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The Real Indiana Jones

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  1. The Real Indiana Jones
    Lego is the most popular toy line on Planet Earth. What is to stop them from putting Cuusoo sets in every store they choose, including Wal-Mart and Target...? You seem to be stuck in the limited mind-set that just because they haven't done something YET, means that they never WILL. Think BIG, Bro! In the 70's they only had five colors... Then they made MORE! In the 80's they only made sets up to $100... Then they made them BIGGER! For most of the 90's they did not have any licensed themes... Then they decided make it COOLER! "CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS"!!! therealindy
  2. The Real Indiana Jones
    Ah, and I want to talk about this point especially, because this mis-conception is very common, and I hear it a lot. Here is a mathematical argument... Usually, when creators or inventors submit an idea to a corporation, they get at least a 5% or 10% royalty... but for Lego, it is only a tiny 1%. They can swing that because there are thousands and thousands of AFOLs who design Lego just for fun, and who gladly do it for free every single day. So now for a moment, let's even imagine that they actually have an entire Ancient World theme on their drawing board. But then if they look at the various Cuusoo contributions, and they say "Hey, the stuff this contributor is creating is at least good enough to increase the final sales numbers ***by just TWO tiny percent*** or more", then logically and mathematically, the optimal business decision is for them to go ahead and make the set through Cuusoo, because ***they are ONLY giving up ONE percent***, and all of the rest of the extra is just money in their pocket, for doing the minimum amount of work... Plus, they get all of the PR good-vibes that come with creating a lifelong fan's dream. So essentially, it is a "Classic Win-Win-Win Situation" for them, with absolutely no downside. Or, to think of it another way... Why do you imagine in your mind that Lego has some sort of vendetta *AGAINST* all the Cuusoo submissions? They are logical business-people, and they are essentially going to look at it as a business decision of A versus B, and they will choose the option that generates more profit and the most good PR. If the Cuusoo set is projected to make even a tiny 2% increase in profits, plus some good PR vibes as a bonus, then they will logically and happily go ahead and make the Cuusoo set instead of their own sketches! It's that simple. Does that make sense?
  3. The Real Indiana Jones
    All, right, and here is the final element of the Rome set. I think this is totes adorbz, and it takes me back to the days of The Adventurers set 7414. Hannibal V, the great-great-grandson of the conquered military genius is back for revenge, and Caesar is forced to defend the capitol at all costs. Here again, you get 8 extra shields, so you can equip additional men as auxiliaries in the army. I will add graphics to the shields and update it soon. And here is the tentative line-up for the full set below. I may alter it a bit in various ways based on feedback. I was shooting for $100, but I crept over budget a bit. Just like this, it would be about $120 including a *minimum* of 7 minifigures. You can see close-up pictures of all of the various elements if you scroll back over the last few pages of this thread... It's like a scavenger hunt, Yay! =) And tell me if you don't think this is at least a little bit better than the current-top-ranking Cuusoo Rome set I was referring to earlier. I actually have a huge ton of other work I need to do this week, so I will let people comment freely for a few days, and then fix it! I.M.C.T.B. Module 2: Caesar Defends the Capitol (multiple prototypes / work in progress) Revision 02c, August 03, 2013 by "therealindy"
  4. The Real Indiana Jones
    Honestly, there are actually many many more people looking and commenting than just the few you are reading here... And overwhelmingly, almost all of them are telling me to add more. If you think they are all wrong then that's cool. Also, the official rule on Cuusoo is that themes are totally fine, BUT you MUST put each distinct set on a separate page, so that voters can vote on each set idea distinctly and individually. Putting multiple sets on one page is cheating. That's the rule. And that is the #2 reason why I think that the top-ranking Rome set on Cuusoo will ultimately get rejected, and why I am stepping in to fill that eventual void. And the #3 reason I think it will be rejected is that it is just a badly-designed chariot with a tree and five minifigs... Or is it the $150 war-ship lower down?... Or is it the poly-bag-sized-set with five gladiators lower down? Who knows?! I'd love to hear criticism on that one!
