Month: October 2023

Review of nanoblock Umeda Sky Building NBH_172

October 26, 2023August 9, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Umeda Sky Building build. Umeda Sky Building 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.

Umeda Sky Building is one of the tallest buildings in Osaka Prefecture. It is 2 towers that are connected by bridges and escalators. For more information, check out the wiki page.

Number: NBH_172

Country: Japan

Number of Pieces: 680

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Umeda Sky Building was a kit I bought open; I ensured there were bricks and instructions. Before starting the build, I pulled the kit that arrived apart and split all the bricks into reasonable piles. I then started the build.

This build has 2 major sections there is the building and the roof.

The first thing I noticed about the build was that starting from the base layer wasn’t symmetrical. This made me excited to see how the final build would look.

The first step is to create a base layer on the 20×20 base. There are a variety of colors in the base to create the various textures around the building.

The next step is to create the base of the building. Starting in step 4, the actual windows on the outside of the building are outlined and begin creating the walls of the buildings. The building goes up in layers over the next 20 steps. Each layer is different from the previous one and needs to be carefully tracked.

The trickiest part of building the main section of the building is creating the elevators. This is because it is a chain of 1×1 bricks that can easily snap as you are adding bricks. It is also easy to miss adding a brick to any given layer since the new brick just hangs out separately from the large chunks in the directions.

After building most of the building and locking the elevators in place, it’s time to add the escalators that go across the open area between the towers. I really like that this detail is included and how the escalators are created.

The main building is completed with a few more layers of bricks that create the top of the building

The roof was very straightforward. I could lay the roof out on my pad to create the roof. Finding enough round clears took a while because they were hard to see and like moving.

After building the roof, the final step is to attach the roof to the building.

Things I liked:

That the build isn’t symmetrical
The escalators in the center of the build

Things I didn’t like:

I’m not sure what all the details at the bottom of the building are supposed to be

Review of nanoblock Korilakkuma Panda de Goron NBH_112

October 19, 2023August 9, 2023shygal

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build. Korilakkuma Panda de Goron 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_112

Number of Pieces: 250

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build front view

This is a build of Korilakkuma from the Rilakkuma line dressed up as a panda bear.

The build is made up of 2 sections. There is the base with the body and Korilakkuma’s head.

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build front 3/4 view

The first couple of steps of the base requires the most work to get the bricks in the right place. This is because you are putting bricks on the 20×20 base to act as bases for the bear and the flowers.

After getting the base set up, you build the body of the panda costume. I really like that nanoblock kept the detail of Korilakkuma’s red bell in the build. Building the flowers was very straightforward but unique because of the use of round bricks.

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build side view

The head is pretty straightforward. It begins with a base layer and builds up in layers. As I got to the end, I was worried because there was a gap in the head. It ended up being ok because the holes were covered by the ears. It was tricky to figure out exactly where the head was attached to the body, but I was able to figure it out.

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build back 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I think the flowers that are in the build. I think they are cute.

Things I didn’t like:

It was a bit confusing how the head actually attaches.

Review of nanoblock London Bus NBH_113

October 12, 2023August 9, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock London Bus build. The London Bus 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_113

Country: UK

Number of Pieces: 300

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

The double-decker bus used to be a common sight in London. After a series of bombings, they were mostly removed. I believe they have come back to some extent in recent years.

When I opened the box, I had a pleasant surprise that there were wheels which I knew meant the finished model would be able to move when pushed. It was a nice surprise because the tour bus didn’t have moveable wheels.

The first step was by far the most confusing. This is because each layer is not drawn out. You can’t tell for sure how many studs you need in some layers.

After managing to get through the first step, the next few create the rest of the base of the bus.

The next several steps build up the sides of the bus. Sometimes you add one layer in a step, and sometimes you add 2 layers in a step. The steps by themselves are very straightforward. When you reach the top, the back corners cut in and look incredibly odd.

The final step is to attach the wheels to the bus.

There is a sticker to create the banner on the side of the bus. I didn’t add the sticker because I don’t feel like it adds anything to the build. In general, I don’t add random stickers to builds. You can read about it here.

Things I liked:

I like that the wheels on the build move

Things I didn’t like:

The indents on the back windows look funny and not how I remember the busses

Review of nanoblock Rilakkuma no oyatsu time NBH_041

October 5, 2023August 9, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Rilakkuma no oyatsu build. Rilakkuma no oyatsu 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_041

Difficulty Rating: 2

Rilakkuma no oyatsu time build front view

This is a build of Rilakkuma relaxing eating and afternoon snack. According to Google, oyatsu “refers to an afternoon snack that was originally eaten at yatsudoki (approximately 2 p.m.) according to the old Japanese way of counting time.”

The build shows Rilakkuma lying on his side, eating a snack, and watching tv.

Rilakkuma no oyatsu time build side view

This build is made of 2 parts. There is the base with the tv and the body. There is also the head.

The first section is building the body and tv. Both sections are built-in layers. The tv is super straightforward. I had a bit of difficulty keeping track of exactly which step I was on while I was building the body. It was easy to get back on track.

Rilakkuma no oyatsu time build back 3/4 view

The other major section was the head. It goes straight up in layers. It was a bit of a challenge to tell exactly which bricks to use when due to the coloring. I think backlines between the bricks would have been easier to see the differences.

The last step is to put everything together and add the final details. It was a bit hard to tell exactly where exactly the head went, but I was able to get something that looks close to right. There are also very straightforward details of the antenna and snack.

Rilakkuma no oyatsu time build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I think it is a cute build, but I’m not sure why it’s part of the Sights to See collection

Things I didn’t like:

I thought the red thing was an apple, not a tv. But it must be a tv based on the details on the box