Shy Gal’s Building Blog - Page 2 - Your reference for LEGO and nanoblock builds

Review of nanoblock My Grandfather’s Clock NBC_091

September 5, 2024March 19, 2024shygal

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My Grandfather's Clock build and package

This post is a review of the nanoblock My Grandfather’s Clock build. My Grandfather’s Clock is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_091

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

I bought this kit used, so it was missing a couple bricks. I was able to fill in the missing bricks with bricks from other kits.

This kit was part of the nanoblock 5th anniversary. The person I bought the kit from said they got it from the contest. I’m not sure if the kit was ever in shops or the type of contest the kit was awarded for.

I began building the kit by laying out the back of the clock on my nanoblock pad. It took up most of my large nanoblock pad.

The clock is then built up in layers making the clock face and the cabinet for the pendulum.

The next step is to add the hands to the clock. The pendulum is also built. Because of the round bricks, getting everything lined up cleanly for the pendulum is a little tricky.

The pendulum is then connected to the clock body. The final step is to put the clock on its edge so that it looks like a regular grandfather clock. The pendulum is able to move freely in the cabinet.

My Grandfather's Clock build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

Putting a finished build on its edge is fairly unique and is not very common
I like how the pendulum is still able to move and is not locked in place

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t really enjoy building the pendulum because it was a bit tricky to get everything lined up properly

Review of nanoblock Dachshund Pure Cream NBC_039

August 29, 2024March 19, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_039

Number of Pieces: 80

Difficulty Rating: 2

This kit’s instructions were in black and white with the colors labeled in Japanese. It was still fairly easy to put the kit together because most of the build is the golden brick color.

The build begins with a layer of golden yellow bricks. I lay the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. The body of the dog goes up in layers to create the entire body.

The next step is to build the head. The head is constructed in straightforward layers. Black details create the eyes and nose. The head is flipped over, and the ears are added.

The dog’s body is flipped over, and the legs and paws are added. I attached the head to the body, and then I attached the finished dog to the build.

The final step is to build the food bowl and bone. The bowl is very straightforward, and the bone is loose and can fall out.

Dachshund Pure Cream build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I really like the color of the Dachshund

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like that the bone is loose. I never like it when there are loose parts to the build

Review of nanoblock Electric Bass NBC_051

August 22, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_051

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 2

This build is simply a tower of bricks that are 2-3 bricks deep. This allows there to be some depth and detail but still has the trim body of an electric bass.

The build begins with the base of the guitar. The build then goes up in layers to create the bass’s body. I needed to be careful to make sure I completed each layer correctly. It was a bit tricky to tell exactly which brick to use.

After building the body, the neck is added. The neck is two brick towers, one clear and one golden yellow.

The last step is to build the head of the bass. It was fairly straightforward and simple to build. I don’t really like how the finished neck looks on the finished guitar.

Things I liked:

I really like that the build came with a pair of bricks to create a base for the bass

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t really like how the head of the bass looks

Review of nanoblock Seven-spot Ladybird IST_007

August 20, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Seven-spot Ladybird build. Seven-spot Ladybird is part of the nanoblock Insect collection. Wondering what else is part of the Insect collection? Click here for a list.

Number: IST_007

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 1

Seven-spot Ladybird build front 3/4 view

This build has 2 major sections. There is a leaf and the Ladybird.

The leaf begins with a layer of green bricks. A top layer of bricks is added by overhanging the base layer of bricks. There are clear bricks are added to hold the actual ladybird once it is finished. Then the leaf is flipped over, and some bricks are added to add some height under the leaf.

The actual ladybird is a simple 5 or so layers of mostly red and black bricks. I started by trying to lay the bricks out on the nanoblock pad. However, because of how the front of the ladybug is laid out, I wasn’t able to use just the nanoblock pad. After the base layers were created, the rest of the ladybird was added in layers.

Things I liked:

I love the amount of detail in the bug and how the leaf gives an idea of scale

Things I didn’t like:

Overall, I’m very happy with the build and don’t really have any complaints

Review of nanoblock White Snake NBC_066

August 15, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_066

Number of Pieces: 180

Difficulty Rating: 1

This kit is part of the original Zodiac collection and was rereleased in the Zodiac Collection.

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, the white has become yellow with age. The discolored bricks may be visible in my photographs.

This build has 2 sections. There is a snake and a bamboo decoration.

The bamboo decoration is very pretty straightforward. The most difficult part is counting the various sections of bamboo.

The snake has three sections, each very straightforward. There is a head and tail section. The main body is made of 15 sections. All of these body sections have yellow details that make the snake’s scales. All of the sections are connected with ball-and-socket joints.

The photo of the completed snake shows a highly posed snake. I’m unsure if it’s because my kit had older joints, but my finished build wasn’t very posable.

Things I liked:

I like the little detail in the main sections of the body of the snake

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like that the snake isn’t posable

Review of nanoblock Giraffe Stag Beetle IST_002

August 13, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Giraffe Stag Beetle build. Giraffe Stag Beetle is part of the nanoblock Insect collection. Wondering what else is part of the Insect collection? Click here for a list.

