Bigger than the Tunguska blast of 1909!
January 30, 2014 7:45 AM Subscribe
LEGO's Cuuso system (previously) has chosen their next fan-submitted set release. The previous one was the "Back to the Future" Delorean, and it appears they are sticking with the "Beloved Sci-Fi/Comedy vehicles of the 1980's" theme. Get ready to build Ecto 1 (official video announcement with pictures of the winner and runners up)!
Came for the post title, stayed for the LEGO.
posted by grog at 8:00 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by grog at 8:00 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
A buddy bought the Back to the Future set. The car is...okay, in person, but the minifigs are spot on, which is kinda fun.
There were some grumblings in the LEGO fan community on how they changed the original submitted Delorean design. Here's hoping the Ecto1 fan design is mostly retained.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:02 AM on January 30, 2014
There were some grumblings in the LEGO fan community on how they changed the original submitted Delorean design. Here's hoping the Ecto1 fan design is mostly retained.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:02 AM on January 30, 2014
Awesome, I wonder how easy it is to modify the set to replace the flux capacitor with a tiny suitcase full of cocaine and make it a standard model Delorean?
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 8:15 AM on January 30, 2014 [10 favorites]
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 8:15 AM on January 30, 2014 [10 favorites]
I had not heard of the Cuuso System before. That Curiosity Rover model looks really sweet, I might have to get one!
posted by dnash at 8:26 AM on January 30, 2014
posted by dnash at 8:26 AM on January 30, 2014
"Everybody can relax, I found the car! Needs some suspension work; and shocks, and brakes, brake pads, lining, steering box, transmission, rear end.... And maybe new rings, also mufflers, a little wiring..."
posted by entropicamericana at 8:34 AM on January 30, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 8:34 AM on January 30, 2014 [9 favorites]
My kids gave me the DeLorean for Christmas, and I love it. I was vaguely aware that it was a Cusoo set, but I didn't realize that there'd been a controversy over the design. dismas is right, too, that the minifigs are awesome.
posted by Shohn at 8:39 AM on January 30, 2014
posted by Shohn at 8:39 AM on January 30, 2014
I liked the design of the Female Scientist set, especially if they extended from the chemist, astronomer and paleontologist to include the robotics engineer and the geologist.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:44 AM on January 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 8:44 AM on January 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Not Cuuso, but the Lego Simpsons house is cray.
posted by 2bucksplus at 8:49 AM on January 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by 2bucksplus at 8:49 AM on January 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
I had not heard of the Cuuso System before. That Curiosity Rover model looks really sweet, I might have to get one!
I bought one and it is, indeed, pretty sweet. I partly bought it because a few (ten!) years ago they made models of the Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) and I didn't buy one and now they're going for hundreds of dollars on eBay. But I mostly bought it because it's a spot-on Lego model of a freakin' Mars rover.
The Cuuso line is pretty neat. I wish they'd expand a bit and produce more than a couple models a year.
posted by bondcliff at 8:52 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I bought one and it is, indeed, pretty sweet. I partly bought it because a few (ten!) years ago they made models of the Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and Opportunity) and I didn't buy one and now they're going for hundreds of dollars on eBay. But I mostly bought it because it's a spot-on Lego model of a freakin' Mars rover.
The Cuuso line is pretty neat. I wish they'd expand a bit and produce more than a couple models a year.
posted by bondcliff at 8:52 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
This, along with Lego's new product of the last two decades, has exceedingly little to do with Lego, but I'm sure they're both making for nice profits.
posted by rhombus at 9:10 AM on January 30, 2014
posted by rhombus at 9:10 AM on January 30, 2014
Obscure, but inspired, I guess.
"The Minifigures:
- Dorothy (Petrillo) Zbornak(comes with a newspaper)
- Rose Nylund (comes with a cheesecake)
- Blanche Devereaux (comes with a hand mirror )
- Sophia Petrillo (comes with a handbag)"
*dies*
(but not before signing up for an account and voting for it)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:15 AM on January 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
"The Minifigures:
- Dorothy (Petrillo) Zbornak(comes with a newspaper)
- Rose Nylund (comes with a cheesecake)
- Blanche Devereaux (comes with a hand mirror )
- Sophia Petrillo (comes with a handbag)"
*dies*
(but not before signing up for an account and voting for it)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:15 AM on January 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Macross VF-1 Valkyrie? SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEYOf course it transforms, too.
posted by lantius at 9:16 AM on January 30, 2014
Why do the Lego Simpsons figures all look super suspicious/stoned?
posted by stenseng at 9:27 AM on January 30, 2014
posted by stenseng at 9:27 AM on January 30, 2014
People sure like licenses, almost as much as complaining about licenses.
