Since I saw some initial reviews of FunWhole products, I thought lets try this, got the steampunk shop modular building like set. LOVED IT! Price is definitely part of it, but man lights, lots of bricks, cool build just for 80 euros is a steal. Ended up buying the Antique store as well and I will also keep an eye on their website when they have new releases. Thanks for reviewing this for us!
They have so many great sets, which are usually on sale for around 1/3 to 1/2 what Lego charges in the US. And they crank them out fast, too, across their different themes. With Lego, you have to wait a year and pray you get a decent modular. Over the past few months, Funwhole has released this theater, a skate shop, and a record store, and a motel will be out any day. Never mind all the medieval and Steampunk sets, etc. They really spoil you for choice
I got the cyberpunk apartments and police car after seeing Jang's review of the former and have really enjoyed them. Got the steampunk train for Christmas as well.
Jang, I'm so pleased you're reviewing legitimate non-Lego brick sets -- especially FunWhole. I'm disgusted with Lego prices and manipulative marketing (I ordered The Endurance four hours after release and the GWP Shackleton's Lifeboat was already gone -- cancelled order). I was a Lego purist until 6 months ago -- and my Lego purchases have decreased by 50% as I devote more of my money to alternate brands with better value, fresher designs, lights, prints.
Lego has become really weird just this past year with their GWPs and prices. I assume it's because of the increase in "Lego investors" but it's a bit weird. I'm still a purist in the sense that I won't mix and match and my city would be strictly Lego, but I would love to give these a try and see how these alternatives are. To be honest, Lego light products are so bad that I might mix and match some unofficial lighting kits though.
Ditto. So many reviews of all the brands--Lego, Funwhole, etc.--are sponsored, so it's hard to entirely trust even the best of them. Jang keeps it real.
I've been a LEGO purist since I first started playing with them in the early 90's, but after seeing your review of the Medieval Forge, I decided to give this brand a shot. Purchased the medieval Apothecary, and the medieval windmill, and let's just say I couldn't be happier. Happier. My opinion of Lego has started to sour due to price increases, and reduction in quality. I honestly hope this company starts to catch on. LEGO needs some true competition, and I think FW can give it to them.
The medieval watch tower is super cool, too! I could nitpick little things in Funwhole's sets, just like sets from Lego, but overall they make an exceptionally good product and price it right. Depending on what sale or promo they're running, I'm literally getting Funwhole sets for a 1/3 what Lego usually costs, but the designs and quality are great. Easy choice. The only problem is that I'm running out of room... :)
I have no problem with any visual deficiencies on the left side caused by access panels since I'll have other modulars abutting it, and that won't be readily visible. To your point about access design, I do think the slide-out stage is a very cool, fun idea, and Funwhole does handle these concepts with a bit more grace in the skate shop (separable floors plus huge swing-out rear panels) and especially the record store: the whole thing clamshells, and the floors actually slide out, which is something Lego could learn from. Actually, Lego could learn many things from Funwhole: pricing, prints, lights, presentation, interaction with fans.... I've been having way more fun building Funwhole sets this year than just about any of the Lego sets I built. They also get way more oohs and ahhs when I have visitors over, not just because of the lights but because of some of the designs and subject matter, too.
Wouldn't it be great it these prices made Lego more competitive with their prices? These sets look great! If they pick up a license or two (maybe along with the name change), they'd really compete with Lego and Mega.
I've already grown accustomed to the FO minifigures. And it didn't take much. They are cute, collectable in their own right, and the printing on them is excellent. Plus, their overall shape and their faces (mainly the eyes) kind of remind me of characters from certain old-school European cartoons and comics. 🙂 ❤
They're pleasantly plump :) I kind of like them, too, and think Lego minifigs are rather strange and overrated. (This coming from someone who's been used to them for decades.)
Thank you for the great review! I was given this set by my daughter and can't wait to build it. But I have to finish the cyber punk apartment first. Again thank you for the wonderfully informative review. Wishing you a year of great health, happy building, and more great reviews.
It's really striking how this small company has improved so fast and keeps cranking out so many large, elaborate sets that aren't merely adequate, but often truly awesome. And they keep adding themes. There's so much great stuff to choose from, and I can buy two or three of their sets for the price of one Lego set. Easy choice most of the time.
this is so great! im gearing up for college transfer and I know im not going to be able to afford modulars anymore so this alternative is rad and maybe even better in so many ways. thank you for bringing this to us viewers!
