So almost 4 years have passed since I posted a build report on my small corner of the internet, but today I'm doing one.
No, it ain't LEGO, I'm still steering in a wide circle around that, but a set I had lying around here now for 7 years: Mini Blocks's Pidgeotto.
I already own several of their small, loose standing Pokemon builds, but this line comes with a scenic base for the model, making it look a bit more "umpf-y".
In the box is the bag of nano sized bricks for the 353 pcs model. Don't expect numbered bags or such, just one bag of all the very small bricks. I recommend to pour them on a dinner plate, and work on a white underground to see them better.
Also included are the base plate, as well as the instructions. For those unfamiliar with nano sized bricks, the instructions might get needing to get used to. Every step has two or three layers in it, and you need to build from the bottom up. The previous placed bricks are then grayed out in the steps.
And rest assured, wen you are used to LEGO, the bricks are tiny. Unfortunatly, the proportions are different as well, so AFOL's looking for ideas can't just copy the instructions with the larger LEGO bricks.
But let's start building. Because it works down to up in layers, the first layer of a part is always a selection of loose lying bricks, as seen here for the head.
You then build on top of that, and the upper layers hold the low ones in place as a result. The head, with the typical large "comb" is as such the first section that is being build.
Putting this aside, we move to the main body of Pidgeotto. Again this is being build up layer by layer, consisting of a combination of flesh coloured bricks and browns.
The wings are then on the menu, consisting of two mirrored builds.
With these four sections finished, we bring them all together and the form of our Pokemon becomes clearly visible.
The feet of our bird are then assembled, before moving to the tail section. One benefit of such small bricks is that they can connect "loose standing" at the top of a build, as you can see in the one nop lines of the tail feathers, as they barely pack any weight, yet remain in place.
And we then attach these to the main body as well.
The scenic base is up next, and the start makes it look like a game of Battleship. You might want to pry your eyes a bit here on the instructions in order to count the studs between every placement.
Hmmm, these look familiar. Honey, I shrunk the bricks 😂.
The next thing we build is a pokeball, one of the features on the base, and excellent looking.
But then, this. A vortex that represents Pidgeotto's Wind Gust attack, and a nightmare to build. The problem was, as seen on the picture, that the grey of build layers and the new to add clear bricks isn`t that decently visible. I`m also in the impression that between step B and C, on the left side on the plan, a brick appeared above the 3 stud white one that wasn`t on the plan.
I added it there anyways just to get the whole thing done, but I can`t seem to place the fiddly thing exactly correct in order to make a nicely rounded out vortex though.
All that is left to do now is add Pidgeotto to the base, and the build is done.
Afterwards, you also have a nice stack of left over bricks, I checked over twice to see if I didn`t forget something, but nope, it's all there.
In conclusion, I`m a bit divided on the set. The Pidgeotto looks great, as does the pokeball, but I`m feeling that the base actually detracts from the whole set. And then there is that vortex...
Never the less, I always had a soft spot for these nanobrick sized sets, and if I come around some more of them I`ll probably end up picking one or two up. It might just take "a while" before I actually get around building it hehehe...
Thanks for looking at this BR since a long time, and I can`t say in all honesty when the next one will be, but there will be some at one point for sure!
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