Tag: Pokemon - Page 7 - Shy Gal's Building Blog

Review of nanoblock Monotone Pikachu NBPM_014

April 5, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_014

Number of Pieces: 150

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Monotone Pikachu is a version of the Pokemon that uses greyscale instead of various colors to create the figure. Since the build is identical to that of the original colored build, I’m going to direct you there for a review of the building process. I’m only going to review the final build of the Monotone Pikachu build here. For more information about the monotone collection please click here.

Overall the build is primarily light grey. The back stripes are normal grey, and its cheeks are dark grey. I like he still has all of his details even though everything is grayscale. Overall, Pikachu is still super recognizable and looks like it could have come from the original Gameboy games. I really liked the monotone line and wish nanoblock would make more.

A surprise is that the 4 monotone starters (this build along there are builds for Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur) all come with a few extra bricks to make a Monotone Mew. This build comes with:

16 1X3 light grey
6 2×6 light grey
2 2×3 clear

Things I liked:

I like how the grayscale turns out

Review of nanoblock Moltres NBPM_047

March 31, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Moltres
Japanese: Fire

Number: NBPM_047

Number of Pieces: 190

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Moltres is one of the legendary Pokemon from generation 1. It has been available in some form in most of the later generations. This build is for the Kanto region bird; there is no build for the Galar region Moltres. The other legendary birds are Zapdos and Articuno.

The build comprises 4 sections the body, the head, and the wings that mirror each other. In general, the builds are pretty straightforward as long as you can tell what color you need. In fact, telling which color was the most challenging part because the directions are similar in the gold, orange, and transparent red. Like Zapdos, Moltres is floating on a stand and is pretty stable.

Things I liked:

Use of transparent block in the whole build

Things I didn’t like:

The colors are super close to the bricks but it is a little hard to tell in the directions

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Articuno NBPM_048

March 28, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Articuno
Japanese: Freezer

Number: NBPM_048

Number of Pieces: 170

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Articuno is one of the legendary Pokemon from generation 1. It has been available in some form in most of the later generations. This build is for the Kanto region bird; there is no build for the Galar region Articuno. Articuno is an ice-type bird that is known for having a flowing tail.

This nanoblock build is made of 4 parts, the body and head combination, 2 wings, and the tail. The head body combo is a reasonably usual build. Once you start building out where the wings attach, it gets a bit more complicated. The wings themselves were simple to build but connecting them was challenging.

Then the tail, I’m not sure that I ever got the tail right. Unlike nanoblock directions, I had a lot of difficulties reading the directions. After trying to create the tail, I’m not sure if it’s supposed to rest on the table along with the base or not. It never looked right as you can see in the photo below. The build ended up constantly tipping over, so I needed to put it on a base plate.

Overall until I got to the tail, I enjoyed building Articuno. Once I got to building the tail, I got frustrated and had difficulty lining everything up.

Things I liked:

It looks like the pokemon

Things I didn’t like:

The fact it was tippy no matter how I attached the tail
Hard to get the tail to attach, I don’t think I’ve gotten it right yet

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Zapdos NBPM_046

March 25, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Zapdos
Japanese: Thunder

Number: NBPM_046

Number of Pieces: 240

Difficulty Rating: 4/5

Zapdos is one of the legendary Pokemon from generation 1. It has been available in some form in most of the later generations. This build is for the Kanto region Zapdos, there is no build for the Galar region Zapdos.

The build is made up of 4 major parts along with the small body. The large parts are the head, 2 wings that are mirrored, and the tail. The body is just a basic cube that has open studs to attach the other body pieces. The head is a pretty simple build. The first real challenge I had was the wings because they don’t have a real base to have them stable so instead of using my pad I had to balance the wings on my hand. The tail is tricky as well because there are lots of chains where things are being held on by one stud.

Overall I really enjoyed the build. I think it appears way more impressive than the work that goes into it.

Things I liked:

The final nanoblock model looks cool

Things I didn’t like:

The tail was tricky to attach without it breaking

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Blastoise NBPM_019

March 21, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_019

Number of Pieces: 220

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Blastoise is the 3rd evolution of Squirtle from generation 1. His most recognizable attribute is the cannons on his back.

Overall I found the build challenging because this was one of the first builds that was built using a ton of smaller builds. From the beginning, you are connecting smaller builds together, so it takes a while to see how you are making. In particular, I found Blastoise’s arms to be finicky because there was one stud holding up the L-shaped blocks.

Overall I really like the final build. It is solid and clean and highly recognizable as Blastoise. I feel like it has enough details, like the cannons and the white fingertips, to clarify which Pokemon you are dealing with.

