Review Time: The Lumibricks/Funwhole F9050 Steampunk Flying Club Building Block set

Hey brick fans!

If you’ve ever dreamed of a Victorian flying contraption or imagined being part of a secret society of airship adventurers, the Lumibricks/Funwhole Steampunk Flying Club might be the set to bring that fantasy to life. 

Here's a fun fact, did you know that Lego has never produced a Steampunk themed set?  How is that possible given all the fans of steampunk and building blocks?   And did you know that Lumibricks/FunWhole has produced nine different Steampunk themed sets since 2022?

Here's a complete list of all the Steampunk sets that Lumibricks/Funwhole has produced to date:

🏙️ Large & Detailed Sets

  1. Steampunk City Bridge

    • Pieces: 3,170

    • Price: $199.99–$219.99 USD

  2. Steampunk Watch Tower

    • Pieces: 2,744

    • Price: $179.99 USD

  3. Steampunk Trading Center

    • Pieces: 2,680

    • Price: $129.99 USD

  4. Steampunk Flying Club

    • Pieces: 1,858

    • Price: $99.99 USD

  5. Steampunk Train Station

    • Pieces: 1,843

    • Price: $119.99 USD

🚂 Medium-Sized Sets

  1. Steampunk Airship: Light Catcher

    • Pieces: 1,641

    • Price: $89.99 USD

  2. Steampunk Ore Train

    • Pieces: 1,056

    • Price: $69.99 USD

🛠️ Compact & Collectible Sets

  1. Steampunk Motorcycle Pursuit

    • Pieces: 424

    • Price: $29.99 USD

  2. Steampunk Hot Rod

    • Pieces: 282

    • Price: $23.99 USD

If you're a Steampunk fan, you'll need to collect all these cool Lumibricks sets!


Thanks so much to the awesome gang at Lumibricks for sending me the Steampunk Flying club set to review!

If you'd like to see all the parts bags for the set, feel free to check out my Flying Club unboxing blog post which you can find >>>  here.

🧱 Set Overview

  • Set Name and Number: Steampunk Flying Club F9050

  • Piece Count: 1,858

  • Recommended Age: 16+

  • Minifigures: 5 

  • Printed parts: Lots

  • Stickers: None!

  • Lighting Kit: Included (requires batteries, not included)

  • Retail pricing:  Approx $99.99 USD, but don't forget to check the Lumibricks website for periodic sales

🏛️ Design and Aesthetic

The entire structure is dripping with steampunk flair — think gold and silver gears, smokestacks, rotating wind vanes, and exposed machinery. The color palette leans into tans. browns, and golds,for that gritty, retro-industrial look. It’s three levels tall, with lots of details inside and out.

The whole build feels like a lovingly constructed diorama of a lost era — but unlike many static display sets, this one’s packed with interactive features.

🧩 Floor-by-Floor Breakdown 

🔻 Ground Floor: The Lounge

  • Main entrance with swinging doors

  • Staircase to the second floor

  • Seating area and record player

  • A steampunk airship model in the bay window

✅ Play Features:

  • Rotating mechanical device (connected to an external crank)

  • Opening rear wall to view the interior

🔹 Second Floor: The Lab 

  • Large workshop table covered in parts and tools

  • Staircase to the top deck and hangar bay

  • A mechanical contraption with various controls

  • A model airplane

✅ Play Features:

  • More Moveable gears and chain

  • Opening rear wall to view the interior

⬆️ Rooftop Landing Pad & Beacon

  • Landing deck and hangar for aircraft

  • Glowing red beacon tower 

  • Wind-direction vane/propeller 

✅ Play Features:

  • Turnable wind vane


👨‍✈️ Minifigures 



The 5 included minifigures each come with unique printing.  There's a gentleman with a large tophat and the ladies have long skirts.  One of the test pilots has a helmet which he can wear. They even have a group portrait that hangs in the Flying club lounge.  I'm guessing that they are all the founding members of the Flying club!

🛠️ Build Experience

Building this set is surprisingly intuitive despite its complexity. The instructions are clear, and the parts are well-organized into numbered bags. Expect some interesting techniques involving gear rotations, side-wall sub-assemblies, and delicate detailing.   Following are the progression pics from the build as I make my way through the ten steps.

Step 1: Laying the foundation.  The flying club sits on a 32x32 stud layout.  I've chosen to put the base on MILS as I do with all of my other modular buildings (see below for more about my mods).


Step 2: Furnishing the Club lounge.  Some really nice interior pieces such as the seating area, the record player and assorted publications.  There's even a bust of the inventor.


Step 3:  Initial construction of the first floor.  We add some walls, staircase and a very weird looking contraption that has lots of gears and chains.  There's a crank that will turn the chain and gears, but it's mostly for play and doesn't do anything else.




Step 4: completion of the first floor.  All the walls are constructed and more details added.  I love the gold plated airship that is displayed in the bay window!



Step 5:  We are now finished with instruction manual #1 and moving to manual #2 to work on the second floor.  Lumibricks is all about the lighting, so here's a look at some of the lighting elements that get incorporated during the build process.



Step 6:  Furnishings for the second floor are added.   Let's take a moment to admire the beautiful stained glass that make up the bay windows.



Step 7 sees the completion of the second floor.  The staircase is added and another strange contraption can be found under the stairs.  Outside the magical gear machine is connected from first to second floor.  You're supposed to be able to turn the crank and have all the gears and chains move, but it was kind of tight so I didn't want. to force it.  The crank turned easily when without the addition of the second floor chain, so maybe I need to rebuild that.

Due to the addition of the interconnected chain and gears between first and second floor, the second floor cannot be lifted off the first floor in typical modular building style.  The only way to access the interiors are via the opening back walls.  So as a result, I would not classify the Flying club as a "modular" building.



Step 8:  Construction of the top floor begins.  Another set of nice looking bay windows are installed and there is a landing pad and hangar bay that make up the upper level.   Another set of lighting elements are included.    

I took a chance and didn't test out any of the lighting prior to the build, so it was in this step where I performed my first test of all the lighting components.  Luckily everything worked!  Don't be like me, make sure you test everything before you install it!  There's an entire section at the front of the first instruction manual on how to test.


Step 9: Here's the final exterior details for the third floor.  The burgundy dome looks really cool, especially with the gold accents.  However there was one change I made to make it work.  The gold eight sided ring would not attach/clutch to the four corners of the dome.  I ended up using the gold 2x2 round plate that is in the upper propeller structure as an intermediary piece and that fixed the problem.  You might want to do the same if you encounter clutch issues.



Step 10: This step focuses on building the flying contraption. It looks nice, but that propeller is way too small to provide any lift!


So Many Printed Parts!




I probably missed a few, but the Flying Club is bountiful in printed pieces.  I especially like all the printed glass pieces for the windows  and doors.

💡 Lighting Effects

Funwhole (now Lumibricks) really shines when it comes to lighting integration — and this set is no exception.   There are so many lighting elements, that it's hard to keep track of them all.




The lighting system just elevates the model from nice to wow. Take your time installing the light kit and you will be rewarded.  Just make sure to test the lights as you go, before moving to the next section.

Minor Mods



As mentioned  earlier I try where ever possible to put my building sets on MILS plates. They are essentially raised baseplates that add stiffness and rigidity to the bottom of the sets.  This allows the sets to be more easily handled.   I have made the same changes to the Flying Club and have replaced the 4 pieces of plates provided with a larger single base structure.   If you want to know more about my MILS process please check it out >>> here.

Another minor change I made was to add a strip of studs to the front of the building. I replaced the smooth tiles with studded plates.  This allows me to attach minifigures sturdily which otherwise would fall over easily.

✅ Pros & Cons

👍 Pros:

  • Stunning steampunk visuals with rich details and Victorian style

  • Generous lighting elements with mood-enhancing glow

  • Lots of beautiful printed pieces

  • Opening rear walls let you view the detailed interiors

👎 Cons:

  • Very minor clutch issue with the dome roof

  • Not really a modular building because you can't separate the floors

  • The second floor outer gearing mechanism is stiff and doesn't turn smoothly

🏁 Final Verdict

The Funwhole Steampunk Flying Club was really fun to put together, and it's a stunning set to display.  To make it even better, display it with the Lumibricks Steampunk WatchTower!

Find my review of the Steampunk WatchTower >>> here!

Rating: ★★★★★ (4.5/5)
Perfect for: Adult builders, steampunk fans, and Lumibricks collectors.

🛒 Where to Buy

Search Amazon for the Flying Club F9050 or visit the 

Bonus: Use my affiliate code itsnotlego to save 10% off your purchases on the Lumibricks site!


Well, that wraps up another review!  Hope you enjoyed all the write-up and all the pics.   Are you a steampunk fan and is this a set you would want in your collection?  Feel free to let me know what you think of the set.   Thanks for looking, bye for now!