LEGO® CUUSOO 空想 - Turn your model wishes into reality

[Faefrost]

Oof, that's a whole thing on its own. I'm only familiar with the Minecraft set, but that was revealed two months after it reached 10K, and released four months after that. That was back when they didn't have quarterly reviews. BTTF got 10K a little over than a year ago (April 2012), and it was announced to have passed review in December 2012. I'm guessing they'll reveal the set at the June LEGO event (where the revealed the Haunted House last year) or a big maybe at SDCC 2013.

Not exactly. The set was announced 2 months after reaching 2k. But I don't think they showed us the final set until much much closer to release. When they showed off the box art etc. the Minecraft set is kind of a hard one to gauge this with however. It's design really didn't seem to change that much, at least to the casual eye, between the proposal and release. So we probably did not notice the difference when they switched from showing us the project pictures, to showing us the actual production set pics.

[just2good]

Not exactly. The set was announced 2 months after reaching 2k. But I don't think they showed us the final set until much much closer to release. When they showed off the box art etc.

I think you mean 10K.

Also, they showed all the pictures the two months after reaching 2K, just not the box or the multiple combined models.

[BrickG]

Not exactly. The set was announced 2 months after reaching 2k. But I don't think they showed us the final set until much much closer to release. When they showed off the box art etc. the Minecraft set is kind of a hard one to gauge this with however. It's design really didn't seem to change that much, at least to the casual eye, between the proposal and release. So we probably did not notice the difference when they switched from showing us the project pictures, to showing us the actual production set pics.

Minecraft's design changed a lot. Probably the most out of the three current sets. :P

http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/4038

[Boxerlego]

Cuusoo is a site for Lego users to try to get Lego to produce their models as an official set. But lately, it has really become a moc site, which it isnt for. It is to propose new and exciting sets to Lego and the lego community and see if each idea is worth full scale production.

Thank you for commenting on the the topic before it was merged. I agree with you 100%. Here is a project that could be beneficial and exciting for lego sets. In my opinion a part like that does not need 10,000 votes. I think by the time it reaches 10,000 votes TLG could already had this part made and in the two hands of master builders already figured it out and already made models displaying its unique building abilities. I think the fandom over a unique building ability that could generate 1000 is amazing enough in it self to start being a possible product but that is just my opinion.

I'm not sure I fully understand your questions, but there's a CUUSOO thread in Embassy and I think this belongs over there.

I can understand why the topic got merged because it did seemed like a personal entry that could've been made for this cuusoo topic. I wanted to post that topic in the hopes to generate a focused thought about cuusoo and what it is for. I believe that can be figure out here in this cuusoo topic. I want to help you understand here....Look at this cuusoo idea it is a part, several parts in fact. All he want is longer beams for bigger builds.

Now what If you saw a motor that is up on CUUSOO with the phrase "Bring back faster Motors". Would you really want to vote for that bigger liftarm and faster motor or would you rather want TLG to make'em. Now I theoretically know that nobody is going to support ideas like these on cuusoo because the community is waiting for TLG to make the faster and bigger stuff among other things as well.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Boxerlego

[Spitfire2865]

The thing about Cuusoo is that although people support new part designs, Lego most likely won't accept those parts. Cuusoo is intended to showcase individual sets rather than new mould ideas.

[Aanchir]

The thing about Cuusoo is that although people support new part designs, Lego most likely won't accept those parts. Cuusoo is intended to showcase individual sets rather than new mould ideas.

Not necessarily: LEGO Cuusoo DOES have rules in place for new part projects, hinting that they're not going to simply dismiss those projects. New part projects follow different rules than other projects, though: instead of being sold individually, new part designs will be incorporated into regular-issue sets (hence why they can have new molds and set proposals can't: regular-issue sets are produced in quantities that can help subsidize the cost of a new mold, while Cuusoo sets are produced in small batches). Additionally, new part project creators are paid a flat, one-time fee rather than being paid a 1% royalty for every copy of the resulting product produced and sold.

Overall, it's not clear exactly what will happen during the review period for new part projects, since none have reached the review threshold yet. But it's a little premature to say Cuusoo isn't intended to showcase new mold ideas when it's had rules to cover those types of projects since near the very beginning.

[BrickG]

Which is why sadly Zelda will probably never pass the reviews despite being voted on twice now. The new parts that would be made for Zelda would have almost zero relevance to other sets. Like the Ninja Turtle heads...

