[CUUSOO] The Infinitely Modular Classical Temple Building Set

[natesroom]

I.M.C.T.B. Module 2: Caesar Defends the Capitol (multiple prototypes / work in progress)

Revision 02c, August 03, 2013

by "therealindy"

After reading all your comments and yourwindy road to get to here... THIS i would buy... even if they just took half of this and made it a 40 dollar set. All the critiques have led you to here and i support this. Bring on 10000 votes and 1.5 years of waiting for their answer if its approved.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

After reading all your comments and yourwindy road to get to here... THIS i would buy... even if they just took half of this and made it a 40 dollar set. All the critiques have led you to here and i support this. Bring on 10000 votes and 1.5 years of waiting for their answer if its approved.

Thanks a million, and I see that this new version is moving 5x faster than the old one, so I can't argue...! =)

So, all right, I was thinking a bit more about various people asking for a "Sweet-Spot Set", and so I put this together as an idea for you... This would be a Spartans Versus Persians Army-Expander set that would be right around $50. It could include all the artillery, plus cool new accurate shields for the Spartans, all styled loosely after the movie and the graphic novel of "300", but not an official license obviously, since the film is *NOT* PG-13 fare.

In terms of brick-ratios, I figure that if they did the Lord of the Rings set 9471 Uruk-Hai Army with 6 minifigures, plus a horse, and 257 bricks for only $30, then they should be totally willing to do this set as shown, with 8 minifigures, plus an elephant, and 487 bricks for somewhere around $50. I'm sure a lot of people would want to get multiples. Of course, they might want to release a bigger set like the Roman set, with more traditional brick-built structures first, before they release an army-expander like this... Still, what does everyone think of this...? A real "Sweet-Spot Set"!

Maybe I'll post it when one of my sets reaches 300, in honor of the "300 Spartans" at Thermopylae.

I gotta admit, I really do love that line from the graphic novel of "300". I've owned it since way before the movie came out.

"Immortals... We'll put their name to the test!"

P.S. - Over 4,500 views here now! Yay! =)

Edited August 13, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

No comments on this.....? OK, then the Sparta Versus Xerxes set should be approved and up for voting in a day or two...!

I'd say it's a winner!

Personally, I'd get three, because I like to have at least 8 in all of my armies. 8 is a good number for a phalanx or a cohort!

Edited August 13, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

All right, modular fortifications for all civs are now essentially complete...

If you haven't seen it yet, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon set is designed with multiple interchangeable 8x8 modules, like this...

So you can put it together like this...

Or like this...

Or this...

So then naturally, the Egyptians get the same treatment. The walls are all the same height for each civ, so you can use the siege tower on any of them.

The separate pieces. There can be a lot more types of wall segments. I think I was inspired by the cubical nature of the MineCraft sets here...!

And together. Naturally, you can make it much bigger with more wall modules. Here we have four pharaoh statues out front, like a mini Abu Simbel.

This one can be used by the Romans along the northern frontier, or by the Celts, and Germans and Vikings too. Also matches Lord of the Rings.

Five 8x8 modules together... All the civs used very similar types of forts across Northern Europe, so if you capture one, you can simply re-flag it.

The back structure is designed to look real. The small balcony assembly just above the door is actually what stabilizes the whole central tower.

And finally, reddish and black are the last two colors I have not built with yet... That's perfect for Andromeda's Tower, where she is chained for the Kraken in the Clash of the Titans set, and for the Gates of Hades which will appear in the Odyssey set, for the part where Odysseus goes into the threshhold of the Underworld to speak with the souls of his dead compatriots to learn shocking secrets!

These two do not have to match at all, but I just liked the overall gate and tower design.

These are all still prototypes now, so I might just update them a little bit more.

Comments are always welcome! I will make whatever changes I can.

Also, as I mentioned, the Sparta set is up for voting now...

Have fun!

