Item: FunWhole Ski Lodge (F9041)
Rating: 9
Author: Greg

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We’re back with another FunWhole set review, this time it’s a cosy Ski Lodge that is warm, inviting and covered in snow!

A big thank you to the team at FunWhole for sending us a review copy. When a set like this comes along it’s hard to say no, it’s a nice looking, traditional Nordic chalet that has all the details you’d expect. As standard with FunWhole sets it comes complete with light kit which you install as you build, making the whole process easy and straightforward, mostly thanks to the specialist bricks that hide the cables.

So grab a coffee, sit back, relax and read through our review of the brand new FunWhole Ski Lodge (F9041). Using our affiliate links throughout the article will bag you 10% off this and any other set at FunWhole.com.

The Box & Contents:

The boxes themselves are of luxury quality and really do look and feel the part. Made from strong cardboard and printed to a high quality, the boxs and the artwork are great. Sticking with a plain black outer box with a main front image, the design is that of a premium product.

Inside the box are 12 numbered bags, 2 ‘F‘ bags, an instruction manual and a bright orange box which holds the light kit. You might me asking, “what’s an ‘F’ bag?“, well it holds all the specialist parts and figure pieces, including the bricks and plates that are used to hide the cables, more on them later in the review.

When it comes to the instruction manual, you get a very thick booklet that again feels very premium. Each page is laidout perfectly and not once was I every confused of what parts I needed or when pieces went. The light kit elements are also highlighted separately so you know just when to use them and the specialist bricks they require.

Inside the light kit box, which comes as standard in FunWhole sets, you’ll find a series of orange paper bags, tweezers, a tiny-ended screwdriver and a battery pack. Each of the bags are numbered to you wind get confused when you need them and inside each one are usually only 1 or 2 strings of lights, usually for each floor or section of the set you’re building.

The Build:

This is where the fun begins, starting the set you’ve been waiting for since you ordered it. Starting with the first few bags you construct the base and flooring of the Ski Lodge itself, using a series of larger plates and rounded corners to create an eye-pleasing shape on top of which will sit the cabin. Using a ton of white and grey parts of all different shapes and sizes, you start greebling the base. Greebling is a process that many brick builders use to add detail to their builds. It is done by adding small elements to the surface of a build in a random, or seemingly random, fashion.

From the image above you can see a cable already trailing out from the right hand side of the building. This was inserted through the base of the cabin via two holes, the transparent orange 2×2 round plate will be a fire inside a fireplace that glows when connected to the battery pack. The trailing cable will later be an outside lamp, this needed to be thread through first as the floor gets covered by large plates (see below).

The next few bags construct the walls of the cabin using mostly SNOT (studs not on top) bricks as towards the end of the set you add brown tiles to obtain that traditional Ski Lodge look. Doors, windows, stairs and other fixtures get added as you build, I particularly like the brick-built door to the balcony, it’s a nice sinple build that looks great.

As you build up the walls you also add furniture, including a two-seater and one-seater sofa, a glass table, fireplace, rug, ornaments curtains and to top it all off a board game, gaming device and a delicious looking pizza that seems to have a slice missing. All the parts are printed in FunWhole sets, I have yet to have a set that comes with stickers.

About halfway through you start seeing the cabin taking shape and really coming together. The ground floor walls are finished, including the tiles, the inside is complete, with stars leading up to the first floor, there are even details on the porch such as a snowboard & helmet and two pairs of snow boots. With the added snow covering on the handrail and the many ice pools and drips the exterior looks amazing, the greebling earlier on really paid off. Evidence of snow being cleared is also a nice touch and a big snowpile has formed due to it falling off the roof. Unique ski related accessories include skis & poles and snow boots, the boots are very cute and sit outside on the porch.

As with other Modulars, this Ski Lodge is also designed to split apart, the first floor can be removed to gain access to the ground floor and the roof (once it’s built) can be removed too. Perfect for setting up scenes and taking photos!

Starting the first floor in the same way as before a base is made from a series of large plates which are held together and made sturdy by smaller plates and tiles. Not having traditional walls like before, you make a start on the angled sloping walls that ultima become a triangle or a-frame type build.

Also in the first lot of bags for this section you build some of the furniture, including a pink gaming computer and desk, a small cabinet, bunk beds and a narrow wardrobe. Each of these builds are great and I think it’s the first time I’ve personally built bunk beds.

I love the little details and story ideas they add into the build process, clearly there is a Squirrel with a Pizza addiction as it has seemingly taken a slice of pizza from the table downstairs. Hiding in the rafters, the cute creature is tucking into its dinner. There is also a Mouse hole which has cheese inside and just by the hole, sadly there isn’t a Mouse included but we can use our imagination.

