Shy Gal’s Building Blog

Review of nanoblock The Grand Hotel Taipei NBH_096

November 27, 2025November 29, 2024shygal

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This post is a review of the nanoblock The Grand Hotel Taipei build. The Grand Hotel Taipei is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_096

Country: Taiwan

Number of Pieces: 1030

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

This kit came with a Grand Hotel sticker with a number, so I’m assuming this kit was a limited run and was only available in Taiwan.

This kit comes with 2 20×20 base plates that are each built separately, and then the plates are connected.

The first plate contains the hotel building.

I began by laying out the base layer of bricks to create the foundation of the building. I needed to keep track of the number of spaces in gaps carefully.

The building goes up in a pattern. There are 2 layers of bricks with columns, then a roof layer. This repeats 5 times.

Then, I began to build the roof. There are a couple more layers to create a top of the main structure.

Then I built the roof. The roof was a bit tricky because I had a hard time knowing what a previous layer was and what an older layer was, so I wasn’t sure where to start a given layer.

The second plate is the front plaza and a gate.

I began by laying out the base layer of bricks which includes grass and columns.

Then, I built the gate. It was fairly straightforward, with clear instructions. I just needed to be careful to keep the bottom of the square bricks properly aligned.

Then, I added the trees in the courtyard.

The final step was to connect the bases. It was just a pair of 1×2 bricks, so the bases were heavy, so it was hard to move the finished build around without the bases coming apart.

Things I liked:

I really like the size of the build and that it can be used on the LED plates

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t find the instructions for the roof to be very clear and could have been much clearer

Review of nanoblock Hangyodon Samurai NBCC_220

November 25, 2025June 19, 2025shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Hangyodon Samurai build. Hangyodon Samurai is part of the nanoblock Character collection. Wondering what else is part of the Character collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBCC_220

Number of Pieces: 190

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This build begins by creating 2 two-layer segments and connecting them together, creating the base of the body.

The build goes up in layers of blue and black to create the body.

Then I built the bottom of the front of Hangyodon’s head as a separate piece. This included his large lips.

Then I connected the head to the body.

Then I built the head in layers. In the front, most of the work was in building the 3d eyes. While the back of the build is simply the black helmet.

After completing the face, I worked to complete the rest of the helmet, including the sections hanging over Hangyodon’s face. I also added the decoration in clear yellow bricks.

The final step was to flip the build over and attach the feet.

Things I liked:

I like how 3d his eyes are and how it makes the build seem much deeper

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like how hard it is to see the royal blue in the body

Review of nanoblock Sagrada Familia Transparent ver NBH_005R

November 20, 2025November 29, 2024shygal

Sagrada Familia Transparent ver build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Sagrada Familia Transparent ver build. Sagrada Familia Transparent ver is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_005R

Country: Spain

Number of Pieces: 510

Difficulty Rating: 4/5

Sagrada Familia Transparent ver build front view

This kit was one of the transparent versions that were released for nanoblock’s 10th anniversary. This kit is special because most of the bricks in the kit are transparent and come in unique colors.

Sagrada Familia Transparent ver build side view

This kit begins by laying a layer of brown bricks out on a clear yellow base.

I was surprised that most of the building was built in the center of the brown base. It builds in fairly straightforward layers. It was a bit tricky to tell which bricks to use in some steps.

Next, there is a step that adds some stair-looking things to the back. In the next steps, the steps are locked into place. When I built the back of the building, the bricks bent, so I needed to do more work to keep them in place.

Sagrada Familia Transparent ver build back view

The next step is to build the center section of the tower. I had some problems lining up the center section when I added it to my base section.

Next, some small details are added to the front section of the building.

The final step is to add the 4 spires. Building the spires was fairly straightforward. I had run out of square 1x1s, so I used round ones instead. I bought this kit used so I’m not sure if the bricks were lost or if I used square bricks where there should have been round ones.