"therealindy"

Edited August 21, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[MakutaNocturn]

Would you try building Hanging Gardens of Babylon or Colossus of Rhodes? That would be incredible. YOU are incredible! Your mocs as Hive said are too ambitious for Cuusoo.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Would you try building Hanging Gardens of Babylon or Colossus of Rhodes? That would be incredible. YOU are incredible! Your mocs as Hive said are too ambitious for Cuusoo.

Wow, thanks!!

Well, I am definitely picking up speed to beat the other Ancient-World-themed projects. That's my goal. I do not need to beat everyone, I just need to beat the other Ancient World ones!

I don't think they could beat me on accuracy and depth, and I think I have more imaginative and complex builds too!

Edited August 16, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

"Now say 'Hello' to my little friend!"

It's name is the Helepolis, "The Taker of Cities". The real one weighed over 160 tons, and needed to be pushed by over 3,000 men. When it was defeated, it was melted down to forge the Colossus of Rhodes.

Also, do you remember a few days ago I was asking about shield designs? This badboy will have 24 extra shields plastered onto it. Enough to equip three full cohorts of Greek city-states... Go ahead and pick your favorite ones!

Edited August 14, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Well I think these are about the last few things I am going to post. I see that over 5,000 people have looked now, but fairly few comments...

These are the ships, and I invite you to compare them head-to-head versus my competitors, specifically against "Competitor M.T." in this case. Then you can also compare my temples and mythology minifigs versus "Competitor L.O.", and my chariot, Celtic fort, and war-ship versus the current front-runner, "Competitor G.O.R." They are all scheduled to hit 10k within about four years or so, and so essentially, I just have to get up to at least 1,000, or better yet 5,000 by that time.

If I reach 1000, then they will review it, and it will be on their radar screen as one of the several potential winners. And if I reach 5000, then that is the point when they start to build test models in real bricks for themselves, and they will compare me directly to the other Ancient World sets. Naturally, they realize that some people heard about Cuusoo years before others did, and they realize that most of the top competitors in every category had an outrageously unfair head start. So of course, they will make a business decision, and pick the ones they like the best, and not necessarily the ones that started first or finished first! So here we go...!

Odysseus sets sail home to Ithaca, under the protection of the goddess Athena. The ship holds 12 extra shields, and I will add the sails in later.

For Odysseus's journey into Hades, we have Charon's ferryboat. It's based on the Venice gondola I made for Indiana Jones way back in 2009, with the newer skull elements added to it. This goes with Cerberus, the Gates of Hades, and a minifig of Hades himself. The Odyssey set will have minifigs of Athena and Hades, and so I think the Clash of the Titans set will have Zeus and Poseidon, plus perhaps even more deities. Which ones do you want the most?

Ah, and Cleopatra sails up the Nile in her luxurious embassy sail-barge. Let me know if I should alter the color scheme, or add anything extra to it.

Edited August 23, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

So this is the last one. Trojan Horse. I invite you to compare it to any image of the horse anywhere, in Lego, movies, games, books, or art, real, or imagined...

Four Greek warriors can sit tightly inside, with their crested helmets on, and all of their shields clipped securely to the inner walls. They can peer out between the shields, waiting for their perfect moment. The top opens like a hatch, which also causes the chest to move forward a bit, which causes the head to lift up a bit, which causes the mane to flare a bit, like a horse preparing for battle... It's a nice bit of automaton animation, and a testament to Odysseus's clever designs.

And I've put it next to Odysseus's ship, partly for a sense of scale, and partly because if you are eagle-eyed, then you will notice some surprising similarities in the builds... After all, the Trojan Horse was constructed from the partially-burned hulls of the Greek's war-ships in just three days time, and so everything is built of broken and fire-blackened prows, planks, hulls, and masts. This is probably the best possible rendition of the real thing, if it ever really existed at all.

