An internet tale Winchester/Shaun of the Dead project on CUUSOO

[tedbeard]

You might be onto something there; the Friends thing might have made TLG a bit more controversy-shy than normal.

If that is true then I think somebody does not understand how marketing works. The "controversy" surrounding the Friends line is unlikely to have any negative effect overall on sales. If anything the free publicity will increase sales of the line thanks to the exposure in mainstream media. For every activist who decides not to buy the set (assuming they ever would have bought a corporate, plastic toy in the first place) there will be 10 or more adults who knew nothing about the line previously and will purchase a set or sets.

Controversy of this type for a SotD set would be a net plus for the bottom line whereas creating a system that will now be seen as a sham by many of its' customers is a net negative.

[Jedi master Brick]

Lego is seen as a family toy, which is helping them doing in the econimic crisis. They are trusted by familys, getting more sales. Now if you are a parent are you going to get toys from a company that also make a product for a gory 15+ film or a company that make toys from not so violent films?

[Vindicare]

Who says it is inappropriate for a Lego Product? TLG, why? Because they are afraid it will cause negative publicity for them, by certain people that will make a fuss.

Who else would make the decision? It's their company, so of course they're going to make the decision on what's right or wrong... I'm sure TLG isn't worried about people making a fuss about their product, because there will always be someone(s) making a stink about it. You can't please everyone.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Legocrazy81

[roamingstop]

He set would have great potential, for custom makers. But the market in general? That Is TLG domain and not 10,000 irate SotD fans. One demographic not mentioned could be easily watched by TLG. If you vote regularly on potential models then chances are your opinion is interesting, perhaps relevant. If you create an account and log In within a few days of fandom exposure then chances are you are voting as a fan. If you don't vote much afterward the most likely you are not an active member of community. So sure the model may get 10000 votes, but they may not be relevant As a new product line. Before flames I am a product manager, just not for TLG

[danim]

could we add a poll to see whether people agree or disagree with TLG's desision

[sharky]

I would like to further illustrate the adult content in Shaun of the Dead beyond any kind of violence. While it is true that Lego has sets that are geared more for older teens and adults the media the sets are based on are nowhere near the level of adult content like Shaun of the Dead. I can totally understand why Lego does not want to associate with such a movie. It seems to me that Lego's standard is more like what is acceptable for regular TV networks as far as content. They could easily show Indiana Jones, POTC, LOTR, Marvel, and DC movies on regular network television with almost no editing for content as far as I can tell.

I pulled this from the IMDB entry for Shaun of the Dead

1 use of the c**t

2 uses of mother f****r

45 uses of f**k

32 uses of s**t

9 uses of pr**k (one written.)

2 uses of a**

5 uses of n****r

4 uses of c**ks****r

1 use of t**t

2 uses of w****r

1 use of w**k

2 uses of m**f

4 uses of c****s.

I'm just saying that Lego draws the line somewhere, and I suppose this movie is over their line.

[simonjedi]

could we add a poll to see whether people agree or disagree with TLG's desision

But what would it achieve? Lego isn't going to see the topic and go 'welp we should reconsider.' It'll just for people to make up megablocks Lego conspiracies why it wasn't made, while the correct reason was posted back on page 13 by Shadows of all people.

[Yatkuu]

Rest in Peace by Yatkuu, on Flickr

Hear Ye, good people of the AFOL world,

The story of a MOC like no one before.

It all just started the usual way...

An idea, a few bricks, like any other day.

The build was a house, nothing less nothing more

Who would have thought it would do such a score?

Ten thousand souls united to say

Give us the Win, we beg you today!

Alas, this build was doomed because of its gore

The Win was, it seems, too much to ask for.

More seriously, I have no regrets here.

I knew it was a long shot from the start but I learned a lot from this experience, met awesome people... it was all worth it. Thanks again to everyone who supported the project.

[Meatman]

Out of curiosity, how many Supports did you get after the Conan piece?

[Yatkuu]

Out of curiosity, how many Supports did you get after the Conan piece?

+- 8100, all the details are here.

[J.V.D.]

Pitty, but good to hear that despite all it was an interesting experience for you...

