Monday, February 16, 2026

Reviewing the Lumibricks Interstellar Drive-In L9104 Building Block set

 


Hey brick fans, here with another Lumibricks set review!  Today's set is the uniquely designed Interstellar Drive-In L9104 with 2188 pcs with 13 unique LED lights.  It's part of the Lumibricks Road Trip series and includes a two part build with featuring a circular retro style diner and a drive thru with a pink 4 seat convertible.  Topping off the diner is a striking flying saucer with neon lights!


Huge appreciation to Lumibricks for sending this set over for this review.

💡 Quick Specs 

Set Name and Number: Lumbricks Interstellar Drive-In

Piece count: 2188 pieces

Age rating: 16+

Lighting elements: 13 LED lights + 2 light strips

Theme: Road Trip series

Build dimensions (approx):  12.6"x9.84"x8.86"

Tools Included:Tweezers, Part Lifter

Battery Info: AAA Battery Case / AAA*3 (Size 7) / 1.5; Elliptical Battery Case / CR2032*2 / 3V

Power Supply Mode: Standalone battery case, USB cable + battery case, USB cable + portable power bank

Minifigures: Four (unique Lumibricks style)

Prints: 26 specialized, printed elements (no stickers)


Retail price: $119.99 USD /  $163.00 CAD / 133 EUR

Save 10% off your entire order using my affiliate code: itsnotlego

Lumibricks on Amazon: https://bit.ly/m/Lumibricks-Store


Unboxing the Parts and Light Kit

Here's the signature Lumibricks box, with sturdy cardboard and beautiful graphics on the cover and back of box.  Mine has a manufacture date of Sept 04, 2025!  Inside the box you will find all of the parts for the set including an orange box containing the light kit.  There are two thick instruction manuals as well.  The first manual contains 256 pages with instructions for steps 1 thru 7.  Manual number two has 148 pages and covers steps 8 thru 12.

However, If you prefer looking at screen versions of the manual, you can view or download the PDF versions from the Lumibricks website instead.



The included lighting kit contains all the lighting elements to illuminate the inside and outside of the diner and flying saucer.  There is also a small battery pack for CR2032 batteries (for the car) and a white battery pack that uses 3 AAA batteries. You will need to provide your own batteries if you plan on using the battery packs.  Alternatively, the set comes with a USB plug which can be plugged into any 3A to 5A power source.  Tweezers and a brick separator are tools which are also provided in the set.

As mentioned earlier, the Interstellar Diner set is constructed via 12 steps, and there are numbered parts bags that match each of those steps making the build process easier and more enjoyable.  There are three extra bags for the baseplates, the minifigures and specialized brick parts for lighting and whatnot.

In total, there are 38 parts bags.

Let's Build

Let's follow the 12 easy steps and build the Interstellar Diner.   

Step one builds the covered drive thru. Easy peasy.



The pink car's headlights and taillights are lit up and there is seating for 4.  I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the wings on the rear of the car.  A brick built tail fin for the car might have looked a lot better.

Now it's time to start building the diner.  This was step 3.

In step 4, there's a ton of interior detail that is added.  There's the classic red stools at the counter, diner table and a number of cabinets featuring items like a rubber duck, a camera and mug.  There's also a rack with magazines that are printed pieces.

In step 5, we wrap the curved wall around the interior.  The first led lights for the diner are added.

Moving along to step 6, we attached the second part of the base and add more table and chairs.  There's even a cool juke box.




Time to fully enclose the diner in step 7 and add some more lighting.   For extra play value, the diner can be opened in the center.  

Building the diner roof in step 8.

Completed the roof details and lighting in step 9.  Time to attach the roof to the diner.  I didn't encounter any attachment problems, but others on Facebook and Reddit have indicated that there were some alignment issues, probably due to brick placement on the underside of the roof, so do be careful in step 8 and 9.

In step 10, we started building the flying saucer. I was really excited to see how it lit up so I tested the lighting before applying the finishing details to the saucer.

