Review of nanoblock Shigezo NBH_120

Shigezo build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Shigezo build. Shigezo is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_120 

Number of Pieces: 190

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Shigezo build front view

I bought this kit used, knowing I would at least get the instructions. I ended up buying a second set in order to get the bricks I was missing since I couldn’t buy them individually. Sadly, however, the white has become yellow with age. The discolored bricks may be visible in my photographs.

Shigezo was a popular entertainer who is/was active in Yoshimoto Shinkigeki. Yoshimoto Shinkigeki is a variety show in Osaka.

This kit has 3 sections. There is the head, the body, and the feet.

Shigezo build side view

The head begins with the layer that has his teeth, face, and hair. I was able to lay this layer out on my nanoblock pad which was nice so that the teeth couldn’t roll away. The head goes up in fairly straightforward layers building the on the face and hair in each layer. After building the top of the head, I flipped the head over and added the chin area. Adding the chin was difficult because it was upside down, so I was guessing a bit as to which bricks to use.

At no point while I was building the body was I really positive about what I was doing. I began the build by laying the base layer of bricks on my nanoblock pad. I added each layer as instructed, even though each step seemed random at the time. In the end, I ended up with a completed body section that appears to be holding a sword.

Shigezo build back view

The feet are very straightforward. It is just a few layers of bricks connected to the base.

The last step is to combine the 3 sections into 1 complete piece.

Shigezo build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I actually really like how the finished model looks, especially the body. It looks complete with a lot of little details, such as how the fabric would flow

Things I didn’t like:

  • I didn’t enjoy building upside down. Normally, I can figure out where things are connected, but this time, I had a really hard time

Review of nanoblock Succhi NBH_119

Succhi build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Succhi build. Succhi is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Succhi build right front view

Number: NBH_119

Number of Pieces: 190

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Succhi build left front view

I believe from research there is a typo in the translation of the Romanji. Other people refer to the build as Sutchi. They were popular entertainer who is/was active in Yoshimoto Shinkigeki. Yoshimoto Shinkigeki is a variety show in Osaka.

The build is made up of 3 sections. There is the base, body, and head.

The head is by far the most difficult section to build. This is because of the glasses. The head starts with a base that builds up in layers. There are several sections where there are overhangs held on by one stud. The glasses are tricky because they are created with 1×1 and 1×2 with 1 stud on top. Getting everything lined up is tricky.

Succhi build back angle view

The skirt and body were fairly straightforward. The hardest part was building the arms. Once again, each arm was held in place with one stud. The arms are locked in place, so once they are put together, they have an easy time staying in place.

The base section is very straightforward and is simply attaching the legs to the base.

The hardest part was was putting the final build together. Each section is at an angle. There isn’t really much guidance on where to put each section.

Succhi build

Things I liked:

  • I like the depth and detail in the glasses

Things I didn’t like:

  • I didn’t like the lack of guidance as to how to put the sections together

Review of nanoblock Milky Peko NBH_063

Milky Peko build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Milky Peko build. Milky Peko is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_039

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Milky Peko build front view

Peko is an unusual package because her name is written in Japanese characters, whereas most of the other kits are written in English or Romanji. It’s also strange because all the imagery I can find of Peko has her name written in Romanji, not Katakana. Peko is one of the mascots for a confectionery shop in Japan named Fujiya. She has been around since the 1950s.

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

Milky Peko build side view

The base is a piece of candy the Peko sits on. It is white with speckles of pink and baby blue. It begins with building the center section of the candy. Then the ends of candy are added. Then the top of the candy is added and rounded up.

The head is truly a marvel in getting things to line up. This is because there are a huge number of bricks that have space for 2 studs on the bottom and only 1 stud on top. These bricks require extra work to make sure everything lines up properly. The instructions were very clear, but it could be a bit difficult to tell where the off shifts were.

Milky Peko build back view

The body fairly straightforward. The first layer had from bricks offset so I wasn’t able to use my nanoblock pad. After the first layer was lined up and locked in the rest of the body is very straightforward.

Milky Peko build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I really like how the build catches details of Peko-chan, such as her tongue being out and the buttons in her overalls

Things I didn’t like:

  • I don’t like the large brick that represents her mouth. Peko-chan appears to only have a smile with her tongue out, so making her seem like her mouth open is an odd choice

Review of nanoblock Peko NBH_039

Peko build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Peko build. Peko is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_039

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Peko build front view

Peko is an unusual package because her name is written in Japanese characters, whereas most of the other kits are written in English or Romanji. It’s also strange because all the imagery I can find of Peko has her name written in Romanji, not Katakana. Peko is one of the mascots for a confectionery shop in Japan named Fujiya. She has been around since the 1950s.

Peko build side view

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

At first glance, the base appears to be square, but it is actually a 9×8 rectangle. This means that the rectangle needs to be built. I laid the clear bricks out on my nanoblock pad, and the second layer holds all the bricks in place. Then, all I needed to do was add the feet and legs.

