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://www.lumibricks.com/?ref=tN9EBQmQ

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 the official Lumibricks store.

#lumibricks

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

👉. Don't forget to check out my other Lego compatible building set reviews at bricktoyreviews.blogspot.com. Thanks for looking, bye for now!

Review of the Lumibricks (ex-Funwhole) Steampunk WatchTower F9070 Building Block set

 

Hey brick fans,

We are back with some exciting news and a review of the new Steampunk Watchtower set.

First off, FunWhole has rebranded as Lumibricks!  Their new name reinforces the idea of illuminated bricks which is what they are all about.  I look forward to seeing all of the new sets with the new logo.

And here is their new logo!  For now the FunWhole website is still active so you can still get those sets you've been on the fence about.   I think the official transition from FunWhole to Lumibricks will happen sometime in May 2025.

And we are super stoked to review the FunWhole/Lumibricks Steampunk Watchtower.  This massive set contains over 2744 pieces and includes five minifigures, and 19 points of illumination in the included led light kit!  Additionally, there are lots of printed parts and no stickers.

The Steampunk Watchtower has lots of embellishments such as gold effect parts, and gears of all types.  There are also a ton of play features, including opening doors, a lift that you crank to take you from the ground floor to the second floor, a working elevator that takes you to the steampunk helipad, a rotatable observation deck and a moving telescope!  And if that wasn't enough there are several areas that have special lighting effects.  Oh and did I mention that there are beautiful stained glass windows on the observation deck?   And that's not all, there are more hidden gems I'll point out below!

A huge thanks to FunWhole-Lumibricks for letting me review this awesome set!   The set is already available on Amazon and on the FunWhole website.  The Steampunk Watchtower currently retails for 

USA: $179.99

CAD:$259.99

But do check out their promotional deals, and you'll save more money.  Don't forget to use my affiliate code itsnotlego.

Funwhole website:

https://www.funwhole.com/products/steampunk-watch-tower-2744pcs-f9070?ref=tN9EBQmQ

Amazon USA : https://www.amazon.com/FUNWHOLE-Steampunk-Observatory-Lighting-Building-Bricks/dp/B0DW3MKLD4

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/FUNWHOLE-Steampunk-Observatory-Lighting-Building-Bricks/dp/B0DW3MKLD4

For Europe, simply search for FunWhole Steampunk on your respective countries Amazon site.

Unbox and Build the Steampunk Watchtower

The box was filled to the brim with parts, so much so that one of the bags for step10 had exploded inside and I collected all the parts into a ziplock bag.  Luckily there were no missing pieces!  Inside the box, we also found the led lighting kit and 2 thick instruction manuals, detailing the construction of the Watchtower through 14 steps.   The parts bags are all numbered according to the steps in the manuals, so building it is very easy.

The lighting elements can be found in the signature orange box.  They include a AA battery box (3 AA batteries required), a smaller CR2032 battery box (batteries not included), a USB plug and USB-C plug, and tweezers.

The Steampunk WatchTower sits on a standard 32x32 stud baseplate.  I decided to put mine on a raised baseplate (MILs) to make it extra stable and sturdy when I need to move the set around.  I have a small tutorial about how I put my buildings on the raised baseplates here, if you are interested.

Here's the first of 14 steps completed.  Here are the five Steampunk themed minifigures that come with the watchtower set.  Three bonus heads are included if you want to customise the minifigures.

Lots of cool looking steampunk features after we completed step #2.  This is the view looking from the rear of the building.  The large stack is the centerpiece of the ground floor.

In step 3 and 4 we added the walls and pipes.   There are a set of double doors that serve as the front entrance, with a service door that leads into the mechanical room.   Let's now tour the first floor.

Lots of gold features greet you at the splendid entrance.  The double front doors have intricate prints on them.

Behind the doors is a small exhibit room with books and signage on the walls (all printed).

On the side, there's a secret door with stained glass which you can open to expose the interior.

And in behind is where the magic happens!  The mechanical room is one of my favourite views of the Watchtower.  It can be viewed by opening up the moveable wall at the back.

Getting to the next level is easy when you have this working lift.  Simply run the crank and the lift will go up and down!

We built the second floor in Step 5.

In step 6 and 7 we started to build the elevator shaft.   That chain is driven by gears that will lift the elevator up the shaft!

Here's a closer look at the gearing and chain mechanism.   When I followed the instructions to make the chain, I found it wasn't long enough, so I added three extra links that were included in the bag of parts.  Don't know if the instructions were printed incorrectly or my procedure was wrong.  But the elevator worked after adding the extra links.

In steps 8 and 9 we continued with the construction of the elevator tower.  Don't forget to test the lights as you go.

For steps 10 and 11 we added the helipad platform and finished off the tower.

Steps 12 and 13 build the top of the watchtower which includes an observation deck and a giant telescope.

Here's a view of the magnificent stained glass windows.  While the main tower is lit up by using the AA battery pack, the observation deck is supposed to use the smaller CR2032 battery pack which is placed inside the structure to light it up from inside.

However, I found this a bit cumbersome to have to lift the dome up every time I wanted to switch the lights on and off for the observation deck.  Using a wire connector I got from Lightailing, I hooked up one of my extra  AAA battery packs and put it outside for convenience.  My affilate code itsnotlego works on the Lightailing website as well.

Also want to mention that the entire observation deck revolves by turning a crank just under the platform.  So impressive!

And with that, the Steampunk Watchtower is complete!

There's a neat little steampunk style copter that you build in the final step 14.

I decided to upsize it a little bit to make it look even cooler.

Here are some other neat features found in the Steampunk Watchtower set.  A monument honouring someone named Elvis Stuart (was he the founder?).

A mechanical robot bird is also displayed.

Here's the battery connection on the ground floor.  You can use either the USB-A or USB-C plug on the expansion hub.

A view of the lighting on the front of the tower.

Removable walls allow you to access the elevator.

Here's one of my minifigures taking a ride up the elevator!

Beautiful stained glass.

Check out this massive telescope!

Final Thoughts

The Steampunk Watchtower is an impressive set with it's exquisite lighting features.  By far it is one of the tallest sets in my collection!  There are so many play features and they all work really well, such as the crank driven lift, the working elevator, movable telescope and the turntable observation deck.  The little copter and the opening walls are more features that turns us big kids into little ones.

There were a few shortcomings that could be improved upon.  Firstly, a common issue I have with not only this set but most of the FunWhole buildings, is their use of smooth tiles on the floors.  Because of this there are no studs on which to attach minifigures.  

The second was the elevator chain link being too short which I mentioned previously.  I don't know if I messed up or the instructions were wrong.  

The upper battery pack tucked inside the observation deck didn't work for me either.

But those were just some minor nits I had that did not affect the structure or display of the Steampunk Watchtower.  Overall, I was very impressed with this set and how well it displays.  It seems like each new FunWhole/Lumibricks set I build, outdoes the previous one in terms of unique features and effects!

I give it high marks such as 4.8 out of 5!   Anyways, that's the end of this review, hope it helps!

Bye for now!

#FunwholeSteampunk #Funwhole #Lumibricks