One of my favourite parts about this set and the library cafe are the silver and gold parts. I love this quality and I seriously wish I could get the silver for the UCS razor crest
This would be 99% stickers if this was a Lego set. Imagine having to line up all the movie title stickers on the front! And these aren’t just prints, but assembled first and then printed. That’s should be expected from Lego. Right!?
For interior access to the top floor, it would've been better if the entire front wall came off in addition to the roof. That way you actually get to see both the audience and the actors on stage in one view without having to remove a crucial part of the interior like the entire stage just to be able to peek inside.
I have this set but have not put it together yet. I am currently putting together their Old West General Store set and I completed their Holiday Newsstand a few days ago. From this review, it does seem like the company is getting better at hiding wires. Only one visible wire on the back is great. Previous sets would have several. In general for this company, the price cannot be beat and the finished product is fun and mostly looks great. Getting to the finished product can be tedious at times. In every set I have put together from the company, there have been times when you are looking at your workspace and see nothing but a lot of small one stud pieces on the table. It can feel like you are not making any progress on the build for a while. Also, while the lights are great and I imagine everyone would want to use them, if they are something you don’t want to deal with or if you just want some of the lights but not all of them, most of the wires are not forced attached to pieces from the start and do not need to be connected. The set will still look fine without them.
Jang….personally I really enjoyed building this set and it’s one of my all time favourite Modulars. ….”Multi Format” modular building was the description by the way. Wait till you build their new Record Store!! That’s next level. Genius! - since I saw your review of the FunWhole Medieval Forge I’m now up to 15 FO sets….mainly the buildings. After being a Lego purist I’m now fully on board with FunWhole. Price, lights, prints etc,….Lego need to take note! - Thanks again for your super vid, always love your thoughts even if I don’t always agree. - Happy New Year buddy!
The record store is ground-breaking for a commercial modular set. Such a ridiculously cool structural design, never mind the esthetics and fine details and lighting. These guys are starting to run circles around the Danes.
Somehow missed this side of your channel and so glad I just saw it as I just picked upmy first FunWhole set (the Sheriffs office) and absolutely love it. On sale for Amazon for 48$ for over 1200 pieces and lights? it cant be beat!
Great review, as always. You’ve got this separate channel now, so I'd love to get a more detailed review of the figures please! (I’m interested to see how much articulation they have, for example.) Regarding the doors in the side of the building, I actually like the novelty of it even if they aren’t overly effective (but your point about the compromises probably means I’d 100% agree with you if I had it in real life), but I love the idea of the ‘in-world’ situation where the ticket booth opens out like that when the theatre is open.
This is a great looking modular. My biggest issue with these FW builds is exactly what you covered with the side and back though. It seems like the majority have those ugly backs and sides to provide access, but they really detract from the overall design. I know Lego modulars keep their backs and sides pretty simple, but they still look much cleaner and nicer then these with some simple features like gutters to at least give those sides of the facade some character. If FW corrects that and some of the other minor issues you pointed out I think they will really be giving Lego a run for their money.
I've definitely become a fan of this company, and I do like the access on the stage side that this gives you - pulling out the stage. Agree with you on the doors on the other side though - they don't offer quite enough other than a "quick peak". . I do like how this set, which is smaller than the LEGO modular Theater set from years ago, has more seating for patrons than the LEGO one has! One thing I've noticed with FO sets - the 1x2 transparent light bricks sometimes don't have enough clutch power like the single stud lights you showed in this set. The cyberpunk police car has that issue for me - the blue light wants to pop off the studs. Also noticed the kerning on the printing for one of the words on multiple pieces is off on this set, as are the dots on the laser cut pieces. Being very, very nitpicky, but it is due in part to seeing just how good the quality can be from this company. I also love that this company does a farm theme and an "outdoors" theme. And other themes that LEGO doesn't really touch - old west, cyberpunk, and steampunk. I do think they need to work on different size builds for their sets - a wider range of price points with the 500-1000 piece range being something to look at more in their themes. I can't wait to see more of these sets debut and enjoy your reviews of them. Thank you for introducing me to this company, Jang, and thank you for your honest review!
That's a good point: the bulk of their sets fall into roughly the same price and parts count ranges. It would be nice to see more small sets (though I can imagine light/power design could be extra challenging) and some really big ones. Funwhole has such good medieval sets, but where's a big castle?
I would love to keep seeing these reviews, I got the steampunk flying club for Christmas, 1800 pieces and about the size of a modular for $80. Love this set, and there's a whole connected universe of the steampunk sets shown in the prints
Pantasy is an equally great Lego alternative, and they a few killer steampunk sets, just fyi. I have the Flying Club set up next to Pantasy's train station, and they look really cool together.
