Block Talk: My Builds and Buys in November 2024

 


Greetings, fellow brick enthusiasts! I’m excited to introduce a new format to my blog—a more casual, conversational update about what I’ve been up to each month. Don’t worry; I’ll still be publishing my in-depth set reviews on its-not-lego.blogspot.com and bricktoyreviews.blogspot.com. However, I often have smaller bits of news or updates that don’t quite merit a full post but are still worth sharing.

These might include recent purchases from AliExpress or Temu, minor builds or modifications I’ve made to existing sets, or other tidbits from the world of building blocks. This new format will give me a space to highlight these smaller moments while keeping the main blog content focused and comprehensive.


The Builds

In November, I had the pleasure of building three incredible new FunWhole sets: the 2,187-piece Ski Lodge (F9041), the 2,445-piece Balcony Theatre (F9056), and the 1,573-piece Skate Shop (F9051). Each one was a joy to build, and if you asked me to pick a favourite, I’d honestly have to say all three!




That said, the most fascinating build was the Balcony Theatre. This set stood out for its ingenious design features, including walls that swing open to reveal the interior and entire sections that can be removed for closer inspection. I was especially impressed by the creative use of acrylic light panels and the intricate lighting strips, which added a whole new dimension of detail and charm.

I also completed a smaller set from LesDiy—a 699-piece MOC of a Dutch sailing ship designed by HenkTor.  It was a fun little build, only took a couple of hours.


The Buys

I usually spend around $100 CAD a month on small sets and parts for my builds, but this month was different. Between being busy with builds and spending two weeks out of the country, I didn’t have much time to shop on AliExpress or Temu.  In October, though, I did manage to purchase two sets from Temu: a Speed Champions-scale taxi cab MOC and a JieStar JJ9015 Chemical Plant (717 pcs).  Look for those reviews as well whenever I manage to catch up!


Reviews I posted in November

In early October I received the Chili Dog Trailer (F9046) set from FunWhole and I posted a review of it here on its-not-lego.blogspot.com.

I’ve also published an in-depth review of the Ski Lodge, which you can check out [here]. However, I’ll admit I’m a bit behind on reviews for the other sets and need to catch up soon!


Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season!  Thanks for looking, see you next time!

P.S.  I used ChatGPT to help me fix and improve my sentences and grammar structure.   


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A Festive Review of the Lego Compatible Funwhole Christmas Newsstand F9055 Building Block Set

 


Hey brick fans!  

Check out this newest limited edition Christmas version of the classic Funwhole Newsstand set.  If you recall, Funwhole released their original French inspired Newsstand set around this time last year.  

Here's my review of the set on the  bricktoyreviews blog: https://bricktoyreviews.blogspot.com/2023/11/i-got-to-preview-new-lego-compatible.html



For the 2024 Christmas season, we have this new version of the Newsstand. which comes in this beautiful burgundy red box.

Thanks to Funwhole who provided this set for my review!

Product Highlights

Lego compatible: Yes
Exclusive Minifigures: 2 
Lighting kit included: Yes
Printed pieces: Yes
Stickers: No
Numbered bags: Yes
Number of pieces: 718 pieces
Age Rating: 16+

Unboxing the set



There's a lot of holiday goodness packed into the small red box!  There's a lovely instruction manual with several numbered parts bags and 2 special pouches containing the Funwhole lighting kit.

One thing I really love about Funwhole is the beautiful illustrations that are included in every Funwhole manual.  The Christmas scene looks amazing!  I'm hoping we can have a white winter this year, so I can put my Christmas Newsstand out in the snow to take pictures of it.

Lighting

The Exclusive light kit comes with 23 light points attached to 2 different strings.  One is used to adorn the Christmas tree and the other one decorates the newsstand.

The light strings can be found in pouch #1.

In pouch #2, we get lighting components to light up the interior of the newsstand, along with a USB plug, a battery pack.  The battery pack powers the lights using 2 CR2032 batteries (not included).

As a reminder always test out the lighting components before you install them into the set to make sure that all of the lights and attachments are working properly.  If any issues, contact Funwhole customer service and they will set you straight.

The Build process






As you can see from the instruction manual, it's built following the 5 simple steps:

1.  Build the base
2.  Build the storefront
3.  Complete the rest of the building
4.  Build the roof
5.  Build the Christmas tree and put on the lights!