Sagrada Familia Transparent ver build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I really like the clear bricks that were created for this kit. It makes the kit for special

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t like that I was missing bricks, but I knew that was a risk getting a used kit

Review of nanoblock Pochacco Happi Coat NBCC_219

November 18, 2025June 19, 2025shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Pochacco Happi Coat build. Pochacco Happi Coat is part of the nanoblock Character collection. Wondering what else is part of the Character collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBCC_219

Number of Pieces: 160

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This build is made of 2 sections: the head and the body.

The head begins with 2 steps, building the base, and 2 layers of the head.

After building the base, the head goes up in straightforward layers. In the layers, I added the hat and Pochacco’s hair.

Then I flipped the head over to add details to the bottom.

The final step is to add the ears.

The body was much trickier to build than I was expecting.

First, I built the left and right arms and a section to go in the back. This created a little you shape once all 3 parts were connected.

Next, I built the front section. This was a bit tricky because of how the bricks hung off.

Then I connected the front to the U-shaped piece and finished the main body section.

Next, I added the legs and a tail.

The final step was to connect the head to the body. I connected the head in the correct space, but Pochacco didn’t stand on his own. I added a baseplate to the build so that he could stand.

Pochacco Happi Coat build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I really like the amount of depth in the main body

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like that he doesn’t stand

Review of nanoblock Burj Khalifa NBH_122

November 13, 2025November 29, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Burj Khalifa build. Burj Khalifa is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_122

Country: UAE (United Arab Emirates)

Number of Pieces: 550

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

The build begins by preparing the base layer. This consists of laying out bricks on the 20×20 clear base.

Then, I began to build the actual tower. Each step has the instructions to add 3 layers to the tower. Overall, the steps were very straightforward. however, I had two difficulties.

First, since the entire tower is built of rounded bricks sometimes the layer wasn’t completely square. I caught this as it happened and was able to squeeze the layer back to square.

The second problem was that in some steps, there was a step in so the lower layer was the top. Generally, it was fairly clear, but I sometimes had a hard time keeping each layer lined up.

After building the main body of the tower there are some bricks to add the final height to the tower.

Things I liked:

I like the use of the dark grey every few layers to add some variation to the building

Things I didn’t like:

I’m not sure if the green on the base is accurate

Review of nanoblock Kuromi Ninja NBCC_218

November 11, 2025June 19, 2025shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Kuromi Ninja build. Kuromi Ninja is part of the nanoblock Character collection. Wondering what else is part of the Character collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBCC_218

Number of Pieces: 160

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This build is made of 2 sections: the head and the body.

The head begins with building 3 small sections that are all connected together to create the base of the head.

The rest of the main section of the head goes together very straightforwardly. It goes up in layers. I had the problem where the front of the head kept wanting to pop off while I was building.

After building the main section of the head, I flipped the build over and added bricks to create the bottom of the head.

Next, I added the printed piece of the skull. I’m so happy they used printed pieces instead of stickers.

The final step of the head is to build her ears. These were identical and very straightforward.

The body, like the head, is made up of 3 sections that are all put together to create the base.

The body goes up in layers. I found the body to be super flimsy and hard to hold and add additional bricks to.

After building the main section of the body, I flipped over the build and added the legs.

The last section of the body is to add Kuromi’s tail.

Finally, connect the head to the body. I needed to be careful to make sure that things lined up properly so the build wasn’t tippy.

Things I liked:

I really like how the kit came with a printed brick instead of stickers

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t like how flimsy the build was while I was building it

Review of nanoblock Tokyo Tower NBH_090

November 6, 2025November 29, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Tokyo Tower build. Tokyo Tower is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_090

Country: Japan

Number of Pieces: 280

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

This is at least the second version of Tokyo Tower. The original is NBH_001. This kit has a gap in the bottom base so it can be used with one of the LED plates.