Impressive printing, easy to get that sort of thing misaligned across multiple tiles. I'm willing to forgive a little color variance for the infancy of this still growing new company with competitive pricing.🙂 Beautiful design, I love modular sets so nice to see someone focusing on that well. Some ugly non facing building sides but at least it is in service of some good door features. And the lights are sweet, never knew how much I wanted that till FO came around. Great technical talk Jang, was curious about brick wiring matters as it pertains to clutch power properties, I can see there is still room for better cable management. Ain't that the truth, kind of an anti-stud movement going on with plates that needs to let up a little.😉
I'm the same way with the lights. I used to think they were kind of gimmicky (and super expensive to add to already super expensive Lego sets). Then I got my first Funwhole set, and the light went on :) They add so much to the build experience, slowing it down and adding a bit of challenge, never mind the character of the finished sets.
They just have to swap the names and be WholeFun. Lego is already behind them, even with their rectangular figures. I mean, are you rectangular ? Cause i'm not. Are you a bit rounder ? May be... 😎
Their figure design is pretty great, even if I don't like the actual figures. When they're printed on graphics they look close enough to "the leading brand" that they don't take away from the build if you wanted to replace the characters with minifigures.
There's a lot of really good stuff coming out from Pantasy, Funwhole, Cobi, Cada, etc. Quality as good as Lego, usually a heck of a lot cheaper. It's definitely worth diving into if your interest is in building and not just the brand name per se.
I started small with a smaller farm set that was very enjoyable to build. Building steps are a bit more advanced than most Lego building instructions, but the instructions are very clear. The minifigs do look odd - but tend to be printed very nice, and their hair/headwear fit LEGO minifigs. And the sets themselves can support a LEGO minifig no problem. If you're not used to lighting stuff, that will slow you down a bit during the build process, but honestly they really guide you in the instructions on where to route wires and make it quite simple to do the lighting. Brick quality - I think they use GoBricks which have great [sometimes greater!] clutch power than LEGO. I will admit, it is odd sometimes not seeing the LEGO logo on top of each stud. But that's the main noticeable difference. That, and there are parts that come in colors that TLG hasn't made available yet. And a few custom pieces that fit right in with builds.
I wonder if they will re-purpose this set (with some minor changes) in the future and turn it into an old school movie bijou theater. With their prices and their designs, they are definitely giving Lego some strong competition. As for their figures, I'm mixing them with my Lego ones. It might be blasphemy for some but not for me.
I have definitely started warming up to the figures. I mixed them with Lego minifigures for my Christmas diorama and it works great. FO has earned a significant portion of my brick budget for sure.
The Lego Palace Cinema was the first Lego modular building that I heard about as my interests started expanding beyond the original Batman sets, and I was enamored with it. I never ended up getting it but I built the whole thing in Lego Digital Designer on my summer vacation one year. So this set has a short cut to my nostalgia. Jang, your reviews of the FO brand had convinced me to give them a shot and I thought I was going to go for the book store, but this gave me pause. We'll see which one wins out.
I can say the book store is really nice, though smaller than the theater. The record store and skate park are also great, if you're going for a slightly grittier urban look.
I own the Palace Cinema as I bought it when it came out and yes, I do like the set a lot. But it has a lot of shortcomings on the inside [hardly any seating, projection booth is just a raised platform behind the last row of seats, not much detail inside, etc. This theatre set is smaller, base-plate wise, than the LEGO one, but has more seating, and lots more details inside. Granted, this is 2024, and the Palace Cinema came out in 2013, and modulars back then didn't always have tons of detail inside. As someone who spent 7 years doing tech work for a theatre group, this set speaks very loudly to me [also I am a huge Shakespeare fan]. So I am biased. But I'd say get this set! :)
To be fair real world theatres are often unbelivably ugly and patchy on the non visible backside/sides. Something about all the modifications over the years and things like ac/fans have to go somwhere.
14:44 People really need to get over their non-Lego minifigure bias, Lego made a popular design but not a perfect one Eg. those four leg holes do kind of spoil the back(be honest) while the leg shape orientation creates a front-butt(Spaceballs transporter mishap.).😏 Personally some revisions I'd like to see by FO is the body made a little more boxy(polygonal) and less bean/egg shaped Ie. add the front and back girth with an armor like piece in a character applicable way, thicker shoulder with a ball joint Eg. Kreo, legs that swing(maybe a knee), and a little more hand definition and girth(more boxy). I think foot clutch could be supplemented with a central anti-stud hole on the chest back for chairs but also as a built-in bracket for backpacks etc.. Funny with the FO shoulder and wrist being hard to swap just like Lego heh, I actually found the recent Mrs. Castillo figure with the Technic pin shoulder much nicer(Hint, hint, FO I'm winking at you.).😄 Mixed feeling about the smoking figure, I'm not a fan of cigarettes but still find it odd with movies now labeling smoking the same way violence and swearing is cited.
