nanoblock Clear Color Set Review

Difficulty: Level 1 - 4
No of Blocks: 800+
Item Code: NB-016

Front of the box

Back of the box

It has been years since Kawada first introduced the basic brick sets which are basically generic nanoblock sets that lets you build anything you like. So, it is nice to see them finally getting around to introducing new sets for those who like to build their own designs. Kawada released three sets recently: Standard Color, Monotone Color and Clear Color. In this review, we take a look at the new Clear Color Set (NB-016). 

The bricks in this set comes in 5 colours and the material used is a kind of transparent plastic. You can see the list of brick colours and types in the photo below. Interesting thing to note is the inclusion of newer brick types like the rounded-edge 1x3 and 1x4.

The bricks in this set

The contents of this set

A huge instruction sheet is included in the set, with separate instructions to make 7 different things. Look at the photos below to see what you can build. It is nice that they show you which items you can build at the same time.

Some of the designs are really simple to build and should not take long. The most challenging would be the rose and the crystal skull. 

If you have the nanoblock LED base plate, you can use it to light up your creations. Here is what the crystal skull looks like lighted up. 

I know there are many of you who love this fully transparent "crystal" look, but personally, I am not really into making completely transparent designs unless the thing I am making is inherently transparent like liquid or glass. Nevertheless, it is a good addition to a custom builder's arsenal. These transparent bricks could come in really handy in many situations.

You can get this Clear Color Set online at Plamoya or Amazon.

Chris's nanoblock Christmas Tree 2013

I created this using only the bricks from the Clear Color Set (NB-016) and the addition of the LED base plate to light up the tree.

nanoblock Kero Kero Keroppi Review

Photo & Review By: Ada Tse
Text By: Christopher Tan

Difficulty: Level 1
Time to Complete: 10 minutes
No of Blocks: 80+
Item Code: NBCC-013

Kero Kero Keroppi is a popular character from Sanrio. This nanoblock version is quite small and simple to build. It is rated at Level 1 in terms of difficulty and takes less than 10 minutes to build. Here are the contents of this set.

The bricks in this set

Below are some photos of the build process. It really is very easy to build, nothing tricky at all.

The extra bricks included in this set

The completed Kero Kero Keroppi is quite cute, with his really big eyes and head as you can see in the following photos. If you are a fan of Sanrio characters, you might want to look out for this set.

Note: You can find this set on Amazon. 

DIY: Lighting for nanoblock

The only official method of lighting your nanoblock creations is by using the nanoblock LED Base Plate. That is useful for bigger designs, but what if you want to light up something smaller? Here is a simply DIY solution that will cost you RM5 and just a minute of your time.

Buy this LED key chain from Daiso. You can also search eBay for it.

What's cool about this particular LED keychain is that
the LED + battery holder + switch is all in one removable
module as you can see above.

As you can see, it is pretty compact.

It is also bright and colourful. It cycles through the
various colours in alternating slow waves and
fast flickers. 

Here you can see the battery. They should be good
for 10-12 hours of use.

You can stick it to a piece of 2x4 brick using bluetack,
or hot glue gun if you want it more permanent. Now, it is
ready for use. 

Here is an example of our DIY LED light being used
to light up a tiny house. The switch is accessible thru
that small hole you see behind the house.

Here is what the house looks like lighted up.

Below is a video of the lights in use. Looks like they are having a party in there =D

nanoblock Saint Basil's Cathedral Review

Photo & Review By: Wendy Lim
Text By: Christopher Tan

Difficulty : Level 3
Time to Complete: 60 minutes
No of Blocks : 491+
Item code: NBH-051

Front of the box

The Cathedral of the Protection of Most Holy Theotokos on the Moat or Pokrovsky Cathedral are official names for a Russian Orthodox church in Red Square in Moscow. The church is also called the Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, anglicized as Saint Basil's Cathedral. It was built from 1555–61 on orders from Ivan the Terrible and commemorates the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan. More info on Wikipedia.

This nanoblock miniature of this popular landmark comes in a fairly small box. In the box, you will find an instruction sheet and around 490+ pieces of bricks as shown below. A nice improvement in this new nanoblock set (compared to most of the older sets) is that the instruction sheet now lists the bricks used in each step. This makes it easier to understand and less likely to use the wrong brick during construction.

All the bricks in the set

Building this set is fairly easy. The only thing that needs some care and attention is in step 19. Take note of the position and direction when placing the roof. 

The extra bricks included with this set

Here are more photos of the completed nanoblock Saint Basil's Cathedral. I like this nanoblock set because it is very colourful and this is a popular tourist attraction in Russia.

Top view

Note: This nanoblock set is available in Plamoya and Amazon.