Tag Archives: CUUSOO

Lego Minecraft Set 21102 Review

Here’s a video review of the newly released 21102 Minecraft set, the first CUUSOO product to be released outside of Japan. You can get it starting today for $34.99 on Lego Shop at Home.

Summary: the Minecraft set is a decent buy for a collection of small plates and tiles. It is more geared for display with its detailed texture and modular sections. Even though I am not a Minecraft player, I’m believe that Lego has succeeded in turning the game concept into a product (although my initial sentiments still stand).

Theo Jansen’s Rhinoceros Strandbeest on LEGO CUUSOO

Artist/engineer Theo Jansen has been creating fantastic “kinetic sculptures” for more than 20 years. I was mesmerized the first time I saw a video of the Rhinoceros Strandbeest in motion several years ago. Now, Dutch industrial designer kvanb has created a working LEGO version of the Rhino and posted it — with Theo Jansen’s blessing — on LEGO CUUSOO.

LEGO Rhino Strandbeest on CUUSOO

Those familiar with the original sculpture will certainly be impressed by the likeness, but I literally gasped (to my wife’s surprise and alarm) when I saw the LEGO model walking in this video, shown here with Theo in his workshop:

Here’s Theo Jansen’s original Rhino, for comparison:

I would love to see this turned into a real LEGO set. I hope that approximately 10,000 of you out there will agree with me.

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.


Lego Shaun of the Dead Set a No-Go [News]

When LEGO fan Greg (aka Yatkuu) achieved 10,000 votes for his Cuusoo project based on the R-rated film Shaun of the Dead, we were all incredibly curious to see how LEGO would react. They’ve given it full consideration, and have determined that they will not further pursue turning this project into a set. This marks the first time that a Cuusoo project has reached the proper number of votes, but failed the review process. The official statement is below.

The LEGO Jury has completed the review of the Winchester – Shaun of the Dead project that hit 10,000 supporters on LEGO CUUSOO on March 31, 2012.

LEGO CUUSOO gives the opportunity to submit product ideas, however all LEGO products, regardless of age target, must be content appropriate for our core audience. With this in mind we have decided that – good though the model is – the film Shaun of the Dead contains content that is not appropriate for our core target audience of children ages 6-11.

Long before the Winchester received mainstream media attention, Greg (Yatkuu) contacted us in earnest to see if his project was acceptable. We recognized the potential conflict, but didn’t see a reason to remove the project. The model was presented tastefully and we thought it deserved fair consideration. With 10,000 supporters, the Winchester earned the opportunity to receive the full LEGO Review.

Greg has been a pleasure to work with throughout this process. We’re impressed by his model, grateful for his constructive approach with us, and we are sad to disappoint such a devoted LEGO fan.

We appreciate the passion exhibited for new product ideas on LEGO CUUSOO. Opening ourselves to new product suggestions invites popular ideas that don’t always fit our brand. This is the first time we’ve felt that we should turn a LEGO CUUSOO idea down, but we’re grateful for the spirit behind projects like the Winchester and for the opportunity to be challenged. It keeps us sharp and looking toward the future of the LEGO brick.

Tachikoma walks, rolls, could be yours!

Trackikoma

Since Peer Kreuger (mahjqa) first went CUUSSO I’ve been waiting for the right time to blog about it, and I think that time is now! Sure we already blogged the model but, with 3000 votes already down, I feel it’s time to call the readers of TBB to support it on LEGO CUUSSOO.

Vintage Atari project reaches 10K on CUUSOO [April Fool’s]

While Iain Heath and I were geeking out this weekend at a comic book convention, something strange happened.

OMG WE DID IT!!!

Flickr user atarifan401 managed to marshall the powers of vintage Atari video game fandom to follow in the footsteps of LEGO Minecraft and LEGO Shaun of the Dead to reach 10,000 votes on LEGO CUUSOO.

To be honest, I think these designs are, well, not that great. It’ll be interesting to see what transformation they undergo as LEGO works through the design process with “atarifan401”.

LEGO Shaun of the Dead nears 10K votes on CUUSOO

Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg has thrown his weight behind a LEGO CUUSOO project by Belgian LEGO fan Yatkuu, and the project is nearing 10,000 votes.

UPDATE: The project has hit 10,000 supporters since I posted this last night. Congratulations to Yatkuu!

LEGO Winchester

Even if TBB readers can help nudge this project from 9,608 votes to 10,000 votes, it’ll still take some doing for LEGO to a) secure the rights to the movie and b) approve a project based on a very violent, R-rated movie.

Still, Shaun of the Dead is one of my favorite movies, and this project certainly has my vote!

NASA Deep Space Habitat and Rover on LEGO CUUSOO

Following the official launch of the LEGO CUUSOO Hayabusa space probe, it only seems fitting to highlight another great CUUSOO project inspired by the exploration of our solar system. CUUSOO user Brianr8811 has proposed a LEGO version of NASA’s Deep Space Habitat and Rover, which may serve humanity in its first manned mission to Mars.

LEGO CUUSOO NASA Deep Space Habitat and Rover project

Via Brick Town Talk.