Minifigures


Here is the bag for the 2 exclusive minifigures in the set, we will see them later.

Step 1:


Here are the 3 bags of parts for step 1.

And here's step 1 completed.  I like the footprints in the show!  Those are printed pieces!

Step 2

We get 3 numbered bags for step 2.

Some very nice printed pieces can be found here.

The printed pieces really enhance the front of the newsstand.  Yum, is that hot chocolate or apple cider in the pot?  

This cute little crate can be put inside the newsstand or displayed outside.

I put the crate inside as per the manual.

Step 3


Yup, another 3 bags for step 3.

Which gives us even more printed parts, nice!

Finished building the newsstand.  The structure is exactly the same as the original newsstand set including the use of the dark green bricks, however the canopy is now red and white.  Before it was sand green and white.  The rear of the building houses the battery compartment.

Step 4


The two bags for Step 4 contains all the parts necessary to build the snow covered roof.

It is the same design as the original newsstand, but now it's white instead of dark green with the printed Newsstand sign.

Wow, it looks great and we haven't even added the tree or lighting yet, which we will do in the next step.

Step 5


Here are the three bags for the tree and other decorations.

A Bonus snowman is included in the set!  And here's a look at the Funwhole guy dressed up in a Santa suit.  I think he needs to put on a few more pounds though!

Here's the tree and newsstand all lit up from inside and outside!  Awesome!   

The extra minifigure is a girl with a christmas sweater on.

Here's a peek out back. Use the red door to go inside the newsstand.  All of the lighting wires feed into the back switch.  There is an extra port on the switch to use the included USB plug if you don't want to use the watch batteries.  


These are some pics of each side of the newsstand.  We can see all those printed posters put to good use.

Summary


The Lego compatible Funwhole Christmas Newsstand makes a great gift, especially with the beautiful box it comes in.   It was very easy to put together and would make a great display piece on the mantle or under tree!  You can even add it to your winter village scene or incorporate it into your Lego city.

Funwhole consistently has great quality in their bricks usage and designs.  All of their sets will display well with your other Lego or alternative brick branded sets.  If you haven't tried them yet, here's a great set to get your feet wet.


Hope you've enjoyed this look at the stunning Christmas Newsstand by Funwhole!  Thanks for looking, Bye!
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The FunWhole FH9001 Wood Cabin: A Spooky Halloween Makeover

Hey brick fans!  

As Halloween creeps closer, what better way to get into the spirit than by transforming your favorite Funwhole Wood Cabin Set into a haunted house? If you're a fan of creative builds and love a good scare, it's time to give this cozy cabin a chilling makeover! Let’s dive into how you can turn this charming set into the ultimate spooky setup!

No haunted house is complete without some spine-chilling exterior décor.   Nothing says Halloween more than some scary Jack-o-Lanterns and pumpkins.  

Here's what the FunWhole Wood Cabin looked like pre-Halloween makeover: https://its-not-lego.blogspot.com/2022/07/funwhole-wood-cabin-building-set-review.html


I removed the tree to make room for the gravesite, but you could probably keep it to hide the ancient cemetery from view.


Crumbling gravestones are the only evidence of the eerie, long unused cemetery, overrun with weeds and rodents.  Try not to visit at the witching hour because that's when the creepy custodians come out to spread their evilness.

In fact, the whole wood cabin is surrounded by witches, mass murderers ghosts, goblins, zombies and vampires. Do you dare come any closer?


For an extra touch of the macabre, ghoulish dismembered heads hang from the rafters. Wait ,did that ghastly head just follow you with it's sinister undead eyes?


Grim and grotesque guardians protect the haunted wood cabin, ready to swoop in from the roof and scare the daylights out of you.


Giant spiders the size of your head spin their sticky webs all over the cabin!


The police can't protect you here, because they have been transformed into terrifying zombies!

Add as many creepy minifigures as you can!  I used some of my Marvel and DC comic villians.


With just a few tweaks, the Funwhole Wood Cabin Set can easily transform from a peaceful retreat into a bone-chilling haunted house, perfect for Halloween.   You can find lots of Halloween mini sets to decorate the wood cabin on Aliexpress.


It isn't a FunWhole set if you don't turn on the lights!




Pickup your own FunWhole Wood Cabin either from the FunWhole website or from their Amazon store.   Check their sites often to see what kind of monthly promotions they have going on.

Bye for now!
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