The nice thing about the swing-out walls is that they let you look inside while leaving all the lighting on, versus removing floors, which disconnects some of the lights temporarily.
Just shows you the excuses we get that we get printed sheets rather than printed bricks as it's much more expensive. Sure it's more expensive but only a few dollar's/pounds. Hate stickers.
Hi Jang 👋 Just a quick question: Can the minifigs sit in the seats or not..? I don't see any antistuds on the "rear end" of them.. Looks to me that they would just slide off the seats/chairs..
I’m so torn - I love the funwhole designs. Love that it’s cheaper than Lego but I know I can recoup most of the money I spent on Lego if I choose to sell any. Have seen very little funwhole on the secondary market
It's probably a little early for that yet. But there's definitely an aftermarket for used/rare/OOP sets from other alternative brands. With so many people falling in love with the Funwhole sets, I imagine it's just a matter of waiting until sets start to retire, and then you'll see a market.
2:59 I’m curious: do you _know_ that FunWhole is assembling groups of tiles to print them together, or are you just assuming that’s how they get the very tight margins and good alignment for prints that split across multiple parts?
They do indeed have sets where the printed tiles come preassembled and printed in alignment on a big piece that otherwise doesn't get used. You then remove the printed tiles from their temporary "backer" and place them on the building where called for. Don't know if that's true for this set as I have it but haven't built it yet.
I really want to see someone mod this into the Muppet Theater. That lady selling flowers with a cigarette in her mouth is so weird to see. I think it's Pantasy (another awkward name for an English speaker) makes a really nice 221b Baker Street set that I want.
They have two Baker Street sets: the apartment itself and the big modular. I have the latter, and it's great (and a ridiculous bargain, about a third the cost of a Lego set.) They make awesome sets in general.
I just bought three sets from them. Never built with a lighting kit hopefully it goes well. Wondering can one replace the lights and how long will they last?
Their customer service will send free send replacement lights, missing parts, etc. Haven't had any light problems myself, knock on wood. Tip for the lighting: just go slowly and carefully as the wires are quite thin. You definitely don't want to yank them or kink them badly. Once you've build one set, though, it will all seem pretty easy and fun.
Thanks for doing other brands. Tbh they’re just better at this point. Only benefit of Lego is the variety but this is like a full Lego modular but 1/2 the price and with lights
70 prints... meanwhile in Denmark... "We need another batch of non-colormatching stickers guys!".
And accountants furiously calculating how high a price they can get away with. Lego would have charged at least twice as much.
Lego needs a reality check with their inflated prices...
Since I saw some initial reviews of FunWhole products, I thought lets try this, got the steampunk shop modular building like set. LOVED IT! Price is definitely part of it, but man lights, lots of bricks, cool build just for 80 euros is a steal. Ended up buying the Antique store as well and I will also keep an eye on their website when they have new releases. Thanks for reviewing this for us!
They have so many great sets, which are usually on sale for around 1/3 to 1/2 what Lego charges in the US. And they crank them out fast, too, across their different themes. With Lego, you have to wait a year and pray you get a decent modular. Over the past few months, Funwhole has released this theater, a skate shop, and a record store, and a motel will be out any day. Never mind all the medieval and Steampunk sets, etc. They really spoil you for choice
I got the cyberpunk apartments and police car after seeing Jang's review of the former and have really enjoyed them. Got the steampunk train for Christmas as well.
Jang, I'm so pleased you're reviewing legitimate non-Lego brick sets -- especially FunWhole. I'm disgusted with Lego prices and manipulative marketing (I ordered The Endurance four hours after release and the GWP Shackleton's Lifeboat was already gone -- cancelled order). I was a Lego purist until 6 months ago -- and my Lego purchases have decreased by 50% as I devote more of my money to alternate brands with better value, fresher designs, lights, prints.
Lego has become really weird just this past year with their GWPs and prices. I assume it's because of the increase in "Lego investors" but it's a bit weird. I'm still a purist in the sense that I won't mix and match and my city would be strictly Lego, but I would love to give these a try and see how these alternatives are. To be honest, Lego light products are so bad that I might mix and match some unofficial lighting kits though.