  5. The Real Indiana Jones
    Playability? There's a War-Elephant, a Legion, Chariots, a Battering-Ram, and a real working Ballista... Again, I totally don't understand your negativity! (EDIT: Sorry, or perhaps you misunderstood my intent. I admit that I write a ton of text, and I don't expect anyone to read it all, or remember it all! The arch is included in the Rome set because it is singularly iconic to Rome, and because any viable set needs to have enough traditional brick-building to justify the minifigures, so that Lego doesn't just label it as "just a battle-pack" or "just a minifig pack". In fact, I think that is the #1 reason that will lead the top-ranked Rome project on Cuusoo to get ultimately rejected. I hope that clarifies what I am aiming for!
  6. The Real Indiana Jones
    Yes! I just verified that they are officially selling the Cuusoo sets ***AT TOYS R US, ON THE SHELF, IN THE STORES*** ... and they are advertising the sets in the monthly catalog... and the sets are clearly labeled as Cuusoo Sets with a three-digit serial number... and the instruction booklet advertises the Cuusoo site, and it gives a nice bio of the creators... So that all seems to mean that they are confident enough to start advertising, cross-promoting, and directing web traffic towards the Cuusoo Site now, and so they officially consider the Cuusoo Program to be a success! So here is something to celebrate! The Roman set is now officially right at the $125 mark, so I need to trim it down just a bit, because that is the maximum price for a Lego set that Toys R Us will risk to put out on the shelf in the store (with a big magnetic anti-theft security-band locked around it). And they seem to be setting the precedent of doing all printed parts and no stickers in the Cuusoo sets. If that is so, then it's a perfect time to get parts boldly printed with real Roman inscriptions! Remember all the real printed hieroglyphics panels in the old Adventurers sets? Those days will return. With the Triumphal Arch, you get loads of panels and medallions that can easily be printed with a variety of realistic Roman imagery to add some must-buy value, plus four golden stallions. The golden coffering under the arch-way uses 100% Lego-Legal techniques. Let me know if there is anything more I can add to it, including perhaps the color scheme. I want the realistically vibrant ancient pigment colors to be an eye-grabber and a selling point. Yep, that's the reason I branched out to do Stonehenge and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon too... It's totally possible that someone could beat me to become the first Greco-Roman set... Or perhaps we will all get pre-empted by Lego, since they have been toying with the idea of an Ancient World theme for years... But if they do, I have a feeling that they won't think to do the Celts or Babylon... And as soon as people have the Greeks, they will want a Middle-Eastern Civ to fight against, and as soon as they have the Romans, they will want to have more Celts to fight with! There are a million cool possibilities! And if it becomes a theme, one way or another, it could easily support more than one wave, or even multiple sub-themes! =)
  7. The Real Indiana Jones
    Yes, I will probably finish the whole Roman set first and foremost, since it has such a huge fan-base, and then I'll bring all of the other civs up to that same level to match it. Thanks and thanks again! I am definitely accelerating... And considering the fact that all projects really start to accelerate rapidly between the 100-vote and 1000-vote checkpoints, I definitely could win. 1) "Competitor L.O." is scheduled to take 4.3 more years..... 2) "Competitor M.T." is scheduled take 4.8 more years..... 3) "Competitor G.O.R." is scheduled take over 5.8 more years..... They are all very far away, so by that time, I can definitely overcome that one-year-head-start they all got. At the very least, all I have to do is pass the 5000 mark by that time. At 5000 votes, Lego starts to put together prototypes based on the project images, and then the idea is officially "on their radar screen". After that, even if another set passes the 10,000 mark first, they will take into consideration that all the others had such a huge head start, and since it is literally a "million-dollar-decision" for them, they will decide on what is best, and not just pick the set that posted first and passed first!
  8. The Real Indiana Jones
    Excellent! 5 votes in one day may seem microscopic, but it is actually very quick progress for any set under 200 votes, and my curve is definitely accelerating! To celebrate, here is something that I am sure a lot of you have been waiting for... The Ballista..... Schwiiinnng!! =D It uses a rubber-band stretched across the front to snap both arms forward, which are strung to the square assembly to pull it forward, which shoots the spears. I think this should be almost immune to mis-fires. Six-stud-length-chains might also work, in place of the strings, to connect the arms to the square assembly. I've never seen anyone design a solidly-working one as accurately as this at minifig-scale before. If you have seen better examples, let me know. Plus, if someone wants to build and test this, feel free to go ahead, and maybe make a quick video so we can see how well it works. therealindy
  9. The Real Indiana Jones
    True! And so, I will probably just include the catapult in the Odyssey set, for the part where the Cyclops hurls rocks at Odysseus's ship at sea. No one will be getting multiples of the Odyssey. It's not really 100% needed there either, since the Cyclops really throws the rocks by hand, but it could add some fun battle play value there for $5! And you can see that lot of the military objects are totally inter-changeable from one civ to another, and from one set to another. So once I get everything designed, I will make some quickly pasted collages to show what I might include in each set, so people can see and comment and vote for what things they like best.
