[Product Review] Tico Bricks!

If there's something that can keep me away from spending too much time on the computer and mobile phone, it has to be this.

And I am sure you guys will love this new product as much as I do ; especially after reading this post.

Presenting to you...

*drum rolls*

TICO BRICKS!!!!

If you are wondering what Tico Bricks are, they are actually small bricks (measuring at only 3.9mm x 3.9mm x 4.9mm) that you can build many cute things out of them. They have many series that feature different themes, one of which the latest one is the Amusement Park series!

I was really thrilled when the lovely folks from Play Distribution had kindly sent me a set of Tico Brick from the Amusement Park series over for the review. It took me a long time before finally selecting the Ferris Wheel design because EVERY single one looks so adorable!

Initially, I was not sure if my patience would lead me to complete it as it does seem complicated to build - but hey, I DID and was even so engrossed in it that I did not realise that the time was passing so fast.

I have documented my process to share with you guys, and I do think it's pretty amazing to see the bricks taking form with each step! (Please pardon me if the photos are not very well-taken as I was literally making and taking the photos all by myself at the same time)

What's inside the box: - 

Two packets of small bricks, two bigger square bricks that are meant to be the "grass patch", and one instruction manual (step-by-step)

As the bricks are pretty small, I had to be careful and ensured that I had everything in place inside the box. 

                                 

 Let's begin by connecting the two "grass patch"together!

Every brick here was joined together after referring to the instruction manual (Don't worry, the manual is very clear-cut. All you have to do is follow step by step)

And here was the first step done! Still looking nothing like a Ferris wheel yet...

Slowly... Omg, see the colourful-looking small blocks there? Those were actually meant to be human figures that would soon be admiring a Ferris wheel before them. SO CUTE, RIGHT?!?!

And 4 trees were planted...

Here's a picture of how it looks like from the side view:-

It's slowly taking place.. AT THIS STAGE, MY EXCITEMENT GREW. 

You know the feeling of building something using your own bare hands? I was enjoying every single minute of this.

It's starting to take shape now!! *squeals in delight*

And here came the crucial part of the bricks. I had to build the "rod"first before attaching it to the main parts.

Build 4 of the same "rods" and we have this:

  I would say the MOST difficult part would be putting this set of bricks together to form a circle for the wheel. I spent quite a lot of time on this part as the position of the bricks kept shifting when I accidentally touched it while I was trying to secure them during the process. 

There were 3 layers of bricks here to secure them- and it was pretty good at this stage as the bricks were nicely fitted.

Here's a close-up of how the 3 layers of bricks look like :

After completing the wheel, I placed it aside to build the "carriages".  Each "carriage"is a different shade of colour and there are 14 of them in total. This part would require a bit of time too as the bricks would not be really secure until they have been fitted to the wheel.

 Arrange the "carriages" nicely together and combine it with the wheel that was built earlier..

Ta-da! Here we have it.

Now I've gotta join this part to the first one that I did. Gosh. Gosh. I got so anxious that my hand was trembling in excitement. I JUST COULD NOT WAIT to see the Ferris wheel taking full shape.

Pardon that the wheel was not really looking that round in this picture - I had adjusted it afterwards.

AND TA-DA... PRESENTING TO YOU THE FINAL PRODUCT..  I HAD FINALLY, FINALLY COMPLETED IT. 

I am not trying to exaggerate, but I could feel tears of joy when I saw the full form of the Ferris wheel. Did I... Did I... just build it myself?!

The sense of achievement is too overwhelming.

AND DID I MENTION THAT THE WHEEL IS ACTUALLY MOVABLE??! I know I may have said this a thousand times, but THIS IS TOO CUTE.

(I have posted this in my instastory as a teaser and my friends have been commenting about its cuteness)

This is how the Ferris wheel looks like on the whole. And in order to show you guys in live form, I have done a short video that captured the moments. Enjoy!!


Video here:

 Let me show off a few more photos of the ferris wheel. I am so proud to call it mine!