Much wishes of luck to this company, I like what they are doing with their lighting kits
Slowly, very slowly, i am falling in love with this company!! The sets, the lights, the themes and yez the orice... ❤
So glad to see a channel dedicated to this from a reviewer I trust and has a fair view.
Ditto. So many reviews of all the brands--Lego, Funwhole, etc.--are sponsored, so it's hard to entirely trust even the best of them. Jang keeps it real.
I've been a LEGO purist since I first started playing with them in the early 90's, but after seeing your review of the Medieval Forge, I decided to give this brand a shot. Purchased the medieval Apothecary, and the medieval windmill, and let's just say I couldn't be happier. Happier. My opinion of Lego has started to sour due to price increases, and reduction in quality. I honestly hope this company starts to catch on. LEGO needs some true competition, and I think FW can give it to them.
The medieval watch tower is super cool, too! I could nitpick little things in Funwhole's sets, just like sets from Lego, but overall they make an exceptionally good product and price it right. Depending on what sale or promo they're running, I'm literally getting Funwhole sets for a 1/3 what Lego usually costs, but the designs and quality are great. Easy choice. The only problem is that I'm running out of room... :)
With a different name, yes!
I have no problem with any visual deficiencies on the left side caused by access panels since I'll have other modulars abutting it, and that won't be readily visible. To your point about access design, I do think the slide-out stage is a very cool, fun idea, and Funwhole does handle these concepts with a bit more grace in the skate shop (separable floors plus huge swing-out rear panels) and especially the record store: the whole thing clamshells, and the floors actually slide out, which is something Lego could learn from. Actually, Lego could learn many things from Funwhole: pricing, prints, lights, presentation, interaction with fans.... I've been having way more fun building Funwhole sets this year than just about any of the Lego sets I built. They also get way more oohs and ahhs when I have visitors over, not just because of the lights but because of some of the designs and subject matter, too.
Wouldn't it be great it these prices made Lego more competitive with their prices? These sets look great! If they pick up a license or two (maybe along with the name change), they'd really compete with Lego and Mega.
I have two FH sets so far and they are amazing. The lighting kit on the Record Store is amazing. They have me as a customer for sure.
That is such an awesome set, inside and out. Really interesting design and build.
I've already grown accustomed to the FO minifigures. And it didn't take much. They are cute, collectable in their own right, and the printing on them is excellent.
Plus, their overall shape and their faces (mainly the eyes) kind of remind me of characters from certain old-school European cartoons and comics. 🙂 ❤
I even find them more realistic, more human like than Lego's rectangular ones !
They're pleasantly plump :) I kind of like them, too, and think Lego minifigs are rather strange and overrated. (This coming from someone who's been used to them for decades.)
This is hard to say, but I have to be honest: this looks better than Lego modulars.
Other than the figs I would honestly put this in my Lego city it looks that good.
Thank you for the great review! I was given this set by my daughter and can't wait to build it. But I have to finish the cyber punk apartment first. Again thank you for the wonderfully informative review. Wishing you a year of great health, happy building, and more great reviews.
you get so much more with this than lego. I really hope they go from strength to strength
It's really striking how this small company has improved so fast and keeps cranking out so many large, elaborate sets that aren't merely adequate, but often truly awesome. And they keep adding themes. There's so much great stuff to choose from, and I can buy two or three of their sets for the price of one Lego set. Easy choice most of the time.
I love this company. Ive bought all the western buildings.
The Western buildings look amazing, so tempted to get them!
So excited about this channel!!!
this is so great! im gearing up for college transfer and I know im not going to be able to afford modulars anymore so this alternative is rad and maybe even better in so many ways. thank you for bringing this to us viewers!
One of my favourite parts about this set and the library cafe are the silver and gold parts. I love this quality and I seriously wish I could get the silver for the UCS razor crest
They are selling modulars at half the price, includes lighting, no stickers and prints that are superior to the leading brand.
This would be 99% stickers if this was a Lego set. Imagine having to line up all the movie title stickers on the front! And these aren’t just prints, but assembled first and then printed.
That’s should be expected from Lego.
Right!?
In an idea world, yes, but Lego cuts corners and then doubles the price.
For interior access to the top floor, it would've been better if the entire front wall came off in addition to the roof. That way you actually get to see both the audience and the actors on stage in one view without having to remove a crucial part of the interior like the entire stage just to be able to peek inside.
