Item: FunWhole Cyberpunk Apartment (F9042)
Rating: 9.2
Author: Greg

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FunWhole, a relatively new brand that is climbing the brick ladder and really making a name for themselves. Today we’re back with a brand new set and the first in a hopefully long series of Cyberpunk themed builds!

The Cyberpunk Apartment (F9042) set is inspired by the bright neon lights and futuristic sci-fi aesthetic that we’ve seen so much in cinema over the years, from Blade Runner and Total Recall to Tron and so many more. From the moment I first saw this set I knew it was something special and couldn’t wait to build and review it. The lights are a big part of why I find it so appealing, having built previous FunWhole sets I know how the finished product looks, stunning.

As always I’ll start off with the box and what’s inside, the build process & techniques and finally the figures. At the end of the reveiw we give the set a score out of 10, so make sure to check that out.

Product Details & Links:

RRP £131.51 / $169.99
Piece count 2,507
Lights always included
International shipping
Affiliate link (Use THEBRICKPOST for 10% off)
Funwhole website
Amazon Europe

The Box & Contents:

A consistent part of the FunWhole brand is the quality of their products and packaging. The luxury feel of the box and the contents inside goes beyond anything and any other brands I had the pleasure of building. Thick card and full printing, the box is sturdy and colourful and is the very first part of the set you see, so a good impression is important.

Inside the box you’ll find 11 numbered bags, two premium instruction manuals and the fully fledged light kit box in the brands signature orange colour. For a set with 2,507 pieces, having two manuals is necessary, splitting the build up into two makes total sense and easier in the long run, an over cumbersome booklet would feel daunting to even the most experienced of builders, so good call FunWhole.

The light kit box is the standard bright orange box we are all coming to love. It’s filled with cables, LEDs, sticky pads and more, it’s always a de’light’ to open and see what technological goodies await. More on the lights later in the review as they deserve their own section.

The Build:

As usual the base is the starting point, it’s obvious really, the only way is up, especially when constructing a building. The base is one brick and two plates high, this is different to their other modulars but you could argue this isn’t in that line of sets. With only 11 numbered bags, each collection has a lot of parts, which at first does feel overwhelming, but with many parts comes much progress and you find the set comes together quickly and fluently.

As you can see in the photo above, the deep base allows for the lowered channel, this allows motorbikes to travel on and get to the mechanics shop for a bit of work and modifications.

The next few bags work on the first building the aforementioned mechanics. Installing cables and lights are you go, the first of which is the motorbike shop itself, with a new style of solid acrylic that not only lights up but flashes multiple colours too. This panel sits snug between several FunWhole elements and avoids damage to both the panel and cables. It’s so mesmerising to watch, although staring at it for too long will make you start seeing colours when your eyes are closed.

Next to the mechanics on the ground floor is a small food store, it has a curved front and is tucked away around the corner. Inside the store you’ll find food items on shelves and a light on the ceiling. Stairs are conveniently placed by the side to allow the Apartment residents access to the first floor, although there isn’t an access hatch making it impossible get to, we’ll overlook this as it can’t be seen when looking at the finished set.

Head up the stairs and you’re presented with the first apartment. It must belong to the resident mechanic that owns the workshop below it. Inside the apartment is a toilet and shower along with a bed and some furniture, it’s certainly looks very homely.

Above that on the top floor is a larger apartment that belongs to a hacker, you can tell as the computer and other high-spec equipment. I really like this space as it is laid out in an awesome way, the workbench and computer area is clean and tidy, the bed is suspended on a separate floor just about the desk and it’s got great headroom, you could definitely swing a fictional cat here!

Again the lights play a massive part in the build and brighten up any and every room in this set. Here the light is under the floor the bed it on, making the sleeping area dark ready for a good night’s sleep whilst the desk area is light enough to get on with some work. Having a tiled floor is also a nice touch, constantly having bare studs is great and the tiles finish off most rooms nicely.

