Tag: Pokemon - Page 3 - Shy Gal's Building Blog

Review of nanoblock Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume NBPM_081

January 22, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume build and box

This post reviews the nanoblock Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume build. Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon collection? Click here for a list.

Number: NBPM_081

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume front view

This Pikachu looks similar to the original NBPM_001 Pikachu, except this Pikachu is wearing a Chinese-style jacket, hat, and hat. I like that the front of the jacket has grey bricks representing Chinese-style jacket ties.

Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume side view

Since it has been so long since I’ve built NBPM_001, I can’t really compare the 2 builds, but the final Pikachus are similar.

The first step is to lay out the base layer, Pikachu’s pants. I built most of Pikachu on my nanoblock pad.

The next 5 steps are to create the Chinese-style jacket. The details building jacket includes having dark grey for the fasteners in the front. You also add Pikachu’s front paws.

Pikachu in Lunar New Year Costume back view

After building the jacket, it is time to build Pikachu’s head. The head is straightforward and has simple layers but adds a lot of detail. You add the nose and the eyes. The other thing that makes this build unique is that Pikachu wears a hat. The hat is straightforward. I’m not a fan of the brown in the hat and wish it had been a different color.

Then it’s time to finish the details by adding the feet, ears, and tail. The feet are simply 2×4 bricks attached to the bottom of the build. There is also a clear block to keep the build from tipping. The ears are each a simple 3 layers of bricks attached to the head. The tail is by far the trickiest part of the build. Several layers of bricks are stacked together to create the zig-zag tail. It was also hard to tell how exactly to connect the tail to the body.

Things I liked:

I think the costume is a cute and creative detail and is unique to the build

Things I didn’t like:

It was hard to figure out how to attach the tail
The brown on the hat is a little random compared to all the other colors in the build

Review of nanoblock Mega Charizard X NBPM_057

January 17, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Mega Charizard X build. Mega Charizard X is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Names:

English: Mega Charizard X
Japanese: Mega Lizardon X

Number: NBPM_057

Number of Pieces: 320

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Mega Charizard X was originally in Pokemon X. Mega is used to describe Pokemon that have mega evolved, which was introduced in generation 6. Pokemon X has its own mega evolution named Mega Charizard X. Mega Charizard is grey with blue flames instead of the standard orange.

This built is breaks the building focus into several parts. There is the body, wings, tail flame, and head. Overall the directions are clear as to which colors to use and when.

You begin by building the body. You start with a base layer and build up. The arms on my build are a bit loose and feel like they want to fall off the studs holding them in place. The build is straightforward other than the last step when you flip the build upside down. It is hard to tell where exactly where the underside bricks go.

The next step is to build the pair of wings. I have trouble getting wings to line up because they are so narrow. The directions are clear as to when and where to use each brick. They nicely and solidly attached to the body and didn’t cause the body to tip, which was nice.

Then you build the tail flame using clear blue and pastel blue bricks. It was tricky to attach to the body because it’s a 2×2 brick going onto a single stud.

The final part of the build is the head. You begin with a base layer and build up in layers. As you build up the main section of the head, you will also add the flames coming out of the Charizard’s mouth. The flames are one of several brick chains on the head that you will build in the process of creating the head.

Things I liked:

The use of multiple shades of blue

Things I didn’t like:

I’m not sure I needed another Charizard build I would rather have had a different Pokemon

Review of nanoblock Mega Charizard Y NBPM_058

January 10, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Mega Charizard Y build. Mega Charizard Y is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Names:

English: Mega Charizard Y
Japanese: Mega Lizardon Y

Number: NBPM_058

Number of Pieces: 310

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Mega Charizard Y was originally in Pokemon Y. Mega is used to describe Pokemon that have mega evolved, which was introduced in generation 6. Pokemon X has its own mega evolution named Mega Charizard X. Mega Charizard Y looks like a more powerful version of a regular Charizard.

Overall the build for Charizard Y is quite similar to regular Charizard. You first build your body which is the normal start with a base layer and build up. Next, you make the wings which are the most detailed part of the build. This is because of the layering of blue and orange so that you don’t see how the blue and orange are held together. Finally, you build a tail flame and a head with straightforward directions.

