Animals

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

Number: NBC_022

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 3

There are two Meerkats in this build. Both are standing on their hind legs with their paws pointing down. They are different heights, but the overall steps are identical.

The first step is to build the bodies. The body is fairly straightforward.

The next step is to build the legs and tail. These are attached to the body. The legs are a bit loose and difficult to keep straight, but I was able to keep them straight long enough to keep the Meerkat on the base.

The last step is to build and add the tail.

Things I liked:

• I like that there are multiple heights Merrkat as a part of the build

Things I didn’t like:

• There are a lot of points that are fragile, which means keeping the build together is difficult

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

Number: NBC_005

Number of Pieces: 110

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 the body of the dog. I was able to lay the body out on my nanoblock pad.

Next, the head is built. The head is fairly straightforward. Once completed, the head is a little square, in my opinion, which doesn’t look like the actual dog breed.

The last step for the dog is to build and attach the legs. The Hokkaido Dog kit comes with a display base.

In addition to the dog, there are also bricks to create a dog bowl with kibble. The bowl is very simple to build. The kibble in the bowl is just loose bricks tossed into the bowl. I don’t like it when there are loose bricks in a completed build because I worry that the bricks will get lost.

Things I liked:

• I like the shape of the tail and the detail of the collar

Things I didn’t like:

• The food in the bowl is just loose bricks that can easily fall out. I don’t like it when there are loose bricks

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

Number: NBC_058

Number of Pieces: 100

Difficulty Rating: 1

I built the main body section of the crocodile on my nanoblock pad. The base layer of the body is so long that I’m not sure it would fit on the smaller pad. The rest of the main body goes up in straightforward layers.

The next step is to attach the legs and lower jaw. Centering the lower jaw was a little difficult because it was an odd/even situation.

The final step is to add the top of the head and the tail. Getting the teeth lined up was a little tricky since the middle teeth didn’t have a wall to push against to line them up. The tail is a chain of bricks that are 2 tall. It is cool that the tail is posable, like the head and legs.

Things I liked:

• I like that the head and legs are posable

Things I didn’t like:

• I don’t like that to get the legs to be posable. There are gaps in the side of the crocodile

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

Number: NBC_054

Number of Pieces: 120

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

The first thing I noticed about this kit was the color that was provided for the body of the sheep. The bricks were cream which at a quick glance could be a damaged white brick. In looking at the directions, it became clear that the body of the sheep is off-white, not white.

The build begins by building the round body. Building the body is straightforward because it is just adding layers without too many sections overlapping the edges of the build. I built this section on my nanoblock pad.

The next step is to build the head. I had some difficulty figuring out where exactly to put the bricks because there are some gaps. I was able to figure it out by looking at the current and next steps. After building the head, it is attached to the body.

The next step is to flip the body and close up the bottom of the body.

The final step is to attach the four legs to the bottom of the body. The sheep comes with a base that the build can be placed on.

Things I liked:

• I like how round the sheep is. It looks like a super puffy sheep

Things I didn’t like:

• I don’t like the cream-colored bricks. It made me think the bricks were miscolored or damaged since the color is so rare

This post is a review of the nanoblock Red-Eared Slider build. The Red-Eared Slider is part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. Wondering what else is part of the Mini Collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBC_033

Number of Pieces: 70

Difficulty Rating: 1/5

The Red-Eared Slider is a turtle that has difficulty level 1. This means that the build is very straightforward.

The build begins by creating the shell. I built the small pyramid of bricks that made up the shell on my nanoblock pad.

After building the shell, the build is flipped over, and the underside of the turtle is added. The head is also built and added to the build. I like how the orange bricks add the details of the cheeks.

The last step is to add the feet.

Like most of the early builds, the Red-Eared Slider has a base. In this case, it is a clear blue square. Sadly I wasn’t able to get my turtle to line up at the angle to make the turtle look like the one in the photo.

Things I liked:

• The color selected to create the cheeks

Things I didn’t like:

• I wasn’t able to angle the turtle like how it is shown in the final build photo

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.

Number: NBC_009

Number of Pieces: 90

Difficulty Rating: 1

This was a kit that I bought used, knowing I would get the bricks and instructions. However, due to their age and used nature, the white bricks are a bit discolored. The slight yellowing of the white bricks can be seen in some of the photos.

This kit is unusual for an NBC kit compared to the other kits I have purchased. The instructions are completely in Japanese. For most other kits I have bought, the colors are at least in English. I think that this could be one of the original kits from one of the early production runs.

