Tag: NBC - Page 2 - Shy Gal's Building Blog

Review of nanoblock My Grandfather’s Clock NBC_091

September 5, 2024March 19, 2024shygal

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 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 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 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

Review of nanoblock Duck NBC_021

July 25, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

This build has 2 sections. There is an adult duck and a baby duck.

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.

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.

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 French Bulldog NBC_050

July 18, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_050

Number of Pieces: 110

Difficulty Rating: 2

The build begins by creating the dog’s body. It goes up in simple layers. I used my nanoblock pad to build the body.

The body flows into the main section head. There are great head details like rounded bricks to create the nose.

The next step is to add the 4 legs and the 2 ears. At this point, I attached the dog to the base.

The last section is the little food bowl. Loose bricks represent kibble in the bowl. I don’t like loose bricks in the build, so I placed the bricks in the bowl.

Things I liked:

I feel that the shape of the dog’s head makes the build highly recognizable.

Things I didn’t like:

The food is supposed to be loose in the bowl. I don’t like loose bricks in final builds.

Review of nanoblock Rabbit NBC_030

July 11, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_030

Number of Pieces: 90

Difficulty Rating: 2

This kit was re-released as part of the Zodiac Set. It is the kit with the lowest number in the Zodiac, so the cycle started with the rabbit.

The rabbit began with a layer of white bricks that I laid out on my nanoblock pad. The body of the rabbit goes up in fairly straightforward layers.

The front legs are then attached to the front of the build. Since I wanted to put the rabbit on the base I needed to put the feet together so that the paws were properly spaced for the base. After attaching the front legs, I put the body of the rabbit on the base.

The next section to build is the head. The head is straightforward, with very clear directions. The head is then attached to the body.

The final step is to add the ears of the rabbit.

There are materials to build 2 carrots. I reversed the carrots so that they could stand on the base because I didn’t want loose carrots on the base of the build.

Things I liked:

I like the shape and how recognizable the build is

Things I didn’t like:

I don’t like that there are supposed to be loose carrots in the build. I was able to find a workaround for this build

Review of nanoblock Electric Guitar Red NBC_037

July 4, 2024March 12, 2024shygal

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

Number: NBC_037

Number of Pieces: 130

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 to still have the trim body of an electric guitar.

The build begins with the base of the guitar. The build then goes up in layers to create the body of the guitar. 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 16 brick towers, one clear and one golden yellow.

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

Electric Guitar Red build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

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

Things I didn’t like:

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