Month: October 2024

Review of nanoblock Jack-o’-Lantern NBC_097

October 31, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Jack-o’-Lantern build. Jack-o’-Lantern is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_097

Number of Pieces: 160

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

I bought this kit used, knowing I would at least get the instructions. I also ended up getting all the bricks to complete the kit. Sadly, however, some of the bricks have become with age. The discolored bricks may be visible in my photographs.

This is one of several versions of a Jack-o’-Lantern. This one is unique because of the witch in the background. The Jack-o’-Lantern is also glow-in-the-dark, so it appears lit if the bricks get enough light.

The first section is to build the actual Jack-o’-Lantern. It begins with a base layer of orange bricks that I lay out on my nanoblock pad. The pumpkin section goes up in straightforward layers. The gaps in the Jack-o’-Lantern are backed in glow-in-the-dark bricks. The pumpkin is wearing a witch hat, which is once again simple layers.

The second section is the moon. The moon is a simple stack of bricks. I really like how the bricks are laid out, making the moon appear curved. The curve is very natural-looking.

The last major section is the witch riding a broom. The build is very detailed, creating a tiny human.

All three sections are connected together on a double-sized base. The base isn’t held together very tightly, so it’s possible for things to fall apart. The Moon section is very top-heavy, so you need to be careful when moving the build.

Things I liked:

I like the glow-in-the-dark bricks. I didn’t know there were glow-in-the-dark bricks
I like the curve of the moon. It looks natural

Things I didn’t like:

The 2 bases aren’t held together very well, so things can fall apart when moving

Review of nanoblock Sesame Street Halloween

October 24, 2024March 19, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Sesame Street Halloween build. Sesame Street Halloween is part of the nanoblock Universal Studios Japan(USJ) collection. Wondering what else is part of the USJ collection? Click here for a list.

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This kit is to build an Elmo dressed up as a vampire.

This build is broken up into 3 sections. They are the head, body, and legs.

The head begins with a base layer of red bricks. I laid the bricks out on the nanoblock pad. The head goes up in layers. It is fairly straightforward.

The body creates Elmo’s body and the cape he is wearing. There is a large base layer of bricks. I was able to lay the layer out on my nanoblock pad.

The body then goes up in layers. It is a bit tricky to keep track of where each brick goes because the layer is so large.

After building up the body, additional details are added to the bottom of the cape.

The legs are very straightforward. They are simply placing the bricks on the base with the legs attached. The feet are staggered, so it looks like Elmo is walking.

The final step is to connect the 3 sections. The directions are confusing as to how exactly to connect the sections.

Things I liked:

I really like that Elmo is walking and is in action instead of being static

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t like trying to get the 3 sections to line up when completing the build

Review of nanoblock Boo! Sesame Street Trick or Treat!

October 17, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Boo! Sesame Street Trick or Treat! build, which is Elmo as a witch ghost. This build is part of the nanoblock Universal Studios Japan collection. Wondering what else is part of the Universal Studios Japan collection? Click here for a list.

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2

I bought this kit as just a set of directions. To build this kit, I needed to buy individual bricks. I bought the bricks via Rakuten using Buyee as a proxy. I ended up getting orange 1x2s instead of orange 2x2s. I completed the build with the 1x2s, but there are a few extra lines on my finished build where there are orange bricks.

This build is broken into 2 parts there is the Elmo section and the hat.

The Elmo section begins with a base 10×10 brick. Then, the build goes up in layers, starting from a very small base. As I got to the top of Elmo, it was a bit tippy as I put on the next layer. A few times, the main section of Elmo would pop off the base, so I needed to line the body back up and reattach it to the base.

The hat section begins with a base layer of black bricks. I lay the bricks on my nanoblock pad as a starting point. The hat is very straightforward and goes up in layers. There is a break in all the black because an orange ribbon is going around the hat.

Things I liked:

I really like how there is a band on the hat. Normally, witch hats are just solid black, so the extra detail is nice

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like how tippy Elmo is on the base. I think if the bottom couple of layers had more bricks, then it may have fallen off less when building

Review of nanoblock Polar Bear NBC_012

October 10, 2024March 19, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Polar Bear build. Polar Bear is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_012

Number of Pieces: 120

Difficulty Rating: 2

I bought this kit used, knowing I would at least get the instructions. I ended additionally getting all the bricks to complete the kit. Sadly, however, the white has become yellow with age. The discolored bricks may be visible in my photographs.

The build begins with a layer of white bricks that I lay out on my nanoblock pad. It goes up in fairly straightforward layers, and the head of the polar bear is built into the layers.

After building the body, the feet and legs are added to the bottom of the build. For some reason, the front of the feet is black, which makes me think the paws look funny.

Things I liked:

I feel that the polar bear is very recognizable for how early of a build this kit

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like the feet because the black on the feet stands out so much because the front of the feet are black

Review of nanoblock Maneki-neko Black NBC_067

October 3, 2024March 19, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Maneki-neko Black build. Maneki-neko Black is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_067

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 2

This build comes with four stickers, each representing a different kind of luck. I bought this kit used, so the sticker for the cat had already been selected. I’m not sure what kind of luck charm was used.

This kit begins with a base brick, followed by a layer of black bricks to form the bottom of the cat. Tassels are also added to the base to create the effect that the Maneki-neko is sitting on the pillow they traditionally sit on.

The cat’s body is built in simple, straightforward layers. The instructions are very clear. After most of the body is built, you build the charm and select the sticker. The body is finished, and the raised paw is added.

The next section is the head of the Maneki-neko. It begins with a layer of black bricks. The head goes up in straightforward layers. The second step of the head is a bit confusing because there are so many arrows in the instructions.

Things I liked:

I like that the cat is sitting on a pillow

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like kits that use stickers. I much prefer the custom-printed blocks that come with new kits