[CUUSOO] The Infinitely Modular Classical Temple Building Set

[The Real Indiana Jones]

And the new set images will go at the top of Page 6...... I think these look rather promising... They will each be very near $120.

Oh yes, plus these two, which are about 90% complete now... So that is 9 sets for about $1200 total, including the UCS-scale set.

Closer views of all of the things in the sets can be seen across the previous several pages of the thread. Feel free to comment!

Thanks,

"therealindy"

(Archaeologist, Archaeology, Ancient, History, Greece, Greek, Sparta, Spartan, Athens, Athenian, Athena, Parthenon, Shrine, Oracle, Mythology, Troy, Trojan, Trireme, Odyssey, Epic, Movie, Clash of the Titans, Olympus, Legolympus, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Cerberus, Medusa, Perseus, Pegasus, Andromeda, Kraken, Colossus, Colosseum, Rome, Roman, Forum, Ballista, Catapult, Battering Ram, Legion, Centurion, Caesar, Carthage, Elephant, Egypt, Egyptian, Lighthouse, Alexandria, Chariot, Fort, Boat, Nubia, Nubian, Celts, Celtic, Stonehenge, Garden, Babylon, Babylonian, Alexander, Persia, Persian, Immortal, Warrior, 300, Medieval, Viking, Portal, Bifrost, Thor, Loki, Odin, Asgard, Valhalla, Valkyries, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Jotunheim, Muspelheim, Ragnarok, Glory, Sagas, Wonders of the World, Modular, Classical, Temple, Architecture, International, Global, Games, Minifigures, CMF)

Edited September 4, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

So, of these nine sets, which ones strike you as your favorites?

If I decide to choose one or two to focus on especially, which would it be?

I think I have an idea of which ones to emphasize, but I'd like to hear from everyone...

Edited September 1, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

All right, I know it looks like I am just talking to myself, but we are actually right about at 7,000 views here, so my audience is just very quiet lately!

One more fun thing. Andromeda's Convertible Sedan-Chair / Carriage. The Titans set just looked a tad bit incomplete.

OK, so now it is officially $1200 total MSRP, and that can easily justify 80 or more minifigs...

Totes adorbz, no? =) She has the new Princess Leia braid from the Sail-Barge set, and a pomegranate like in the new Chima set with Gorzan's mech.

Edited September 4, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Faefrost]

All right, I know it looks like I am just talking to myself, but we are actually right about at 7,000 views here, so my audience is just very quiet lately!

Open jawed and speechless is the correct term.

[Blakstone]

The Spartan vs Persian set and the Roman set were my two favorites. I agree that the Titan set looks rather thin. Andromeda's carriage might not be the solution to it though.

Do you plan on rewording the Viking set? The Bifrost Gate seems out of place for this series. It fits Stargate or Thor but not any real Viking buildings. Heorot Hall, mead hall from Beowulf, or a Norse temple with 12 pillars would work better in my opinion.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Open jawed and speechless is the correct term.

Dynamite, that's exactly what I was aiming for!!

The Spartan vs Persian set and the Roman set were my two favorites. I agree that the Titan set looks rather thin. Andromeda's carriage might not be the solution to it though.

Do you plan on reworking the Viking set? The Bifrost Gate seems out of place for this series. It fits Stargate or Thor but not any real Viking buildings. Heorot Hall, mead hall from Beowulf, or a Norse temple with 12 pillars would work better in my opinion.

Ah, for starters, it might make a difference if all of the individual sub-models are magnified to exactly the same scale. All the sets have about the same total volume of bricks.

And what else would you add to the Titans set? Go ahead and throw out suggestions. I designed it while watching the movies, but I may have overlooked something.

And for the Vikings, I think there's about a 99.99% chance that Lego is already planning to release an official "Hall of Edoras" set for the Lord of the Rings theme all by themselves. Personally, I'm ecstatic about that, because I can't wait to buy it, but it means that all of the lovely Edoras sets on Cuusoo will be sadly pre-empted, just like all of the Orthanc projects that were on Cuusoo were recently pre-empted by the official Orthanc. And so, I think that Beowulf and Heorot or even a Norse Temple would also be semi-pre-empted by an official Edoras set, just for being so similar. To do Cuusoo, you really have to be careful about that!

Actually, one of the absolutely best ways to know what they are planning for a major theme is to look at the all of the levels and backgrounds and secret-bonus-levels in the Traveler's Tales Lego video games..... In fact, that is where the Tower of Orthanc model first appeared. It was part of a secret bonus level for the LOTR video game..... And of course, if it appears as a virtual brick-built model in a video game, then that is 100% rock-solid-proof that they have already done the concept art for it!