Number: IST_002

Number of Pieces: 90

Difficulty Rating: 2

The first step is to create the body of the beetle. This is fairly straightforward. The first 2 clear yellow pieces are initially held in place with one brick. When the next layer is added, the clear yellow bricks are held in place by a bunch more bricks.

The next step is to build the pincers. These are chains of bricks that are somewhat posable. It is a bit difficult to pose the pincers to get them posed correctly.

The other section is the legs of the beetle. A stack of clear bricks is built. each leg is a chain of bricks which means the legs are fully posable.

Giraffe Stag Beetle build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I like how the details of the clear bricks throughout the build

Things I didn’t like:

I find trying to pose the pincers and legs to be very difficult to get the things to look right

Review of nanoblock LED Plates NB-011 & NB-026

August 11, 2024August 11, 2024shygal

Number: NB-11 & NB-026

Number of Pieces: 1

Over the past few years, I have picked up a couple kits that depend on this display plate to create effects on the build. An example is the Kaminarimon gate build. The Kaminarimon Gate build is made so that the lantern in the middle lights up.

There are also builds where you can add a plate to create a lighting effect. An example is the Tokyo Tower Deluxe build, so you can light the building at the base of the tower. (I haven’t done this, which is why there are no pictures.)

There are 2 different baseplates; they have item numbers NB-011 and NB-026. Both light the plate and rotate between 3 colors; red, blue, and green. In both cases, there is a power switch on the side to turn the light on and off.

NB-011

Based on the fact that NB-11 has the lower number, it is the original base plate. It comes with the Tokyo Disney castle builds.

NB-11 can only run on 3 AAA batteries. If you let it sit for too long with the batteries inside, it may leak acid.

NB-026

NB-26 is an updated version of the LED plate. It can run on either AAA batteries or on a micro USB. I have only used the USB.

I generally don’t use the lighting platforms for builds that do not include clear bricks. This is because you can’t really see where the light is shining through. I do think that the effect of the lighting does add a lot to builds that are primarily clear bricks or have a gap that the light can come through.

Things I liked:

It creates new lighting angles for buildings

Things I didn’t like:

I wish there was a white light setting

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Spotted Seal NBC_133

August 8, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_133

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Spotted Seal mother build front 3/4 view

This build has both a momma seal and a baby seal. The momma seal is the main part of this build.

The momma seal’s build begins with laying out the cream stomach. I used my nanoblock pad to lay out the bricks. The main body goes up in layers, adding ball joints, eyes, and spots.

Then, the build is flipped over. At this point, the nose is added, and the stomach is closed. Lining up the nose was a bit tricky to get centered.

The final step to finishing the momma seal is to add the flippers and tail. Each section is slightly different, so I needed to be careful when building and attaching each section.

The baby seal is a simple 4 layers of bricks. Because of how the base layer is added, I couldn’t use my nanoblock pad. However, because the seal is so small, it was easy to keep everything lined up.

Things I liked:

I like that there is a momma seal and a baby seal
I like that the flippers and tail are posable

Things I didn’t like:

I wish the baby seal was a bit bigger so that the eyes and nose didn’t seem as huge

Review of nanoblock Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle IST_003

August 6, 2024May 28, 2024shygal

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build and package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build. Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle is part of the nanoblock Insect collection. Wondering what else is part of the Insect collection? Click here for a list.

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build front view

Number: IST_003

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 2

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build side view

The build begins with a base layer of bricks. I laid the bricks out on my nanoblock pad. It made layering the bricks for the second layer of bricks much easier.

The rest of the body goes up in simple layers that are straightforward.

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build back view

The next step is to add the horn of the beetle. I like the amount of detail in the horn.

The final step is to add the legs. Each leg is a chain of 4 black bricks added to a clear brick. The chains are fairly easy to build, but posing the legs is difficult.

Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

I like how the horn of the beetle looks

Things I didn’t like:

I didn’t like how hard it was to pose the legs

Review of nanoblock Teddy Bear NBC_047

August 1, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Teddy Bear build. Teddy 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_047

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2

I think the bear looks super weird and more like a zombie bear because its build is so small. It also looks super blocky and less like a teddy bear. However, I do like how the gift box looks.

I bought this used kit, knowing I would at least get the instructions. Sadly, the kit was missing some of the bricks, so I needed to order bricks via the Dia Block Rakuten site. Since I wanted to make sure the browns would all match, I bought bags of all the different bricks I would need.

The bear begins with the body. It starts small and gets bigger as the layers go up. Each layer nicely locks in the bricks, so you don’t need to worry about there being towers of bricks that can fall out.

The next step is to build the head. Several layers include putting bricks into the bottom of the overhangs. It is a bit tricky to keep everything squared up. I’m not sure that pink is the best color for the eyes. Maybe black or blue would look better.

In addition to the bear, there is also a gift. The gift is fairly straightforward, but it isn’t all held together until the third layer. I do like how the bow is created at the top of the gift.

Things I liked:

I like that nanoblock tried to make a teddy bear even if I don’t love how the final bear looks

Things I didn’t like:

I feel that the bear looks really blocky and more like a zombie bear