Patience is a virtue especially when it comes to designing and building using nanoblocks, writes Sulyn Chong
HE still likes to think that he’ll forever be 26. Because at 40, Christopher Tan is still playing with Lego. But these are not ordinary Lego blocks.
Tan is a nanoblock designer who has successfully turned a hobby and passion into a blossoming career. The Klang native has established himself internationally with more than 52,000 fans across all his social media platforms.
Recently, he released four specially designed nanoblocks series with Kawada Co. Ltd, the creators of these micro-sized building blocks.
With a sweeping glance through the little space which Tan calls his home office, several miniature figurines catch my eye. A green dinosaur, a pink pig and two round potato heads tickle my childhood memories. What’s missing is a cowboy, his trusty pony and an intergalactic best friend whose famous tagline, Above And Beyond! has become as iconic as the Disney Pixar production itself.
“A lot of my inspiration comes from pop culture, especially current ones. Like when Star Wars was on, I designed this BB-8, R2-D2 and Storm Trooper. However, my favourite icons to design are Disney Pixar characters,” reveals Tan.
With a boyish grin, he sheepishly picks up his Domo-kun replica and points to a flaming red, angry looking character from Inside Out (a Disney Pixar movie that was released late 2015) sitting atop a miniature glass case that houses a scaled down Raffles Hotel Singapore.
FORM OF ESCAPISM
Like a seamless rainbow palette, tiny drawers filled with coloured blocks line one side of the wall on his desk. “I’ve about 600-700 thousand bricks at the moment,” Tan shares. With more than 360 designs built to date, it isn’t surprising to see many of the remnants filling plastic containers and boxes.
“In the earlier days when I didn’t have enough bricks, I’d build something, photograph it, and then tear them down to reuse the bricks for something else. Nowadays, I just break down the larger projects into smaller components, so it’ll be easier if I want to rebuild them,” he explains.
His love for micro-blocks began when Kawada released them for international sales. Tan recalls: “When I came across the nanoblocks in 2011, I was fascinated by the minute size. I then received a panda set for my birthday. I started buying more blocks and created my own designs.”
The smallest micro-blocks measure a mere 4mm x 4mm, which is about one quarter the size of a Lego brick. The only tool that Tan uses is a trusty little nanoblock tweezer, which he uses sparingly.
Kawada has so far released four original series that vary in degrees of intricacy and features different themes. The most basic of the micro-blocks sets are sold in small packets known as the Mini Collection Series and usually contains about 100 pieces or more. These Mini Collection Series are perfect for nanoblock beginners and can be easily found at Japanese specialty stores in Malaysia such as Kinokuniya or Aeon.
If you fancy building iconic landmarks like the Big Ben or are interested in challenging yourself further, look out for the Sights To See Series that contains 200 to 600 blocks and a 8cm x 8cm plate for easy assembly.
The Advance Hobby Series meanwhile, features notable landmarks too but on a larger scale. This series will allow you to express your skills in detailing with about 2,000 blocks. There’s also the Girl’s Series, aimed at young girls and which include wedding and birthday themes.
It may not be a cheap hobby, but it certainly sparked Tan’s flames for building things using tiny blocks while he pursued his career as a software architect for various technological devices. His fascination with nanoblocks is also partially due to the 3D-like figurines he’s able to achieve.
“They’re like raw materials for creating 3D art. It doesn’t have that interactive playability like Legos but the results are more realistic. Perhaps that’s why it appeals to adults more than children,” he says. Nanoblocks then became a form of escapism from reality.
BIG BREAK
Since he became a full-time nanoblocks designer two years ago, Tan has garnered more than 52,000 followers though social media platforms. To mark his success, he’s even had his creations exhibited in Malaysia and Singapore, with the largest being in Hong Kong.
“My big break came when East Point City mall commissioned me for an exhibition that coincided with the World Cup 2014 in Brazil. They wanted a 3m x 3m replica of Rio De Janeiro city that includes the statue of Christ The Redeemer, slums, metropolitan area and, of course, the Estadio do Maracana,” he recalls.
Using 250,000 bricks and an entire day of calculations as well as drafts from Google Earth photo stills, the Brazilian capital was ready to be assembled. At the venue, it took him and 20 volunteers, comprising his Facebook fans in Hong Kong, 12 hours a day, for five days to assemble it.
As he proudly shows me the behind the scenes video, I watch with elation as he and his team pen their names at the bottom of the last block before putting it in place.
He also showcased his other creations which included the World Cup Trophy and several iconic footballers at the exhibition.
However, Tan knew he’d struck gold when Kawada decided to collaborate with him to design four special Japanese food-themed sets. It took two years but the results were satisfying. With the release of his designs last month, he became the one and only non-Japanese nanoblock designer and the second nanoblock designer not employed by the company. His steady success and recognition has even earned him the title of Tatsujin, the highest title given to a nanoblock master builder.
ULTIMATE DREAM
What’s his dream design using nanoblocks, I ask.
“You may call me an Apple fanboy for I own most of the Apple products. I’d like to try and build the new Apple Campus 2 in Cupertino, California that looks like a spaceship,” Tan confides, before adding: “I also admire Steve Jobs, so it’ll be like a tribute to him.”
Given the amount of patience and attention to detail that he applies in each and every design, in addition to passion and skills, it’s no surprise that it only takes him a few minutes to build the Leica camera among his Disney Pixar collection, which he attributes to be the easiest to build.
On the other side of the spectrum, there’s the 2,500 micro-blocks Great Wall of China that’s sitting magnificently next to his BB-8.
Throughout his career, Tan has received several interesting requests from fans and although he has expressed interest in creating a few of them, he says the lack of time is an obstacle. His current project sees him creating several collectors’ items for one of South Korea’s largest baseball team, Hanhwa Eagles. The collection will include the stadium, its mascots Winny and Vinny Eagle and four of their top baseball players. For a more locally attainable collection, look out for his beauty creations, a make-up palette and perfume bottle for Sasa.
Concluding, he says: “As long as I retain the designs in my head, it doesn’t matter if I lose all of the pieces I’ve built. All it takes is a little hard work, patience and more bricks to rebuild them.”