Enjoy the ride, my little humans!

If you guys are fans of bricks building too, I am 100 PERCENT positive that you will love what Tico Brick have to offer. I admit I got hooked to my first set that I am considering to purchase more.

Here's a happy me with my Ferris wheel.

If you were to ask me what do I love most about it, I would definitely comment on its quality. The bricks are really defined - not those cheap and fragile kind. (I read that the bricks are actually originated and manufactured in Taiwan which are made of toxic-free Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene 

(ABS) plastic. Whoa, chim... but if you feel the material physically, I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised by its quality, too)

Most importantly, the final product will be something that you can be proud of. 

Different series have different level of difficulty - but the completion will certainly give you a sense of achievement. This may sound hilarious, but I admired my Ferris wheel so much that I spent almost  five minutes staring at it in awe.

Here are some of their other awesome designs from the same series - I am sure you can tell
why I had such a difficult time trying to choose one. Every single design is LOVE.

In case you are unaware, the recent Starbucks and Toast Box mini bricks are actually made by TICO, too. These little exclusive cuties can be found in-stores at Starbucks and Toast Box!

Look at their designs - How could anyone NOT love them?!?!

For more information and details on how you can purchase and make your Tico Bricks like I did, do stay tuned.

I can assure you that they will be able to provide you with hours of fun! :)

Complaint: Starbucks!

Here's another complaint again. - Yes. I am so going to complain STARBUCKS.

Congratulations on getting yourself featured on my blog!

Well, don't get me wrong. I am NOT a Starbucks regular. In fact, it was my first time drinking a full Starbucks cup yesterday (I've won 2 Starbucks cards from my company's event).

According to what was stated on the card, I was encouraged to register them online for additional benefits and privileges.  

And so I did.

How delighted I was when I was shown a page that stated about a complimentary drink I would be getting (ANY SIZE).

So I happily went to claim that COMPLIMENTARY drink - only to be told that there was NONE.

The Starbucks staff told me that I wasn't granted any complimentary drinks when he scanned my cards.

Like... What the heck?!

That's a total cheat of my feelings + total embarrassment ! 

Well, since those cards were prizes anyway, I didn't pursue it further since I would be receiving free drinks nonetheless.

Shall blog about happier recent events!

Yeah, so it was my BFF's (Pei Wen) birthday on 13th March 2013.

And she was in for two different parts of surprises on two different days!

Our Part 1 celebration:

Thanks to Miao for her hard work and effort, the celebration was considered a success! We managed to reserve a table at EspresSoup at Jurong Point.

(Yeah.. We got her a Tiramisu cake from Polar, in which Miao had arranged with the staff to hide it)

When the cake was finally served to our table, both Miao and I sang a super, duper loud birthday song for our dearest birthday girl.

(Yes, it was so loud that we were actually criticized by random shoppers.. But who cares, right?! They were just jealous!)

We gave our Part 1 presents to her, while leaving the major one to Part 2.

And here is Part 2 of our celebration - on a bright and sunny Saturday.

Miao came out with an excellent idea - To have the Starbucks staff write "Happy Birthday" on the cup of latte (was it latte??! I don't know!)

We were really anxious to get the job done, and I was glad somehow it was a success?

Yep, we had Crystal Jade at night - with Dessie joining us as well. 

Thanks, Dessie!!

Yeah, the Part 2 present was a Kapibara - Halloween version. :)

It brings back memories, especially those times when we used to work at Universal Studios as a scare actor for their Halloween Horrors Night. 

We simply love Halloween!!

(Yes, it is only March and we are already talking about Halloween excitedly.)

And I am already thinking of what I want to be for this year's Halloween!

Maybe Lady Gaga or a werewolf.. *grins

To my dear readers, do stay tuned for more upcoming entries! I know I have been pretty inactive socially these days (and it is totally NOT healthy as I am so used to being an avid blogger).. But I will be back soon!

I'm looking forward to recording more singing videos and fill up this blog with more of my events and such.

So....Keep a lookout! ;)