According to Virgil, the Trojan priestess Cassandra was tragically cursed, so that whenever she spoke the truth, no one would ever believe her! Being smart, she and others immediately warned there might be soldiers inside. And so the Trojans were ironically "Jedi-Mind-Tricked" into blissfully believing that there could never be any danger. There are lots of versions, which were all retold and given "retcon" by Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey, and by Virgil in the Roman Aeneid.

The Greeks did not build the wheeled part, because that would have made their ploy too obvious. It was intended to look like an offering on the beach to the gods for smooth sailing home. The Trojans were fooled by the curse, and so they took it in, and started feasting and drinking, putting sacrificial bulls on the altar fires as offerings for their imagined victory. Or perhaps it was a clever test to see if they could "smoke the Greeks out" without harming the sacred image.

I based it partly on the well-researched concept art and reconstructions created for the 2004 movie Troy, which are now officially installed at the real archaeological site of Troy on the Eastern Aegean coast. But I gave mine more realistic overall proportions of a horse, and generally modeled it after the stylized way that horses are depicted on Ancient Greek murals and vases. The shield design shows the most common rendition of the insignia of the city of Troy.

Let me know what you think of this... In terms of research and imagination, this may have been the hardest one, and that's why I saved it to do last! =)

Indy Out

Edited August 24, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[SerenityInFire]

Your sets are outstanding! It looks to me though, like your Stonehenge is missing the altar stone, which in real life was stolen and used to build a bridge.

http://gilavalleylodge9.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/stonehenge-from-whence-came-you/

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_headline=ritual-piece-of-stonehenge-discovered&method=full&objectid=18646143&siteid=50082-name_page.html

[Infernum]

They look great! I love the modular idea! I think the Xerxes one is too expensive for an army builder though.

[Blakstone]

I supported the Spartan set and shared it on the LEGO Lord of the Rings Facebook page where I am a co-admin.

I really like the shield designs and with the Captain America shield mold where they already are able to print on them, it is really doable.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Ah, perfect! Now that ALL of the various elements are designed (*whew!!*), people can comment a bit more... Naturally, I want to to get things exact before I start to do the sleek renders... That's next!

Your sets are outstanding! It looks to me though, like your Stonehenge is missing the altar stone, which in real life was stolen and used to build a bridge.

http://gilavalleylod...hence-came-you/

http://icwales.icnet...-name_page.html

Ah, excellent, thanks! I do the Eastern Mediterranean, so I did not know that. I just put it on my list of things to fix.

Again, that's why I haven't done formal graphics yet, I want to get the builds just right, and then I will render them with advanced software. I think the guy who did the cool new Jurassic Park "UCS" will be doing some tutorials.

They look great! I love the modular idea! I think the Xerxes one is too expensive for an army builder though.

Ah, no worries! On Cuusoo, it prompts people to vote for the price-point they would be willing to pay when they support, plus it prompts them to say what parts of it they like best and least. For example perhaps the catapult can go, but the elephant should stay since it had a cool scene falling off of the cliff in the movie 300. That's why I made them all as a group of several medium-sized elements, so the sets can all be made a bit bigger or smaller with ease, just by cloning or deleting specific things.

In fact, they could easily make a whole bunch of similar small expander sets in the future, just by combining some modular wall segments or outposts, some artillery, and some troops in a small box, a lot like the Star Wars battle packs, or the LOTR Uruk-Hai troop expander.

I supported the Spartan set and shared it on the LEGO Lord of the Rings Facebook page where I am a co-admin.

I really like the shield designs and with the Captain America shield mold where they already are able to print on them, it is really doable.

Wow, thanks!! Yes, I found accurate designs for the convex round "hoplon" shield (the Captain America style shield) for Sparta, Athens, Troy, and for the other Civs that appear in the sets. So we could get up to 12 new shield designs. They would all look nicely compatible with all the Lord of the Rings shields too.

And I made sure to attach lots of extra shields to everything, as armoring, and as decoration, so you will have plenty of extras to equip your troops!

Thanks Again!!

Edited August 23, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

P.S. - Ah, Wondrous!

