Shy Gal’s Building Blog - Page 24 - Your reference for LEGO and nanoblock builds

Review of LEGO BrickHeadz Road Runner & Wile E Coyote 40559

April 21, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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This post is a review of the LEGO BrickHeadz Road Runner & Wile E Coyote build. Road Runner & Wile E Coyote are part of the LEGO BrickHeadz series.

Number: 40559

BrickHeadz Number: 161 & 162

Number of Pieces: 205

Difficulty Rating: 10+

Release Year: 2022

Retired as of Publishing: No

Road Runner & Wile E Coyote were two of my favorite cartoon characters growing up. I loved watching all the plans that Wile came up with to try and catch the Road Runner.

I was excited that the kit came with 2 instruction manuals and 2 bags, one with everything for each character. I was super excited when I was looking at the photos to make the builds.

Road Runner

The Road Runner is like no BrickHeadz build I have ever done. This is because its head is so narrow, and there aren’t stacked bricks making up the outside of the body like a tower. The build starts by making a body that is a rectangle that is just over a 2 height square. The head is a bit more tricky, and I had to restart it a couple times to get everything lined up. Overall, I enjoyed the build and am super happy with the finished product.

Wile E. Coyote

I really liked the build for Wile. While it starts on a square base like most BrickHeadz, it didn’t stay that way for long. While the body is a typical square with studs to hold the arm, the head is more unusual. The head has external studs of various heights that allow there to be more variation and curves in the face. I really like the nose and how it appears curved, which is unusual for the BrickHeadz line. I was also surprised to see that Wile has a tail because you can’t see it in any of the photos.

Things I liked:

Wile E. Coyote’s tail was an unexpected surprise

Things I didn’t like:

Putting together Road Runner’s head

Link to order: LEGO

Review of nanoblock Monotone Bulbasaur NBPM_016

April 19, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Monotone Bulbasaur
Japanese: Fushigidane Monotone

Number: NBPM_016

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Monotone Bulbasaur is a version of the Pokemon that uses greyscale instead of various colors to create the build. Since the build is identical to that of the original, I’m going to direct you there for a review of the building process. I’m only going to review the final build of the Monotone Bulbasaur build here. For more information about the monotone collection click here.

Overall the build is primarily the middle level of grey. The details for the spots are done in dark grey, and the blub is done in light grey. Overall, the Pokemon is still super recognizable and looks like it could have come from the original Gameboy games. I really liked the monotone line and wish nanoblock would make more.

A surprise is that the 4 monotone starters (this build along with builds for Pikachu, Charmander, and Squirtle) all come with a few extra bricks to make a Monotone Mew. This build comes with:

5 1X1 light grey
3 2×2 light grey
4 L-Shape light grey
5 T-Shape light grey

Things I liked:

I like how the greyscale turns out

Review of nanoblock Mimic

April 14, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number of Pieces: 160

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Mimics are a monster that appears in most Square Enix games. Unlike most monsters in these games where you have random encounters, Mimics appear to be treasure chests on the map. When you open the chest, instead of getting treasure, you enter a battle with a monster that looks like a treasure chest.

The Mimic build uses turquoise and purple, which are 2 colors you don’t see very much. The build is split into 2 parts: the chest’s top and bottom. The base is pretty solid, and a standard build. I really like the details of the eyes and teeth on the top section of the bottom. The top is building a stretched pyramid and straightforward. The 2 pieces are held together with a clear ball joint so you can position the lid exactly where you want it.

Things I liked:

How the colors look

Review of nanoblock Monotone Charmander NBPM_015

April 12, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Monotone Charmander
Japanese: Hitokage Monotone

Number: NBPM_0175

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Monotone Charmander is a version of the Pokemon that uses greyscale instead of various colors to create the build. Since the build is identical to that of the original, I’m going to direct you there for a review of the building process. I’m only going to review the final build of the Monotone Charmander build here. For more information about the Monotone line please check out this post.

