Lumibricks Barbershop (19012) Review – Fresh Fades & Street Vibes

This set sits proudly within the Street Fusion theme. If you have read some of my previous reviews, you will already know that I find this theme incredibly strong, so I am really hoping that the Lumibricks Barbershop carries on that momentum and delivers another absolute winner. Just going by the initial looks, I think they have started off incredibly strong.

Images of this set appeared quite early, and Lumibricks also ran a survey several months ago asking for feedback on the design. At the time there was some discussion about the building looking very similar to the Record Store and the Boxing Club.

Yes, the Barbershop does follow the same general formula as those buildings. But personally, I see that as a strength rather than a weakness. When you walk down a real city street, buildings on the same block often share a similar style or structure. For me, this actually mimics real life quite nicely and helps the Street Fusion sets feel like part of a cohesive neighbourhood.

What I also love is that following that survey, Lumibricks actually listened to people’s feedback and made a few of the recommended changes. It genuinely makes you feel like you are part of the creative process.

Set Information

Set Name: Barbershop
Set Number: 19012
Theme: Street Fusion
Piece Count: 2,557 pieces
Prints: 83 printed elements
Minifigures: 4 figures
Lighting: 21 integrated lighting points (including 11 LED lights and 7 light strips)
Dimensions: Approx. 10.1″x10.1″x 15.4″ (32 × 32 studs modular footprint)
Release: 2026
Power Supply: Type-C powered with battery pack option included

The Build and Experience

Having built quite a few modular style buildings from Lumibricks, there is always that lingering thought of, “Oh, is this just going to be the exact same experience again?” But somehow, they consistently manage to change things up just enough so that every set feels completely fresh.

The most recent modular I built before this was the Boxing Club, and while the Barbershop follows a similar overall structure, the way things come together here felt a little different. In fact, I think I actually preferred how parts of this build were handled.

Lumibricks managed to make constructing the foundation engaging, and even when you start stacking the bricks for the main structure, it is done in a clever way that completely avoids feeling tedious or repetitive.

Overall, everything came together beautifully. I had zero issues, and the entire process felt incredibly well paced. I ended up putting the set together over three days, and the amount of pieces dedicated to each numbered stage was absolutely perfect for breaking it down into manageable, enjoyable evening building sessions.

Interior Design and Atmosphere

The Ground Floor: Beard Bob’s Barber

When you start on the ground floor, you actually begin by just building the outer rim of the room. However, if you have built any of the recent Lumibricks modulars before, you will cop on straight away to what is happening. They have implemented their excellent slide-out floor mechanic! Once you finish assembling the actual shop floor and slide it smoothly into the frame, the whole room is instantly complete.

The atmosphere is absolutely spot on. It perfectly captures the gritty, vibrant vibe of a classic 1990s Brooklyn barbershop, specifically leaning into the rich culture of a classic barbershop in a Black American community. These shops are traditionally vital neighbourhood social hubs, and Lumibricks has clearly done their research to deliver an incredibly accurate and respectful rendition. You can see it in everything from the specific haircut styles featured on the posters, right down to the services listed on the front window: fades, line-ups, braids, and locs. While I am not from the US myself, I have watched more than enough movies from that era to recognise the cultural significance, and the design here is just fantastic.

One standout feature for me has to be the mirrors. The set comes with two genuine reflecting mirrors, and they are incredibly shiny. Rather than just using a grey brick or a cheap sticker to represent glass, Lumibricks has used specialised plastic parts treated with a premium chrome coating to give a true reflection. Going that extra mile makes a massive difference to the realism of the shop.

The sheer amount of detail packed into this space is fantastic. It features classic black and white checkered flooring, which contrasts beautifully with the light blue walls. Those walls are absolutely covered in high-quality prints, from the main yellow “Beard & Bob’s” moustache sign to the gallery of different haircut styles and shop rules. Throw in the reclining red and silver barber chairs, a vintage stand-up hair dryer hood, a neat little brick-built vacuum cleaner, and a counter space holding scissors and clippers, and the whole room just feels incredibly alive and lived-in.

