Nanoblocks

I have already admitted (perhaps more than once) that I have been bitten by the Lego bug.  That is undeniably true.  What I failed to mention, or perhaps concealed from you, is that I found a way to stave off the call of Lego.  Not surprisingly, that way comes from Japan (my other home, and source of many of my hobbies.)

They are called Nanoblocks.  Basically it is Lego, only smaller.  When you think about it, it is no surprise that these blocks come from Japan.  They made everything else smaller, so why not make something that is similar to Lego, only smaller.

I saw these things first either on Amazon.jp or on BusanKevin's YouTube page.  Yes, surprise surprise I do check out Amazon Japan often enough to spot what is new and happening in Japan.  Some family members call it an obsession, even a sickness.  Others think I was Japanese in a past life.  Either one might be true, but that doesn't really matter.  I like hobbies, and truth be told, Japan is a country which really caters to the hobbyist.

yes, they are that small

Back to Nanoblocks.  The upside is that they are small, and even a large box doesn't take up so much room when built.  I have built five pieces so far and they don't take up very much room.  In fact, the marketing for the ones that I have done (famous landmarks) is that you can have the whole world on your desk.  Looking at my photo you can see that is true.

Now, they are indeed small.  Even though I am into N scale trains (the second smallest scale) I found these things to be rather small.  This isn't such a big problem unless you

a) drop them on the carpet--in which case search and rescue could take some time

b) have slender nimble hands--which I don't

This is what comes in a typical box

c) have absolutely no patience--I have enough, fortunately

Of all of the ones I have built the castle was my favourite. It was a large, challenging, and came with a fantastic instruction book.  The instruction book set out how many of each type of piece was needed per step.  This was good because the box had more than 2000 pieces.  I enjoyed building it, but it took quite a bit of time.  I think the end result was a good model though.

This was the deluxe kit--and it was spectacular

Nanoblocks are readily available through amazon.com in the US (you lucky people) and here in Canada, Scholar's Choice sells a few (a few, my advice is to call before you drive there--I had to get them taken from one store to a closer one before I could go and pick them up)   As far as the price goes they are not horrendously expensive.  Granted, I did get the Castle (which is called Himeji Castle) sent from Japan--this is the deluxe one, a smaller one is available.

Once assembled, there are a few pieces left over.  I decided to organize mine in a Stanley organizer--perhaps it is not the best use of space.  I have done five and I could probably put what is left over into a small box.  Why on earth did I choose such a big organizer....I am thinking long term.  Someday I might have way too many of these tiles for even that huge organizer....someday.

okay, so I haven't reached storage capacity yet.

If you have some Japanese ability, you will be able to find some great examples of what artistic people can do on the Japanese homepage  diablock.co.jp/nanoblock   Typical of Japan, they hold yearly contests, and some of the work is unbelievable.

If you want to know more, check the English home page at mynanoblock.com

As an addition to my family of hobbies, it seems to fit right in.  It was creative, fun, challenging, and from Japan--see, perfect for me.

Where to Put My Stuff?

As an adult with too many hobbies storage becomes a big problem.  Certainly more hobbies means they take up more room.  Actually, rooms would be a better way of expressing it.  I've got the requisite hobby room of course.  I've got stuff in drawers, in closets and in Rubbermaid containers.  In truth, I probably need two hobby rooms--as well as space for the train--but that's another story.

Big space really isn't what I have trouble finding.  As a modeller, train enthusiast, card collector, toy car collector, and many other things, I have a ton of small parts, knick knacks, leftover pieces, and various odds and ends that need a place to go.

The small plastic multi drawer contraption ostensibly for holding screws that I got on sale at Canadian Tire doesn't really do the job.  The drawers don't really slide that well and make an excruciating scraping sound when I manage to get them open.  The plastic moulded handles on the drawers also serve to obscure the contents of the drawers.

I bought this one at a Japanese Dollar Store.  (they have them too.  They are called 100 yen stores, and being closer to Asian production centres they seem to have swung better deals having slightly better quality stuff and larger quantities--if you're curious, just check out YouTube)

It isn't bad, but the tray dividers don't fit that snugly and rattle around --and things just don't stay in place the way I would like it to.

I bought big drawers, but they are really only for big stuff,

For one of my latest hobbies I decided to do some research.  I chose this one from Stanley (through Amazon).  I like the mix and match cups. (I bought two and used most of the smaller cups in this one) Most of my stuff seems to stay put.  It was more expensive than the storage containers that I mentioned above.  It appears to be of a higher quality.  Only time will tell, but hopefully I've got a winner.

As storage seems to be a big deal in my hobby life, I was wondering what other people are using.