Building the N&B Block Garden House

In this post we will take a look at the building of a Nintendo N&B Block (任天堂ブロック) set.

If you don't know what N&B Block is, check out this introduction.

The set we are putting together is called "Garden House" (ガーデンハウス). This was one of the smaller N&B Block sets.

It dates from 1968 and has model number NB 980-G. This model number also identifies the list price at the time: 980 yen. This translates to around 3,500 yen in today's money.

When I found this particular set, it was so-called "new old stock"; the blocks were still shrink-wrapped.

Today these blocks will be liberated from underneath the plastic film, after almost fifty-five years of waiting.

A single folded sheet with assembly instructions (組み立て方説明書) is included. It is printed one-sided, in colour.

When unfolded, the instructions measure around 38 by 54 centimeters.

The text in the top right corner states:

Assemble in order, while looking at the completed drawing.

Various other things can be assembled with these parts. Let's assemble your own things.

There are many other sets in the Nintendo (N&B) block [range].

A table is provided that lists all included parts, with their colour (red, white, blue, yellow or green) and part count.

The total number of parts for this set is 179.

Nintendo must have had a good quality control back then (like they do now), as all listed parts are present. There are no spare parts.

Besides a number of standard "2 by" bricks, in varying lengths, a good selection of smaller parts is included.

Let's build. Seventeen steps to go!

Take a deep breath. We are already half way!

We have now reached the seventeenth and final step of the instructions, but we are not done yet. Some green pieces are still left over at this stage.

To complete the house, these last pieces need to be turned into trees, following the drawing at the top of the instruction sheet.

Overall, the building experience was good and fun. At some points, a little force was needed to put the bricks together, but the pieces mostly fit remarkably well, especially considering their age.

The colours of the parts are also still vibrant. It is hard to believe this set is more than fifty years old. 

Here's the final result. From the front:

And the back:

For more information on Nintendo N&B Blocks, you can take a look at this introduction, or this overview of all sets.