u/Mystogan90

This set is clearly a brick-built version of Echo Base from The Empire Strikes Back, just without the official Star Wars licensing.

Overall, it’s definitely worth the price, although it does have a few odd design choices and some minor weaknesses.

If they really wanted to stay true to the original, the generator should have four sections, if I remember correctly. There are some nice details inside the bunker, but quite a few things had to be left out due to the limited space.

Also, when attaching some of the larger pieces—especially the big, single-piece rock formations around the bunker walls—I honestly thought I was going to break my fingers! 😄 I've never experienced such tight clutch power with a Barweer set before, although thankfully this only affected around 10–15% of the pieces.

The blue pieces also look a little out of place compared to the rest of the model.

But let's talk about the positives too! I really like how the defensive positions in front of the bunker have been designed, and they've even included the power cables running to the gun emplacements, which is a great detail.

One thing this set is seriously missing, though, is minifigures. So I'd definitely recommend picking up some separately to complete the scene. 🙂

Oktoberfest is in full swing, and we got the chance to build what is, in our opinion, the most beautiful Pantasy set we’ve had so far. It’s a multi-story Bavarian tavern, with the pub on the ground floor, a performance area for the musicians on the first floor, and the kitchen on the top floor.

The exterior design is fantastic, especially with the new flower elements and the black timber framing, while the interior is just as creative, with some brilliant printed pieces.

The cable management for the lighting still has a few minor issues here and there—some sections are a little fiddly, and a few wires are still visible. I also still wish the lights could be powered by something other than having the set plugged directly into a power source. But there’s no denying that the lighting creates an amazing atmosphere.

Lumi timed one of its farm-themed sets perfectly for the arrival of autumn. The ground floor is all about making jam, while outside you’ll find a wonderfully atmospheric setting with plenty of environmental details, a vegetable garden, and farm animals. Upstairs, there’s a bedroom.

There’s also a separate jack-o’-lantern section with a dried-up tree and its own lighting, perfect for adding a little extra atmosphere around Halloween. 🙂

It’s a brilliant set with fantastic details. Unfortunately, our nightmare scenario actually happened during the build and one of the lighting cables snapped. Luckily, I managed to repair it by stripping the insulation, twisting the wires back together, etc. I then secured it somewhat crudely with a tiny bit of adhesive putty for now. You can actually spot it in two or three places in the photos, because the repaired cable was no longer long enough to run through the special cable-routing pieces.

But most importantly, all the lights are working perfectly again!

An incredibly unique space-themed set—at least, I’d definitely put it in that category. It includes 69 printed pieces, a very cleverly designed stand, and a rotating globe featuring a 100% accurate real-world map. It also has both cool and warm lighting. And inside the globe itself, there’s even a space station.

The whole set is extremely creative. The only thing I would have changed is the way the two halves of the globe connect, to make them more stable and prevent them from shifting out of position.

Although we’re staying within the Street Fusion theme, this might just be the most unique set in the entire series. You can use it as a full skate park on its own, or add the building, which includes a small snack bar and a chill-out room.

Anyone who knows their way around skateboarding can probably imagine exactly what kinds of tricks could be performed on the different sections. 😄

The quality is brilliant as usual, and so are the instructions. And it’s bigger than we expected!

Although we’re staying within the Street Fusion theme, this might just be the most unique set in the entire series. You can use it as a full skate park on its own, or add the building, which includes a small snack bar and a chill-out room.

Anyone who knows their way around skateboarding can probably imagine exactly what kinds of tricks could be performed on the different sections. 😄

The quality is brilliant as usual, and so are the instructions. And it’s bigger than we expected!

This is an absolutely massive display piece—a statue standing over 60 cm tall, accompanied by two fairly large accessories: a scythe and a set of scales. The latter, together with the feather and the heart, plays an important role in the mythology surrounding Anubis.

There are lots of tiny pieces to work with, and because the two legs and two arms are symmetrical, you have to build those sections twice, but I didn’t find it boring for a second.

Personally, I think the lighting is unnecessary for this set. It doesn’t look bad in the dark, but the model looks great even without the plexiglass panel. The stand does support the statue, although it could definitely be a bit sturdier.

This iconic castle is built from an insane number of tiny pieces—I’d say there must be at least 3,000 different 1x1 elements of various shapes in the set. 

Overall, it’s a sturdy, beautifully detailed set. The only thing I don’t really understand is the little castle hidden inside. Once you’ve built the whole thing, closed it up, and connected the buildings on both sides in the middle, you’re probably not going to keep opening it again. It basically just makes transporting the model more difficult.

And don’t even get me started on the instructions...  If you enjoy squinting at tiny details and carefully studying every step, feel free to use the printed manual. Fortunately, for everyone else, the instructions are also available digitally.

We’ve finished the first module—there will be six in total—which basically makes up half of the lower section of the Veletta. So just imagine another section this size behind it. This thing is absolutely insane... 😄

We loved building it, but there are quite a lot technically challenging sections, and you also have to work with a huge number of very small parts.

The internal framework is a combination of Technic and System building, and the inside is absolutely packed with structural elements, so it already has some serious weight to it...

Unfortunately, there were quite a few missing pieces in the parts package, including some printed ones, but we managed to substitute most of them, and in a few places we had to get a little creative. 😄

Since it’s a MOC, all the pieces come unsorted in bulk. The first module alone must contain around 5,000 pieces, making it the largest of all six modules.

One thing is certain: this thing is already monumental.

4 rows are complete, with 3 more rows left to finish the base.