Across from the apartment block is a food vending machine although it looks like it’s out of order due to a system malfunction. This could be a serious matter but luckily the fastfood shop is still open. Filled with food and treats, the vending machine is a great little build and looks awesome, the flickering light on top is a nice touch to enhance the broken feel of it. Op top of that is a balcony area that doesn’t have much going on, apart from a small generator and trailing cables, I guess it’s an area for residents to get ‘fresh air’ and to stretch their legs. The canopy is hinged and can be tilted back and forward. It looks good and does add to the overall build.

The final part to the Cyberpunk Apartment set is the roof, which may sound boring but it’s actually jam packed with cool techniques and builds. Comprising of a plate base, built up with tiles and slopes and finished off with an air conditioning unit or generator, it looks like a lot is going on. Combine that with the many pipes and the cell tower/mast, it definitely feels like the icing on the cake.

As with all Modulars, each election is placed on just a handful of studs to secure it but also allow for easy access if needed. There are a couple of points where the middle section is secured by more studs than usual and it may require some extra pressure to remove it, but this is structure more that anything, it needs a better fitting in order to stay sturdy.

The Lights:

As we’ve said in our previous FunWhole set reviews, the lights are a massive part of the whole experience and really do take each set to the next level. This set however most certainly needs light as the Cyberpunk aesthetic calls for it. The bright neon tubes, flashing signs and warm glow of a thriving Apartment block is the epitome of future life.

Fitting the lights is a real treat and keeps the brain active. It’s in no way hard to install them, it’s quite the opposite actually, made even easier by the specialist bricks and plates that hide and protect the cables and LEDs.

The instructions are easy to follow and guide you through the whole process, including which way the grooved bricks face and where the cable run. These sections are broken up into their own section in the manual to help differentiate between the set build and the lights.

FunWhole have a very genius way of hiding the battery boxes in their sets. When I say hide I mean that loosely as they are usually attached to the back or tucked away around the corner. Here the power pack is popped onto exposed studs and conveniently out of sight. Other companies leave the battery pack trailing out the back and left to dangle. Well done FunWhole!

The lights included as a nice mix of standard LED studs and strips, but it’s the bulbs hidden away in the 1×1 bricks that really cast the magic over the whole set. Slot in the clear flexi-tubing into both bricks and hey-presto, the full Cyberpunk effect of light up neon lights. It amazing me when installing them and first turning on the battery pack, that something so simple could look this awesome!

Another fun and totally badass lighting element are the three signs. Again these clear acrylic panels sure know how to light up, as the light only seems to hit the edges and printed text/images, it’s great how it does it and adds so much to the overall set. ‘Neon Eats‘ for the food stall, the flashing Motorcycle symbol for the mechanics shop and lastly the ‘Oasis Apartments‘ sign for the housing, perfect.

The Figures:

The figures are something special, that’s one way of looking at them. They aren’t quite there yet as I’ve mentioned in past FunWhole reviews, but they are growing on me. They don’t honestly look that bad, they just aren’t the leading brands style that we all know and love. In the set you get 7 characters to fill the streets with, including a hacker, police detective, food stall owner and general apartment residents.

Hvong to construct them fully is another mark against them. The hands can be fiddly and often pop out and fly across the room, their legs are slightly different and I’ve on occasion put them on backwards, their heads aren’t bad and do feature some great design and printing and of course the hats/hair pieces are nicely done too.

Final Thoughts:

Overall the set is nothing short of awesome and most definitely looks the part. The whole Cyberpunk aesthetic is spot on and very on-trend as they say. It’s a pure joy building these newer FunWhole sets and fitting the light kit, knowing what goes into it all and finally flicking the switch and seeing the lights beam.

Nothing stands out that makes me question the integrity and structure of the set and seems solid enough when lifting and transporting. I’ve since relocated it to the harbour area of my City (Gregsville) and it looks stunning. The extra thick base is partly responsible for its strength, although it doesn’t quite fit in my City as it just that much higher compared to neighbouring buildings, but I can live with that.

Thank you so much for reading oir review, we truly appreciate your time and support. We like to give honest reviews here at The Brick Post, regardless if the set in question was gifted or bought, so rest assured for a full and genuinely honest review – if it wasn’t a great build or bits constantly fall off, we’d let you.