I have this set but have not put it together yet. I am currently putting together their Old West General Store set and I completed their Holiday Newsstand a few days ago. From this review, it does seem like the company is getting better at hiding wires. Only one visible wire on the back is great. Previous sets would have several.
In general for this company, the price cannot be beat and the finished product is fun and mostly looks great.
Getting to the finished product can be tedious at times. In every set I have put together from the company, there have been times when you are looking at your workspace and see nothing but a lot of small one stud pieces on the table. It can feel like you are not making any progress on the build for a while.
Also, while the lights are great and I imagine everyone would want to use them, if they are something you don’t want to deal with or if you just want some of the lights but not all of them, most of the wires are not forced attached to pieces from the start and do not need to be connected. The set will still look fine without them.
Jang….personally I really enjoyed building this set and it’s one of my all time favourite Modulars. ….”Multi Format” modular building was the description by the way. Wait till you build their new Record Store!! That’s next level. Genius! - since I saw your review of the FunWhole Medieval Forge I’m now up to 15 FO sets….mainly the buildings. After being a Lego purist I’m now fully on board with FunWhole. Price, lights, prints etc,….Lego need to take note! - Thanks again for your super vid, always love your thoughts even if I don’t always agree. - Happy New Year buddy!
The record store is ground-breaking for a commercial modular set. Such a ridiculously cool structural design, never mind the esthetics and fine details and lighting. These guys are starting to run circles around the Danes.
I've recently discovered FunWhole & I've known about Jang's other channels. I'm happy I discovered this channel.
I love that you are doing reviews of other brands!
Dang this is a neat set, I think I might’ve just found a Muppet Theater for my city!
Somehow missed this side of your channel and so glad I just saw it as I just picked upmy first FunWhole set (the Sheriffs office) and absolutely love it. On sale for Amazon for 48$ for over 1200 pieces and lights? it cant be beat!
Great vid. My favorite new brick channel!
Thanks for the alternate brand review. I’ve purchased several of their sets now, including this one. I look forward to putting it together.
Great review, as always. You’ve got this separate channel now, so I'd love to get a more detailed review of the figures please! (I’m interested to see how much articulation they have, for example.) Regarding the doors in the side of the building, I actually like the novelty of it even if they aren’t overly effective (but your point about the compromises probably means I’d 100% agree with you if I had it in real life), but I love the idea of the ‘in-world’ situation where the ticket booth opens out like that when the theatre is open.
My only gripe with the figures is the lack of anti-studs on their backside. They can't sit down securely on a studded surface.
This is a great looking modular. My biggest issue with these FW builds is exactly what you covered with the side and back though. It seems like the majority have those ugly backs and sides to provide access, but they really detract from the overall design. I know Lego modulars keep their backs and sides pretty simple, but they still look much cleaner and nicer then these with some simple features like gutters to at least give those sides of the facade some character. If FW corrects that and some of the other minor issues you pointed out I think they will really be giving Lego a run for their money.
I've definitely become a fan of this company, and I do like the access on the stage side that this gives you - pulling out the stage. Agree with you on the doors on the other side though - they don't offer quite enough other than a "quick peak". . I do like how this set, which is smaller than the LEGO modular Theater set from years ago, has more seating for patrons than the LEGO one has!
One thing I've noticed with FO sets - the 1x2 transparent light bricks sometimes don't have enough clutch power like the single stud lights you showed in this set. The cyberpunk police car has that issue for me - the blue light wants to pop off the studs.
Also noticed the kerning on the printing for one of the words on multiple pieces is off on this set, as are the dots on the laser cut pieces.
Being very, very nitpicky, but it is due in part to seeing just how good the quality can be from this company.
I also love that this company does a farm theme and an "outdoors" theme. And other themes that LEGO doesn't really touch - old west, cyberpunk, and steampunk. I do think they need to work on different size builds for their sets - a wider range of price points with the 500-1000 piece range being something to look at more in their themes. I can't wait to see more of these sets debut and enjoy your reviews of them. Thank you for introducing me to this company, Jang, and thank you for your honest review!
That's a good point: the bulk of their sets fall into roughly the same price and parts count ranges. It would be nice to see more small sets (though I can imagine light/power design could be extra challenging) and some really big ones. Funwhole has such good medieval sets, but where's a big castle?
I would love to keep seeing these reviews, I got the steampunk flying club for Christmas, 1800 pieces and about the size of a modular for $80. Love this set, and there's a whole connected universe of the steampunk sets shown in the prints
Pantasy is an equally great Lego alternative, and they a few killer steampunk sets, just fyi. I have the Flying Club set up next to Pantasy's train station, and they look really cool together.
