I was lucky enough to get my hands on an early copy of the Bamboo House from Lumibricks. Lumibricks (formerly FunWhole) caught my eye a number of months back with their interesting set designs and their dedication to adding lighting features to their sets. Their Record Store (F9058) is one of the coolest sets I’ve ever built, and just exudes attitude and swagger. Do yourself a favor and check out their latest offerings at https://bit.ly/4cy39Q3, You can also find their sets on Amazon https://amzn.to/4k2337S .

The thing that really drew me to Lumibricks sets is their use of lighting to add flair and detail to their sets. It’s done in really clever ways, and they’ve taken a number of interesting and functional light designs and incorporated them (literally) into their sets. They’ve also created a number of brick elements that are designed to pass wires through them and hide wiring as well. I’ve been designing and building my Tiki Street project, which uses a LOT of lighting features, so this is something I’m enthusiastic about. With any luck, Lumibricks will offer a general lighting kit that I can incorporate into my existing buildings.

The Bamboo House set checks out at 2,432 pieces, and comes in a stylish box with two instruction manuals, a box containing the lighting elements and its battery box, and several bags broken out into 11 steps. The first page of the instruction manual has a packet that Lumibricks includes with information on how to contact them should anything be missing. My set had all the needed pieces, though one of the bags had broken open in shipping, leaving pieces scattered at the bottom of the box.

The Building Process

I found building this set to be enjoyable and serene. The instructions were laid out, and Lumibricks has taken the time to add detailed images for pieces that might be mistakenly used instead of similar ones. They also show you where to run the wiring for lighting, which is pretty essential, as failing to follow the instructions means going back later and correcting. One minor complaint would be that the instructions could be more precise when two similar colors are used in a model. It’s not always obvious which of the two to use, and that might mean going back later to change out the elements.

I liked that the set had some interesting elements, specifically the new bamboo shaft piece, which locks together with other pieces and has room for a rod inside, allowing you to make really sturdy tree or shrub builds. I build a lot of trees, and this new piece is really exciting, as fragile trees are the worst. I also love the wiring bricks; they have notches cut out that allow you to run a wire across and through them. I had no issues with bricks that wouldn’t clutch or things being too tight; the building process was really smooth.

The bags themselves are fairly tough, and I found them difficult to open with just my hands, so I kept a pair of scissors on hand to assist. There is a bag labeled “F” which contains special bricks and the minifigs. I found in previous builds that while this is a great idea, that bag is often quite full, and can get spilled over as you need to have it opened for most of the build. I tend to dump those pieces into a ziplock bag to keep them from getting scattered.

The build is organized really well, and each set of bags adds another element or level to the build. There are a large number of bamboo trees that need to be built, and they take a decent amount of time and brick to put together. Someone at Lumibricks was smart to scatter the tree building sections throughout the build, so you’re never feeling like you’re just building trees for hours.

The Building

The set is a Bamboo house, raised above the water. Behind the house is a forest of bamboo, and the house has an open deck area and a second floor with a sleeping and bathing area. It has a traditional Asian aesthetic, and the use of colors is really well thought out. White and black create a contrast, and dark orange and a medium nougat color scheme for the wood.

Inventive Build Ideas

All of the Funwhole/Lumibricks sets I’ve built involve clever building techniques, and the Bamboo House is no exception. Brick building aficionados always love a new or interesting way to achieve a certain angle or connection, and this set has several of those. From the rock pieces at the start of the build to the curved roofing and hidden openings, you’ll spend this build appreciating the attention to detail. There is a clover-leaf-like pattern in one of the wall openings that is really well-thought-out, and the main decking is raised from the baseplate in a smart way. The lighting placement is also of note, with attention paid to how the lanterns will look when the build is complete.

The Bamboo

As I mentioned earlier, one of the most striking features of this set is the bamboo. Lumibricks doesn’t scrimp on the amount of bamboo leaf and shaft pieces they provide, and the assembled sections are really sturdy when built. Using a ball joint at the bottom allows for angled placement, and varying the bamboo height creates a really impressive-looking build. You’ll build one of the large bamboo trees with each step of the build, and the final formation is added to the base of the model in the final steps. The new bamboo shaft pieces make it easy to build sturdy trees.

Printed Tiles

Another impressive aspect of Lumibricks is that they always include a good variety of printed bricks with their sets. This one has some printed wall bricks, lily pads, leaf tiles, slippers, and my favorite: window pieces with small leaves stuck to them. It is so much nicer than having to deal with stickers, and the price of these sets is still far below that of their competitors. It’s a little touch, but it really stands out and adds to the quality of the final build.

Lighting

Lumibricks always does a great job of including lighting elements to their sets, and this one is no exception. Too much light in this set would go against the natural and simple aesthetic of the bamboo house, so I was also pleased that the lighting is understated and elegant. There are a few single stud lights that are chained together to provide light to the ceiling, as well as lighted lanterns and underlighting for the deck.

The use of interlocking contacts to provide power to the upper levels is really smart and minimizes the amount of wire needed. Working with the wires takes a little getting used to, as if you leave too much or too little slack, you might run into problems attaching the final bit of wiring, but on the whole, the layout is really well done. All of the lighting elements run to a single connector brick, which can be connected to either a USB plug or the battery box that is included.

Overview

Overall, this set is a winner. The price point is much lower than equivalent sets of its size, and it took a decent amount of time to build. You’ll get your money’s worth out of the experience. I enjoyed the time I spent building it, always finding new and interesting techniques and ideas. The bamboo gets to be a lot, but because it’s spread throughout the build, you won’t likely get tired of building the individual trees.

I love the lighting, and the fact that it doesn’t overwhelm the model, fitting in with the idea of a back-to-nature house where too much technology wouldn’t fit it.

If you’re a fan of nature, or of traditional Asian architecture, or even love building trees, you’ll love this set. I can’t wait to see what Lumibricks has in store for us next (and I really hope it’s more urban hip hop designs!)