Showing posts with label set review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label set review. Show all posts

Saturday, November 2, 2024

Review of Funwhole’s Cozy Ski Lodge: A Lego-Compatible Winter Wonderland!

 


Introduction

Hey brick fans!

Winter is right around the corner, and Funwhole’s newest building set, the F9041 Ski Lodge, brings that snowy, festive vibe right to our tabletops. The Ski Lodge is part of the Retro House series, alongside the previous Hunting Cabin, Mountain Cabin, and the Wood Cabin, which I reviewed: https://its-not-lego.blogspot.com/2022/07/funwhole-wood-cabin-building-set-review.html!


Thanks to FunWhole for providing this set for my review!

Known for their lighting-enhanced, intricately designed sets, Funwhole delivers on both realism and coziness with this Lego-compatible creation. Let's review it to see what makes this ski lodge stand out.


UnBoxing the FunWhole Ski Lodge

                              

The Funwhole Ski Lodge comes packaged with organized bags, easy-to-follow instructions, and a set of unique parts. From the minute you open the box, the winter theme is evident. Funwhole doesn’t just add lighting—they thoughtfully integrate it to bring out details like windows glowing warmly in the night and flickering fireplaces and campfire.

I counted a total of 43 bags, with 40 of those bags numbered and allocated to the 12 build sections as documented in the clearly marked instruction manual.

The remainder of the  bags consist of  1 bag of large plates and 2 bags of minifigures.  There are a total of 4 Funwhole style cute minifigures in the Ski Lodge set, which you have to assemble yourself.



Out of the four minifigures, three have reversible faces, one side with googles and the other side without. They also come with some accessories, such as a selfie stick, and shovel to clear the walkway.  

The Lighting Kit

The ski lodge comes with built-in lighting, a Funwhole signature feature. The glow brings the set to life, giving it an inviting, lived-in feel. Imagine the lodge sitting on a shelf, lit up in a dim room—perfect for cozying up during winter.



Each lighting kit is customized to the set.  In this custom kit, there is a battery box (uses 3 AA batteries, not included), a pair of tweezers, a small screwdriver, and 2 pouches of lighting elements.  You will see later how the lighting is thoughtfully incorporated into the build process, it's not just a superfical add-on like other lighting kits.


Build Complexity and Progression

With approximately 2187 pieces, the set is moderate in complexity. Funwhole provides a detailed instruction manual that guides builders through multiple sections, making it accessible even for beginner builders. However, seasoned fans will still enjoy the finer details in its architecture and lighting installation, which feels like a rewarding mini-project.

In terms of build experience, you'll find that Funwhole looks and feels just like Lego bricks.  Fit, finish and clutch are excellent.  This will be evidenced during the build progression for the Ski Lodge.


First we start off building the base and the foundation of the lodge structure.  I've modified the base of my set to use a raised baseplate, but you don't have to do this because the Funwhole base is already very sturdy.  I do the raised baseplates to standardize my modular buildings for all new builds.

Some snowscaping features and floors added in section 2.

Now we start constructing the actual lodge with the inclusion of the front walls and a very realistic looking fireplace.  For section 3, we've also added the lighting infrastructure to support all the lighting effects and that is hidden under the floors.

The main floor of the ski lodge consists of a large living room with sofa, side chair and table. I love that Funwhole doesn't overlook the tiny details in their sets.  Check out all the cool knick-knacks around the fireplace!  There's a jacket hung to dry, a Christmas tree and clock and even christmas stockings on the mantle!  Next to the fireplace, there's some logs and a ski poster with a guitar on the wall.  The first aid kit makes another appearance in this set, as it was first seen in the Travel Trailer set.


For section 5 we continue to furnish the interior and complete the walls, but you'll have to discover all of the little accessories for yourself, there's just too many to list!   But I do want to draw your attention to the opening wall!  This is another cool feature which lets you look inside the Ski Lodge without having to remove the second floor, how neat!



Here we can start adding some more detail to the exterior of the lodge in section 6.  Ski and snowboard equipment is stored in the corner of the lodge with some nice touches such as the helmet and the boots, although I think the boots should have been properyl placed inside the lodge, not outside!  The giant printed billboard says the ski lodge is located in the White Valley. 

The Funwhole Ski Lodge features a second floor loft space with access via the stairway located on the main floor.  Although a bit compact, there's still room for a bunk bed, and a small workstation with computer.  There's even a vent so that the heat from the main floor fireplace can heat up the loft area!