For the moment, I am seeing that the Portals of Bifrost in the teaser trailers for the new Lego Marvel game are not brick-built..... And I also see that the Lego LOTR game has a virtual brick-built concept model for the Hall of Edoras in the bonus level...... I have a lot more scribbled notes here, but I will leave it at that for now..... And things may change after the new Thor movie and the new Lego Marvel video game come out..... And then I can build an ancient temple in a day!

Edited September 4, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Aeridian]

Whoa... you've obviously got some crazy brilliant ideas in the works mate! I'd love to see an ancient history/mythology mix of a theme. I'm into Vikings a bit more, but this still really peaks my interest! Keep up the great work!

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Whoa... you've obviously got some crazy brilliant ideas in the works mate! I'd love to see an ancient history/mythology mix of a theme. I'm into Vikings a bit more, but this still really peaks my interest! Keep up the great work!

Thanks!! And if you like Vikings, then I'd love to hear if you have any ideas you especially want to see as sets.

Be sure to look up and read the few posts above where Blakstone and I are talking about Heorot and Edoras, et cetera.

I'll be adding to the Vikings set soon, or perhaps doing some major changes on it, although I have not decided exactly what yet....!

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Oh, and while I have everyone's eyeballs here, I should post this for review... Each civ has a banner that can go on elephants, standards, forts, temples, etc.

Please take a look at these to make sure that all the spellings are correct, because I know how people blew up over the whole "sheild" vs "shield" misspelling.

Tolkien had it easy... He got to just make all of his languages up! I may also do alternate versions with fancy borders and decorative motifs for them all later.

Also note that all of the civs of the Middle-East will have brightly-colored banners, architecture, and inscriptions with the names of specific ancient kings in iconically-recognizable ancient script styles, all from many centuries B.C. That way, it will be wonderfully clear to everyone that these are Ancient World sets, with no connection to the rivalries of the Medieval or Modern Eras. Plus, all of the human civilizations will be brave heroes, struggling to forge a fragile international alliance, to stop the rage of the villainous Titans!

Have Fun...!

therealindy

Edited September 5, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Plus, I love how the Greek factions look like they're in a fraternity. You'll see them everywhere at universities here in the states, and in the new Disney-Pixar Monsters sequel.

In fact, the original reason the first college fraternities chose three Greek letters was to style themselves after ancient warriors, and like rival factions competing for power!

Plus European-Football and American-Football teams always love to use ancient warrior names too. And you can have an Ancient 2016 Olympics, so it'll be super fun!

They'll be in Rio, so I am sure it will be spectacular...

Indy Out

Edited September 5, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Do you plan on reworking the Viking set? The Bifrost Gate seems out of place for this series. It fits Stargate or Thor but not any real Viking buildings. Heorot Hall, mead hall from Beowulf, or a Norse temple with 12 pillars would work better in my opinion.

And for the Vikings, I think there's about a 99.99% chance that Lego is already planning to release an official "Hall of Edoras" set for the Lord of the Rings theme all by themselves. Personally, I'm ecstatic about that, because I can't wait to buy it, but it means that all of the lovely Edoras sets on Cuusoo will be sadly pre-empted, just like all of the Orthanc projects that were on Cuusoo were recently pre-empted by the official Orthanc. And so, I think that Beowulf and Heorot or even a Norse Temple would also be semi-pre-empted by an official Edoras set, just for being so similar. To do Cuusoo, you really have to be careful about that!

Actually, one of the absolutely best ways to know what they are planning for a major theme is to look at the all of the levels and backgrounds and secret-bonus-levels in the Traveler's Tales Lego video games..... In fact, that is where the Tower of Orthanc model first appeared. It was part of a secret bonus level for the LOTR video game..... And of course, if it appears as a virtual brick-built model in a video game, then that is 100% rock-solid-proof that they have already done the concept art for it!

For the moment, I am seeing that the Portals of Bifrost in the teaser trailers for the new Lego Marvel game are not brick-built..... And I also see that the Lego LOTR game has a virtual brick-built concept model for the Hall of Edoras in the bonus level...... I have a lot more scribbled notes here, but I will leave it at that for now..... And things may change after the new Thor movie and the new Lego Marvel video game come out..... And then I can build an ancient temple in a day!

Whoa... you've obviously got some crazy brilliant ideas in the works mate! I'd love to see an ancient history/mythology mix of a theme. I'm into Vikings a bit more, but this still really peaks my interest! Keep up the great work!

Thanks!! And if you like Vikings, then I'd love to hear if you have any ideas you especially want to see as sets.