(could have ended different too )

[danim]

But what would it achieve? Lego isn't going to see the topic and go 'welp we should reconsider.' It'll just for people to make up megablocks Lego conspiracies why it wasn't made, while the correct reason was posted back on page 13 by Shadows of all people.

more out of curiosity than anythting

[LRDark]

Well,Yatkuu, it was a valiant effort for an undoubtedly impressive MOC; you did everything you could, and I'm sure many of would agree that you should feel quite proud of yourself. There are a plethora of suggestions on CUUSOO that won't even come close to what you've achieved. For that, I can only say congratulations- your MOC and what you've put into getting as far as you did were both outstanding!

I do agree, however, with TLG, Shadows, and the others, that this was a project which just never in the cards. As fun as Shaun of the Dead is as a film (I'm a huge fan), the violence and language are far beyond anything that TLG has tackled before. While other licenses have had adult-oriented language and humour, it was few and far between. I can remember the horrific effects from Indiana Jones, such as the Nazi mechanic vs. Plane, Arnold Toht vs. God, and Mola Ram vs. Sternum, but their violence was centered on good vs. evil, and it showed what happened to those that lived villainous lives. The same is with Star Wars- Anakin despite his gristly burn, has a full arc between the six movies. With Shaun of the Dead, the only actual characters are simply trying to survive. As fun as that may be for them, it gives no real conflict, as the only "enemy" in the film is a mindless mass that is also trying to survive. There is no "good vs. evil" in this particular film; there is only "protagonists who use a lot of profanity vs. senseless murder." It doesn't teach much, if any, value to the audience. There is no "absolute power corrupts absolutely," "with great power comes great responsibility," or "friendship is magic" type of message.

While the scene chosen doesn't necessarily have any negative connotations to it (other than being a bar with a shotgun surrounded by living corpses where three main characters die), TLG may very well not wish to connect themselves with such a work. Sure, they've produced guns, taverns and zombies, but please consider that all of these together might've been enough to push that proverbial envelope out of reach, especially considering that colourful list provided by Sharky. Sure, some parents might be alright with those words around their children, but I think we're all aware that the majority aren't. I for one don't feel that TLG is lying about a single thing regarding this project being denied. Personally, I would've been rather appalled, and I would've questioned the morality level of TLG had this product been green-lit. When I think of LEGO, I think of adventure, harmony, and wholesome fun, not "I got wood."

[Yatkuu]

(could have ended different too )

Oh.My.Goodness. That is friggin' awesome!!

Thanks J.V.D. you made my day! Any chance you can put this on Flickr? I must absolutely fave that one!!!

Thank you also for all your messages of support - they mean a lot to me.

I know I said I would no longer take part in the discussions around the Win... and I won't. I have had more than my share of debate, trust me. That being said, I would just like to clarify one last thing - why I chose to believe the Win had a chance to make it.

No, I'm not clinically insane. I'm not naive or over optimistic either... people who know me would even consider me a pretty pessimistic person and very realistic when it comes to human nature. So... why?

I took a leap of faith.. I chose to believe that CUUSOO meant "we are ready for something new, something different".

All this debate around appropriateness of the theme is taking place within the canevas of the current LEGO standards... was the Win compatible with the current LEGO standards? OF COURSE IT WAS NOT for crying out loud, I'm not stupid!

... but I chose to believe this debate could have taken place in another dimension, a dimension that is considering the expectations of an Adult fan community.

So, R.I.P. Winchester.... if anything I like to tell myself that we all learned something about LEGO, this is why I have been very transparent about the project and its evolution.

EDIT: When I say "was the Win compatible with the current LEGO standards?" I mean the Winchester and its source material. Because I agree that one cannot truly be dissociated from the other.

Oh, and sorry for the shout, sometimes you just have to let it all out!

Edited April 28, 2012 by Yatkuu

[Delta 38]

I took a leap of faith.. I chose to believe that CUUSOO meant "we are ready for something new, something different".

All this debate around appropriateness of the theme is taking place within the canevas of the current LEGO standards... was the Win compatible with the current LEGO standards? OF COURSE IT WAS NOT for crying out loud, I'm not stupid!

... but I chose to believe this debate could have taken place in another dimension, a dimension that is considering the expectations of an Adult fan community.

Hmm, that's an interesting point. Would it have been a breach of copyright or something to create something based on the Winchester?

I think Lego was okay with the concept, but sketchy on the basis of it. I could see something like the Winchester working perfectly fine, if it weren't based on an "inappropriate" film.

Even if it was "violent" (giant saw blades, etc.) but wasn't based on anything, it would most likely still be acceptable.