Peko build back view

The head is truly a marvel in getting things to line up. This is because there are a huge number of bricks that have space for 2 studs on the bottom and only 1 stud on top. These bricks require extra work to make sure everything lines up properly. The instructions were very clear, but it could be a bit difficult to tell where the off shifts were.

The body is by far the most straightforward part of the build. I simply laid the base layer of bricks out on my nanoblock pad and build the body in normal layers.

Peko front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I really like how the build catches details of Peko-chan, such as her tongue being out and the buttons in her overalls

Things I didn’t like:

  • I don’t like the large brick that represents her mouth. Peko-chan appears to only have a smile with her tongue out, so making her seem like her mouth open is an odd choice

Review of nanoblock Shaun the Sheep – Timmy NBH_068

Timmy build front view

This post is a review of the nanoblock Shaun the Sheep – Timmy build. Timmy is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_068

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Timmy build front 3/4 view

Timmy is one of the many characters in the Shaun the Sheep tv series. This build is created by connecting sets of ball joints together to create a posable sheep.

I bought this kit in an auction containing several kits that didn’t have boxes so I don’t have the box for this kit.

This build is broken up into 5 sections. There is the head, body, tail, arms, and teddy bear.

The head begins with a base layer of yellow and black bricks. I couldn’t build the head on my pad because the yellow brick on the base is off-center from the rest of the bricks. The head goes up in layers. It creates Timmy’s pacifier and the core of his head. Creating the eyes was a bit tricky because it’s putting round 1×1 into the socket of the ball joint. The eyes were super tight in this case. The last step is to build and add the ears via ball joints.

Timmy build side view

The body begins with a base layer of white bricks. The second layer includes the ball side of the joint for the base legs. From there, building the body is mostly building the outside of a sphere. The top of the sphere has the balls for the front legs and head.

The tail is very straightforward. It is 3 layers of white bricks.

The arms on the top and bottom of Timmy are slightly different. Both are chains of black ball joints with a hoof brick on the end.

Timmy build back view

Once you have built each section, you need to connect the arms, head, and tail to the body. Once you connect the head, the legs need to curl forward to hold the build-up.

In addition to the sheep, Timmy has a teddy bear. Overall, the teddy bear is pretty straightforward. The trickiest part is getting everything set in the right direction, but it was fairly clear overall.

Timmy build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I really like how posable the build is.

Things I didn’t like:

  • I think the eyes would have been better if it had been a black socket with a colored eye instead of a white socket

Review of nanoblock Shaun the Sheep NBH_040

Shaun the Sheep build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Shaun the Sheep build. Shaun the Sheep is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_040

Country: UK 

Difficulty Rating: 2

Shaun the Sheep build front view

This build is divided into four sections: the head, the body, the tail, and the base.

The tail is a very straightforward 4 layers of white bricks.

Shaun the Sheep build front 3/4 view

The head begins with a layer of black bricks. The head goes up in layers, leaving gaps that create the nose. To create the eyes, you take a socket and put a round 1×1 into the socket. I’m not a fan of this technique, but it does get the job done by creating the eyes. After adding the eyes, you add the white to the top of Shaun’s head. The last part of the head is adding the ears.

I started the body on my pad but after a couple layers, I did most of the building in my hands. The body section is straightforward and creates a hollow tube for the body.

Shaun the Sheep build side view

At this point, I connected the head, body, and tail together to create one complete unit.

The last section is adding the legs to the base. Creating each leg was very straightforward since all I needed to do was count 10 1x1s. The hardest part was making sure that I counted where exactly to put the build so that it was properly centered.

The last step was to add the body unit to the legs. I was surprised by how easy it was to get the body attached to the legs.

Shaun the Sheep build back view

Things I liked:

  • How easy it was to connect the body to the legs

Things I didn’t like:

  • I don’t like the technique for creating the eyes

Review of nanoblock Shaun the Sheep – Shaun NBH_067

Shaun the Sheep build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Shaun the Sheep – Shaun build. Shaun is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

This is the second Shaun build. The first build was NBH_040, and Shaun stands on all 4 legs. This build has Shaun standing on 2 legs.

Shaun the Sheep build front view

Number: NBH_067

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Shaun the Sheep build side view

Shaun is one of the many characters in the Shaun the Sheep tv series. This build is created by connecting sets of ball joints together to create a posable sheep.

This build is broken up into 5 sections. There is the head, body, tail, arms, and legs.

The body is the first major section of the build. It begins with creating smaller builds A-E. Each section is made up of white bricks and is very straightforward. The next step is to connect sections A-E to create the actual body of the sheep. I think this is a creative way to build the body instead of it being a solid layer of bricks.

Shaun the Sheep build back view

After connecting all the sections, it is time to build the tail. The tail has very simple instructions. After building the tail, it is attached to the body.

The next step is to build the head. I was able to easily build the head using my pad. The hardest part was getting the eyes in place because getting the 1×1 in the socket was a bit challenging. I really like the poof of wool on Shaun’s head.

The final 2 sections can be built in unison. The sections are the arms and legs. Both sections are simple chains of bricks that require counting the number of bricks properly.