2nd Japanese LEGO CUUSOO project launches with Hayabusa space probe

The second fan-created LEGO CUUSOO project has just been released in Japan, and will be available from the LEGO Shop online later in 2012. The set depicts the Hayabusa probe, which brought bits of an asteroid back to earth.

21101_back

Here’s the full press release:

BILLUND, Denmark – The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa, the second LEGO® CUUSOO release, has gone on sale in Japan, while a limited number of Hayabusa sets will also be available exclusively online via shop.LEGO.com later in the year. No release date has been set yet.

The original Hayabusa model on LEGO CUUSOO was built by Daisuke Okubo and achieved 1,000 supporters on the Japanese-only version of LEGO CUUSOO in the spring of 2011. LEGO model designer Melody Louise Caddick designed the final model, refining earlier concept models based on Daisuke’s original project.

The model is priced at ￥ 4,118 in Japan, USD49, EUR49

LEGO CUUSOO is a website where LEGO fans can submit their ideas for new LEGO products and collect votes to make their ideas become a reality. They can also vote for other users’ ideas. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com

LEGO CUUSOO began in 2008 with a Japanese site that attracted hundreds of ideas and saw thousands of votes cast by a 35,000-strong community. It was launched globally in October.

The first Japanese product, the Shinkai 6500 submersible, went on sale in Japan in February 2011. A project backed by Minecraft developer Mojang became the first user-sponsored project to be approved on the global version of LEGO CUUSOO.

Ideas supported by 10,000 votes are examined by a LEGO jury to check the models meet LEGO standards of safety and playability and support the LEGO brand. Consumers who have their ideas chosen for production will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product.’

Hayabusa (“falcon” in English) is an unmanned spacecraft built by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), designed to travel to a small near-Earth asteroid named Itokawa and return sample material to Earth. Hayabusa’s mission began in 2003 and ended successfully in 2010.

CUUSOO Bieber

Mark Stafford (nabii) has had the inspired idea to harness to power of LEGO CUUSOO to help in our important, but until recently unknown, quest for Justin Bieber LEGO sets. So if you’d like to see JB in LEGO form, go vote.

I’ll get back to my usual programming when I return to Australia. But this opportunity could not be ignored.

LEGO Minecraft Micro World set officially unveiled, includes Micro Mobs [News]

There’s been a lot of speculation about the first LEGO CUUSOO set, so the official announcement is a welcome relief. The set is due out this summer.

LEGO Minecraft (1)

The set splits into four sections.

LEGO Minecraft (5)

See all the photos in my photoset on Flickr.

Here’s the official press release:

LEGO® Minecraft™ Micro World details unveiled, available for pre-order

BILLUND, Denmark – The LEGO Group and Mojang have released purchase details and pictures of the LEGO® Minecraft™ Micro World today.

The new set, which was the first to receive 10,000 votes of support from users on the global LEGO CUUSOO idea collection platform, will be available for purchase in summer 2012, but can be pre-ordered from today, exclusively through Mojang retail partner Jinx.com for $34.99 €34.99 at http://www.jinx.com/LEGOMinecraft. The sets will also be sold in select LEGO brand retail stores and the LEGO online shop from summer 2012.

“LEGO Minecraft Micro World is designed to celebrate the essence of the LEGO concept and the Minecraft gaming experience,” said Paal Smith-Meyer, Head of the LEGO New Business Group. Each set features four cubic modular vignettes that can be connected to recreate the Minecraft experience in LEGO bricks. One Minecraft block is represented as one 1×1 LEGO plate with a tile on top — not a perfect cube, but the best approximation at the chosen scale.

LEGO Minecraft Micro World includes two of Minecraft’s most iconic characters, Steve and a Creeper, represented as “Micro Mobs.” The model presents a standard for building a Minecraft world that can be configured any way the builder likes.

The surface of the modules comes off to reveal mines and hidden resources beneath. Fans can build their own landscapes, stack cubes on top of each other, to build the world of Minecraft as they wish.
The product was developed in collaboration with four LEGO fans: Chris Malloy, Michael Thomas, Kyle Tingey, and Bjarne Panduro Tveskov. These fans developed concepts alongside LEGO designers and helped shape the product into its final version.

Upon seeing the physical model the first time, Mojang founder Markus “Notch” Persson exclaimed: “Woohoo!”

LEGO CUUSOO is a website where LEGO fans can submit their ideas for new LEGO products and collect votes to make their ideas become a reality. They can also vote for other users’ ideas. It can be found at http://lego.cuusoo.com.

Ideas that are supported by 10,000 votes have a chance of being selected to become part of the LEGO Group’s product portfolio. Consumers who have their ideas chosen will earn 1% of the total net sales of the product.

Mojang will donate the 1% proceeds from LEGO CUUSOO to charity.

For more on the co-creation process for LEGO Minecraft Micro World, see the LEGO CUUSOO blog at http://legocuusoo.posterous.com.

Special congratulations to TBB’s own Chris Malloy for his involvement in the launch of the first global LEGO CUUSOO project!

Let the inevitable discussion ensue.

Western Town on LEGO Cuusoo

While I’m fairly sure I blogged this model when it came out, I’ve decided to join a campaign by (so far) Eurobricks and Brickset in pushing it on LEGO Cuusoo. So if you’d like one of these in your home, go vote for it.