Hey Google, please tell the algorithm that I like this channel ❤
Love this company, I've been buying all their western sets as they release!
This is next level impressive.
Impressive printing, easy to get that sort of thing misaligned across multiple tiles. I'm willing to forgive a little color variance for the infancy of this still growing new company with competitive pricing.🙂
Beautiful design, I love modular sets so nice to see someone focusing on that well. Some ugly non facing building sides but at least it is in service of some good door features. And the lights are sweet, never knew how much I wanted that till FO came around.
Great technical talk Jang, was curious about brick wiring matters as it pertains to clutch power properties, I can see there is still room for better cable management. Ain't that the truth, kind of an anti-stud movement going on with plates that needs to let up a little.😉
I'm the same way with the lights. I used to think they were kind of gimmicky (and super expensive to add to already super expensive Lego sets). Then I got my first Funwhole set, and the light went on :) They add so much to the build experience, slowing it down and adding a bit of challenge, never mind the character of the finished sets.
They just have to swap the names and be WholeFun. Lego is already behind them, even with their rectangular figures. I mean, are you rectangular ? Cause i'm not. Are you a bit rounder ? May be... 😎
Their figure design is pretty great, even if I don't like the actual figures. When they're printed on graphics they look close enough to "the leading brand" that they don't take away from the build if you wanted to replace the characters with minifigures.
hey jang do are you maybe considering reviewing the western sets funwhole has?
14:58 Is the flower lady smoking a cigarette?!? 😱 Would never see that on a LEGO minifigure. Really like the lighting system they’ve developed.
I need the backstory on the smoking babushka.
Never bought anything non Lego but this set does seem really great
There's a lot of really good stuff coming out from Pantasy, Funwhole, Cobi, Cada, etc. Quality as good as Lego, usually a heck of a lot cheaper. It's definitely worth diving into if your interest is in building and not just the brand name per se.
I started small with a smaller farm set that was very enjoyable to build. Building steps are a bit more advanced than most Lego building instructions, but the instructions are very clear. The minifigs do look odd - but tend to be printed very nice, and their hair/headwear fit LEGO minifigs. And the sets themselves can support a LEGO minifig no problem.
If you're not used to lighting stuff, that will slow you down a bit during the build process, but honestly they really guide you in the instructions on where to route wires and make it quite simple to do the lighting.
Brick quality - I think they use GoBricks which have great [sometimes greater!] clutch power than LEGO. I will admit, it is odd sometimes not seeing the LEGO logo on top of each stud. But that's the main noticeable difference. That, and there are parts that come in colors that TLG hasn't made available yet. And a few custom pieces that fit right in with builds.
I wonder if they will re-purpose this set (with some minor changes) in the future and turn it into an old school movie bijou theater. With their prices and their designs, they are definitely giving Lego some strong competition. As for their figures, I'm mixing them with my Lego ones. It might be blasphemy for some but not for me.
Some figures are just more well fed than others :D
I have definitely started warming up to the figures. I mixed them with Lego minifigures for my Christmas diorama and it works great. FO has earned a significant portion of my brick budget for sure.
I'll certainly mix them in. My first sets from them just arrived.
The Lego Palace Cinema was the first Lego modular building that I heard about as my interests started expanding beyond the original Batman sets, and I was enamored with it. I never ended up getting it but I built the whole thing in Lego Digital Designer on my summer vacation one year. So this set has a short cut to my nostalgia. Jang, your reviews of the FO brand had convinced me to give them a shot and I thought I was going to go for the book store, but this gave me pause. We'll see which one wins out.
I can say the book store is really nice, though smaller than the theater. The record store and skate park are also great, if you're going for a slightly grittier urban look.
I own the Palace Cinema as I bought it when it came out and yes, I do like the set a lot. But it has a lot of shortcomings on the inside [hardly any seating, projection booth is just a raised platform behind the last row of seats, not much detail inside, etc. This theatre set is smaller, base-plate wise, than the LEGO one, but has more seating, and lots more details inside. Granted, this is 2024, and the Palace Cinema came out in 2013, and modulars back then didn't always have tons of detail inside.
As someone who spent 7 years doing tech work for a theatre group, this set speaks very loudly to me [also I am a huge Shakespeare fan]. So I am biased. But I'd say get this set! :)
Thanks for your review! I would love to see a review of their set for a record store. Maybe could be your next one for this brand?
i hope they don’t change the name
I kind of like the FO minifigs. We’re all just use to the Lego minifigs but if you were coming in cold, they look just as goofy.
