post is a review of the nanoblock Chikorita build. Chikorita is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Names:
English: Chikorita
Japanese: Chicorita
Number: NBPM_030
Number of Pieces: 90
Difficulty Rating: 1/5
Chikorita is one of the starter Pokemon for generation 2, and like most grass-type starters, it’s green. Chikorita has 2 notable features that I hoped would be incorporated into the build. First, there is a large leaf hanging off Chikorita’s head. It also has a collar of spikes going around its neck.
Overall the build was fairly simple, which is what I would expect from a level 1 build. I was happy to see that both the collar and the leaf were completely intact. The collar is created by studs sticking out of the main body. Once the main body is built, you build a leaf and attach it to the head.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Pichu build. Pichu is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Number: NBPM_028
Number of Pieces: 90
Difficulty Rating: 1/5
Pichu was the first Pokemon build that had a difficulty level of 1 I built. It is a simple build made up of 2 parts, the head, and body.
The body is a simple few layers of mostly yellow with a little bit of black to make the stripes.
The head is generally a cube that creates a face with black-tipped ears. Overall it was a simple build that took very little time to build.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Greninja build. Greninja is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Names:
English: Greninja
Japanese: Gekkouga
Number: NBPM_070
Number of Pieces: 180
Difficulty Rating: 3/5
Greninja is the 3rd evolution of the generation 6 starter Froakie. There is a unique form known as Ash-Greninja, with the center fin on its head being red instead of blue. While there is not a model for Ash-Greninja, I think if you have a few red bricks, you can customize the build to create that form.
The build is different from many other Pokemon because it is not based on a sphere on a rectangle Greninja is posed like a ninja. All of the instructions are different and detailed because nothing is mirrored. However, building him was tippy, and he couldn’t stand up reliably until the final hand was attached. It was also hard to use my pad to build, which meant my bricks were shifting more than usual.
Overall I enjoyed the build and liked the final result. I’m not sure how much it looks like Greninja from the games or the anime, but it was a fun build.
Things I liked:
How he is posed means, there was no mirroring in the build
Things I didn’t like:
How it didn’t want to stand up until the final step was completed
This post is a review of the nanoblock Pokemon Quest Eevee build. Pokemon Quest Eevee is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Names:
English: Eevee
Japanese: Eievui
Number: NBPM_041
Number of Pieces: 120
Difficulty Rating: 2/5
Inside the primary collection of Pokemon, there have been a couple of subcollections, one being the collection for Pokemon Quest (numbers 36-42). Under the Pokemon Question collection, most Pokemon are simply squares stacked on each other to create a body and head. Each of these also depends on stickers to make a face. Read here for my opinion of nanoblock stickers. So while I own everything in the Pokemon Quest collection, I have only built and will likely only build Eevee. I made Eevee before I knew about the stickers.
The build was really straightforward at the beginning. Starting with a base and building up. This may have been the first time I had seen the ball joint, but it was definitely the first time I had needed to build around the ball. Building Eevee is just building layers to create the Pokemon until you get to the ears.
The ears are my favorite detail but building them took more time and attention since they are slanted. After making the ears, you need to add stickers. My stickers were off-center, so it was a pain to line up; sadly, one of my stickers even ripped even though we were being super careful and using tweezers. The rip isn’t noticeable when you look at the build now that the ears are attached.
You add on Eevee’s tiny feet after building and attaching the ears. The final building step is to connect the tail. Now you have completed the Eevee body! The last step is to add the sticker for its face. Again you need to be careful, so the sticker doesn’t rip and is placed right because you only get one shot.
I think this Eevee is just as cute if not cuter than the original one (NBPM_005). I really like the details of having a moveable tail. However, I had real problems getting the stickers to stick in the right place. Also, even though it has been sitting in a display cabinet for a couple years, the stickers no longer adhere entirely to the build.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Scorbunny build. This build is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Number: NBPM_060
Number of Pieces: 180
Difficulty Rating: 2/5
Scorbunny is the fire-type starter from generation 8. Scorbunny has orange ear tips in the games, which are very different from the maroon in the model.
As to the build, there are the body and head to build. In an unusual style for nanoblock, it is hard to tell the difference between what gets added in the current step and what was there in the step before. I think this is so much of Scorbunny is white. If you can keep the layers apart, it is pretty easy to build both the body and the head. I was worried that the model would have difficulty standing on his feet because his head was so large. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he could stand just fine. The colors don’t look right to me, and I find Scorbunny highly muted.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Grookey build. Grookey is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Number: NBPM_059
Number of Pieces: 190
Difficulty Rating: 2/5
Grookey is the grass starter from generation 8. It’s known for poking things which shouldn’t be much of a surprise because its final evolution is a drummer.