In the last few bags for the Ski Lodge itself make the heavily tiled roof reactions. Using a number of plates and tiles you layer them in a sturdy way. Having random pieces jutting out makes it look more realistic and Snow like, with mounds here and there to show snow buildup. On the tips of two of the roof sections you can even see icicles forming and below them are small clear puddles, as I say the attention to detail by FunWhole is incredible and makes for a more interesting build.

Finishing the build off with the last bag is a selection of foliage for the outside area along with a random Ski slope/mound. I personally feel this side build could have been left off entirely as it doesn’t affect the main build at all, it just bumps the part count up, although if you decide to pop this into a Winter Village scene then it would come in handy.

The Figures:

The Figures will also need construction as they come in bits, including popping the legs together onto the hip section, the hands into the arms and then onto the torso, followed by the head and hair/hat. After building a lot of other brands sets (the leading brand) it feels like a chore having to build the figures from scratch like this. Each figure has two facial expressions, with and without goggles. They can also perform spinning actions on the small sidebuild and there’s even a dedicated selfie tool.

As I’ve mentioned in past reviews of Funwhole sets, the figures are undesirable and don’t look quite right. Trying to get them different enough from the leading brand and also making them unique is rather hard, so I can understand why they look a little odd. To be fair they are slowly growing on me, but it’ll take so much more to fully convince me to collect them. For me personally it’s all about the Ski Lodge itself and having something other brands don’t offer.

Character Story: Cindy, Lucas, Lily, and William, four friends since childhood, decide to spend their last winter break of high school together at a ski resort. Cindy is a vlogger who loves sharing her life online. Lucas is an avid skier, always full of energy. William is new to skiing but joins for the fun, while Lily plays the nurturing role, taking care of everyone.

The four friends rent a classic Nordic chalet-style lodge near the ski resort. The wooden structure has two floors with a large sloped roof to prevent snow accumulation. The first floor features a spacious living room for gatherings, and the second floor has cozy bedrooms. The story unfolds after a full day of skiing as they return to the lodge at sunset.

Cindy, eager to film her vlog, grabs her selfie stick before changing out of her ski gear. Lucas, feeling restless after skiing, discovers a small slope near the lodge and continues to practice his moves. William changes out of his wet clothes and warms himself by the fireplace while chatting with friends. Lily notices the snowy path to the ski resort and clears it with a broom, preparing to remove the snow sliding off the roof. The living room is set for pizza and board games, and they plan to enjoy their evening together after dark.

The Lights:

Lighting this beauty up is so simple and straightforward, you can’t go wrong as the instructions are so clear and even show you in which direct to lay the cables. With the inclusion of Funwhole’s unique and exclusive cable-hiding bricks and plates, you wouldn’t know they were there once the set is complete.

From 1×1 clear studs and 2×2 round plates to 1×4 floor connectors, there are parts that suit each light source in the set. I love it when you can still remove the floors (modular style) to gain access and not have to unplug the cable for it. It’s fast being the norm and I love it. There is a light on the balcony, one on the desk, one downstairs in the fireplace and a separate campfire outside making it create a cozy Winter feel, as ground lights covered in snow display both warm and cool light colors. It’s the perfect amount of light for a set this size, anything more would have been overkill in my opinion, subtle definitely works here.

Perhaps what I like more than the lights themselves is FunWhole has a very clever way of hiding cables and the battery box. With past light kits and even older FunWhole sets, the power box is left hanging, literally. In the Ski Lodge (F9041) the team have built a special space for the cables to hide and the battery pack to connect to. Around the back of the lodge and tucked away from sight, there is a tray that slides out, inside that is a connector box and the cables that we laid earlier in the build, attached to the back of that is the power pack – Check out the photos below.

Final Thoughts:

Overall the FunWhole Ski Lodge (F9041) set is, how can I put this professionally…. fantastic!

Without going too over the top, I loved every second of this build and what it introduced. From the many cool techniques of the base and attaching the sloped roof sections, to the interior details and of course the lights. The lights steal the show yet again and really take this set to the next level. Fitting them is extremely easy & straightforward and look absolutely stunning.

The figures are good but do need a bit more refining before I start to love them, I think having to assemble them myself is a down point, the tiny hand parts are quite fiddly and often fly across the room is too much pressure is applied.

But, all in all I highly recommend this set to anyone that is looking for a traditional Ski Lodge build set in a very snowy location. It’s perfect for a winter village setup.