Review of nanoblock Squirtle NBPM_004

Squirtle build with packaging

This post is a review of the nanoblock Squirtle build. Squirtle is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_004

Number of Pieces: 120

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Squirtle side view

Squirtle is the water type starter from generation 1. It eventually evolves into Blastoise. In the anime, there is a gang of Squirtles that is terrorizing the town and wearing sunglasses. The gang is are known as the Squirtle squad and they end up being firefighters that help the town.

The build is very straightforward, like with most early Pokemon builds. It starts with a base and builds up to create the Squirtle. The directions are very straightforward building around the edge. Unlike some builds that get split into parts this build is just one solid build which makes the build very simple.

I find the build to be very recognizable. I’ve looked into trying to build sunglasses for the turtle but because his eyes are so big I haven’t been able to come up with a plan.

Squirtle back 3/4 shot

Things I liked:

  • Cute and straightforward
  • I think it could be easy to make a shiny becuse of how the shell it built

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Gengar NBPM_007

Gengar build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Gengar build. Gengar is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_007

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Gengar front view

Gengar is one of the most popular Pokemon from generation 1. There are fan rumors that there may be relations between this Pokemon and Clefable. I don’t believe the rumors because Gengar is evolved from other ghost-type Pokemon

Overall the Gengar build is much more solid than many Pokemon builds. The first 3 levels of the sphere are almost completely filled instead of just tracing the outside. The rest of the build is tracing the outside sphere until it is closed. I really like the detail in the back creating spikes without making the build more complicated. When I was adding the ears, I kept pushing them off the edge and needed to keep getting things relined up.

Gengar 3/4 back view

Things I liked:

  • A easy build which are nice from time to time

Things I didn’t like:

  • This may be picky but I feel like the color of all of Gengar is off I wish it was maybe the color of Snorlax

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Sobble NBPM_061

Sobble build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Sobble build. Sobble is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_061

Number of Pieces: 210

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Sobble front view

Sobble is the water type starter from generation 8. Generally, this Pokemon looks sad in merchandise, so I was glad that the nanoblock version has a natural face.

Sobble is made up of 4 main pieces, the body, the tail, the head, and the fin on the top of his head. All of the individual pieces are relatively straightforward. The body and tail are rectangles that are built up. The head is a standard sphere shape. Things get a bit for detailed when you get to the fin. For the fin, as you can see in the photo before the fin has a lot of chaining with bricks that are single brick in depth.

Sobble 3/4 back view

Things I liked:

  • That it doesn’t look like Sobble is going to cry

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Bulbasaur NBPM_003

Bulbasaur build and packaging

This post is a review of the nanoblock Bulbasaur build. Bulbasaur is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Names:

  • English: Bulbasaur
  • Japanese: Fushigidane

Number: NBPM_003

Number of Pieces: 120

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Bulbasaur 3/4 from front

Bulbasaur is a pokemon I feel that people are super polarized about. I know it is probably the least popular of the generation 1 starters, but I have always thought it was cute.

This was one of my early builds, so I was still learning how to follow the directions. I really learned how to use the arrows from the first step to make sure things are lined up, which was less critical with the rounder pokemon.

Overall, I felt Bulbasaur was a bit of a letdown compared to the other pokemon I had done. It doesn’t really have the detail, and I think the colors don’t flow together like they do on the actual pokemon.

Bulbasaur side view

Things I liked:

  • I liked how they gave the spot detail by having the dark green on the body

Things I didn’t like:

  • I feel like the greens from the main body and the bulb clash

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Pikachu NBPM_001

Pikachu build in packaging

This post is a review of the nanoblock Pikachu build. Pikachu is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_001

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Pikachu head on

Who else could be the first nanoblock Pokemon other than the famous Pikachu? Everybody knows him on sight and is generally part of any pilot for any kind of merchandise. I picked up my kit at a local toy shop and was super excited to build him. I could tell from the picture that it was closer to the classic fat Pikachu from the original Pokemon compared to the current more trimmed form.

Overall the build was pretty straightforward because there were apparent color cuts between the yellow body, the brown of his stripes, and the bright red for his cheeks. The two most challenging things were his ears and tail, but even those weren’t too bad. These had breakout very detailed directions.

Pikachu seems to defy physics a little, as he constantly slopes forward between the bottom layer to the top of his head.

Pikachu 3/4 from behind

Things I liked:

  • It’s like a fat pikachu

Things I didn’t like:

  • I think his nose looks a little odd but I’m not sure what color would have been better knowing what colors exist.