The build is broken up into 2 builds the body and the head. It is hard to tell the difference between the brown and golden brown in the directions. The body is a straightforward build that is built up by adding layers of bricks to create a hunched-over body. It can be a bit tippy when it’s done if you don’t attach the base feet quick enough. The head is an average sphere build where you start with a base and build around the outside and eventually close up the sphere. Then you add Grookey’s branch and top fur.
Overall I really like the build, and I feel that Grookey is highly recognizable. I think that the colors match the pokemon overall very well.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Pikachu Deluxe Edition build. This build is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Number: NBPM_036
Number of Pieces: 560
Difficulty Rating: 3/5
Deluxe Pikachu was the first deluxe Pokemon kit. I love my giant Pikachu, and he usually sits ready to stomp on one of my Lego cityscapes.
Deluxe Pikachu is similar to normal Pikachu (NBPM_001), but it uses much larger bricks. The largest brick is 2 X 8, which is larger than anything in most non-deluxe Pokemon sets. Overall, Deluxe Pikachu starts with a solid base and builds up in layers from the bottom up. Bricks of various colors create the stripes and the cheeks. I find that the most challenging part of Pikachu, and the thing I keep fixing, is his tail. The tail itself stays together without a problem. The problem is that the tail doesn’t want to remain attached to the 2×2 brick it is supposed to stay on.
Overall I really like Deluxe Pikachu. I think he looks super cute, especially for where nanoblocks were at the time. Based on the other Pokemon kits that came out at similar times to when Deluxe Pikachu was released, the slanted blocks didn’t really exist, so Pikachu had no choice but to be blocky. If the kit came out today, I could see Pikachu being more curved.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Venusaur build. Venusaur is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Number: NBPM_018
Number of Pieces: 160
Difficulty Rating: 2/5
Venusaur is the 3rd evolution of Bulbasaur. At first glance, the build is more involved than the Bulbasaur build because of the detail in the flower on Venusaur’s back.
Overall I feel like this should be a 3/5 build since it is more challenging than most of the other 2/5s I have done. Overall there were 2 parts of the build I found difficult. In both of these spots, you build smaller pieces and connect them using a couple of single studs. The first step was difficult because of the size of the base and getting everything lined up. This was before I bought my pad so getting things lined up was a little challenging.
I liked how Venusaur turned out overall. He is super recognizable, which is excellent, and I liked how it worked and looked once I got it built.
This post is a review of the nanoblock Monotone Squirtle build. Monotone Squirtle is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Names:
English: Monotone Squirtle
Japanese: Zenigame Monotone
Number: NBPM_017
Number of Pieces: 160
Difficulty Rating: 2/5
Monotone Squirtle is a version of the Pokemon that uses greyscale instead of various colors to create the build. Since the build is identical to that of the original, I’m going to direct you there for a review of the building process. I’m only going to review the final build of the Monotone Squirtle build here. For more information about the monotone collection check out this post.
Overall the build is primarily light grey. The stomach is white, while the shell is dark grey with a regular grey outline. Overall, the Pokemon is still super recognizable and looks like it could have come from the original Gameboy games. I really liked the monotone line and wish nanoblock would make more.
A surprise is that the 4 monotone starters (this build along with the builds for Pikachu, Charmander, and Bulbasaur) all come with a few extra bricks to make a Monotone Mew. This build comes with:
This post is a review of the nanoblock Monotone Bulbasaur build. Monotone Bulbasaur is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.
Names:
English: Monotone Bulbasaur
Japanese: Fushigidane Monotone
Number: NBPM_016
Number of Pieces: 140
Difficulty Rating: 2/5
Monotone Bulbasaur is a version of the Pokemon that uses greyscale instead of various colors to create the build. Since the build is identical to that of the original, I’m going to direct you there for a review of the building process. I’m only going to review the final build of the Monotone Bulbasaur build here. For more information about the monotone collection click here.
Overall the build is primarily the middle level of grey. The details for the spots are done in dark grey, and the blub is done in light grey. Overall, the Pokemon is still super recognizable and looks like it could have come from the original Gameboy games. I really liked the monotone line and wish nanoblock would make more.
A surprise is that the 4 monotone starters (this build along with builds for Pikachu, Charmander, and Squirtle) all come with a few extra bricks to make a Monotone Mew. This build comes with:
