LEGO® CUUSOO 空想 - Turn your model wishes into reality

[Haltiamieli]

LEGO seems to have taken some suggestions from the project, what with the CMF marine (almost a complete rip-off)

While the Space Marines project did appear first, in the beginning of June 2011, I don't think it had time to be the inpiration for the Galaxy Patrol figure, for which we got hi-res pictures in the mid-October 2011. That would leave just a little over four month window for the whole design process*, and that's assuming they took note as soon as the project hit Cuusoo. I believe this is just a case of convergent evolution with strikingly similar timing.

* Of course it was many more months before the product started to hit the shelves in the end of March 2012.

[Brickthing]

While the Space Marines project did appear first, in the beginning of June 2011, I don't think it had time to be the inpiration for the Galaxy Patrol figure, for which we got hi-res pictures in the mid-October 2011. That would leave just a little over four month window for the whole design process*, and that's assuming they took note as soon as the project hit Cuusoo. I believe this is just a case of convergent evolution with strikingly similar timing.

* Of course it was many more months before the product started to hit the shelves in the end of March 2012.

The Space Marines project actually started on the 6th of December, rather than the 12th of June, so the Space Marines were definitely inspired by and designed to look to the CMF figure. As for Galaxy Squad, LEGO themes usually take at least a year to develop, and the GS minifigures seem to be an evolution of Alien Conquest minifigs rather than the Galaxy Patrol figure. It's a shame for this project that GS was already in the pipeline, but hopefully it will still get through as a one-off set representing something that CUUSOO users have been asking for over the course of almost a year.

[Haltiamieli]

The Space Marines project actually started on the 6th of December, rather than the 12th of June, so the Space Marines were definitely inspired by and designed to look to the CMF figure.

Oh bother – that's how I remembered it, but somehow I got fooled by the date in Cuusoo. Funny, considering "2011-12-06" is in fact a rather understandable order even for a Finn like me (unlike "12-06-2011" would be, always befuddles me). Apparently I'm too tired and tried to be too clever. Off to sleep.

[AndyC]

The Purdue Pete project got its supporters fair and square, and I imagine it will have strong appeal with fans of the school's sports teams. The real question is whether TLG could overcome the logistical problems of marketing to those potential buyers, who are probably concentrated regionally and thus do not represent a global or even national market. Chances are it could never work that well; however, that's no reason to badmouth the project. Cuusoo proposals are about what the person proposing them thinks would make a good LEGO product, not what they think would be marketable.

I don't imagine that's a particularly insurmountable problem. They'd have to discuss with the university any IP issues anyway and those sort of negotiations would probably include the Uni stocking some in it's stores. University merchandising is often surprisingly popular amongst students and alumni (as evidenced by the fact they obtained so many supporters so quickly) and selling in the kinds of quantities Cuusoo is looking at isn't unreasonable by any stretch of the imagination.

[ShaydDeGrai]

I don't imagine that's a particularly insurmountable problem. They'd have to discuss with the university any IP issues anyway and those sort of negotiations would probably include the Uni stocking some in it's stores. University merchandising is often surprisingly popular amongst students and alumni (as evidenced by the fact they obtained so many supporters so quickly) and selling in the kinds of quantities Cuusoo is looking at isn't unreasonable by any stretch of the imagination.

Were I TLG, I'd just negotiate a one-time promotional package run with Purdue (not unlike what they've done with special promotion kits for major outlets or highly localized events/venues). Make 10,000 of them and sell them ALL, in bulk, to the university and let them assume the risk. The Alumni Relations office can sell them at homecoming events or give them away as "Thank You" gifts for major donors, or award them as gag gifts at fund raiser receptions. The designer can get the promised 1% kickback on the bulk sale price and TLG gets a one time revenue bump for the price of printing instructions and packaging bricks they already have the molds for. The only one assuming any risk is Purdue, but even if they gave the kits away for free, they'd probably recoup the money in good will donations over time.

Purdue has 30,000+ undergrads and about 9,000 grad students. That translates to about 10,000 graduates per year - or about half a million living alumni who, at some point, might have developed a fondness for LEGO. With that sort of audience to draw from, I'm sure they can find homes for 10,000 Purdue Pete sculptures with a single ad in an alumni newsletter.

I don't have a problem Purdue Pete never showing up on a shelf at Toys R Us or the prospect of having to give money to Purdue to get one (I, personally, wouldn't, but _in theory_ if I wanted 'Pete I'd be okay with Purdue as my vendor). If the production run were limited to a one-time batch of 10,000 copies (like the support votes themselves) and then retired, I'd be fine with that too - it makes the few 'Petes produced more collectable/desirable.

If negotiations were handled well, and all parties were realistic in their expectations, this could be win-win all around; perhaps it is not the scenario most people think of when they're submitting their idea to CuuSoo or supporting a project, but it is well within the ground rules as defined by the site itself.

Edited December 5, 2012 by ShaydDeGrai

[Electricsteam]

Oh my goodness that comercial is wacky! And I have been wanting to make Starter Train set 111 run on powerfunctions I will post it there once I figure it out!

[Another Brick In The Wall]

Have to say: the delay of review results is bordering on the ridiculous.

[Meatman]

Have to say: the delay of review results is bordering on the ridiculous.

They are probably trying to figure out how to break it to everyone that they are denied.

[ShaydDeGrai]

Have to say: the delay of review results is bordering on the ridiculous.

Perhaps the delay is a good sign. Historically, "NO" is an absolute answer that trumps all further processing on the subject, so if it's taken them this long to say no, maybe at least one of the projects is still in the running toward 'yes'.

[Faefrost]

It's probably just one license that is holding the whole thing up. For whatever reason they decided to hold all announcements until they had all results finalized. My gut says the BTTF DeLorean is probably the culprit. It's probably the most doable of the licensed projects, for a smaller license, but still has the complicated studio licensing to work through.

[Another Brick In The Wall]

It's probably just one license that is holding the whole thing up. For whatever reason they decided to hold all announcements until they had all results finalized. My gut says the BTTF DeLorean is probably the culprit. It's probably the most doable of the licensed projects, for a smaller license, but still has the complicated studio licensing to work through.

My best guess is Nintendo. I once had the displeasure of having Nintendo as a client -- they like to do things a certain way. That certain way involves them mulling and deeply contemplating and mulling some more, over most of their business decisions.

In any case, the process is so drawn out that Cuusoo seriously needs to have a fundamental rethink on how they conduct their reviews. Hey Cuusoo, here's a novel idea: why not review something as soon as it reaches 10,000 votes like you did with Dark Bucket???

Edited December 11, 2012 by Another Brick In The Wall

[Faefrost]

My best guess is Nintendo. I once had the displeasure of having Nintendo as a client -- they like to do things a certain way. That certain way involves them mulling and deeply contemplating and mulling some more, over most of their business decisions.

In any case, the process is so drawn out that Cuusoo seriously needs to have a fundamental rethink on how they conduct their reviews. Hey Cuusoo, here's a novel idea: why not review something as soon as it reaches 10,000 votes like you did with Dark Bucket???

My thought was that Nintendo is kinda known to be such a pain to work with, plus they already had a pre existing relationship with a competitor, that Lego might not have gone too deep in search of that particular license. Whereas Universal is normally viewed as somewhat reasonable to work with for a smaller run of one of theirs. It just may not be as fast as we would like.

[Another Brick In The Wall]

Out of curiosity, who does Nintendo have a partnership with?? Kre-o?

But for the fact Cuusoo is somewhat of a Japanese company, I would have said there is zero chance that Nintendo would licence its IP to TLG.

[Faefrost]

Out of curiosity, who does Nintendo have a partnership with?? Kre-o?

But for the fact Cuusoo is somewhat of a Japanese company, I would have said there is zero chance that Nintendo would licence its IP to TLG.

I think Kree O. They have a line of Mario Kart building sets.

[just2good]

Out of curiosity, who does Nintendo have a partnership with?? Kre-o?

K-nex for Mario Kart Wii, and MegaBloks for Pokemon.

[Spider-Man]

Wow I had no idea there was such a thing as Pokemon Mega Bloks! Obviously I googled up some images and wow those are some laughable sets (if you can call them that)

I'm still holding out hope that the hold up is with Nintendo and they are working on a longer term license, rather than one for just one set

[Another Brick In The Wall]

I'm still holding out hope that the hold up is with Nintendo and they are working on a longer term license, rather than one for just one set

Long-term license and Nintendo IPs is almost an oxymoron. Where it does license its IPs, they are usually narrowly defined.

[Spider-Man]

Even in toy lines? I would think that Nintendo would want a longer license with a brand such as LEGO, but you would know far better than I seeing as how you've actually dealt with them before!

[Faefrost]

My best guess is Nintendo. I once had the displeasure of having Nintendo as a client -- they like to do things a certain way. That certain way involves them mulling and deeply contemplating and mulling some more, over most of their business decisions.

In any case, the process is so drawn out that Cuusoo seriously needs to have a fundamental rethink on how they conduct their reviews. Hey Cuusoo, here's a novel idea: why not review something as soon as it reaches 10,000 votes like you did with Dark Bucket???

I think the solution would be to simply review each project individually and announce them individually as results are known, and regardless of the status of any other reviews.

[Aanchir]

My best guess is Nintendo. I once had the displeasure of having Nintendo as a client -- they like to do things a certain way. That certain way involves them mulling and deeply contemplating and mulling some more, over most of their business decisions.

In any case, the process is so drawn out that Cuusoo seriously needs to have a fundamental rethink on how they conduct their reviews. Hey Cuusoo, here's a novel idea: why not review something as soon as it reaches 10,000 votes like you did with Dark Bucket???

The Dark Bucket was a totally different situation, in that the licensing agreements that made it impossible to create were already in place without TLG having to enter into any licensing talks, and the project was already issued a warning on that subject as part of the 5000+ votes congratulations post. The 5000+ votes post made it clear changes would have to be made for it to become a product, and either the changes that were made were not substantial enough to overcome the impossibility of licensing the product or they were made too late for the votes the project accumulated beforehand to be valid. Not to mention even if it had gone further into actual licensing talks, it wouldn't have required entering talks with companies TLG had not worked with on this level in the past.

[Another Brick In The Wall]

The Dark Bucket was a totally different situation,

I understand the Dark Bucket licensing situation. What Faefrost and I are saying is that projects should be reviewed individual when they reach 10K votes, because CUUSOO obviously has problems reviewing multiple projects en masse. I only raised the Dark Bucket situation, because it shows this is possible.

Even in toy lines? I would think that Nintendo would want a longer license with a brand such as LEGO, but you would know far better than I seeing as how you've actually dealt with them before!

Short-term renewable licenses with very few termination rights for the licensee is the norm for Nintendo based toy lines. There's no way TLG would be interested in such a deal, outside of fulfilling the Cuusoo project "obligations".

Edited December 13, 2012 by Another Brick In The Wall

[AndyC]

So, in case anyone hadn't already seen, there is apparently going to be a video announcement of the review phase tomorrow. Which I guess either means they've got a reasonably big announcement on one of the licensed properties or they're hoping a video can somehow convey better than text why they all ended up rejected. I guess we all just cross our fingers and hope for the best!

[RoxYourBlox]

So, in case anyone hadn't already seen, there is apparently going to be a video announcement of the review phase tomorrow. Which I guess either means they've got a reasonably big announcement on one of the licensed properties or they're hoping a video can somehow convey better than text why they all ended up rejected. I guess we all just cross our fingers and hope for the best!

Best prediction(s) I've read so far! I was going to say the same.

[reptiman]

Here is my little analysis for each project:

Modular Western Town- I see no reason for this to not be produced even with LEGO making The Lone Ranger sets. It's not like it has to go into production immediately. LEGO can simply push this project back to after The Lone Ranger has had its run. Granted there is still a chance that it could be rejected. This is a first with a CUUSOO project reaching 10,000 and having to compete with a similar line already being produced, so we will have to see how it plays out.

The Legend of Zelda- I have no idea how this one is going to play out. Nintendo seems reluctant to have licensed toy lines other than the K'nex Mario line. I could definitely see licensing being a complication. I don't think there is any dispute though that this would probably have the most appeal to kids out of all the projects in review. If there was going to be a CUUSOO set that made it to store shelves, I think it would probably be this.

BTTF- I have a feeling this is what was delaying the results for so long. There is allot of licensing involved in this one and while it certainly has marketability and passes the brand fit, the licensing may prevent it from passing. I don't have much else to say about this one.

The Rifter- Licensing definitely wouldn't be the issue here. The developers have been completely on board from the start and are the reason it got 10,000. However, I don't know how well this would pass LEGO's brand fit. (Does anyone play?) If I had to guess, marketability would probably be the biggest problem with this project. How many people outside of EVE's relatively small fan base would buy it? I doubt I would buy it.

I think one of these will probably pass review, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were all rejected either. We will just have to find out tomorrow. I must say though, I'm pretty excited!

Edited December 19, 2012 by reptiman

[just2good]

So hyped up for tomorrow! Here's my predicitons:

1.) Western Town- Yes, it will be produced. I think they might even make it a Lone Ranger D2C set or even a wide released $100 set in October 2013 a la POTC Black Pearl set. So this would take the Fall 2013 quarterly Cuusoo set space.

2.) Back to the Future- It will likely be produced, but like everyone says, probably late 2013-early 2014, taking the winter quarterly Cuusoo set space. This will be good as it will not take the next quarterly set space, but rather a later space. It will most likely be just the figures of based of the first movie, as the floating skateboard design is owned by Mattel.

3.) Eve Online Ship Thingy- Yes, this will be produced, but at a VERY limited run, like the Hayabusa, to sell on the Eve Online store and LEGO.com. Additionally, it will be for the Spring 2013 quarterly Cuusoo set space, as it will most likely not have any figures or speciallized parts, making it an easy to produce set.

4.) The Legend of Zelda- This will likely be produced. Seeing how LEGO has built a relationship with Nintendo recently due to LEGO City Undercover and all that promotional material, I really think Nintendo wouldn't deny the license. It would probably include Link (new hair piece), Ganondorf (using the recolor of the Series 3 Elf hair piece), and Zelda (using Legolas' hair piece). LEGO would not want to miss on an opportunity to make another money maker, after the lukewarm success of the Minecraft set. Like the Minecraft set, it would retail for $35 and have a small structure. LEGO would learn their lesson by making a huge quantity of copies of the set. Finally, it would take the Summer 2013 quarterly Cuusoo set space.

Edited December 20, 2012 by just2good