Another cool feature of FunWhole building sets is their use of the wireless pads that allow lighting to work on the upper floor of the building without using wires.  With the placement of the upper loft onto the main building, we can have some accent lighting at the computer and on the balcony.  Section 7 is complete.

In section 8, we added the second storey walls to hold up the roof.

Almost there!  The first of two sets of snow covered roof panels will get attached to the ski lodge.  

Before we cover up the rest of the roof, you'll see that there is a small guest who lives up in the rafters! 

Don't worry that the little squirrel will hungry during the winter, because he's got a secret stash of food hidden in the snowbank below!

Once completed, the  Ski Lodge itself has a charming, alpine-style architecture with realistic elements, including snow covered sloped rooftops, rustic timber cladding, and a cozy interior layout. Other little details are snow-covered trees, wooden benches, and winter terrain.  There's even an adjacent ski hill you can build so that the minifigures can practice their turns on before hitting the big slopes.

Don't try this at home, boys and girls!


Here is my list of Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Beautiful design with lots of wintery details
  • Integrated lighting that enhances the overall look
  • Solid build quality and compatibility with Lego and other brands
  • Printed parts used, not stickers
  • Great display piece that would look right at home in a winter village scene.

Cons:

I had one missing piece that was the black ski helmet, it is pictured in the manual but I couldn't find it in my minifigure parts bags.

I do have one little gripe and that's the fact that the FunWhole minifigures, with their rounded bums, aren't able to sit properly on the sofa or chairs.  I find that kind of limiting to the display aspect and playability of the set.   In the above picture, I have delicately posed the minifigures to sit on the tree stumps around the flickering fire, but it took me a few tries to get them balanced just so for the pic.  I don't know if FunWhole will be able to address the rounded bum issue though.

Conclusion

The Funwhole Ski Lodge is a perfect winter display piece, merging the charm of a snowy getaway with detailed building elements. It’s a beautiful, seasonal addition for collectors and Lego enthusiasts looking for a cozy project as the colder months set in. Whether it’s the glow of the lights or the intricate details of the lodge itself, this set definitely lives up to Funwhole’s reputation for unique, atmospheric builds.


How to get our own FunWhole Ski Lodge

Pricing:  $99.99 USD, get 25% off now using promo code SKI25

A). From the FunWhole store

https://www.funwhole.com/products/ski-lodge-2187pcs?ref=tN9EBQmQ


B) From the Funwhole stores on Amazon

Amazon link for the USA: 

https://www.amazon.com/FUNWHOLE-Christmas-Ski-Cabin-Lighting-Building-Bricks-Set/dp/B0DDKCT3QG?maas=maas_adg_002D435F0EB96DE17A507930ACD57906_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas

Amazon link for Canada: 

https://www.amazon.ca/FUNWHOLE-Christmas-Ski-Cabin-Lighting-Building-Bricks-Set/dp/B0DDKCT3QG?maas=maas_adg_5DF1F9771F27FD5EE5B7CC2B3A68AC97_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas

Amazon link for Europe: https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0DDKCT3QG

This will make a great Christmas gift for yourself or someone else who loves Lego style sets!  Hope you have enjoyed this review!   Bye for now!


Monday, September 16, 2024

Lego Compatible Sembo 107105 Wandering Earth 2 Lunar Truck Review

 


Hey brick fans, 

If you're a fan of sci-fi epics and love the intricacy of Sembo building block sets, then you're in for a treat with this one! Inspired by the Chinese sci-fi action movie Wandering Earth 2, the Lego-style Lunar Truck is a killer set that captures all the action and adventure of the movie. From its futuristic design to the impressive attention to detail, this truck feels like it rolled straight out of a lunar landscape and onto your building table.

In this review, we'll dive into all the details, from the build experience to the hits and misses about the Lego compatible Moon Base Truck building block set.


TEMU

🛍️ SEMBO BLOCK 1339 Pieces Moon Base Truck Building Kit, ABS Plastic White Vehicle Construction Set with Built-in Light Module, Educational Toy for Ages 6+

🎉 Coupon price[CA$64.38]

👉 item link: https://temu.to/k/umf5eubdikp


About the movie

Wandering Earth 2 is a prequel to the 2019 Chinese sci-fi blockbuster The Wandering Earth. The movie is set in a future where the sun is dying, and humanity faces the imminent collapse of Earth's environment. In response, the global governments come together to execute an ambitious project: moving the entire planet to a new star system using massive engines built across the world.  

Here is more info about the movie: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wandering_Earth_2.  It is free to watch on BiliBili: https://www.bilibili.tv/en/video/4787546990056960.