Be sure to look up and read the few posts above where Blakstone and I are talking about Heorot and Edoras, et cetera.

I'll be adding to the Vikings set soon, or perhaps doing some major changes on it, although I have not decided exactly what yet....!

OK, This is what I've done for the Vikings so far... I have a ton of scribbled notes here, but for the moment, I'll just post the pics and say a few words.....

1) So far, this avoids all trademarks and plagiarism, it matches the rest of the sets, and would look good sitting next to the Marvel Thor or Tolkien sets.

2) I'm certain they will release a slightly-bigger Hall of Edoras set for approx $80, and so then the ones posted on Cuusoo will be officially pre-empted.

3) So if they do Edoras at that size, then people can use these interchangeable long-hall modules to assemble several small shrines, to create a village.

4) It's essentially impossible to recreate that spinning spherical Portal Observatory from the Thor movie in bricks, thus it's just normal CGI in the game.

5) So they'll be glad to do an alternative circular version of the Portals, similar to their Portal of Atlantis set or a Stargate, and this is a great alternative.

6) If you are eagle-eyed, you'll see that I adjusted the aperture wings, so the portal can open up much wider now, almost out to the teeth of the gears.

7) I bet that the new head-mold for Smaug will be very close to the size of the one shown here, so it could have a ring of eight pearl-gold Smaug heads.

8) I'll add a Frost Giant from Jotunheim, a FIre Giant from Muspelheim, Elves from Alfheim, and Dark-Elves from Svartalfheim, as in the new Thor movie.

9) With these modular parts, you can easily assemble a little cathedral, complete with nave, apse, and transept, but of course that isn't an official model.

10) Plus I'll try doing the steps with just the "cool-colors" of the spectrum in trans-colored-1x1-tiles, so it looks more like the movie, and not so rainbowy!

Edited September 7, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Faefrost]

I don't think they will touch anything too Norse while the Marvel license is active, to avoid conflicts with Thor. And I think the Marvel license is a long haul one.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

I don't think they will touch anything too Norse while the Marvel license is active, to avoid conflicts with Thor. And I think the Marvel license is a long haul one.

Oh yeah, I'm sure they'll still have the DC and Marvel licenses when I have kids... And that will be cool!

And if so, then this is a fun way to nudge them to actually do at least one real Asgardian set under the Thor licence. I'd love to see it, one way or another. Plus I'd like to see them try more concept art of some of the more imaginative and monumental locales of the superhero's multi-verses, and then just show it to some focus groups of kids to see what they think! If the kids don't like it, then nothing lost. Perhaps we will see some more imaginative ideas in the bonus levels of Lego Marvel Super Heroes... I think that is the way the concept art for the Orthanc set got nudged forward and green-lit to a real set.

Hmmm, or heck, they can just slap Thor's logo on this thing and put it on the shelf... That'd be fine by me!

"Thor set...!! Thor set...!! Thor set...!!"

Who is with me on this?

Edited September 7, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

And here is another prototype version of the famous Rainbow Bridge Bifrost from Norse Mythology.

This is the portal at Valhalla, so it can be different from the main gate of Asgard, seen in the Thor movie and Lego Marvel game.

The name can also be translated as "the shimmering path" or several other variations, and so I may just use the cool-colored end of the spectrum for it.

This will also be one of the first few things I render with the POV-Ray software..... Now that ALL OF THE SET MODELS ARE COMPLETE!!!

Let me know what you think about any or all of them, and I will make final edits before I start the renderings.

And 7,600 views here, Yay!! Thanks to everyone for looking!!

Edited September 7, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

I don't think they will touch anything too Norse while the Marvel license is active, to avoid conflicts with Thor. And I think the Marvel license is a long haul one.

Oh yeah, I'm sure they'll still have the DC and Marvel licenses when I have kids... And that will be cool!

And if so, then this is a fun way to nudge them to actually do at least one real Asgardian set under the Thor licence. I'd love to see it, one way or another. Plus I'd like to see them try more concept art of some of the more imaginative and monumental locales of the superhero's multi-verses, and then just show it to some focus groups of kids to see what they think! If the kids don't like it, then nothing lost. Perhaps we will see some more imaginative ideas in the bonus levels of Lego Marvel Super Heroes... I think that is the way the concept art for the Orthanc set got nudged forward and green-lit to a real set.

Hmmm, or heck, they can just slap Thor's logo on this thing and put it on the shelf... That'd be fine by me!

"Thor set...!! Thor set...!! Thor set...!!"

Who is with me on this?

Plus, by the time the Viking set comes near to passing, they will have already made a firm decision on whether they want to do any sets based on the THIRD Thor movie...

If they aren't going to do any sets as tie-ins to any Thor movies, with all that publicity buzz, then they probably won't do a Thor set at all, and so this one will be in the clear.

I remain confident!

Edited September 8, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Oh, and speaking of Superhero sets, here is a new Gothic modular layout for you! What is it? Read the runes by the light of the moon to find out...!

P.S. - Remember that Batman always writes in Elder Futhark Runes, not Anglo-Frisian, because he's The Dark Knight, and he loves The Dark Ages!

Edited September 8, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Blakstone]

I prefer the Bifrost variation 01 over V.2. What does the Elder Futhark Runes say on the side of those two builds?

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Just in time! I'm glad you are all here. All 8,000 of you... I need your help! I am back from my travels, and I have discovered something shocking... These crude inscriptions are unlike any ancient language I have seen. It seems to be the hypothetical common ancestor of all proto-historic languages and mark-making systems from across the Mediterranean, and all neighboring regions, and so I will have to give them the tentative name "Proto-Proto" Glyphs.

I have done my best to match these glyphs with their corresponding antecedents and meanings, but they still remain mysterious and undeciphered. The format seems quite similar to the banner inscriptions I showed you last week, seen above on this page. I believe these to be the monumental inscriptions of an army of primordial quasi-immortal beings, who have only a limited need for writing, and an unlimited appetite for destruction! Let me know if you have any clues!

I am just an archaeologist... That is all I can do for now!

Indy Out

Edited September 10, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

A while ago, someone was saying I needed more story-telling. As you can see, I take that sort of feedback as a fun challenge...!

This is built directly on Joseph Campbell's famous conception of the single global "Monomyth" from The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

It was one of the most important influences behind the original Star Wars Trilogy, and it is one of the iconic canons of narrative structure.

[EDIT: A FEW CLARIFICATIONS: THE ORIGINAL DIAGRAM IS IN BLACK, THE SET NAMES ARE IN BLUE, AND THE STORY POINTS ARE IN RED.]

The basis of it is laid out pretty well on the Wikipedia page for "The Hero's Journey", et al., and as always, feel free to say anything you like!

See you on the flip-side,

Indy Out!

Edited September 11, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[pogie]

I don't think this is helping your cause.

[The_Cook]

You've missed my original point about storytelling. It's not the over-arching epic, it's the storytelling within the individual sets. A child has spent $20 and wants to create or re-create stories with the bricks that he's just got, he doesn't want to have to spend $1000 for all of the sets to make sense.

If you picked individual episodes from Greek Myths or Roman history and created them as small sets which allow re-enactment of the stories then you would have a viable set. As it is you've got a mish-mash of everything with no focus on anything, if it reaches 10,000 then the TLG designers are going to look at it and find the one set that enables them to tell a story. They're more likely to choose a Thesus and Minotaur, a Daedalus and Icarus, or Perseus and Medusa over army building sets because those represent individual stories.

Pick up a copy of Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry; David Robertson, Bill Breen; ISBN 978-1847941152. To rescue the company from the bankruptcy of the 90's TLG had to refocus their design effort on stroytelling and their core audience of 5-9 year old boys. You'll need to start thinking like a product designer if you want to get a set through the review process and into the design path without your ideas being either discounted or changed beyond recognition.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

I don't think this is helping your cause.

Ah, well if you are responding within twenty minutes, then you are obviously following this thread with great fascination...!

And so tell me, what would you do if this were your project?

And better hurry, I'll be going to bed soon!

You've missed my original point about storytelling. It's not the over-arching epic, it's the storytelling within the individual sets. A child has spent $20 and wants to create or re-create stories with the bricks that he's just got, he doesn't want to have to spend $1000 for all of the sets to make sense.

If you picked individual episodes from Greek Myths or Roman history and created them as small sets which allow re-enactment of the stories then you would have a viable set. As it is you've got a mish-mash of everything with no focus on anything, if it reaches 10,000 then the TLG designers are going to look at it and find the one set that enables them to tell a story. They're more likely to choose a Thesus and Minotaur, a Daedalus and Icarus, or Perseus and Medusa over army building sets because those represent individual stories.

Pick up a copy of Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry; David Robertson, Bill Breen; ISBN 978-1847941152. To rescue the company from the bankruptcy of the 90's TLG had to refocus their design effort on stroytelling and their core audience of 5-9 year old boys. You'll need to start thinking like a product designer if you want to get a set through the review process and into the design path without your ideas being either discounted or changed beyond recognition.

Hmm, I might just check that book out later...

