Results of the Summer Cuusoo Review

 

  • Results of the Summer Cuusoo Review

    Posted by Huw, 20 Dec 2012 09:03. Filed under Cuusoo.

    Here's a quick summary of the outcome of the review that's just been published:

    • Back To The Future DeLorean - Passed!
    • Eve - Failed, 'more challenging business case', as many predicted.
    • Modular Western Town - Failed, conflicts with The Lone Ranger, as many predicted.
    • Legend of Zelda - Failed, too many new moulds, as many predicted.

    So, no real surprises I guess. Personally, I think the right set won (as it were) and I look forward very much to getting my hands on one. The BTTF trilogy is one of the finest and most consistently entertaining ever made that can be watched time and time again, and this is a fitting tribute to it. In fact I think I'll go and buy the Blu-Ray box set in celebration!

    Here's Tim from LEGO Cuusoo explaining the results:

    What can we learn from the result? Does it provide clues as to which other projects waiting review will pass? Let us know what you think in the comments. Glenbricker will post a detailed analysis, and what he believes it means for future projects, later.


    115 comments, latest one posted 5 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by Demarco Murray in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:14

I'm glad Back to the Future passed but the fact that the Western Modular failed is a disgrace.

Posted by snoboarder31 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 09:15

Ah, Zelda... alas, I guess I will have to be content with experiencing Link's adventures within virtual worlds.
*sigh*...

Posted by ALSTDA in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:16

Haha! BTTF Lego! Don't know about you guys but I'm really happy :) Could predict the failure of Zelda and Eve projects but thought we might get a more positive answer on the Western Town... However, it does say at the bottom of the post on their site that 'If a project does not pass the LEGO Review please do not interpret that as an indication that we will not consider similar projects in the future' so there is hope yet for the Western Town!!

Posted by Aussie Tahu in Australia, 20 Dec 2012 09:16

I'm very disappointed that the Modular Western Town failed, I was really hoping that it would pass. Marshal Banana really deserves to get his MOC's made into sets.

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:20

The MWT is a victim of bad timing, unfortunately. Had it been reviewed this time last year it may well have passed (although I suspect even then LEGO and Disney would have been negotiating the license for The Lone Ranger)

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:22

I am absolutely delighted to hear of the DeLorean's success, but as others have mentioned, the modular Western Town failing to pass is awful, albeit expected...

Now onto the next review stage, I would have thought the Curiosity Rover might pass, but the excitement around the mission has died down now so I cannot see the set being all that popular which would presumably change their decision. I would love the UCS Sandcrawler to pass, but at the current scale it is simply too big and producing such a set would be a huge risk, once it has been redesigned to be a more manageable size however, I don't see why that could not pass either. As for Thinking with Portals, I have no knowledge of the subject but the images given by the creator feature a lot of new moulds which could be problematic.

Posted by Firox 5000 in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:23

I'm very happy the BTTF set won the review. It's very disappointing the Western got rejected instead of being delayed.

Posted by devilhead in United States, 20 Dec 2012 09:24

Sad to see the western town didn't spass the review. It's the only Cuusoo project that has made it to review that interested me.

Posted by rosney in United States, 20 Dec 2012 09:28

I've been wonderfully excited about the concept of Cuusoo from day 1.

I've been terribly disappointed with the execution of Cuusoo from day 1.

Posted by Captain Eyebrow in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:35

I'm pleased with the BTTF pass but disapointed that the Westen Modular Town did not pass. I wonder if you have to get another 10,000 votes to get it back into review in a couple of years?

Or maybe less time if The Lone Ranger film is a flop. After all The Prince of Persia failed (thankfully as the film was pretty poor) to spawn a franchise as far as I'm aware so the sets vanished with only a single wave.

Posted by Yooha in Europe, 20 Dec 2012 09:35

Making Lone Ranger instead of Modular Western Town is a big mistake I think. Those Lone Ranger sets with an ordinary "no-name" cowboy would be successful too, without the extra license-cost.

Posted by Demarco Murray in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 09:45

If TLG were concerned about the Western Modular eating into their sales of Lone Ranger sets then they were right. The Western Modular is better than their Lone Ranger stuff in every respect and I would buy a model with universal appeal over a transient product tie-in any day of the week.

I'll be interested to see how the DeLorean turns out but I can't see myself buying it. Sadly, beyond that, there are no cuusoo models in the foreseeable future that interest me. I like Star Wars Lego but I have no interest in building a big red box like the Sandcrawler. It's the ugliest vehicle in the galaxy, for heaven's sake.

Posted by Gray Ghost in United States, 20 Dec 2012 09:53

I think that with the legends of zelda we can easily predict the outcome of portal...

Posted by legomaniac in United States, 20 Dec 2012 09:58

The creator of the Western Town should reupload his creation after Lone Ranger is finished :)

Was really hoping on that set.

Posted by lylesbk in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:00

So much for cuusoo. The whole community rallies around something only to be told no. Oh well, keep giving us what we don't ask for and wonder why everything ends up on clearance.

Posted by streeker in France, 20 Dec 2012 10:02

¨The Modular Western Town project conflicts with an ongoing project at the LEGO Group.¨
Translation: Disney owns LEGO's a**.

Toy Story, Cars, Prince of Persia, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger, geez even Star Wars now. And most of those sets were ho-hum at best. Who's working for whom here?

Posted by Peter1975 in Netherlands, 20 Dec 2012 10:03

I'm REALLY dissapointed. I wanted the Western Modular so bad. And the feedback Lego is given is just crap!! The Western modular fits right in the Lone Ranger team. I feel like a 4 year old who is not getting what it want's.
Anyone outthere who wants to build me this Western set.....?

Posted by lippidp in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:04

Disappointing. Western Modulars were so great. I was hoping they'd throw it in with the Lone Ranger like the haunted house was thrown in with Monster Fighters. All I can say about BTTF is WTF? Could've been a big hit 25 years ago, but today? Have any kids even heard of it? I guess this is why I'm not in the toy business. If UCS Sand Crawler fails I am going to throw a tantrum.

Posted by Modok in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:05

I' glad for the BTTF future fans and will certainly buy it, but the MWT's rejection is a HUGE disappointment.

As much as I might enjoy the BTTF movies, Lego and Cuusoo aren't just about collecting another "thing" of your favorite motive/game/whatever. It's also about the actual Lego build. I'd much rather have a unique, detailed, themed modular building--it's quite simply a better physical project and a bigger challenge. Beyond what's basically the novelty of a minifig Marty McFly, the DeLorean really isn't as interesting or exciting a set. (And it should be noted, if people *really* need tiny BTTF figures and a DeLorean, there are terrific and mostly ignored Minimates out there.)

The Long Ranger conflict underscores another major problem with Cuusoo. Between the extraordinarily long time it takes to get 10,000, and then the extraordinarily long time it takes for review, pretty much everything can change. A safe project in 2011 can get the rug pulled out from under it in 2012. Because of that, there's really no unlicensed project that's safe. Got a cool sci-fi idea? Lego's probably working on one. Got a cool western idea? Lego bought a conflicting license. After a while, the sheer number of requirements and restrictions just makes you want to give up and say, "Why bother?"

That's especially true for fans of unlicensed, organically supported projects like MWT, which don't have an existing license or fan base to draw from. It's much harder for those projects to make 10,000, so rejection is even more crushing to those supporters. Contrast this with something like Zelda--it got rejected, but it's no big deal because *another* Zelda project is #4 and heading to 10,000.

