LEGO® CUUSOO 空想 - Turn your model wishes into reality

[Lyichir]

I feel that even with the name change the model on its own will still sell. Remember market street? Not really a modular in its own right but the demand for it is tremendous. They can modify the building slightly to make it a modular building with the pub interior and add in a snooker table to great effect. As for minifigs TLG can come up with a few men and ladies having a good time. It does not necessarily have to be Simon Pegg or the cast of the Winchester. In fact it does not even need the Winchester name. A name like "Pub corner" or "Speakeasy" would do.

Yes, I admit I want the building and the pub inside. The zombies and Simon Pegg would be a nice extra for the set.

I'm pretty sure the demand for the Market Street is greater in today's aftermarket than it ever was while LEGO themselves were selling it. And even then, that's a market of primarily AFOLs. In comparison, the Winchester had trouble getting enough support until a large number of non-AFOLs flocked to support the project. Shaun of the Dead fans might not spring at the model if it doesn't have the same film connection, and in fact might boycott the set out of righteous indignation that the model has been "sanitized".

[Vindicare]

That's bad news, and I feel for Yatkuu who's been working so hard on this project. I honestly can't see the problem with making it an official set, but that's obviously LEGO's privilege to decide.

I voted for it because of the building, not because of the relation to the movie. I'm sad to see that we won't even get that, and I think this is a blow for CUUSOO. Time will tell whether other projects share The Winchester's fate.

Ya know, that's the same reason I voted for it. I just really like the building and would love to have it in my layout.

[NiceMarmot]

If Lego is going to review and decide on each model that gets the 10,000 votes and they are most certainly going to alter and change things as they see fit, why not just change the name of the Model? Like why couldn't they just call this theme "Zombie Invasion" and keep the basic idea...? I mean there is basically the same thing with the monster hunters theme... Or they just could have used this model as one of the Monster Hunter's playsets...

I can see not keeping the R-rated Shawn of the Dead name, but why scrap the whole model altogether? It would have been kind of cool to have zombie themed playsets starting with the "Zombie Tavern Rampage" or something to that effect...

Well, if they do that, then they open themselves up to being sued by whomever owns the Shaun of the Dead intellectual property rights. To avoid that, they'd have to pay licensing fees to the SoD folks, but wouldn't have the brand-recognition of actually marketing the set as related to "Shaun of the Dead". Sounds like a no-win situation for TLG.

Edited April 26, 2012 by NiceMarmot

[JackJonespaw]

Looks like Back to the Future is about to become the sixth CUUSOO set to reach 10,000. I won't buy any CUUSOO sets until (hopefully) The Legend of Zelda (please), or the Dark Bucket. (99 Stormtroopers and 1 Darth Vader? Yes, please!)

[Flipz]

Honestly, with Monster Fighters and Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and Prince of Persia and Indiana Jones already in LEGO's line-up, there's really no excuse for turning it down on the grounds of "we don't want to endorse the movie." It would be laughable for them to be freaked out by zombies, if they're concerned about the violence then LotR and Prince of Persia should never have been made as LEGO themes. Is the movie completely unsuitable for kids? Absolutely, but it's the parents' job to look into stuff like that (i.e. if little Jimmy wants to see SotD, his parents should read the rating and say "no"). Just because the film is full of foul language doesn't mean the LEGO set would be.

If CUUSOO were further along, I would agree with LEGO's position. But considering this was just the third(?) project to hit 10,000...LEGO just killed its own system. I think they should have bitten the bullet and put this out, because after this fiasco, CUUSOO is going to slowly bleed to death as the team distances itself internally from CUUSOO, and after a year or so management'll pull the plug because CUUSOO wouldn't be making enough money--because the team will stop putting serious effort into improving CUUSOO and will be trying to avoid going down when it does. It's what happened to LEGO Universe (one of the ex-staffers made comments about how people became hesitatnt to support LU after a bad internal incident unrelated to the game itself), and it'll happen again to CUUSOO.

I hope I'm wrong, I really do, it's just...I've see this happen before with LEGO incursions into the digital realm, and I see it happening again. Bad memories repeating themselves... What was that meme again? Oh, yeah, "Feels Bad Man."

[L@go]

That's the devil of licensed projects: by releasing one TLG associates itself not only with the project but also the brand. Yatkuu's excellent build unbranded would likely have been acceptable, but without the license fans it wouldn't have garnered so many votes. Catch-22.

That's a very good point. Didn't think of that.

[Lego Otaku]

Honestly, with Monster Fighters and Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and Prince of Persia and Indiana Jones already in LEGO's line-up,

snipped

Prince of Persia and Indiana Jones haven't been around for a while, and Harry Potter line is about to retire as well.

I do agree that Cuusoo is pointless if LEGO keeps rejecting all popular sets. Maybe if there's a new rule that prevents any set from getting sent if they are based on TV shows, movies, or other published fictions. That way LEGO won't have to deal with getting license or permission, and people are less likely to vote because technically it wouldn't be based on something that can pose copyright issue but rather vote on something that actually looks great.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Lego Otaku

[purpleparadox]

I do agree that Cuusoo is pointless if LEGO keeps rejecting all popular sets. Maybe if there's a new rule that prevents any set from getting sent if they are based on TV shows, movies, or other published fictions. That way LEGO won't have to deal with getting license or permission, and people are less likely to vote because technically it wouldn't be based on something that can pose copyright issue but rather vote on something that actually looks great.

I hope Lego makes a no-license rule on Cuusoo. It'd be interesting to see what comes out of that, because it'd force you to be more creative.

[Lyichir]

I hope Lego makes a no-license rule on Cuusoo. It'd be interesting to see what comes out of that, because it'd force you to be more creative.

I feel that would be LEGO shooting themselves in the foot. Licenses have been one of the main things driving traffic to Cuusoo. True, most of the projects that have succeeded have done so on the basis of their licenses. But eliminating that would simply cause fewer projects to succeed whatsoever. For reference, the Modular Western Town, the most successful project to be 100% original, has only gotten 3/4 of the way to 10,000 so far. Subtract the number of users who joined to support a license but stuck around and supported that project, and I'd reckon you'd have even less. Never mind the fact that licensing doesn't necessarily mean a lack of imagination. How different are projects based on real landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and projects based on icons from the silver screen like the Back to the Future Delorean Time Machine, when it all comes down to it? Imagination is not just about concepts, but how those concepts are executed. Personally I think the licensed projects which have had the most success (like the Winchester or the BttF Delorean) are extremely creative and well-made.

[purpleparadox]

I feel that would be LEGO shooting themselves in the foot. Licenses have been one of the main things driving traffic to Cuusoo. True, most of the projects that have succeeded have done so on the basis of their licenses. But eliminating that would simply cause fewer projects to succeed whatsoever. For reference, the Modular Western Town, the most successful project to be 100% original, has only gotten 3/4 of the way to 10,000 so far. Subtract the number of users who joined to support a license but stuck around and supported that project, and I'd reckon you'd have even less. Never mind the fact that licensing doesn't necessarily mean a lack of imagination. How different are projects based on real landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and projects based on icons from the silver screen like the Back to the Future Delorean Time Machine, when it all comes down to it? Imagination is not just about concepts, but how those concepts are executed. Personally I think the licensed projects which have had the most success (like the Winchester or the BttF Delorean) are extremely creative and well-made.

I agree with what you said here, but there are some ideas that are just based on the license, with not much creativity. Example: Star Wars Dark Bucket. Not much creativity needed there. People can just post "I want LEGO Mario, or Hunger Games", or whatever. Yes, some of the license ideas are creative, but not as much as other ideas like the Modular Western Town.

EDIT: Fixed some grammar.

Edited April 27, 2012 by purpleparadox

[Fugazi]

I think that the main (and possibly only) factor that could lead TLG to modify their stance on licenced projects is how well the sets sell. Licensed projects increase Lego brand awareness outside the present KFOL/AFOL market. If this brings healthy sales of the licensed sets in markets previously untapped, TLG will keep at it. However if sales of the Minecraft and similar licensed projects are poor because the voters don't put their money where their mouth is, TLG will probably want to adjust their guns. Unfortunately, we will likely never have access to the actual sales figures in order to judge of the merits of the Cuusoo marketing strategy.

[The Blue Brick]

It looks like the Back to the Future project will hit 10,000 votes soon.

The brickshowtv is pushing it with a video.

[reptiman]

I hope it doesn't hurt the chances. However, I don't especially care for all these licensed projects. I'm really cheering for the Modular Western Town.

Kind of unrelated, but reptiman, I love your Dragon Slayers Cuusoo idea! It'd be a great way to bring back castle, and I'd DEFINITELY buy some dragon sets. Great idea!

I agree it is a bit unrelated, but I am glad you like my project! I appreciate it.

On the topic of the Winchester, I can't say I am surprised. LEGO's violence policy has always been pretty strict. I am very sorry for Yatkuu. It is a shame it got rejected, but I guess TLG had to do what it had to do as a buisness.

I think that the main (and possibly only) factor that could lead TLG to modify their stance on licenced projects is how well the sets sell. Licensed projects increase Lego brand awareness outside the present KFOL/AFOL market. If this brings healthy sales of the licensed sets in markets previously untapped, TLG will keep at it. However if sales of the Minecraft and similar licensed projects are poor because the voters don't put their money where their mouth is, TLG will probably want to adjust their guns. Unfortunately, we will likely never have access to the actual sales figures in order to judge of the merits of the Cuusoo marketing strategy.

I agree completely. I don't think that that too many people are going to buy the minecraft model though. The model was not quite what I think the majority of people had in mind. While micro was the best direction I think, I imagine the majority were expecting something different. The source material was minifigure scale after all. Honestly though the whole thought of LEGO minecraft never wowed me. I could be completely wrong on it's sales though I think that the sales of the next three projects assuming their passed (BTTF, the Rifter, and Minecraft) will determine what TLG uses for their stance on liscences on CUUSOO.

[Larrynautik]

I'm really deceived that the Winchester will not be released. The reasons given by Lego are just excuses. Just look at the Indiana Jones sacrificial ceremony in the temple... It is not considered "gore" ? The other thing is that most of the CUUSOO voters are AFOLs, and the reason to not release the Winchester is that it do not match with young buyers. It is really paradoxical. So if the CUUSOO projects are really aimed for 6-11, I see no reason for AFOLs to look at this website

I just had a laugh when I saw the Star Wars Bucket of 100 Stormies and the Little Pony thing. The Back to the Future project is more serious but has nothing else than a DeLorean to offer. As some said before me, the only interesting project now is the Western Town, but after the Winchester being rejected, I can imagine a million reasons for Lego to refuse even if the 10k is reached.

I will simply forget the Cuusoo thing as it is not considered seriously by the Lego group. I will try to find some MOC plans instead, and eventually buy them to their creators. It is far more satisfying than what Lego does for AFOLs.

[purpleparadox]

I just had a laugh when I saw the Star Wars Bucket of 100 Stormies and the Little Pony thing. The Back to the Future project is more serious but has nothing else than a DeLorean to offer. As some said before me, the only interesting project now is the Western Town, but after the Winchester being rejected, I can imagine a million reasons for Lego to refuse even if the 10k is reached.

The Dark Bucket and MLP projects will fail. And I'm fine with that. I don't believe Cuusoo should be all about licensed projects!

I think the Modular Western Town stands a very good chance, as does the Space Marines project. They're both license-free and I think they're quite likely.

I will simply forget the Cuusoo thing as it is not considered seriously by the Lego group. I will try to find some MOC plans instead, and eventually buy them to their creators. It is far more satisfying than what Lego does for AFOLs.

Don't give up on Cuusoo! It's still young, give it some time and it'll improve. After people start realizing what is and isn't going to stand a chance they'll stop posting unlikely projects. We'll see the Dark Bucket and MLP reach 10,000 and fail. After that Lego will either make a no-license rule, or people will recognize a pattern and stop posting licensed projects.

[Aanchir]

I'm really deceived that the Winchester will not be released. The reasons given by Lego are just excuses. Just look at the Indiana Jones sacrificial ceremony in the temple... It is not considered "gore" ? The other thing is that most of the CUUSOO voters are AFOLs, and the reason to not release the Winchester is that it do not match with young buyers. It is really paradoxical. So if the CUUSOO projects are really aimed for 6-11, I see no reason for AFOLs to look at this website

I just had a laugh when I saw the Star Wars Bucket of 100 Stormies and the Little Pony thing. The Back to the Future project is more serious but has nothing else than a DeLorean to offer. As some said before me, the only interesting project now is the Western Town, but after the Winchester being rejected, I can imagine a million reasons for Lego to refuse even if the 10k is reached.

I will simply forget the Cuusoo thing as it is not considered seriously by the Lego group. I will try to find some MOC plans instead, and eventually buy them to their creators. It is far more satisfying than what Lego does for AFOLs.

It's not a matter of the toy itself being inappropriate for younger buyers. It's about the license it's based on as a whole. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was pretty grim and violent in parts, but it wasn't enough to merit it an R rating. Not so with Shaun of the Dead, which also has other things besides gore/violence contributing to that rating.

