ShaydDeGrai

I don't know. Something tells me that if TLG is going to the trouble of opening all of its stores an hour earlier (and having to pay its staff for the trouble) for an invite list of only 30 people per store, that there has to be _something_ going on in person that differences this event from an on-line event with a mass e-vite to everyone with a VIP card (assuming it was a mass email, but I every AFOL I've spoken to got one so it's clearly not as "exclusive" as the in-store invites.) It could be something a simple as hedging their bets on new set sales as they've done with other "VIP exclusives" (i.e. a chance to buy a set that won't officially hit the shelves for general consumption for another two weeks) versus Cyber Monday deals ("buy set X on Nov 23rd and be the first to get it, or wait until Dec 2nd and get it on sale (possibly from someone else)") For example, the new Hobbit wave is due to roll out Dec 1st and I wouldn't put it past Amazon to make them a Cyber Monday deal on Dec 2nd, so if TLG wants to outsell Amazon (and keep a larger portion of the sales revenue) it would make sense to lock in buyers early. Alternately, it could be exactly what it claims to be, essentially an early Cyber Monday for VIP members: get next week's Black Friday pricing (which, last year wasn't as good a deal as the one I got through the invite-only VIP event) tomorrow without the hassle of fighting your way to the mall. Perhaps they did a study that found that overcrowding at the store was costing them sales. I know on more than one occasion I've looked at Black Friday mob scenes at various vendors and decided the sale price wasn't worth the hassle and talked myself into deferring a purchase or just getting it through Amazon. In any case, this is pure speculation on my part - I guess we'll all find out tomorrow.

I "expect" that I'm going to be spending large sums of money and leaving with an SUV full of LEGO goodness (I still haven't finished building all the stuff I got _last_ year (but then this has been a hell of a year for me). Last year I found the staff incredibly friendly and helpful (I walked in with a shopping list and the sales guy assigned to wait on me played "concierge shopper," loading everything on my list onto a flat bed dolly and even went out to the parking lot to help me load my car - now that's service). There were freebies and discounts ( I seem to recall I got 20% my entire purchase) as well as as a chance to catch up with like-minded AFOLs . I'm told things will be "different" this year but my contacts didn't go into specifics. It would be really cool if the new Hobbit sets and the Parisian Cafe modular were made available early but I'm not holding my breath on that one - I asked about last year's Hobbit sets at last year's event and was told that they were actually in the back room (sealed up) but they couldn't sell them until the official release date.

You're not alone. I really _want_ to like this set but when it gets right down to it, the whole "Winter Market" conceit with lots of little builds just doesn't work for me. I would have been happier if they'd simply marketed the "Winter Village Carousel" by itself, ditched the little booths, and lowered the price accordingly. I feel like I'm paying to dollar for a bunch spare parts for which I have no immediate need.

No real intel, but similar observations. Several of my projects that usually see a steady trickle of 3 or 4 votes per day haven't budged in several days even though a couple comments whose contents _implied_ support had been posted in that time. I have no idea if this is just a fluke or if something else is going on behind the scenes, I've learned that watching too closely just makes my head hurt so I'm trying not to read too much into it.

I think one minor point of confusion might have arisen from Double VIP months (and other similar promotions). VIP points have always been redeemed at a 20:1 ratio - effectively 5% of your current purchase applied to a future purchase - but double point promotions effectively get you a 10% of current dollars applied to a future purchase because you got twice as many points for the same amount of money spent. In any case, the rules haven't changed, it's always been 20:1 regardless of what the dollars spent-to-points earned ratio was.