Posted by michaelrenouf in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 10:09

I thought Lego existed mainly for kids?

I'm 12 and me and all of my school friends were looking forward to the Modular Western Town. And then it gets rejected in favor of some car with a vacuum cleaner in the boot. I like the Lone Ranger sets as well, and the only one that this conflicts with is the Duel in Colby City, which is the worst one anyway. In Super Heroes they can produce buildings similar to Modulars and City sets available at the same time, so why not Western Themes? It would have complemented Lone Ranger, and provided extra incentive to buy them all. I've been waiting for these results for months, only to find that the best one won't get made.

They could at least have made the saloon (Lone Ranger really needs one). This is a major disappointment and the Lone Ranger sets appeal less without a decent town to go with them.

I am very, very annoyed with you, Lego!

Posted by behemothjosh in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:12

I love the BttF design and would have been excited no matter which project was picked. Congratulations to Team BttF. And I'm in now way unhappy that my personal project (EVE Rifter) has been archived due to the business model.

I am very disappointed in the fact that 3 out of the 4 projects have been archived. I was under the impression that there was no 'winner' each quarter and projects could be pushed off for future review. But if cuusoo is selecting a winner based on which one makes the most sense for them right now and rejecting the others as not winners, then I personally think cuusoo has failed entirely.

I can understand not wanting to make new parts and I think any project on cuusoo that is asking for new parts might as well remove themselves right now. What I can't understand is how they can archive the MWT based on the fact that it currently conflicts with the Lone Ranger sets. Push it off for later? sure. Reject it entirely? fail. It is hard enough for non licensed sets to reach 10k. But to have such a beautiful set rejected is disheartening to the entire cuusoo community.

Posted by Brickcreator in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:13

I do think the BTTF was the right choice. In the back of my mind, I always knew this would be the one. Although I am dissapointed about MWT, I agree with @Huw that the lone ranger license was what stopped it. It it hadn't been for Lone Ranger, MWT would have surely passed. To speculate on the price point, for a brand new, limited edition, licensed theme, I suspect the BTTF to go for USD $24.99. I sure hope its not more than that. Anyone else have any ideas on the price point? But who know how long we will wait until we gwt our hands on this set. My guess is at the very earliest someone would receive this set would be June 2013, at the pace things are going. This also means we probally won't know the results of the next review until Mid-March 2013. I'm personally rooting for UCS Sandcrawler, but in the back of my mind I have a gut feeling for mars Rover.

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:15

Personally, I think all these things make sense. The Legend of Zelda project is one I'd have liked to see become a product, but I'm not broken up about it since it is far from the best project for that franchise on LEGO Cuusoo, and is indeed heavily dependent on new molds.

Modular Western Town's failure is, as many have commented, a result of unfortunate timing, but I agree that sales for both it and "The Lone Ranger" sets would likely have suffered if they were to be on the market concurrently. Let's face it, it's been over a decade since there has been a Western theme, and it's not yet clear whether there's a strong market for that genre without a license. If The Lone Ranger theme proves successful (regardless of whether the movie becomes a successful ongoing franchise) there will be nothing stopping the project creator from proposing a more Cuusoo-specific project for an individual building not conflicting with content in the film franchise. I think the Modular Western Town's lack of specificity was a count against it in this case-- a generic western setting would quite rightly conflict with a theme full of generic Western settings which are offered at a lower price with the support of a license.

The EVE Online project was an enigma to me, but I don't think too many tears will be shed over its failure to pass review. In general most of the comments I've read about it come from people not familiar with the source material, and while it's an attractive model it doesn't seem to have the same "oomph" as more iconic, streamlined spacecraft as seen in licensed and non-licensed themes alike.

Glad to see that the DeLorean has passed review, and I hope the final product doesn't disappoint!

Posted by Andhe in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 10:18

I think the right set 'won' (though it wasn't a competition between them was it?). It's a much bigger name and if the aim of cuusoo is to extend lego products to a larger market then the BTTF license is going to be more widely desirable, than EVE.

I see no reason why a 3rd party customiser could produce 'zelda' style parts if there was a market for it. Just not whole figures or sets.

I think from this we can say... Portal will fail (too many new parts), USC sandcrawler will fail (too big/expensive) and that space crawler thingy will probably pass.

Posted by BlackRabbit in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 10:24

These results are brutal. I think i'm done caring about Cuusoo now that the modular town was struck down. It seems like lego is only interested in licensed themes in the last few years.

Posted by madforLEGO in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:29

Ahh, so the chose the next set for resellers to try to horde LOL

Posted by cinemajay in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:31

The fact that Western Town didn't pass merely because of timing with other new sets actually gives me hope. Once Ranger is gone, I say resubmit it. (For the record, I think the Ranger sets look wonderful too.)

VERY glad that BTTF made it--it's incredible to think there will be an official time traveling Delorean in LEGO!

Posted by SinKiller Nick in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:32

This confirms for me what I was dreading . . . that Cuusoo is not what I hoped it would be.
Waiting 6 months to get a "no" on all the projects but the BTTF model is both disapointing and demoralizing. I was utterly shocked that the western modular town did not get approved in some fashion. In my way of thinking . . . it was the first Cuusoo set that was a genuine original idea that did not deal with a licensed franchise (Minecraft) or real world event (Hayabusa). The western town had the support of the LEGO AFOL community and got its votes the hard way . . . from actual Lego fans! I'm done caring about Cuusoo!

Posted by tamamahm in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:37

I guess I'm not sure why it would be surprising at all the that Western Town didn't pass. It seems to be an obvious no brainer with Lone Ranger coming out that there was no chance that it could pass.

While people may find this unfair, unjust, not right, etc., I don't see this as any different than their internal process. I'm sure there are many cool ideas that Lego Designers have that they have to hold off on, or never see the light of day, because of some conflict.

The only thing I was disappointed in, was the utter lack of giving any info about why the sets rejected were rejected. Now, it's possible that they can't, because it could tip a hand towards upcoming sets. As an example, Zelda may be rejected because they see that as too similar to something upcoming, or because license discussions failed, etc.

Posted by shaase in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 10:42

I have no interest in the Lone Ranger (or western) theme but I have been taken to the Modular and modular like (large detailed) sets regardless of theme. I would have bought into the modular town, and from the vast majority of comments so do Brickset members. Lego may want to re-evaluate their decision and produce one model to meet the demand and profits from said project.

Posted by Darth Bionics in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:43

@Tilius Yeah the portal set only uses 2-3 new parts, not like the 20+ zelda was asking for. Not as prevalent a factor for portal.

I'm excited for the BTTF set coz I really like that series, shame about the western town but I think you all need to put things into perspective and understand how business works. Yes it sucks that the one "original" set didn't pass but it really doesn't make sense to have a competing set with the lone ranger line. Bad timing, but this stuff needs to be profitable in order to justify making it.

EDIT: Also you guys need to remember that you are not LEGOs target audience, they give you guys a lot more than you deserve but they don't have to serve your every desire. Chillax bros.

Posted by LegoAthos in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:44

I am very disappointed that the western town failed. It was the highlight of the designs submitted. And was, interestingly enough, one of the very few truly non-licensed based MOC to make it that far. And then to get torpedoed by such a goofy license as Lone Ranger. If anything they should have adapted it to Lone Ranger license and sold it like the Diagon Alley set.