Because the building swings open into different sections, it is easy to miss some of the surrounding details! Tucked away in the front section, there is a dedicated waiting area complete with a curved orange sofa, a classic arcade machine, and a small table holding a printed “TAGZ” magazine. Right in the front shop window, there are also three display heads showing off different wig styles (including a fantastic bright blue afro) set behind a beautiful golden “Beard Bob’s Barber” window print.

The First Floor: The Lawyer’s Office

Moving up the stairs brings us to the Certified Lawyer’s office on the first floor. Lumibricks has completely nailed the retro, slightly cluttered aesthetic of a busy 1990s legal workspace here.

The main desk area is simple, but effective. It is built using dark green cabinets for the pedestals and is topped with a chunky retro CRT monitor featuring a printed loading screen. The desk is surrounded by stacks of legal paperwork, a classic black rotary telephone, a blue coffee mug, and the absolutely essential brick-built water cooler to keep everyone hydrated during those long, hot days preparing for court.

Scanning the walls, the attention to detail is superb. There is a highly detailed printed noticeboard featuring a “Daily News” clipping about a film studio getting hit by graffiti, which is a brilliant little Easter egg connecting this building to the wider Street Fusion universe (Is this a teaser for a future Film Studio set?). You will also spot a great framed photo on the wall showing the lawyer and the barber together, adding a lovely touch of shared neighbourhood history.

Over on the swinging wall section, there is a very clever brick-built white photocopier with a lifting lid, alongside a dark wooden bookshelf packed with even more legal files. And in a hilarious twist that perfectly captures that 90s start-up vibe, there is a full table tennis table tucked away in the corner covered in even more paperwork!

Finally, the window prints on this floor are exceptionally crisp. They feature the “Law Office” logo and the scales of justice designed to be read perfectly from the street outside. My absolute favourite touch, however, is the small printed sign on the interior wall that simply says “IT DEPENDS”. It is the ultimate classic lawyer joke, and it proves that the designers really injected a sense of fun into this build!

The Top Floor: The Studio Apartment

This is my favourite room in the build. The vibe here is spot on. From the yellow skateboard casually tossed upside down on the floor to the blue baseball cap with headphones resting on the bedside table, it tells a story. There is even a box of “Panda” takeout food just dumped on the wooden floorboards next to the bed!

And of course, we cannot forget the swinging wall section! Tucked right beneath the windows and a classic wall clock is a makeshift kitchenette. It features a small black microwave, a red cup, and a hotdog just waiting to be eaten. On the other side of the apartment, there is a cramped but fully detailed bathroom complete with a toilet, a red plunger, a sink, and a stacked washing machine unit.

The tenant is also clearly a massive music and gaming fan. On the main shelves, you build a classic grey boombox sitting above a highly detailed amplifier unit with printed dials and sliders. Below that, there are some fantastic printed record sleeves, including a funky blue cat face and a “SMILE” microphone cover. Alongside a blue gaming controller resting on the TV stand, there are also some brilliant little geeky display shelves built into the wall featuring a tiny alien with a rocket ship and an oversized chess knight.

But a neat little feature has to be the television, because it actually changes channels! Lumibricks has designed a simple slide-in and out mechanism. From the outside of the building, you can pull the “Electrical box” which slides a long panel through a slot to “change” the channel on the screen.

I looked closely at the three included channel tiles:

• Channel 1: Displays a game called “Lumibricks Bros. 2”, which is a pixel homage to Super Mario Bros.
• Channel 2: Shows “SPORTS NOW” broadcasting a boxing match. Maybe a nod to the Lumibricks Boxing Club set?
• Channel 3: Features a “STREET NEWS” broadcast with a rather serious looking anchor.

There are also a couple of printed posters on the wall. You get a “Lord’s Game” poster and an “OUTLAW SAGA” comic poster featuring a cowboy on a horse. It adds character to the room.