I liked the design of the Female Scientist set, especially if they extended from the chemist, astronomer and paleontologist to include the robotics engineer and the geologist.
Would have loved it if this one won.
posted by Artw at 9:35 AM on January 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
I liked the design of the Female Scientist set, especially if they extended from the chemist, astronomer and paleontologist to include the robotics engineer and the geologist.
Would have loved it if this one won.
posted by Artw at 9:35 AM on January 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
People sure like licenses, almost as much as complaining about licenses.
For LEGO itself or Cuusoo projects? I don't mind so much Star Wars/Disney/Marvel or Ninjago, but Cuusoo submissions are way too dominated by geeky pop culture favorites as opposed to interesting and unique sets.
posted by FJT at 9:56 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
For LEGO itself or Cuusoo projects? I don't mind so much Star Wars/Disney/Marvel or Ninjago, but Cuusoo submissions are way too dominated by geeky pop culture favorites as opposed to interesting and unique sets.
posted by FJT at 9:56 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
The Female Scientist set is awesome! They were robbed. You know what makes it really awesome, to me? That dinosaur. I know so many little boys that love dinosaurs, and would play with that female scientist set because of it. That set is effectively gender neutral. I like to see stuff that is appealing to young girls AND boys, instead of divisive pink-blocks-with-butterflies-and-flowers vs. black-and-grey-guns-and-trucks.*
Heck, I'd fund a Kickstarter to get more sets like that Female Scientist one made!
*That's why the LOTR sets appeal to me, though I wish they did a better job with the Female characters. Arwen is godawful And Galadriel and Eowyn don't even come out until this year. How easy would it have been to make a cute Sam and Rosie set? You could include Frodo for wider appeal: maybe the Sam and Rosie wedding with Frodo cheering alongside Meery and Pippin; a couple side-by-side Hobbit cottages with gardens, Frodo handing Sam the 'There and Back Again' book over a little fence while Rosie and the kids are getting mail from the mailbox at the end of the paved garden path; a nice big Shire pub set with all the Fellowship hobbits, tables, food and barrels, and Rosie behind the bar or dancing with Sam (maybe the Sam minifig in that set could be a collectable red-cheekedne, from shyness and/or exertion!). Any one of those would have been welcome.
posted by misha at 10:18 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Heck, I'd fund a Kickstarter to get more sets like that Female Scientist one made!
*That's why the LOTR sets appeal to me, though I wish they did a better job with the Female characters. Arwen is godawful And Galadriel and Eowyn don't even come out until this year. How easy would it have been to make a cute Sam and Rosie set? You could include Frodo for wider appeal: maybe the Sam and Rosie wedding with Frodo cheering alongside Meery and Pippin; a couple side-by-side Hobbit cottages with gardens, Frodo handing Sam the 'There and Back Again' book over a little fence while Rosie and the kids are getting mail from the mailbox at the end of the paved garden path; a nice big Shire pub set with all the Fellowship hobbits, tables, food and barrels, and Rosie behind the bar or dancing with Sam (maybe the Sam minifig in that set could be a collectable red-cheekedne, from shyness and/or exertion!). Any one of those would have been welcome.
posted by misha at 10:18 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
There were some grumblings in the LEGO fan community on how they changed the original submitted Delorean design
Personally, I think that was mainly due to the box photo of the official model being really terrible, while the original Cuusoo model had one photo from its most flattering view.
A few people have built both of them, and next to each other, I prefer the official model. The Cuusoo one is really boxy.
(Also, the Cuusoo model cheated a bit to do the version from BTTF 3 by just resting stuff on the hood piece.)
posted by smackfu at 10:25 AM on January 30, 2014
Personally, I think that was mainly due to the box photo of the official model being really terrible, while the original Cuusoo model had one photo from its most flattering view.
A few people have built both of them, and next to each other, I prefer the official model. The Cuusoo one is really boxy.
(Also, the Cuusoo model cheated a bit to do the version from BTTF 3 by just resting stuff on the hood piece.)
posted by smackfu at 10:25 AM on January 30, 2014
Halfway through a LEGO "Emerald Night", which I'm sticking LED lighting into for added shelf cred.
Hadn't heard about that CUUSOO thing, so thanks. (except you'veslashdotted mefi-ed the site)
Has there been LEGO Thunderbirds yet?
posted by Artful Codger at 10:29 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hadn't heard about that CUUSOO thing, so thanks. (except you've
Has there been LEGO Thunderbirds yet?
posted by Artful Codger at 10:29 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
I think when Cuusoo was originally set up they said no licensed properties, but then everyone kept submitting licensed properties until Lego gave up.
posted by ckape at 10:34 AM on January 30, 2014
posted by ckape at 10:34 AM on January 30, 2014
Getting a set that's a good fit for Cuusoo is just really hard.