The Lunar Moon Base Truck is featured in this movie promo picture.  The truck looks really unique with the truck body mounted on top of what appears to be a  six wheeled skateboard.  I guess it's meant to isolate the occupants from the rough terrain of the lunar soil.

From this movie screen grab of the truck, you can get an idea of the scale with the astronaut next to it.

In 2023, Sembo made two large scale vehicles for the Wandering Earth franchise: the 1182 piece Mobile Base 107104, the 1339 piece Lunar Truck 107105, and 4 smaller building kits 107106 thru 107109.  They have also made several Sci-fi building sets for the first Wandering Earth movie as well.

I have the Sembo 107007 Troop Carrier and the Sembo 107006 Cargo truck which I reviewed here.
Ok let's check this set out.

The Set Contents


The 1339 piece building block set comes with a detailed instruction manual, 5 numbered bags, a bag containing several sticker sheets, a light kit and two smaller bags of minifigures.

Sembo's instructions are clearly marked and easy to follow.

Each of the 5 numbered bags contain several smaller bags of parts which we will see later below.

The Moon Base Truck set comes with three sticker sheets.  These stickers are transfer style stickers which are very thin and if you are not careful, the stickers are easy to tear.  

Once these stickers are stuck onto a surface, they cannot be removed.  With my shaky hands, I can't always place the stickers straight, so you might notice that some of the stickers I applied might be crooked.

Each sticker sheet has an extra sticker for the Sembo and Wandering Earth movie.  If you have some spare 2x2 tiles, you can put the stickers on them.

The light kit


A small battery box with two blue led lights are included with the set, which get installed in step 5.

The minifigures


The set comes with 5 minifigures who are characters in the movie.  Each minifigure comes with it's own instruction sheet and they are not referenced in the main instructions at all.  I wonder if Sembo sells the Lunar Truck in some countries without the figures to avoid being confiscated.

The five figures all have unique faces and come with both hair pieces and spacesuit helmets with yellow visors.

The bodies are very detailed front and back.  Even the arms are printed.
It's time to build the Wandering Earth 2 Lunar Base Truck!

Step 1


Step 1 builds the chassis of the moon base truck.  I call it a skateboard, as I imagine the platform to house Electric batteries inside.

Bag #1 consists of 5 smaller bags.

There are 4 bicycle tires in a separate package.

Here's all the parts to build the chassis.  An orange brick separator is also provided.

This set contains some unique parts you won't find in a regular Lego set.  Check out those grill parts, they look pretty cool.

This step is fairly straightforward and nothing too tricky to build here.  Let's move on to step 2.

Step 2

We'll complete the construction of the skateboard chassis and start on the lunar truck body in step 2.

Five more bags of parts with a molded front window housing.

Parts dump for step 2.

The front windscreen has several window inserts on the top, bottom, and side.



Suspension bits added to the chassis.  The bicycle tires are wrapped around the two cylinders of the front and rear axles for decorative purposes.

Step 3


This step will add some interior detail to the cab as well as tile the back section of the moon truck.

There are 6 bags of parts for this step.

All of the interior pieces are printed, not stickers, yay!

The rest of the parts to be used in step 3.

A very cool instrument cluster and screen.

The ball steering wheel doesn't clutch to the pin at all, so it falls off whenever I move the truck around.  I wonder if I can use something else to attach it?   Looks like a medical kit is attached to the wall, next to the driver's seat.

A couple of extra seats on the opposite side of the cab.  The floor of the cab is completely smooth, so I might have to replace some of the tile pieces with studded ones so I can place some minifigures. in a standing position.

I placed one of the minifigures in the driver's seat.

Step 4


Looks like this step focuses on the central pillar/pedestal in addition to finishing off the truck bed.

Five bags of parts in step 4.


Here's the rest of the cab built up.  The roof will come on later.

We also finish the truck bed by adding the low walls.  Looks to be seating for six but there's no studs to attach the minifigures to.  I would love to turn this area into a fully enclosed lab in future.


There are two sliding panels on the back of the cab which we will look at in greater detail in the next step. Here we are doing a test fit of the body to the pedestal.  I find that the body kind of wobbles and it's not as stable as I like.

Step 5


There are 6 parts bags in this final step.  

The wheels and rubber tires and uniquely molded storage boxes can be found as well as the light kit.  Definitely have not seen these wheels before.  I think Sembo did a great job replicating the wheels from the movie version.

The parts dump for step 5.

At this point, the truck is ready to be attached to the chassis and the battery box and lighting have been installed.   But I'm not really liking the how it's designed so this is something we will address later.