Posted by Legolover9531 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:52

I'm glad BTTF passed and I'll buy it if it looks good.

Zelda still has a chance with Ragaru's project. Ragaru just needs to get rid of some new molds and it should be fine.

I expected EVE to fail due to licensing and the fact nobody outside of fans will know about it.

I expected MWT to be pushedback due to Lone Ranger, not fail! It had so much potential, but thanks to TLR we don't get it!

As far as the next review, I'm predicting this:

Portal Passes. Valve supported this project so licensing won't be an issue, plus Portal is pretty well known.

Sandcrawler Doesn't Pass. Too big and will probably conflict with an upcoming Sandcrawler.

Mars Rover Passes. Fits Cuusoo perfectly.

Posted by tedward in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 10:52

I think this is it for me. After the fiasco that was the way the Winchester project was handled the rejection of the Western Town project is shameful. The entire Cuusoo experience is based a lie being told to the submitters. What is the point of building a great model and working hard to find supporters when projects are rejected based on spurious criteria?

The idea that somehow a western-themed set is in "conflict" with The Lone Ranger is total and utter bullshit. Cuusoo supporters were asked to support a set they wanted to buy. I can understand not being able to approve a set based on not holding the rights to an intellectual property but saying that we cannot have a western set because Lone Ranger is also "western" is beyond the pale.

If there is a shred of integrity or honesty to the Cuusoo Project they must immediately delete all projects that conflict as outlined already. That means every single "space" themed project must go as it conflicts with Star Wars. They must delete all "castle" projects as these conflict with Lord of the Rings/Hobbit. Of course to be consistent I assume they will also delete all minifig-scale projects that fit into City, Monster Fighters, and Ninjago themes.

And yes, of course the above is nonsense, but no less than rejecting the Western Town Project. IMO Cuusoo has now gone from being simply a disappointment that teased my kids with hopes of Minecraft sets dashed by pandering to collectors to being a detriment to the hobby.

Posted by Balthazar Brannigan in United States, 20 Dec 2012 10:55

The Cuusoo blog entry very diplomatically says the MWT "conflicts with an ongoing project at the LEGO Group." It intrigues me that it doesn't mention the Lone Ranger theme specifically, and while that may be for privacy and legal reasons, I suspect it's more than that... rather than a license conflict, I'd like to think a set of similar scale and theme is in development, perhaps as a part of the theme. One can hope, at least... and one does not need a set to build something out of Legos, either.

I'm also very, very happy that the Back to the Future submission passed, as I think it's the most natural Lego set of the four submissions in terms of play value and universal appeal: Lego is, after all, a toy company. I hope the final set does the submission justice, though, as the version shown in the video personally made me worried.

Posted by Thecoolestgriffin in United States, 20 Dec 2012 11:03

I liked the Western thing...

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 11:05

^^ It's not mentioned by name because it hasn't been officially announced that LEGO is making Lone Ranger sets, despite the inadvertant launch of the micro-site and the availability of the 2013 consumer catalogue in Germany now...

Posted by Andhe in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 11:07

I found this comment interesting:

"Disclosure: The BTTF project was one of the first projects on the global version of LEGO CUUSOO, beginning during the closed alpha version of the site in the summer of 2011. One of the collaborators on this project, Masashi Togami, is a part-time contractor of CUUSOO System, our partner company that operates the LEGO CUUSOO platform. Masashi will donate his 1% royalty to the Michael J. Fox foundation for Parkinson’s Research."

I guess they don't want it to seem like an 'inside job'... But the donation is a nice touch, whatever the reason.

Posted by Graysmith in Sweden, 20 Dec 2012 11:08

It's a shame that LEGO aren't willing to simply shelve the Modular Western Town until a time when it doesn't conflict with their in-house projects. I imagine The Lone Ranger is a one-wave theme, and unless they're planning a regular western theme for 2014 I don't see why they couldn't be releasing the MWT in spring 2014.

Anyway, happy that they'll be making the Delorean, though I hope the final model is bigger and (much) better than the one that was submitted. I've seen many Delorean LEGO models that were way better than this one, so fingers crossed that LEGO redo it completely.

Posted by Goldmatt in United States, 20 Dec 2012 11:13

I feel like I'm reading a blog of angry children who are completely denouncing a lot of work by many good people just because the idea they wanted didn't go through. After TLR is finished(and judging by POP and POTC it will have a comparatively short run) there is always a chance that the overwhelming support given to Modular Western will return. There is certainly no speculation that MBbricks sets aren't deserving but as much as I liked and wanted the Modular Westerns we cannot ''write off'' Cuusoo for not accepting what we want. And after all no matter how much support is shown to an idea that is no guarantee to the future successes of the set. Modular Westerns was a fine idea but how many times have you seen two similar themes licensed or not out by lego at the same time?

Posted by binaryeye in United States, 20 Dec 2012 11:17

I don't understand the backlash. LEGO has very specifically defined what CUUSOO is for. Yet when concepts that fall outside of those definitions fail, people criticize LEGO.

Just because LEGO gave only one reason for a concept's failure to pass doesn't mean it was the only reason. Even without the Lone Ranger theme, I would have been surprised to see Modular Western Town pass. LEGO has made it clear they are looking to produce sets, not themes, from CUUSOO concepts. As presented, it would have been an absolutely huge set. It probably would have been scaled down to a size similar to Medieval Market Village, and people likely would have been just as disappointed. Even if they were willing to make it a theme, it doesn't make business sense for them to produce a second line of modulars that could take sales away from their current line of modulars.

Legend of Zelda's failure to pass doesn't surprise me at all. The whole concept was essentially new molds to represent items from the series. LEGO has stated that any new molds seriously reduce the chance of a concept passing review.

As it relates to those submitting concepts on CUUSOO, I see three things to take away from this review:
- Focus on one set with a realistic part count.
- Spend more time designing sets in LDD rather than new parts in your favorite 3D program.
- LEGO will allow a project to reach 10,000 supporters even if they know it is unlikely to pass review.

Posted by brizio in Switzerland, 20 Dec 2012 11:23

Even if I am disappointed as well by the failure of Modular Western Town, I have to admit I was not expecting it to pass either... Those sets were too big to be included in the Cuusoo line up. Anyway I still hope the Lone Ranger line will have a bigger set similar to the Haunted House or Arkham Asylum.
I was a lot more surprised in fact to see the Rifter fail: I have to assume CCP games did not provide Lego the same support Mojang gave them previously (maybe they asked too high royalties?).
Zelda and BTTF results were not a surprise at all!

Posted by uscoaster in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 11:28

As much as everyone wanted MWT, I think it would have been a huge commitment from Lego. Unlike BTTF or EVE, MWT essentially requires multiple models over multiple years to really be considered a usable project. If Lego decided just to make 1 building, how many people would really buy it knowing that would be the only building. Likewise, if one was release and sales didn't justify more sets, the disappointment and/or backlash from fans would be worse than just declaring it dead in the water now. As for Lego not specifically mentioning Lone Ranger as the reason it conflicts with a current theme, has Lego officially announced the LR them yet? We've seen the images from the catalog but I haven't seen an official press release yet. Confirming the conflict on a Lego site may break an agreed upon date set up by Disney and Lego.

