Month: February 2023

Review of nanoblock Garchomp NBPM_075

February 28, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Garchomp
Japanese: Gaburias

Number: NBPM_075

Number of Pieces: 210

Difficulty Rating: 3/10

Garchomp is ground/dragon Pokemon that was released in generation 4. It is the final evolution of Gible and looks a bit like a hammerhead shark. It is also the last Pokemon that the generation 4 champion Cynthia.

When I started the nanoblock build, I made a couple of observations. First, it is hard to tell the difference between the black bricks and the navy that makes up most of the build. I was also worried that I would need a base plate because I was concerned the figure would be tippy.

You begin with a base of navy bricks. In the second step, you begin to build the front of Garchomp since he has a tail sticking off the back end of the base. As you build up the layers, you make the orange stomach and the navy back of Pokemon. In step 6, you build the arms, which hang off by a stud. The arms are fragile and may break off as you continue to build. It is relatively easy to reattach the arms if they do break off.

Once you attach the arms, you build and attach the back fins. You then add a few layers to lock the arms and fin in place. Then it’s time to move on to the head.

You begin the head with a base and build it up in layers. In the layers, you add eyes surrounded by black. After a few layers, you add the distinct head to create the hammerhead shape. Then you add a final layer and attach the head. Please note once you attach the head, the build is temporarily no longer able to stand on its own, so be careful when you put it down.

It’s then time to finish up the build by adding the final details. You first build 2 legs that mirror each other and attach them to the Garchomp. Your build will once again stand on its own. The final detail is to finally finish the tail to complete the build.

Overall, I felt this build should be a 4/5, not a 3/5, because it was difficult, and bits kept breaking off as I tried to build the layers. I was presently surprised that the feet are wide enough to keep the build upright. It is a very fragile build, so I don’t recommend putting it near the edge of a shelf where it could fall super easily.

Things I liked:

I really like the amount of detail in the nanoblock build

Things I didn’t like:

I feel like the arms are a bit weak and likely to break if you move the build a lot

Review of nanoblock Kanao Tsuyuri NBCC_116

February 23, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBCC_116

Number of Pieces: 180

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Kanao Tsuyuri is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in the Demon Slayer Anime. For more information about him, check out the fandom wiki page. For more information about the nanoblock builds, check out my collections page for links to other reviews.

This nanoblock build is split into 2 parts. There is the head and the body.

Kanao Tsuyuri’s head is very different from most of the rest of the Demon Slayer heads. Normally there is a large base layer in the other builds, but in this case, the head is built in columns that are connected together. There are several sections that are 1 brick deep with a brick sticking out to connect the sections together.

After connecting 3 sections, the base unit of the head is completed. The rest of the head is building up Kanao Tsuyuri’s hair. In addition to her hair, Kanao Tsuyuri’s butterfly hair decoration is added to the build. The final step of the head is to add the bottom section of her ponytail.

After finishing the head, it’s time to move on to the body.

I began the body by laying the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The first couple of layers are very straightforward. In the third step, her hand is added to the build. At this point, the build can no longer be built on the nanoblock pad because the hand has a stud sticking forward, so it doesn’t lie flat on the studs on the mat.

There are a couple more straightforward layers to finish building the top of the body.

After finishing building to the top, the build is flipped over, and her skirt is added to the build. Then the clear support bricks are added to the build. These bricks help the build to stay up even though the finished build has narrow feet. The final step of the body is adding her legs, a simple stack of 4 bricks.

Then it’s time to finish up the build. The next step is to attach the finished head to the body. The final step is to build and connect Kanao Tsuyuri’s sword.

When I completed my build, my finished build was very tippy. This is unusual for the Demon Slayer builds, which normally seem to be pretty solid when standing.

Things I liked:

I really like how they created the butterfly hair decoration that holds up her ponytail

Things I didn’t like:

My final build was tippy, which is unusual, and I didn’t really like it

Review of nanoblock Piplup NBPM_079

February 21, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Piplup
Japanese: Pochama

Number: NBPM_079

Number of Pieces: 170

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

The nanoblock build for Piplup has 2 parts. There is the head and the body.

The section you build is the body. It begins with a layer of bricks in various shades of blue. The body is then built up using layers of blue bricks. In building layers, you add the white for the spots on Piplup’s chest. You also add Piplup’s wings.

The second part of the build is the head. The head begins with a layer of blue and white bricks. The head is built by adding layers of bricks. As you add the layers of bricks, you add the details of the beak and eyes. In my opinion, they are super large for the build, so it looks a little funny. The beak looks closer to yellow than the gold bricks that come with a kit in the directions. When finishing the head, I had the unusual problem that the top layer caved in a bit, so adding the final layer of bricks was challenging.

To finish the build, there are a couple steps. First, you need to attach the head to the body. It is a bit challenging to tell where exactly where the head goes. Then you add a final bottom layer of bricks. The final step is to add the feet to the build.

Things I liked:

Piplup is one of my favorite pokemon, so I’m glad we got a build for him

Things I didn’t like:

His eyes are huge and look too big
I’m not sure if changing out the gold bricks with yellow bricks would look better

Review of nanoblock Gyomei Himejima NBCC_115

February 16, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBCC_115

Number of Pieces: 200

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Gyomei Himejima is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in the Demon Slayer Anime. For more information about him, check out the fandom wiki page. For more information about the nanoblock builds, check out my collections page for links to other reviews.

This nanoblock build is split into 2 parts. There is the head and the body.

The base layer is made up of skin tone. I laid the base layer out on my nanoblock pad. After the first couple of layers, I built the rest of the head in my hands.

