Today, I’m building the Forange FC8508 Dream Cottage Beauty Salon mini building with 539 pieces, and I will give you my review of the set. My wallet kindly sponsored it. I bought the set online from the German retailer Bluebrixx.com.
Delivery was fast, and it came in a neat cardboard box with a band roll with prints. I like the way how it looks, and good to see that you can open and close the box clearly without destroying it.
Forange FC8508 Review
| Product name | Dream Cottage Beauty Shop |
| Age | 6+ |
| Set dimensions | 30x7x24CM |
| Product serial number | FC8508 |
| Pieces | 539 |
The set’s manufacturer is Forange, a sub-brand of the Chinese company Meigaobao. The FC8508 is part of an entire mini-house series known as Dream Cottage.
There are two bigger construction steps with a total of 539 pieces and a bigger format of construction instructions. Very thin but has a lot on one side. However, the individual sub-steps to be built remain very well visible.
This is what the first construction step looks like. Talking about pieces, the bricks, and all other parts come from Forange itself. They not only create the sets but also are the brick manufacturers. Let’s start building.
It starts in a very classic way, laying tiles on two plates. The quality of the tiles is very good. There are, however, micro scratches, but they are not very noticeable.
The pattern I built, using orange and transclear triangular tiles, stands out nicely here. Then, the first sub-steps follow where the building grows.
Besides this, I built an orange cupboard with a white brush and placed two colorful (rose, red) bugs on tan platforms. A teaser of our upcoming beauty shop.
The beauty shop continues to grow with lots of black and colored bricks. So far, there is nothing wrong with the brick quality.
The Staircase
It continues upwards. Now also available to visitors via a new orange staircase. It is a highlight of the set and looks very spacey. Also how, the construction of a staircase is unusual. The designers use a combination of orange/transparent panel elements and black tiles.
Large, transparent panel elements now form a wall on the right side. It’s a little wobbly, but I’m pretty sure it will hold up better once the construction is finished. Plus, additional trans-clear elements were added near the staircase.
A look at the back.
The next steps consist of building the roof. Here too, many transclear tiles are used to create a pattern. Right under this, I attached lamps using a few technical pieces. Pretty basic stuff and nothing fancy.
The roof is installed, and now, on both sides, very bright walls follow, created once again with panels that are, this time, in trans-clear orange. It has a strange color pattern at first glance, but once both sides are installed, they look very good.
In the last construction step, the beauty shop font is attached. The name “Drol” sounds like a weird fantasy name for a shop.
Building Step 2
The second construction step begins with another tile-laying party.
The second side consists of many trans-clear panels in various sizes. The quality of these is less than satisfying. On the one hand, they are milky and not really “trans-clear.” On the other hand, the clutch power is not particularly good.
The furnishings are straightforward. Two choirs, a table, and a few extras. Very positive, everything in print, including the mounted clock.
Building the roof is the next and final step. The highlight here is the installation of the LED kit. Super straightforward and well-illustrated in the manual.
Further, the light box is mounted on the roof, right next to the air conditioning. At the same time, two more white lamps are attached.
Forange FC8508 Review
The Forange FC508 Beauty Shop is done. It’s a lovely little fun-to-build set with a unique, modern design. In a traditional city setting it is certainly very striking with the black, orange layout. The orange staircase roof is particularly special here.
A plus point for the set is that it can be easily opened. Thus, children can also play with it. The amount of included prints is also a plus point. There are a few stickers included, but not many.
The quality of the parts is not particularly outstanding. They’re good but not at GoBricks/Lego level. A good add-on for such an affordable set is the lighting kit. It’s decent and does the job.
Overall, it’s a lovely set with some interesting building techniques. The set also has weaknesses, but it was convincing. Especially when looking at the asking price.
Forange FC8508 German Video Review
Forange is available now for 24,95€ (+/-). Use the code BrickAnatomy-Barweer, and benefit from a 13% discount at Barweer.
More information here: Forange
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