I do think that MWT suffered from bad timing and I think Cuusoo probably regrets having to string everyone along as long as they did for the official answer. I guarantee Lego (and most likely Cuusoo staff) knew that it would conflict with Lone Ranger when it hit 10,000 votes and when they started explaining their updated rules for submissions however disqualifying it this summer would have revealed an upcoming western theme a lot earlier than both Disney and Lego would have liked.

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 20 Dec 2012 11:30

@Graysmith: Whether the Lone Ranger theme is a one-wave theme is impossible to predict until it's known a) how the film performed and b) how the sets performed. If the film performs poorly and doesn't become an ongoing franchise, then it's more or less doomed. If the sets perform poorly, then I also don't see it lasting much longer. But TLG is probably hoping that the Lone Ranger line performs well and has staying power.

Also, something to keep in mind is that we don't know the terms of the Lone Ranger license agreement at all. It's not out of the question to think TLG might be contractually obligated not to have out competing Western-themed products. Some might still insist that agreeing to such a contract would be putting licensed themes above first-party interests, but as I see it, The Lone Ranger (the film and theme alike) will be a testing ground to see if the Western genre still has all-ages appeal with a global audience. I've long felt that one reason the Western theme has been absent from shelves for so long is that frankly, most of the westerns of the past decade have been gritty and cynical depictions of the Old West. Additionally, many classic westerns have not aged well, with many having unfavorable depictions of Indians, a heavy dose of gun violence, and other things that could convince parents they are "not kid-friendly".

It remains to be seen what lengths The Lone Ranger will go to to change this, but I imagine it will be marketed to an audience at least as broad as that of the PotC franchise, and as such could revive kids' interest in the genre as a whole. The Western genre overall hasn't collapsed the way the pirate franchise had for years before the release of PotC, but from my experience kids just don't play "Cowboys and Indians" the way popular culture tells us they once did, and so whether TLG acquired a license or not, the future of the Western theme may hinge on the success of this film. As such, it's only to be expected that TLG would have happily grabbed this license in hopes of beating competing brands to the punch, so to speak.

Posted by goldfish in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 11:32

Almost to the letter as I predicted. Pleased with this, back to the future will be awesome!!!

Posted by Demarco Murray in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 11:34

"Do we want to make an original western themed set?"
"No, we're doing The Lone Ranger. Next."

10,000 supporters and a review lasting 7 months to announce a decision that probably took LEGO about 5 minutes to make. That is why people are pissed off.

Posted by legoguysw in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 11:45

I'm really pleased that I'll be able to get my hands on a LEGO Delorean, but I am disappointed that the Modular Western Town failed. I'm actually getting a bit fed up of all these Disney licenses.

Posted by The Green Brick Giant in United States, 20 Dec 2012 11:55

LEGO Cuusoo...

FAILED!

What a joke, what an unbelievable joke, seven months and all the Western Town creator gets is a "Screw You, we have Lone Ranger"?!?! They could't delay it into the future? Lone Ranger will last 6 month. But let's throw out the ONLY set in the review that wasn't based on a license. Even if Lone Ranger gets a sequel it doesn't mean we will get sets for the next 2-4 years until that movie is out. Lone Ranger isn't Star Wars.

Nice job LEGO, you fail.

What does "more challenging business case" even mean? Lego just throwing out excuses trying to cover their a--es instead of explaining why they passed on these awesome model people spent hard time trying to get passed.

Yet another Lego failure dealing with Cuusoo, their biggest failure since Speed Racer.

Posted by MCLegoboy in United States, 20 Dec 2012 12:05

Uh... What they said.

Okay, I really like the Back to the Future idea, and now see myself getting one, but like all others, the Modular Western Town thing is ridiculous.

Combine the two ideas. BttF went into the Western era, did it not? Combine the MWT with The Lone Ranger stuff because it fits and it had no other particular back story, liscensing, or otherwise. All Lego had to do was scale it down to two buildings, and call it good, but Disney just wants to take over the world, and will make sure nothing gets in its way if it cannot acquire the obsticle at first. The Lone Ranger is also just another theme that will be here and gone in a year because there is really only so much one can do with it.

I saw that someone said that the guy who made the MWT should reupload it. I agree fully. Since the Lone Ranger will be gone very quickly, it's a perfect time to try again with it, and it would pass, like it should have anyway.

As for the stuff coming up, Portal has the best chance. The Rover is a close second. The Sandcrawler is just too much of a monster, and although it would be more to scale with the minifigures, the final project, if it passed, would be scaled down to probably only be a little over one and a half the size of the 2006 one. After that, chuck Pete and keep Space Troopers and just tack in on to Galaxy Squad if it is still around in 2016 seeing as it will take that long just to get it into a final model.

All in all:
Yay for Team BttF
Boo to Disney for keeping back MWT
Portal and Mars Rover are possibilities
Space Troopers has the next best chance.

Posted by goldfish in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 12:19

The over reaction and nastiness on here just because the Western set has failed is ridiculous. It is 100% the correct decision not to pass this given The Lone Ranger set coming up and the tie up with Disney. You can't have a Cuusoo project that could well canibilise sales of another commercial theme. Can we move on?

Posted by Haltiamieli in Finland, 20 Dec 2012 12:23

Disappointing, if not surprising. Well, actually I am slightly surprised too that MWT simply failed instead of going into a queue to wait until Lone Ranger is nicely over. But of course even that would conflict with the theme, as some would undoubtedly choose to wait for MWT instead of buying LR products.

But the most disappointing thing, really, is that it will be _very_ hard to rally AFOLs to support any project after this. Too much disappointment and cynicism. :/ And without AFOL rallies all the projects I'm really interested in are years from achieving 10k supporters.

Posted by Jay Kenobi ZX in United States, 20 Dec 2012 12:25

So does the acceptance of the BTTF model rule out the possibilities of a BTTF licensed theme?

Posted by LEGOIndianaMogens in Denmark, 20 Dec 2012 12:25

This is exactly why I dislike Cuusoo. It's hopeless.
I would like if someone could remake the bluecoats in the 2009 style, but the only thing people cares about is what they see on tv and in games.
I miss DESIGN byME, where you could buy your creations without anyone else liking it, and licensed creations were not allowed.

Posted by ninjagoyo in United States, 20 Dec 2012 12:32

What a bunch of crybabies. Grow up.

I'm imagining the heroic work LEGO's licensing people must have done behind the scenes to get that BTTF deal, and I applaud them. This is great news for all the people who have put up license-based MOCs to Cuusoo, and shows that all the naysaysing snobs who griped about licensed MOCS, who seem to coincide with the Western Modular crybabies, were completely wrong. I agree with those who say all this bodes well for Portal in the next review.

Posted by Kliq in United States, 20 Dec 2012 12:40

What a disappointment. I am completely uninterested in anything 'Back to the Future', and since I don't buy sets for parts, this will be another Cuusoo set I pass on. I figured the MWT could have been what 10228 Haunted House was to the Monster Fighers theme. Part of me is glad, though, that they decided to pass on MWT only because they may have tied it in to the Lone Ranger, and the minifgures would have been fleshy. >:[ I know that is a small nitpick, but I have to think of some reason why this would be good news to me!!

Posted by Demarco Murray in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 12:42

^^^ I don't want any lectures on the "heroic" work done by the people who work for LEGO, or any rubbish about how we should be grateful for what we get. Their lawyers are paid good money to sort out licensing arrangements. They don't do it out of the goodness of their hearts.

Posted by Nightshroud99 in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 12:45

None of these are a shock; and I'm quite please I'll be getting a LEGO Delorean (with hopefully some minifigures) As for the next review, I think the Curiosity Rover will pass, it's an educational product. Portal also might pass, but I'm dubious about the huge Sandcrawler, no matter how cool it is.

Posted by The Cobra in Italy, 20 Dec 2012 12:52

I quote every single word by The Green Brick Giant.

Posted by The_Rizulli in United States, 20 Dec 2012 13:05

Pretty psyched about Back to the Future; disappointed about MWT but figured it was doomed as soon as The Lone Ranger became a confirmed theme. The outright rage I'm seeing in the comments about MWT is kinda surprising.

For better or worse, Cuusoo has certainly helped strip away some of the mystery behind the design and approval process of TLG. I'm sure that what we're seeing is only a taste of what the designers go through every day.

As for the next review, I think Curiosity Rover is all but a lock to get passed. Sure, initial excitement over the actual mission has passed, but exploration has long been a cornerstone of TLG's themes, and it would be keeping right in line with the previously produced Japanese Cuusoo models.

Posted by FizzleMeSexy in United States, 20 Dec 2012 13:13

MWT is non licensed. Space and star wars run side by side. Why did this not pass or get put on hold? This was a single st with potential to be a great line. If lego makes this a non cusso line, that would be the right thing.

Posted by Ulli in Germany, 20 Dec 2012 13:19

I bought the Haunted House, and added some Monster Fighter Sets to that!

And I planed to buy the Modular Western Set, and to add some of the Lone Ranger Set!
As they now canceled the Modular Western Set, I cancel the Lone Ranger Sets!
Save´s me some money, and keeps LEGO their "Business Policy´s"!
:-((

Posted by richselby in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 13:23

Long wait, bit of an anticlimax.

Posted by goldfish in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 13:26

^^ I will be buying all The Lone Ranger sets and looking forward to it. If they had approved and made the Modular Western Set at significant cost, many fans would have had to choose between the two.

Posted by EdmondDantes in United States, 20 Dec 2012 13:27

I think Marshal Banana should produce instructions/parts lists for the various buildings (like etadyne did with Serenity) and sell them for $10-$15 apiece. The various AFOL sites could sponsor the sales (like they did with the CUUSO voting) for a piece of the action.

Wouldn't that make everyone happy?

Just throwing it out there...

Posted by BOBJACK_JACKBOB in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 13:34

I'm sorry if this ruffles a few feathers but I am quite disappointed with a lot of the comments from my fellow Bricksetters.

Something to consider - most licensing agreements will have a clause specifying that the product producer cannot also sell a similar/competing product to the one being licensed. There's a high chance the decision with the MWT is one that TLG is contractually obliged to make.

As a fan of the classic western theme I was quite pleased when I heard that TLG were releasing sets based on The Lone Ranger. I thought that this was a good way for TLG to gauge interest in western lego in general and if the response is positive I would expect them to release their own western sets once The Lone Ranger license has expired, giving the MWT another chance.

One more thing - A big round of applause for the BTTF designers for donating their commission to the Micheal J Fox charity.

Posted by Diederik in Netherlands, 20 Dec 2012 13:35

Hell, I even asked family and friends to vote for the Western Modular, only to find out it never even had a chance to begin with.
Will never vote for anything on Cuusoo again.

Posted by goldfish in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 13:46

The comments are getting worse and worse. Just ask yourselves how many companies even do something like Cuusoo and have an avenue available to present ideas to the actual company itself!

It was the right commercial decision, and that is the long and short of it. If you are that upset, have a go at building it yourself! It is after all Lego!

Posted by Vycoul in United States, 20 Dec 2012 13:47

Disappointment all around I see? I certainly didn't think that the MWT would get denied.
I'm incredibly sad to see Zelda got the axe. I knew it only had a slim chance, but I got my hopes up anyway...

I'm happy for Back to the Future and all, but, one question to the people who are excited about it:
How old are you? Surely you see where I'm going with this. I really don't think the younger audience will even know what BttF is. But it did get 10.000 votes, I guess that's all that matters.

Well, I'm done with Cuusoo now. As are, I'm sure, plenty of others after this.

Posted by Dragon_Master_48 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 13:52

I actually liked all the projects for this first quarterly review; although I would've prefered something like LoZ or the Modular Western Town (now that I think of it, even the EVE Rifter), it's not entirely disapointing.
I do agree, though, that they should've selected at least one of these products to hold back, given the immense popularity of all.

EDIT: As one angry LEGO Cuusoo commenter said:
"I didn't think you could actually make something pass after hearing your flawed reasoning abut everything else. You could have easily said the same things for that and be left with nothing."
In many ways, that's right...

Posted by bodybomb3 in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 13:54

Does anyone know when its likely to be released?

Posted by starwars8288 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 13:59

Oh well, no Legend of Zelda. That stinks, it would have been great!

Posted by rosney in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:00

@goldfish

I think you're putting too much faith in Cuusoo being "the voice of the people" as opposed to what it really is - an enormous and free (well, 99% free) R&D department. Lego grabs these community ideas, Lego produces them, Lego keeps 99% of the profits. The 1% "royalty" is an insultingly small percentage for a great and marketable idea.

This is assuming BTTF will sell like Minecraft did, which I think it will.

Posted by domboy in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:06

So can somebody point me to where Lego actually said that they're not making the module western town because of the Lone Ranger?? All I see is speculation in this thread, and the video about makes no mention of why the other three didn't make the cut. Unless Disney has some sort of exclusive product agreement what would actually stop them from releasing it? It would be a very different market anyway, Lone Ranger is for kids, MWT would be a much older target customer, the same ones that buy the big Lego exclusives. It would be similar to how 10223-1: Kingdoms Joust (a Castle exclusive) is available alongside the Lord of the Rings sets (which replaced the Castle theme for this year). It sounds to me more like a very large set may not be what they're wanting to do with Cuusoo...

Posted by Orthobotrex in Philippines, 20 Dec 2012 14:09

Isn't there a part in the BTTF movie where they actually go back in time and it's western themed? Unless of course they're just sticking to making the Delorean in LEGO, this should be in conflict with Lone Ranger, too.

Oh well, it's still all about commerce...

Posted by EdmondDantes in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:12

@domboy

Read the link at the very top of the page.

An excerpt:

Modular Western Town
by mb_bricks
The Modular Western Town project conflicts with an ongoing project at the LEGO Group. As a result, the project does not meet the business case requirements and has not passed the LEGO Review.

The unnamed "ongoing project" is, of course, The Lone Ranger

Posted by erbse2000 in Germany, 20 Dec 2012 14:17

I am really sorry for the other three sets, which are really great, but I am looking forward the BTTF set. I hope the western town might get another try...

Posted by The Green Brick Giant in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:18

I am not crying. I would probably never buy the western town, and probably will by the car.

However this review being so late, lacking details, being 75% license sets. It's just a complete joke to have a quarterly review at the end of the year! The whole Cuusoo system needs to be rethought out because this is just a joke.

Why waste my time building something, getting it up and running on Cuusoo, getting the votes, waiting over a half a year for a simple "yes/no" question then just being thrown to the side because in all that time Lego came up with a slightly different idea.

Plus don't get me started on the fact the winner works for Cuusoo!

Posted by sadowsk1 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:19

I wonder how many people that work for Lego that might stumble across this thread and think to themselves, these people need to run along now and play with their toys.

Posted by picklefish in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:26

It does not surprise me that MWT failed. Cuusoo is for individual small sets, not themes. I would love to see Lego do a modular Western THeme NOT under the Cuusoo brand some day. The size of the sets seems to make the sets the "Kid" version of the large modulars.

Posted by domboy in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:27

@ EdmondDantes

I see now. Thanks for pointing out that it was a link... somehow missed it.

Posted by Demarco Murray in United Kingdom, 20 Dec 2012 14:33

@sadowsk1

Perhaps, or maybe there will be two Lego executives who have a meeting thus:

"What is the number one asset the Lego Group has?"
"Goodwill."
"And what did we just lose?"
"A chunk of it."

Posted by sonsofsceva in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:43

Perhaps there will be a large western set in the near future, if the Lone Ranger line does well. That may have already been on the slate for engineering when the MWT came up at CUUSOO. To say that it is just a conflict with the sets in the German catalogue may be us relying on our limited information. We don't know TLG's production pipeline. For example, I wonder if the Black Pearl would have been produced for sale, though already engineered, if PotC sets had initally tanked.

Posted by meyerc13 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 14:47

It's interesting, when they shot down the Winchester (and then Serenity) and those of us who supported it got upset, everyone around here was defending this joke of a system and telling us we were being unrealistic. Yet those same folks were supporting the western town which has now also been shot down. Are you guys still drinking the cool aid or have your eyes been opened to the fact that the concept of Cuusoo is a major failure?

Congratulations to the BttF project, I won't say I won't buy it until I have seen the final product, because sometimes LEGO makes a diamond out of coal, but the models I saw on Cuusoo did nothing for me. I don't think you can make the model realistically in minifig scale without resorting to techniques that I find unappealing in LEGO vehicles. Maybe they can do it, but I don't think so without making new parts (which they have shown they are reluctant to do for Cuusoo projects.

As for those who think BttF will outpace Minecraft, I'm not convinced. Don't think I like Minecraft, because I don't know anything about it and wouldn't buy the model except for parts... but Minecraft is hugely popular with kids. I doubt kids know what BttF is, so the market is considerably less.

Maybe I'll be wrong, but so far Cuusoo has been in a death spiral... killing the projects that AFOLs like, taking too long to make decisions after the voting is done... this model just isn't working and the only reason I think Cuusoo hasn't been shut down already is the success of Minecraft. If that was a fluke (which it may well have been), I think that we'll see Cuusoo go the way of LEGO Universe and DesignbyMe.

Posted by davefaust78 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 15:04

@EdmondDantes - I agree with you. If we can get a list of the bricks used to build the Modular Western Town, and some instructions, I can order my own parts from Lego and build it myself!
I understand the conflict between the Cuusoo proposed set and the upcoming Lone Ranger stuff, but the MWT is so creative and so well done, that I would love to add it to my collection.

Posted by kumasawa in United States, 20 Dec 2012 15:11

I am incredibly disappointed that MWT was rejected, and I refuse to have anything to do with CUUSOO again. With some creativity, one or more Western Town sets could have been a great complement to The Lone Ranger theme and possibly even boosted sales of those license sets. First, just don't include minifigs with the MWT and people will want to buy Lone Ranger sets to populate the town. Second, the Colby City set looks like the worst of the bunch, so having the MWT would make up for that so people wouldn't complain too much about not have a good "town" set in The Lone Ranger theme. Even though it was designed to be multiple sets that could be collected and fit together, I think people would have been happy with a scaled down single Western Town set the size of the Haunted House or Kingdoms joust. Even better would be if Lego included a variety of parts so that people could put together several of the buildings, just not at the same time. Kind of like the 3-in-1 creator sets. Maybe someone could contact the original designer of MWT and try to get some parts lists and LDD instructions? The community could still keep this project alive in some form since Lego has completely dropped the ball...

Posted by Konstantin in United States, 20 Dec 2012 15:18

It is unfair that Western town will not be made.These Lego designers nowadays don't want to produce anything historical. They cancelled medieval and now they produce star wars and silly stuff like ninjago, chima, and turtle. There are no good Lego sets.

Posted by Beanermonkey501 in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 15:52

i get a lego delorean? oh ya!

Posted by Starik20X7 in Australia, 20 Dec 2012 16:18

Really? REALLY? Two new parts (a hat and a sword) qualifies as too many for Zelda?!

Posted by GregoryBrick in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 16:25

I am glad to see the BTTF submission achieve its goal. BTTF has a very large and devoted following even outside of LEGO and I am sure this product will appeal to them. It seems to be just the kind of niche or one-off model that CUUSOO is designed for.

I am disappointed that so many say that CUUSOO has let them down or has done something misleading. As I understand it, people are free to make their submissions within the guidelines and try to achieve enough support for LEGO to consider their project. Then LEGO considers the project and decides if they want to follow up with it on their own terms. This is exactly what they have said they would do and is what they have done. I am also sure that TLG has an excellent idea of what products are feasible and act accordingly. It is not as though they are simply ignorant of all the suggestions here about how MWT could have been made workable.

I am glad CUUSOO exists and look forward to further developments.

Posted by Goldmatt in United States, 20 Dec 2012 16:33

The best part about Lego is that when they don't make what you want you make it yourself!!

Posted by ninjagoyo in United States, 20 Dec 2012 16:41

If we could somehow covert the sense of entitlement of people in this thread into electricity, it could power a medium sized city.
Everyone who says they will never go to Cuusoo again... good! It doesn't need your whining.

Posted by currence in United States, 20 Dec 2012 16:52

Regarding the 1% donated from the BTTF team, it occurs to me that (1) it was probably easier to get a licensing deal with 1% donated to charity rather than pocketed by a person who has no legal claim to the franchise and (2) if the agreement to donate the money to charity was in the video, that team either knew they had won or knew they were in serious consideration, which seems a bit unfair to the teams that were not given any advanced notice.

I think Minecraft was the perfect storm of online interest causing initial sell-outs, which then raised awareness of the product and created additional demand. I picked up a set on Amazon for an online friend who had no idea the set even existed until a member of a different (non Lego) forum posted about how hard it was to find. Had the set been readily available it would have received a lot less publicity which in turn probably would have kept sales much lower. As easy as it will be for Lego to point to the Minecraft set as their "don't you want to partner with us and share these results" I have a hard time seeing other sets doing as well.

Posted by Legolover9531 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 16:59

^As someone else pointed out earlier, Masashi Togami is a part time contractor of the CUUSOO System, so he probably knew this was getting picked, which I find to be total bullcrap. It's like saying, "Since you work for CUUSOO, your set gets made!"

Posted by murrayhenson in Poland, 20 Dec 2012 17:21

I'm just happy that I get a chance to give feedback on the sort of sets I'd be willing to buy, not to mention even one in a hundred actually getting built. I can't think of a lot of other companies that do that sort of thing, especially when the bulk of the audience involved in all of the fan-made sets and promotion thereof are not really considered LEGO's core audience. Just my two 1x1 plates.

Posted by Modok in United States, 20 Dec 2012 17:37

By the way, although we don't *know* The Lone Ranger will only be one wave, even a four-film franchise like Pirates of the Caribbean only got one. (As did Prince of Persia, another big-budget, period-specific Disney adventure movie.)

Lone Ranger sets will be sitting on clearance by the end of 2013; there was no reason the Modular Western Town couldn't have been postponed for a later release rather than archived.