Exterior

The building has real presence on a shelf. It stands incredibly tall, and I really love the main “Beard Bob’s Barber” sign. What makes the signage so impactful is that it is not just a flat board; it is a full wraparound sign that stretches entirely around the corner of the build to the left. It actually has lighting strips hidden behind it to light it up wonderfully at night, but we will get to that in the lighting section! You also get the iconic red, white, and blue barber pole out front, which looks great during the day and even better when illuminated.

“Beard Bob’s Barber” sign (try saying that ten times fast!).

Down at street level, the bench features custom graffiti, perfectly matching the whole theme’s vibe. Honestly, it would not be a proper Street Fusion set without large graffiti tags plastered across the walls and doors. They even went as far as tagging the electrical warning cabinet on the first-floor balcony! It is these nice little touches that they could have simply left out, but they don’t, and that is exactly the difference between Lumibricks and other brick companies.

Moving up to that first-floor balcony on the left side, there is a little outdoor space. It features a small table holding a yellow mug and a printed “AGREEMENT” document, alongside a random loose car tyre (maybe used as a chair), which really adds to that slightly cluttered urban feel. Just above the balcony doorway sits a curved roof section made from metallic silver pieces, not just standard flat grey plastic. While I always appreciate getting these premium metallic parts, I have to be honest: I am not entirely sure the bright silver actually goes with the overall colour scheme of the build. I think a different colour might have worked much better here to tie the facade together.

The sides of the building are detailed. On the right side, you get a classic urban staircase and iconic red fire ladders to reach each of the floors. Down on the pavement, there are some scattered boxes, a newspaper, and a small garbage can that is purposefully tipped over. Again, these details are great for bringing the scene to life; they could have easily just had it standing straight up, but the messiness adds character.

The left side is just as good. There is a nice big blue graffiti tag on the yellow brick wall, and another “Block Cuts” tag on the upper blue wall on the top floor. This is also where the shop front wraps around, and looking through that large side window, you can see a bunch of printed posters and magazines showing off different classic haircuts. Right next to the window sits a green dumpster, which is, of course, covered in its own prints and tags.

One minor negative I had with the recent Boxing Club was that one of the sides felt very plain. Well, the Barbershop fixes this entirely. Both sides look great and remain visually interesting.

Finally, we have the roof. Not a huge amount of things going on here. There is a black-framed skylight made of two window panes, letting some light down into the top floor. Right next to it is a substantial, brick-built grey water tank/tower, which is another ubiquitous and accurate detail for a classic urban building like this. It sits alongside the massive billboard we talked about earlier, giving the whole structure a really authentic and imposing finish.

The back of the building is fairly plain. But honestly, I do not mind this at all, as you usually never see the rear of a modular once it is on display. What I care about most is the front and the sides. The back does feature a door, a small window, and some studs on the wall to neatly attach the battery box.

What it does not have, however, which I have become quite accustomed to with this theme, is the swinging back walls to look inside. This is because Lumibricks decided to try something completely different this time. Check out the Accessibility section below to see if that was a good decision…

Accessibility

Lumibricks decided to do away with the swinging back walls for this set and try something a little different. They are calling it a “Dual-Axis mechanism”. We saw something vaguely similar on the Record Store, but that was much simpler and split open from the front.

Let me see if I can explain exactly how this works. You actually do not open this building from the front; you do it from the right hand side. As you pull it away, both the front façade and the right wall move out together to reveal the interior. You then swing open the first and second floors to open the space up even more. When fully extended, it gives you fantastic access to every single room so you can see all those hidden details.

It is certainly an interesting concept and all rooms are instantly accessible. It is great that Lumibricks is willing to experiment and try out new things. But… and there is going to be a but here. This might just be personal preference, but it doesn’t fit my needs and setup.

