Review of nanoblock Seven-spot Ladybird IST_007

Seven-spot Ladybird build and package

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.

Seven-spot Ladybird build front view

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.

Seven-spot Ladybird build side view

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.

Seven-spot Ladybird build back view

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

White Snake build and package

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.

White Snake build

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.

White Snake build side view

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.

White Snake build side view

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.

White Snake build back view

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

Giraffe Stag Beetle build and package

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.

Giraffe Stag Beetle build front view

Number: IST_002

Number of Pieces: 90

Difficulty Rating: 2

Giraffe Stag Beetle build side view

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.

Giraffe Stag Beetle build back view

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

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

Spotted Seal builds and package

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.

Spotted Seal mother back view

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.

Spotted Seal pup front view

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.

Spotted Seal pup front 3/4 view

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

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

Teddy Bear build and package

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

Teddy Bear build front view

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.

Teddy Bear build side view

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.

Teddy Bear build back view

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.

Teddy Bear build front 3/4 view

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

Review of nanoblock Asian Giant Hornet IST_005

Asian Giant Hornet build and package

This post is a review of the nanoblock Asian Giant Hornet build. Asian Giant Hornet is part of the nanoblock Insect collection. Wondering what else is part of the Insect collection? Click here for a list.

Asian Giant Hornet build front view

Number: IST_005

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 4

Asian Giant Hornet build side view

This build has 3 major sections. There is the body, stinger, and head.

I had a hard time following the directions for the body. Part of the reason reading the directions was so difficult was because the instructions are so cramped together. They are also are not lined up in a super logical order. I was able to build the body in the end but it took longer than I expected.

Asian Giant Hornet build back view

The stinger is a very straightforward tower of bricks, creating stripes of yellow and black. The stinger is attached to the back of the body section.

The head is also very straightforward. After building the head, I attached the head to the body to complete the build.

Asian Giant Hornet build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I feel that the build is highly recognizable as a hornet

Things I didn’t like:

  • The instructions were hard to read for the body section

Review of nanoblock Duck NBC_021

Duck build and package

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

Number: NBC_021

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 1

Duck build front view

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 an adult duck and a baby duck.

Duck build side view

The baby duck is very straightforward. There are a couple points where the direction of the brick matters or where the brick isn’t centered.

The adult duck is all white. It began as a layer of white bricks that I laid out on my nanoblock pad. The body of the duck went up in layers, creating the body of the duck.

Duck build back view

The trickiest part of the duck is creating the head. I think the directions aren’t very clear in part because the instructions are cramped. The beak is the most confusing because of how the bricks line up.

Duck build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I really like that there is a mom and baby duck in the finished build and that both ducks fit on the plate

Review of nanoblock Universal Globe

Universal Globe build front view

This post is a review of the nanoblock Universal Globe build. Universal Globe is one of the Universal Studios Japan (USJ) nanoblock kits. Wondering what else is part of the USJ builds collection? Click Here for a list.

This build has 3 distinct parts. There is the upper hemisphere, the lower hemisphere, and the Universal sign.

Universal Globe build side view

The upper hemisphere is a fairly normal nanoblock build. I could lay the first layer out on my nanoblock pad; it took up a lot of the pad. It built up in layers, continuously getting smaller until the hemisphere closes up. I needed to be careful to ensure that I used the right color and size for each brick I placed.

The lower hemisphere was by far the hardest part of the build. Like the top section, I needed to be careful to ensure I used the right brick. However, the lower hemisphere is built upsidedown. Building upsidedown is challenging because it is tricky to ensure things are lined up and square. It was also hard to tell where there were gaps because so many sections of bricks were built in a previous step.

Universal Globe build back view

The last section of the build is the Universal sign that surrounds the globe. There is a fairly straightforward diagram for how to make the sign. It is a bit hard to tell which bricks are clear and which are white. When it came time to attach the sign, the directions made no sense. I attached it close to what the directions say, but not exactly right.

Universal Globe side view

Things I liked:

  • The final sphere actually looks round, like a sphere

Things I didn’t like:

  • The directions to attach the Universal to the globe made no sense