This also seems to indicate that all review periods will only have one "winner," and the rest will get archived. We previously were led to believe that projects could be held over for production in a later quarter.

Posted by jonbuddy in United States, 20 Dec 2012 17:58

I'm so glad the DeLorean got passed - BTTF is in my Top 10 favorite movies!

Damn shame about the MWT, though.

Posted by Blockland in United States, 20 Dec 2012 18:04

You have got to be kidding. Legend of Zelda would have been a huge success, even if it would have been time consuming to make new moulds. EVE, I am kinda mad, but it had issues that could be explained. Western Town, No, just no. Lone Ranger will be awful and it will only be 1 wave. Lego missed a huge oppertunity with that one, but gave it up for a crappy movie lego theme? Everyone, do not buy Lone Ranger sets as boycott.

Posted by Paul Boratko in United States, 20 Dec 2012 19:03

As stated above, I really don't think this issue with most people is the fact of what passed and what didn't as much as it was that they really shouldn't have kept everyone on their toes for the length of time that they did... It takes someone a year or more to hit 10,000 and then another 6 months to announce if Lego thinks it's a good idea for their company...? C'mon...

From what we've all seen thus far, Cuusoo is more about small project ideas rather than larger ones, that is why even if my project would ever get to 10,000, I am expecting it to fail purely based on it's complexity and size... I did just about everything that I could to market my project all over the internet, but it got tiresome especially with no hardcore License fanbase(Not to mention lack of Lego fans of it's particular theme)

I suppose some ideas are just not meant to be...

Posted by The Green Brick Giant in United States, 20 Dec 2012 20:11

Exactly Paul. I liked all four models enough, probably would have loved Zelda the most because I'm a Castle fan, but this whole thing feels so drawn out. Then in the end someone who works for Cuusoo won, and they released a press release that just goes "You lost, we won, please wait 6 more months for the next review!"

Way too drawn out.

I can't wait until the next Lego poll comes out. I'll be sure to bring Cuusoo up then, and I hope others do too.

Posted by Blockland in United States, 20 Dec 2012 20:44

I take back my last statement. Legend of Zelda had fair reasons, though it would have made Lego billionares, if they arent already with their 13$ battle packs. I still keep my opinion about the Western Town, as Lego just gave them a huge middle finger. I am happy that the BTTF set got passed though. I hope Portal gets the fall review, however, I would be suprised if Curiosity [sorry I probably spelled it wrong, its been a long day for me] gets passed, considering we have had a mars rover before. The sand crawler will be screwed consideing it is freaking massive, though it is the best MOC vehicle I have ever seen.

Posted by Lego Lord Mayorca in United States, 20 Dec 2012 21:05

Well, like the Highlander said, "THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!"

I'm insulted at this pathetic "agism" rationale that people are throwing out about the viability of BttF with modern audiences. Are you from some alternate universe where BttF was a low-budget indie film?? I was born the year before the last BttF movie premiered, so by the time I was of movie-watching age, those films were widely accessible and beloved by kids of my age cohort. Still love them. I have all three on Blu-ray and a model of the 2015 DeLorean Time Machine on my shelf. I am super-stoked about having a Lego version now, so don't come on here with ridiculous talk of, "Do kids even know what BttF is?" Make like a tree and leave! (lol)

Posted by Paul Boratko in United States, 20 Dec 2012 21:22

I also think the Western Town would make a great playset if they would do a Back to the Future 3 theme...

All we need are a Mad Dog Tannen fig and a horse cart hauling manure... ;)

Posted by copperwonder96 in United States, 20 Dec 2012 22:12

^^^^^^^^^^^Wow!

Posted by Albus in Australia, 20 Dec 2012 22:44

I too am disappointed by some of the comments here.

I think that calling Cuusoo and LEGO failures because they didn't decide to produce the set that someone wanted (even if there were many of those 'someones'), and whinging about it, is highly immature, and unappreciative. LEGO know what they are doing, and just because fans want a set, and it is on Cuusoo, does not at all mean that LEGO HAS to make it. They know what they are doing, they know what their company needs, and they have MANY important business decisions to make.

Cuusoo is not about adding up as many votes as you can so that LEGO will produce a desired set simply because it is popular - Cuusoo is about giving the right sets and ideas the opportunity to get noticed by LEGO, and in the end it is LEGO's decision. In that, I think Cuusoo has been a success (it's also engaged the community in a whole new way). For that reason, I do not think Cuusoo has been a failure, and I will be still interested in it.

I wanted the MWT too, as a big fan of the modulars, and someone who was too young at the time of the Western sets. But again, LEGO, better than anyone else, knows what they are doing and what is best for them. Cuusoo has so far been for single sets (not a series of Modulars, but that can still change), and admittedly, Modulars are a big commitment. Looking at the current Modulars, a lot of work, time and money is put into them, so to double that by adding a second modular series might not be wise. At least they tried! I would imagine that if MWT had been off the board immediately, they would have said so earlier on, but no, it seems it went into a lot of consideration.

Just because LEGO doesn't make a particular set doesn't mean they have failed. Do they get so much criticism because they don't make a particular Star Wars ship, or anything similar? I don't think so, it seems that people are under the impression that because a set has so many votes, and is popular, LEGO is obliged to make it, but I don't think this is true.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, I am just commenting here. My advice: don't get so worked up about it, that's all.

:)

Posted by vexorian in Bolivia, 20 Dec 2012 23:09

Just a step closer to everyone finally realising that licensed themes ruin everything.

Does this mean Space Troopers will conflict with SW because SW has storm troopers? Time will tell.

Posted by tedward in Canada, 20 Dec 2012 23:56

You want to talk about disappointment in reactions? How about the nonsense being spouted by some defenders of Cuusoo? For example just above it was written, "just because fans want a set, and it is on Cuusoo, does not at all mean that LEGO HAS to make it." Well then what exactly is the point? I am extremely disappointed because that is exactly how this whole thing was sold to us in the first place.

We all accepted that there would be some restrictions based on adult content and intellectual properties but the basic bargain has been thrown back in our faces. To make it even worse they keep changing the rules on the fly so that the rules in place when a project is proposed and then reaches the threshold for production are not the rules on which it gets approved or rejected.

We had high hopes for the idea of Cuusoo and we are well within our rights to complain when what they promised has not been delivered. You are, or course, also entitled to your positive opinions about Cuusoo however I think it is time to stop insulting people who disagree with you.

Posted by multiplex in Canada, 21 Dec 2012 00:24

I'm not surprised they accepted the BTTF car. Take a look at the car in the new spider man set with venom and Nic Fury. Look familiar?

But seriously, I grew up in the 80s and sure BTTF was cool but this is almost 30 years later! I'd much rather see a well thought out, elaborate western town that has the potential to build on itself and last years than a "one of" retro set to satisfy the fanboys.

I agree with the guy above. What's the point of cuusoo then? Shouldnt it be to give the LEGO fans what they want? I haven't been there in a while cause all the good ideas don't stand a chance. The rules and restrictions are too many

Posted by Brick_Obsession in Canada, 21 Dec 2012 00:43

None of these sets appeal to me, that being said I have nothing negative to say about any of them. I look forward to the next batch, hopefully that UCS Sandcrawler pulls through.

On the topic of the BTTF. I am not convinced that it will do well in sales in my opinion. It's a set geared to most AFOL's as the younger generation has no idea who Marty McFly is. I just can't see the appeal of it.