Here are my main reasons why:

• Massive Footprint: It takes up a huge amount of space to open up. If you have this displayed on a standard shelf, you are highly unlikely to have the physical space to open it completely. You pretty much need double the width of the baseplate to swing it out.
• Tough for City Builders: If you have this slotted into a block as part of a modular city layout, this opening method is a complete no-go.
• The Access Dilemma: In both of those very common display scenarios, you cannot easily gain access to the interior. I really do think that the standard swinging back walls, or even a removable front section like we saw on the Toy Store, would have worked much better here.

Part of me just wishes they had experimented with this Dual-Axis mechanism on a different set.

That being said, I do have to give credit where it is due: the engineering of the opening mechanism itself is very well done and it works perfectly smoothly. If you plan to display this set on its own with plenty of space around it, this might actually be the absolute best opening style for you!

What they have kept is the brilliant sliding room feature. On all three floors, you can slide the entire room out of the frame completely, which is fantastic to see continue. And, as is usually the case with Lumibricks, each of the floors pulls apart effortlessly using their wireless power connectors.

Lighting

Lumibricks rarely seem to do a lot wrong when it comes to the lighting on their sets, and the Barbershop is absolutely no exception. Everything here is completely spot on. The interior rooms all have just the right amount of warm glow, and as I mentioned earlier, the iconic barber pole on the street corner is a fantastic touch. It does not just illuminate; it actually flashes alternating red and blue lights, bringing a wonderful sense of motion to the street scene.

The light strips placed completely within the main wraparound “Beard Bob’s Barber” sign are incredibly bright and look absolutely beautiful when the main room lights go down.

However, what I really love the most are the spotlights positioned right at the very top of the building. There are four in total: two pointed downwards, and two pointed upwards towards that large roof billboard.

The two pointing down cast this lovely, vibrant purple and blue colour over the upper facade. It perfectly breaks up all the warm yellow lighting used everywhere else on the build, and it really does look stunning when the room lights are off. Then, you have the two brighter white spotlights pointing straight up, perfectly illuminating that top billboard and bringing the sign out in its full glory.

Printed Parts

There are officially 83 printed parts included in this set, which is frankly a staggering amount. Is it too much? Absolutely not. I am firmly of the opinion that the more prints we get, the better. They just add so much crucial detail to the build, and I absolutely love reading through all the tiny text to see if I can spot any hidden Easter eggs.

Two of the most prominent prints are, of course, the main wraparound shop sign and the massive billboard right at the top of the building. Interestingly, that giant hairy face right next to the billboard is not a complete print at all; the hair and beard is brick-built! You also get a great looking blue “BARBER” sign poking out on the right side of the first floor balcony, and the colours on that piece work wonderfully against the grey brickwork.

The attention to detail on the smaller elements is brilliant. Even tiny 1×1 tiles like the little “For Rent” sign on the ground floor look crisp. Then you get the larger transparent prints, like the highly visible and realistic scales of justice on the lawyer’s windows.

Down at street level, there is a fantastic black A-frame sign resting on the pavement, and a full price list printed directly onto the barbershop’s angled glass window. Although, looking closely at that list, $70 for locs feels like a fairly high price point for a 1990s Brooklyn barber!

As for the interior, there are simply prints everywhere. From the TV channels and record sleeves in the apartment to the paperwork in the lawyer’s office, we have already covered most of them in the interior section, but they genuinely bring every room to life. I really do appreciate Lumibricks’ commitment to zero stickers. It completely changes the game when it comes to the premium feel of a set.

While the overall print quality is phenomenal, I did spot one hilarious spelling mistake on a rather important sign. Check out the Minor Issues section below to see what slipped through the net!

83 printed parts. Zero stickers. This is the exact kind of maths I can get behind.

Minifigures

The set comes with four exclusive minifigures, and they perfectly match the whole 1990s Brooklyn vibe we have been talking about throughout this review.

First up, you have the man himself, Beard Bob. He looks fantastic with his bright orange beard, blue shades, and a printed black barber’s apron that features some scissors in the pocket. Next to him is the “Certicified” Lawyer from the first floor, looking suitably sharp in his tan jacket and green striped tie.

