CUUSOO - Curiosity Rover and Effectiveness of Ideas

I paid a visit to the CUUSOO website just a few days ago to see what was new and came upon an interesting observation.

Modular Western, as well as several other large projects have passed the 10,000 supporter mark that is required to be considered for a set. All these 'big sets' have hit the mark easily like a knife through butter but the problem was, LEGO didn't like them.

Yet I see that this other model, a Curiosity rehash, has passed it and I think that THIS will be it.

I may be offering a little trick as to how to get your idea approved with the content of this post... So why do I think that this is it, so early into the review stage?

Look at the other sets that got approved. Their price points/sizes fall in the mid-size, $30-50 range. They are not too small yet not too big. They may require a license here and there (and Minecraft got one easily) but otherwise they are fairly generic ideas.

Curiosity serves three liberties... it's medium sized, it's not a model that would require some ridiculous licensing, and most importantly... it's educational.

I think clients will scoff when they see a set that's priced over $100.00. It would be only accessible to the richer members or the zealots of the community. While items like SW UCS sets and the Modulars have sold with flying colors, the colors are not flying high enough to match smaller sets.

I think a product idea has to be truly accessible for it to work, which is why the reviewing committee has turned down many big projects. This is something I think will be successful because it allows play while not being overwhelming (which is the flaw of a town).

But then again, the size isn't the only factor.

I believe another requirement is the generic value of the model. Licenses are expensive and sometimes cannot work out, something I think killed the BTTF Delorean project. They are still possible, hence Minecraft, but I think a general and appealing theme/type is what the reviewers are looking for.

Hence, we have Curiosity which I can bet money will be #004. It isn't necessarily a license, as it could simply be called "space rover" or something to that effect, and it promotes a sense of research. Alas, the educational aspect. Plus, it just simply looks cool. Mechanical models can catch quite a number of eyes and the moving parts evident in the design seem to post a big plus. It is also current. As pretty much everybody would know, NASA expedited a mission to Mars with Curiosity and it landed last month. To "Relive" this experience would be a big plus for the consumer, and it teaches them history, science, and is good for the STEM side of the brain.

I will be looking forward to seeing this design go gold, and hope to have one and be able to review it for you all. Maybe this will also be an example "hint, hint" on how to make ideal and attractive models that will get CUUSOO reviewers unanimously saying "YES" to your design.