The final step is to connect all the sections with the ball joints. The hardest part is keeping the head attached because the top brick doesn’t have bricks on top of it to lock it into place.

Shaun the Sheep build front 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I really like how the main body is created by creating the various sections that are all connected

Things I didn’t like:

  • I think the eyes would have been better if it had been a black socket with a colored eye instead of a white socket
  • The socket that holds the head in place isn’t locked in place, so it can easily fall off.

Review of nanoblock Moominhouse MOM-042/NBH_062

This post is a review of the nanoblock Moominhouse build. Moominhouse is part of the nanoblock Moomin collection.

Number: MOM-042 or NBH_062

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

The Moominhouse is the home of Moominmama, Moominpapa, and Moomintroll. It is a multi-story blue cylindrical building with a red cone-shaped roof.

When I opened the kit, I was surprised that there were 2 bags of 1×2 blue pieces. I guessed after seeing that the build would be just building the outline of the house.

The build begins by laying the outline of the building. This outline includes the porch, which comes off the front of the building.

The building goes up in simple layers. The first few layers include the main body of the house and, the building on the porch, and other details of the house. After adding the details to the base layers of the house, all that is left is to finish building the main section of the house.

For the main house, it is all blue other than the windows. Because the sides are built stacking 1×2 that rotate each, it is hard to keep the build perfectly squared. This made adding the roof a bit tricky.

After adding 3 floors to the house, it’s time to add the roof.

The roof is very straightforward. Each layer makes the roof a bit smaller and creates a cone. Adding the roof is where you can see the cumulative effect of the main tower not being perfectly square. I was able to add on my roof, so I didn’t need to go back and square the main section.

Things I liked:

  • How many little details there are in the house between the porch and the chimney on the roof

Things I didn’t like:

  • How hard it was to keep the main tower of squared between floors

Review of nanoblock Umeda Sky Building NBH_172

Umeda Sky Building build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Umeda Sky Building build. Umeda Sky Building is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Umeda Sky Building is one of the tallest buildings in Osaka Prefecture. It is 2 towers that are connected by bridges and escalators. For more information, check out the wiki page.

Number: NBH_172

Country: Japan 

Number of Pieces: 680

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Umeda Sky Building build front view

Umeda Sky Building was a kit I bought open; I ensured there were bricks and instructions. Before starting the build, I pulled the kit that arrived apart and split all the bricks into reasonable piles. I then started the build.

This build has 2 major sections there is the building and the roof.

The first thing I noticed about the build was that starting from the base layer wasn’t symmetrical. This made me excited to see how the final build would look.

The first step is to create a base layer on the 20×20 base. There are a variety of colors in the base to create the various textures around the building.

Umeda Sky Building build 3/4 view

The next step is to create the base of the building. Starting in step 4, the actual windows on the outside of the building are outlined and begin creating the walls of the buildings. The building goes up in layers over the next 20 steps. Each layer is different from the previous one and needs to be carefully tracked.

The trickiest part of building the main section of the building is creating the elevators. This is because it is a chain of 1×1 bricks that can easily snap as you are adding bricks. It is also easy to miss adding a brick to any given layer since the new brick just hangs out separately from the large chunks in the directions.

Umeda Sky Building build side view

After building most of the building and locking the elevators in place, it’s time to add the escalators that go across the open area between the towers. I really like that this detail is included and how the escalators are created.

The main building is completed with a few more layers of bricks that create the top of the building

The roof was very straightforward. I could lay the roof out on my pad to create the roof. Finding enough round clears took a while because they were hard to see and like moving.

After building the roof, the final step is to attach the roof to the building.

Umeda Sky Building build back view

Things I liked:

  • That the build isn’t symmetrical
  • The escalators in the center of the build

Things I didn’t like:

  • I’m not sure what all the details at the bottom of the building are supposed to be

Review of nanoblock Korilakkuma Panda de Goron NBH_112

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build and box

This post is a review of the nanoblock Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build. Korilakkuma Panda de Goron is part of the nanoblock Sights to See collection. Wondering what else is part of the Sights to See collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBH_112

Number of Pieces: 250

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build front view

This is a build of Korilakkuma from the Rilakkuma line dressed up as a panda bear.

The build is made up of 2 sections. There is the base with the body and Korilakkuma’s head.

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build front 3/4 view

The first couple of steps of the base requires the most work to get the bricks in the right place. This is because you are putting bricks on the 20×20 base to act as bases for the bear and the flowers.

After getting the base set up, you build the body of the panda costume. I really like that nanoblock kept the detail of Korilakkuma’s red bell in the build. Building the flowers was very straightforward but unique because of the use of round bricks.

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build side view

The head is pretty straightforward. It begins with a base layer and builds up in layers. As I got to the end, I was worried because there was a gap in the head. It ended up being ok because the holes were covered by the ears. It was tricky to figure out exactly where the head was attached to the body, but I was able to figure it out.

Korilakkuma Panda de Goron build back 3/4 view

Things I liked:

  • I think the flowers that are in the build. I think they are cute.

Things I didn’t like:

  • It was a bit confusing how the head actually attaches.