Well I, for one, haven't pre-built or even pre-designed anything in anticipation of the contest and I have kind of mixed feelings about that concept in general - I can appreciate people wanting to get into the spirit early, but I don't think anyone has the "right" to be bitter or even irritated by the notion that the Mods "changed the rules out from under them." I think we should just all be grateful that there are contests (and prizes) regardless of the rules (or unexpected rule changes). Then again, I've always been more of a "building for its own sake" than a "build to win type" (that's why - despite many PM's and invites I've never done things like MOC Olympics, too much focus on equating "victory" with "fun" I'd rather just focus on the fun and if people like what I'm doing - great). I used to be a very competitive (and usually successful at it) person but I eventually got over it. That said, I have participated in this contest in the past and, because of the rule change, do not anticipate entering this year - not because I've been secretly masterminding the ultimate entry which now doesn't meet the requirements, rather, I'm sitting it out because the contest is asking for something that I'd never build _unless_ it were for a contest. I love the Winter _Village_ theme but found the Winter _Market_ concept to be a bit lame and the requested scale (16x16) to be too tiny to fit into _my_ annual Winter Village set-up. Does this mean it's a _bad_ contest or the rules are somehow unfair? Of course not - it just means it's not something I feel like pursuing and am likely not going to enter. I look forward to seeing what _other_ people come up with within these constraints and I wish them all well. And to any disgruntled "pre-builders" out there, I'd recommend just asking yourself a few simple questions: Are you proud of what you've done? Did you enjoy designing and building it? If you answered yes to either of those, then does it really matter if qualifies for a contest? Here, here! And best of luck to all those who chose to enter.

I know I have a bias toward realized models over rendered ones (even nice ray-traced ones). The "problem" as I see it, is that CAD is an abstract design tool: unlimited parts, exactly the colors and quantities you need, weightless elements held in position by the principles of art rather than physics. It's a place I might go to brainstorm and prototype an idea, not to implement a "finished" one. I have a lot more respect for brick built creations because _real_ designs have to overcome a lot more complications than virtual ones (e.g. "How do you make your Space Battleship Yamato sturdy enough to be swooshable while keeping it light enough to actually pick up for fun?" "where do you put all the gears you'll need to actually motorize that awesome technic car you're supposedly driving with a single low-torque motor?") Perhaps I'd feel differently if LDD were an actual simulator with a physics engine rather than just a 3D drawing tool, but I doubt it. Having done both, I realize that real models require a level of commitment and ingenuity that CAD tools gloss over. It's a bit like the difference between learning to play an instrument versus learning to play a tune on an iPod - both will get you an (effectively) infinite stream of music (and the guy with the iPod will probably start producing it a lot faster than the guy sitting down at a piano for the very first time) but mastery of one skill-set demands a lot more respect than the other specifically because the audience at large appreciates how much more effort and discipline is involved.

I think I'll pass this year. As a general rule of thumb, I don't build solely for competition, but will enter a contest that s asking for something I might have built anyway. I love the annual tradition of setting up and expanding my winter village each year, but expanding the "market" holds no value to me. Even in the official set, I would have been happier if they'd slashed the price and sold it simply as "Winter Village Carousel" - I didn't even bother building the little stands (clutter builds) it came with, why would I want to add to it? I'd much rather focus on a building of reasonable scale that my cats aren't going to use a hock puck under the tree. Anyway, good luck to all who chose to enter this year and happy holidays.

I managed to score a small cup with 448 Black 1x1 brick with studs on four sides (Part number 4733) along with a small handful of cheese wedges and 1x1 round tiles (thrown in to take up awkward voids) It may not sound like much, but given that I needed a lot of these for a MOC I'm working on, I'm quite happy. Bricklink says the average price for these guys "new" is 0.27 USD (and S@H prick-a-brick asks 0.35 USD each) so that works out to $121 (from BL) or $157 (S@H) worth of that part alone - not bad for eight bucks.

I can honestly say I've never had a bad experience with BrickLink. I will, however, qualify that statement by saying that I screen my suppliers pretty throughly before I order from them and 99% of my orders are to two companies that I've come to rely upon as my key suppliers. Really the only time I entertain new vendors is when I need something in a hurry and my preferred guys just don't have the inventory. I never go "bargain shopping" with unfamiliar suppliers, I'd rather pay a hair more and get exactly what I expect than risk the hassles of a botched order or unexpected "surprises". As for E-Bay, I never do business with them, Lego or otherwise. Pierre Omidyar (founder of E-Bay) was an old classmate of mine and, while I think his wife Pam is lovely and has been an excellent, positive influence on him, I can't think of of E-Bay without remembering the [adjectives deleted] kid who used to irritate me in the computer lab.