Even if I just maintain my *current* rates, even with *no* acceleration, then my Spartans will easily pass 1000 before the current Greek front-runner hits 10000, and my Romans will easily pass 1000 before the current Roman front-runner hits 10000. That will put me on their radar screen as a solid contender. Then seriously, it is only fair that Lego gives me 10 to 13 more months to catch up, since they both had an outraaaaageously unfair head start...!

Or if I can increase by about 7% average per month, then these will be over 5000 before the two front-runners finish. Or if I can increase by about 9% average per month, then I will finish at the same time that they do. Both of those scenarios are perfectly do-able, compared to other similar sets performance.

The top 200 front-runners get almost ALL the views and so almost ALL the votes... Once you get onto the first 10 pages, it becomes geometric...!

But I need to "rest my eyeballs" from this project for a few days. Feel free to comment, and then I will do all the fixes, and then do sleek renders.

Edited August 22, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Wow, with all the plagiarism scandals swirling right now, I'm glad I got all my stuff posted in a permanent forum! That was always one of my goals, naturally.

So essentially, everything has been posted now, except for a few small items and minor variations.

But this one is definitely worth seeing... Shwiiinnng!

The Romans are very adaptive, and this is their highly experimental new unit in the field. They will be sending it north, to attack the Celtic fortifications, and to try to knock over the stones of Stonehenge, in a daring attempt to break the fighting spirit of the Celts once and for all... Will they succeed?!

It's not a tank of course, since Lego will not do tanks, but it definitely does fulfill the same strategic role on the ancient field. Plus I wanted to give the Greeks and the Romans each a completely unique unit. The Greeks have the "Helepolis" siege tower, and now the Romans have this!

Have Fun!

"therealindy"

Edited September 13, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Infernum]

Wow! I would buy that elephant ballista set in a heartbeat! Might need to make a cuusoo account now...

[The_Cook]

Whilst I think that the Ballista Elephant is inventive, it's the sort of invention that the fans should do. In that it's up to the fans to take the elephant model from the Hannibal set and a Ballista model from the Romans set and work out how to combine them for themselves. That combination of two separate bits is what makes Lego fun for people, if you've already done it you've compromised on the inventive desing fun that they could have had.

As we've said before, pare things down, focus on one or two key sets and make sure there is playability and storyline. I've just been reading the booklets that come with the Level 3 MBA Kits; whilst there are lots of great build tips and tricks contained with (that we as xFOL's probably already know) matching them 1 for 1 are hints about building in storyline. The booklet opens with "In Level 3 the focus is on Story Building...", Story is important and it's what I'm missing from the models in this thread.

The xFOL's here are typically army builders, they'll love anything that gives them as many minifigs for a few dollars as possible, but it's your designs that are based on stories, be they historic or mythical, that will sell to the general public. Trojan horse, great story, hopefully famous enough that most people that paid half an ounce of interest at school would recognise it. I admire your historic accuracy and it had never occured to me that it would have been constructed from the hulls of boats but it makes complete sense when you remember that that's how the greeks got to Troy, by boat. However, where's the play? Can I lift the lid and move my Odysseus and others around inside, preparing themselves for the battle to come. Where's the hatch for them to escape through? Where are the gates that they open to let the rest of the army into Troy? On it's own the horse is missing the last few elements that are needed to allow me to re-enact the story that I've read in the books or seen in the movies. We can't recreate Troy but give me some simple gates. Within the price band that you're targetting e can't recreate the entire Trojan or Greeks armies but give me two Trojans manning the gates that I have to sneak the story past, give me two Greeks to hide in the horse who have to be quiet as the horse passes, who slip from the belly of the horse and throw open those gates.

In short, stop presenting set-piece models and start presenting stories that your models help enact. Explain to me how I can re-act your proposed story with what you've presented, which in turn will make sure that you have a fully rounded set.