Overall the build is primarily grey. The creature has a white stomach. I still really like the detail in the tail, which uses white and dark grey to create the variation in the flames. Overall, the Pokemon is still super recognizable and looks like it could have come from the original Gameboy games. I really liked the monotone line and wish nanoblock would make more.

A surprise is that the 4 monotone starters (this build along there are builds for Pikachu, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur) all come with a few extra bricks to make a Monotone Mew. This build comes with:

2 1X1 light grey
2 1×2 dark grey
6 1×2 clear

Things I liked:

I like how the grayscale turns out

Review LEGO Easter Rabbits Display 40523

April 7, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the LEGO Easter Rabbits Display build.

Number: 40523

Number of Pieces: 288

Difficulty Rating: 8+

Release Year: 2022

Retired as of Publishing: No

This LEGO kit comes with 2 instruction manuals. One has the instructions for the Rabbits, and the other has the instructions. I personally wish that the bunnies were split up so that I could split building the bunnies with my husband. I think that the number of steps of the base and Rabbits requires them to be broken up the way they are.

Instruction book 1 is the instructions for the bunnies. Overall the rabbits are pretty static, having only ears that move. The builds are very straightforward, with excellent directions to create each rabbit.

Instruction book 2 is to build the base that the bunnies sit on. It creates a little grass hill with various egg and flower decorations. I found the base more challenging to make than the bunnies because more pieces were added by step, so it was easy to miss a part here or there. There are two studs in the light green grass to place the bunnies. It limits where you can place them, but I think it makes a nice diorama.

Things I liked:

I think the bunnies are super cute

Things I didn’t like:

I wish the Bunnies had been split between the manuals

Link to buy: LEGO

nanoblock Monotone Pokemon Mini Collection

April 6, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokemon nanoblock released a collection of monotone pokemon. There are a total of 4 builds that come in normal box kits, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu. These sets were only released in Japan so the kits have Japanese names, not English names. These kits are numbered in the main nanoblock Pokemon (NBPM) line. The steps to build each of these kits are identical to the original kits 1-4 but used grey tones instead of colored bricks.

If you collect all four sets, you will get the codes needed to access the pattern for a monotone Mew. The four kits also come with spare blocks so that you can build a Mew. I’ve written reviews comparing the colored build to the grayscale builds. Here are links to the monotone reviews.

Kit Number	Pokemon
NBPM_014	Monotone Pikachu
NBPM_015	Monotone Charmander
NBPM_016	Monotone Bulbasaur
NBPM_017	Monotone Squirtle
	Monotone Mew

Information about these builds came come bulbapedia.

Review of nanoblock Monotone Pikachu NBPM_014

April 5, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_014

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Monotone Pikachu is a version of the Pokemon that uses greyscale instead of various colors to create the figure. Since the build is identical to that of the original colored build, I’m going to direct you there for a review of the building process. I’m only going to review the final build of the Monotone Pikachu build here. For more information about the monotone collection please click here.

Overall the build is primarily light grey. The back stripes are normal grey, and its cheeks are dark grey. I like he still has all of his details even though everything is grayscale. Overall, Pikachu is still super recognizable and looks like it could have come from the original Gameboy games. I really liked the monotone line and wish nanoblock would make more.

A surprise is that the 4 monotone starters (this build along there are builds for Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur) all come with a few extra bricks to make a Monotone Mew. This build comes with:

16 1X3 light grey
6 2×6 light grey
2 2×3 clear

Things I liked:

I like how the grayscale turns out

Review of nanoblock Moltres NBPM_047

March 31, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Moltres
Japanese: Fire

Number: NBPM_047

Number of Pieces: 190

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Moltres is one of the legendary Pokemon from generation 1. It has been available in some form in most of the later generations. This build is for the Kanto region bird; there is no build for the Galar region Moltres. The other legendary birds are Zapdos and Articuno.

