First thing: I am an AFOL. I have hundreds of official LEGO sets and something like 200K pieces. I own a couple Lenin / Chinese clone sets and have seen the rapid rise in quality from these Chinese knock off brands in recent years, ranging in quality from awful to identical. I would recommend Funwhole as an affordable extension of LEGO. The quality is honestly on par with LEGO. The builds are interesting, take more chances, avoid annoying stickers, and the included optional lighting really dials up the value immensely. I will emphasize “optional” here, as alternate pieces are provided for all prewired pieces if you don’t wish to use the lights. The box, book, and accessories are all better than LEGO, printed in full color with clear instructions and individually wrapped and sealed similarly to LEGO but with added tools like tweezers. I had zero missing pieces, zero broken pieces during the build, and a handful of extra pieces. A set of this size without lights would easily be 2x the price from LEGO, but Funwhole is delivering at $130 (before the seemingly permanent coupons). I ordered another set at the same time and both were of the same high quality and worth far more if we’re comparing to LEGO pricing. The minifigs are awful. LEGO still has that copyright and there’s no way around that. It is what it is. I simply didn’t put them together. This is the first brand I know that is delivering a consistent quality that competes with LEGO at a price point that makes it hard to justify LEGO. I will be following them and keeping an eye on new sets as these 2 were a pleasure to build. Already have another 2 saved for future purchase. The only downside is that while most of their colors are the same as LEGO, they also expand on colors to fit the builds. This will make it hard to organize, as these pieces are quality enough that I won’t be sorting them separately from LEGO in my storage, like I’ve done with every other Chinese knock off brand so far. Highly recommended. Glad someone has stepped up to the plate and I hope they continue to deliver. Also the brand name is hilarious to me. Read more
Excellent build, cool lighting, great printed pieces. Good instructions, one booklet even came with a sheet of corrections but I didn't even notice what was being corrected. Pretty much agree with what everyone is saying about this set. In addition the largest window panes were individually the packed to protect them from scratches. The largest printed sections were also wrapped individually to protect the prints. Several cool recolors of existing Lego-type parts, lots of silver pieces including double doorways. The wiring of the lights added a whole new dimension to the building experience and look great. Best of all is the modular nature of the lighting system so you can power it via the battery brick or just plug it directly to a USB outlet adapter. Really my only major complaint is that the base plates are full plate thickness and not thinner like Lego baseplates so the model is a bit taller when side-by-side with Lego Modular buildings. Also would like to see more stud connections to place mini-figures, the model is pretty much all smooth tiles. The figures are throw-aways as far as I'm concerned but at least the hats/hair still work with Lego minifigs. Only piece that wasn't quite perfect was one of the double doorways where the doors rub ever so slightly when closing all the way. Lots of extra leftover pieces, some look like replacements for the lights if you don't want to wire it but some are extras used in the set and a few are completely random (1x1 red bricks that appear no where in the build). One 2x14 plate in clear was simply used to hold the large sign together for shipment, cool to get a big plate in an irregular color, actually made use of it during the build to hold the second floor sections that swing apart together while assembling it, made it way easier especially when wiring. Awesome value especially with the coupon, pretty much half the cost of Lego. Favorite Print: The box of Cat Food. Favorite Brick: The cat in a light tan color. Read more
UPDATE: I reached out to the company and they made it very easy to get the missing pieces I needed. Have changed to 5 stars because the build was amazing. The books are quality and easy to follow and the light kit sends the build over the top. Will definitely purchase more from this company. First set for me from this company, and with so many positive reviews across SM I was excited to get started. Great packaging, great instructional books, lighting included, what could possibly go wrong? Missing window glass, bag 2, step 78 & 79. I am now at a stand still until I can get pieces. It has been fun to build up until this point. Read more
What an excellent build! Turned out great. Was an easy build, instruction were clear and easy to follow. No missing pieces, awesome attention to detail, value exceeded expectations. I love the lighting and printed pieces. Looks amazing on display! Read more
Funwhole's modulars go from strength to strength. Not only do they come with integrated lights and all prints (no stickers--Lego, take note), but they are densely packed with details, fun for experienced builders looking for something new, and they're innovative. The innovation of this set is the unprecedented level of accessiblity it offers in a commercial modular: in addition to the usual removable stories, the whole set hinges open, and the floors slide out for play or for adults to appreciate the ultra-high level of detail. This is a game changer that makes Lego's modulars seem quaint by comparison. As usual with Funwhole, the manuals are beautifully printed and clear, the bricks are of the highest quality, and the prints are also top notch. And of course, the pricing is way better than Lego, and the lights are beautiful. Most highly recommended. Read more