Edited August 23, 2013 by The_Cook

[natesroom]

I agree with cook.. All your stuff is fascinating builds and i would buy them, because i haven't spent the time to build them, and here it is like a gift horse. However i havent been this excited about what lego can do in a long time (The Cook had a nice run of 10 or so sets that i really enjoyed also)

The roman set is awesome and i really love the Hanging Gardens. I'd love to see more babylonian/assyrian stuff, mainly because in the biblical accounts Assyria and Babylonia makes them fascinating. I'd love to see you do some Classical Israelite / Philistine stuff. Obviously the Temple of Solomon would be something grand (not that it would be affordable) but you get what I'm saying.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

Wow! I would buy that elephant ballista set in a heartbeat! Might need to make a cuusoo account now...

Thanks! And hey, what's stopping you? Today is the day!

As we've said before, pare things down, focus on one or two key sets and make sure there is playability and storyline. I've just been reading the booklets that come with the Level 3 MBA Kits; whilst there are lots of great build tips and tricks contained with (that we as xFOL's probably already know) matching them 1 for 1 are hints about building in storyline. The booklet opens with "In Level 3 the focus is on Story Building...", Story is important and it's what I'm missing from the models in this thread.

Ah, good points, and I am thinking...

1) The Odyssey is the most world-famous story in all of Greek Mythology...

2) The Clash of the Titans is probably the most well-known pop-cultural movie on the topic... Plus '80s movies are super popular on Cuusoo...

3) And 300 is one of the most acclaimed graphic novels of all time, probably the most acclaimed non-fiction graphic novel ever... And the movie made nearly half-a-billion dollars globally, raking in over 7 times more profit than it's whole production cost...

So I think we have the makings of a story or two or three in all of this, no?

I agree with cook.. All your stuff is fascinating builds and i would buy them, because i haven't spent the time to build them, and here it is like a gift horse. However i havent been this excited about what lego can do in a long time (The Cook had a nice run of 10 or so sets that i really enjoyed also)

The roman set is awesome and i really love the Hanging Gardens. I'd love to see more babylonian/assyrian stuff, mainly because in the biblical accounts Assyria and Babylonia makes them fascinating. I'd love to see you do some Classical Israelite / Philistine stuff. Obviously the Temple of Solomon would be something grand (not that it would be affordable) but you get what I'm saying.

Wow, thanks again...! Although Lego is still reluctant to do anything Biblical, or even anything directly showing a currently-active world religion. I'd like to see them relax that stance, and I'm sure they would start by doing something non-controversial, like the Shinto Shrine build that's presented as one of the options in "Japanese Old-Style Architecture" on Cuusoo. They obviously have done Shinto Shrines for Ninjago, so why not?

Or else a nice "Architecture" build of a famous cathedral as a start.

But as a nod to the Temple of Solomon, I did do this re-imagining of the Map Room at Tanis and the Well of Souls a few years ago. I made it much more Israelite than it was in the movie, based on a variety of sites I visited and surveyed across the region years ago. The scale of it works perfectly for the scene, and it didn't cost much at all. Now I'm going to put a red "light-up-brick" inside the temple to represent the staff's beam!

Edited August 23, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The_Cook]

So I think we have the makings of a story or two or three there!

Then show them! Give us all the bits to recreate a story.

Although Lego is still reluctant to do anything Biblical, or things directly involving currently-active world religions. I'd like to see them relax that stance, and I'm sure they would start by doing something non-controversial, like the Shinto Shrine build that's presented as one of the options in "Japanese Old-Style Architecture" on Cuusoo, or else a nice architectural build of a famous cathedral as a start.

I can't see them relaxing the religious ban ever. You only have to tune in to the morning news to see what religious conflict is doing to the human race to appreciate that staying as far away from religion as possible is a very wise move on their part. Even historic religious artifacts such as cathedrals or monastic buildings could quickly be attributed to crusades and re-ignite a modern controvesry over the historic past. It doesn't take a lot before deeply passionate people get inflamed and that's bad PR, look at the story around Jabba's palace where some people decided that it was too close in design to Hagia Sophia in Istambul and complained about it.

