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.

LEGO 10224 - Town Hall

Town hall, a photo by Chicken Boy on Flickr.

This is the new 2012 Modular Building produced by LEGO, another Jamie Berard design, and a continuation on the use of bizarre colors to get the design done.

Once I saw the dark orange, I was very happy. Dark orange is a color I haven't had much of except for slopes and a few plates. Just recently I added a wee 20 or so parts off of the Pharoah's Quest line. Now the ability to have "cold, hard brick" is here.

It looks like the outlines of the 1x8 brick are visible, which is just great. In Plant City, FL there is a tavern which is painted the equivalent. This can really help my build. I am believing by the small thumbnail images the baseplate (or the tiles) are dark tan so that helps.

This building is also the tallest of the modulars according to a stand-by-stand comparison with the two previous buildings. You can even make out that it's a hell of a structure here. It beats the Grand Emporium by about four inches.

What I like is the focus on the first floor entrance. I like the capitol style awning over the entrance, and the steps. The clock is an excellent touch as well.

Now, what I DON'T like are the following:

The Dark orange components of the façade impose a very basic look. It looks blocky especially with the log bricks. Yes, there's bits and pieces of something on the window tops but it looks a bit simple compared to the likes of the Brigade and the GE.

It looks too much like Fire Brigade in structure. But then again, how would a town hall look? Though, you can imply it is a direct replacement of said building.

As much as I like the provision of dark orange, it does not look right in a Town Hall setting. Maybe Berard is thinking deep / out of the box in that most brick buildings have a nougat color in retrospect.

But anyway, the set looks great and I am looking forward to an overall review. As they say, don't judge the book by its cover. And I am showing you a share of its cover.