LEGO Cuusoo goes Back to the Future with Masashi Togami’s DeLorean [News]

LEGO Cuusoo is really picking up speed lately, breaking 88 miles per hour moments ago! Masashi Togami’s DeLorean project on Cuusoo achieved the 10,000 vote threshold tonight, meriting it an official review by the LEGO Company, and if all goes well, development into an official LEGO set.


20 comments on “LEGO Cuusoo goes Back to the Future with Masashi Togami’s DeLorean [News]

  1. blake

    This will be tough to get licensing worked out. Not like Minecraft, this is a very well known property, hope Lego can work it out.

  2. Dane

    Tougher than making licensing agreements with Disney, Warner Brothers and George Lucas…?

    LEGO’s brand and goodwill are among the best in the world so I don’t think that should be a tough problem to solve since any other brand cooperating with Lego will not get “badwill” out of it, most suddenly earn extra cash and even get extra PR to their existing brand/product.

    Only problem can be if another building block brand has the exclusive right.

  3. Sarah

    I don’t understand why people are trying to sell sets to Lego that are so outdated. Indiana Jones sets came out because the new movie did. Back to the Future, while a modern classic, to a lot of people, is not going to sell to seven to ten year olds and has nothing to promote, no new movie, not even a box set dvd.

    I think the truth is, if you are going to make a set with mini figs you have to accept the fact that it has to sell to a nine year old. Not your geeky nine year old that likes everything you do, the average nine year old who lives in the here and now.

  4. Combee

    @Sarah:
    If you think about the first 2 sets that Lego released with Cuusoo, it doesn’t seem like Lego’s normal demographic (6-11 year old boys) is the prime target for the sets. It seems like one of Cuusoo’s goals is to appeal to niche audiences that might not necessarily purchase Lego ordinarily but may be interested in the subject matter of the Cuusoo sets.

  5. Catsy

    Have to agree with Sarah here. BTTF has a lot of nostalgia value to me as a part of my childhood in the ’80s (and I suspect that kind of nostalgia from my generation is what’s helping drive this project), but absent a modern remake (dear gods, please NO) I don’t see it having broad appeal to Lego’s target audience. I mean it’s been what, more than 20 years since the last one?

    To be honest the model is not very appealing even to me as a fan, although the figs are *great*.

    That said, I do have to correct one point: there is in fact a 25th anniversary DVD box set that was released a couple years back. But a couple years ago when it was coming out for that anniversary would’ve been the best time for this idea.

  6. Sarah

    I know there is a box set, but the point I was trying to make is there isn’t one being released now or when this set would go on sale. Otherwise, I agree, its nostalgia that is driving this set and not a viable idea of what can sell to Lego’s target group. If this was made somehow into an ultimate collector or technic set then it could be considered for the older generation. Actually, an Ultimate Collector Delorean would be kinda cool and easily kit bashed into a time machine.

  7. Catsy

    You might have something there. I’d buy a UCS DeLorean–especially if it was a treasure trove of metallic silver parts the way it ought to be.

  8. Dane

    Sarah basically at least 70-85% of the sets Lego “invents” on their own is targeted those seven to ten year olds you talk about.

    The cuusoo project where this come from is created to target some other groups that Lego perhaps not normally target so I don’t see why making this model should be a problem for you or Lego I’ll probably buy one and with 10.000 votes I’m sure many others also will, and there will still be plenty of sets for the seven to ten year olds

  9. Sarah

    @Combee, and @Dane I can’t remember what the other Cuusoo set was, but with Minecraft it is a current popular game which is played by kids and adults. Why wouldn’t Lego want to sell it?
    Back to the Future is over 20 years old, Shaun of the Dead is almost 10 years old. Neither of which are really kids movie. My point is, sets with mini figs and non-complex builds are automatically thought of for kids.

  10. Chris Post author

    If LEGO was only going to produce sets through Cuusoo that they thought would be of maximum interest to their normal demographic, then I’m afraid I just really don’t see the point of Cuusoo. LEGO already makes a catalogue full of sets for that demographic, and they don’t need to pay anyone profits from those.