D3 wasn’t particularly exciting—it was basically just a simple support structure—but D4 was a real breath of fresh air, with its more elaborate tree and the river section featuring water lilies. 🙂

This is the third car designed by the gentleman mentioned above, and in my opinion, it completely outclasses the market leader's 1:8 cars. It can easily hold its own against CaDA's latest premium sets as well. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying that in certain areas—such as the instructions and the way the build is divided into stages—it actually beats those too.

The set uses Gobricks parts, so there's absolutely nothing to complain about in terms of part quality. Everything is built up logically, and every mechanical function works buttery smooth.

Besides the engine (and the electric motor), it features paddle shifters and a regular gear selector, front and rear ride-height adjustment, as well as corresponding front splitter and rear wing adjustment.

The whole thing is genuinely brilliant. It has officially taken the #1 spot among all the large Technic-style sets I've built so far. That's it. End of story. 😄

Maybe one day I'll get LaoLiang's previous two cars as well, although after this one, I'm not sure what kind of experience they could offer in comparison. 😄

It's in a higher price category than Guly, but still cheaper than CaDA—and for what you get, it's an absolute bargain. Trust me.

This set is perfect for getting into the holiday spirit, as it feels very much like a Christmas gift shop, mixed with some fun amusement park elements. It's also motorized: the carousel and Ferris wheel rotate, while the cat moves up and down inside the box.

The exterior is absolutely packed with details and decorations, and the interior is nicely done as well, especially the upper floor. BUT... and this is quite a major downside... the interior is so cramped and dark that once the build is complete, you can barely see inside the ground floor properly. 😕

This is definitely a set that could have benefited from at least one light on each floor.

Despite that, I really enjoyed the building experience. 🙂

For my first Jaki review, I'll be taking a look at one of the sets from the brand's botanical line: a red-leaf Japanese maple bonsai.

Some of you might immediately think, “Wait, the market leader has a very similar set—surely they copied it.” But I can reassure you that despite the eerily similar box design, this set was already available to order two months before the biggest brand even revealed theirs, let alone released it. 🙂

The set itself is beautiful. The base looks great with the fallen leaves scattered around it, and the custom-molded maple leaves really make the whole model stand out.

The only thing I don't like is the misleading dimensions printed on the box. According to the packaging, the model is 41.5 cm tall and 39 cm wide, while in reality it's approximately 29 cm tall and 26 cm wide. That's quite a difference...

Apart from the leaves, the set uses Gobricks parts, and the instructions are excellent.

Every now and then, Lumi ventures into themes that don't seem to be their usual territory... and then it turns out they're pretty damn good at those too. 😄

This huge 62 cm tall sailboat has become one of my favorite sets from them. The level of detail is incredible, the interior is—as usual—packed with details, the sides can be folded down for easy access, and of course, there are multiple lights built into the model, even at the very top of the mast.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

I also included one photo with a normal background at the end, just so you can get a proper sense of how big this thing really is.

Every now and then, Lumi ventures into themes that don't seem to be their usual territory... and then it turns out they're pretty damn good at those too. 😄

This huge 62 cm tall sailboat has become one of my favorite sets from them. The level of detail is incredible, the interior is—as usual—packed with details, the sides can be folded down for easy access, and of course, there are multiple lights built into the model, even at the very top of the mast.

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

I also included one photo with a normal background at the end, just so you can get a proper sense of how big this thing really is.

A medieval MOC designed by Mikey_Brickalloti, with a somewhat retro feel to it, at least in my opinion.

The exterior of the building is quite detailed, and so is the surrounding scenery, but the interior is rather sparse. The lower level basically contains only the watermill mechanism, while the upper floor has just a few additional furnishings.

The roof design is fairly weak. I actually had to use some glue there because the two roof sections simply wouldn't stay attached along the ridge.

Since it's a MOC, it came with digital instructions, which were perfectly fine about 95% of the time. There were just a few pages where the layout was misaligned so badly that it was quite difficult to see exactly which pieces were supposed to go where.

This is my first Reobrix Technic-style set, especially when it comes to motorization, but everything works perfectly, and the cables can be routed in a surprisingly logical and tidy way.

Despite its relatively compact size, it doesn't just offer the usual forward, reverse, and steering functions. You can also open the compactor's rear door, and the compactor plate itself is fully functional and can move back and forth.

I really like this one, and even the number of stickers was perfectly reasonable. 🙂

This is one of Lumibricks' older sets, back when the company was still called Funwhole.

Cable routing can be a bit tricky in one or two places—especially when you have to wrap the wires around the floor lamp—but even back then, the set was full of brilliant details and clever building techniques. 🙂

The ground floor features a coffee shop, the middle floor houses a book café / mini library, and the top floor is a cozy apartment.

This is one of Lumibricks' older sets, back when the company was still called Funwhole.

Cable routing can be a bit tricky in one or two places—especially when you have to wrap the wires around the floor lamp—but even back then, the set was full of brilliant details and clever building techniques. 🙂

The ground floor features a coffee shop, the middle floor houses a book café / mini library, and the top floor is a cozy apartment.

Following Lumibricks, this brand - unfortunately, I can't write its name because the automod instantly flags and blocks the post - has also ventured into the cyberpunk theme. Although this set doesn't include any lighting, we can definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys the genre.

It features a detailed car repair garage, a motorcycle workshop, a restaurant, a bionic limb surgery, and a really cool moving monorail.

We had a great time building it and really enjoyed the finished set! 🙂