I finished assembly of the roof panel and it goes right into the opening.

Time to apply some of the stickers!  There is a giant sticker that goes over each of the door panels and you only have one chance to get it right.  Luckily, I didn't screw it up.  I left off any stickers that had to be placed over several bricks.  Both of the door panels slide, but I would have preferred that one of the panels was stationary.  Since there's no airlock, you'd definitely need to keep your spacesuit on inside the cab whenever the door is opened.

And here is the finished Lunar Truck.  There are a few extra steps to install little attachments to the front and side of the truck, as well as the antenna dish.  There are stickers for the antenna dish that I didn't apply.



These are supposed to be some of the nuclear bombs which are set off in the movie to blow up the moon.

Here are the last three accessories that are included in the Wandering Earth 2 set.  A small container with lid, a laptop computer and a small robot dog called Benben who is also featured in the movie.  There is no mention of him in the instruction guide nor how to put him together, but Sembo obviously provided the parts and stickers to build it as an easter egg.  I only found out about the robot dog from a Chinese review of the Lunar Truck.

This is a picture I found on the Internet. At first I assembled the robot dog as per the picture above but when I went back and watched the movie, I think that the pictured legs above are upside down?

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed the build of the Wandering Earth Lunar Truck because I think it looks really unique and there's a lot of play features such as the minifigures, the missile boxes, and the other included accessories.  The cabin is easy to access by lifting off the roof and opening the rear sliding doors.  The rear bed has plenty of room to carry soldiers or supplies.   The blue lighting adds a really special effect although I kind of wish they had included lighting for the cabin interior as well. and the headlights too.

Here are some things that needed improvement.


1.  The Stickers

First off the stickers. I hated the stickers because once they are applied, they cannot be removed without tearing them, so it takes a lot of time and steady hands to apply them.  I only used them where it was needed such as the sliding doors and the rear solar panels.  I think Sembo should use the normal stickers and not these transfer type stickers.  Or better yet, use printed parts instead of stickers.


2.  The Axles

During the final assembly of attempting to attach the truck body to the chassis, I had difficulty slotting in the pedestal into the base.  When I tried to apply downward force to the truck, the middle wheels and axles popped off.  Maybe I should have removed the wheels first?   At any rate, I discovered that the middle and rear axles needed extra bracing.

I fixed the issue by installing 2x6 plates from my brick stash on the middle and rear axles, top and bottom to strengthen the axles.  In the picture above, I've just put them on the middle axle.

3.  The Light Battery Box placement

As shown in the instructions, the battery box for the LED lights sits behind the rear solar panels.  To activate the lights, one needs to remove the solar panels and access the small switch on the side of the battery box.  You'll need tweezers or something because I could fit my finger in to use the switch.

Here's the original location of the battery box.

I decided to rotate the battery box 90 degrees so that the switch is facing the rear making it easily accessible.  Since there is free space under the truck bed, I felt it would be better to have the battery box mounted underneath.   Due to a lack of studs on the battery box, I had to design and build a housing for the battery box.  The picture above was my first attempt.


I ended up making a secondary pedestal for the truck bed as shown above.  The battery box is housed inside the pedestal.  I ended up killing two birds with one stone, because not only have I addressed the battery box access, I have also eliminated the body wobble by making the truck bed solidly attached to the chassis.

Now turning the lights on and off is easy peasy.

Other changes I made

In the original design, those cool grill pieces were placed on the chassis where you couldn't really fully appreciate them.  I think they look way better on the front of the truck now.

And even on the roof.




The Sembo Wandering Earth 2 Lunar Truck.



Here's how the Wandering Earth 2 Moon Truck displayed with the Wandering Earth Cargo Truck.  Which one do you prefer?  Let me know in the comments!

Summary


Here's a quick recap of the set details.

Brand: Sembo

Set Name and Number: Wandering Earth 2 Moon Base Truck 107105

Piece count: 1339 pieces

Minifigures: 5

Printed parts: Yes

Stickers: Yes

Lighting: Yes

Lego Compatible: Yes

Retails for around $70 CDN.


Where to get it:  

AFOBRICK

You can get this and other cool and unique building block sets from Afobrick.com   
Use my code itsnotlego to get an extra 5% off your entire purchase.   

TEMU

🛍️ SEMBO BLOCK 1339 Pieces Moon Base Truck Building Kit, ABS Plastic White Vehicle Construction Set with Built-in Light Module, Educational Toy for Ages 6+
🎉 Coupon price[CA$64.38]

ALIEXPRESS



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