Things I liked:

The use of clear blocks for the tail

Things I didn’t like:

I’m not sure I needed another Charizard build

Review of nanoblock Suicune NBPM_091

January 3, 2023March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Suicune build. Suicune is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_091

Number of Pieces: 220

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Suicune is one of the elemental legendary Pokemon along with Raikou and Entei from generation 2. It is the water elemental Pokemon.

The nanoblock builds for the generation 2 legendaries are all very detailed, so I’m excited to build them all. Suicune has what appears to be delicate ribbons surrounding it. I was sure the ribbons would look good because of how Slyveon’s ribbons looked.

This build begins by laying out the entire body in layers. I love the teal bricks that they used for the main body of Suicune.

The build was mostly straightforward. The head details are simply attached to the front of the body. I really like how Suicune’s face turned out.

Then you add the legs, which is very straightforward.

The final details are creating the ribbons over the head and down the sides. Since it is just chains of bricks, it was a bit tricky to get things to line up perfectly. There are optional clear bricks to support the ribbons. Since I don’t move my finished builds, I didn’t feel like it was necessary to add them.

Things I liked:

The ribbons and how they look flowy

Things I didn’t like:

How the build would have looked if I had added the extra support bricks

Review of nanoblock Raikou NBPM_089

December 27, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Raikou build. Raikou is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_089

Number of Pieces: 250

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Raikou is one of the elemental legendary Pokemon along with Entei and Suicune from generation 2. It is the thunder elemental Pokemon.

The nanoblock builds for the generation 2 legendaries are all very detailed, so I’m excited to build them all. Raikou looked to me to have the most detail of the 3 builds.

The build begins with base layers to create the basics of the body. After building the first few layers of the body, you build the basics of the head and attach it to the body.

After attaching the base layers of the head, the rest of the main body and head are built up in layers. When you add the ears, it’s hard to tell where exactly the bricks you are adding are in the directions.

Then it’s time to add details like fangs, legs, and tail. Each detail is fairly straightforward. The tail was a bit tricky because of the chaining, so it was hard to not press too hard, causing the bricks to pop off.

Things I liked:

I really like the amount of detail in Raikou
I think that the colors are super accurate for the Pokemon

Things I didn’t like:

There is some chaining which makes it hard to keep things exactly where I want the bricks

Review of nanoblock Entei NBPM_090

December 20, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Entei build. Entei is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_090

Number of Pieces: 240

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Entei is one of the elemental legendary Pokemon, along with Raikou and Suicune from generation 2. It is the fire elemental Pokemon.

The nanoblock builds for the generation 2 legendaries are all very detailed, so I’m excited to build them all. Entei looks the oddest to be because of the way its coat looks.

This build begins by laying out the entire body in layers. When I originally built the body, I wasn’t careful to read the instructions for which grey to use. This meant I ran out of bricks and needed to start the body again.

Other than the grey issue, the build was mostly straightforward. The head details are simply attached to the front of the body. I really like how Entei’s face turned out.

One of the final details that are added is the details of the smokey coat. Unfortunately, to me, his coat looks a lot more blocky than the actual Pokemon. I’m not sure how the coat could look softer and more like smoke.

Things I liked:

The detail in the face

Things I didn’t like:

The fur on Entei’s back looks very blocky and not very soft

Review of nanoblock Ho-Oh NBPM_033

December 13, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Ho-Oh build. Ho-Oh is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Names:

English: Ho-Oh
Japanese: Houou

Number: NBPM_033

Number of Pieces: 180

Difficulty Rating: 4/5

Ho-Oh is an unusual nanoblock Pokemon build because it has a difficulty of 4/5. I think it is because it is a challenge to build the wings and tail and getting things to line up correctly. The build has 5 major sections to this nanoblock build. There is a head, a body, 2 wings, and a tail.

The first step is to build the body. It starts with a base layer of white bricks. As you build the body in layers, you will add red for the top of the body and green for the neck.

The second step is to build the head. The head starts is a narrow layer of bricks, and then you build up the head in layers. I really like how the eyes are added to the head. The final step in building the head is adding the crown using yellow bricks. You attach the head to the body but be warned it will now fall over if you try and set it on the base.