Edited April 28, 2012 by Delta 38

[moop]

It's too bad the overly sensitive prudes won out on this one. This was a killer MOC Yatkuu and the effort that was put into getting it to at least be reviewed is awesome. You also got shout outs from stellar people involved with the original movie so at least there is that. Also, hopefully the people who are against it for some reason come to the realization that there is a market for adult collector's wanting stuff like this regardless of their puritanical leanings. Keep MOC'ing bro!

[LRDark]

It's too bad the overly sensitive prudes won out on this one. This was a killer MOC Yatkuu and the effort that was put into getting it to at least be reviewed is awesome. You also got shout outs from stellar people involved with the original movie so at least there is that. Also, hopefully the people who are against it for some reason come to the realization that there is a market for adult collector's wanting stuff like this regardless of their puritanical leanings. Keep MOC'ing bro!

Yep, TLG and those who are against the MOC being produced are definitely overly sensitive prudes who were raised with puritanical leanings. Perhaps it has to do with what we view LEGO as, and less about how we view moral issues in our personal lives. I, for one, am by no means any of what you describe, and I still support TLG's decision.

Edited April 28, 2012 by LRDark

[Omicron]

Perhaps it was turned down due to licensing costs ?

Now what does that mean for Zelda, My Little Pony and coming close to it BTTF ?

My Little Pony is owned by Hasbro, who happens to be a competing company with Lego. You will never see MLP Lego. If anything, Hasbro would use teir building line Kreo to make MLP sets.

Zelda: For me highly unlikely, Nintendo is not known for being generous with licenses. It could be possible, since there is also Mario Knex, but I think negotiations would be longer than a few weeks. There also is no game coming out any time soon to tie it in to. I would be one of the people to buy it, but I don't realistically see Lego going through with it.

Lego would go through it, again. Apparently they were in talk with Nintendo years ago, but it was Nintendo who turned Lego down. Most likely because Nintendo doesn't like repeating "bad" history, since they had their own building blocks that bombed in the market.

-Omi

[Yatkuu]

Build a Win! by Yatkuu, on Flickr

Hello everyone, here is the last chapter of the Winchester adventure...

Today my friend Pixel Fox and myself are very happy to share with you the building instructions of the Winchester!

I want to say a huge thanks to Sylvain from 1001 Bricks and Marc a.k.a. Roamingstudio for their help in making this possible.

Here are the different download links:

Link 1 – PDF instructions

(3 files in a Zip archive – 1 pdf per floor – total size 16MB)

These are the step by step building instructions, similar to what LEGO produces for its official sets.

Link 2 – Source Files

(LDRAW/.ldr files + LDD/.lxf file + .bsx parts inventory + .bsx Minifigures parts inventory 6 files in a Zip archive – total size 134KB)

- the .ldr files – these are the different floors of the Winchester rebuilt in 3D with LDRAW (MLCad), a freeware program which can create Lego models in 3D. These are the files we have used to create the instructions with Lpub.

- the .lxf file – this is the complete Winchester rebuilt in 3D with LEGO Digital Designer. Once you download and install the LDD software (it’s free) you will be able to visualize the Win from all possible angles and analyze its composition brick by brick.

- the .bsx files, these are parts inventories generated with the free software “Brickstore” You will need to install the program to view the list of bricks.

We hope you will enjoy the build! If you ever decide to build your own Win either based on our design or your own, please send us a picture or post it in this dedicated Flickr group!

Yatkuu & Pixel Fox

[mrklaw]

Wow, very comprehensive package. don't suppose you can do a bricklink compatible XML? :p

Did you get anywhere with the bricklink superlots idea?

[KristofBD]

Thanks Yatkuu! Excellent idea, excellent project! Loved it from the start and am very happy people can now build it themselves!

[Yatkuu]

Wow, very comprehensive package. don't suppose you can do a bricklink compatible XML? :p

Did you get anywhere with the bricklink superlots idea?

I believe you can generate an xml from Brickstore that can then be exported to a BL wanted list.

In the end I did not get any confirmation from BL sellers, maybe it will come later...

[MikeyB]

thanks for the links! now to start getting the parts!

[Larrynautik]

Thanks for the instructions and inventory, Yaktuu, I'm looking for the parts I already own, and will buy the ones I don't get on Bricklink

[Faefrost]

Thank you so much for publishing the instructions. This wonderful MOC is truly a masterpiece and it is wonderful that it will be able to live on as fans can self build it for their own modular streets.

Is there any mechanism anywhere for a thank you donation?