Yay,  check it out, the diner is now about 95% complete in step 11.   Just a few minor details to add in step 12 and we are done!


Step 12 adds in some planer boxes with flowers, a serving cart and a couple of robots.  I love the glow from the purple and blue led lights, so cool.

The Interstellar diner comes with 4 unique Lumibricks style minifigures. Based on their outfits, three work in the diner and the the guy in the pink suit is the car's owner and customer.





Totally recommend this set for anyone into retro sci-fi themes and looking for something a little different than your standard Lego compatible modular buildings.

Don't forget to checkout all of the latest sets on the Lumibricks website: https://go.lumibricks.com/itsnotlego.  and get 10% off using code itsnotlego

Thanks for looking, bye for now!

Sunday, January 18, 2026

Best Lumibricks Gift Set under $150: The Lumibricks Gelato Store F9078 Review

 

Hey brick fans! If you're craving something sweet for your modular city layout, the FunWhole/Lumibricks Gelato Store (set F9078) is an absolute treat. This charming ice cream shop brings European street vibes with its light blue awnings,and a fully detailed interior that's perfect for display or play. With 1948 pieces, built-in signature LED lighting, and a clever and unique tri-fold design that opens up for easy access, it's one of the most inviting sets Lumibricks (formerly Funwhole) has released in their Town Life series. Does it makes a nice gift set for under $150? Let's find out!

💡 Quick Specs 

Set Name and Number: FunWhole Gelato Store F9078

Piece count: 1,948 pieces

Age rating: 16+

Lighting elements: 10 LED lights

Theme & style: Town Life series, European gelato shop with cozy street-scene vibe

Build dimensions: roughly 16.0″ × 4.9″ × 10.8″

Printed bricks: 42 printed elements included

Minifigures: Four (unique Lumibricks style)

Stickers: None

Where to get it:   https://go.lumibricks.com/itsnotlego

Retail price: $99.99 USD /  $139.00 CAD / 109 EUR

Save 10% off your entire order using my affiliate code: itsnotlego


Lumibricks on Amazon: https://bit.ly/m/Lumibricks-Store

FUNWHOLE on Amazon: https://bit.ly/m/FUNWHOLE-Store

The Gelato Store was provided to me by Lumibricks for the purposes of this review, however all of the opinions expressed herein are my own.

Unboxing

If you are new to Lumibricks/FunWhole, you will find that the Gelato store comes in a premium heavy duty box with an appealing and lively image of the set on the front.  The Gelato store is part of the Town Life series of Lumibricks sets.
On the back of the box, you will find the current line-up of the other Town Life, these include the Antique Shop, the Book Cafe and the Balcony Theatre.  Did you know that Lumibricks stamps their sets with a production date?  Mine was manufactured on November 13, 2025.  The first release of the Gelato Store set was around May 2025, right around the time that FunWhole was transitioning to the new Lumibricks name.



Cracking open the box, we find it full to the brim with parts bags, a lighting kit and two fairly thick instruction manuals.  There are a total of 10 sections in the manuals, and the parts bags are purposely divided into the same numbers.  Additionally there are 3 extra bags, one marked S and two marked F containing minifigure and special brick parts.

The Lighting Kit


Let's not forget about the Light kit that is a signature feature in every FunWhole/Lumibricks set. In the Gelato store set we have 10 unique lighting elements they will highlight the stores interior and exterior display.  The lighting elements come in two pouches marked 1 and 2 and also feature a battery pack, a USB plug, metal tweezers and a small screwdriver to open the battery pack.  There's also a brick separator tool which is normally found the one of the parts bags (not shown).  We will see later how the lighting elements enhance the look of the Gelato store.

The Build Process


There are 10 sections or stages involved with building the Gelato store.  Referring to the first instruction manual, sections one thru four will assemble the four minifigures and build the baseplate and ground floor.  In the second manual, steps five thru ten will build the second floor and the rooftop, and add any extra embellishments to the set.   For reference, here are some pictures during the build:

Step One



Here we have assembled the first part of the Gelato store and it's corresponding baseplate.  Looks to be part of a kitchen with the storage units and dessert items.