The build comprises 4 sections the body, the head, and the wings that mirror each other. In general, the builds are pretty straightforward as long as you can tell what color you need. In fact, telling which color was the most challenging part because the directions are similar in the gold, orange, and transparent red. Like Zapdos, Moltres is floating on a stand and is pretty stable.

Things I liked:

Use of transparent block in the whole build

Things I didn’t like:

The colors are super close to the bricks but it is a little hard to tell in the directions

Link to order: Amazon

Where to buy nanoblocks

March 30, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

One of the hardest things about nanoblocks is that Kawada is based in Japan, so many blocks are never available in the US. In doing research, Australia has a decent selection that can be purchased. I will focus on how I get my sets in the US.

In 2021 Bluefin Brands took over the distribution for nanoblock in the US. Since then, they have posted many sets that will be released. Most of the time, the releases are several months out, but you can’t preorder from them directly at this point, so you need to find a retailer that carries nanoblocks to be able to buy them as they are released. Several of the sets I’ve seen announced I’ve never seen in retail in physical stores or sites like Amazon. They have a few sets for sale on their site, including collectors editions that aren’t available anywhere else.

The most accessible place I have found to buy nanoblocks is Amazon. Here is a link to the nanoblock store. Amazon does have an excellent selection, but prices can be hit and miss because of third-party sellers. I am hopeful that things will become more reliable with the new US distributor. I also do not recommend preordering from Amazon because I’ve had issues where the preordered set was canceled.

Since I don’t like waiting for release dates, I prefer to buy on the Japanese release schedule. This means I go through a third-party dealer. I like Plaza Japan and have used them for many orders over the past few years. The price of sets is comparable to what you pay for the sets on Amazon. The real killer is the shipping, but if you are getting several sets, it all averages out in the end. There are also a lot of sets that you can’t easily find in the US.

The other place where I buy my sets is eBay. This is my main source for all Disney and Universal Studios nanoblock sets and sets that may be retired. I have done research and found a couple of Sellers that sell the set for a reasonable mark-up and give discounts for shipping on large orders. I tend to put in larger orders to save as much as I can shipping. eBay can get really expensive if you aren’t careful with sellers. We have also been known to make orders from Buyee Japan so that we could get old sets that are no longer made.

Other Places I have had success ordering from:

Local Toy Shops – Several toy shops in my area carry some set
Amazon JP – Shipping is again expensive and it’s difficult to get mulitple items in a preorder
Amazon UK – Limited selection of what could be sent to the US
Barnes and Noble – Very Limited Selection but they do have some newer ones
Sugoi Mart – Expensive but they have had sets I’ve never seen anywhere else like the Olympics Mascots

Review of nanoblock Articuno NBPM_048

March 28, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Articuno
Japanese: Freezer

Number: NBPM_048

Number of Pieces: 170

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Articuno is one of the legendary Pokemon from generation 1. It has been available in some form in most of the later generations. This build is for the Kanto region bird; there is no build for the Galar region Articuno. Articuno is an ice-type bird that is known for having a flowing tail.

This nanoblock build is made of 4 parts, the body and head combination, 2 wings, and the tail. The head body combo is a reasonably usual build. Once you start building out where the wings attach, it gets a bit more complicated. The wings themselves were simple to build but connecting them was challenging.

Then the tail, I’m not sure that I ever got the tail right. Unlike nanoblock directions, I had a lot of difficulties reading the directions. After trying to create the tail, I’m not sure if it’s supposed to rest on the table along with the base or not. It never looked right as you can see in the photo below. The build ended up constantly tipping over, so I needed to put it on a base plate.

Overall until I got to the tail, I enjoyed building Articuno. Once I got to building the tail, I got frustrated and had difficulty lining everything up.

Things I liked:

It looks like the pokemon

Things I didn’t like:

The fact it was tippy no matter how I attached the tail
Hard to get the tail to attach, I don’t think I’ve gotten it right yet

Link to order: Amazon