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<\/a>If you\u2019re familiar with my reviews you know that I\u2019m a big fan of trying out new toys. I love the stuff Hasbro and Matty make, but I also support the small and independent companies out there who bring much needed originality and freedom to the toy aisles. My newest venture into this realm is the Nanoblock. <\/p>\nNanoblock is a micro-sized brick building system. Their parent company, Kawada, is a Japanese company who has had a few years of success in their home country and now is beginning to make inroads into the US market through distribution with Toys R Us. Unlike LEGO, their sets are based mostly off of real world animals and architectural structures. There are no minifigures or fantastical elements, just tiny sets that could basically be considered models.<\/p>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nWhen I say Nanoblocks are tiny, I\u2019m definitely not embellishing. The company boasts that their smallest piece is only 4x4x5mm. In toy terms this translates to LEGO type blocks for my action figures to play with, which is definitely one of the reasons I was so excited to check them out. Toys for my toys? Sign me up any day!<\/p>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nI discovered these toys while walking down the LEGO aisle at my local Toys R Us. I almost missed them, but I just happened to glance over to the Mega Bloks and this tiny black and white box caught my eye. The packaging contains a little window that lets you see the bricks, and I couldn\u2019t believe how small they were. Sadly, our TRU only had the Neuschwanstein Castle and the Eiffel Tower to choose from. So I picked the castle because it contained more pieces and looked like a more interesting build.<\/p>\n
Something you always have to worry about with a non-LEGO building block is the quality of the product. I was happy to discover these problems are mostly nonexistent here. The plastic is a strong and shiny ABS plastic, similar to LEGO. There are no issues with warping or incompatible pieces. These bricks don\u2019t use the same pipe system on the underside as LEGO, so there were some instances of sliding pieces. But this wasn\u2019t a big deal for the most part.<\/p>\n
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<\/center><\/p>\nConstruction was a bit challenging at times. Difficulty for me didn\u2019t come from the complexity of the set, but the dexterity needed to work with such tiny pieces. If you\u2019re going to try one of these sets, I suggest you do it over a contained area like a large lid or small box. Some of the smaller round pieces can have a tendency to slip out of your grasp easily, and you definitely don\u2019t want to be scouring the carpet for one of these things. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since all the pieces are flat, the instructions direct you to build it up layer by layer. This isn\u2019t too difficult because all the previous layers are portrayed in light blue. This really helps to cut down on the confusion. <\/p>\n Like I said earlier, these sets have the feel of a model kit than a LEGO set. They have a much more technical feel during assembly and less of the fun I experience while building with a LEGO set. Some portions of the construction were even a bit tedious, like the entire layer of 1×1 bricks. This may just go back to the dexterity issue again though. <\/p>\n One thing that I was really happy about was all the extra pieces the set came with. There were more than enough to build a little something extra, or even replace those pieces which might have literally slipped through your fingers.<\/p>\n Ultimately I really like the end product of this little set. Even though I bought it for my figures to play with, I could easily see putting this on my desk at work. It\u2019s playful, yet still very professional. The back of the box says for ages 8 and up, but I have the feeling these little architectural wonders would appeal more to the adult builder.<\/p>\n The Neuschwanstein Castle came with 550 pieces and was a level three (of five) difficulty. Both it and the Eiffel Tower were about $15 at TRU. I feel that\u2019s a pretty decent price based on the piece count. Now I just hope my TRU gets more of the sets in. I think I\u2019d like to try a couple more of the castles.<\/p>\n![](\"reviews\/advimages\/2011\/nano4.jpg\")
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