* It needs to be popular enough to be worth selling.
* It can't conflict with any of Lego's existing themes (or unknown themes that are in the pipeline.)
* It has to be a single standalone set, not several sets that only make sense if Lego makes them all..
* It has to be limited in number of pieces to keep it priced reasonably and mass market.
Existing recognizable "things" tend to be the best match for that, and a lot of them are licensed. And then a lot of those licenses are not gettable, so the sets that do get the votes just get thrown out.
posted by smackfu at 10:54 AM on January 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
* It needs to be popular enough to be worth selling.
* It can't conflict with any of Lego's existing themes (or unknown themes that are in the pipeline.)
* It has to be a single standalone set, not several sets that only make sense if Lego makes them all..
* It has to be limited in number of pieces to keep it priced reasonably and mass market.
Existing recognizable "things" tend to be the best match for that, and a lot of them are licensed. And then a lot of those licenses are not gettable, so the sets that do get the votes just get thrown out.
posted by smackfu at 10:54 AM on January 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Oh, also, the female minifigure set wasn't denied, it's still under review. I wouldn't be shocked if Lego considers that too close to Friends, and just rolls it into that line. (Which wouldn't really please anyone.)
posted by smackfu at 10:59 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by smackfu at 10:59 AM on January 30, 2014 [1 favorite]
LEGO does have an official female scientist minifigure, as part of their collectible minifig line, Series 11. Since this is the new year, they've officially released Series 12, but if you're lucky they may have some of Series 11 still in stores.
posted by FJT at 11:09 AM on January 30, 2014
posted by FJT at 11:09 AM on January 30, 2014
Fuck Friends and it's bullshit nonstandard Minifigs.
posted by Artw at 11:10 AM on January 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:10 AM on January 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Next set should be clearly be Real Genius - Jerry Hathaway's Exploding House, maybe including Kent's car as a bonus.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:12 AM on January 30, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:12 AM on January 30, 2014 [5 favorites]
"LEGO sucks these days because it's all licensed properties that just make one specific model!" "OMG LEGO GHOSTBUSTERS SO EPIC" - same person
posted by Legomancer at 11:31 AM on January 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Legomancer at 11:31 AM on January 30, 2014 [3 favorites]
Fuck Friends and it's bullshit nonstandard Minifigs.
Even Friends figures can be made cooler with a little effort.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 11:41 AM on January 30, 2014
Even Friends figures can be made cooler with a little effort.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 11:41 AM on January 30, 2014
Fuck Friends and it's bullshit nonstandard Minifigs.
Even Friends figures can be made cooler with a little effort.
I just talk my girls into also getting a City set at the same time they choose a Friends set. We end up with Snow White working on a logging rig and Merida using her bow to fight crime with the cops.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:06 PM on January 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
Even Friends figures can be made cooler with a little effort.
I just talk my girls into also getting a City set at the same time they choose a Friends set. We end up with Snow White working on a logging rig and Merida using her bow to fight crime with the cops.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 12:06 PM on January 30, 2014 [4 favorites]
The stumpy looking out of scale cops...
Honestly the Friends aren't half the horrors people make them out to be but that Batman and Spiderman can't show up in them and hang out without looking out of place really bugs me.
posted by Artw at 12:26 PM on January 30, 2014
Honestly the Friends aren't half the horrors people make them out to be but that Batman and Spiderman can't show up in them and hang out without looking out of place really bugs me.
posted by Artw at 12:26 PM on January 30, 2014
Do the doors in the DeLorean go up like gull wings, though? Details like that are important!
posted by misha at 4:50 PM on January 30, 2014
posted by misha at 4:50 PM on January 30, 2014
Oh my gosh, It's a Discworld model! With Death and Binky!
posted by misha at 4:59 PM on January 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by misha at 4:59 PM on January 30, 2014 [2 favorites]
The Lego Minecraft series started as a CUUSO. We've got the first set and it falls into the perfect niche for these. Small enough to work, attainable license, and popular enough that they've had ongoing issues keeping them in stock.
That Valkyrie is awesome, but unless I'm mistaken, the whole Macross/Robotech rights boondoggle is such a mess that they can't reliably get any regular products out. Much less license them to Lego.
posted by ericales at 10:01 PM on January 30, 2014
That Valkyrie is awesome, but unless I'm mistaken, the whole Macross/Robotech rights boondoggle is such a mess that they can't reliably get any regular products out. Much less license them to Lego.
posted by ericales at 10:01 PM on January 30, 2014
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posted by dismas at 7:56 AM on January 30, 2014