[Faefrost]

Now what If you saw a motor that is up on CUUSOO with the phrase "Bring back faster Motors". Would you really want to vote for that bigger liftarm and faster motor or would you rather want TLG to make'em. Now I

I don't think we would ever see such a project up on CuuSoo, at least not for more than a few hours. CuuSoo is specifically for new ideas. They very quickly delete any projects that center around the phrase "bring back". CuuSoo is not a forum to petition for re releases of older or retired sets or parts.

Oh and a new announcement post on CuuSoo today.

http://blog.lego.cuusoo.com/2013/05/28/qualify-summer-lego-review/

Nothing overly sexy. Just a 6 day warning for the end of the review period. We did get a little bit of commentary on why the fall review is taking so long (all three involve third party licenses.) and an answer to why they announce each review period at once, rather than as the sets are approved or fail. Apparently it is because they can have multiple discussions ongoing with different license holders, they do not want one announcement to have an impact on the other licensing discussions. So they will not announce the group until all such discussions and negotiations are complete.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Faefrost

[Bobskink]

Which is why sadly Zelda will probably never pass the reviews despite being voted on twice now. The new parts that would be made for Zelda would have almost zero relevance to other sets. Like the Ninja Turtle heads...

Lego makes it look like producing a new part / mold is a huge step and a lot of work. But actually it isn't especially these days. Look at other toys, they make new molds every day. Check Hasbro, Mattel, even Kinder, can make a living by constantly making new parts. Since the minifig series we have seen lots of new parts aswell, most of them I haven't seen in other sets so far, so I presume it's not that mush a problem anymore.

I think the Zelda set won't get made because of licensing isseus.

[Aanchir]

Lego makes it look like producing a new part / mold is a huge step and a lot of work. But actually it isn't especially these days. Look at other toys, they make new molds every day. Check Hasbro, Mattel, even Kinder, can make a living by constantly making new parts. Since the minifig series we have seen lots of new parts aswell, most of them I haven't seen in other sets so far, so I presume it's not that mush a problem anymore.

I think the Zelda set won't get made because of licensing isseus.

The Zelda set might have licensing issues but frankly I don't see any reason to assume that at this point in time. The LEGO Group and Nintendo have a lot in common with regard to their audience and values, and with LEGO City Undercover being published by Nintendo exclusively for Nintendo consoles, there are signs that they recognize the mutual benefit that could come from a partnership. A lot of people seem to think that because K'Nex has the Mario Kart license, they have the exclusive rights to produce building toys based on Nintendo properties, but there's really no reason to assume this is the case.

As for the new molds thing, it's true, TLG can produce new molds for regular sets fairly easily. But that doesn't apply the same way for LEGO Cuusoo sets because they simply aren't produced in large enough quantities to offset the upfront cost. They are experimental by nature, so they're produced in small batches according to demand. As Nabii says here, "Cuusoo sets are produced in batches of 10/20,000 whereas retail LEGO sets are produced with a minimum of half a million sets each. Sales pay for the mold which is a very expensive item - until Cuusoo sets go on sale demand is considered hard to predict, so the rule of no new molds was introduced."

Sure, Ninja Turtle heads might not be used in any other themes ever, but if that cost is spread across 3.5 million sets or more instead of a number that could be as low as 10,000, it makes a huge difference.

[Faefrost]

Lego makes it look like producing a new part / mold is a huge step and a lot of work. But actually it isn't especially these days. Look at other toys, they make new molds every day. Check Hasbro, Mattel, even Kinder, can make a living by constantly making new parts. Since the minifig series we have seen lots of new parts aswell, most of them I haven't seen in other sets so far, so I presume it's not that mush a problem anymore.

I think the Zelda set won't get made because of licensing isseus.

We've had this discussion before (I think even in this thread). It isn't the technical difficulty of making new parts. It is the costs vs the anticipated volume of product. CuuSoo is a small run line, with typical production runs being in lots of 10,000. Tooling will run anywhere from $80,000 to $350,000+. And they must have a clear and reasonable plan to amortize the costs of this new tooling over a specific or planned block of set production.

In the case of CuuSoo, doing something like 1 Zelda hair piece, for a CuuSoo set would mean that that single piece would add $8 to the planned cost of each set. That blows he set design budget right there, puts the part to price ratio too low, and instantly fails the business case. There is no way around it. The problem is not new molds, it is new molds specific to the CuuSoo small production line.

CMF's are the opposite end of the spectrum. They have a high production volume. And have some of the highest margins vs shelf space for any Lego product. They can easily go into the planning stages assuming that $1 per or 25% of the costs of at least some of the figs can be spent on new parts. Plus about half of those new parts can have costs shared with other ongoing themes.

It's not ease of making tooling. It is cost of tooling / anticipated production run. That is where CuuSoo fails.

Also do not compare other toy types or manufacturers. Things like Action figures do not use entirely the same math. Because of Lego's system, new parts must have at least 1 precision attachment point that will universally fit into their system. That increases the needed precision. Hasbro's Star Wars action figures really do not have that. They use tooling for softer lower temperature plastics, less precise tooling. Less longevity tooling, etc. and even with that they have been bleeding money in recent years.

[Bobskink]

...Also do not compare other toy types...

Jeez, I'm sorry guys, it's just my opion.

...so the rule of no new molds was introduced."

I didn't knew that, since when actually? Seems like bad news for a lot of projects on Cusoo

So the BTTF set won't contain any new pieces?

[RaincloudDustbin]

That's a bummer... I'm too much of a nerd not to buy 3 of it though.

[Aanchir]

Jeez, I'm sorry guys, it's just my opion.

I didn't knew that, since when actually? Seems like bad news for a lot of projects on Cusoo

So the BTTF set won't contain any new pieces?

Probably not, unless TLG happens to have new parts in the works for other themes that would just coincidentally be perfect for this project. That's always a possibility which shouldn't be discounted, and probably part of the reason why TLG doesn't just reject a project that uses a non-existent part outright. Imagine, hypothetically, if a project in development in 2011 had used a custom lipstick tube element — even if the project creator had no way of knowing it, there was a theme in development at that time which would have a part fitting that very description.

Additionally, since the concept is what's important, there's always the possibility that TLG's designers could find solutions for certain design problems that use only existing parts, even if the project creator could not. This doesn't necessarily apply when the part in question is a minifigure accessory or something similarly small and specific, but always remember that even some prototypes of official sets use custom or modified parts that are substituted for existing parts later in development.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Aanchir

[Faefrost]

Jeez, I'm sorry guys, it's just my opion.

LOL no no, sorry I didn't mean to scold you. I meant it is an Apples and Oranges type comparison. Beyond using plastic they really are not quite the same thing with regard to the engineering and tooling. A closer example to Lego's tooling would be that used by the scale plastic model industry. Particularly vendors such as Ban Dai and Tamiya (who make use of precision ABS parts in some lines.)

Action figures use plastics that are designed for much lower temperatures and injection pressure. Often they make heavy use of vinyl. And the molds they use are not designed for longevity. If you ever get an action figure that has arms etc that seem a little more bent than normal, etc, it means that the mold is starting to go. But the QC standard for such is a lot lower than for any Lego part, so they can run the tooling out pretty much to the point of destruction.. Even a simple Lego hairpiece has to attach to every Lego head ever made, every time. Lego does use some of the softer plastics and shorter term tooling for limited use head and hairpieces. But even with that they need to maintain that higher precision standard. And even with the most minimal cheapest tooling for that, it would still eat up 20% + of a CuuSoo sets budget.

I didn't knew that, since when actually? Seems like bad news for a lot of projects on Cusoo

So the BTTF set won't contain any new pieces?

BTTF will probably make heavy use of fairly new existing molds and clever printing. Most likely some combination of CMF headpieces and the newer Lone Ranger western hats. As an example, should they choose to make a Clara fig from BTTF 3, they would probably use a recolor of the LR Red's hairpiece. Not perfect but close enough. Doc will probably use some clever printing on the CMF Grandpa hair or the forthcoming series 11 Scientist hair, which is suspected to be an Einstein type fig. Marty will just be the normal classic side parted male hair. And so on.

[Bobskink]

So that means, when I get 10.000 votes (which should be around 2029) for my Duplo Batman and Robin. I wont get made? Bummer.

I understand the technical proces, but I'm still quite surprized that with all the modern technologies, 3D printing etc, it's that expensive to make a new "all fitting" piece. I understand that the standards are high, but come on Lego, if brickforge and these others can do it...

Edited May 30, 2013 by Bobskink

[hjmediastudios]

When you get down to it, though, even Brickforge, which has one of the wider arrays of parts for a 3rd-part vendor, only sells a fairly small range of parts, and those are the ones that AFOLs probably want most. And even then, BrickForge isn't perfect- I've ordered some stuff from them, and certain of their helmets are a very tight fit with the minifig head, to the point where I need to use pliers to remove the minifig head from the helmet.

[TheLegoDr]

I concur. Some of the 3rd party vendors aren't perfect. I have yet to be satisfied with any of them. They either don't fit appropriately, or their coloring is different enough from the standard LEGO color that it clashes. So I quit buying from 3rd party vendors.

As far as BTTF, why wouldn't they do something similar to the Nick Fury car in the latest Spider-man set. It has wheels that rotate up flawlessly using existing pieces. It's actually quite clever. As far as the rest of the Delorean I don't really recall how it would look from memory. It has been quite some time since I've seen it. But even with that said, I will still go out and buy the CUUSOO set when it is released. Here's hoping for a good price!

[Boxerlego]

I don't think we would ever see such a project up on CuuSoo, at least not for more than a few hours. CuuSoo is specifically for new ideas. They very quickly delete any projects that center around the phrase "bring back". CuuSoo is not a forum to petition for re releases of older or retired sets or parts.

Thanks for the information I see where you are going with your view on cuusoo and I also follow your view; However, cuusoo is not entirely for the new ideas. Cuusoo in its entirety is there to find that market niche "new idea or not". The demand for new parts is practically not there, because the majority is fine with theavailable parts to build with. A new part that is made by TLG is well accepted in the box. But when a new part is thought up with out the mark of approval the part gets undermined... even when it made completely from original unmodified LEGO it still is undermined. (Example Eurobricks Link: post #18) Basically, it comes down to faith. There is more faith among the majority in the LEGO company to make new and exciting LEGO part then the unbranded individual.

Edited June 1, 2013 by Boxerlego

[Faefrost]

Thanks for the information I see where you are going with your view on cuusoo and I also follow your view; However, cuusoo is not entirely for the new ideas. Cuusoo in its entirety is there to find that market niche "new idea or not". The demand for new parts is practically not there, because the majority is fine with theavailable parts to build with. A new part that is made by TLG is well accepted in the box. But when a new part is thought up with out the mark of approval the part gets undermined... even when it made completely from original unmodified LEGO it still is undermined. (Example Eurobricks Link: post #18) Basically, it comes down to faith. There is more faith among the majority in the LEGO company to make new and exciting LEGO part then the unbranded individual.

You have completely and utterly lost me? Are you running your posts through a translator of some sort?

But yeah, CuuSoo is exclusively for new stuff. They do not allow requests for retired sets or parts to be brought back. You can propose a new motor, but simply stating or requesting that they bring something back will get deleted very quickly. It's not a matter of faith. It has to do with the design rules of the site. Remember the project designer gets a 1% royalty for sets or a flat fee for parts. As a result it has to be something new for legal reasons. You can't get a royalty from someone else's prior work. CuuSoo is setup for new unique project proposals. Not as a petition or polling site. I can understand it's a somewhat subtle distinction that can easily get confusing. But at heart whatever you put up there has to be your unique idea or proposal.

So proposing longer or a new style beam is fine. Suggesting new PF elements with new control mechanisms are great. Simply requesting that they bring back faster motors will get deleted.(Whereas proposing a new design or form factor for a motor that happens to be faster would not be a problem.)

[dvsntt]

Some of the new part designs are soem of the most exciting and intriguing to me. I hope Lego at elast considers them.

[Faefrost]

It looks like the League of Legends Project hit 10k with hours to spare for the Summer review deadline. So congrats to Addam. This review will be the Mini Shops, the Batman Tumbler and the League of Legends set.

http://blog.lego.cuusoo.com/2013/06/03/congratulations-to-our-three-summer-review-qualifiers/

Now if only we could find out the results for last Fall... Or Winter... Or Spring... /sigh

[just2good]

The results are in! This news is downplayed! :shock:

Which passed?

So yeah, Mars Curiosity. There's already a separate topic for that, but I'm glad the Portal set is still a possibility.

[Brickdoctor]

I guess we all kind of thought about it in the back of our minds, that Star Wars products would probably have to start with Lucas Licensing and their discussions with TLG, but, MegaBloks, no UCS Sandcrawler.

[Faefrost]

That's pretty much dead on what we expected. However there are two interesting caveats in the blog post. It looks like that the two sets that were not selected for CuuSoo might not be entirely dead, if I am reading that right. They simply said a set that they will be making, but they left the door open for the others.

- The Portal Project is still undergoing testing. So it has not been turned down yet, which is interesting. It seems to imply a greater level of interest in the project than we have seen in prior reveals. It also makes me wonder it they might be considering or evaluating some of the projects new structural pieces as something valid or viable for general use sets.

- The Sandcrawler has been turned down as a CuuSoo project because of the ongoing relationships with Lucasfilm and Lego Star Wars. This is not completely unexpected. But the way they phrased it makes me wonder if we might actually see the beast under the actual Lego Star Wars UCS labels? I can't shake the feeling that this one is not completely dead. It will be interesting to see what the next UCS set announced is.