The Real Indiana Jones

Thanks for the support! So yes, no need to repeat all of the negative things that can't be done, let's just make a bullet list of all of the positive and educational things that can be done... * A Theme or a single set through Lego: A non-violent safari set or theme. This would include great new animal molds. It has already been done in Duplo! * A single set through Cuusoo: Nubians allied with Egypt is one great possibility. Hey, here's that link again! =) * A Collectible Minifigure or two: Just like all of the other civilization figs...! In particular, people have been asking for a nice non-violent ecology-minded Safari Theme for a long time. Like I said, it has been done in Duplo, so why not in the standard Lego System?

Hmmm? Doing a quick scan of the map of global civs, I see that they have already created something from almost every culture in the world in Lego form, and everyone sees it as nice educational fun, as long as it is in a heroic and positive light, and it teaches positive values. Essentially, we just need to steer away from tomb raiders, animal hunters, and asymmetrical conflict, and more towards creative building sets and architecture sets. At least 20% of the Collectible Minifigures wear various historical costumes from around the world, and I know that a lot of kids use them as elements in their 6th Grade World History projects at school. Just about the only ones they haven't done yet are Mesopotamia, the Inca, and Africa. DId I forget anyone? The issue is that they have done just about everyone except Africa, and It seems a bit strange to exclude them! And you are right, a peaceful Safari Theme with a conservation message would be beautiful. The only reason it's not zooming to the top of Cuusoo right now is simply that you can't suggest new molds for animals *yet*.

Yes that would be awesome too! You should put it up on Cuusoo...

OK, so he is a buildable CHI figure, and his name is Panthar. I guess "Prel" means preliminary? I though that was a funny name! So it will be a "Fire and Ice" theme next wave? That is perfect, because I am really waiting to see the Phoenixes and Mammoths!

Yes, I agree... Since my collection started with Indiana Jones and other licenses, I've swapped all of my yellow-heads to flesh-tones. And so I used flesh-tones in the concept art just as a personal preference, although they would likely be yellow... Since Nubia is more Northern African, using yellow heads would be just fine! I agree again... That is why I think that including realistic Nubians in a realistic Egypt set would be the best way to go... I think that it is the best way to showcase the African civs, as strong, thriving and independent Iron Age Civilizations, linked into a network of trade and technological flow with the rest of the hemisphere. Plus I think that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon set is a great way to showcase Middle Eastern civs in an iconic and positive and educational way, and the Stonehenge set is the coolest way to show Rome's rivals as powerful and organized Iron Age civs... Not just painting them as generic "Barbarians" or "bad guys"! Click here or on the colorful banner below if you'd like to see more.....

Thanks for that... And BrickSet lists set 70208 as "Panther - Prel". That may be a large buildable "CHI figure", but it suggests panther minifigs! There are also a few more Speedorz sets without names, and that is how the fox and skunk first appeared in sets, right? So maybe that is where the peacock, bear, and beaver will be?

Hmmm... Warthogs and Rhinos? Rocksteady and Bebop, anyone? And could someone do a quick recap for all of us.... What are all the newer tribes coming out, perhaps with the names of the members listed too...! Thanks! =D I'm going to get a lot of them, because they make really cool Ancient and Primordial gods!

Oh hi, I just stumbled across this thread just now... I want to see them include Africans too, and that is why I included the Nubians in my Egypt set. I'd say that this is definitely the best way to get Africa into a theme or set, because it avoids all of the other issues discussed above. And as far as skin-tone goes, they can dress them as distinctly African, and they can show that they are part of a globally-connected Iron Age African Civilization, and since they are from the northern part of Africa, in modern-day Egypt and Sudan, their faces can be "classic-yellow", just like the Egyptians usually are. Here are two versions, one with flesh-tones and one with yellow. I think they both look very nice and everyone will like them. A good PR opportunity for Lego... And here is the whole set together... if you like it, please vote to make it a reality! This is my second-fastest-moving set now, so it has an excellent chance! Thanks! =D

Hmmm, but like they say, "Great minds think alike!" So think of it that way! =) And that is one of the real challenges of Cuusoo... to think of an idea that is popular, but just slightly "off their radar screen" right now... Over time, I am sure that a number of other projects will also get pre-empted by what GlenBricker calls "inevitable discovery". For example, it is just a matter of time before Lego does an Iron Man Hall of Armor, because it was one of the main scenes in a hit movie and a video game that they are actively licensing and exploring. That is the reason I decided not to do a Superman or Man of Steel Fortress of Solitude. In other news, they will be doing a Star Wars Tatooine Mos Eisley Cantina later this year, so all of the various Cantina projects will essentially be pre-empted soon... But if we all get a real official set quicker, then it is a happy day for the community as a whole. Plus it can have new molds in it, like the Bith alien band, etc. So, I am wondering if they will start to archive projects that have been completely pre-empted, or will they just let them continue, and maybe they will just redo that same set idea again after 5 or 6 years have passed?

Ah, I see the Printed Medium Blue U.N. Helmets are back in stock now in case anybody is looking for them... Here individually: http://www.brickforge.com/store/product.php?productid=16745&cat=309&page=1 And here in a parts pack: http://www.brickforg...&cat=567&page=3 Happy Building!

Hmmm, it's interesting to see that they are enforcing what had been written in the official guidelines so swiftly and decisively now... I have a feeling that they are ready to wrap up the Beta Phase after 2014 is done, and finally "Go Live" in 2015, and so they want to have at least one full calendar year with everyone strictly following a consistent and finalized set of rules before they are ready to launch the site for real. And when the site does "Go Live" soon, everything will move forward much much faster...! They will be advertising it actively around the web, and so there will be many more people visiting and voting... Projects that were on track to take a decade will hit 10,000 within a year or two... And projects that were scheduled to finish within a year or two will suddenly blast across the finish line within months or even weeks...!! And won't that be a billion times more fun?? I think so!! :classic: Go Lego!! :thumbup:

Ah, well it was a wonderful idea and beautiful work, so I am sure it would have reached 1000 and beyond..... And they don't make any specific comments on individual projects anymore, they just copy a standard message to your page now... And I'm sure the issue was just the new mold for Batman's head. They probably just reasoned that the concept would not be viable without creating a new mold.

We're also discussing this on the main Cuusoo thread, since this is obviously a major event... Here is the main topic in the Embassy Forum See you there!

If you click to select a single brick in LDD, it should show the 5-digit part number in the lower left of the screen. You may have to click a box to activate that option in your settings menu. Then you can look that number up in the catalog at www.BrickLink.com, choosing to search by part number in the pull-down menu. I think that is the easiest way, or the way most builders do it.

Ah, well then take a look at this and tell me what you think... I designed it very carefully to keep the price-point perfectly realistic. I was hoping to do a full theme, but this one is definitely the fastest mover of all. You can click on the banner below to see the rest.

I think that Cuusoo actually specifically said "no monorail" in one of their first versions of the Official Guidelines. They folded it under the rule that says you can't request the re-release of legacy sets or discontinued sets, saying "e.g., Galaxy Explorer, or monorail, etc" No one is totally sure why they do not want to revisit the monorail concept, but they specifically repeated that they do not want to do it through Cuusoo. They could possibly do an official Disney World Monorail, but sadly, they've made it clear that it won't be through Cuusoo.

The Glory of Rome was actually creeping forward at a snail's pace, and it would have taken SEVEN YEARS from now to reach 10,000... More importantly, it was not a serious business proposal with a clearly defined goal or result. It was just a disorganized wish list, including an unrealistic ratio of minifigs to bricks, and new mold designs that have already been created in the meantime, and so they likely would have said "no" to it anyway, and simply waited for a different and better Rome project to finish. In the end, he gave up in a huff over a year ago, accusing Lego and Cuusoo of stealing people's ideas, and they definitely frown on that. There are several Rome sets by various different builders that are objectively better than his, and take the concept of a business proposal much more seriously. One or more of them will rise up to take his place, and then certainly finish in way less than seven years! So whatever happens, you will get a great Rome set, and it will be objectively better, plus you will get it sooner... A "win-win-win" situation! =)

Yes, and I'm sure he will give us a full detailed report in a few days. He is actively gathering data..... In the meantime, has anyone noticed any specific pages deleted already? Wow, it's surprising that they are acting so quickly!

Wow... It looks like they have already started to go ahead and delete a lot of projects immediately...! I read that at least 16 projects are already gone from the top 180 (i.e., the top ten pages) Does anyone know which ones?

Yes, a lot of these rules have been in their Official Guidelines for a while, but most people just didn't see it, or didn't read it. It's great that they're clarifying things now, and I'm glad that they are starting to enforce the rules with the threat of deletion! Personally, I'll gladly update my project, and even delete things if necessary, if it means that everyone has to follow the rules! =)

Yes, a lot of these rules have been in their Official Guidelines for a while, but most people just didn't see it, or didn't read it. It's great that they're clarifying things now, and I'm glad that they are starting to enforce the rules with the threat of deletion! Personally, I'll gladly update my project, and even delete things if necessary, if it means that everyone has to follow the rules! =)

All right, we are trying out the first new name change. I want a nice easy name that will have more immediate grab with casual Lego fans, young and old... For the moment, the top choice is "LEGO Civilizations and Empires", but I could easily change that to anything in the world with two minutes in PhotoShop. You can click on the top pic to go to the voting pages, and the bottom pic for the Flickr Slideshow. If you haven't ever seen it, it is a lot of fun! =D Keep on Building therealindy

OK, looks like the vote totals are moving again for most people... My guess is that they just did a routine clean-up of cheaters with multiple accounts, etc, but instead of subtracting those people from everyone's vote totals like they did before, they are choosing a more subtle approach, simply keeping the visible vote totals at the same level until the underlying numbers catch up...! If that's the case, then it makes perfect sense.

Ah, well there is definitely something going on behind the scenes there, because even top-ranked sets that get solid support every day have been perfectly flat for exactly three days time..... Mysterious! I just hope that all of the votes are being registered, and so they will hit in a nice big burst after a few days. I think that is the usually way they do it. Anyone remember?

Hi, does anyone know a good program that can take a flat image and make it look glossy and polished and rounded, similar to an icon on an iPhone screen? I think there are a few programs that can take a flat company logo and transform it into a glossy icon like that. POV-Ray can't do it quite right! I want to take shield graphics like these and make them all look fully-rounded, similar to the purple Egyptian eye shield shown here.