It's advisable to test out the lighting elements before or during the build, to make sure all the components are working properly.  If any lighting issues or missing pieces, you can always contact the Lumibricks service department via the address in the Customer Service card that comes in the box.

Step Two



The storefront is almost completed and there is a display counter that can be slid out as a play feature.  We get a few of the nicely printed parts on the awning and the counter.

Step Three

In this section we add the staircase and the side entrance door.  Note that the baseplates are hinged as a cool feature.

Step Four



In this last step from instruction manual one, we add the back wall and have pivoted the baseplates into their closed position.  Inside we find more kitchen details and an ice cream machine.  The battery pack is temporary while we make sure all the lighting elements work properly.

Step Five


The second floor consists of three hinged sections, just like the first floor.

As we start construction of the second floor, I find that the table and chairs are too undersized to be able to place minifigures for play.   Using larger Lego style molded seats would be more appropriate.  

Step Six



The front section of the second floor is built and hinged to the side elevation.

Step Seven



Having added the last of the three sections to the second floor, we find another undersized chair and table.  In the corner, there is a desk and proper sized chair.  Perhaps this is where the gelato store owner does the stores accounting and book keeping?   We get some lighting inside and out for the second floor.

Step Eight



On the partially constructed rooftop, we find a lot of plants and a maybe a shed or a doghouse?

Step Nine

Here's the other section of the rooftop completed.  Access to the rooftop is via the hole in the floor but it's not covered so if a heavy rainstorm were to occur, the second floor would be flooded.   I dunno, the rooftop would have been better served as an extra spot for patrons to enjoy their gelato.  The rooftop would make a great lookout point.

And just as I was about to do my final lighting test for the roof, the wire snapped!  Doh! I've built so many FunWhole and Lumibricks sets, but this was the first time I've broken a wire.   Guess I'll have to reach out to Lumibricks customer service myself now.

Looks like the snapped wire affected the second floor overhead light.

So here's the completed Gelato Store, with one light out of service.  Oops!

Step Ten


At the final step to complete the Gelato store, we construct a sidewalk for the front.  Also pictured are the four minifigures that come with the set.

Some of the features out front include another set of small chairs and table, and a sign post that references the Balcony Theatre, one of the other Town Life sets.

Here's the side view of the staircase leading to the second floor seating area.

As part of step ten, we added this cool electrical utility box, where the battery pack can be housed.

This is the remaining side of the Gelato store.

From the pics above, the Gelato store can be displayed like a traditional modular building. Each of it's floors and the rooftop come apart in the normal manner.

What makes the Gelato store unique is the ability to unfold the building and display it like a dollhouse.

Turning it around, here we can see all of the interior sections in the unfolded mode.  Following are a few more pics of the interior spaces in dollhouse mode.







Now we have a clearer look at the rooftop shed, surprise it's actually an art studio! 

Final Thoughts

With over 1900+ pieces, the FunWhole/Lumibricks Gelato store set kept me quite busy.   Brick quality and clutch were top notch, and there were lots of nice printed pieces.  The lighting kit was working great except that I broke the wire to the second floor light.   I think the tri-fold design to display the Gelato store dollhouse style was an interesting concept, considering that you can still display the set as a modular building.  I will probably just keep it folded mode like a regular modular building in the future.

The minifigures that come with the set are cute but I still prefer standard Lego minifigures.   I do think the design of this set could be displayed with other Lego Friends style sets, and that's ultimately the target audience.  Given that this set comes with 42 printed pieces and a light kit included, there's no Lego set that comes close to the features and value in this price point. Therefore the Gelato set definitely makes a great candidate for best Lumibricks gift sets under $150!

And for extra savings don't forget to use my affiliate code itsnotlego when you are shopping at https://go.lumibricks.com/itsnotlego!

#lumibricks

Here's the FunWhole/Lumibricks Gelato store with my only other Lumibricks Town Life set, the Balcony Theatre!

Thanks for looking, bye!