I think people get wrapped up in popularity of Minecraft. With the great demand and sales of Minecraft, the set came along at the right time and hit the right focus group, the kids.

That being said, I do hope it does well in sales as they mentioned the sales (1%) will be going to a worthy cause.

JMO

Posted by Minifig Mischief in United States, 21 Dec 2012 00:49

I’ll try to keep my whining to a minimum. Better yet, I think I’ll call it ‘constructive criticism’, instead.

I think rejecting the only truly original LEGO CUUSOO project is not the best way to ensure the website’s longevity.

If Lone Ranger was the reason the Modular Western Town failed to pass the review, MWT should have just been delayed. However, I really don’t see how LR could be a problem as LEGO is concurrently offering Star Wars and Galaxy Squad (The Swarm Interceptor is essentially a smaller version of Pre Vizsla's Mandalorian Fighter). If the current modular series is the “ongoing project” that caused the conflict, I think it would be better to scale down MWT or modify it in some way so it can still be made. I can’t speak on behalf of the creator but if it was my project, I would want it produced in some manner as opposed to being rejected outright. Furthermore, I think it would be great to run MWT just the way it is. LEGO is already making the present-day modular buildings, MWT represents the past and they could also commence a futuristic modular series. This would also tie-in nicely with Back to the Future.

I’m looking forward to the upcoming BTTF set but why does LEGO need help with picking viable licensed properties? They have already made Spider-Man, Batman, DC & Marvel Super Heroes, PotC, LotR, The Hobbit, PoP, SW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, TMNT, Disney Princesses, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Ben 10, Avatar, Toy Story, Cars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Spongebob, Maersk, Architecture, and Lone Ranger (*pant, gasp, pant*). CUUSOO’s emphasis should be on the original fan creations.

It is incredibly disappointing that it takes over 6 and a half months for the CUUSOO team to reveal their decisions. At this rate, why have quarterly reviews if only one project is going to be produced per year?

As disappointing as this long-awaited announcement has been, I will continue to visit the LEGO CUUSOO website. CUUSOO hasn’t been completly ruined for me but the Android mascot project could still make that happen. If that set gets approved, I may have to walk off the roof of a building. Luckily, Doc Brown and the DeLorean Time Machine will be there to catch me!

Posted by Paul Boratko in United States, 21 Dec 2012 01:30

The only thing that bothers me about the Western Town Project is that TLC obviously knew well in advance that The Lone Ranger Theme was in the works and then when the Western Theme was nearing the 10k plateau, it was hinted that only one building would possibly be produced and then people were voting on which one they liked best, then after it hit the 10K the final decision was delayed 6 months which was well after the Lone Ranger Theme was officially announced and pics of the sets started to appear...

Quite a coincidence on the timing...

Posted by ninjagoyo in United States, 21 Dec 2012 05:20

^^Why does the LR contract have to be the same as the SW contract in terms of exclusivity? It's with two different companies (well, different as of when those contracts were drawn up). And how would you know what the contract is anyway? Maybe we will take LEGO's word rather than disgruntled fans? Yeah, I think so.

People have repeatedly pointed out the many, many reasons why MWT had little chance of passing. The fact that LEGO corporate did not enter the reality distortion field of that idea's promoters has sparked what can only be described as a group tantrum. It's a great MOC. It's a lousy Cuusoo proposal.

And for the people who are still in denial that licensed properties are completely feasible... Try to separate your own fantasy of Cuusoo as a personal MOC-validating wish fulfillment machine from what it actually is, a way for LEGO to identify and engage new or underdeveloped customer segments, of which, duh, fanbases of existing popular properties, which, duh, are overwhelmingly associated with movies and video games, society's main forms of mass entertainment, are a prime example.

The biggest irony is that these Western fans, on the one hand, play the "licenses are evil" card, and, with the other hand, play the "just like LEGO screwed Winchester and Serenity" card... which, duh, are also licenses!

Posted by fikko3107 in Indonesia, 21 Dec 2012 05:51

I'm 13 and i've watched the BTTF trilogy, and i must say it's one of my favorite sci-fi movies. Then again, i am not "most kids" but in retrospect, i can't imagine kids going online and begging for a Hayabusa or a minecraft (Great game, by the way) set to their parents, especially kids who are not commited LEGO fans.

But yeah, it's too bad that the MWT failed.

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 21 Dec 2012 11:43

To those wondering why The Lone Ranger and the MWT can't coexist the way Space and Star Wars can: Because ANY western-themed products are a gamble. Westerns have not had a lot of all-ages appeal in decades. You may recall that Toy Story 2 made this a plot point: Woody and the other characters from his show were essentially considered "relics" and worth more in the hands of vintage toy collectors than they would be to kids.

Also, @Paul_Boratko: Keep in mind that the Cuusoo platform is not operated by The LEGO Group, and TLG tends to be very, very secretive about their upcoming products (even if leaks do still inevitably happen). The LEGO Cuusoo team might not have even KNOWN that The Lone Ranger sets were in the works. This issue of coordination between the LEGO Cuusoo team and TLG's product designers is just one obstacle that LEGO Cuusoo still needs to overcome; there are many more.

I suppose part of the reason I'm not too invested in the LEGO Cuusoo results is that I have never considered it a promise: I've considered it an experiment. Ideally I want it to succeed, but in the meantime my interest in Cuusoo mostly comes from watching what happens and seeing how the platform adapts to new challenges. If TLG eventually decides the experiment has been a failure, like Design byME and LEGO Universe before it, then that's a shame, but they might learn some valuable lessons from the experiment which they can later apply to other undertakings.

Posted by kumasawa in United States, 21 Dec 2012 14:14

@Aanchir wrote: "... ANY western-themed products are a gamble. Westerns have not had a lot of all-ages appeal in decades. "

There are ways that MWT could have been slightly modified to make it more appealing to a wider audience than just Western fans. Lego could have tweaked the buildings to be more "run down" and added some ghosts or zombies and released it as a "Western Ghost Town" set for the Monster Fighters theme. Or Lego could have taken some of the buildings, added a movie camera and stuntmen and "Spielberg" director minifigs and suddenly you have a "Western Town Movie Set" to harken back to the Studios theme. The fact that Lego rejected this set just shows a lack of creativity in their business/management team.

But I've already said in a previous comment how a clever marketing team could have taken the MWT and used it to boost the upcoming Lone Ranger theme. Anyway, the whole situation is just very disappointing and I still haven't changed my mind about not wanting to have anything to do with CUUSOO again...

Posted by Aanchir in United States, 21 Dec 2012 18:30

@kumasawa There's a limit to how much TLG can change a project before it's a different project than its supporters originally supported. Changing the genre of the model completely would be incredibly disloyal to the original project. TLG's changes to Cuusoo projects more often just involve changing the model to use sturdier building techniques and more economical builds-- not radically changing the spirit of the model. This same issue came up when the Mindstorms Tachikoma project had to have its licensed branding removed and the model made more generic-- the Cuusoo team realized that a lot of the supporters had given their support because of the Ghost in the Shell tie-in, and thus it would be a disservice to the supporters to change the part of the project that earned it so much of their support.

As for changing it to be a part of the Lone Ranger theme, that would have introduced even more licensing complications. Who says Disney would approve of a random addition to the theme not based on a single scene in the movie?

It's not a lack of creativity. There's a difference between creativity and mutating a project into something different than its creator's and supporters' intent.

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