Chris's Nanoblock Blog

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How To: Designing Nanoblock Creations


The most commonly asked question I get from my blog followers are, where do you buy those generic nanoblock bricks to build your creations ? I finally answered that in an article over here. 

Now, I am moving on the the second most commonly asked question, which is, how do I design my nanoblock creations. First, lets get something out of the way. Some of you were wondering if I used any software to help me design my creations. The answer is no, I do not use any software, so, no shortcuts if that is what you’re wondering ;)

Here is how I actually go about designing my nanoblock creations.

1) Pick an idea that is feasible

Yes, theoretically, pretty much anything can be build using nanoblock.  The question is :  (a) How detailed do you want it   (b) How big do you have to build the model in order to achieve the required level of detail   (c) Do you have enough bricks to actually build it. So when you choose to build something, these 3 factors have to be considered.

2) Study the 3D structure

After deciding what to build, I would do a Google Image Search of the item I want to build. So, for example, when I wanted to build a Smurf, I search for images of Smurfs, and try to get a few pictures of Smurfs from multiple angles. That allows me to study the subject’s structure in 3D, and I can visualize it in my head.

3) Decide what are the important features

While nanoblock is small, it is still quite big, and it is impossible to capture every single detail unless you build your model extremely huge. So, you have to decide what are the features of the model that must be captured in your design in order for it to be recognized as what you are trying to build, and what are non-essential. Don’t try to capture every tiny detail.

4) Start building from the smallest significant detail

After getting a 3D mental image, I normally start building from the smallest significant detail. The reason is because this will determine the scale for the rest of the model.  Take for example, if the smallest significant detail is the eyes, and you need to have a single black block surrounded by white blocks to build an eyeball, everything else have to be scaled accordingly, since you can’t build the rest of the model at a smaller scale than that. So, if a single eyeball is 3x3 blocks, two eyeballs would be 6 blocks across, you can’t build your head with a width smaller than 6 blocks, or the eyes wouldn’t fit.

5) Refine the design

Once I have visualized in my head on roughly how to map a 3D structure to nanoblock design, I more or less get what I expected when building it, but not always. There will be things that seems like it should work in your head, but when you actually build it, it does not come out how you expect it to be. So, you have to refine your design, like how a sculptor creates a sculpture. You make little tweaks here and there, until you get the shape you want. This is where the small 1x1 and 1x2 bricks comes in really handy for fine tuning your design.

That is pretty much the whole process that I go through when designing my nanoblock creations. If you want to take pictures of the build process for your creation, the easiest way to do it is actually to shoot pictures of the disassembly process, and reverse the order of photos to get the build instructions.

Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps in getting you started with creating your own nanoblock designs. 

Filed under nanoblock nanoblocks design custom creation how to build instructions tutorial guide

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nanoblock Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) Review

Difficulty: Level 3
Time to Complete: 50 mins
No of Blocks: 550+
Item Code: NBC-010
Price: RM69.90

Neuschwanstein Castle (German: Schloss Neuschwanstein) is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat and as a homage to Richard Wagner.

The nanoblock Neuschwanstein Castle set comes in a small box packaging, with over 550+ pieces of building blocks, and a sheet of instruction paper to show you how to build this castle.

The packets of blocks and instruction paper

This is a “Level 3” nanoblock set. It is not difficult to put together, but you will need some patience as there are a lot of tiny bricks involved. It took me around 50 minutes to build this. The build process is quite straight forward, but do pay close attention to the instructions, as there are many steps involved, and some of the steps seem quite similar, so there is possibility of getting confused. Here are some pics of the build process.

The finished castle and the leftover bricks.

And here is the final result. This nanoblock Neuschwanstein Castle is about 9cm high at the tallest point. It is quite an amazingly accurate model of the real thing given the small size of this nanoblock model.

This nanoblock Neuschwanstein Castle set retails at RM69.90, and you can get them from many Toys R Us, Action City, Kinokuniya, Popular Bookshop and XL Shop in Malaysia now.

If you are on Facebook, do follow Chris’s Nanoblock Blog page on Facebook to get all the latest updates.

Filed under build nanoblock nanoblocks nbc-010 Neuschwanstein Castle review Schloss Neuschwanstein toy

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nanoblock Maneki Neko Review

Difficulty: Level 2
Time to Complete: 20 mins
No of Blocks: 150+
Item Code: NBC-031
Price: RM33.90

The Maneki Neko (招き猫, literally “Beckoning Cat”; also known as Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money cat, or Fortune Cat) is a common Japanese sculpture, often made of ceramic, which is believed to bring good luck to the owner.

The nanoblock Maneki Neko set comes in a zip-lock bag packaging, with over 150+ pieces of building blocks, and a sheet of instruction paper to show you how to build your own Maneki Neko lucky cat.

The packets of blocks and instruction paper

This is a “Level 2” nanoblock set, so it is fairly simple and you should be able to build it quite quickly. I was able to build this in about 20 minutes. The build process is straight forward and nothing really tricky. Stickers are also provided with different “wishes”, so you can pick and choose which one you want to stick on your Maneki Neko. Here are some pics of the build process.

Finished Maneki Neko with the leftover blocks and stickers

And here is the final result. This cute Maneki Neko stands at just 5.5cm tall and fits right in the palm of your hands.

This nanoblock Maneki Neko set retails at RM33.90, and you can get them from many Toys R Us, Action City, Kinokuniya, Popular Bookshop and XL Shop in Malaysia now. 

If you are on Facebook, do follow Chris’s Nanoblock Blog page on Facebook to get all the latest updates.

Filed under bricks build cat lucky maneki neko money nanoblock nanoblocks review

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nanoblock Grand Piano Review

Difficulty: Level 2

Time to Complete: 20 mins

No of Blocks: 120+

Item Code: NBC-017

Price: RM32.90

nanoblock Grand Piano Review

The nanoblock Grand Piano set comes in a zip-lock bag packaging, with over 120+ pieces of building blocks, and a sheet of instruction paper to show you how to build it.

The blocks and instruction paper

This is a “Level 2” nanoblock set, so it’s fairly simple to put together. I was able to build this grand piano in about 20 minutes. The build process is quite straight forward and probably the only tricky part is the legs of the piano. Here are some pics of the build process.

And here is the final result. It is a very nice miniature model of a grand piano that stands at 6.5cm tall. It makes for a very nice gift for music lovers.

This nanoblock Grand Piano retails at RM32.90, and you can get them from many Toys R Us, Action City, Kinokuniya, Popular Bookshop and XL Shop in Malaysia now. 

If you are on Facebook, do follow Chris’s Nanoblock Blog page on Facebook to get all the latest updates.

Filed under nanoblock nanoblocks grand piano piano review nbc-017 music bricks build

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nanoblock Violin Review

Difficulty: Level 2

Time to Complete: 20 mins

No of Blocks: 180+

Item Code: NBC-018

Price: RM32.90

The nanoblock Violin set comes in a zip-lock bag packaging, with over 180+ pieces of building blocks, and a sheet of instruction paper to show you how to build your own miniature violin. 

The blocks and instruction paper. That’s over 180+ blocks.

This is a “Level 2” nanoblock set, so it’s quite easy to put together. I was able to build this violin in about 20 minutes. The build process is quite straight forward and there are some 20+ blocks leftover. Here are some pics of the build process.

And here is the final result. It is a nice miniature model of a violin that stands at 11cm tall. This would make for a really nice gift for musicians.

This nanoblock Violin retails at RM32.90, and you can get them from many Toys R Us, Action City, Kinokuniya, Popular Bookshop and XL Shop in Malaysia now. 

If you are on Facebook, do follow Chris’s Nanoblock Blog page on Facebook to get all the latest updates.


Filed under nanoblock nanoblocks violin music instrument review build bricks blocks