This kit begins by preparing the base plate. It consists of laying out green on a clear 20×20 baseplate. There is a gap in the green so that the light from the LED baseplate could come through.

The next few steps create the bottom of the tower and the building directly under the tower.

This build is unusual because each section of the building is built off the base and connected.

The first section is to build the base of the tower, which goes from 4 separate legs to 1 tower. I really liked how the arches were built.

The next section is building the rest of the tower. Each step is very straightforward. I like the amount of detail in each layer.

Note: I didn’t include the trees around the base. I don’t like how the trees look, so I left them off.

Things I liked:

I really like how the points where the legs become one tower

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t like the trees, so I left them off

Review of nanoblock My Melody Ninja NBCC_217

November 4, 2025June 19, 2025shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock My Melody Ninja build. My Melody Ninja is part of the nanoblock Character collection. Wondering what else is part of the Character collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBCC_217

Number of Pieces: 160

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This build has 2 sections. There is the head and the body.

The head begins by taking 2 steps to complete the base 2 layers that all the rest of the head will be built on.

After building the base layers, the head goes up in a straightforward manner. At one point, I paused building the head to add the blue bow. The bow is held in place by one stud, so I had to be careful once it was added.

Once I started the ears, I needed to double-check that I hadn’t skipped a step or added extra bricks because there are several identical steps to create the height of the ears.

Once I had built the base of the head, I flipped it over and added a base layer that rounded out the head a bit.

Then it was time to move on to the body. I had quite a bit of difficulty getting all the bricks lined up for the first step of the build, but eventually got things lined up properly.

Then the body went up in layers.

After building to the top of the body, I flipped the build over and added legs and a tail.

The final step was to attach the head to the body.

Things I liked:

I like the contrast of the blue bow against all the pink

Things I didn’t like:

I found the first step for the body to be confusing

Review of nanoblock Himeji Castle NBH_099

October 30, 2025November 28, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Himeji Castle build. Himeji Castle is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_099

Country: Japan

Number of Pieces: 330

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

This build begins by laying the outline of the castle and wall on the baseplate.

The next steps are adding a couple layers of bricks to create the castle and the wall.

The next steps are to add the large walls on the side of the building. These use dark grey to create the roof details on the walls. Each step also adds a layer to the castle building.

Then, a couple more layers are added to the castle before starting on the roof.

The next several steps are to create the light grey roof.

The last step was to add the trees to the baseplate. I didn’t add them when the instructions said to because I knew I would keep knocking them off when I was building the rest of the building.

This kit also came with nanoids, but I didn’t include them because I knew they didn’t match the scale.

Things I liked:

I like the various shades of grey that are used to add details to the build

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t love how the tower at the wall corner doesn’t line up with either of the walls

Review of nanoblock Mega Lucario RS NBPM_R11

October 28, 2025October 14, 2025shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Mega Lucario RS build. Mega Lucario RS is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBPM_R11

Number of Pieces: 580

Difficulty Rating: 4/5

The build begins with building the body and the head as 1 tower. I laid the foundation on my nanoblock pad and built up from there. As I built the tower, I added ball joints that would be used to attach the rest of the body part to the tower. It began with blue, then moved into the yellow that makes up Mega Lucario’s shirt. Then I built the head, including eyes and a nose. The back of the head was very flat, which I didn’t really like.

Next, I built and attached the ears.

Then I built the base. I was pleasantly surprised that, because of how the base is built, the finished body stayed upright. This continued through the rest of the. build while I added more sections.

Next, I built the feet and legs. The feet were identical to each other. The legs were mirrors of each other. When I attached the first leg, I needed to do a double check because not all the ball joints were lined up properly.

Next, I built and attached 2 identical arms.

Next, I built his, for lack of a better word, tail. This was straightforward but did take some careful attention to make sure the side studs went in the correct direction.

The final step was to attach the details coming off his head.

Things I liked:

I like that, due to how the stand is built, that the final build is staying upright

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like how flat the back of his head is