Rounding out the group are two neighbourhood locals who look like they stepped straight out of the era. One is sporting a blue varsity jacket, orange trousers, a backward red cap, and a gold chain. The other features bright blue hair, purple trousers, and carries a handbag. They are all full of character and do a fantastic job of populating the street level and bringing the story of the block to life.

I have to admit, I have genuinely grown to like Lumibricks’ specific style of minifigures over the last few builds. They have a very distinct charm. However, I am really hoping they finally drop their much-rumoured new figure design at some point soon. It is still incredibly annoying that you cannot securely attach these current figures to any studs when they are in a sitting position, which makes posing them inside the building a bit of a delicate balancing act!

Instructions

The instructions are solid and easy to follow. You get three booklets. You get clear steps, good colour contrast, and sensible pacing throughout the entire build. Cable routing is shown clearly, and nothing ever feels confusing or ambiguous. This is exactly the kind of instruction booklet that lets you relax and actually enjoy the build rather than constantly second-guessing yourself.

However, this is actually the first time I have ever spotted a mistake in a Lumibricks manual! I did find two minor errors, which I will note here just in case you run into the exact same thing.

First, one of the images showed an extra piece (the blue profile brick). It turned out to be the piece that the sub-assembly was eventually going to connect to, so it just accidentally got caught in the render for that specific step. It was very minor and only confused me for about ten seconds.

The second issue I noticed was simply a couple of steps getting slightly muddled up in their order. Again, it did not cause any major confusion and was easy enough to figure out on the fly. Overall, they are still excellent instructions, but it is always worth mentioning these little quirks!

Minor Issues

With a staggering 83 printed parts in the box, the law of averages dictates that something might eventually slip through the cracks. While I praised the printing quality heavily in the previous section, I did spot one rather funny spelling mistake during the build. Up in the first floor office, the brown wooden wall plaque proudly declares the tenant to be a “CERTICIFIED LAWYER”. Obviously, that should just say “Certified”! It gave me a good chuckle, but it does highlight a small area for improvement. Lumibricks might want to consider getting a native English speaker to quickly proofread their print designs before they head into mass production.

Builder’s Choice: I also noticed a design choice on the ground floor that I had to immediately change. There are two small brick-built trolleys in the barbershop. Lumibricks designed them to sit on a modified 2×2 plate with a bar attachment to give the impression that they are on wheels. While it looks accurate to real life, it means these trolleys are completely loose on the floor. I simply removed that bottom piece and attached the trolleys directly to the exposed studs to stop them sliding around. Just my preference.

Finally, as I mentioned above, the instructions had two tiny hiccups.

Pricing and Value

At full retail price, the Lumibricks Barbershop comes in at £147.00 in the UK and $149.99 in the US.

When you break down exactly what you are getting in the box, the value proposition is incredibly strong. For that price, you are receiving 2,557 pieces, a fully integrated bespoke lighting system, four exclusive minifigures, and an absolutely staggering 83 printed parts with zero stickers in sight.

While the overall piece count is slightly lower than the massive Boxing Club we looked at recently, you are getting a highly complex dual-axis opening mechanism and a beautifully detailed, multi-level interior that easily justifies the cost. When you factor in the premium feel of the chromed mirrors, the moving TV screens, and the extensive street-level printing, it feels priced very fairly for the adult modular market.

Of course, as I always mention, Lumibricks frequently runs promotions and offers discount codes. If you can grab this set while banking some loyalty points on their official site or using a creator code at checkout, it turns a fairly priced set into an absolute bargain. Also, always Check Amazon for their sales!

Where to buy

If you want to read my review of the Lumibricks Record Store set, Skate Shop and Boxing Club, you can find it here (They really do go great together!):
Review Lumibricks Boxing Club (19009)
Review: Lumibricks (Funwhole) Record Store (F9058)
Review: Lumibricks (Funwhole) Skate Shop (F9051)

If Street Fusion is your thing, you can see the rest of the theme here.