  10. The Real Indiana Jones
    Yay, over 3330 views here! =) If you quick look back at the bottom of page 2 of this thread, you can see the battering ram and catapult, and get the idea of what the ballista et cetera will be like. For the chariots, you have the option of using two 3-long-bars to add a third and fourth horse, or you can just go with two for maximum maneuverability on the battlefield, and use the other two horses for cavalry units or to be officer's mounts. In Egyptian murals, the Pharaoh is always shown ultra-heroically driving and shooting single-handedly, but in reality it was always a two or three man operation. One man drove and the other one or two stood on the back to shoot. Here you even have enough room for three. The horses will all be the newer type, since with this design they can all rear up in unison for a cool battlefield pose! You can push and steer the chariot by grabbing the little tab at the back where the archer is standing. And if you tap down on that same tab, the horses will all go up and down like a "galloping" motion. Ramesses gets one in gold, Caesar gets one in dark-red, Boudicca gets one in dark-green, and Nebuchadnezzar gets one in dark-blue! Ben-Hur time! =D
  11. The Real Indiana Jones
    Thanks again! And yes, I realized that part of the solution for getting everyone the huge armies they crave is to include as many extra shields as possible attached to everything... For starters, it makes great decoration, but more importantly, people can create a ton of "Foreign Auxiliaries" by getting a lot of ancient-looking minifigs like Dastan et al on BrickLink, then get hemets and weapons on BrickForge and BrickWarriors, and then they can use all of the extra shields from these sets here to make them all part of the corps. Voi-la! Everyone's army just doubled! =D Rome and especially Egypt *always* used foreign auxiliaries from a variety of nearby lands... Their armies wouldn't look complete or correct without them! Oh, and I may just include the catapult in the Odyssey set, for the part where the Cyclops hurls rocks at Odysseus's ship at sea.
  12. The Real Indiana Jones
    @Tolkien, Oh, for the Space Shuttle Adventure set, they got a lot of complaints that the big orange fuel tank wasn't quite sturdy enough if you swooshed it around and played with it actively. It is fine for a display model, though. So if you call Customer Support and ask them, they will send you the "fix-it-kit" for free. Back on topic... So perhaps they can do the same thing for a Cuusoo set, and do a "fix-it-kit" for the Delorean. Or better yet, they should implement my idea for an "Open Commentary Period" for all of the officially re-designed models of the winning Cuusoo ideas before they totally finalize them, like is suggested a few posts up above. Then they wouldn't have to worry about such things! It would be a total "win-win" for Lego and the fans!
  13. The Real Indiana Jones
    Hey, thanks! Although there really isn't *too* much about them that is so complex, except for a few certain sections, like the hemispherical domes, the Kraken's hexagonal mouth, the circularity of Stonehenge, and of course the gearing and wings that form the center of the Portal of Bifrost... I think that kids can totally do it, with maybe a little helping hand from Mom and Dad on the harder sections... I think parents will be glad to help build a little bit! Everything else about them is a fairly basic rectilinear Lego build! =D Hmm, plus I just got the new Cuusoo Back to the Future Delorean set, and it uses a *lot* of complex and precarious techniques! Oh, and I always make sure to use "100% Lego-Legal" connections. That is the main thing they are talking about when they say "your models can too complex for Cuusoo"... It means that a lot of AFOLs make models that are strictly "for display only" that use extremely fragile or unstable building techniques, or connections that stress the plastic parts, or connections that will not stand up to active play with real kids testing them. But I build it all to be sturdy. In fact, the main dome can support over 5 pounds of weight (over 2.25 kilograms)! Thanks for supporting... There is lots and lots more coming! =D
  14. The Real Indiana Jones
    I posted a pic of the prototype for my battering-ram here earlier today above, and as soon as I mentioned the Classic King's Castle, I totally remembered how much I loved shooting the catapult... So I made my catapult shoot Bionicle-spheres, and so it should be safe fun for all ages. Or if those bounce around too much, you can shoot anything, really... You can even launch plague-victims over the enemy's walls, if you are a fan of serious historical realism, Bwahaha! >=D> You fire it exactly like the Classic Castle catapults. Or you could also easily rig it up with a rubber-band if you like. The one key design improvement here is that the launching-arm actually makes it's impact at the solid front-bottom part, and not against the top crossbar, so that way it will hold solidly together even under vigorous play. Once again, feel free to comment and criticize anything I've done here... I appreciate it when people help me find an opportunity to improve things! Up next... Ballistas, siege tower, war-elephants, fortifications, etc, etc, coming soon... therealindy
  15. The Real Indiana Jones
    Yes, excellent advice. Thanks for the heads-up! I did think of that kinda later on, because I know that others have asked for D&D licensed sets.
  16. The Real Indiana Jones
    Yay, I'm happy to see I have over 3120 views on this thread so far, so I'll post some more... I am guessing that everyone is busy commenting on the Delorean and the new sets. And I admit, at first I wanted to shy away from warfare, but looking at the prototype for the battering ram, isn't that totes adorbz?! =D It takes me right back to my Grey-Castle-Days! Also note that it has eight extra Roman shields on top. That is partly for accuracy, and also so you can take any eight generic ancient minifigures you have and turn them into Roman Auxiliaries! Feel free to comment and criticize anything I've done here... I appreciate when people help me find an opportunity to improve things! Catapults, ballistas, siege tower, war-elephants, fortifications, etc, etc, coming soon... therealindy
  17. The Real Indiana Jones
    Ah, well it is super easy to swap that central 2x4 tile with a 2x4 plate... Then you can just attach the 1885-box-of-electronics to the hood normally, and it will lie at the same angle as the hood. And as for difficulty, it is even easier than swapping the 1985 license plate for the 2015 license plate on the rear bumper! =)
  18. The Real Indiana Jones
    I posted this over on the first Delorean thread in response to a conversation there, but I'm sure a lot of people will love this idea, including Lego..... I said: "It would definitely be a super smart move for Lego to add an "Open Commentary Period", as a two-week window-of-time where they reveal their officially re-designed versions of the Cuusoo winners for a short time, when everyone can express their design quibbles, and point out simple errors like the "sheild" misspelling, and suggest various easy and "Lego-Legal" fixes like this for the DeLorean hood. For starters, it would be great for PR, getting maximum fan attention and community empowerment during the unveiling process... Plus it would be great for profits too, since everyone would end up feeling satisfied, the set would be better, and more people would buy it! It would also save them the time and money of issuing a new part or sticker to correct a simple spelling error. And If the "Open Commentary Period" only lasted for two weeks or so, then they wouldn't have to worry about competitors stealing the design... especially considering the fact that the original version had already been openly posted on Cuusoo for years beforehand!! Who is willing to support such an idea? Can we get someone "in-the-loop" to suggest it directly to the Cuusoo Team? Or could we start a nice friendly "fan petition"? I am sure they would say yes to the idea..!"
  19. The Real Indiana Jones
    @LaserVampire, Yes, It looks nicer with the front bumper a bit more forward... It would definitely be a super smart move for Lego to add an "Open Commentary Period", as a two-week window-of-time where they reveal their officially re-designed versions of the Cuusoo winners for a short time, when everyone can express their design quibbles, and point out simple errors like the "sheild" misspelling, and suggest various easy and "Lego-Legal" fixes like this for the DeLorean hood. For starters, it would be great for PR, getting maximum fan attention and community empowerment during the unveiling process... Plus it would be great for profits too, since everyone would end up feeling satisfied, the set would be nicer, and more people would buy it! It would also save them the time and money of issuing a new part or sticker just to correct a simple spelling error. And If the "Open Commentary Period" only lasted for two weeks or so, then they wouldn't have to worry about competitors stealing the design... especially considering the fact that the original version had already been openly posted on the Cuusoo site for years beforehand!! Who is willing to support such an idea? Can we get someone "in-the-loop" to suggest it directly to the Cuusoo Team? Or could we start a nice friendly "fan petition"? I am sure they would say yes to the idea..!
  20. The Real Indiana Jones
    Again, here's a "100% Lego-Legal" hood fix for the Cuusoo Delorean, plus you can do it almost entirely using just the parts that come with the set. I'm really surprised that the designers did not opt for this nice simple solution. Perhaps they can issue a "fix-it-kit" like they did for the Shuttle Adventure!