To be fair real world theatres are often unbelivably ugly and patchy on the non visible backside/sides. Something about all the modifications over the years and things like ac/fans have to go somwhere.
Pretty incredible set actually.
Cool build, like legos friends theatre, but with more detail
Unfortunate name for a company but that makes this so much funnier cuz the set rules, I'd love to own an original FunWhole set
this is so nice, I really loke the development as lego became super expensive
FO seems to concentrate on development of things we customers might like.
Maybe Billund gets the hint someday.
GREAT VIDEO as always! Are you thinking of reviewing Cara’s newest CLAAS combine harvester?
14:44 People really need to get over their non-Lego minifigure bias, Lego made a popular design but not a perfect one Eg. those four leg holes do kind of spoil the back(be honest) while the leg shape orientation creates a front-butt(Spaceballs transporter mishap.).😏
Personally some revisions I'd like to see by FO is the body made a little more boxy(polygonal) and less bean/egg shaped Ie. add the front and back girth with an armor like piece in a character applicable way, thicker shoulder with a ball joint Eg. Kreo, legs that swing(maybe a knee), and a little more hand definition and girth(more boxy).
I think foot clutch could be supplemented with a central anti-stud hole on the chest back for chairs but also as a built-in bracket for backpacks etc.. Funny with the FO shoulder and wrist being hard to swap just like Lego heh, I actually found the recent Mrs. Castillo figure with the Technic pin shoulder much nicer(Hint, hint, FO I'm winking at you.).😄
Mixed feeling about the smoking figure, I'm not a fan of cigarettes but still find it odd with movies now labeling smoking the same way violence and swearing is cited.
Nice set - but it would have been better without the opening walls..
The nice thing about the swing-out walls is that they let you look inside while leaving all the lighting on, versus removing floors, which disconnects some of the lights temporarily.
Just shows you the excuses we get that we get printed sheets rather than printed bricks as it's much more expensive. Sure it's more expensive but only a few dollar's/pounds. Hate stickers.
This theatre reminds me of Batman’s origin. 🎭 😮
See, and I was thinking of the Muppets
Hi Jang 👋 Just a quick question: Can the minifigs sit in the seats or not..? I don't see any antistuds on the "rear end" of them.. Looks to me that they would just slide off the seats/chairs..
I’m so torn - I love the funwhole designs. Love that it’s cheaper than Lego but I know I can recoup most of the money I spent on Lego if I choose to sell any. Have seen very little funwhole on the secondary market
It's probably a little early for that yet. But there's definitely an aftermarket for used/rare/OOP sets from other alternative brands. With so many people falling in love with the Funwhole sets, I imagine it's just a matter of waiting until sets start to retire, and then you'll see a market.
2:59 I’m curious: do you _know_ that FunWhole is assembling groups of tiles to print them together, or are you just assuming that’s how they get the very tight margins and good alignment for prints that split across multiple parts?
They do indeed have sets where the printed tiles come preassembled and printed in alignment on a big piece that otherwise doesn't get used. You then remove the printed tiles from their temporary "backer" and place them on the building where called for. Don't know if that's true for this set as I have it but haven't built it yet.
I really want to see someone mod this into the Muppet Theater.
That lady selling flowers with a cigarette in her mouth is so weird to see.
I think it's Pantasy (another awkward name for an English speaker) makes a really nice 221b Baker Street set that I want.
They have two Baker Street sets: the apartment itself and the big modular. I have the latter, and it's great (and a ridiculous bargain, about a third the cost of a Lego set.) They make awesome sets in general.
How is it that this looks better than the Lego theater
I just bought three sets from them. Never built with a lighting kit hopefully it goes well.
Wondering can one replace the lights and how long will they last?
Their customer service will send free send replacement lights, missing parts, etc. Haven't had any light problems myself, knock on wood. Tip for the lighting: just go slowly and carefully as the wires are quite thin. You definitely don't want to yank them or kink them badly. Once you've build one set, though, it will all seem pretty easy and fun.
Thanks for doing other brands. Tbh they’re just better at this point. Only benefit of Lego is the variety but this is like a full Lego modular but 1/2 the price and with lights
Funwhole has pretty good variety too, with more and more themes being added. I'm just hoping they do a space theme...
Jang builds Gunpla? I wonder if he has a channel for it…
Still can’t believe that’s the brand name
What's the brand called I wonna get this for an older them like 1920-1950s for my older city
Funwhole
😊
These bubbly looking figures are suddenly kinda growing on me. Shame about the 2 face lady.
1000 times better than lego