Of the three you mention, I'd say my personal favorite is the White House (21006) it packs a lot of detail into a high fidelity model for its size. It's an enjoyable build and a nice display model from all angles. My second preference from your list would be the Leaning Tower of Pisa. As a display model it's okay (a little awkward scale-wise if you have the full collection - it looks a little out of place). It's not _bad_, but its just okay, not great. Although there are some interesting structural choices as to how the tower is put together, I found the actual build to be a little tedious - not a lot of variety part-wise but enough changes from one tier to the next to preclude being able to rapidly produce sub-assemblies to get through it faster. With respect to the London Clock Tower ("Big Ben" - or technically Big Ben's outer casing) I must admit that I actually bought two of those, not because I really liked the set, but because I didn't like the proportions of the finished model and needed spare parts to "fix" it. It's the only model in the Architecture line that I felt compelled to MOD. I liked the subject matter and texture technique used on the building itself, but out of the box the finished model just didn't look right to me. In general, if you're considering dipping into the Architecture line, you might also consider the Brandenburg Gate (21011 - currently $23 in US Amazon) or the Guggenheim Museum (21004 - currently $38 on US Amazon) These are both nicely sized display models that are fun to build and have a lot of character. Personally, I'd rank both of them after the White House and ahead of Pisa, but that's really just a matter of taste, YMMV.

Well, in general, there's a difference between "illegal' and 'darn, that was stupid!' (unless you live in a nanny-state like Massachusetts where they try to pass overly complicated laws to ban actions that one's common sense should have vetoed from the onset). Then again, as a veteran of many 'darn, that was stupid!' moments, I actually own a tiny set of needle nose pliers that can grab the end of an axle even while recessed in a technic hole - It chews up the last couple millimeters of one fin of the axle but all parts remain usable. Still, not doing something dumb in the first place is an even better solution ;->

You are not alone - this has the makings of a real gem.

For those AFOLs with young ones in the greater New England area, in case you hadn't heard, they recently broke ground for a new Legoland Discovery Center in Somerville, Massachusetts (just north of Boston, right off of I93) at the site of the old Assembly Square mall. I'm assuming it will be like other DCs (fully indoors, no admission without child in tow, occasional AFOL events, etc.) Currently, the closest DC to New England is over in Chicago so it's nice that we're getting something more local. (It's actually very local for me, I can walk there from my house)

Does anyone know if this policy is going to extend to "Brick Friday" events this year? I can 'appreciate' (read as "not exactly happy but understand the rational behind") wanting to level the playing field for pricing on these high-end sets, but when you go to a special event like Brick Friday (when the Sony Store next door is selling last year's model 60" plasma TVs for 75% off) and someone hands you a scratch card that reads "20% off your entire order", it seems silly to qualify that to "20% off your entire order - except the really good stuff you were planning on for Christmas this year..."

The story official story has evolved over time. In the very early days of CuuSoo it was quite open-ended, very much a "what would _you_ WISH for" sort of thing. They entertained ideas for new parts, new sets, new themes and non-brick tie-in products. Some proposals had no photos at all, other only had a hand-drawn sketch or two. Other than "brand fit" there weren't a lot of restrictions. People proposed entire themes with multiple buildings (Modular western town was the first to hit big), sets that required new IP licensing, sets that required new molds, or all of the above (a new licensed theme that required new molds). Over time, between answers in the knowledge-base, official comments on projects that reached the 1K boundary and comment made in interviews and at conventions, the story changed. "Theme" proposals, while not forbidden, were discouraged. The "preferred" approach became to propose a set that might grow into a theme, not to propose a theme and then pick a pilot set. Personally, upon hearing this, I broke up my own proposal for a Lord of the Rings Architecture line into four separate proposals. Previously, my builds for bookshelf versions of Minas Tirith, Helm's Deep, Orthanc, and the Black Gate were all built to be illustrations of the theme proposal, today each is a separate set project and while the text reference the goal of an Architecture "theme", what people are actually voting on is a discrete set. Likewise the story of new parts/molds has changed from a par-for-the-course attitude to "a requirement for new molds drastically reduce the likelihood a set will pass review" While part proposals were (and still are, I believe) a valid topic for CuuSoo, they were a separate (marginalized) beast that should proposed as stand-alone items aimed specifically at selling the part itself. Without coupling it to a specific build or IP it became almost impossible for a lowly mold proposal (of interest mostly to AFOL MOC'ers) to compete for attention amid the sea of sexy Star Wars, Batman, video-game and other pop-culture driven set proposals. Last time I checked, the most popular new mold proposal in the history of CuuSoo has less than 1500 supporters and the top 10 new element proposals _combined_ don't add up to 10K supports. For anyone who cares (bit of a tangent)... Going over my notebook (yes, I used to keep a CuuSoo notebook back when I followed the experiment more closely; TLG shares so few insights that, early on, I felt compelled to write down what little trickled out) of key points from postings, interviews and talks from the CuuSoo team, _I_ arrived at the following "implied" rules of thumb: * Proposals should focus on one part _or_ one stand-alone set. It's fine to show how a part might be used or how a set might fit into a theme, but it should be clear to the viewer that they are supporting one item * Proposed set should rely upon elements currently in production. The proposed model will _never_ be identical to the finished one (should it make it that far) but if a new mold or a part that hasn't been produced in twenty years is vital to do justice to the model that users supported, it will become a detriment to the proposal come review time. * "Revival" projects for kits that have already been done for the same audience should be avoided (i.e. Yet another minifigure scale SW snowspeeder) * "Obvious" projects closely tied to existing themes should be avoided (i.e. Batman v. (baddie who hasn't been made yet) it's probably in the pipeline and no, you can't claim they stole your idea when it eventually comes out.) * For IP sets, the number of non-minifigure related parts (bricks, plates, wheels, tiles, etc.) should always outnumber the number of mini-fig ones. As popular as mini-figures are, TLG usually only holds the construction toy license, not the action figure one and selling "bulk" licensed figures can become a legal nightmare. * Contested IPs (history of legal problems) and crossover IP (too many stakeholders to deal with, i.e. Alien v. Predator, Dr. Who visits Star Trek, etc.) should be avoided. Securing one IP for a small set is enough of an issue without requiring multiples and/or making TLG an additional party to an ongoing or future lawsuit. * There is no part-count limit, but MSRP will be taken into account during review. A set that can be sold for 35 USD will likely be viewed more favorably than one that would demand a triple digit price tag. User comments in the support dialog are taken into account when reviewing the scale of the kit, but only if the values entered are realistic (one dollar and "millions - money is no object" are not realistic) * You can't tell people what they should say they are willing to pay, but 10 cents a part, $3.50 per minifigure, $5 for lighting and $20 for motors is a good way to ballpark how "economically realistic" your proposal is. Proposing an unrealistic kit _AT_ an unrealistic price is right out (i.e. A bucket of 150 Stormtroopers for $100) * Proposals for IPs currently _licensed by_ other companies are acceptable but IP _originated by_ rival toy companies are not (i.e. My Little Pony, Cabbage Patch Kids, Masters of the Universe, etc.) Again, these are just things that I inferred based on what I was reading or hearing from any official source I could find (so feel free to entirely disregard them). There is nothing "official" about them, but using them as a yardstick (combined with the official rules) I really haven't been surprised by any of the review results thus far; I thought the Exo-suit was on shaky ground (older parts, fragility, Exo-force revivial aspect, similarity (in theme) to Creator mechs and robots etc.) but I'm happy it got through. I just hope whatever revisions they make stay true to the original character of the design.

I would find it hard to go wrong when choosing between The Haunted House and Orthanc. Both are good sized sets that are fun to build, have playable features and/or vignettes to keep things interesting for kids and make impressive display pieces for adults. Personally, I like the fact that the HH _feels_ complete, like a modular building, and, if you're into modulars can even straddle themes and server as the old abandoned building on the outskirts of modular town and looks quite at home in the background of a large train set-up. Unlike modulars, which have stacked floors allowing for top-down access for play, the HH is hinged (like my sister's doll house used to be growing up) to allow mini-figure eye view access to the interior. I really like this as a feature because it produces the best of both worlds, structurally complete but easy to open for kids' playtime (as opposed to a lot of play sets which employ "hospital gown design" (open in back) and often more fragile as a result ). It was a fun set to put together with a good color palette that is both true to its Monster Fighters roots while at the same time suggesting that there was once a time when the building was a beautiful victorian home. Now on the Othanc front, I am a big LotR fan from long before there were Lego tie-ins (or even movies) so I know I'm a bit biased. On the other hand, I was disappointed with many of the Lego LotR offerings to date. I'm happy to report that was not the case with Othanc. It's my favorite set of the line (followed by Helm's Deep, if that helps you put my opinion in perspective). As a LotR fan, I can quibble about the "authenticity" of the interior or complain about it being too short, etc, but as a Lego abstraction and play set I think they did a pretty good job. Orthanc, I think, it the more demanding build which, despite a lot of repeated features on the exterior, didn't feel repetitive. Obviously, it's 95% black so if your eyes are getting a little older (like mine) plan on making sure your workspace is well lit. Unlike the HH, Orthanc open in the back (I would have preferred hinges or stacked floors, but then I'm not trying to play with the thing) and has a low center of gravity that keeps it (relatively) stable despite its height (mine has survived several "cat incidents" to date with only minor damage). I think I'd give a slight edge to Orthanc from a "play with the kids" factor not so much for the building itself, but for the brick built Ent and the molded giant eagle. I think the Ent adds some scale variety above and beyond the minifigures and the eagle adds a swoosh-ability that you just don't normally have with a building (at least outside of hurricane season). I know singing the praises of both probably isn't making your decision any easier, but take comfort in knowing that, for the two sets you're looking at, I think it would be hard to choose poorly - they are both wonderful pieces to build and to have in one's collection. It really comes down to personal taste and keeping the kids entertained.

In terms of the finished product, the Robie House is one of my favorites in the Architecture line. For Architecture, it's a big model and it looks great on a shelf, the instruction book and general presentation is about what you'd expect for a FLW offering, that is to say great, if you like architecture. That said, the build itself can get a bit tedious. There are a ridiculous number of 1x2 plates assembled to build the walls and tiny tiles to pave the driveway and walk ways. At first I thought it was a little silly, but then on a lark I rebuilt it using blocks instead of plates where I could and it just didn't look right, all those tiny seams actually added up to make the finished model "pop" in a way that a "practical use of brick" didn't. If you need lots of tiny parts, especially dark red plates in 1x1, 1x2, and 1x3 sizes, this is the kit for you. If you're looking for a wider variety of larger parts, maybe not so much, the 3x3 roof tiles are about the biggest pieces in the kit. Now I'm also enamored of the upcoming Parisian Restaurant which I _suspect_ would be a more interesting build with a wider variety of parts, but I'm only guessing. I know it's not much help, but were I in your position, I'd pick up the Robie House _today_ and use the two month delay before the restaurant comes out to save, plan, mentally prepare the wife for yet another Lego expense, etc. and pick that one up as well early next year.

I don't tend to buy used Lego from unknown sources, so I've never felt the need to "sanitize" my Lego, but I do have MOCs and sets that I've had on display for more than two decades. Between cats, construction projects and just old fashioned household dust, they can look pretty dull after a while. To clear away normal dust build-up, my first choice is compressed air (either in an aerosol can or via a small compressor and an air brush). This has the advantage of getting into tight spots without having to take the model apart. When I "power dust" I usually run a vacuum at the same time in the direction that I'm blowing to prevent dust from redepositing but this is gentler on the model (and often more effective) than vacuuming it directly. For really stubborn spots, I used to use alcohol based, spray-on tape-head cleaner (the kind they used to use in computer rooms for old 9-track back-up tape drives), but with the advent of cheap optical media, this is harder to find that these days. Now I make my own with isopropyl alcohol in my air brush - NOTE aerosolized rubbing alcohol is very flammable, do NOT try this at home without proper ventilation and keep the spray away from incandescent light bulbs and open flame. Alcohol is a natural solvent for all sorts of non-polar dirts, generally safe for ABS and PC and evaporates quickly and cleanly. I suppose this would be really tedious to clean individual parts this way, but it works well for assembled display models.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the only reason Sisyphus got off with _only_ having to roll a boulder up a hill for all eternity is because Lego hadn't been invented yet. If he were sent to Lego-hell, he'd be sorting and organizing instead - talk about a thankless job that's never done....

K-Boxes are the bulk parts bins they use to fill the PaB wall at the back of the store. The case is 7.5 X 9.5 x 6 inches (apparently they use English-standard boxes (at least here in the states)). I'm told the boxes are filled by weight, mostly to the limit of volume (contents may have settled during shipping) so the number of parts per box varies with the piece, but all cases of, say, 2x4 bricks are supposed to have the same number of pieces. (I actually bothered to count one once when I found an on-line reference as to how many parts each box contained and the total came out right - now I just take their word for it.) In the US a K-box sells for $70 (regardless of which part it holds) and is available by request only. So long as the box hasn't been opened (for the purposes of stocking the wall) management seems quite willing to sell stuff by the case. At the store I frequent, they have a three ring binder of the cases in the stockroom as well as current order sheets for what other parts they can get at the moment (the "orderable" list - to me - seems a bit biased in favor of the parts needed to build coming month's in-store mini-build). I just ask them what they've got in stock, they show me the list, I make my selections and an associate runs in back and comes back with cases of bulk bricks (from the Mexico plant, according to the stickers). My store knows me well enough to take requests (within the limits of the "orderable" list) with the caveat that if I don't pick it up promptly when it comes in, it might end up on the wall when someone randomly grabs a box from the stockroom (they don't "pre-sell" it to me and set it aside - they tell me they need to scan the bar code for bookkeeping purposes and can't do that until it's in the store). Ultimately, it's not as cheap as getting bricks via Brinklink but can be more economical once you factor in the value of your time and postage for those rare situations where you really do need 2500 "2x2 corner plates in dark blueish gray" and Bricklink is sending you to two dozen different vendors to get them in sufficient quantity. At the moment I'm working on a sizable MOC of Barad Dur (from the Lord of the Rings) that has taxed my supply of black and dark grey bricks and needed to restock. K-Boxes aren't as sexy as a nice new kit in a brightly colored box (they're just brown corrugated cardboard printed with a small LEGO logo and a recycling tag) or as challenging as trying to get 1500 misc. parts into a short PaB cup. But if you're after one stop shopping for stocking your own PaB wall, it's a quick way to bulk up (no pun intended). Obviously, K-Boxes only make sense for generic parts in colors one tends to use often. I have no idea what I'd do with, say 9000 bucket handles in hot pink, for example, but for things like 6x8 plates (which I use a double layer of as a strong baseplate under most of my MOCs) or just the trusty 2x4 brick, it's surprising how quickly one can go through an entire case despite having started with the reaction of "well I guess I have a lifetime supply of these" when one first opened the box.

Wow! That is an absolutely beautiful piece of work. Truly stunning! Congratulations on a job very well done!

Conspiratorial - no; smart business choice if you, as a corporation are more interested in the big picture than the success of some niche market, - yes. For example, Simon Pegg was on Conan plugging the Lego Winchester project to Shaun of the Dead fans (and general Conan fans for that matter). A 30 second one-time spot on Conan sells for $40,000 - the celebrity endorsement would have easily exceeded, factor in the fact that the segment got picked up by national news agencies and rebroadcast as well as getting mentions in USA today, the New York Times and other print and on-line media, and you have brand exposure that would have cost several million dollars to purchase if it were part of a conventional advertising campaign. The price of a few peoples' salaries, a website and the occasional niche set becomes easy to justify if you stumble upon one or "Simon Pegg Moments" per year (on top of the general buzz of just tweets and likes) . Lego Perdue Pete may be DOA, but I wonder how many Perdue alumni came out of dark ages or bought existing Lego kits as gifts for kids and grandkids after the campaign for particular project put Lego back on their radar. Is this morally "wrong"? I don't think so, TLG is a company, they need to sell product to continue to exist and "free" advertising means more money for new kits and molds. Guerilla marketing is just another tool in the toolbox. On the other hand, I think Lego fans are too quick to defend TLG and CuuSoo, and perhaps too enamored of the idea that a 1% royalty is like hitting the lottery (do the math, in the past two and half years four kits have been released with an average price of 40USD and combined production run of 50K kits, "1%" amounts to $20,000 in royalties combined - coincidently half the price of a 30 second commercial slot on Conan in the US market - pocket change for a company the size of TLG). My "cynical" opinion is informed from watching Cuusoo since it first went live, reading blogs from Tim C. and Sara M., live comments from Tim and Kevin H at fan conventions, etc. as well as a basic understanding of economics, marketing and psychology. Statistically, the process is more valuable to TLG than the product. Take a Lego Survey, the question they ask ten different ways is whether or not _you_ are recommending LEGO as a brand to others. They understand the value of social network and guerilla advertising. All the "successful" sold to date (assuming they've all sold out) represent less than $2M in revenue (before production and licensing costs) but the "buzz factor" is worth significantly more than that and I'm sure they have the business acumen to realize it.