But for starters, a $20 set would be too tiny for Cuusoo. No one would even look at it, realizing that you could just get those 200 parts from BrickLink in three or four orders. A $20 set with Theseus and the Minotaur would essentially just be a re-release of two recent CMF figs, with only a vignette to sell it. No go. To make Daedalus and Icarus, anyone could just get a pair of Horus wings or Chima wings for a dollar on BrickLink and add them to a Greek fig. Too easy. People would just BrickLink it rather than buy it, or just grab some wings from another fig they already have. Hmm, and then you mention Perseus and Andromeda, when you see I already have a $120 set dedicated to that exact story. It seems like you are not really paying attention!

Ah, and just like I said, I'm an archaeologist and a research scientist, not a professional toy-maker. I develop software databases, not toys.

And even so, I think what I've done here is better than 95% of the things on Cuusoo, so I might win with one or two sets, maybe even three.

Also, I have 7 story-telling sets here, then 1 army-builder, and 1 UCS set. So again, there it seems like you're not totally paying attention!

More to the point... The two fastest-moving Ancient World sets on Cuusoo both have essentially no real clear story-telling components in them at all, and yet they are getting tons of votes just because people like the general idea... It also helps that they had an outrageously unfair head-start, because they are kinda lack-luster set ideas with essentially no story-telling effort... And yet they are winning at a fairly brisk pace, so that proves that you are being drastically pessimistic in your earlier assessment. And the next question is "Why?"

Edited September 11, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[pogie]

Ah, well if you are responding within twenty minutes, then you are obviously following this thread with great fascination...!

And so tell me, what would you do if this were your project?

And better hurry, I'll be going to bed soon!

Yes I am still following this thread with morbid curiosity. You have some neat ideas but your project is an incomprehensible ancient history catch all. Every time someone gives you good advice you tell them why they are wrong and keep posting away.

Look at the posts. You are basically the only one posting for the last three pages. What would I do if this were my project? I'd drop the cuusso angle and call the thread "My ancient history MOCS.....now with even more shields!!!"

Edited September 11, 2013 by pogie

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Pick up a copy of Brick by Brick: How LEGO Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Global Toy Industry; David Robertson, Bill Breen; ISBN 978-1847941152.

Hmm... Also, one more thing that strikes me immediately is that the author of that book you mention specifically calls Bionicle "the toy that saved Lego"... And yet, if there are two things that distinguish Bionicle, then those are:

1) It had an outrageously complex back-story that spanned over many years, and across several sub-themes, prompting entire wikis dedicated to the back-story.

2) Each set unto itself had just one robot in it, and so it had no immediate story-telling capacity right out of the box.

So then why was Bionicle so successful? In fact, it continues with Hero Factory, so it's still a successful money-maker after well over a decade, even though it breaks all of your self-imposed rules.

Another perfect example here is Chima. It has a very complex back story, spanning at least 10 different factions just so far, and many of the sets are just "physical challenge" type sets with names like "whirling vines" or "target practice" with no story angle whatsoever. And yet it is successful, with a TV show, and more sets this year than any other theme including Star Wars. So again, Chima has a huge back-story, and the individual sets usually only have a limited story-telling capacity right out of the box. Again, it breaks all of the self-imposed rules you assert, but it is very successful. Explain yourself.

Yes I am still following this thread with morbid curiosity. You have some neat ideas but your project is an incomprehensible ancient history catch all. Every time someone gives you good advice you tell them why they are wrong and keep posting away.

Look at the posts. You are basically the only one posting for the last three pages. What would I do if this were my project? I'd drop the cuusso angle and call the thread "My ancient history MOCS.....now with even more shields!!!"

Hmm, and speaking of "self-imposed rules", Pogie, I think that you are one of the people who think that an Ancient World theme can only be about Greece and Rome, and going anywhere beyond those imaginary boundaries in your head is going "off-topic" or "going too far".

Plus if you go back and read and take a tally, you will see that I have taken over 80% of the advice that people have given me here, up to an including deleting two entire project pages with over 100 votes, and creating one new project by request, which is now my fastest moving set.

Oh, and between each and every one of those posts, over 300 people came to look, so I guess a lot of people must be driven by the same sort of "morbid curiosity" you mention! I think my posts are enlightening and fun, so if you do not like them, then why not go read someone else's thread.

And yes, shield designs are "like cowbell"... "more cowbell!" Who else is with me on this?

Edited September 11, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

I prefer the Bifrost variation 01 over V.2. What does the Elder Futhark Runes say on the side of those two builds?

Ah, well it's just that the rainbow stripes have come to represent a very controversial social issue over the past two decades or so...!

And the runes say "BIFROST AF WALHOLL" or "Bifrost of Valhalla" in Old Norse.

Edited September 11, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones