nanoblock Kumamon Review

Difficulty: Level 2

Time to Complete: 30 Minutes

Item Code: NBH_074

Kumamon is a mascot created by the government of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. He was first created in 2010 for a campaign called Kumamoto Surprise to draw tourists to the region after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened. Kumamon subsequently became nationally popular, and in late 2011, was voted top in a nationwide survey of mascots, collectively known as Yuru-kyara, garnering over 280,000 votes. More info from Wikipedia.

This Kumamon nanoblock set is only available in Japan, and I bought it when I was in Tokyo recently. They are sold in most places that sells nanoblock, like Bic Camera, Yodobashi, Loft, etc. The box does not mention the number of bricks included in this set, but you can see from the photo below that it does in fact come with quite a lot of bricks.

Some of the more interesting bricks in this set

It took me about half an hour to build this. I really like the design of this nanoblock Kumamon. It's really cute. Also, I really like the way it's designed. There is a certain beauty to it.

You can see photos of the finished build below.

The extra bricks included in this set

For custom builders, this set is also cool because it comes with a lot of the black and yellow angled-bricks.

nanoblock Studio Apartment Review

Difficulty: Level 2
Time to Complete: 45 Minutes
No of Blocks: 380+
Item Code: NBI_003

In this review, I will be taking a look at the Studio Apartment nanoblock set. It is one of three in the new series featuring types of houses.  This set was released by Kawada recently and it is the first to introduce nanoids. They are tiny little nano-people, as you can see in the photo below. 

There are over 380 blocks included in this set and a large piece of instruction sheet. Most of the bricks are the tiny variety. 

Some of the more interesting brick types in this set

Following are some photos of the build process and the finished built. It took around 45 minutes to complete it. It was fairly easy to build, it just take a while as there are many small bricks to assemble. 

The extra bricks included with this set

What's cool about this set is that the roof can be easily lifted off to reveal the interiors of the apartment. The sliding door can be moved and the front door swings open too! There are also various details in the apartment like a giant TV, sofa, kitchen, etc. 

This set retails at RM79.90 in Malaysia. I still have a few left so if anyone is interested, just click here.

Review: nanoGauge Class 923 Doctor Yellow

There are several different train models in the nanoGauge series. In this review, we will be taking a look at the Class 923 Doctor Yellow (nGT_004).

Doctor Yellow is the nickname for the high-speed test trains that are used on the Japanese Shinkansen ("Bullet Train") dedicated express passenger train routes. The trains have special equipment on board to monitor the condition of the track and overhead wire, including special instrumented bogies and observation blisters. The 'Doctor' part of the name is from their test and diagnostic function, and the 'Yellow' part comes from the bright yellow color they are all painted. More info on Wikipedia.

The bricks and instruction sheet in this set

Some of the special bricks in this set

Similar to other trains in the nanoGauge series, the build is quite straight forward, even though it has a difficulty rating of 4. There is nothing particularly tricky. The only part that might be a bit frustrating is the first step. I like all the new types of special bricks included in this set which lets you build a more aerodynamic looking train. As a custom builder, I am excited by all the possibilities these special bricks bring.

Extra bricks included in this set

Below are photos of the completed train. I think it is a really nice looking design. If you have the nanoGauge Basic Full Set, you can attach this train to the motor and boogie units and let it run on the track.

If you want to grab yourself some nanoGauge trains, click here to get them at discount =)

nanoblock Pad Review

Whenever you start a new nanoblock build, the first step usually requires you to layout a bunch of bricks in a specific way, then in the next step, you have to very carefully place bricks on top of it. Usually, this results in all the bricks you so carefully placed in the first step to move and get jumbled up again. Sounds familiar? 

Well, good news, Kawada has created a new tool to resolve this particular problem and it's called the nanoblock Pad.

On the back of the box above, you can see they printed a comic strip that clearly illustrates the frustration I described earlier. Below are photos of the nanoblock Pad itself.

nanoblock Pad closed

nanoblock Pad opened up

The entire nanoblock Pad is made of soft silicon. When you hold it up with your hands, it feels wobbly. The cover of the nanoblock Pad does not "lock" in any way when you close it, so you can forget about putting some bricks in there to bring it with you to build on the go. Actually, the cover serves no purpose at all. I would have preferred they just make a 40x40 silicon base plate. It would have allowed me to build bigger things and I can layout a few pieces side by side for even larger builds.