The head goes up in straightforward layers. The hair on the back of his head uses dark grey bricks and is topped off with black hair on the top of the head.

In the step following putting in the white headband, several bricks have fewer studs on top than the size on the bottom. (For example, space for 2 studs on the bottom and 1 stud on top). Lining up these bricks was tricky but doable.

The head is finished off by adding the spikes to the center of the hair and Gyomei Himejima’s eyes.

After finishing the head, it’s time to move on to the body.

I began the body by laying the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The body goes up in straightforward layers to create the main core of the body.

The next step is to create the hands which are attached to the front of the build. The next layers add his beads and finish the base of the neck. Then the hands are added to the front of the build.

Next, I flipped over the build and added the bottom of the coat and hips. Then I added the clear bricks that help to hold up the build. Next, I added the very straightforward legs, which are just 4 brick stacks.

The final step is to connect the head to the body. It is a bit tricky to tell where exactly the head goes on the body but it is possible to figure out by looking and counting carefully.

Things I liked:

I really like that his hands are out in front of him. It’s unique for the demon slayer builds.

Things I didn’t like:

The white on the back of the build seems to be a bit random, but you can’t see it from the front of the box

Review of nanoblock Chimchar NBPM_078

February 14, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Chimchar
Japanese: Hikozaru

Number: NBPM_078

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

The Chimchar nanoblock build has 2 parts. There is a head and a body.

The build begins with the body. It begins with a layer of bricks, including clear bricks. The clear bricks will become Chimchar’s flame tail. This is a detail that mirrors the builds of the Charmander family.

The rest of the body is made of cream and brown bricks. The body and the tail are built together in layers of bricks. At some point, you attach the arms. This can be a tricky step because the bricks are chained together. Meaning it is easy for a brick lower in the chain to fall off even after the top is secured. You finish building the body by eventually adding the feet.

After building the body you move on to the head. The head begins with a layer of cream bricks. The head is built up in layers of mostly brown and cream. As you build the layers, you add the details of the eyes, nose, and ears.

The build is completed by combining the head and the body. I personally had some difficulty lining up the head so it was straight on the body.

Things I liked:

The clear blocks for the flame on the tail are similar to how they are used in the Charmander family.

Things I didn’t like:

It was a pain to get the head centered when I combined the head and the body

Review of nanoblock Sanemi Shinazugawa NBCC_114

February 9, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBCC_114

Number of Pieces: 210

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Sanemi Shinazugawa is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in the Demon Slayer Anime. For more information about him, check out the fandom wiki page. For more information about the nanoblock builds, check out my collections page for links to other reviews.

This nanoblock build is split into 2 parts. There is the head and the body.

The base layer comprises skin tone and hair to create the base. I laid the base layer out on my nanoblock pad. He has very detailed hair. The front section of the head is very straightforward. The back of the hair is more complicated, and you need to pay a lot of attention to ensure that you get every angle. The directions are very straightforward, which makes getting the detail relatively simple.

After finishing the head, it’s time to move on to the body.

I began the body by laying the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The body goes up in straightforward layers. Then you attach the hands. After attaching the hands, you attach the sword.

The next step is to connect the head to the body.

The final steps are to attach the bricks that hold up the model. First, a stack of clear bricks is attached to the back, holding the finished build up. The final detail is Sanemi Shinazugawa’s legs which are just a stack of bricks.

Things I liked:

I like the teal bricks that are used in his body. It’s a very uncommon color.

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like the detail in the face, but I’m not sure if it does a good job of representing a mark on the character’s face. It’s not very clear in the character’s image if he has a mark on his face.

Review of nanoblock Turtwig NBPM_077

February 7, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Turtwig
Japanese: Naetle

Number: NBPM_077

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This build is made up of 2 major parts. There is the head and the body.

The head begins with a layer of yellow and green bricks. The head is built in layers of green, yellow, and black bricks. The eyes are added by having black bricks that remain visible. Once the head is mostly built, you add a cap of brown to complete the head.

The next chunk that is built is the body. Like the head, the body is built in layers. In this case, the base is green. Using brown and black bricks, you then build the hump on Turtwig’s back. After you build him up, you flip the build over and add the feet and a brick to keep the build from tipping over due to the size of the head.

Now that you have the 2 major pieces, it is time to combine the head and the body. The final step is to add the leaf on Turtwig’s head.

Things I liked:

I think it’s a cute build

Things I didn’t like:

The starters keep getting a bit bigger, so they don’t match in size to the other starters
I think the leaf on his head would look better if it was the lighter green

Review of nanoblock Obanai Iguro NBCC_113

February 2, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBCC_113

Number of Pieces: 190

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Obanai Iguro is a member of the Demon Slayer Corps in the Demon Slayer Anime. For more information about him, check out the fandom wiki page. For more information about the nanoblock builds, check out my collections page for links to other reviews.

This nanoblock build is split into 2 parts. There is the head and the body.

The base layer is made up of white and black bricks. The layer is staggered. I laid the base layer out on my nanoblock pad. The rest of the head goes up in layers of interlocking layers.

After building the main section of the head, you add the hair on the front of the head. Then you add the final details to the head.

After finishing the head, it’s time to move on to the body.

Obanai Iguro wears a pinstripe jacket. This means there are a lot of details in the jacket which adds the need to pay attention to the build.

I began the body by laying the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The body goes up in straightforward layers. After building the body going up, you flip the build over and add the hips and legs.

The next step is to connect the head to the body. This was a bit tricky because it was hard to lie up the head based on the image. However, there was only one way to actually connect the head.

Things I liked:

I like the snake head that is coming off his shoulder

Things I didn’t like:

In the build, there are few places where bricks easily pop off, which was frustrating