[Faefrost]

Then show them! Give us all the bits to recreate a story.

I can't see them relaxing the religious ban ever. You only have to tune in to the morning news to see what religious conflict is doing to the human race to appreciate that staying as far away from religion as possible is a very wise move on their part. Even historic religious artifacts such as cathedrals or monastic buildings could quickly be attributed to crusades and re-ignite a modern controvesry over the historic past. It doesn't take a lot before deeply passionate people get inflamed and that's bad PR, look at the story around Jabba's palace where some people decided that it was too close in design to Hagia Sophia in Istambul and complained about it.

As with all of their "bans" context and situation matter. Lego does not have a blanket ban on "religion". Lego is a private family owned business. That family is Christian and their faith has informed the business for all of its existence. So once again context matters. No they will not do something that seems to back or promote a specific real world religion. Don't expect to see a City themed church or specific modern religious iconography. But classic stuff? I don't see a major issue, as long as it doesn't involve stuff like nailing someone up to pieces of timber. I don't think we will ever see a "Passion of the Christ" type set. But we do have a released set that includes a brick built version of one of the holiest items in Judaism and Christianity. The Arc of the Covenant. They have included other locales with some connection to faith in other sets. The PotC Mill set is a Mission for example. Ninjago and various Adventurers sets have danced into more Eastern themes showcasing Temples or various sorts. I would not be surprised if they were to ever release a medieval friar in a CMF series to go alongside the forest men. And lets not forget the Advent Calenders, Christmas and Easter Holiday sets and the basic decor of the Winter Village.

It's the same as things relating to alcohol and military subjects. Context matters. It's ok for PotC to have a bar, but nor City. Superman and Indiana Jones can have military vehicles, but not Friends. Etc.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

...Lego is still reluctant to do anything Biblical...

...or even directly showing a currently-active world religion...

...They obviously have done Shinto Shrines for Ninjago, so why not?

...I can't see them relaxing the religious ban ever...

...It doesn't take a lot before deeply passionate people get inflamed and that's bad PR...

...look at the story around Jabba's palace where some people decided that it was too close in design to Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and complained about it...

...As with all of their "bans" context and situation matter...

...No they will not do something that seems to back or promote a specific real world religion...

...Ninjago and various Adventurers sets have danced into more Eastern themes showcasing Temples or various sorts...

Uh-Oh, looks like we are all getting a little bit off topic here, including me too!

These are all great points, but I know that there are many other forums and threads for these debates!

We do need to keep on-topic on the Ancient World and Cuusoo! Let's go back to talking about how my work is rotten and how to fix it!

*****

Edited August 24, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

We do need to keep on-topic on the Ancient World and Cuusoo! Let's go back to talking about how my work is rotten and how to fix it!

"Uno..."

"...Dos..."

"...Tres... Catorce... Turn it up loud, Captain!"

"All of this, all of this can be yours.

All of this, all of this can be yours.

Just give me what I want and no one gets hurt."

"MOLON LABE...!"

Edited August 24, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

We do need to keep on-topic on the Ancient World and Cuusoo! Let's go back to talking about how my work is rotten and how to fix it!

Like here is a great example of a fix. This took ten seconds. The ship looks less ducky and the horse looks more horsey. A win-win!

Edited August 25, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones

[The Real Indiana Jones]

We do need to keep on-topic on the Ancient World and Cuusoo! Let's go back to talking about how my work is rotten and how to fix it!

...Or this. A good example of why the "real-bricks-versus-LDD" debate is silly. Basic fixes like this would take a week of bricklinking and silver-spray-painting.

If you refer to this, you might want to quote the image, since we will be on Page 5 now..... Thanks again for everyone's feedback and constructive critique!

5,800 views here, Yay!!

Edited August 25, 2013 by The Real Indiana Jones