If in your opinion there aren't any enough interesting projects, why aren't you proposing some? Are you worried that other people might consider different things "interesting" than you do? If so, you're probably right, given that so many have supported ideas that you consider laughable. But the Cuusoo program never came with any guarantees, and so far it's only rejected one proposal. If that one proposal was one of the only things you considered worthwhile, that's hardly TLG's fault. As far as I'm concerned, plenty of the most-supported proposals would make awesome products.

And it's silly to say that Cuusoo is a waste of time for AFOLs just because products made through it are supposed to be child-appropriate. The LEGO Group has a reputation to uphold as a family-friendly brand. If TLG were to make a Cuusoo product based on a non-family-friendly brand, how exactly are they supposed to market it? They can't exactly throw it in a catalog with all their kid-oriented toys.

Cuusoo is still perfectly worthwhile for AFOLs to suggest ideas regardless of whether they interest kids or seem like products kids would enjoy. But there's a difference between ideas that don't interest kids and ideas that parents might not want their kids exposed to at all. Cuusoo's about advancing ideas TLG might not think of on their own, not about advancing ideas that would go against TLG's company values and common sense. And Cuusoo is still a magnificent opportunity for AFOLs even if TLG knows better than to just make sets based on whatever people want.

[Meatman]

I am assuming that the Back to the Future idea is primarily based on that, just the idea of it and not so much the actual model proposed? I could probably see several playsets of this theme in the future.

The Minecraft theme that made it just seemed a little pointless, because isn't that was Lego basically already is?

[TypoCorrecto]

I am assuming that the Back to the Future idea is primarily based on that, just the idea of it and not so much the actual model proposed? I could probably see several playsets of this theme in the future.

I sure hope there are multiple sets from this concept. I can see three waves that correspond with the three movies:

BTTF - Main set would be the clock tower scene

BTTF 2 - The hovering Delorean and hoverboard gang would make nice sets

BTTF 3 - Delorean + Old West Train = One heck of a set

Now that it has achieved 10,000 hopefully LEGO will accept the concept...

Edited April 28, 2012 by typo

[just2good]

The DeLorean set has achieved its goal of 10K supporters! A big congrats to 'm.togami'!

I absolutely cannot wait until June, when this set most likely (80% sure) will be approved. The BTTF trilogy is my second favorite trilogy of all time.

[Nightshroud99]

The DeLorean set has achieved its goal of 10K supporters! A big congrats to 'm.togami'!

I absolutely cannot wait until June, when this set most likely (80% sure) will be approved. The BTTF trilogy is my second favorite trilogy of all time.

I agree, I see no reason whatsoever (aside from license issues) of why this won't be made.

Congratulations to Mr. m.togami, now let's see what happens.

[TypoCorrecto]

It appears that the Legend of Zelda concept will be next to hit 10,000...maybe before the weekend. It's currently at 9,400+

[CM4Sci]

Legend of Zelda passed 10k today at 6:05 AM!

-Sci

[Haltiamieli]

When it rains it really pours!

Remains to be seen how many other quicker projects can pass Modular Western Town before it's time inevitably comes. Firefly spaceship has only few hundred voices less and has been rising much faster, so that's a done deal - it's only a matter of days when it finishes. Even the stormtrooper bucket is getting new supporters on a bit faster pace than Modular Western Town. But can things like Motorized Tachikoma still reach and pass MWT? Tachikoma seems to be somewhat quicker, but also has a few thousand votes less to begin with. Someone with more time could count "estimated arrival times" for all the top projects based on their support flow announced on the Discover page?

[Scubacarrot]

If supporter flows stay the same, Logic would say that the Firefly/Serenity project would be the next to hit 10.000, and after that the Western Modular. Lego said the next review of the projects would be in June, and if the "supporters per week" for the Western Modular stays the same, it should be in time for that.

On another note, there are now three passed sets waiting for approval, and one could expect the Firefly ship and possibly the Western Modular as well will reach the deadline for this quarter's review. I wonder how Lego will deal with that, even if the licenses could be obtained, do you think lego would introduce more than one of the sets at a time?

Edited May 4, 2012 by Scubacarrot

[just2good]

I have a question. Did LEGO stop posting comments for 5000+ supporters? The haven't done it for the Firefly or MLP:FiM project yet, and MLP:FiM has had 5000+ supporters for a while now...