  21. The Real Indiana Jones
    Here's a "100% Lego-Legal" hood fix for the Cuusoo BTTF Delorean, and you can do it almost entirely using just the parts that come with the set. I am surprised that the designers did not opt for this nice simple solution. Perhaps they can issue a "fix-it-kit" like they did for the Shuttle Adventure!
  22. The Real Indiana Jones
    OK, yesterday I did some quick ***ROUGH AND EXPERIMENTAL*** new designs for the artwork. Naturally, I will eventually paste the new models over the words on the left and right side of each pic as I complete them. Then I will do more final versions using POV-Ray and PhotoShop later, but for now, this shows how I am thinking of presenting them... The color issue was easy to solve, since each Civ has distinct signature team colors. I will re-render the models with bold dynamic lighting, add a thick ink-line around each one, and then fade the backgrounds a bit so the models stand out a bit more. So in the end, it will look a lot like that graphic style for the GTA games teaser artwork. Personally, I always click on thumbnails where you can definitely get the sense of what it is from the title and thumbnail, but you have to click to see exactly what it is, and to see more detail. So let me know if this looks good or bad for starters... =) Thanks to everyone!
  23. The Real Indiana Jones
    @Hrw-Amen, Thanks! Since Lego has done so many nice Egyptian sets in the past, I am planning on focusing specifically on things that they have never officially done yet. So, for the Egyptian set, I am going to include Ramesses's golden chariot with four horses, Cleopatra's royal embassy sail-barge, The Lighthouse of Alexandria, a harbor dock, two Hieroglyphic Scribes, two African Infantry, and an African King on a war-elephant. So the story will be generally based on Queen Hatshepsut's famous exploration to the Land of Punt in Africa. Cleopatra will be travelling up the Nile to Lake Victoria, and trying to forge an alliance with the African King, and to get the African Infantry to join her forces to the north. I hope that works for you in terms of "historical realism with a Legoland twist"! Let me know what you think. In fact, I am pretty sure that all of the Egyptian sets Lego has ever done so far have all been "Archaeologists-versus-Mummies" fantasy themed, so I think this would actually be the first straight-forward historical Egyptian Lego set... Is that right? I guess you would know! And yes, if some of the education-themed ideas that passed recently get made into sets, then I will definitely think of doing a real archaeology set... Or people can just use one of their existing archaeologists to excavate the buildings and artifacts I am designing here! A good idea! =) So do you build Egyptian scenes, and do you have a gallery of MOCs? Love to see!
  24. The Real Indiana Jones
    Ah, and to prove that I am heeding people's advice to consolidate and make cuts, I just actually *DELETED* two of my pages, the one on "More Minifigs" and the one on "More Monsters"... But that is fine, because they were not really projects unto themselves, they were just auxiliary pages meant to showcase more ideas and get feedback. Anyway, all of the best ideas there will be incorporated into the main sets, so they will be mostly redundant soon... At first, I thought that they would help to bring in viewers, but looking at the stats, I'd say that you guys were right, they were just siphoning away attention and votes from the main sets. I will memorialize them here, partly because it just makes more sense to post them on here EuroBricks, and not as Cuusoo pages...! The Gods of Olympus: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hephaestus. (Ares not shown) Greek Mythology: White Pegasus, Perseus, Andromeda, Medusa, Siren, Cyclops, Minotaur, and Black Pegasus. Roman Era History: Legionary, Centurion, Standard-Bearer, Caesar in Armor, Gladiator, Cleopatra, an Amazon, and Boudicca. Global Warriors: Native America, Aztec or Maya, a Zulu from Africa, Egypt, Arabia, India, China, and Japan. Alternate concept art for the Kraken, from Clash of the Titans 2010, and from Tomb Raider Underworld. Alternate concept art for a Hydra, from John Singer Sargent, and Tiamat from Dungeons and Dragons. Concept art for a Chimera, from the video game Dragon's Dogma. Concept art for Cerberus, "Fluffy" from Harry Potter. Again, all of the best ideas here will be incorporated into the main sets, so feel free to comment if these strike your fancy! =)
  25. The Real Indiana Jones
    Ah, that is good advice, thanks! I will do more work on the digital rendering and the graphics after I finish updating the sets. And I will probably experiment with "A versus B testing" using some of the images I have already to see if it helps, Thanks! =) Perhaps I will put the artwork featuring the leaders' portraits and the shield designs front and center, like I did for Babylon...
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