    It is my understanding of Cuusoo that it is intended to provide an outlet for sets both for the typical LEGO target market (i.e. kids in the 6-12 range) AND for more niche audiences, be they smaller fan groups, different age-ranges, or audiences not usually associated with LEGO. With the recent denial of the Shaun of the Dead set, I believe that LEGO was saying not that sets have to necessarily appeal to the 6-12 year olds, but that they must be appropriate for that market. LEGO doesn’t want to have things in their lineup of sets that they wouldn’t feel are appropriate to sell to young children. Sets with high complexity or a large nostalgia value won’t necessarily be of interest to the standard demographic, but there’s no reason LEGO wouldn’t feel right about selling a product like that to young kids. That is not the case when dealing with something like Shaun of the Dead.
    The Minecraft set just happened to have a large appeal to the standard LEGO demographic. But that wasn’t the case with the two previous Cuusoo sets, and I don’t expect it to be the case with all future sets.

  11. Sebeus

    The fact that it reached 10000 supporters must mean that there is a significant interest. Besides, it’s not like they would start a whole theme about BTTF, it would simply be this one set, a LEGO exclusive.
    How many nine year olds buy that UCS superstar destroyer for example ?
    I supported this for the simple reason that I would buy it if I saw it in store, peroid.

  12. crgennaro

    @ Sarah,

    I’ll have to take issue with the ‘Current’ over ‘Classic’ argument. Lego has licensed several current properties like Prince of Persia and Speed Racer that have not done particularly well. (I don’t have the numbers, but these sets seemed to be on clearance forever). Now while I would admit it’s not necessarily fair to hold up Classic Star Wars and Indiana Jones as examples of other classic 80’s properties, I can tell you plenty of kids in the Lego target demographic are exposed to the modern classics on DVD and TV. Sometimes I can’t believe the stuff my cousins have seen. In fact I’ll wager BTTF as a better brand recognition than Speed Racer and Prince of Persia combined.

    Also for the record I supported the BTTF set. Personally I don’t think it’s going to happen because of the licensing hurtles, but I would be up for buying a $20 DeLorean set no problem. I think the Cuusoo platform is great, and hope everyone puts their money where their mouths are so we can continue to have a bigger say in product development.

    Bring on Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice!

  13. Sarah

    @crgenno, some current themes don’t do well for various reasons, like the movie sucked or didn’t do well at the box office. But the reason they were made was because they were current. Other current themes like Spongebob Lego sets are doing very well. Star Wars and the Indy sets came about when new movies were released. Lets not forget that the Indy truck scene set didn’t include the Ark, but treasure because they didn’t think kids would know why Indy was after the truck.
    Would the Star Wars Lego sets been made had the prequels not have come out? I’m not saying they wouldn’t have done well, but would have a marketing team really gambled on it at the time?

    Sure, we all want the sets we wanted when we were kids, but Lego has to consider the market out there now.

  14. Chris Post author

    Well, when it really comes to it, this is all academic anyway, as relatively soon we’ll know whether LEGO is moving forward with this project or not. I hope though, that in the event they decide not to make this into a set, they provide a thorough explanation, as was done with the Shaun of the Dead set.

  15. crgennaro

    @Chris. I agree, I totally understood the Shaun of the Dead explanation. Honestly all I’d like to see from Lego is that they make an honest effort to get the rights, and if they can’t, well then that’s the story. It’s out of Lego’s control. I’d much rather them say that they just couldn’t get the rights, than make up some excuse because they didn’t pick up the phone to see if something could be worked out.

    @Sarah. Yeah, I guess that’s what I was trying to say. I think they’ll do better with an older movie that’s good, as opposed to a newer movie that’s bad. I think we’ll all be curious to see if that’s the case or not.

  16. Chris Post author

    Having worked with the Cuusoo team personally on the Minecraft set, I have full confidence that they won’t dismiss things out of hand, without giving each project a thorough and honest examination, or earnestly trying to obtain the rights, if necessary.

  17. Jean C

    A modern remake of Back to the Future? What a great idea! I think Justin Bieber would be great as Marty McFly.

  18. gedren_y

    This is from the Offical Lego reply.

    “As we’re approaching the 30th anniversary of Back to the Future, this project could not have come at a better time. Congratulations on achieving 10,000 supporters. We now officially advance this project to the Review phase.”

    That should settle the issue of being current. Shawn of the Dead was rejected because the gruesome theme was not suitable for kids. BTTF is commonly played on television with little editing.

    We should be learning whether or not this was picked up in about 2 months.

    Another thing to consider is that Lego may have to wait to produce this. The theme Alien Conquest, it was recently announced, will not be continuing this year due to the volume of other themes to be released later this year. Adding a new liscenced item may not be possible till the holiday season or later.

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