Anyway, aside from that issue, it does serve the purpose it was designed to do and works well. When you lay your bricks on the nanoblock Pad, it just rest on it a bit loosely. The studs on the nanoblock Pad does not actually grip the bricks tightly. This is a good thing, because it lets you easily lift up the stuff you built, as you can see in the photos below.

Conclusion

The nanoblock Pad works well for its intended purpose, but if you buy it thinking you can use it like a travel pack to nanoblock on the go, you will be disappointed. Also, I have to say, the nanoblock Pad is a dust magnet and being black in colour just makes it all the more obvious. 

That said, I would still recommend this product because there is no other alternative out there right now. 

You can get the nanoblock Pad on Amazon.

Review: nanoGauge Shinkansen Series E6

Today, we take a look at another train from the nanoGauge series, the Shinkansen Series E6 (nGT_003). For those who didn't already know, nanoGauge is a train set series based on nanoblock. 

A bit about this train from Wikipedia:

The E6 series is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed train type operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) on Komachi "mini-shinkansen" services on the Tohoku Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen from Tokyo to Akita since 16 March 2013. A pre-production set was delivered in June 2010 for extensive testing, with 23 full-production sets delivered between November 2012 and spring 2014. Click here to read more.

The bricks and instruction sheet included in this set

The special bricks in this set

This set is rated at a difficulty level of 3, but there is nothing particularly tricky about the build. What I like about the nanoGauge trains are the special bricks Kawada introduced to make the trains look more aerodynamic. If you're a custom builder, these bricks could come in very handy.

The extra bricks included in this set

Below are photos of the completed train. As you can see, it's a nice looking train and the special bricks were put to good use. 

The Shinkansen Series E6 next to the Steam Locomotive.

If you want to grab yourself some nanoGauge trains, click here to get them at discount =)

nanoGauge Basic Full Kit Review - Part 1

Difficulty: Level 3
Time to Complete: 60 minutes
Item Code: nGS_001

Introduction

nanoGauge is the new motorised train set from Kawada that is based on nanoblock. It is currently only officially released in Japan, so I ordered mine from Plamoya for around USD130 (excluding shipping). The box is huge, so shipping costs a bomb! 

Front of the box

Back of the box

Contents

This set comes with everything you need to get started, including the user manual, train build instructions, tracks, motor and bogie units, controller, power supply and of course, nanoblock bricks to build the actual train itself. I will go through all the items in more detail below.

Contents of this set

User manual

The user manual is a single large sheet of paper and it tells you everything you need to know to get your nanoGauge set working, so it's fairly simple to set it up.

AC Power Adapter and Controller

The controller unit allows you to control the running of the train. You can control both the direction and speed of the train. An AC power adapter that uses 100-240v is provided, so it should be supported everywhere. Yes, this thing runs on AC power, not batteries.

Motor and Bogie Units

One motor unit and four bogie units are included in this set. The motor unit drives the train, while bogie units allow you to build the other carriages that are attached to the motor unit. Each carriage would need two bogie units, one in front and one at the back. The bogie units have studs on top, so you just treat it like a brick. The motor unit however does not have any studs. Instead, a really huge brick is provided which you can build your carriage on top and around it, which the motor unit then slots into. 

Track Sections

Bottom of the track sections

There are 8 curved and 4 straight track sections and that is enough for you to build a reasonable sized track. They slide and click into place quite nicely, and each section has two points where you can actually attach nanoblock bricks under and that is also the place where you can attach the cable that connects to your controller. These things can't bend much, so if you want to create a track with portions that are elevated, you will need a very very long track.

Bricks for the train

The train itself is quite simple, but I am sure you already knew that looking at the amount of bricks above. Even though they rated the difficulty at Level 3, I think it is more like a Level 2 at most. What is interesting though, is that Kawada introduced a bunch of new of brick types with nanoGauge. As you can see below, most of them are slated bricks and their purpose is to allow us to build more aerodynamic looking trains.

Some of the new brick types

Part 2 of this review will look into the building of the train and my thoughts about nanoGauge.