Things I liked:

How the cannons look on his back

Things I didn’t like:

Getting his hands to hold and building around the hands once you added them

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Mew NBPM_045

March 18, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_045

Number of Pieces: 90

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Mew is the first mythical Pokemon from back in generation 1.

The Mew build comprises 3 separate parts, the body, the head (and the tail), and the base. This build is also different from most Pokemon builds because it has clear bricks built into the model instead of the clear bricks being a stand. The body is a typical simple stack of bricks like an average nanoblock build. The head is basically a cube with the tail coming off. It also has the directions to build 2 sections of the head simultaneously. The last part is the stand which allows Mew to float!

Overall I really liked the build. I love that it stands very well and isn’t tippy, which is uncommon with the floating models.

Things I liked:

Really well balanced and stands well

Things I didn’t like:

I wish the tail was thicker

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Chansey NBPM_034

March 14, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Names:

English: Chansey
Japanese: Lucky

Number: NBPM_034

Number of Pieces: 140

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

Chansey has been around since generation 1. They are best known as the helpers in the Pokemon Centers in both the video game and the tv show. This nanoblock build is made of 2 shades of pink for the body and white for the egg.

The Chansey build is basically a sphere with a flat base. So it is mostly building bricks on the edges of the sphere until you close up the sphere. I like how the model is made of 2 shades of pink (the lighter and the darker). The Pokemon naturally has some shading so the shades of pink adds a nice accent.

Things I liked:

It’s cute and the dark pink adds a nice detail to make it reconizable

Things I didn’t like:

It is basiclly a shpeare on feet

Link to order:

Review of nanoblock Mewtwo NBPM_006

March 7, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_006

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

Mewtwo is one of the most popular Pokemon from generation 1. It was also one of, if not the most powerful, Pokemon generation 1. It has remained a favorite over the years while most Pokemon favorites come in waves.

Overall the build was more complicated than the ones I had done before. Getting the arms to line up was the hardest part. This is because you depend on one stud holding things square, which I’ve found can be challenging if you try to go quickly.

Mewtwo stands on 2 2×2 bricks. I expected him to be highly tippy and challenging to get standing up, but he is very well balanced, and as long as you get the feet in the row, he stands up perfectly fine all by himself.

Things I liked:

The color that they used for the purple detail
That he stands nicely

Things I didn’t like:

Trying to get his hands to hold up right

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Gyarados NBPM-023

March 4, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_023

Number of Pieces: 170

Difficulty Rating: 3/5

To me, Gyarados appears to be the fan-favorite generation 1 dragon Pokemon. It is also famous as the first shiny pokemon as the red Gyarados in generation 2, though as far as I’m aware, nanoblock hasn’t made a red version yet.

Gyarados is a more challenging build. It is built up from a small base, significantly affecting the build. When I was building the head, I found the figure kept tipping forward. It did get better when I added the tail, but it still likes to tip forward if you don’t place it on the table just so. Another thing that makes this build challenging is there are several points where you build a chain of brick to make details which can be a challenge to line up.

Overall, Gyarados is very recognizable as the pokemon is meant to represent. I think they use many uncommon techniques in the Pokemon builds, such as the use of negative space to create the inside of his mouth.

Things I liked:

How the eyes are inset is cool

Things I didn’t like:

The final build is tippy and likes to fall over if you don’t place it down just right

There is a second version of this build that was released as NBPM_055 known as Crystal Gyarados.

Link to order: Amazon

Review of nanoblock Eevee NBPM_005

March 2, 2022March 3, 2023shygal

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

Number: NBPM_005

Number of Pieces: 130

Difficulty Rating: 2/5

As of this posting, nanoblock has released kits for all 9 eeveelutions. The builds have gotten more detailed as time has passed, so the first builds are a bit simpler. I find that all the kits are recognizable for the Pokemon they are supposed to be. Eevee is the base Pokemon that evolves into all the rest of the eeveelutions and is introduced in generation 1. It is a brown Pokemon with a cream collar and tail.

The build for Eevee starts a bit trickier than the other earlier nanoblock kits Pokemon in the evolution chains such as the Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon builds. There are a few occasions where you need to develop smaller chunks that combine to make the pieces. You are building separate parts from the second step that create Pokemon’s fluffy collar. Once you get the more custom base, you build the model from the bottom up. The ears are much easier to build than the other early evolutions because you are only building up one color, while the evolutions have 2 color ears.

Eevee is one of my favorite Pokemon, so I am happy that the build comes out cute.

Things I liked:

Cute and recognizable

Things I didn’t like:

The ears can be tricky to line up

Link to order: Amazon