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Lapras NBPM_009

Lapras and packaging

This post is a review of the nanoblock Lapras build. Lapras is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Names:

  • English: Lapras
  • Japanese: Laplace

Number: NBPM_009

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Lapras 3/4 front view

Lapras is a water-type Pokemon generation 1. People are known to ride Lapras in the Anime and you can ride it in the game if the Pokemon knows surf.

This was the first set I got that you build in 2 distinct pieces, the head and the body. The head is a fairly straightforward build, basically building up a rectangle. The body is larger where even the bottom has a gap in it. I had a more challenging time getting the shell built because of the white lines between bricks in the directions.

Overall I enjoyed the build and the end result. Having the 2 different builds allowed a completely different shape for the head from the body.

Lapras side view

Things I liked:

  • Two smaller builds that combine to one build

Things I didn’t like:

  • In the video games the shell is grey not dark

There is a second version of this build that was released as NBPM_056 known as Crystal Lapras.

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Snorlax NBPM_012

Snorlax build with packaging

This post is a review of the nanoblock Snorlax build. Snorlax is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_012

Number of Pieces: 220

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Snorlax front shot

Snorlax is a favorite when it comes to the Pokemon world. I’m not sure why, to be honest. I just remember getting frustrated that he was blocking my path back in Pokemon Red. I’ve never really used Snorlax in any of the games, but I was excited to build him with his reasonably unique coloring for his main body.

Overall I liked the Snorlax build. It was basically a collection of rings built up to create the rotund pokemon; as with most instructions with very dark blocks, I had some difficulty reading them. For some reason, I have a harder time counting or telling the shapes when the lines between the blocks are white instead of the usual black.

I think Snorlax keeps to the essential thing that is Snorlax the roundness. I find him very recognizable. I wish they had left out the details of his fangs because they are a bit random on his flat face. I also appreciate the clear block added to his bottom that keeps him stable and able to stand up on his own without too much work to balance him.

Snorlax 3/4 from behind

Things I liked:

  • The unique color that makes up the main portion of his body

Things I didn’t like:

  • The true white bricks seem a little awakard on his face.

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Charizard NBPM_008

Charizard build with package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Charizard build. Charizard is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_008

Number of Pieces: 200

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Charizard 3/4 photo

Charizard is the most popular final evolution of the generation 1 starter Charmander. Even when the other gen. 1 Pokemon haven’t been available in the game, this Pokemon is still there. When mega evolution was introduced in generation 6, Charizard was one of 2 pokemon to get a Pokemon X and a Pokemon Y form.

Charizard is broken down into 5 builds, the body, 2 wings, the head, and tail flame. The body is straightforward and made up of orange and tan bricks. Then there are 2 wings; they are the same but mirrored. I had the most challenging time getting the wings right for some reason. I think my husband ended up fixing the wings. The head was another straightforward, and there are excellent directions for where to attach the head. I love the way that nanoblock uses transparent blocks for the flame tails on the Charmander family.

I would describe the Charizard build as frustrating. I found the wings impossible to put together and he ended up needing a base because it was tippy.

Charizard build tail detail

Things I liked:

  • The transparent bricks that make up the flame on the tail

Things I didn’t like:

  • Tippy and needed to have a base for it

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Charmander NBPM_002

Charmander build with package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Charmander build. Charmander is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_002

Number of Pieces: 120

Difficulty Rating: 2/3

Charmander 3/4 head-on shot

Charmander is by far the most popular of the generation 1 pokemon. I believe that this is because he evolves into the super-powerful Charizard. I personally think he is cute.

Overall, this build has a fairly usual build for the pokemon sets where you start with a base and build your way up through the rest of the build. He is a bit unusual because of the jut out for his tail. The most unique thing about Charmander is that they use transparent blocks for the flame on this tail.

Things I liked:

  • The transparent blocks in the tail

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Groudon NBPM_062

Groudon build with package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Groudon build. Groudon is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_062

Number of Pieces: 290

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Groudon build 3/4 front

Groudon is one of the 3 legendary Pokemon from generation 3. The 3 legendary pokemon from generation 3 are extremely popular and have appeared in most games since gen 3. The three legendary Pokemon, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza all remind me a little bit of the traditional art of the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest with how their lines are drawn and the use of rings.

Groudon is the type of build that I like. It has a reasonable number of steps for the size of what you get and a lot of details. There are several cutouts to show you how to get the detail. Overall the steps are clear and straightforward, which is excellent for the amount of detail. Groudon sits on wide feet, so he is very stable when sitting on a table.

Groudon build side shot

Things I liked:

  • The amount of detail over all

Link to order: Amazon