I know some Japanese from school, and there is a photo on the package, so I worked to build the kit and was able to match the colors to be able to build the Cockatiel.

The build begins with a base layer of white bricks. I built the layers using my nanoblock pad. The main body of the bird is white.

The body narrows to create a head. At this point, the head changes to yellow with additional colors to create details.

At this point, the build is flipped upside down, and the legs and feet are added to finish the build. The Cockatiel came with a 10×10 display stand that holds the finished bird.

Things I liked:

• It was a nice, simple build, and a cute little bird model was created. There is also a nice amount of detail, considering how low of an NBC number it has.

Things I didn’t like:

• Reading the Japanese was a bit hard, but again, I think it’s because I got such an early production run kit

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

Number: NBC_016 

Number of Pieces: 80

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

I’m not sure which name to identify this kit as. This is because I have 2 kits that both have the number NBC_016; however, each kit has a different name. I think the name may depend on where the kits were sold. I’m not sure where in the world these kits came from. I’ve chosen to identify this kit more as Blue Parakeet since I’m pretty sure there are multiple kits named Budgerigar.

The kit begins with bricks in two shades of blue. The parakeet goes up in layers, shifting between blues and brown to build the body.

After building the body, the head is built in white. Details like the beak and eyes are added while the head is being built.

The final step is to add the legs and feet. The parakeet comes with a base to place the finished bird on.

Things I liked:

• I like the number of colors that go into the build between the shades of blue, brown, and white.

Things I didn’t like:

• The fact that the kit has multiple names is confusing

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

Number: NBC_178

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

The Squirrel build starts as a basic build, starting with a base and building the height of the Squirrel. After step 5, you turn the build upside down and add the feet, the acorn it holds, and the base of the tail. Once you flip it back right-side-up, you build and attach the tail and head. 2 extra acorns sit near the Squirrel.

Overall I think the Squirrel is adorable. I like that it looks like its cheeks are full and puffed up.

Things I liked:

• The extra acorns

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

Number: NBC_194

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Red Pandas are smaller furry animals that live in China and Nepal. Their habitat is getting cut down significantly due to human activity. They look a little like super fluffy raccoons. They are also prevalent in zoos worldwide.

This build is building chunks of the nanoblock and connecting them together to create the Red Panda.

Since the animal is on a slant, you start with the back of the animal and work forward. The first 5 steps are building the body and preparing the base for the head to attach onto.

In step 6, you make the head with reasonable detail, including round eyes and an additional shade of brown to create the cheeks. Once you attach the head, you build the tail with striped detail.

The final step is to connect the paws so that the build sits flat.

Overall I enjoyed this build. I liked building the individual chunks and seeing the red panda come together in larger pieces. In most of my builds, things come together in layers, so the chunks were a nice change. I really like the detail in the face and tail, which are vital to making this build recognizable.

Things I liked:

• The amount of detail in the head
• The stripes in the tail

This review is for a collection of nanoblock builds in a box called Fantasy Collection. These builds are called Phoenix, Unicon, and Dragon. All of these builds are part of the nanoblock Mini Collection series. These were the first builds I made that used the ball joints to make moveable parts. Each set is available separately, so I will try to provide links to the individual builds if I can find them.

Phoenix

Phoenix was by far my favorite of these three builds. It looks like the classic phoenix rising from the ashes. It uses the ball joints to create the outstretched wings and the tail. It is made of almost all transparent blocks and appears to float while sitting on a stand as a build. I found working with so many transparent tricky because they seem to stretch more than the standard solid nanoblocks. The hardest part of the build was to get the Phoenix to stand on its base. If things aren’t just layered just right or the tail isn’t centered, the build will just tip over.

Link to order: Amazon

Unicorn

The Unicorn is probably the most straightforward of all the builds. It doesn’t have any ball joints, and it mostly layers up the body of the Unicorn. It is almost all white with a transparent mane and horn. The Unicorn has narrow legs that are stacked 1 stud thick going up. I was worried that the build would have a hard time standing up but was pleasantly surprised when I tried to stand it up. The main thing I don’t like about the Unicorn is I think the horn is too long and wide for the head of the Unicorn.

Link to order: Amazon

Dragon

The dragon build is relatively straightforward. First, you build the body. The hardest part of making the body is getting the arms lined up because it’s a chain held together by one brick. Second, you build the head, which is again relatively simple. The mouth is held together with a ball joint, allowing it to move. The last step is to build and attach wings that contain ball joints so that the wings can move. Overall, I enjoyed the build, and I really like the color of the dragon, which is a reasonably unique color.

Link to order: Amazon