Holiday

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

Number: NBC_041

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 2

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 goes straight up from the bottom of the shoes on the base. The first step is to place the feet on the base. Then, legs are added to the feet.

Next, the lower hips are added. Then the bag that Santa Claus is holding is built and added to the build. From there, the build continues to go up, creating the head and hat.

The final step is to add the left arm holding a gift. The gift has a lot of detail, considering how small the gift is.

Things I liked:

• I like the box that Santa is holding. There are nice details, like how the ribbon goes around and goes up to create a bow.

Things I didn’t like:

• I don’t like the bag that Santa Claus is holding on his back. It seems to just float there instead of being held

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

Number: NBC_029

Difficulty Rating: 1

This is a limited-release kit that was available at only George’s. I’m not sure what kind of shop it is, but several of the early nanoblock kits were only at George’s.

I bought this kit used, so I don’t have the package. When I purchased the kit, I knew I would be getting the instructions, which was the key thing I was looking for. I ended up getting the instructions and all the bricks to build the kit.

The first step is to build the truck of the tree. It starts with a 10×10 base. Brown bricks are added in layers to create the trunk.

The next step is to build the green main section of the tree. The tree begins with a small section that spreads out after a couple of layers.

Once the tree reaches its maximum diameter, the tree goes up in layers. Every couple of layers, the circumference gets a bit smaller. In every layer, a few tree decorations are added using 1×1 clear round pieces. It is important not to accidentally rotate the tree because the tree decorations wouldn’t be in the right place.

The tree is then connected to the trunk.

The final step is to build the star on top of the tree. In my opinion, the star is too big for the overall tree. The star is very straightforward to build.

Things I liked:

• I like how many decorations are on the tree. Each layer seems to have some decorations on every edge

Things I didn’t like:

• The star is way too big for the rest of the tree. I’m not sure how to make it smaller, but it is just too big

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

Number: NBC_368 

Number of Pieces: 160

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

There are been several snowman builds that have been released over the years. The snowman released in 2022 is different because the snowman is made up of clear white bricks and glitter bricks. These are newer and uncommon bricks used in a few nanoblock kits. The clear white bricks create a translucent effect on the snowman, which is nice.

The build begins by laying out a base layer of clear white bricks. I started the build on my nanoblock pad. The body goes up in layers. In general, each step works on two layers at once. The final step of the beginning of the body is a ring outlining the top of the body.

The next section of the body is adding the scarf and creating curves to close up the body. Several slanted pieces are clearly marked as to which ones to use. However, I had difficulty telling where to add a 1×1 brick to get the layer lined up. I was able to figure it out after moving bricks around.

The final step of the body is to add the mittens.

The head begins with a base layer that I once again laid out on my nanoblock pad. The head goes up in layers. Again there are slanted bricks that I needed to make sure I used the right slope to build the head correctly. The head adds details such as eyes, nose, and hat.

The last step is to connect the head to the body.

Things I liked:

• The use of translucent and glitter blocks in the build because they are uncommon types of bricks

Things I didn’t like:

• I’m not sure I like the solid white bricks edging on the hat. Since the rest of the build is clear the solids stand out

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

Number: NBC_369

Number of Pieces: 200

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

This kit was much trickier to put together than I expected. This was because so many bricks were hanging from a single brick. There are also a lot of places where things are at angles which is unusual for nanoblock.

The first step is to build the tree stand. The stand is a simple 3 layers in brown and tan.

The tree builds up in a pattern. First, some branches shoot out of the tree. The branches can take 1 or more steps in the directions. Then there are a few layers of bricks that create a trunk.

Adding the branches was a bit tricky. There are 2 reasons for this. First, the branch is added to a single stud and hangs off. This can be tricky because the instructions don’t want any of the branches to be square. Second, a lot of branches also have the white ribbon that goes around the tree. The ribbon is tricky because you need to ensure it is on the correct side so it can flow properly.

The tree repeats the pattern repeats 4 times, with the branches getting smaller with each repeat.

The opening at the top of the tree is closed up. The tree is topped with a clear yellow glitter star. The star is super straightforward.

In addition to the Christmas tree, there is also a little wreath. When I built the wreath, I curled it backward, so I had to flip all the green bricks so it was properly round. The final step is to add decorative details to the wreath.

Things I liked:

• It was a nice challenge to build and get things to flow properly

Things I didn’t like:

• The wreath. I don’t feel like it added much to the build, and I feel the directions for how to make it aren’t super clear

This post is a review of the nanoblock Snowman build. The Snowman 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_027

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 1/5

This is one of the few kits I have purchased used. I decided it was probably a safe purchase because, in the photos, I was able to see that the build was complete. I also noticed that the spare bricks were in the package in the photos. I bought the Snowman and hoped I would get exactly what I needed to build the Snowman. When it arrived, I had all the bricks I needed; the only problem was some age discoloration on the white bricks.

Now to look at the build. I really liked that the Snowman had a base. A base to me means that you don’t have to worry about the build tipping. As I would expect from a level 1 build, the directions were easy to follow. There is one step where you add the scarf detail and the arms where a lot is going on. It was a little hard to tell where everything went, but it lays out just fine when you start to place the bricks. Other than the one super full step, the directions were very clear.

Overall I really liked the Snowman. It was an enjoyable and straightforward build, which I hope for when its difficulty is 1/5.

Things I liked:

• How the scarf has details in the front and the back

Things I didn’t like:

• There is one step I think could have turned into two to make things clearer