The next step is to build the wings. The process is mirrored between the two wings. The wings are built by having bricks hanging over in each layer. I had some difficulty tracking which layer I was on when I set down the wing for a few minutes, and I picked it up again. I also had a hard time squaring up the white and green bricks. Each wing gets attached, and the build will sit stably when both wings are attached.

Next, you have a quick step to add the feet. It is very straightforward and clear.

The final step is to build the tail. It comes together by putting several small chunks together to create the idea of an open tail. Overall, each chunk is straightforward. However, I had some difficulty telling where exactly to attach to the chunk. I’ve also noticed that each chunk of the tail seems to be loosely connected, so it moves every time I move the build.

Things I liked:

There is a lot of detail for how early in the Pokemon collection this build is.

Things I didn’t like:

Overall the build just seems a little loose, and I’m worried about how well it will stay in place long-term. The tail has already shifted without me moving it much.

Review of nanoblock Lugia NBPM_032

December 6, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Lugia build. Lugia is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_32

Number of Pieces: 210

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Lugia is one of the 2 legendary Pokemon from generation 2. Lugia is the mascot Pokemon for Pokemon Silver.

The Lugia build is the first build where the directions went onto the backside of the pages for a total of 46 total steps. Unlike a lot of builds, it isn’t broken down into smaller steps.

Some of the steps are hard to tell precisely where the bricks go on a layer. I found Lugia’s arms much easier to build than Charizard’s wings.

Overall I liked Lugia. I think its arms are a bit clumpy compared to the fluid arms you see in the anime.

Things I liked:

The coloring is fairly accurate

Things I didn’t like:

Arms are super clumpy

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Celebi NBPM_054

November 29, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Celebi build. Celebi is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Number: NBPM_054

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Celebi is the mythical Pokemon that was released in generation 2. It was the second mythical Pokemon, with the first being Mew. Celebi is known to have the power to control time. This set is one of 3 that were/are only available at Pokemon Centers in Singapore; the other 2 are the Crystal Gyarados and the Crystal Lapras.

Celebi, unlike most builds, begins with the middle of the head. There is a base layer in the head, and from there, you build up until you have completed the top of the head. Then you turn it over and finish the bottom of the head, be careful not to knock the antenna off. Next, you build the little body by creating layers of nanoblocks. I like the detail of the clear blocks to making little wings. Once you connect the head to the body, it’s time to add on the little feet and attach the base.

As a heads up, Celebi is a slightly top-heavy build that is likely to fall if you bump the table it’s sitting on. Overall I’m glad I went through the extra work required to get this set because it comes out so cute. It also uses colors you don’t see very often in Pokemon builds.

Things I liked:

The detail of the wings

Things I didn’t like:

Easy to knock over on accident

Review of nanoblock Cyndaquil NBPM_029

November 22, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

This post is a review of the nanoblock Cyndaquil build. Cyndaquil is part of the nanoblock Pokemon collection. Wondering what else is part of the Pokemon Collection? Click Here for a list.

Names:

English: Cyndaquil
Japanese: Hinoarashi

Number: NBPM_029

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Cyndaquil is the fire-type starter from generation 2. It is a starter along with Totodile and Chikorita. It is also one of the starters in the new Pokemon Legends: Arceus game. Cyndaquil is generally shown as a very shy Pokemon.

The build begins with a base of bricks. In the second layer, you start to add the dark on the back. You continue to build layers of bricks, and eventually, you begin the flame on the back. The next step is to start building the head. You build the head up from a base in layers circling and creating rings for the head.

Once you have the started head, attach it to the body you built earlier. Next, you close up the head and make the flame on the back. Once you have completed closing up the head, you add more details to the flame. The final step is to add the details of the feet and the clear bricks that keep the build from tipping.

Overall I think this is a super cute build. Cyndaquil has always been one of my favorites, so I was worried about how the figure would turn out. I like the amount of detail in the flame between the orange and clear red bricks. I wish they had used a lighter color for the light part of his body. It seems really dark compared to the photo.

Things I liked:

The amount of detail in the flame

Things I didn’t like:

The light section of the body is too dark