I just picked up $300 in cat food and kitty liter - oops, wrong forum... But on that same shopping trip I got a K-Box each of: * 1x1 with studs on all four sides in black * 2x4 bricks in dark bley * 2x6 bricks in dark bley * 2x4 bricks in dark bley * 1x4 bricks in dark bley * 2x4 bricks in black * 2x6 bricks in black * 2x8 bricks in black * 1x4 bricks in black * 4x6 plates in black * 4x8 plates in black * 2x2 tiles in dark tan And a couple PAB cups of things I needed in smaller quantities. At least it was double VIP month - I think once the points post to my account I should have enough for a "free" 79008 - Pirate Ship Ambush.

I never said it was the only reason (as I said I like the project and I'm happy it's getting a shot) but I do think that after nearly a year of AFOLs bashing CuuSoo at LUGs and across the internet as a marketing gimmick to spread the Lego brand to a non-Lego audience rather than an honest attempt at crowd-sourcing, they were under pressure to have _something_ pass review before they could go public with a fistful of rejection slips that would just disappoint (and perhaps anger) the core AFOL audience. Why would TLG do that? For them, CuuSoo is working. We're volunteering content for the website. Pre-10k CuuSoo projects are getting tweets and Facebook exposure, internet chatter at non-Lego centric web sites and in some cases main stream media coverage. As an advertising medium for the Lego brand, it's a cheap investment with a broad payoff. So long as talented builders continue to volunteer their designs and devoted fans of Lego, various IPs, video games, movies, etc. keep participating CuuSoo is a win for them. The cost to maintain the site and pay royalties on a tiny run of kits (successful of not - not to say that there is any reason to suspect that anything that has made it through the gauntlet wouldn't be successful) is a trivial investment for the returns they are realizing from brand awareness alone. People who don't usually buy Lego are talking about Lego because of something someone saw or posted on Cuusoo - from a pure marketing standpoint, that's a good thing. AFOLs were (and are still) going to buy Lego anyway and - fair or not - I think that discounts our opinion with respect to how CuuSoo _should_ be run or what _should_ constitute a successful project. I don't _expect_ to be "satisfied" by much of what Cuusoo does or doesn't do anymore, I gave up on that over a year ago. You are absolutely right to cite "the constraints they work under". I don't _blame_ Tim or any of the Cuusoo team for what Cuusoo has (or hasn't) become or my personal disappointment with the kits that have or haven't passed review. They are just one little fiefdom in a very feudal environment where the Lego brand is king and their hands are tied with ropes of red tape, legal constraints and internal politics. I'm willing to believe that the Cuusoo Team is trying to do the best they can to address AFOL concerns, but I don't think they're empowered to do much. Feel free to call me cynical with respect to Cuusoo, it's a fair observation. I gave them the benefit of the doubt when the whole experiment was launched. I gave them time to get through the natural growing pains of a new process, I gave them frequent feedback back when they were actively asking for it and I posted a few projects in the early days. Now the onus is on them to convince me that I should continue to support Cuusoo with my designs and support for projects. Again, this rant, in no way, is meant to reflect badly on the Exo-Suit proposal. It's just an expression of frustration that TLG (on the whole) seems to respect Cuuson more as a brand advertising vehicle than its nominal role as an incubator for fresh, "outside" ideas. When it comes to the AFOL fan base, the default behavior seems to be to do the bare minimum to keep us engaged, hopeful and ready to provide free content for the web site.